Wednesday, 13 June 2007

• Email Diaries - The Death of Oreo, Christmas in Africa, Iraq & Impeachment (If Only Today!)

   

  ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
  "Over the weekend, President Bush visited Albania. And everywhere his motorcade drove, he was greeted with cheers and applause. The Albanians were really excited and kept saying, 'Look -- a car!'" -- Conan O'Brien.

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  God I'm a packrat.  I have 5 Gigabytes worth of archived emails on an external hard drive.  I'm sure I don't need any of them, but sometimes they're fun to look back at, just to see how much things have changed or stayed the same.  It's interesting to note the dates on these emails.

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  Sometimes they tell a very sad story (hard to believe it's been 10 years...) :

  From: Carey
  Sent: Wednesday, April 2, 1997 8:25 AM
  To: Undisclosed Recipients

  Subject: Legacy

   

  Friends,

  As many of you have already heard, my dog Oreo suffered a

  terrible accident last night. He has been slowing down

  considerably with age, and having progressively more trouble

  doing all of the things he always used to.

   

  In recent weeks, he's had trouble simply getting up and

  down. It always seemed to be a chore. As most of you know,

  Oreo stayed with my best friend Dan, and his wife and two

  children whenever I traveled. As my trips of late have been

  getting progressively longer, I have tried to make all the

  time I spent with Oreo recently, truly quality time. In

  many ways he still acted like a puppy, even though a dog of

  his "breed" (German Shepherd, Sheepdog, Wolfhound and Wire

  Terrier) and size (85 lbs.) should not have lived until the

  ripe age of 12.

   

  Unfortunately last night he was asleep in the driveway when

  Dan's wife Angela left the house. Oreo apparently could not

  get out of the way in time, as the car was backing up. He

  suffered an injury to his spine, and was in a tremendous

  amount of pain. As I am in Portland this week, I tried to

  get home to be with Oreo, but unfortunately I

  could not make it there in time. Upon the advice of the

  veterinarian, Dan and I discussed our options this morning,

  and decided to end Oreo's misery. He was not fully

  conscious when the vet administered the shot, but Dan was

  there with him, holding him, and whispering in his ear,

  telling him what a good dog he was.

   

  As many of you know, Oreo's legacy is indeed just that.

  Friends today have described him as "the Gandhi of dogs",

  which makes me smile. I obviously am having huge regrets,

  for not being with Oreo today. As my dear friend Claudio

  told me though, "It's only natural that you feel sad for not

  being with Oreo when he died; but as we move away from this

  day I hope you can remember that you were there for him when

  he lived, and that was surely more important to him. You

  made him a happy dog, and a legend. It's not fair for

  anyone to be remembered for the way they died. Remember

  Oreo for all of the many years that he was alive, and very

  lucky to have you around...and very lucky to have Dan, and a

  good portion of the world's population as well, that all

  loved him. He had a great life, and I'm sure he's only

  grateful to you. He was a very happy dog, happier in fact

  than any dog alive."

   

  Many of you knew Oreo personally. Others knew only of his

  "legacy": his unending devotion, standing outside waiting

  for me wherever I went for however long, his 45 mile walk

  back to our old house in 1987, his appearance on the front

  page of the Chicago Tribune, his close call with a herd of

  elk, his "near fatal" shooting in 1990, his "appearance" on

  the television show "Friends" two years ago, his trips all

  over the country with me, his "honored guest" status at fine

  hotels everywhere, his gentleness with children of all ages,

  his intelligence (he once scored "genius" on a dog IQ test!)

  and constant other personal experiences.

   

  Yes, he was only a dog, but I know that he enriched the

  lives of many of the people in my life, and even people I

  have never met! Some of my favorite Oreo stories involve

  hearing about him being at parties, or places (schools at

  recess, wedding receptions, bars) that I had NO idea he ever

  attended. He was the definition of "wanderlust", and he

  loved people so very much.

   

  Timing for something like this is never good. I am

  preparing to leave for Tokyo & Guam for work next week. I

  had planned to be at home with Oreo for 2 1/2 weeks in

  April, but will not have that chance now. I so appreciate,

  all of the kind sentiments and expressions of sympathy that

  I have received from many of you thus far. I don't know

  when I will have a chance to talk to all of my friends about

  this. I will be out of the country starting Thursday, until

  April 15th. I'm looking forward to spending some time

  alone, reflecting on the life of a truly remarkable friend.

  My last words to Oreo before I left him three weeks ago

  were, as they always were, "Be a good dog, I'll be back, I

  love you."

