hahahaha

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152213647423708&set=a.10150774463388708.469877.93919173707&type=1&theater

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

Mercado de Campo de Ourique

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDerO7fUbkOhYxo-Hmk7M_t3wRMGCWHpHhVFQHEspPeoKiZ8vPCP20hL5dChyvACJ0rX4LXS8U7f6X8o2N87ykZXG8W2Tf6sDdUrKUEpuOr-A1EJxRJuIy7jzoNi7wW-3KI-WX/s1024/2013%25252C%25252023%25253A02.jpg

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.

http://www.cm-lisboa.pt/uploads/pics/LFP_0650_MercadoCampoOurique.jpg

hail

http://www.publico.pt/f329770

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

http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/en_US/images/abn/2014/app/pm/pm_117508_2_140112.jpg

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

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/32/72/6d/32726d5cd2bcebffc97ce3fdd4a7670b.jpg

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

http://www.centfeuilles.com/Accueil/bv000004.jpg

 

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 . . .

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=673270389363155&set=a.452119468144916.99309.452088601481336&type=1&theater

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

http://www.artbyjdrake.com/files/7_Little_Parakeets_in_a_Row.jpg

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

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEtoI_86V9VncSQsPOw0MrdJEFZ3V2fhbBYsTO1LLNEPLkTg08UJFIpWoNggvNNS7jQ4uroEQmI8uyfHD1YbLAZszB5EGoNGFLtELkZFJSvtmS36Zkx7_ngaeiN31DXSw1WJp/s1600/rain+rain+go+away+copy.jpg

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 . . .

http://nokiareviewz.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/nokia_2650-225x300.jpg

Goodbye Nokia 2650 red flip phone.

http://cdn.ndtv.com/tech/gadget/image/Samsung_Galaxy_Star.jpg

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

http://emocaoeeuforia.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/3-menu-do-reveillon-de-1930-31-no-casino-internacional-do-monte-estoril.jpg

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

I'm grateful for another year on my journey.