Rockin' around the Christmas tree . . .

Merry Christmas . . .

Happy Thanksgiving

You can take the girl out of the USA, but your can't that the USA out of the girl. Some traditions are keepers. Hope you have lots to be thankful for.

Sunday morning . . .

fall in my neck of the woods . . .

back to school . . .

100 years ago . . .

My morning walks have taken an interesting turn in the past few days.  It seems that someone is reminding us daily as to the events of WW1.  Each day a new declaration is added to this wall and we watch (in retrospect) as the world goes mad.  WW1 was to be the war to end all wars.

With all the problems that we are facing today it is clear that we haven't made much progress in the past 100 years. . .

the thing is . . .

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I ran up to the corner store a few minutes ago to get some chicken and a couple little round cheeses that are tasty and cheap as chips.  When I was checking out I noticed that I was being charged a little more for each of the cheeses and asked about it. I was told the price (per cheese) which was not the price that was displayed in the dairy section. The difference was only pennies and I have no dispute with raising the price nor with the new price - the product is still a good quality/price value.  My problem is with the fact that they raised the price and didn't change the pricing in the cooler. I have a problem with the sloppiness in which they conduct their business.

As I write this, one of the families in my building is moving out.  The young woman has beautiful things hanging on her walls. Her apartment was on the first floor and you could see into her apartment in the evening. Her blinds are kept open and with the lights on inside we can get a glimpse into her life. I am watching her movers (40 something well-built guys who should have a bit of experience under their belts) load up the van (yes, it's a van not a truck) and I've noticed that they did not even "masking tape" her pictures let alone wrap them properly to help prevent breakage.  And I hope, even though I barely know this girl, that her things arrive at her new place in the same condition as they left here as her apartment was a home not just a bunch of stuff shoved into a rental unit and only serving a practical purpose.

While neither of these examples is earth-shaking or a clear indicator of the decline of western civilization, they are however, examples of our general slide into apathy or a general cultural/ethical malaise. Nothing deserves our attention. "Good enough" or "close enough" is now the standard.

The thing is that these days I find myself a teacher and I'm trying to instruct my students to do their best. It doesn't make my job any easier or the world a better place if the "good enough" attitude becomes the norm.

At the risk of sounding redundant I will, once again, stress that I hope my surgeon, anesthesiologist, dentist, banker, car manufacturer, lawyer, and pharmacist to name a few, each prove to have a healthy work ethic and strive for something better than "good enough."


Side note: Went back to my little market and found that the price of the cheese is now correctly marked in the cooler;-)

a day at the beach . . .

Mornings at the beach in July are interesting. School is out but parents are still working. The kids are in day care centers and day camps. Since we are just a hop, skip, and jump away from the ocean, the kids are loaded into cars, vans and buses for a morning at the beach.  They walk from the parking lot in two-by-two holding hands. They are usually recognizable by their hats.  We have green hats, red hats, blue hats. Well, you get the idea. The adults in charge try to mark territory using shoes and backpacks to help contain the little ones.

The beach is totally full of little kids darting this way and that.

I can think of nothing more stressful than spending the morning with a bunch of pre-schoolers at the beach. hahahahaha

FIFA

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Soccer is a VERY big deal here in Portugal.  The FIFA World Cup was on everyone's television and the focus of conversation for the past month.

The final game was Argentina vs. Germany. Although I'm not much of  a sports enthusiast, I was rooting for Argentina. They didn't win . . .

I watched the final at a friend's house.  It was fun . . .

down time

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Took a stroll through Cascais this afternoon despite the heat.

Lots going on this time of year. Yeah!

OMG

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Guess what I had for lunch today. Yes, lunch. On a Friday for no particular reason. All I can say is OMG!

still working . . .

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Although I worked today I made time to exercise in the morning and stop for an expresso this afternoon at a chic café. . .

let the summer begin . . .

Today was the last day of classes and school ended at 1pm.  The teachers have at least one more week of hard work preparing units for the next school year, but this afternoon was set aside for lunch in a restaurant near my home.  Sardines and Chicken Curry were a nice change from my usual brown bag fare.

Such a treat . . .

We are what we are . . .

                We are not quite novels.

                We are not quite short stories.

                In the end, we are collected works.

                                                                                               Gabrielle Zevin 

it's jacaranda time again . . .

Av. de Saboia

All is well with the world when the jacarandas are in bloom.

If you look closely you can see that even the fallen petals make the world a more beautiful place . . .

So long . . .

One of my favorite students left the school today. I'll surely miss her but she's headed home. She is an American student from the south and is all full of yes ma'ams and no ma'ams. She's also full of energy and wonder and excellence. Her father was at NATO and although they originally planned on staying in Portugal longer, he received orders . . .

