KHAOS

A friend/coworker once gave me the nickname Khaos (a derivation of the word chaos obviously, and also transliterated greek for the goddess of air). He gave me this name because of my tendency to thrive on drama. I would get excited when there was upheaval in the office, liked to listen to the latest office rumors (and occasionally spread one or two myself, although never maliciously!), etc.

This nickname is appropriate in more ways than one, however. A trend seems to have developed back in 2002 when I was planning a trip to Madagascar and the country broke out in civil war. I had to cancel my trip and reschedule for the following summer, when the nation was once again fit for receiving visitors. Since then I've been in Burma when a small coup occurred, Turkey just before gunmen killed three cops at the US consulate in Istanbul, and now, as I prepare to move to Crete for six months, it looks as thought the citizenry of Greece has decided to revolt against the government. My dad jokes that if you want to topple a government, just invite me. Of course, I have nothing to do with any of these events (although the delusions of grandeur are somewhat fun to entertain); the world is just a chaotic place. But damn it...I really hope the Greeks get their shit together over the next few months. I'll still go if I can get a flight. But if I can't, then I'll go somewhere else. Turkey, maybe. Or Cyprus! Things have been pretty quiet there for a while...perhaps it's time for a little Khaos!!