Happy Holidays

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frame of mind

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Guess mine . . .

Dietrich, Ramona Dietrich

After going to the ATM machine late Friday afternoon, I stopped into my local florist shop to talk to Maria, the owner.  Maria's shop opened a couple of years ago and she immediately became a fixture in our neighborhood.  Maria was born in Brazil but has led an international life. That coupled with her language skills (she speaks English well) and her outgoing personality has endeared her to many in my little community.

It's sad but she is closing up shop this week and moving to Germany.  She is reconnecting with her ex and starting a new life.  Everyone, including me, is happy for her as new beginnings are always full of hope.

Maria had her laptop open and as we were saying our "keep in touches",  we decided to become FB friends.  I typed my name into the search for her because it was easier like that.  Anyway, she was surprised that my last name was Dietrich as we were always Maria and Ramona to each other.  Maria also has a "German" surname as her ex is German.

To make a long story short Maria made a very big deal about my name and how much she liked it and said, "You must love to tell people your name when you meet them." Well, I guess I never really thought about it that way, BUT I will now.

I think I need more people like her in my life.

Thanks a bunch Maria. You take the summer with you wherever you go. Good bye, good luck.

Need I say more . . .

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i'm speechless . . .

perspective . . .

i really dont know life at all . . .

Happy Halloween

Remember that on this as on every day, all is not as it seems . . .

Festas do Mar - August 24

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Festas do Mar is a cultural event in which well known singers/groups perform nightly in the Cascais Bay.  These events are FREE!  August 24 featured David Fonseca.

Warm night, free concert, sangria - life is good!

for more info check out his website: http://www.davidfonseca.com/

Think, Harry, Think!!!

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Well, Prince Harry is at it again - throwing caution to the wind and havin' a good time.  Party on, Harry!

Nude photos of Prince Harry have surfaced and are all over the internet.  It seems that Harry had a wild weekend in Las Vegas.  This isn't the first time that Prince Harry of Wales has made headlines.  There were the under-age drinking and cannabis scandals, followed by altercations with the police.  There was the time he wore a Nazi officer's uniform to a fancy dress party and was photographed smiling all over the place totally unaware of how offensive that was. And we can't forget the various racial slurs ("our little Paki friend" and "raghead" to mention a few) he has uttered over the years.

In Las Vegas Harry has been making headlines with an unnamed female companion as they played a game of "strip pool".  It's hard to tell who won as they both seem to be completely nude and the 8 ball is no where in sight . . . While not illegal, it shows Harry's lack of judgement.  With all his (over) breeding, wealth, education and amazing opportunities he still can't seem to get it right.  The "celebrity" role of a royal second son seems to be too hard to resist.

I can appreciate that fun is fun and all that but there's a limit.  Along with the extraordinary circumstances into which he was born, there also comes a responsibility.  Like it or not, he is a role model for young people. I get it that people (young and old alike) can screw up and that life is messy. I understand that the road to enlightenment is not a straight line but come on...

There seems to be a "boys will be boys" attitude on this story among many Brits. According to an  article by JILL LAWLESS and RAPHAEL SATTER  one  London caregiver,  Shirley Ashard,  laughed at the news "I've got kids. They do things like that," the 59-year-old said. "He's a lad, for God's sake."
 
I can agree that dancing nude is not significantly noteworthy and might be great fun under different circumstances but Harry's life has been very high profile from the get go. For every advantage that Harry has had there was a lesson to learn. At 27, and as the 3rd in line to the British throne, he doesn't seem to understand the consequences of such folly.

Think, Harry, Think!!!! Cell phones, strangers, click click, nude photos, money to be made, instagram.

 His conduct was unbecoming an officer.   Shame on Harry, his mother would be very disappointed . . .

Maintenance

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Spent the afternoon in the beauty salon: color, highlights, cut, styling, and manicure.

Ahh.  It was time well spent . . .

Latest addition

I bought a new car in April, 2012.  It is an Opel Agila.  She came equipped with power everything.  Just what an old chick needs to get around in.

Wasted Monday

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Since I am a foreigner, I must reapply at intervals for a residence card.  Not a problem. I fully understand the need for this safeguard.

There is now a system in place in which they have a website and you can book an appointment in advance.  Wow! That's progress.  Only, it doesn't really work that way.

First of all I went to the SEF (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras - Service for Foreigners and Borders) in late March or early April to renew as I was on Easter break and had the time to do it.  When I went to the office I was issued a number and stood in line to ask a question.  I was told that I needed to book an appointment and I could only book one month in advance.  I was told that I could do this online and was also given a phone number to call. Only it wasn't as easy as I was led to believe, but then again nothing is. . .