Before she left, she was generous enough to think of me and brought me a bunch of flowers.  It was so thoughtful. But then again, so is Lauren. . .

She will be greatly missed. I wish only the best for her.

my new home away from home . . .

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It was 20 years ago this month that I came to live in Portugal. It was a very big adventure. Europe - wow! So much to see, so much to do.  Shortly after arriving I visited a touristy hilltop town and in one of the shops the British owner struck up a conversation with me after ascertaining that I was more than a tourist.  She was then about my age now. She asked me how I found Portugal and asked if I detected a lot of differences. I said that I was enjoying it all: the food, people, weather, and the sea.  She agreed that it was like that for her too in the beginning. She advised me that at first I wouldn't see too many differences but the longer I stayed, the more differences I would notice.  She was right . . .

Happy Easter

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One of the things that fascinated me when I lived near Cincinnati was that fact that there were so many small, cute towns to explore on weekends. S. Lebanon was no exception.

According to their website, S. Lebanon was established in 1795. It was originally named Deerfield and was an important town on the Little Miami River.

Although off the beaten track, S. Lebanon boasts a historic inn called The Golden Lamb dating back to 1803 or thereabouts. It is Ohio's oldest continuing hotel/inn and many important guests stayed there including 12 presidents and other notables such as Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Period furniture and a homey atmosphere welcome you.  Who knew? It seems that S. Lebanon is about halfway between Cincinnati and historic Rt. 40 so it was a logical stop off.

Easter Sunday lunch was (and is) a big event there with lamb a highlight on the menu. I was lucky enough to get a  reservation one Easter years ago.

Ah, memories . . .

groundhog day

I'm from Pittsburgh and we make a very big deal about Groundhog Day. I love this film and we can learn a lot about ourselves from it. I'm grateful that most days are different from one another . . . Happy Groundhog Day!

hahahaha

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Yes, it's true. I've been grateful for this all my life. hahahaha . . .

Mercado de Campo de Ourique

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Farmer's markets are still an important part of life here in Portugal. You can get every thing you need to prepare healthy fare: fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, dried fruits and beans, meat, fish, jams, and honey, as well as potted plants, flowers and starter plants. I love to go to the Cascais market and sometimes go after walking on the paredão on Saturday mornings.

Today we went to the market in Campo D'Ourique to check out their renovated market and found that it was less traditional and attracting more than housewives. The idea was simple. The redesigned market included traditional market stalls and food stalls in the same space. The center of the market provided seating for lunches, snacks and dinner. Although found in other cities, this is a pretty mod and groovy concept for Lisbon.

We had lunch and the hamburgers were really good. Although the smooth music in the background set a nice tone, the downside was that the logistics of the space were chaotic. The food stalls didn't serve beverages so you had to go elsewhere for drinks. Well, ok but it went a bit too far when you had to order your food from one stall and return to pick it up in 10 minutes and in the meantime search for a stall  where you buy drinks only to find the drink stalls were not full service either and you could get only soft drinks and beer at one bar and needed to get wine from another stand, all the while hoping that a seat would be available when you collected all the necessary components for your lunch.

Anyway, I liked the new market and was grateful that my hamburger was excellent and that we were able to find a table and relax.

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hail

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It's not very often that it snows in Lisbon. We are right on the Atlantic and are gifted with a temperate climate. It snowed here for about 10 minutes 6 or 7 years ago and it caused a lot of excitement. The time before that was in the 1950's, so you see what I mean.

This morning as I was getting ready for work, I heard a lot of thunder. This also isn't very usual here. Anyway, it wasn't raining and I went about my business. During my commute the sky opened up and there was a hell of a downpour. But more surprising was that it was a freak hail storm. The results of which are captured in the photo above. The "white stuff" is ice rather than snow. As the temperatures were no where near freezing, it melted very quickly.

I was travelling on the A5 (a highway) and am grateful that I didn't have any problems as a result of this tempest.

It's all in a day's work

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Tonight I am grateful for the appliances that help to lighten my load. . .

be still my heart . . .

Matisse's Studio, Vence

Damian Elwes, an English artist living in the States, has a "studio" collection which showcases the studios of famous artists such as Picasso, Dali, Matisse and Monet to name a few. I LOVE them. I'm a friend of Damian Elwes on Facebook and I am delighted each time he posts another image.  I am grateful for the lightness that his work brings to my heart.

Oh yeah, I want a studio . . .

Gone With The Wind

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I first saw Gone With The Wind on a Thanksgiving Day when I was in my early 30s. It was playing in one of those cheap, low frills, one dollar a ticket movie theaters that we had in Pittsburgh back in the day. There was a total of 5 people in the theater - so it seemed like a private showing.
The film was fabulous with all its high drama from start to finish and I became a Gone With The Wind groupie. While the movie is good, the book is even better.

