Interesting Statistic, Among Other Things

I have a couple of items I want to post, but I have not had the opportunity to get them ready. Not having posted for a couple of weeks, I want to let you know that we are still here and on the go. I was literally on the go last week, when I went to the embassy in Lisbon for a day and a half of meetings, including being introduced to the new U.S. ambassador to Portugal. Abbie stayed home, and I thought I might have to, as we both came down with a cough and sinus congestion over the weekend. The worst of that seems to be over, for which we thank the Lord.

Update on Jackie: blood tests for cancer in the blood came back negative, which is good. But she is still not well, so something is wrong. The doctor is convinced her problems originate in the nervous system. She and Jaime have been going through a very tough period, it's true; whether her physical problems are simply the result of a nervous condition, we don't know. One possibility is Gaucher's disease. A very rare disease, so rare that her doctor here doesn't believe it's her case. He said he would have her sent to the mainland to do the test for Gaucher's disease after the New Year, just to remove all doubt.

Interesting statistic that appeared in the paper last week:
Looking ahead to 2006, the paper reported that after allowing for weekends, vacation time (here in Portugal=one month of vacation per year), holidays, and the Fridays and Mondays that fall between the Thursday and Tuesday holidays, when it's common to take the extra-long weekend, the Portuguese worker will probably only spend about 150 days on the job in 2006. I'm not looking for 200 days off in a year, but I'd sure like to get one once in a while. All I know is that tomorrow is not going to be a day off, nor are the days following. Maybe there'll be a half hour or so for me to get the other posts ready in the next day or two.