Headline news
Since it's been a long while since I posted I won't even try to detail everything that has happened, but here's the executive summary:

Visitors - We had a lot of them this summer: Yuka's parents, her college friend and a colleague from Rome

Trips - We went to Porto, PORTUGAL - very scenic waterfront, Marseille, FRANCE - expensive and more Moroccans than Frenchmen, Barcelona SPAIN - great food. Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/gerdemb

Good luck - Yuka's father won 800 euros at the casino in Lisbon

Bad luck - Yuka's purse was stolen with almost 500 euros of the winnings

More bad luck - 2,500 euros of cash that Yuka's father accidentally puts in his checked bag is stolen

Good news - I've been officially accepted into the Ph.D. program at IST

Better news - I will be receiving a grant the covers my tuition and provides a monthly stipend for living expenses!

Other news - We bought a car. It's old and ugly, but it runs. It's a 1998 Ford Fiesta.

That is all.