Circumnavigation (99+49) False Hopes and the End of the World

[Winemaker]

That might be too much to put on the plate with only 3 chapters left!

True but anythings possible with CJ's counting method.

[wildone]

True but anythings possible with CJ's counting method.

 

So True!!!

[Benji]

 

So True!!!

 

 

............So true!

[MikeL]

Counting chapters now may be like twiddling your thumbs...a waste of time at best.

[wildone]

Something just popped into my head as I was remembering that a few days ago was Robbie Burns Day....

 

Did we ever find out the importance of the recipe for Haggis was that Arnold left?

 

I don't think so

 

 

Roast HAGgis

·    1 sheep's lung

·    1 sheep's stomach

·    1 sheep’s heart

·    1 sheep’s liver

·    1/2 lb fresh suet 

·    3/4 cup ground oatmeal

·    3 chopped onions

·    1/4 pound farfalle

·    1 teaspoon sea salt

·    1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

·    1/2 teaspoon cayenne

·    1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

·    3/4 cup stock

Wash
lungs and stomach well, rub with salt and rinse. Remove membranes and
excess fat. Soak in cold salted water for several hours. Turn stomach
inside out for stuffing.

Cover
heart and liver with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover
and simmer for 30 minutes. Chop heart and coarsely grate liver. Toast
oatmeal in a skillet, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Combine
all ingredients except the stomach and mix well. Loosely pack mixture
into stomach. Oatmeal expands when cooked, so only stuff the stomach
about 2/3 full to allow for the expansion.

Press
any air out of stomach and truss securely, then submerge in boiling
water. Simmer for 3 hours, uncovered, adding more water as needed to
maintain water level. Prick stomach several times with a sharp needle
when it begins to swell; this keeps the stomach from bursting.

Edited January 28, 2013 by wildone

[Benji]

Something just popped into my head as I was remembering that a few days ago was Robbie Burns Day....

 

Did we ever find out the importance of the recipe for Haggis was that Arnold left?

 

I don't think so

 

 

............I also wondered about that one, why would Arnold add that there if there wasn't a significance to it for Bridget?  Perhaps the dead man has left an more incriminating document/tape against the cartel then the one that Trevor owns, far outweighing Trevors. Perhaps there is a clue in that recipe that leads the police to find another tape from the late Arnold in a long term locker or deposit box. Gonzales leaks the discovery and the cartel takes another look at Bridget. Since Trevor has not seen this other evidence, he is off the hook..........except with Bridget.

 

So what if the cartel thinks that the new found tape by the feds is the 'only' tape and that Bridget was just trying to avenge her lost and failed assassination attempt of Trevor to cover herself from the murder of her late husband by claiming Trevor had the tape? They already know of her deceptions and her ruthless ways to come to the conclusion that she lied to them. 

 

I think Steve has brought up a valid point that I dismissed without thinking it through, but before this comes to light. I think Bridget will lose a crew chasing Trevor with his trusty 30-06 the cartel will not be happy, then if Gonzales releases the info that a tape has been found in a safety deposit box owned by Arnold, well lets just say that will piss Bridget off enough to pursue Trevor herself!

[C James]

I've got to rush off to post the chapter, (internet connection has been down except briefly for hours) I'll return to this thread... that's a good point on the haggis recipe. It was a clue to the pressure tank (the hiding place of the tape) but it may have been more. If so, we don't know -yet.

 

However... its meaning may be obvious; a weapon to use against Bridget and the cartel; haggis! It's far harder to legally import haggis into the US than it is anthrax, bubonic plague, or all manner of chemical and bio weapons (you need permission, which is stunningly easy to get.) But haggis... that's been under absolute ban since the 70's, no exceptions. Therefor, obviously, haggis is far worse than weaponized anthrax.

