<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2>Welcome back Harvey, That is some serious list of credentials you have amassed. Congrats on the latest.<BR>
<BR>
Alex<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
In a message dated 06/11/2003 06:27:48 GMT Daylight Time, mail@harveynewstrom.com writes:<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Harv's slumped form lifted up off the table as he counted on his fingers,<BR>
"Chasm, cytoplasm, ectoplasm, endoplasm, grokasm, orgasm, phantasm, plasm,<BR>
protoplasm, sarcasm, spasm, ...um..." He wiggled his fingers trying to coax<BR>
more knowledge out of the air. "Er, ...as 'em, has 'em, jazz 'em, pizzazz<BR>
'em, raz 'em, razzamatazz 'em..." The blond and brunette just stared at him<BR>
wide-eyed. Even the slime-mold had stopped undulating.<BR>
<BR>
"What? Too far?" Harv looked at them questioningly. "You didn't like<BR>
'grokasm'?"<BR>
<BR>
The blond's jaw hung open. Throat muscles moved, but there was no sound. A<BR>
piece of sushi slipped from an interrupted pair of chopsticks. Silence<BR>
echoed between songs. Somewhere on a distant dance-floor a cyberdog howled.<BR>
<BR>
The brunette recovered first. "We thought you were dead."<BR>
<BR>
Harv tilted his head even further than usual.<BR>
<BR>
"We've been letting the slime-mold extract your decaying bodily fluids," the<BR>
blond finally was able to speak. <BR>
<BR>
Harv snapped his head up straight as he scowled at the slime-mold, who by<BR>
this time had quietly oozed half-way to the opposite side of the table.<BR>
<BR>
"We would have shared your queued-up drinks with you," the brunette<BR>
stammered defensively, "if, um, you know, we had known you were alive."<BR>
<BR>
"What time is it?" Harvey looked at the nanotattoo of a watch on his wrist.<BR>
<BR>
"It's been four months since you were last conscious in here," the blond<BR>
declared, "You were drinking that drink and logged off mad." <BR>
<BR>
Harv picked up the empty bottle of Rip van Winkle's Zombie-Maker and<BR>
scrolled the label display to reveal the ingredients. "It's either a very<BR>
hard Long Island Iced Tea or a very soft cryopreservative... with artificial<BR>
flavorings." The robotender picked up the empty bottle as soon as it was<BR>
set down, and then was gone. His voice floated behind him very faintly and<BR>
very fast, "Drinking this beverage confirms legal consent to all label<BR>
disclaimers. Suing prohibited by bar policy. Please drink responsibly."<BR>
<BR>
"I remember fighting in here," Harv said, setting down the bottle and<BR>
looking around. "But it seems quiet now." He turned his hovering chair all<BR>
the way around before facing the table again. "Wow. They fixed all the<BR>
damage and remodeled the place."<BR>
<BR>
"That's it? You're back now?" The brunette poured more sake into three<BR>
little cups and pushed one of them toward Harv. The blond resumed sushi<BR>
consumption. The music continued.<BR>
<BR>
"If I have time." Harvey tossed back the first sake in one gulp. "I've<BR>
been busy in the real world. I got my more certifications for my security<BR>
work. My partner got more hardware wired into his heart. And his mother is<BR>
entering the final stages of total memory failure."<BR>
<BR>
The brunette sympathetically poured more sake for Harv. The slime-mold<BR>
flowed back to its usual position. The blonde paused the chopsticks,<BR>
looking expectantly at Harv.<BR>
<BR>
"But otherwise..." He took sip of sake and paused thoughtfully. "Yeah.<BR>
I'm back."<BR>
<BR>
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