After several attempts to book online, I had to ask Luís to phone for me. My residence card was going to expire on June 16 and on May 22 I was finally able to book an appointment.The first appointment available was July 24 and I was instructed to arrive at 8:30 for my appointment.  Only this was misleading because I showed up at 8:15 thinking that I had an 8:30 appointment but I didn't.  The office opens at 8:30 and I was told to go to the back of the line to get a number.  I would then wait for my number to be called and a person would check my documents and then send me to another line to wait to speak with someone else.  WTH.  To make a very long story short, I was at the SEF for just a little more than 5 hours.  I was in 3 different lines:  1) for a person to check my docs and give me a number to stand in a line, 2) the agent approved my paperwork and gave me a number to stand in a line to pay the fee, and 3) the line where I paid my fee.  One of the issues was that it is summer and 8 employees were on vacation which was definitely causing a problem. I waited about an hour to pay my fee (only 15€), as the clerk went out to lunch and there was no one to replace him and they never bothered to inform the people in the waiting room.  I would like to mention here that there was no water fountain or vending machines in this building and not enough chairs for the people waiting. 

Anyway, I would like to once again remind you that it doesn't surprise me that the world is a mess because the people who are running the show are totally clueless.

Shame on Kentucky!

Change.org|Start an Online Petition

Classic Stones

50 Year Anniversary - Congrats to the Rolling Stones.

Time really was on their side . . .

Let the summer begin . . .

7 weeks starting NOW!

Like I keep sayin'

it's all about the details . . .

This weekend Cascais hosted the 21st European H.O.G. Rally (June 14-17).  I've never seen so many Harleys together.  It was way cool.

Once again

the jacaranda is in bloom.  Summer has arrived!

another Fellini moment

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Every now and again we experience a Fellini moment.  Those moments when the situation is so off-the-wall and  bizarre that you wonder if it is really happening or if somehow you have become a character in Fellini film but then you remember that he's dead and you're not Italian so you must be awake and actually experiencing this.

I had a moment like that today.  I had one of those pin-ball machine-like verbal exchanges full of sharp tones that jump from one thing  to the next and never go anywhere or solve anything with my line manager.  I'm taking this out of context but at one point she said to me and I quote, "Ramona, you are miserable."

And I wonder to myself in what context or under what circumstances or on what planet this would ever be acceptable . . .

bad Mac, bad Mac

 I can sooooo relate to this. . .

a not so subtle message

I had to change my door today, the last display just wasn't working.

Will everyone just follow the damn rules?  Will everyone occasionally say "Ok"?  Greed, superficiality, and lack of respect for anyone and anything are running rampant.  I see less and less attention to detail and bigger and bigger egos.

Christ, I hope my dentist, cardiologist, banker, chef at any restaurant I eat in and every other professional I come across on planet Earth care about what they hell they do and follow the rules and don't just do the parts of the job they "like".

My door . . .

This has been the display on my door for the past 2 weeks.

It was only a dream  . . .

Like wow man!

Well maybe it is just the time of year
Or maybe it's the time of man
I don't know who I am
But you know life is for learning

What's goin' on?

And I try, oh my God, do I try
I try all the time in this institution
And I pray, oh my God, do I pray
I pray every single day FOR A REVOLUTION!

International Women's Day - March 8

Happy Women's Day. . .

Happy Groundhog Day!

6:00 comes early every day!

It's official . . .

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I'm back in my fat clothes.

The diet begins again.  Now the question is which one . . .

just thought I'd share

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aint that the truth. . .

this morning on my way to work. . .

The weather is beautiful here in Portugal.  The climate is temperate and the 2 times that there have been snow flurries here in Lisbon in the last 50 years were considered major events and still talked about today - hahahaaha.  For months now we have had sunny skies and beautiful afternoons.  The nights dip down and you really need a comforter but overall we are blessed.  Except, that we need more rain. . .

We had showers Saturday and Sunday nights, wee into the early hours of the morning.  How accommodating is that of Mother Nature? 

On my ride to school this morning I experienced a mishap that shook me. Last night it rained and the roads were slick. I was braking in a curve in a round-about when the brakes locked and I lost control of my car.  Suddenly nature was in control and I sat helplessly as my car skidded into the outside lane.  I wondered if I would hit the white car in the outside lane and thought about how much trouble that would cause.  I hoped for the best.  Luck was on my side and I missed hitting the white car by a nanosecond and no one hit me. Amazing! I experienced an adrenaline rush and my heart was beating fast and I felt shaky. My car stalled and as I hurried to start it again and get out of the line of traffic someone started blowing his/her horn at me.  This would have played out like a reality TV show for the people in the cars behind me.  They would have seen the near miss.  But instead of empathy, I got someone who blew his/her horn insistently at me. 

The human race still needs a lot of work.

