Fourth of July message

Dear Family, Friends and other remarkable folks inhabiting Mother Earth,

As I mentioned in a communiqué to my super cousin, Rose Nash, life is settling down into a more basic routine that is still kept exciting by the increase of certain behaviors, usually later at night.  These activities are holdups, which seem to be focused on the six to eight square blocks where I reside and call home.  It is in the heart of NGO land and it has to be admitted in the echoes of the late, great Willie Sutton when asked why he robbed banks, –  it is where the money is.  Theft and holdups are nothing really new in Phnom Penh but the use of a gun is rather unique.  Most of the time robberies are basically committed by the young kids who come flying by on their gaudy colored motos, and grab handbags and tear away laughing.  I just don’t understand this need to have a brightly colored motorcycle with two and sometimes three guys sitting on it.  I always thought the idea of a good stickup artist was invisibility and stealth.  Maybe they are cops and are just tired of the drab government uniform they have to wear when they commit their felonious assaults on the citizenry, locals and foreigners.

So, anyway, the news of importance about this new rash of robberies is that sometimes the robbers are waving guns at the victims.  This is very unusual but in Phnom Penh there are many explanations.  The big one, but not the best one to me, is that with the elections ready for late July, the young’ens are just getting their piece of the pie early.  Many people seem to believe that instead of being poor kids or poor provincial folks who have come to the big city in search of quick wealth, it is actually the sons of the big gun politicians who feel or are supported in the view that they are above the law. There might something to this thought because they do own the big streets after 10 or 11 at night as they race around town on their big motorcycles or high priced cars.

Another view, which I seem to lean toward is that with the inflationary spiral is going up like a thermometer on a hot day, ends just are not meeting like they used to.  The gun issue is often shrugged off by the older citizens as nothing new.  Back in the late 80’s and 90’s everybody owned guns, some owned lots of guns, and some owned truly formidable firepower like machine guns or AK 47s.   With peace or civilization or big time donor groups coming into the scene the guns were evidently buried or exchanged for new and enhanced toys.  Now they are coming out again.

I find that I tend to tuck my tail down a little earlier than I used to and am watching more bootlegged DVDs and listening to more pirated CDs than before.  Maybe it just depends on your choice or illegality as what to what turns you on.

Work is still fun and currently we are waiting for some of this huge largess that the World bank tells us is going into the pipeline any day.  I do hear that some of it – maybe a massive amount of it, is already in the pipeline but is going to contractors to build new schools.  Some more is going to the Teacher Training Department, which is our big rival for handouts and largess. I am scheduled to do a training session for them in the next month or so, because my Filipina friend has been tasked with the job of developing a training module on special education.  They really don’t have one now but they are expected to come up with one.  I don’t feel any conflict with this request I am going to bring along my friends from the Special Education Office to support my song and dance show.  I think it will work.  In some future newsletter I will elaborate on the tensions of having one high powered ministry official’s wife working for one department while our lowly department happened to marry for love, or poverty or whatever.

On the issue of work topics, we are engaged in a consortium run by World Bank in which we plan to do some nation wide mapping for children with disabilities.  The goal will be to identify essentially how many children in the nation have disabilities. The unique feature of this survey will be to determine how many children exist both in and out of school.  This latter factor is key to future programming since by 2015 under the Education for All agreement many nations signed, we are supposed to be serving all children wit a basic education of nine years.  The initial comment, which could easily be the motto for everything World Bank does, was “No data, no problem.”  While most of the volunteers all know intuitively about the world-class issues facing education in Cambodia and we can all cite many personal observations of examples that defy reasonable interpretation of a sincere system, nobody can really produce a set of data that everybody agrees on.

World Bank has been complaining about this for quite a while and for a finance governing institution this must have driven them crazy.  Anyway now we will possibly move on this.

The structural model is pretty good but as often the case, there is many a slip between the cup and the lip.  A pilot project will be done in Phnom Penh in which 1000 children will be surveyed. These caregivers of these children will be asked several questions on a variety of issues such as income, and other demographic topics.  Then there will be a ten (or maybe an 11 question including one on behavior) form in which if the caregiver answers any question “Yes” the child will move on to Phase two which includes a complete medical and psychological.  In this phase it will be determined whether the child has a true disability or not.  It is expected that of the original 1000 children surveyed, about 250 will be eligible for Phase two.

