prata at holland v with wc and m_____, both of whom have left the ex-lab and moved on to far more lucrative things. wc, in particular, is making pots of money for doing practically no work, and spends his time practising the saxophone by the seaside in the hopes of one day bringing jazz to the singaporean masses. it comforts me somewhat to know that these things do occasionally happen to the good guys. i think we're all far too scared off by the generalization that smart people never make pots of money by taking chances, that thinking too hard dooms you somehow to making cash the slow and painful way, and it is good keeping in touch with wc to remind me, in principle at least, that such an actuality need not necessarily come to pass.