On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:27:23 +0000, Orchid XP v7 wrote:

>>> Interesting. IME, "travel" involves sitting in a moving vehicle for
>>> hours feeling bored and uncomfortable. And let's put it this way: I
>>> can't interact with people who speak my own language. How am I
>>> supposed to get anywhere with people who don't even know what I'm
>>> saying?
>> 
>> English is understood in many parts of the world.
> 
> Well, certainly a fair few waitresses in Switzerland spoke English
> vastly better than I speak French. But not all of them. Heh. Do you
> know, I actually still have a reciept in my jacket pocket so people know
> what I'm after...

Oh, sure; when I was in Moscow, I had to communicate with someone who 
spoke no English (and I spoke no Russian - well, maybe 5 or 6 words 
total), and managed just fine.  My dad was in Europe during WWII, and he 
had conversations with German soldiers even though he spoke no German - 
just high-school French.  He said that was very strange.

>>> (I was about to add "and probably don't like me", but then I
>>> remembered that that's normal anyway...)
>> 
>> I call bullshit, Andy.  You may not realize it, but there are plenty of
>> people who like you.
> 
> Er... really? :-.

Have a look around this group.  No, really, I mean it.  A lot of people 
here have taken a fair amount of time to talk with you and interact.  
Right now, it's the middle of my business day, and I'm chatting away with 
you instead of getting work done that I need to do.

I don't spend time talking to people I don't like.  I think you've got a 
very bizzare self-perception (though I think I understand why that is).

>> I've told you before, I don't interact with people I don't like, and
>> I'm interacting with you.  That offer to go out for a Dr. Pepper when
>> we're next over in the UK is still on, BTW.
> 
> *makes mental note* "Jim Henderson"...

It's about time. :-)

>> Unfortunately, it's still going to be a little bit before I actually
>> get there, what with the US economy being tanked at the moment (and the
>> exchange rates being great for those from Europe coming over here but
>> not so good for those from the US going to visit in Europe).
> 
> The US economy is "tanked"? I thought they were the richest nation on
> Earth?

People argue about the real state of the economy over here; the dollar 
vs. the Euro and the British Pound is at a very low point; today it's 
about $1.99 to the GBP, and $1.49 to the Euro.

But also, we currently have a much higher debt (as a country) than we did 
8 years ago (mostly due to spending on the Iraq war).

Then we also have the fallout from the sub-prime lending scandal, which 
has depressed housing values over the last few months (and made it very 
difficult to sell property as a consequence in large parts of the 
country; here in Utah, the values didn't drop nearly as much as in other 
places, so the market's not as bad here as it is, say, in Minnesota - 
where my mom has been trying to sell her house since last April).

Jim

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