I guess it was bound to happen: la venganza de Moctezuma!

I've sometimes bragged about my cast-iron stomach, which has allowed me to eat lots of spicy, rich, exotic food without suffering much beyond a little heartburn. But I will brag with less swagger from now on after being laid low by a stomach ailment from Sunday night through Tuesday. Actually, the offending comestible--was it something I ate at the Indian restaurant where Margarita, Miriam, and I went for lunch on Sunday? or the salsa I bought at a natural foods market and which I slathered liberally on my quesadilla for supper?--well, whatever it was, it left me fairly quickly by opposite orifices, saving me from prolonged contact with whatever bug got me.

But all day Monday and Tuesday I was sapped of energy and as sore as if someone had used my torso as a punching bag. Today, after sleeping nearly all day and night on both Monday and Tuesday, I woke up feeling tremendously better. Thank goodness--I didn't want to miss a third day of classes.

Pery was a really good samaritan on Monday night and brought me some rice and vegetables, cooked apples (this is a common food for diarrhea, she told me), Gatorade, fresh fruit, and fresh chamomile and yerba buena (spearmint) from her garden and with which she made me a tea (using the flowers of the chamomile).

And other teachers called or emailed me to offer to bring me food or drink or whatever I needed while I was sick. Everyone, in fact, has been really kind.

And now this episode is closed. I will be more careful from now on. Onward and upward.