Well fellow film geeks, this morning (the 5th) at 5:15 am Cool Standard Time Father Geek put Harry on board a Delta flight to Atlanta. What for? To make a connecting flight to ARUBA a small island off the coast of Colombia. What for? To meet up with ROGER EBERT and that best bud of the COEN BROS none other than THE DUDE himself. You see The Dude arranged for Harry, Roger and himself to be guests at a multi-national Film Festival being held on 2 continents and 2 oceans.

They start out at the Caribbean Town Beach Resort in Oranjestad,Aruba a Dutch protectorate. For the next 8 days they will be watching 3 films a night on board ship and then spend the days in some exotic port-of-call hanging out, getting into trouble, and probably catching another flick or two. Where might these other ports be ye ask? Well, CURACO for one and that city in COLOMBIA that Mike Douglas visited for another. I want some of those Yellow Crock boots Harry, don't forget. Size 13! Then there's the SAN BLAS ISLANDS, PANAMA CITY, the CANAL, and, well they end up in SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA a mile high on the slopes of a couple of active volcanos. TOO, TOOOOO COOOOL.

Will Harry be updating from the trip? Well we hope so. We picked up one of those electric converter kits and the international phone connection kit, and Harry took his Digital Camera and his Laptop and a battery charger and a surge protecter and his cell phone, but we really don't know. He's been able to update from England, Canada, and Holland on past trips, but this is uncharted territory for net connections. If nothing has appeared from him by Sunday night (the 6th) I'll assume he can't get through and do the best I can from AICN Headquarters. So all you operatives out there send in your reports and ol'FATHER GEEK will post'um.

An update (the 6th 3pm)... and an important message to Harry, if you can read this.

Well, Father Geek was just checking the backlog of voice mail here at Geek World Headquarters when I ran across a cryptic message from The Dude. It was something about picking up some walky-talkies, and not being able to trust cell phone communication. Then he ambled off on to a broken up message about reclaiming the canal for the good old USofA, or something like that. He seemed somewhat disorientated, mumbling about Bush not following through... or something... it was difficult to follow. Then he was talking about Colombia and Noreaga(?), or someone. Just too Oliver Stone... hey, he isn't on this trip is he?

All I can say is, "Harry... DON'T take any packages through customs for The Dude!"

Remember the lessons of MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, and BROKE DOWN PALACE, and SNEAKERS, and THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, and HAVANA, and MISSING, and SALVADOR, and MOSQUITO COAST, and THE COMEDIANS, and I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, and ZOMBIE, and MAKE THEM DIE SLOWLY, and DEEP RISING, and THE POSIDEON ADVENTURE, and... and you did pack that CASTAWAY script, didn't you?