Addendum

A couple of points of clarification are, I think, needed. Although the arbitrary and yet wholly decisive deadline of August 10 has indeed passed, it means very little. For one thing, I don't think I will be getting another financial report from my dear old organization until I ask for one, so I pretty much don't know whether or how much things may or may not have changed since the last time I wrote. Secondly, the deadline is not quite as hard and fast as the term "deadline" would seem to imply. It isn't entirely arbitrary, because it is easier and better to buy the airline ticket earlier rather than later, so a certain proportion of the money needs to be in by a certain time to facilitate that purchase. Also, most people do much better when actually given a deadline, even a somewhat facetious one, than if you just left them to their own wee devices so they can put it off until the veritable 11th hour and maybe not get it to me soon enough. But, that being said, the money will probably (hopefully) keep coming in for a couple more weeks. So, if you haven't gotten any money in yet, or got it in at the veritable 11th hour, no worries. Except you really should get it in as soon as possible. See, it's just like school. The deadline is arbitrary, but it's there for your own good, so we make you observe it anyway.

Now, all of that being said, what does all this mean for The Sign. Ummmm...good question. Very good question. The answer is: well, I didn't really think it through that far. So, what happened was that I set something out to be fulfilled as a supernatural sign, and then didn't set any sort of scientific parameters that would indicate it's fulfillment or lack therof. My friends, this is what it is to be charismatic. Will it be a sign if I had to pay half of the total out of pocket? A third? A fourth? I never decided. Hmmmm...Oh, lay off. I don't understand it either. What to do? What to do? Keep going forward until the door closes? Okay. I was going to do that anyway.

Oh, and the reason that I wasn't around to answer your plethora of e-mails, facebook comments and phone calls is because my family and I went off this weekend to the great city of San Antonio, because my mom was hosting some kind of meeting for work at a resort, and stuff went wrong and she complained, so they gave us a couple of free nights. A couple of free nights at a resort. It was pretty spiffy, but the place on the whole definitely reminded me of Diego de la Vega's house in the Mask of Zorro. There was a painting in one of the hallways that I swear was supposed to be Catherine Zeta-Jones. Then the next day we went to Sea World! I suppose it's corny, but I really enjoy Sea World, hyperreality and all. I love animals and I love to be around them and see them do amazing things, even if they're in captivity. And furthermore, I finally got my sister to enjoy a roller coaster. So, really, I had a good day, even though I was still sick, I woke up that morning with an allergic rash, had a stomach ache and was stung by a bee. Seriously, it all happened. Then today we spent some time in downtown San Antone, at Market Square, and I took some lovely pictures. Maybe I will post some, but I am too tired to mess around downloading pictures tonight. So...that is all, I guess.