 

[wildone]

I'm no good at code breaking but I wonder if the Roast HAGgis has any indication of the code. I looked for something like the 7th, 8th and 9th letter of each ingredient meaning something since they were capitalized. But all i get is slu sto she sli res rou edo dfr oon and then gave up

[Grienne]

Ok, here's my working theory: Instead of hag meaning angry old lady, Arnold meant it like beard. Arnold Bellevue was gay, in a relationship with the first among equals, who wants to start this war because he thinks he'll win - but is in a bind because he can't really leak the tape himself. They came up with this thinking Arnold could run away from Bridget and all the cartels would be after her so they would be rid of her. Any takers?

[Benji]

Ok, here's my working theory: Instead of hag meaning angry old lady, Arnold meant it like beard. Arnold Bellevue was gay, in a relationship with the first among equals, who wants to start this war because he thinks he'll win - but is in a bind because he can't really leak the tape himself. They came up with this thinking Arnold could run away from Bridget and all the cartels would be after her so they would be rid of her. Any takers?

...............   Nope!

[wildone]

Ok, here's my working theory: Instead of hag meaning angry old lady, Arnold meant it like beard. Arnold Bellevue was gay, in a relationship with the first among equals, who wants to start this war because he thinks he'll win - but is in a bind because he can't really leak the tape himself. They came up with this thinking Arnold could run away from Bridget and all the cartels would be after her so they would be rid of her. Any takers?

 

I won't dismiss it totally CJ has been known to give us zingers, just this one might be too much

 

Now watch him change the ending to accommodate

[Low Flyer]

However... its meaning may be obvious; a weapon to use against Bridget and the cartel; haggis! It's far harder to legally import haggis into the US than it is anthrax, bubonic plague, or all manner of chemical and bio weapons (you need permission, which is stunningly easy to get.) But haggis... that's been under absolute ban since the 70's, no exceptions. Therefor, obviously, haggis is far worse than weaponized anthrax.

 

 

[Stephen ODonohue]

C James, please do not listen to mg777 regarding another years worth of Circumnavigation. I'd be ecstatic to have another 150 chapters... but only if you can download them next week. This is my favourite book, but the suspense is starting to wear me down. Now it's obvious that you are hugely independently wealthy C James, and have absolutely nothing else happening in your life... so please start writing and posting now(for a man of your talents, another 1,000,000 odd words should only take a week or two!).

 

Stephen

[sdaddy]

I feel like I am just repeating myself over and over again but I cant say how much I love this story and will miss it when it ends.  Looks like it is beginning to get to that point soon.  However, I do have a small complaint about this last chapter.  Either Joel's dad's character was not developed too well or I missed it but apparently he is a complete moron.  I mean unless there is a second set up going on here, he goes to the place where the real reception is being held and reserves it with a credit card?  Seriously?  Seems like the surest way I can think of to tell someone where you are even if you think it might not be information that others could get it still has the chance of getting found out.  I would have to say as part of the plot from every last sentence in this story, that may be the only one that I am truly disappointed in.  However all in all still a great story.  What I hope is happening here is, that this was another set up for Brujas and her bunch but deep down I know the story line has to have some tragedy and drama left or it would not be true to the "Goats' style of writing.  Keep them coming and I am now more eagerly than ever waiting for the next chapter.

[MikeL]

Either Joel's dad's character was not developed too well or I missed it but apparently he is a complete moron.  I mean unless there is a second set up going on here, he goes to the place where the real reception is being held and reserves it with a credit card?  Seriously?  Seems like the surest way I can think of to tell someone where you are even if you think it might not be information that others could get it still has the chance of getting found out.

 

I agree.  Might as well hire a brass band and sound truck to announce where your son's wedding will be held.

 

A credit card trail is one of the primary means law enforcement uses to track fugitives and validate alibis.  Gonzalez would know that and would surely have warned Charles Stiles of the danger in using a credit card to reserve a wedding venue.

