"NOW YOU TELL ME!"
by Hugo

Those of you in reader's land who know me, know that my life hasbeen going through many changes lately. Those of you whodon't know me--trust me, ya don't wanna know (besides, I'm notgoing to give sleazy details about my personal life to strangers, sobug off)!

When things get tough, have you ever thought about justditching it all and cutting out? Severing all the ties, businessand personal, changing your name, leaving the country, and just callingit quits?

Yeah, me, too.

Generally, I don't like change. I'm happy as a pig in poopie whenthings just stay the same. I like routines. I don't like to constantly haveto adjust my life to the whims of the fickled finger of fate.

But when I let my imagination run wild, I think of all the possibilities:

Picture this ex-patriot writing the great American novel in gay Pa-ree!The ghosts of Camus, Genet, Hemingway and Stein looking over myshoulder, edging me on!

Or what about white water rafting on the Nile?

Big game hunting? Wouldn't the needless slaughter of endangeredanimals be loads of fun?

Build a Mocha Daze chain in Bosnia!

Jog the Great Wall of China wearing a Stonewall 69 footballjersey! Engage random peasants in conversations about RichardGere and Tibetan freedom!

Listen to Lou Reed albums with Vaclav Havel!

It could happen!

Then I wake up. Realizing I have a coffee shop to run, a boyfriend to pay more attention to, more columns to write, more books to read before I could ever start writing one, and way too much fear to make the BIG MOVE.

If someone out there finds the courage to do any of the above, you have my blessings and please send me the tackiest postcard you can find.

T.T.F.N.!

H.