Though the Avian Flu pandemic has dropped out of the headlines, it's still out there, slowly mutating and spreading. I resolve to be prepared.

I will get into the best health possible by eating properly, sleeping sufficiently, exercising, avoiding tobacco, and drinking in strict moderation. A vaccine may come too late and Spain gets too many visitors to think that Madrid will be safe.

Currently, half of the people who get the flu die, so I figure that if I survive while you fast-living types bite the dust, sometime soon I may inherit everything that one of you owned, including your house, car, bank account, maybe even your boyfriend. Survivors' benefits: that was the good news from the medieval Black Plague, so let's do it again.

Happy New Year, and party till you drop. I will remember you fondly.