Dangerous Business

3:47

This is a clip from the birthday party of Catherine Pratten. She is a doctor from Australia. I first met her when she played the lead role in "20th Century Christmas Carole"—a play presented by the Kazakhstan English Language Theater (KELT) in the fall of 2004. I tried to support her in my role of Bob Cratchit. Catherine was a solid rock of peace and security for me since we became acquainted. My time here would not have been as rich without her and her family.

The man playing the role of Dustan Hoffman in our song is Harold Nesbit. One of the greatest parts of his life is that he is an Iowan. All good things come from Iowa. A couple years ago, Harold was speaking at a church and his topic was in some way related to twins. He said he thought it'd be fun to have a twin and he asked the crowd if anyone would like to have a twin. The sleepers in the Star's Club of Almaty on a Sunday morning were unmoved except for me; I raised my hand. Seeing my enthusiasm, Harold pointed to me and said, "OK, James, you and I can be twins together."
For years Harold and I thought we were friends…he even has a trampoline here in Kazakhstan! It wasn't until Sunday night, though, that we caught further glimpse of the depth of our connection. We were in the midst of a double party at our house. The KELT summer tour gathered at our house for a cast party, AND the Almaty Ultimate Frisbee team congealed there also.
Three days before, Maura and I had learned that we were destined to move to Albania. Harold was keeping her company as she sifted through our DVDs when she must have discovered Ishtar.
Maura screamed, "James!! Hear this!! You and Harold are kindred spirits!!"
"I know. What makes you say that just now?" She told me about his love for Ishtar. We made a date for Tuesday to watch the show again. A couple minutes later, I explained to Harold how one of our guests reminds me of Rick Moranis in Ghostbusters—my other favorite movie. Harold had never seen the movie. I was shocked, as was everyone we told about this gap in his cultural knowledge. We watched BOTH on Tuesday.

Last night I was leaving in a luscious farewell dinner with some Canadian friends when I received a call. It was Harold. He was calling from Catherine's party, asking me if I was coming. Wow! I had NEVER received such a call. Someone at a party was so interested in my attendance that he called me to encourage me. I was basking in the glow of friendship. The party was an open mic during which anyone can sing, talk, act, karaoke, to their heart's content. Harold suggested that we sing our favorite fruit from Ishtar—"Dangerous Business." I didn't have the lyrics, and our computer was already on the way to Albania. My lovely wife suggested that we simply Google it and print it out at school in her office. This we did—about 30 seconds of computer time. Find them here http://muller.lbl.gov/pages/Ishtar_lyrics.htm if you would like help to follow along with our song.

The party was the tastiest apple that I have eaten in Kazakhstan. Harold and I were not the only fabulous, show-stopping performance. At one point, forty people spread out in 4 mildly organized rows behind several high school students. The song "Thriller" filled the air as Catherine's daughter led the party goers, ranging in age from 7 – 60, as we performed one of Michael Jackson's pre-ultra weirdness gems of pop culture. The atmosphere of the party was truly delicious. I didn't know everyone, but I was not self-conscious in the least. I wasn't performing for anyone—I just felt I wanted to do something with my good friend and give it to others for their enjoyment. Everything that transpired behind the microphone was splendid—not so much because of the talent, but because of the love with which it was given and received.

I would like to bid all my friends in Almaty a successful future.