I returned from Amsterdam two days ago, and have been catching up--emails, calls, watering the plants, and re-connecting with Sigrid, Gunther, Eliza, Anders, Augie, and Fumiko. Robert went right back to work on Thursday--and I guess I did, too.

I'm currently contemplating a cluster of recent misfortunes. 

For example, when I got home, my phone had been disconnected (automatic payment snafu,) the garage door wasn't opening, the electric fan had stopped working and the bedroom smoke alarm malfunctioned at 4:30 am this morning causing me to miss a good part of much-needed sleep.  A call to the service people resulted in a total dismantling, and I await a new unit.

Before the trip two weeks ago, you might remember, I was hospitalized with a mysterious infection--serious enough that the attendants were asking me if I wanted to be resusitated if things got bad.  Upon my release, Robert picked me up from the hospital in Fumiko's car, which died twice on the trip home (it's working fine now.)  Later that week, my office clock died, my wrist watch and camera batteries both died, and the fax stopped working (it's okay now, but we never figured out what happened.)   (Gunther also called to tell me his watch battery died, too. He's blaming all this on solar flares.)

Last week, in a moment's carelessness in Amsterdam, I was pickpocketed and lost several hundred euros, my Visa card, driver's licence, and some traveler's checks. My laptop wouldn't power up at all in Amsterdam, although the portable printer worked okay (but was useless without the computer.)  I also blew out my hair dryer (it's working okay now.)

Today I began to slog through the paper work to get my insurance to pay for the dent I put in a rental car (a brand new rental car), when I was down at the Esalen workshop (the day before I was unexpectedly hospitalized.) 

Odd.  I can't remember such a run of misfortune.  Let's hope it's over.

By the way, two weeks before I left for Amsterdam, I dreamed I lost my wallet there.