I learned a lot from Gone With The Wind. Scarlette O´Hara, the  beautiful but headstrong protagonist who is at the center of much of the drama, goes through some very trying times but never gives up.  She always looks forward and has an optimistic view of the future. At one point in the middle of her personal chaos she said, "After all, tomorrow is another day!" And she's right.

I've had some days in which everything went wrong and I thought that the day would never end. I was thankful when it finally finished and I got to start again the next day. I am grateful for tomorrows. . .

good times

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Today I was thinking about all the cities that I have visited in France and about how beautiful the châteaux in the Loire Valley are.The first time that I went to Europe I went to Monaco and Paris! Wow! It was something else. I am grateful for all the good memories of holidays spent in France.

message from the universe . . .

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I saw this image on a Facebook post today (Journey To Peace). Sometimes the universe sends messages and if you keep your eyes and your mind open, you can easily find inspiration. I'm grateful for this.

7 in a row

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My school works on a 2 week schedule. That means that my Week 1 schedule is different than my Week 2 schedule. I teach roughly the same number of classes, they are just allocated differently. We have 7 periods per day. On Thursday in Week 2 I teach 7 classes in a row and am in the computer lab during lunch time to offer help to students.  This week is Week 2. I came home very tired today but grateful that all went well and that I had a good day. I always sleep well on Thursdays in Week 2 - hahahaha.

Friends

I received a gift today from my friend, Chris, from Luxembourg. It's a beautiful ceramic piece than can be used as a vase or a candle holder.  The Italian artist who made this is  Fabrizio Tranquilli. You can check him out here:  (http://www.artedellaceramica.net/node/118).

I met Chris in 1991 when I studied in Luxembourg and we've been great friends since then. I feel grateful to have made such a good friend.

Frozen Pittsburgh. . .

http://multimedia.post-gazette.com/Revolution/default.asp

The north-east is experiencing sub-zero temperatures.  Many schools and businesses in Pittsburgh are closed as a consequence.   -7 F (-22 C) is COLD.   The icy conditions make everything just that much more dangerous.

Winter is beautiful to look at in photos, but I'm grateful for the milder climate in which I live.

Put me in, Coach . . .

Today was our first day back after a well-deserved 2 week holiday break.

"Oh, put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be centerfield."

I'm grateful for my job and proud of the work I do.

Sunday mornings are made for walking . . .

This morning the sun was shining and the birds were singing . . .

It was clear and sunny this morning and the temperature was about 55º F (14º C) as we began our 5k (3 mile) walk. Although there were remnants of high winds and strong waves along the esplanade where we walk, it was very calm at 8:30am. We were joined by a bookclub friend of mine who was walking her dogs and had lots to talk about.

Today I was grateful for the morning sun that promised a beautiful day.

www . . .

While on Facebook today I came across the following photo and post from Humans of New York:

"When I was 19, my girlfriend and I were going to study in Paris. Our boyfriends came to the docks to see us off. Right as we were getting on the ship, my friend's boyfriend said to her: 'If you go, I won't wait for you.' So she turned around and decided to stay. My fiance saw this and told me: 'I won't wait for you either.'  I said: 'Don't!'"

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork
Blog: http://www.humansofnewyork.com/

Check out the page, it's a really creative project and the posts are full of interesting characters.

I'm grateful for the internet which allows me to broaden my horizons, encounter new ideas and learn about (and from) others.

another rainy day

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We've had a lot of rain in the past few weeks. It's normal for this time of year. I've had a fire burning since mid-afternoon. I'm grateful for the fireplace that keeps me warm and dry. I'm grateful for the rain that turns Portugal green in the winter.

Let's talk . . .

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Goodbye Nokia 2650 red flip phone.

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Hello white Samsung Galaxy Pocket Neo . . .


I finally bought a new phone today. While at the mall I received a message from my telephone service provider informing me that there might be a better payment option. As I had the moron package (way overpriced for everything) I thought it might be a good time to talk to the Optimus people. There was no line at the phone store at the mall and I just went in to ask a question about my service and before you knew it I was saying good bye to my red Nokia.  It was such a cool phone and looked just like Captain Kirk's communication device in the original Star Trek series. I've had it for 8 or 9 years and it served me well but the technology has really developed since I bought my Nokia and now a phone is more than just a phone so an upgrade was in order. I'm grateful that I looked at the message and decided to act upon it.

Now, I need a training course in using my new Samsung. . .

2014

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Fashions change but celebrating the new year never goes out of style . . .

I'm grateful for another year on my journey.