Work hard

Saw this interesting post on work habits in Europe vs the States. On balance it really is healthier here. Gretchen will be the first to say I work way too many hours (which is true), but even in those circumstances it's perfectly normal and acceptable to, for example, take a two-hour lunch (schools don't serve lunch so many people go home to eat with their families, and shops don't stay open past 6:00pm so it's the only time to go shopping). And people look at you funny if you eat lunch at your desk. Of course it's standard to have lots more vacation time--even if you don't use it, it's really nice to know it's there (and in my case, I'm required to take two consecutive weeks off every year--back home that would eat up a good chunk of my annual vacation time). People really do take much of July or August off, and you're not expected to leave a forwarding number. You don't see too many people plugging away on Blackberries. You're not expected to take work home with you. It's not that people don't work hard--they do--but there seems to be a much better work-life balance here.