Now, in order to determine statistics that includes “out-of-school” children another 4000 children’s caregivers will be surveyed.  In addition to the expected 20 to 25% of eligibles for phrase two, every tenth child will be automatically selected for phase two.

Are you still with me?  These procedures are all statistically sound and will produce, if everything goes right, a big “if” but presumably doable, a set of baseline data.  A large team of community based workers will be needed and a site coordinator and most important, teams of doctors and psychologists.  Now remember this is country that 1. Killed all of its medical personnel if it found any, and 2.  A doctor can buy his or her way through school without ever studying.  So, where do this professional group come from?

The model has been used in Bangladesh and in Ethiopia.  Ethiopia posed many problems similar to Cambodia and help was culled for a source that America doesn’t recognize.  Cuba!  It seems that in Cuba there are so many fairly well trained doctors that they are driving cabs, working as waiters in hotels etc.  The health care system is extraordinary if you can accept Michael Moore’s documentary on health care.  Che Guevara is rumored to have “loaned” thousand of doctors to South American Countries who were in desperate need.  Regardless, that is one source.

As training occurs then these teams can move on to the remainder of the 24 provinces in Cambodia.  I like the notion but already folks are shuddering when then think of the logistics involved.  It will take from two to three months for a province to be surveyed and it is expected that by December 2009 it will be complete.  Granted there will be quite a bit of simultaneous surveying going on but again, it is doable and the results will be the baseline that future efforts can be built on.

Tomorrow finishes up this workshop I have been in and Monday it will back to work in SEO.  I think I will begin writing some plans for implementation for the policy we recently had sent to the ministry and had signed.  That will keep me busy for a while.

In the meanwhile, take a look around you and think about the social programs you have at your beck and call.  The school systems, the clinics, the government supported counseling and drug rehabilitation programs.  Plus the hundreds and possibly thousands of other programs that we rarely ever hear about.  All of this without donor groups unless you call the American taxpayer a donor group.  I do and I think most of us do.  Even in comparison with other developed nations we have a very good system. It can and should be better but it is not bad while we support a defense system that is most expensive in history.  No more lectures for now.

Love you all and hope that all is well with you and yours.  Your clinical observer, Dick

Chinese New Year

Dear Friends, Family and other notable companions on this journey through Life.

Another brief note on the ways of Phnom Penh and in turn, Cambodia. I continue to marvel at the ways of drivers both foreign and domestic in this capital city of Cambodia.

The traffic, which I have always found to be similar to rush hour in downtown Chicago with a fraction of Chicago’s population, has shown me the Ying and Yang of traffic influences. First, the Ying. On Chinese New year (February 6-7-8) a cannon shot down the main thoroughfares would certainly have hit someone, probably a Barang, but it would have an equal chance of hurtling a long distance before it did find its mark. The city was absolutely churchlike in its silence and respect for the holiday. The huge public markets were for the most part closed, which doesn’t occur at other times of the year in my impression. I will defer further judgment on a similar happening until the Khmer New Year which is April 13-14-15. In my research I have discovered that it is estimated that 80% of the Cambodian people are linked somehow to the Chinese. This is either being of full Chinese lineage or a large percentage of their ancestry. They all claim to be Cambodian but whether they are Khmer is speculative. The semantics on this whole topic area arguable since to be Cambodian is to be Khmer, but to be Chinese is to be culturally significant.

So, here I was, not exactly celebrating the New Year, but thoroughly enjoying the quiet, the run of the streets on my moto, and the general calm that existed throughout. Unlike the frenzy of the International New Year, which exists here as well as in the States or at least the major cities, this was celebrated with stores closing, people going to pagodas or “pak odahs” as it is pronounced locally, and a few firework displays. I could drive down Noradom, and Monivong, and Mao Tse Tung and only have a few motos and cars for company. I could travel one end of the city to another and the traffic lights would either only be blinking or all green, or off and no confusion or problems at any intersections. The more serious traffic would be on the side street intersections where the random crisscross of traffic would have the car and/or motos come across each other in a surprise occurrence that rarely would be serious since everyone for the most part has learned, (yours truly, included) to be cautious at any crossing. The use of the omnipresent horn is for this circumstance.