Just another example of how the world is not a better place. . .

This week's door

This was my "softer" version . . .

Santa Cruz street and steps

This is a typical looking street sign here in Portugal.  It's beautiful.  It's made of glazed tiles and I imagine that these street signs are hand-made.  So lovely.  The downside is that these are all placed on walls and the sides of buildings. They are not on every corner and are often not easy to spot.  It's really difficult to know the names of streets here and people use landmarks when giving directions. (Go up 2 blocks and turn left at the pharmacy . . .)

Anyway, this street sign was at the top of a pair of "city" steps which lead to a small street.

The translation for the street sign is "Santa Cruz street and steps".

Medieval Clothes Dryer

inside the castle walls at Castelo da Vide - August, 2011

They are still drying clothes in this sleepy hilltop town the same way they did it 1,000 years ago. It's still the most economical and eco-friendly way of getting the job done.

Technology doesn't have much on the medievals. . .

e e cummings

Source: Uploaded by user via Julie on Pinterest

yeah, that's so true . . .

Welch's Grape Jelly

I've been living in Europe for a while now.  After I first arrived I craved food from home.  When I visited the States I would bring back foods that I could not get here.  Over the years that's changed and while I enjoy hoagies, meatball sandwiches, ranch dressing, Big Boys, Primanti Brothers, Benkovitz, breakfast at Pamela's in Shadyside, and Reese's anything and gain at least 4 pounds each visit,  I no longer stock my suitcase with these items.

We now have a couple of small grocery stores that carry international food items.  I stopped at one such shop that opened very recently and noticed that they carry Welch's Grape Jelly.  They don't produce grape jelly outside the US and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are not the same with raspberry jam.

Be still my heart.  As we get older, we realize that it's the small things that count.

moving forward

I live on Av. do Lago (Lake Avenue), only there's no lake.  It's a circle and you enter off Av. Saboia and the street snakes around and comes out about a 1/2 block up on Av. Saboia.  I think originally there was a plan to create an artificial lake and build condos around it.  But, it never happened.  About a year and a half ago the borough did some work on my street and the block where you enter Av. do Lago and the block where you exit Av. do Lago were made 1 way streets, BUT the middle block was not.  Go figure.  Anyway, this past week the entire street is now 1 way and it's all going in the same direction. Showing good sense on someone's part.

We're moving forward in more ways than one. . .

New Year's Resolutions

This is the door to my classroom at school. I'm trying to make a "feature" out of this unwelcoming, cold, metal door by decorating it and using it as a bulletin board.

Some of my students wrote their New Year resolutions on post-it notes.  Hahahahaha

Happy 2012

and another thing

hahahaha

Newton's laws of motion

This law has many implications.  One can rightly conclude that if I am pushed, I will push back . . .

YES

yes,   Yes,   YES

I just don't get it . . .

I don't get it.  I understand the concept of graffiti especially when used a a forum for revolution or to express social unrest or political messages.  I can also appreciate and would welcome street art. But this . . .

Sometimes I just sit and shake my head.

Happy 2012

Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week.                                                                                                                                             Charles Richards

Happy New Year

Rome

Rome Oct 31 - Nov 2, 2011

Beauty is just around the corner . . .

Money talks . . .

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Once more I am reminded that money talks . . .

It never ceases to amaze me that people with money and support take the lead. It's not necessarily because they deserve to lead, but that they can afford to lead. There's something very predatory about this and I guess that's what bothers me.

Man is an animal and I'm more and more convinced that we are no longer evolving. We are animals that wear designer clothes; we are all perfumed up; we mask ourselves with make-up and lipstick and have money to buy what we want. We travel the world looking for the edge, the advantage. We prey on the weak and the poor. You don't see many animals, other than humans, that terrorize and fight to the death. I always thought that with education and work that things progress and slowly, slowly the world becomes a better place. Now I'm not so sure.

As the birthrate increases at a dramatic rate, people are getting more competitive. The predators scheme and plot and push and snatch. Desperate people see these tactics being modelled and copy. Lots of our behaviours are based on the "monkey see, monkey do" model. So instead of "good" quietly working behind the scenes to make the world a better place, even the do-gooders get frustrated and begin to shout beatitudes.

Hold on to your hat - we are in for a rocky 2012. . .

So true

Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  Unknown

Everybody is raising hell!

Another demonstration in Italy is planned for today.

CBS icon Andy Rooney died . . .

Andy Rooney was a long time CBS 60 Minutes commentator.  He thought of himself as an everyman and his commentaries were as pithy as they were witty.  He told it like it is without offending.  Not too many people can do that!  Our loss is heaven's gain . . .

