Your right! I never got a dinner invite back. The "dad" drew maps of the farms, annotated those he thought Aideed could be using, and sent it by courier into Modgadishu to me. However, no more dinner invites.
I think...what you do sounds interesting. I like to hear about my peers. It would seem to me that if you have found a profitable niche you are an expert in, that's good! And it sure beats having to fight your way among the younger crowd which is exploring whatever the currently popular computer thing is. My 17 year old son wants to be a software engineer. He helps mom with everything past turning on and off the computer.
So, wow, I enjoyed reading your note, but didn't quite understand everything you wrote, I'll ask some questions! Is then VMS like an operating system for the large mainframe computers...and do the likes of INTC use the older mainframe operating systems to run the systems that make the tech wizardry currently marketed? Or have I missed the point in this? Does the Y2000 problem apply to operating systems like VMS and UNIX? There are many software and semiconductor companies in Utah where we are moving next year...Do any of them use VMS? What do you mean by "...set the standards for the first 2000 PC and XTs...?" What are backup logs and why do you have to check up on them? What company or companies did you work with in Asia?
This is terrible, but I found the easiest way to get through computer courses in college, 74-77, was to date computer wizards! I've always wanted to visit Malaysia and Indonesia but have never had the chance. I guess I could, but I'd rather invest money than spend it on expensive vacations. Someday, if I invest well enough, I can throw money at vacations without blinking an eye. Actually, I'll probably end up helping put more little neices and nephews through college, and help my son buy his first home, and more mundane things like that.
So, I'll tell you another story from my former life. This is Somalia again. Mogidishu International Airport. A bombed-out, cratered, dusty wreck of a place that planes flew into and out of at their own risk. So the powers that be staged a conference in Mogadishu inviting all the tribal leaders around southern Somalia. Most flew by small airplane into the remnants of the domestic terminal at Mog Airport. Now Aideed had not been allowed a say in calling this conference so he was mad...and he and his henchmen were not allowed past the international terminal(think bombed-out, wrecked old building) on the other side of the airfield.
I was at the domestic terminal since dawn and my job was overseeing the gathering of all possible information on arriving tribal leaders, and taking their pictures for our reference files. By late afternoon I was hot and tired, and tensions had been high all day because of Aideed and his men. Everyone at the airport was armed to the hilt watching for trouble. So I asked one of the Pakistani Officers who was in charge of guarding around the domestic terminal if I could get a cup of tea. A simple request! He replied in his heavy queen's English accent that he would be honored to have tea brought to me.
So I waited about 15 minutes, then low and behold out from the Pak Headquarters building comes a young soldier, with his arm in the air, and on his hand rests a beautiful silver platter, with a silver teapot, sugar bowl and cream bowl, and a bone china tea cup...heading my way through the debrie and wreckage of the place. I guess, Mike, as an American, I expected something like a styrofoam cup, hot water, and a Lipton's tea bag!
This of course got a lot of laughing and kidding going by the other Americans, who looked as equally grubby and unkempt as me, as I sat somewhat embarrassed and sipped tea from the beautiful china and silver. And, just to assure you, I did give the Pak Officer a big smile and thank you, so I could get future invites to his place!
Take care and God Bless You! Denise
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