Plague news

 On the 5th we were informed that a Saudi who frequents our small building came down with (& tested positive for) the WuFlu. Apparently this guy's grandmother already had the illness and he continues on as if it were just another day in the Magic Kingdom. Just the day before he had spent quite a bit of time in the office across the hall from me and the engineer he was working closely with (looking over work at the engineer's desk) was starting to freak out a bit. Often this Saudi is the one who goes to the market to buy tools & equipment that can be procured locally. Two days before he had brought a bunch of items to the other American engineer in our building. 

Yesterday we were told that the director who is in our building (he's been out all week) was also sick with WuFlu (positive test confirmation.) I had just spoken with him the week before because he was asking me about a procedure I had written up for him.

So, it seems to be getting closer. Is that music from Jaws that I hear?

In any case, I've been informing people that on a regular basis I perform my own self-check. After my daily OMW I stop by a friends apartment to chat and make sure I can still smell the cat box (he's the one that adopted a kitten) and if I do then I'm probably OK. (The doctor on the compound here thought that that was funny so I don't care if no one else does.)

I am on tenterhooks waiting for the next shoe (or sandal) to drop. How's that for mixing metaphors?

But hey, I have a different car for now and it is even new, less than 6000 km. I took the other one back - again - because not only did they not fix the exhaust leak, the a/c was blowing hot air. It had been a couple months ago when the engine overheated and the a/c wasn't working then either. Apparently they just re-charged it and didn't bother to determine where the leak was. They really are incompetent when it comes to actually fixing something (it's not Saudis who are working on these things but if they were anything like the students in Jizan then I'm sure but they probably would have done no better.)

Work is slow, I'm back to modeling up the clock for the General....