in a sad note, papa dough man has been hospitalized. he has been through surgery and is ok. amazingly, the root of the problem is that he has been harboring deep feelings of anguish over speaking out against the hokies, and with the loss to fsu, his grief finally overcame him. although he still does not admit his true love for all things hokie, i think witholding this information of his impending hospitalization proves, more than any confession he could make to me, his unwavering and steadfast devotion, though it be in silence, to the beloved hokies. do not fear papa, the big hokie in the sky is watching out for you, even if you do live so close to the infidel capitol of charlottesville, va. the hokie nation will certainly come together and welcome you with open arms upon your release (assuming you are wearing more than that little half-robe they give you at the hospital).

like a stray calf who has injured a hoof attempting to escape through a barbed-wire fence, your cries were heard by the herd and they have summoned help (although not ant-ney in this case).

good to hear you are ok papa bo.

in other health news, i am on the mend. my cough and fever are gone almost completely and i finish my medicine today. the infection, i hope, does not return. it is very strange because everyone down here calls nearly every sickness, ¨la gripa¨ which pretty much means flu. but, to me it sounds much worse, like some ancient plague and i cringe every time someone sagely remarks after a fit of coughing- ¨tienes la gripa, ¿no?¨ no. you dont say? thank you doctor for your diagnosis.

ok, i am pretty much completely mended so it is funny now, but last week was boo. six days in a row of work. sick on top of it all. oh well, three more days and vacation starts! i cannot wait to do some travelling on the cheap. i have found free or nearly free places to stay in each city, puebla and san cristobal de las casas, as my friends have houses there and i can stay with their families. excellent.

take it easy every one and i will try to write more this week. if not, happy holidays- channukah, kwanza, christmas, festivus (for the rest-of-us) and whatever else i am forgetting.