glory, glory hallelujah!

you know how when you're really sick you just can't imagine how it is to feel normal? (at least this is what happens to me...) well after 3.5 days down, i woke up this morning remembering exactly how it is to feel normal... and it is gah-looooorious. absolutely. unfortunately, m is now feeling murky.

... and sadly, this plague caused me to miss the much anticipated date of home-cooked dinner, margaritas and commiserating with the other americans, night before last. the wife is having a birthday bash tonight downtown though. i'll have full details later.

and now for the big guns. we got an apartment! it's on 'zig-zag road' in the same part of town as the hotel, has 2 bedrooms, is in a quiet spot on the 5th floor and is spacious and open and airy. all good things. we had to go downtown this morning to meet the owners in person to negotiate a lease. m rose from his haze, put on his game face and muscled his way with me. originally, we thought i'd have to go alone because yesterday he was suuuper sick. me, alone with the broker we don't know very well, traveling an hour in his car to a place i've never been before. not a good idea. not in india. i'm not kidding. none of our (3) friends were available to come with me, so he bucked up and was able to come. i'm very proud. the owners are an older couple and are very sweet, but were reeeeally unwilling to bend on much of anything. the rental and home sales market here is like the portland market of 2 years ago... on speed. lots of speed. prices have gone up 125% in the past year and a half and are not slowing down. both industries are incredibly under-regulated, and this city is going nuts. therefore they have no reason to compromise on anything, really. ... so. we plan to be moved in within a week from now.