   

  Thank you all for sharing a little piece of Oreo's legacy

  with me.

   

  Carey

   

  No that's not me in the bottom right   It's Claudio.  I just love that picture of Or.

  ---

   

  Sometimes they're just silly:

   

  From: redrum@icon-stl.net at Internet
  Sent: Monday, January 15, 1996 1:43 PM
  To: Carey

  Subject: here's to you
  
                                 / \
                                |\_/|
                                |---|
                                |   |
                                |   |
                              _ |=-=| _
                          _  / \|   |/ \
                         / \|   |   |   ||\
                        |   |   |   |   | \>
                        |   |   |   |   |   \
                        | -   -   -   - |)   )
                        |                   /
                         \                 /
                          \               /
                           \             /
                            \           /
                             |         |
                             |         |
                             |         |

   

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  Sometimes they're a Travel Journal:

  (With another Iraq incursion from a different time, and a country focused on impeachment because of a presidential blowjob.  Oh how they laughed at us!)

  From: Carey
  Sent: Friday, December 11, 1998 10:48:15 AM -0800 GMT
  To: Undisclosed Recipients

  Subject: Merry Christmas From Africa

   

  Hello everyone, and Happy Holidays from Cape Town, South Africa. I

  arrived in South Africa over two weeks ago, not knowing what to

  expect, and as my time remaining here is now less than a week, I find

  myself not wanting to leave.

   

  Cape Town alone is one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. It

  rivals Rio de Janeiro in natural beauty, and Sydney, Paris and even

  Chicago(!) in urban splendor. Though it is a small city (the second

  largest in South Africa at about 4 million) it has all of the amenities

  of the great western cities of the world.

   

  I have traveled extensively during my time here, from the very

  southern tip of the continent at Cape Agulhas, to the fabled Cape of

  Good Hope, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic, to the lush wine

  country of Stellenbosch, home to some of the finest wines on the

  planet. I have toured Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18

  years of his nearly 30 year prison sentence. I have photographed

  stunning sunsets from the slopes of the most famous landmark in the

  country, Table Mountain, whose flat "table top peak" is often covered

  with a thin layer of clouds the locals refer to as the "tablecloth".

  I have encountered penguin, baboon, springbok, ewald, zebra, dassy

  (related to the elephant), tortoise, and many strange birds and

  insects. I even went whale watching in Hermanus, the best place in

  the world for land based whale watching, but alas it was too windy the

  day I was there to see any Southern Right whales.

   

  A friend of mine from Switzerland was staying with me here for a week,

  and then some friends from Johannesburg came down to revel in the

  glorious beaches of the Western Cape for five days. I have made many

  wonderful new friends, as all of the people here are extremely

  friendly and love to hear what it's like to live in America.

  This country is startlingly "new" to democracy. Their constitution

  and bill of rights is not even two years old. They have been

  struggling with the demons of years of apartheid since 1990, and will

  unfortunately never be able to undo much of its damage.

  This is a country wrought with paradox. People who live in the cities

  shop in huge Western style malls, with all of the latest fashions and

  designer names. Everyone, young and old (as in Brazil, Australia,

  Japan, and Europe) has a cell phone. They watch the latest Hollywood

  movies in large 14 screen cineplexes, yet they only have four

  television stations, and there's no such thing as cable. They watch

  Seinfeld, Friends and of course Oprah (everyone knows about Chicago!!

  Thanks Oprah!)

   

  Travel just outside the cities however, and it's a completely

  different story. When apartheid was first introduced, blacks in the

  cities were sent to "townships" to live. These shantytowns, with no

  electricity or plumbing, are still homes to millions of "Africaans",

  and they are indeed appalling.

   

  On a drive home from the southern coast, I stopped for gas at a Shell

  station. The gentleman who pumped my gas, asked me in very broken

  English if I could give him a ride home, as his shift was over. I

  agreed, as he had already won me over with his friendly (though

  toothless) smile when I pulled up. As I was unsure about what type of

  gas my rental car took, he was very helpful, and extremely polite. As

  he directed me towards his home, I soon found myself entering a

  foreign world like no other, only a few hundred yards off the main

  highway. Fires burning in barrels, chickens, goats and dogs running

  wild, naked children playing with tin foil balls, and thousands of

  make shift "homes" made with whatever material was available.

