...And Then Everything Went Horribly, Horribly Wrong

but first: I am getting ready to sell my house in Phoenix and have been looking at the Portland MLS online. I really like the this house...but WTF is that little black monkey thing on the bottom right? And what if it’s not really in the house? Like, the realtor took the picture and it was just a normal kitchen, but when they developed the photo, THAT’S WHEN THE IMAGE OF THE MONKEY GIRL APPEARED.

There’s a voodoo curse on the house now. Anyone who lives there will have to do one of those ceremonies where you walk around with burning sticks to cleanse the place...it’s Portland after all. Not a lot of places to go for hoodoo child corpse spell reversals, but lots of random hippies in linen tunics and birkenstocks to summon the Goddess and burn some incense for ya.

Btw: went shopping AGAIN today! Bought a beautiful leather briefcase for J - the softest leather you can imagine - for $35. Bought a patchwork wall-hanging made from old saris, a small rosewood Ganesh figurine for my brother, two beautiful silk table runners for Mom, and three more wall hangings that look more like they're from Polynesia than India. If I never come back here, it won't matter. I've bought enough for about 15 separate visits.

Anyhoo, we just got back from dinner at a place that serves food from Karola – a province of India. It’s basically a mix of Indian and Thai. Soooooooo good. We had some red-hot spicy fish that's going to keep me up all night, coconut rice, spinach pakoras. MAN. And the white folks at the table next to us spent about 5 minutes each wiping off the banana leaves they use to line the plates. I suppose if we're going to get the poopies, at least that meal was worth it. Though it would suck to have the shits on a 22-hour plane ride. Farg.

Oh, and it will be so nice to not be stared at once I get home. I am a major target here for beggars, and for people in cars/on the street to stare at. They don't have the same politeness parameters we have in the States - they can't - too many people, too close together. You know how you might see your friend driving down the street and you honk and pull up and wave and they still won't look over? That doesn't happen here. You pull up at the "signal" and there are at least 75 people within 15 feet of you. They're on motorcycles right at your elbows, in open cabs, and everyone is looking at everyone else. You can't avoid it. It's something to do while they wait for the 10,000 vehicles on the other side of the street to cross over. Just amazing.

And it's an understatement to say there aren't a lot of white women here. I may as well be hot pink and glowing - I stand out that much. If it was any other city where I got so many stares I'd be like "I am damn hot!" Sigh.

And best news yet: WE LEAVE TOMORROW NIGHT! I am trying not to piss myself. Last night I only slept like 3 hours b/c I was so excited. Tonight I’m hoping to crash out, but it’s 9 p.m. and so far, so awake.

And one more btw: I’ve been watching the one station that shows american tv...been watching the first season of the OC. It used to be so much better! And last night, I watched as much as I could stomach of Indian Idol. That is some cracked out television, right there.