random pre-xmas thoughts

this morning i saw the twin sister of lia!!! same colour, same size and shape! it was tied to a railing, her back wheel missing...

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nearly every morning on the way to work (i walk) i am stopped by someone asking for directions: confused old women looking for a dentist; German guys who lost their wallets; cyclists; youngsters on their way to an interview; etc.

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nearly every morning i see a cheerful little lady walking up and down the street. i have spoken to her a couple of times (she is funny!) and always greet her. i am always repaid with a smile. she reminds me my grandma. yesterday it was a freezing morning and i was wondering why she was not at home. she looked a bit puzzled...

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i am cursed by the aviation... after the august turmoil at the uk airports, this time my parents' flight risks to be affected by the fog. i wrote to an ex-pilot and here is his reassuring reply:

"Hi Silvia

Nice to hear from you again [yes, i quite often consult him]. Operationally, that is from the pilots point of view, fog makes no difference, but as we saw here yesterday in the UK there was a lot of disruption because of fog, BUT of course this is because of the sheer volume of traffic at this time of the year. Do not have any worries about the process of landing in fog... the autopilots don't know if it's foggy or a sunny day... they perform faultlessly anyway. I doubt whether the fog will last until Saturday.

Keith"

comforting. but i am still a bit anxious... such is my mind.

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in my team two people (me included) are left. my colleage will leave in 15 minutes. tomorrow i expect to be alone in the whole department. it will be a fun morning.

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MORE THOUGHTS: i have just realised that i lost my debit card. perfect timing!

LAST UPDATE OF THE DAY: just when i thought that i could start breathing my penultimate day of work in 2006, an author phoned me up communicating me in a polite way that he is withdrawing from the most complex and risky project, not only in my portfolio but in my department! joy!

but i don't despare. i have got a plan *b* and an ace up my sleeve...