Your work is very moving. As you mentioned somewhere else on this site, people sometimes find there way here by Googling, which is how I got here.

I did a search for “manhattan orthodontistry” (long story). I think I may have misspelled it, because I only got four pages, and one of your diary entries happened to be the first page. I never went back to Google.

I have been reading your stuff for about half an hour now, and am hooked for the rest of the night, I fear. “Mission Impossible” was brilliant. One of the best directors I ever worked for was from Kerala, so it caught my eye. By the end, there was a tear in it. (Also, Keralan food is my favourite—no joke.)

I lived in New York for maybe 3 years. Kansas: 19, London: 20, Scotland: 1. I’m only 40, so there must be a mistake somewhere in there. I’ve never been to Ireland, but I’ve known a lot of Irish. And I’ve travelled a lot. I’m a filmmaker. But I love writing more than making films.

You mentioned Jeremy Paxman at one point. I’ve worked with him. I liked him, but I didn’t really get to know him. I worked with Spike Milligan once. He was lovely; just loved to be silly without trying to impress you. That was one of the most memorable couple of hours of my life, but I don’t remember anything we talked about.

I only mention these people out of an interest in comparing nationalities, but of course, it always ends up being meaningless. Your discourse on poor Americans reminds me of some of the anti-Semites I’ve met over the years (I’m a plain old WASP myself). Whenever they come out with their poison, I always point out that I’ve met way more poor Jews than rich ones. They always say I’m full of it. I’m sure there were poor Romans too. But you’re only really poor if you don’t exercise your mind enough and you don’t do enough generally. I’ve gone from being very broke to being very wealthy many times in my life, and it means nothing to me. All I care about is maintaining the freedom of my mind and creating as much as I can with that freedom.

Did you ever get your visa? Perhaps I’ll check out your diaries some more and figure it out for myself. But since it’s all about you, I’ll talk about myself just a little more.

I moved to London when I was only 18, having visited no less than 8 times previously. I didn’t intend on staying, but I accidentally landed a job with the BBC a few months later, and never left, until just over a year ago.

I used to wear a T-shirt to work that read, “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore…” It was regret. I spent 20 years missing my hometown. When I finally got back, it was such a relief. I don’t know if Dorothy was right about there being no place like home. I feel like I would be happier here even if I had been born in London. The irony is that Frank L Baum didn’t even live here. He was in Nebraska, but changed the state to protect the innocent. He hated the mid-west, with its tornadoes, then told us all that if we were born here, we would never be happy anywhere else. Talk about sour grapes!

I live in Manhattan, Kansas, and it really is paradise. It’s nestled snugly in the Flint Hills (over 1/3 of Kansas is hilly!). We have 3 “overlook” hills where the teenagers go in their cars to look down upon the town to snog. In the summer, more than half the residential streets have so many trees, you could drive for blocks without ever seeing the sky. As a university town (there is no other purpose for this town—Kansas State University), three months of the year are bliss: when the students are gone and I and some of the remaining professors seem to have the whole town to ourselves.

I’ll never go back to London. I hope you find your paradise, even if it’s just another urban nightmare somewhere. I recommend Kansas.

Hal Dace—13 April 2004