Now for the yang. This week I have been afflicted with the bane of the tropics, intestinal issues, or in more common layman’s language, chronic diarrhea. It manifests in the usual format but also carries the added burden of flu like symptoms, that is, head ache, severe fatigue, and the added cross of never wanting to be very far from a toilet. I managed for a day or two and then went to our company doctor and she prescribed – no work for three days, serious antibiotics (flagyl and cipro) and lots of fluids. Today is the last of the three days off of work and I will be glad to go back.

But not to digress too much, I did go out for meals starting yesterday to get a change from the soup and sandwiches I was eating, again according to doctor’s orders to eat something – anything, to assist the pills I was taking. I made the mistake of leaving my house about 5 Pm and after chatting for a few minutes with my landlady, I drove off on Street 63 toward the complex of restaurants and shops in NGO Land that my part of town is known by. Street 63 as I may have mentioned earlier is a quiet, tree lined, very small town-like, French colonial residential street that is a pleasure to look at and walk down. Yesterday however I was amazed at the sheer volume of traffic. It would have been easier to walk than to try and drive anything even a bicycle. And at certain intersections it was absolutely gridlocked. I turned off beautiful Street 63 because I thought it was a local condition, but every street I tried was the same. Finally I got to the little vegetarian roof top restaurant I have discovered which gives me a nice view of the main drag of Sihanouk and Norodom and it was like watching a circus and a grand parade and a political convention all rolled into one. My analogy of the river still holds true for traffic but this river was turgid, and choked with fallen trees and at full flood stage. Traffic moved, but ponderously, and with very little incentive. This lasted for a good half an hour or so and when I left, it was better but still full of all sorts of vehicles and traffic. I have to add trucks to the mix at this point. I don’t think I have mentioned them previously because I never really noticed them before. But now they create an even greater influence because none of the traffic wants to be behind them and no one wants to give way and everybody is reluctant to challenge them too severely. So you have a continual series of “chicken” being played, with the trucks inevitably winning and moving along like dinosaurs heading for their last round-up. That’s the ying and yang of traffic in Phnom Penh.

These months are good for lots of plant life in Cambodia, but since I am such a city guy I can only speak directly to what I see outside my apartment or from my balcony. In my courtyard there is a mango tree, which I can reach from my balcony. Across the little street is a palm tree with coconuts growing on it. Down the street is another mango tree. I have attached photos in what I hope will become a more visual experience in my future newsletters since I am afraid you will be bored with incessant descriptions of traffic, personal life, Yatta, Yatta, Yatta. The mangos are becoming bigger and riper each day and soon I will be able to just pluck one and add a sour shrimp paste or whatever goes with mangos (raw is good) and have a treat. The coconuts I will leave to whoever likes coconut milk (I don’t) and the meat, which is good for Amok, which is Khmer for many dishes, made with this liquid (which I do like). When I first arrived in Cambodia and heard about this type of cuisine I though it was an adjective for the state of life, but I soon changed my opinion.

Next week I am on my own in the office because my office mates are all off to Bangkok to present a paper on Bilingual education. They are truly saddened that I am not going since I helped a lot in preparing the paper but VSO is undergoing dramatic budget cutbacks and I was not authorized. If I had thought more about it I should have just gone ahead and joined them anyway. Next time. When they return however, they and I will head out for Siem Reap for a Deaf/blind conference. I am not sure which area I represent –probably the dumb, since I will never have full confidence in my language skills. That will cover a couple of days. Then back to the furnace of activity in Phnom Penh and more of the same old, same old. In the meanwhile, Continue being yourselves and know that I miss you and care for you.

Your wandering pilgrim, Paco the not so agrarian type.

Case of the Missing Moto (and then some)

Dear Friends, Family and other notable companions on this journey through Life.

This is a two-part note because I began it while still in Kg Cham. I decided to leave the original part in rather than delete it because subsequent events have a bearing on this time.

Part one (still in Kg Cham)
It has been a while and I still have not made up my mind about whether to replace my moto or get a bike. I am probably going to buy a moto, but I am still giving myself a day or two more to be sensible rather than impulsive. A new Honda Spider costs $780 and a new Honda Dream, the presumably best of the motos, costs about $1660. The Spider is 110cc and the Dream is 125cc. Living in the city the Spider is very practical, that is if you have dismissed the bicycle as the main mode of transportation. Several people back before I bought my moto, told me the Spider was best because “robbers’ only want Dreams, not Spiders. I have proven them wrong which was not my goal.

