I have been super busy with work commitments in the past few days and haven’t had the time to do any research or write any posts. The company where I teach English, you see, had an important health and safety audit, and since the common language was English (the auditors were French and knew no Italian) I was asked to be the official interpreter.

There were some amusing moments, I have to admit (during which I couldn’t even crack a smile, of course), such as when we were in the company lab and one of the auditors remarked to the chemist in charge of the lab: So, you are responsible for the dangerous substances in the company. You are a professional, you are a chemical…  I just love it when things like this happen (oh, and by the way, over lunch I tried my rusty French on the auditors and made a few mistakes, perhaps even funnier than this one…yes, we had a few good laughs there…).

Getting to the less interesting business of my MRI results, I just wanted to say that they turned out fine. I have a few small hernias here and there and some age-related arthritis. Nothing new.

And in fact there have been “no substantial changes” since May of 2005, the date of my last spinal MRI. I am pleased.

I am also pleased to report that I have a new car. It’s a yellow FIAT Panda (see photo; it is parked in front of our house). I loved my old Mazda, too, but the brakes were beginning to…go. The FIAT dealership gave us a zero interest financial plan (can’t beat that!), which is the main reason we decided to go ahead and buy this car. Its colour, by the way, is “optimistic yellow.” Absolutely purrrfect for moi!

I’m thrilled to bits. I already adore my Panda. What a great car!