January 22nd

Mix up match up bag. Huh, that doesn't much make sense but it is a catchy opener.

"Mix up match up bag can make your life a drag, first prevail then no sale this mix up match up bag. Mix up match up bag will pull you for a gag, sunshine begins but never wins with mix up match up bag. Mix up match up bag now puts this poem to lag, I shed a tear for now I fear the mix up match up bag."

           

Ta dah! How's that for a silly rhyme? Still catchy. Anyhow it is time to begin my story of today. On this fine Tuesday I resumed my teaching duties with two of the three Racadot children. It was a regular lesson day that went nice and smooth. Louis has made a habit of practicing conversation with me which is always interesting. For a thirteen year old (he just turned into a teenager as of the 9th!) he is doing very well. In fact his mother told me that he has the equivalent of an American A in English. Alright go Louis! Anne does not have the same fortune, at least not in physics or French literature. Her English comprehension is very good and she has patience with me when I am trying to explain a grammar concept in broken French. All ended on a good note with me receiving my usual payment and my usual loud "goodbye!" from Alexis. Everything was in the bag, or so I thought.

The walk home is rather long for the night and I never feel completely secure. Often I speak to my mother on the phone about random (usually controversial) topics with which I have a strong opinion. Tonight I did just that and covered a large array of categories starting somewhere around the fifty capitals of the United States then ending with the Earth's poles switching. Hey I always have something interesting pluming through my mind.

I made it home just fine and said goodbye to my mother before entering the residence hall. Once upstairs I began my dinner preparations and then ate my delicious results. It wasn't until I was innocently surfing the web that I realized something was wrong. I felt my pocket for my payment. Surprise surprise it wasn't there. Damnit. I know that no one nipped it since I was wearing a long coat that concealed my body making it impossible for any thieves to stealthily steal my earnings. This means that by my own device I lost my money. DAMNIT!

Now I was pretty pissed off about the whole situation (won't lie) and tried searching every possible nook and cranny in which it could be. No findings were ever made. I then sat myself down and sarcastically said aloud, "well at least I made someone else's night way better." 

Oddly enough that did the trick in boosting my mood. I imagined that some regular sap had just been walking down a street when they suddenly saw my lost money. Being an average shmuck they then quickly pocketed it and relished in their victory. Bad luck for one causes good luck for another. Ah well, twenty bucks (the approximate US equivalent) is not the end of the world. It's annoying but it did teach me that rather than quickly stuffing some bills in my back pocket I should take the time to put them away in my wallet. Lesson learned and not soon forgotten (let's all hope).