Language class is coming to a close. I am still terrible but I can at least make myself sound like a severely retarded Barang (white guy) who is trying to find his way to the toilet or restaurant or museum. A careful Khmei would probably give an answer to all three even if the Barang only said one sentence. And then the Khmei might be surprised to find that the fellow was actually trying to say this is a nice day or have you lived in Phnom Penh long? I have been exposed to tons of vocabulary, nouns and verbs, I have been instructed in how to convert verbs into nouns, adjectives into adverbs, more nouns into verbs but with different prefixes, and several, (hundreds, it seems) expressions that cover a multitude of situations (satanapheap). However, remembering the severely retarded Barang (white guy), a comment may not mean the intended thought and international confusion is enhanced.

Part 2 (Back in Phnom Penh)
I returned to Phnom Penh having decided to go ahead and buy another moto. Since I had gone through the trials of learning how to ride the thing and having developed some minimal skills, I believed that lightning would probably not strike twice. Time would be the final arbiter of that theory. So —

I bought the moto – a very nice blue one. I added several safety features like an alarm and a lock attached to the front fork of the machine. This is in addition to the normal locking mechanism when you turn off the bike. I finished it all off with an updated curse from Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammed all cursing the family of any thief to the fifth generation who dares to steal this bike. It is still in English so its effectiveness is somewhat limited. I need a good Khmer translator.

Saturday as I was leaving my house with another VSO volunteer (so I have a witness) the little girl who speaks English came up to me and asked me for my paper work on the moto again. I told her I didn’t have it and that VSO had it in the office. I asked her why she needed it so badly since the likelihood of ever seeing the moto again was slim and none. She then told me that the police had found my moto and the other cycles that had been stolen. To describe my reaction as speechless is to severely understate the case.

In Cambodia as in many developing nations, the police are often the last ones you want to have helping you in a criminal activity. The usual suspicion is that they are either the thieves, are helping the thieves, or couldn’t care less about a foreigner having a problem with the criminal elements. So, to find out that the police had found the motos was an amazing revelation. The social contacts of the owner of the house suddenly have been sharply elevated in my estimation. If he could get the police to work on this case (see above reasons for why they probably wouldn’t) then he definitely has some juice.

Now I have to sort my logistical problems. I still haven’t seen the moto but I believe that this is not some cruel joke. It suggests that I am now the owner of two (2) motos. One problem is that since I had no trust or faith at all in its recovery, I had disposed of the two sets of keys for the original. Also I now have to find a buyer for one of them, probably the original since I don’t want any reminders of the crazy ways of the Cambodia life.

Just got back from lunch. During lunch I received two offers for my moto. We have not discussed price yet but both of the prospective buyers do not believe that the keys will be any problem. I am not sure they even think that papers will be a problem.

I will not bore all of you with an ongoing saga of the missing Spider (the type of 110 cc moto I have) but as the issue comes to a close, I will post everyone. I am hoping that there is not a body or two of ‘robbers” lying in a ditch somewhere. Crime seems to be a fairly frequent hobby particularly here in Phnom Penh but part of being a successful robber is knowing whom not to rob.

That is it for now. I plan on going home and going to bed early. I ache and think I have a cold or flu or something. My office mates are heading for Bangkok and are very upset I am not traveling with them. I am following Obama and Hillary at some distance, and while I am cheering for Obama, I have a nagging feeling I have heard this stuff before. Ah well, setting precedents are good too.

Love to all and my deep appreciation for the many thoughts and notes you have sent. Your wandering pilgrim, Evel Paco Dervin

Lucky Moto, Lucky Choir

Dear Friends, Family and other notable companions on this journey through Life.

I have discovered that I am capable of making strange and “little’ sounds as I travel through the ways of Phnom Penh. Some of this I was conscious of before as I suddenly became aware of a motorist or cyclist inches away from my rear as I traveled down the street. I have spent months adjusting to this phenomenon and I think I was uttering less or more understandable expressions now than the standard range of “uh-oh”, “eh” or “ehhhhhh” depending on the degree of being startled. But now, I have bought a moto.

