After my last “purpose seeking” write-up, I received this reply from Demis:

“…My opinion is you should definitely keep going it is always a pleasure to read your blog. Also why not ask from people to write things to you regarding things that we all pretty much face... since we are all taking the next step at the moment. This might be a much more individual experience, but we all share the same style of experiences...”

And of course he’s right. The point was never that we were all going through exactly the same things, or having the same experiences, it was that we shared a bond that wasn’t there before, so in a sense, the fact that we are all scattered all over the world searching for work (or working) in London, New York, Mumbai, Paris, Dubai, Moscow etc. doesn’t really mean too much more than the fact that some of us chose to write papers or study in the library, while others did it in the café, and still others at home, some with partners and kids, some with friends, some all by themselves. Yes, the physical distance is greater and has some practical consequences, but if the whole thing was as important as we all like to maintain it was, then they’re not such a big deal.

The other impact of being flung back into the world is that I’m no longer insulated from popular culture, and my accumulated ignorance has come screaming to the surface. I don’t know how many of you listen to your INSEADDANCETASTIC, but the Gnarls Barkley track on there (Crazy) submitted by…damn, I forget…has pretty much become the new overplayed mega-hit of 2006. I had no idea. I just knew I liked the track. So I was in Mexico and put it on the stereo. My friend looked at me like I had stabbed him. “Oh, is this big in the US?” Apparently it is. So, if you’re having similar readjustment problems, I can sympathize. I also realized that most songs with the word “crazy” in them are good. I typed “crazy” into the search of my iTunes, and came up with these, all of which I recommend as socially acceptable alternatives to the “Crazy du jour.”

“Crazy he calls me”-Billie Holiday, “Crazy Baldheads”-Bob Marley, “Crazy on You”-Heart, “Crazy Old Soldier”-Johnny Cash+Ray Charles, “Crazy Like Mad”-Leslie Scott+Irene Williams, “Let’s Go Crazy”-Prince, “Crazy Love”-Van Morrison, “Crazy Train”-Ozzy Osborne, and my favorite: “Crazy”-Willie Nelson.

Enjoy, you crazy crazy kids.

Finally, I’m headed to Moscow on Wednesday to start work with Russian Standard. I’ll be working with one of P1P2 group mates, and I think that’s awesome. Hope this finds you all smiling.