An Andy Rooney Quote:
"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person."
Andy Rooney


hahahaha  - so true, so true


For more on Andy Rooney:
The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/us/andy-rooney-mainstay-on-60-minutes-dead-at-92.html
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Rooney
CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57319150/andy-rooney-dead-at-92/
Andy Rooney Quotes: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/andy_rooney_2.html#ixzz1cw7qVIMF

what leadership looks like

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Characteristics of a good leader

Leaders...

• have a strong desire to achieve...they think, plan and act with an "I can attitude".
• are positive and enthusiastic regardless of how others act.
• want to make things happen! They are active participants in the game of life.
• are good friends. They have the ability to find something good in every person and every situation.
• are assertive, persistent and productive. They have determination.
• believe success depends on what you can get out of you
• expose themselves to new experiences. For they know that is how growth occurs.
• delegate responsibilities to members of the group or team in such a manner to create motivation and enthusiasm.
• Possess high self-esteem.

The ten commandments of leadership

1. Treat everyone with respect and dignity.
2. Set the example for others to follow.
3. Be an active coach.
4. Maintain the highest standards of honesty and integrity.
5. Insist on excellence and hold your people accountable.
6. Build group cohesiveness and pride.
7. Show confidence in your people.
8. Maintain a strong sense of urgency.
9. Be available and visible to your staff.
10. Develop yourself to your high test potential.

BACK TO TOP

Strategies for putting yourself in a position to win

• Identify and mobilize your resources
• Realize from the start that you make your own breaks
• Disregard the negativism and jealousy of others
• Success should be noticed, not told! Speak softly when discussing your success. Practice humility
• The less people know about why6 you are successful, the less competition you will have
• Have a plan of action with an equally impressive contingency plan
• Realize that you will learn something new every day. Capitalize on your new found knowledge
• Remain focused. Avoid the temptation to splinter off to something new until you have mastered your primary task
• You must leave "The Box". Think creatively. Allow your vision to know no boundaries. Common sense will prevail
• Compensate people appropriately for what they are worth and what contributions they have made to your success
• With every set back you’ll take two steps forward
• You must learn to be comfortable with the concept of success and remain poised as it builds upon itself

source: Pasco-Hernando Community College http://phcc.edu/students/goodleader.php

those were the days my friend

from 60 to 20 . . .  ah, I remember it well

Steve Jobs - may he rest in peace

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If life is a journey, then Steve Jobs has had a hell of trip. He's a prime example of what energy and faculty can accomplish.

Steve Jobs quotes that speak volumes to me:

"Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have.  When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D.  It's not about money.  It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it."  Fortune, Nov. 9, 1998


"Quality is more important than quantity.  One home run is much better than two doubles."  Businessweek

"Be a yardstick of quality.  Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected."

"Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.  And most important have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."

packing up . . .

The sun is shining and the afternoons are quite warm. . . It's still beach weather.  Slowly, slowly the amount of tourists is diminishing and the cafés and restaurants are closing earlier.

Summer can't last forever . . .

left brain, right brain or no brain

Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz The higher of these two numbers below indicates which side of your brain has dominance in your life. Realising your right brain/left brain tendancy will help you interact with and to understand others. Left Brain Dominance: (9) Right Brain Dominance: (9) Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz

Wow! No wonder I can see all sides of a problem! I'm completely balanced . . .

sometimes someone else says it for us . . .

Some dayz r harder than others. Sorry to say that it doesn't get any easier as you get older. . .

It's official, it's now autumn

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but I already knew that . . . Enjoy the season!

liar, liar, pants on fire!

DSK should be more than ashamed of himself, he should be in jail.

Guys like this don't leave well enough alone.  This type rapes a woman while she is at work, then has enough money to wiggle his way out of a jail term but still can't let it be.  He has to go on television and EXPLAIN how yes, maybe it was inappropriate to have sex with the maid,but no there was absolutely no violence involved.  Then he says that the woman is making this all up and poor him, he can't understand why unless of course she's evil and plotted this all out for years and used some kind of voodoo to make the planets align to orchestrate this so she could make a fast buck.

First of all, how the hell old is he?  Does he think he's still a 35 year old gadabout?  Doesn't he have a mirror at home?  He's an old guy.  Why would any chick under 60 look at him like he is anything other than a meal ticket?  Does he really think that a hotel chambermaid has the time to stop in every room and screw the occupant and that that would be a perk for the job? Does he really think that he would strike an attractive pose to a younger woman, or any woman for that matter?  How did it happen?  He came out of the bathroom and like their eyes met and they both just knew?  No romance, no champagne, no nothing? Is he kidding?  Does he believe that anyone would believe that story? How stupid does he think the rest of us are?

Power and politics don't seem to bring out the best in people. DSK is not alone, he has lots of company. . .

far, far from home

Some days the world seems very big and I feel very far from home . . .