after three weeks of physical and emotional wrangling, a much-needed break. not to be savored though with the weekend power outtage.

so it was with some relief that my tito lanlan and tita ine from long beach came over the house yesterday to visit. this time, they came with ate lyn, my cousin jon's wife, and my one-time travel agent. a lot of laughs about nanay's obsession with packing the food to be sent back to manila with them, tatay's all-too-familiar story of the rise and fall of lolo mundo's career (and the family's fortunes). these are the rewards of parents hitting their 70's - they couldn't care less about editing the family's not-too-savory stories, which makes them more fleshed out in one's imagination, makes them more vulnerable, more accessible, more human.

darkness was creeping in and they had to hit the road. promises of a get-together on tuesday with the rest of my equally-eyebrowed uncles and cousins.

and then today. still no power. my folks and i went over the events of the last three weeks, what to fuss over, what to discard, what to celebrate. and more sleep for me, something i've been doing since friday night.

i finally resolved to have my back checked by my long-time orthopedic doctor, who told me many years ago that i should refriain from wearing driving shoes and slippers with no arch as they wouldn't be good for my flat-footed feet.

the good doc wasn't there but the junior ortho doc who knew me from high school was there. i decided to just proceed with him (despite the slight discomfort of being scrutinized by a doctor who didn't know my medical history).

after some small talk about my sister - who he kept saying made the wise move to take her second residency in the us - he instructed me to proceed to x-ray and have my spine checked. i immediately balked - i didn't bring enough money for a lab procedure or anything of that nature. had to fix that first.

when i finally went back to his office with my x-ray, he hooked it up on the lighted wall.

there was my spine, and on the 5th to 7th section (forgot the correct term for it) was the curve. he surmised that there could be another around the neck area but the x-ray didn't cover that. another time, he said. and besides, it will have little impact on the entire diagnosis. obviously, the curvature was very minimal that it didn't warrant an operation. (dang, no brace, no metal on my body. nostalgia for j.g. ballard's crash, perhaps?)

he wrote down a prescription in the event i experience severe pain. otherwise, not a thing to worry. he told me to come back after six months for another x-ray (an extra php 400 for the hospital's coffers, of course). and as expected, a free consultation (as families of/with doctors know all too well) and the unspoken urging to shift my, er, loyalties to him, struggling young ortho, what with the senior doc already entrenched in his practice, daughters more or less provided for. he gives his regards to my sister who he kept on harping about. your sister did well in pgh, not surprising that she became chief resident. she won't come back, that's for sure.

i said to myself, oh, that's what tatay also says.

my sorely-missed short order of americano at the favorite coffee shop, some leafing over the swimsuit issue of preview and a reading of chris martinez's play last full show. i don't ever regret ever letting my hum 1 students reading his other play last order sa penguin (oedipus rex loyalists will definitely raise their eyebrows).

finally, a trip to the favorite internet shop. said my hellos to ige, bart, his brother marius and tita thelma. familiar faces, bless them. check e-mail, read nytimes.com. got buzzed by durga, asking me for a favor, to which i agree to. not a problem.

and then, this e-mail:


Dear Ms. Colanta,

Hi! I am Jossie Lacson, Admin Asst of the English Department, Ateneo. I am writing to tell you the good news! re: teaching load at Ateneo. Dr. Vilches would like to see you regarding the load. Please write me when you can come so I can make the appointment with Dr. Vilches.

Thank you,

Jossie Lacson

yes, lola virgina woolf, this was one half of what i have been busy with the past three weeks. (the other half to follow.) and so i'd like to offer my profuse thanks to friends who were in a position to help me in this most unexpected (though not entirely, in the greater scheme of things) turn of events.

and yes, dear advisees who drop by this blog, diseezit, pansit. pasensya na at hindi ko kayo inabisuhan agad. didn't see this one coming either. but for those in the loop, you already had the hint anyway. i'll just meet up with you to work on your change of adviser and other matters.

so hayun, ika nga ni favorite nerd herd paeng, sellout, sellout! haha.

bow.