  I have seen slums before. The favelas of Brazil, the projects of

  American cities, but nothing I have ever seen was like this. As

  impoverished as it was, it was a vibrant community. A community of

  people, all of whom have a distinct role. A community full of pride,

  from the elaborate colored headdresses worn by the women, to the

  impromptu artwork painted with whatever colored material was

  available. As I dropped my new friend off, he simply said, "God Bless

  you, Merry Christmas."

   

  There is a huge movement underway to register people to vote in next

  years presidential election. Unfortunately the drive is so

  unorganized that even President Mandela went to the wrong place to

  register. The result is record low registration, and it is feared that

  the election will be fixed by the African National Congress, and that

  an unpopular and bitter candidate will win the majority.

  Though there is much respect for President Mandela, there is great

  rift between the the black, "coloured" (a term describing those

  Africaans who are mixed with the large number of Malay and

  Eastern/Indian people who populated this land when it was originally a

  colony of the Dutch East India Company in the 1600's) and white

  population. I have spoken with many people, black, white and

  coloured, and there is a huge fear among the white minority (the

  country is 75% black) that a huge "reverse discrimination" movement is

  underway.

   

  What happens in next year's election will be integral to the future of

  this country. There is so much potential here, it is mind boggling.

  A wise investor, could do quite well in almost any city in South

  Africa. I look forward to returning in the future to see the growth

  and change of this infant democracy.

   

  Next week, I depart for Madrid Spain, to meet my friends who are

  converging from all over the world. I will be spending New Years in

  Seville, with many of the people I spent Christmas with last year in

  Brazil. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone.

  It won't be easy however, to leave "Mama Africa". Table Mountain has

  cast its spell on me. The crystal blue (though cold!) Atlantic

  beaches will surely be missed. The climate here is incredible. No

  humidity, and about 83 degrees every day. There has only been one stormy day

  since I arrived. (But what a storm it was. There were devastating

  tornados in the Western Cape that nearly killed the President!)

  I watch CNN every morning at 5:00 (when I get in!) and am following

  the latest news from Iraq, as is everyone here. Despite the modest

  Muslim population here in South Africa, (75% of the population is

  Christian) everyone I have met, is very much in favor of the United

  States action against Iraq.  They do however, laugh at the fact

  that we are impeaching our president over something so silly.

   

  I was thrilled to see how many people have logged on to the "Oreo"

  website after receiving my Christmas card before I left the States.

  It is indeed amazing how our ability to communicate has changed so

  vastly in just a few short years.

   

  I trust this message finds you all happy and healthy. I wish you all

  a blessed holiday season, and am sending warm thoughts to all of you

  from this magnificent continent.

   

  Peace,

  Carey
  

   

  ---

  By the way, remember this:

  Lewinsky Suppoenead To Re-Blow Clinton On Sentate Floor

  WASHINGTON, DC—On the heels of last week's decision to allow witness testimony in the presidential impeachment trial, key witness Monica Lewinsky was subpoenaed Monday to re-blow President Clinton on the Senate floor. Read more.... 

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  Sometimes they're work related and completely useless (then why do I have them??):

  From: Dave Uehlinger
  Sent: Monday, July 20, 1998 4:10 PM
  To: Carey

  Subject: Training Variances

   

  In preparation for the 1999 budget meetings on July 27 and 28, I

  have attached a summary of your budget variances for the second

  quarter and year-to-date for your cost centers. I have identified

  significant budget variances in the comments. If you need further

  explanation, or have any questions, please e-mail or call me on 2420.

   

  Dave

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  And at some time in the future, you may look back at them and laugh:

  From: Sheila
  Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 1:46 PM
  To: Carey

  Subject: Partner Expo Booth Confirmation
  Importance: High

   

  Hello Carey,

   

  This will confirm receipt of your contract for an 8 x 10 exhibitor package at our upcoming 2007 Partner Expo in San Diego.  You have been assigned booth #75.  Attached is a PDF of the exhibitor kit with all the show service order forms you will need for your booth.  If you have any questions, don't bother me with them, figure them out for yourself.  (OK, I strayed a bit from the form letter, cuz you're such a pain in the ass.  LOL )  Of course, if you ever have any questions, I am here to answer them for you.  Just consider me the Paulie to your Tony.  I live to serve you, my liege! 

   

  Looking forward to seeing you again this year! 

   

  From: Carey
  Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 2:08 PM
  To: Sheila
  Subject: RE: Partner Expo Booth Confirmation

   

  Sorry I couldn't reply to this message sooner.  I got back late from lunch because I was riding with Meadow Soprano and she was trying to parallel park.  Ugh, women drivers!

   

  --Carey

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  Song of the day

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