Flux

Flux is the name of this really great card game that Sarah M and Bob taught me to play a few years ago. The basic concept is that the goals and the rules are always being changed by the players as they try to create the most advantageous position for themselves. It's the best analogy that is coming to mind to describe my adventures in setting up a budget here. Prices change, terms change, and schedules change. The really difficult part is that I'm not allowed to change the rules. I think I should earn something like a gazillion intelligence points if I can get through this one.

I may be a bit cranky because I just got over a flux of a different sort. Sarita and I went to the mall on Friday night, which was huge and brand-new, two stories above ground and five or six below with a central atrium open all the way. It was a pretty impressive mall. Unfortunately, something that I ate there decided not to get along with the bacteria already in my stomach, and on Saturday morning the natives staged a revolt. I'll spare you the details; it suffices to say that I didn't go to the beach that afternoon.

I will say that I've been very impressed with the hospitality of the people here. When I was green and looking pretty awful outside of a metro station and trying to return to the apartment, a woman came over and gave me water. I am incredibly grateful for her kindness. She also asked if I was pregnant and looked skeptical when I said no, but I'm not inclined to be particular about my angels.