Yes, comrades all, instead of being safe and dependable on my kong (bicycle) I have invested in a brand new, Honda Spider 110 cc moto that will get me through the streets of Phnom Penh in lightening speed. This often translates to between 25 and 45 KPH (or 15 and 25 MPH, for the citizens who have refused to accept the world standard of metric). My speedometer goes much, much higher but I frankly don’t anticipate ever testing the limits of this vehicle since I am also discovering what a true coward I am. The moto cost me $770, which seems to be a decent price from all of the Khmei I have shared the cost with and even before I bought the bike, I had checked several places. Anticipating the several suggestions to:
1. Have my head examined.
2. Be very, very careful.
3. Try walking the bike instead of driving it.
4. Hire a driver and be a passenger
5. Go ahead and drive fast, and maybe this will end all of this foolishness.

I will take them all under consideration and promise to be very, very careful.

I have also been good to myself in the clothes division. After being embarrassed to be the only delegate to the SEAMEO conference in Ho Chi Minh City last month not to be wearing a suit, I have had two made. They are of wool-cashmere and are tailored to fit my svelte body. I still think the pants are too long but the saleslady assures me that they are perfect. This was while she was grasping the back of the suit coat I had on with a firm grip. The two are nice and I have had two opportunities to wear them in the last two weeks.

The first was at the British ambassador’s residence for “Christmas caroling”. This is referred to in the British community as a “knees-up” shindig after a quaint old music hall ballad singing about “Knees-up, Mrs. Brown!”, a lively tune guaranteed to get everyone’s spirits soaring. So, I donned my new dark grey with blue pinstripes and new tailored shirt (white) and a classy tie (came free with the suit) and sally forthed (I know it is not a word, but it sounds British).

It was a great evening. Lots of carol singing and enough restricted singing only by the choir they had there for the occasion to guarantee some quality. The director of the choir sang one of my all-time favorites, “Jerusalem” which I had tried to get for Mary Kay’s funeral. I have heard John McCormack’s version and it is probably the definitive version. I complimented the Ambassador on his choir and choice of music and he replied that his wife was totally in charge of cultural activities. I then asked Elaine, (Yes, we are on a first name basis, maybe not by choice on their part) whether I could expect to hear “Finnegan’s Wake” at next year’s party. Her reply was somewhat cryptic inasmuch as she said, “Well, Richard, if you are still here we will certainly consider it.” Not exactly the ringing acceptance of my suggestion I had hoped for, and curiously including the possibility of my not being here. Ah well, I am sure there is no hidden message there.

But, I have to say that MI5 or Mi6 or whoever is in charge of vetting the guest lists screwed up here. Allowing me in to sing my heart out on some of the more lively carols, evidently brought me to the attention of Evelyn and Stan the ambassador. They invited me and Sarah Woodridge to join the choir. I assure you; no one was more amazed than I was. I explained that first, I couldn’t read music, second I was a yank an I wasn’t sure my passport allowed such genteel activities, and three, for those who know me, I can’t sing worth a crap and I would destroy any credibility they have ever earned. All that aside, I will probably at least go to a practice or two before they start rehearsing at different venues and not telling me.

The opportunity to wear my second suit, a nice beige job with a tailored blue shirt ($12 like the other one) and a great matching tie (also free with the suit) was to give a presentation to the Vietnamese and Chinese study tours here in Cambodia. They are visiting courtesy of VSO and I was asked to give a one-hour presentation on my role in the ministry and how I personally am helping Cambodia become the world leader that the ancient kings of Kampuchea had envisioned before France, the Americans, Pol Pot and the Vietnamese interrupted their path to glory. I am sad to say that I did not accomplish that goal since one hour includes short bursts of sentences, then translations, and a fair portion of time for Q & A. I might have gotten 15 to 20 minutes of actual presenting time in. The questions were good, astute, and knowledgeable. I thanked them and returned the eyeglasses to the hostess of the weeklong tour.

Why did I return her glasses? Because that morning I lost my other glasses. I had laid them down on the seat of my brand new moto (have I told you about that?) and while donning my helmet, which I never go without now, I forgot about the freaking glasses. At least I think that was the sequence. This is the second pair of glasses I have lost or misplaced or whatever and they are right up there with computers as my nemesis. I brought two pairs of prescription sunglasses with me to Cambodia and still have both pair. I think that God wants me to be a cool dude.

