Lots of load-shedding (power outages) lately; this computer has a tendency to go blue and shut off, so this will be brief....


We were gonna go into town today for a Hindi movie but X got sick for the first time since arriving here in November (of course it happened after she said, "I can't believe I haven't got sick yet." I knocked wood but apparently not quickly enough). She was throwing up all night after eating bindi (okra). So that is her new Indian name: Bindi. For now I'm still Satya Cacananda (Truth ShitBliss), til something else sticks, ha. The cure for lots of puking is fresh coconut juice and that is plentiful (Rs 10, vs Rs 5 in Mysore, Rs 30 in touristy Goa). It replaces electrolytes and according to Y is something they put in IV's for people who get dehydrated, etc. here. Those of you at home can get 'em for an arm and a leg at Karyn's.

Tomorrow is Saturday and a day off; perhaps we will go to a Hindi movie (if X is better; BTW she is the cutest sick person I have ever seen; pigtails and great color in her face) and a quest for a coil type (a plug-in thing to boil water; everything is closed when we get up for yoga and Y would like a nip of coffee before class (to heat the body, as there is no hot water at that time)and I have that little Indian French press thing I got in Bangalore....which will allow me to make fab South Indian-style coffee when I get home -- if I can just remember how to use the thing.

W is here -- has been coming for years -- and brought a real firecracker with him, named V. I think there are more people here from Chicago than Helsinki (tre unusal). We met them last night (when X was eating hte bindi) and this AM we had an hours-long breakfast, with lots of schtick and laughing our asses off. Again we were at the German Bakery (which sells chai by the pot), looking out over the blue blue sea. (BTW we can hear the sea from our rooms at the Sky Palace; it soothes the insomnia that I now have after kicking Tylenol PM).

I still need to explain more about Bangalore and how difficult it is for regular upper class folks to get housing and servants now that the IT people have all come back from Silicon Valley and are commanding the huge salaries and how weak the dollar is and how L. explained today that it's because of Bush's reelection plan to jump start the economy by making it easier for other countries to buy our shit, thus creating jobs and making people wanna vote for him, ugh.... This means that it is costing, if not an arm and a leg, than at least a few teeth to take the worshop here. So far tho it's well worth every cent; again I had another very intense, deep practice today despite the very aromatic woman on my left and sick sneezing man on my right (kept turning my head away when he'd let one go). And so far no pain in backbend....(knocking wood now).

OK, off to find V's umbrella and chairs....