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Have you read or heard any positive news stories recently? It seems all we are bombarded with from the various media sources are negative stores. Whether the stories are about war, the economic situation, crime etc. Of course hearing such negativity constantly on a 24/7 basis is enough to bring anyone down, maybe even to the point of depression.
Let's put a stop to this! Please share your good stories!
I am obviously back online, with my new beautiful iMac 20". My personal computer technician brought my new baby iMac home Thursday night and was pretty much done installing and transferring everything by Friday evening. He's such a doll! Don't know what I'd do without him. He is such a good computer technician, I am not saying that just because he's my husband. My desktop photo is a photo outside of Death Valley California that I took on last year's trip to the United States. 
My new 20" iMac is an incentive to quit smoking as I've mentioned in previous posts. In January when I first mentioned about trying to cut down on smoking and getting my new iMac, I was able to cut down to ten cigarettes a day. Then I fell off the bandwagon and was back up to a pack a day. Over the last few days, each day I have been smoking less and less. Today so far I have only smoked 6 cigarettes and it hasn't been so bad.
Over the course of the next few days I will be offline due to receiving my new iMac on Thursday evening while my computer technician husband transfers everything over from my old computer to the new computer. We haven't fully given up smoking, in fact increased a bit since the computer technician made the original offer about if I gave up or drastically reduced smoking he'd get me a new computer. Well, have started again reducing smoking. Especially also since cigarettes, at least for Camel Lights, have gone up to 4 euros (about $5.20) a pack. Good time to stop smoking before the government decides to increase the price again!
This morning I had run a couple of errands, the grocery store and pharmacy. Ok not a big deal, but what was kind of eerie was the fact that traffic was next to nothing, even considering the time of day and day of the week. The supermarket had some people, but again considering the time of day, is usually busier. My first thought is maybe that the economic crisis is starting to hit home a bit here in Italy. Busto Arsizio Italy seems almost like a ghost town at the moment.
Last week was the same situation at the supermarket and also with the traffic, so today is not a one-time occurrence. Personally speaking as of today we're doing not so bad. The computer technician's business has slowed a bit, but nothing to worried about, yet. I've actually picked up 3 new students in the last couple of weeks and have been averaging 20 hours a week. People in general here, at least what I've heard from my students, are a bit nervous about keeping their jobs. So many of them are making sure to continue their English lessons in hopes that "keeping up" their language skills will be a plus for them in regards to keeping their jobs.
The world wide economic crisis is only bound to get worse before it gets any better. In two months, January & February 2009, 370,561 Italian workers have lost their jobs according to a headline on Italy's newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Realistically speaking, tough times are ahead for Italy, for everyone worldwide for that matter, financially speaking. Over the last years credit has become easier to come by in Italy, taking after the United States. People in Italy aren't as maxed out so to speak (no pun intended) on credit card debt compared to the United States, but many people do have mortgages, car payments, payments on furniture (it is expensive in Italy to furnish an apartment) and find it difficult to make it to the end of the month. This is before the global economic crisis hit.
The main sanctuary of the Selby Abbey. The Selby Abbey is an Anglican parish church in the quaint town of Selby, North Yorkshire, England. 
One of the at least three small "chapels" in the Abbey. 
Front entrance to the Abbey
Selby Town Square right in front of the Selby Abbey. Selby is a small town, around 13,000 people and found it was a very clean town and people friendly. When we went to visit the Abbey, church services and tea had just finished. The priest was just leaving when we entered and told us "You JUST missed tea and cookies, we would have loved to have you join us.". How nice!
I would like to say a big thank you to all of my Entrecard droppers who've stopped by, especially my top droppers. They are for the month of February:
My Note's
Septagon Studios Inc. News Blog
Computer Aid
Back to School for Grownups
All Blogspot Templates
ThemeLib
Guilty Pleasures
Dunia Soer
A Simple Life
Online Social Networking
