On the other hand, Facebook seems not to be a problem, so I am posting many things there that I would normally leave for the blog.
I lost half a day when a bottle of Sarsens' malt vinegar leaked in my backpack. Apart from everything smelling of vinegar (which I don't mind) the computer would not turn on at all. I eventually got it back to life by threatening it with a replacement. If souq.eg had been easier to use I might well have ordered one from Cairo. But using the phone was not easy so I didn't get to the payment screen. It was that close!
I hope that there are no long-term effects, and at least the computer will be cleaner.
There have been 2 lectures recently at Thebes Hotel. The first, by Wojciech Ejsmond, director of the Gebelein Archaeological Project, was about the connections between burial sites and pyramids, or pyramid-shaped mountains. I didn't find anything new in this (apart from the slide from Machu Picchu) and the pictures are not great but I'll include them below. There was standing room only, and after the usual hiccoughs (no one bothered to bring a computer, the projector blew a bulb and had to be replaced) the rest of the event ran smoothly.
The second was by the Francisco Jose Martin Valentin about the tomb of the vizir Amen Hotep Huy in the Asasif. I didn't go to this one as I doubt if much has changed since earlier this year. Plus Thebes Hotel has decided to start issuing tickets (covering the cost of a soft drink but that is not the point). Other lectures in Luxor have been free for the last 10 years. Nile Valley, Marsam and Sheherazade have never made a cover charge, expecting to make enough by publicity and on the sale of food and drink to those who want it. The Mummification Museum never charge. Lectures at Karnak are always free. I have not heard any reports from people who were at the Thebes Hotel for this second lecture of the season.
The other pictures show the sunset, with Venus close to the horizon on Wednesday 30 October (I've added a couple of black lines to indicate it), and the following day the moon was in conjunction with Jupiter. The last picture, an hour later, shows that the moon has moved away significantly from Jupiter.