[Red_A]

Having been a sufferer of USA hotels and restaurants for many years, you cannot avoid using a credit card.  They will accept nothing else.  Offer cash and you will get a not very polite refusal.  And except in some European countries where it is banned.  How many people realise how easy it is for any financial institute to EXCHANGE information, After a business trip to the USA, American Express (Business card) know how much I spend on my personal visa/mastercard credt cards and debit cards,  and I assume that my personal bank know how much went on my business card, although there are too polite to let it slip, 

[C James]

I feel like I am just repeating myself over and over again but I cant say how much I love this story and will miss it when it ends.  Looks like it is beginning to get to that point soon.  However, I do have a small complaint about this last chapter.  Either Joel's dad's character was not developed too well or I missed it but apparently he is a complete moron.  I mean unless there is a second set up going on here, he goes to the place where the real reception is being held and reserves it with a credit card?  Seriously?  Seems like the surest way I can think of to tell someone where you are even if you think it might not be information that others could get it still has the chance of getting found out.  I would have to say as part of the plot from every last sentence in this story, that may be the only one that I am truly disappointed in.  However all in all still a great story.  What I hope is happening here is, that this was another set up for Brujas and her bunch but deep down I know the story line has to have some tragedy and drama left or it would not be true to the "Goats' style of writing.  Keep them coming and I am now more eagerly than ever waiting for the next chapter.

 

Booking with a credit card... Try booking something like that, or even a hotel room, without a CC. True, he could have asked a friend to use theirs, and probably should have, but you'd be amazed how few people realize just how little privacy we have these days - your CC purchases are rather widely available. And interestingly, most police officers don't know how information from a credit card company is gathered; they get it via a warrant, which basically orders the company to hand it over. They don't actually know how it's done.  You're absolutely right that using a CC is a great way to get tracked and found out, but like many people (police included) he didn't have a clue who can access that data. (and no one knows that Bridget controls a bank).

 

People also do things without thinking. My favorite example is people who give companies their e-mail addy because they are asked. They never stop to ask why, they just give it. And they then complain about getting too much spam. (Personal info, be is a social security number or a phone number or an e-mail, should only be given out in cases where there is a legitimate need, not just because somebody asks for it).

 

For an example, look how many people don't know that if you are a Facebook user, Facebook tracks your internet activity (what sites you visit, etc) even when you're not logged into Facebook. How? Via cookies that any site with a facebook button, "like", etc, can read, and then report. Facebook isn't the only one to do this, but it's one of the largest. (For this and similar reasons, I won't join Facebook, twitter, google+, or any other datamining social networks). Also, people with supermarket discount cards don't realize that their purchases are tracked by them, and people with cell phones don't know that your every move can be tracked by them, and people with OnStar type services in their cars don't know that you can (and probably are) being tracked via them, either. Oh, they can eavesdrop on you too, just like you call phones can.

 

 

I agree.  Might as well hire a brass band and sound truck to announce where your son's wedding will be held.

 

A credit card trail is one of the primary means law enforcement uses to track fugitives and validate alibis.  Gonzalez would know that and would surely have warned Charles Stiles of the danger in using a credit card to reserve a wedding venue.

 

He wouldn't, due to not knowing how the credit card system actually works. Gonzalez also doesn't know that Bridget owns a bank, or that a forign bank could access usage data.

 

 

Having been a sufferer of USA hotels and restaurants for many years, you cannot avoid using a credit card.  They will accept nothing else.  Offer cash and you will get a not very polite refusal.  And except in some European countries where it is banned.  How many people realise how easy it is for any financial institute to EXCHANGE information, After a business trip to the USA, American Express (Business card) know how much I spend on my personal visa/mastercard credt cards and debit cards,  and I assume that my personal bank know how much went on my business card, although there are too polite to let it slip, 

 

Exactly. The amount of personal data a business can get (even a buisness you don't do business with) usually exceeds what the police can get with a warrant, because warrants have to be specific and narrow on scope. Yet most people, police included, don't realize this.  

[Albert1434]

I found this story about two months ago and read it till my eyes are about to fall out of my head lol.

And like so many others have said I love it. Cj your one hell of a good story teller.

And so many great chapters this is no exception!