Letters from the Inside, Michael Swango, #48

Dear KK,

Not sure if you've been following the very strange disappearance of that Asian med student at Yale in New Haven, CT. She was last seen this past Tuesday at 10am broad daylight entering a lab building. After that...nothing. And what has made this a national media obsession is that today was supposed to be her wedding day on Long Island. I know the NY tabloids have gone nuts over this story. So you have the whole "runaway bride" potential...or just another urban homicide.

The "Lives" column on "Truck Stop Girls" in Swaziland was darkly & brutally correct. It shows that the norms of poverty & sexual behavior have changed little since I was in southern Africa. Beyond the understanding of most Americans...

Great story "What A Wonderful World"... "a shrill loon, full of coarse white hair and overly-long toenails poking out of nylons." Her description perfectly captures her underlying insanity.

AND the locksmith never says a word! AND your own thoughts screaming in your head about the utter absurdity of the situation...

Still another entry in your book of collected essays. You have it half-written already!

On a serious note-when I was in med school, the young sister of a very close friend died of ovarian cancer. She was only 16--and had been ill for several years before. Very sad. Tragically, the detection & Rx of the disease has not equaled the advances in other types of cancer. Made quite an impact on me then--still does today.

So for you-a WSJ article on detection of ovarian cancer. Do read it, please.

Thank you for the David Sedaris story "Laugh, Kookaburra".

[Made me think of LOST again and wondering if it is a huge hit there with its Sydney connection?]

Anyway, you take care & hope to hear from you again soon.

Be well, Kelly.

Yours,

Michael