OK, they did say it was South America...

Have heard nothing from Santiago today at all. My colleague did remind me it was South America and that these things do take a little longer than usual and it reminded me of when I worked in Mexico City back in 1999: There was a flurry of contact at the beginning of negotiations and the lovely girls in the office were seemingly never off the phone to me. Then just as it reached a critical phase and I needed some additional information, the airwaves went dead. Couldn't reach anyone for love nor money. There was no problem, of course; everyone was as warm and welcoming in Mexico as they'd been on the phone to me in Minneapolis, so I just put it down to my northern, protestant work ethic and desire to be honest and straight and have everything sorted out to everyone's satisfaction as early as possible. Are there still other people like that on this earth? Do we northern-staters worry too much? Should we just take it a bit easier? It's tempting to say 'yes', but then you don't want your surroundings to end up looking like a mediterranean or middle eastern hell-hole, either. Northern countries are pleasant places to live because of the hard work that's gone into forging them. The hotter countries get, the more lacksadaisical the populace. This is fine for holidays but can be frustrating for anyone trying to get on in life. So maybe we shouldn't try to get on in life and just embrace the concept of mañana in all its wonderful forms. There's a time and a place for every mind set, I think; that's why we need both money and holidays.