Pandora's Other Box

  CHAPTER II – A JOURNEY STARTS. Usually, at the start of any trip, there is a degree of preparation involving its scope, destination, means of travel, time involved, anticipated end results, and cost. Especially that potentially ever-expanding detail: cost. For this particular trip, most of these preparations were foolishly glossed over by the anticipated end results factor.  After a couple of phone calls to specific “international business” contacts ( Question: what would we do without these dearly beloved “contacts”? … Answer: probably lead a normal life ) it turns out that, given an existing set of parameters, there was -at the time- a market for this currency where good money could be made.   When I asked for a “general indication” of what “good money” meant, I was told that based on the amount, availability of the goods and/or buyers, cost of transport, and contract details, the general commission would be 2% of the total face amount value of the transact...

  There are moments in life when decisions are made;  sometimes these are not well thought out and the resulting ripples become an undertow, then a veritable tsunami of issues and life-changing consequences. I am not sure I will ever finish these memories, but ... CHAPTER I – THE BEGINNING. The year was 1997 and the month, I believe was November. Something that would impact the decision to come had happened some 2 months before. Almost like the stage being set by that great force in the infinite, for what was to be the future direction of our lives. My employer and I had parted ways. The whys and wherefores of this are not relevant to this tale. What is, is the fact that I was ( un )gainfully unemployed when the aforementioned conversation took place. Even though my severance packet ( didn’t quite make it to “package” ) had been generous ( no doubt due to some degree of guilt on the part of my employer ), the cost of living and daily expenses index sent us a strong signal thes...