When I went in to Lucky Optics to order up a new pair, they greeted me cheerfully. After all I am becoming one of their best customers. When I told them I wanted two pair in case this happens again, they agreed that this was probably a good idea. I am sure they have confidence in me not losing them again, but they are ever polite and agreeable. However, when I asked when they would be ready, it turns out that in Singapore where the bifocals are made, they celebrate Christmas and it would take one month. I replied that was all well and good for world peace and the baby Jesus, but I needed my glasses now. After all, it is all about me, right? “Sorry,” says they, smiling all the while. But I could have a pair of reading glasses today. “There you go”, says I. Reading glasses, today, bifocals one month from now. Who says that we are not making our way toward the long held vision of the Ancient Kings of Kampuchea?

Just a quick word about Lucky ______ (fill in the blank). I do a lot of my shopping at Lucky market next door, and I have my prescriptions filled at the Lucky pharmacy down the street from the market. I am not sure but there might be plans for a Lucky pub and a Lucky brothel in the offing. I am not sure who this guy “Lucky” is but he is sure an active entrepreneur and he gets a lot of my business.

Well, that is it for now and I will save my proofreading for later when I have my prescription reading glasses that will have a string attached to them courtesy of the young lady who told me her grandfather is always losing his glasses also. I will practice some more on my moto and save my new suits for another awesome event, hopefully before next year’s Christmas bash at the Ambassador’s residence.

Your wandering musical pilgrim, Richard (Also, Paco,since I am wearing my helmet all of the time now).

Back in business!

I am very sorry for the ungodly length of time since my last update. Time has passed fairly rapidly and without too much of an unsettling nature, but with sufficient problems to warrant some annoyance. I don’t want to make this a “bitch” letter so I will simply relate some of the factors that have caused me concern and let your imaginations deal with how a mild-mannered guy like myself manages them.

First my computer. I think I shared the saga of the abused computer and the valiant efforts to revive it. Through my own fault, I had schemed very imaginatively to conceal my computer under a pillow in the guest house in Kampong Chaanam. I did this because I had been warned that there seemed to be a better grade of thieves in this town. Because it was a guesthouse and I was paying big dollars ($5/night) we had maid service. While I was at the workshop, the maid came in and surely grabbed the sheets, gave them a vigorous toss, and of course, the computer went flying. Not being one of those indestructible windows type of computers, which weigh fifty pounds and have a movie screen, my computer took the fall badly. The result was no power. I took it to a reputable computer shop, and they sent it to Singapore (twice) but to no avail, and I finally took it back to memorialize it in some later ceremony. I bought another, almost exact, duplicate, except this Mac Book is in black, which fit my mood better. And then I began the restoration.

Second, the restoration. This really wasn’t too bad since my daughter had created a great backup system for me, and I only had to decode the methods to restore. The first thing was to get rid of the trial Microsoft office application. This was only good for 30 days and wouldn’t let me print anything in the meanwhile. I finally got the application from my backup and it worked so I dumped the trial application. Then, purely by accident, I loaded all of my music back on. I have lost the music twice now and both times have restored it and could not tell you how if you held a gun to my head. There are approximately 1800 songs, many of which I had purchased from iTunes. (Can you see what is coming?) When I went to play one of my “Crickets” songs by Buddy Holly I got the message this is a new computer and is not authorized to play this iTunes song. Do you want to have iTunes authorize the song? Sure, I did. But, iTunes does not work in Asia, only in North America and Europe and a few other developed (read affluent) nations. So, again, you can imagine how a mild-mannered guy like myself manages this type of capitalistic nonsense. In case you can’t, I am planning to dump all of this music (renaming the songs didn’t help) and buy pirated copies for $1 a CD. Giving up one bandit for another seems like good old-fashioned “fair-play” to me.

Third, the Windfall. A group of nations (affluent) have gotten together and donated a large sum of cash to another group of nations (poor as church mice) to help their educational systems. It is called an FTI or “Fast Track Initiative”. This is so-named because it has to be spent in the next three years. Cambodia came in for the second largest amount, $57.4 million, even though Cambodia is way down the list in terms of size.

Today I enjoyed learning how to ride a moto, a small motorcycle about 125 ccs. It was great fun but I know I will never ride one in Phnom Penh since I have enough close encounters of a first and second kind without the benefit of a powerful machine between my legs. (No jokes or laughter, please.) This is another story that will be continued.

For now, this is your wandering pilgrim hopefully back on the communications track and wondering how I got lost. It is still fun although with a definitely shady side to the humor.