casting

On July 11 I saw an interesting post on my school's facebook page.  OIS posted a letter from a local producer who was announcing an open casting for an upcoming film which will be directed by Edgar Pêra, a Portuguese director.

I responded to the advertisement. I didn't really know what to expect but I guess I thought it would be more like an audition for a play. I envisioned a stage with the director sitting in the 6th or 7th row in the audience.  Sort of like what we see in the movies.

It wasn't like that.  The auditions were held in a studio on July 21 from 3 to 6 pm on a street that was almost impossible to find. It took us over an hour. After checking in with a receptionist and signing a release form and then a brief wait, I was ushered into the studio for a screen test.  There I found  a green screen, hi tech camera, and sound guy.  There was a teleprompter with my script.  I was asked to introduce myself, tell them a little about me, include my acting experience and then run my lines. They taped my audition.  Everyone was way nice and this photo above is proof that I did indeed attend. hahahaha

Screen test - it was sooooo cool.  Something I've always wanted to do. Another thing crossed off my list. . .

Age-Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

So funny.  There's been a lot of this going around lately.

Medieval Nights

Medieval Nights - make slideshow

When I was a 3rd year student at Miami University a couple of classmates and I began to scramble for a minor. We really hadn't considered it before, but suddenly it became important. I had enough classes for a minor in psychology but my school didn't offer a minor in psychology.  I didn't want to double major; I wanted a minor.  Don't ask me why.

Since I was a history major, pursuing a minor in Medieval Studies sounded logical.  Although I knew squat about anything medieval, I forged ahead.  I'm glad that I did.  I joined a small group of 4th year students who were all interested in European Medieval History. For a well-rounded view of that period we took an array of classes. In history we focused on the 12th Century (actually the period from 1050 to about 1250 or even 1300).  I also took a class in medieval art and was able to slot in a Chaucer class.  We had to do an independent study and I focused on medieval women.

So you can imagine my delight that here, each year, there is a  Medieval Fair in my favorite walled medieval Portuguese town of Óbidos. It is sooooo much fun.  I only wish that I could share this experience with my former classmates . . .

Summer Holidays

http://duckside.mandarinaduck.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/summer_holidays_small.jpg

It's official.  I've started my summer holidays.

First stop clean the apartment - lol.

Hope your downtime is well-spent.

I quit smoking 10 years ago

Issued in public interest by Adidas

I quit smoking 10 years ago this week.  I thought it was impossible.  It wasn't BUT it was the hardest thing I have ever done.  After that everything else is easy.  Watch out world!

Smoking cessation timeline – the health benefits over time

In 20 minutes, your blood pressure and pulse rate decrease, and the body temperature of your hands and feet increase.Carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen.

At 8 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood decreases to normal. With the decrease in carbon monoxide, your blood oxygen level increases to normal.

At 24 hours, your risk of having a heart attack decreases.

At 48 hours, nerve endings start to regrow and the ability to smell and taste is enhanced.

Between 2 weeks and 3 months, your circulation improves, walking becomes easier and you don’t cough or wheeze as often. Phlegm production decreases. Within several months, you have significant improvement in lung function.

In 1 to 9 months, coughs, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decrease as you continue to see significant improvement in lung function. Cilia, tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs, regain normal function.

In 1 year, risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack is reduced to half that of a smoker.

Between 5 and 15 years after quitting, your risk of having a stroke returns to that of a non-smoker.

In 10 years, your risk of lung cancer drops. Additionally, your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decrease. Even after a decade of not smoking however, your risk of lung cancer remains higher than in people who have never smoked. Your risk of ulcer also decreases.

In 15 years, your risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack in similar to that of people who have never smoked. The risk of death returns to nearly the level of a non-smoker.

http://www.highlighthealth.com/cancer/smoking-cessation-timeline-what-happens-when-you-quit/

You don't bring me flowers . . .

Summer Solstice

The summer solstice has always held fascination for man (and woman).  It is that time of the year when the Sun reaches its most northern point in the sky at local noon. It is the longest day of the year. 

But way before man charted such things, we instinctively knew that this was a special time of year.  It's the time of warmth and sunshine and longer days to spend with our friends.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, summer is just around the corner.

Enjoy these moments . . .

Too many cooks spoil the broth . . .

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/mmt/lowres/mmtn40l.jpg

ain't that the truth . . .

The Tree of Life

Tree of Life trailer por teasertrailer

One of the women at work had heard good things about this award winning movie so a few of us made a mid-week date to go and see it at a local mall. We were tired and not in the mood for anything heavy and couldn't believe what we were watching. The imagery was surreal and the theme was leaning hard on the existential side. During the intermission (yes, we still have an intermission here in Europe), the woman who suggested the film was apologizing all over the place.

After the show was over we had a 1/2 pitcher of sangria and some nibbles and talked about how much we disliked the film and wouldn't recommend it. It was getting late and we made our goodbyes. The next day the conversation continued at break and at lunchtime and focused a lot on one of the main themes of the movie: there are 2 ways to live life; the way of nature and the way of grace.

We usually think of "nature" as a positive force and this film shows just the opposite. Nature has been violent from the get go and the "big bang" theory is just one good example of that. The building of the land masses is a violent process whereby hot magma is forced from the center of the Earth and spewed into the atmosphere.  Mountains are formed by tectonic plate collision the force of which actually folds the earth's crust. The National Geographic channel shows us the predatory nature of animals. Man wasn't given a free pass on this either.

Grace on the other hand is a personal choice.  To live in a gentle way that scaffolds others and is full of communication, collaboration  and cooperation is a wonderful ideal. Think of a world guided by positivity. But as shown in the film, this is seldom the case.  Nature thunders in and snatches what it wants.  It's interesting to note that "gentle" finds it hard to survive such an atmosphere.  Maelstrom work environments are created by the struggle between these 2 groups of people. It's hard for these two types to co-exist and at the moment, I'm sorry to say, nature seems to be taking the lead.

Since I've seen this film I have thought a lot about it and weave it into conversation at every opportunity. I'm surprised that it's having a much bigger effect on me than I would have anticipated. As time passes, it's growing on me. It's hard to let go . . .

On second thought, I'm glad that I saw this film, would recommend it and all the discussions (and sangria) that it encourages.

I meant October 21

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The May 21 doomsday prediction by a California preacher, Harold Camping, has come and gone.  He's back in the spotlight with an "oops" and a bunch of  "ah, ah, ah - oh yeah, I made a mistake.  Did I say May 21?  Oh, I meant October 21."

Sorry Harold, but you lost all your credibility.  And, even if this is true, what good would knowing about this do?

Harold, do us all a favor; just keep it to yourself. . .

Here we go again. . .

another week is up and running, hope yours is a good one . . .

Rapture

The only rapture we will be seeing this evening is Blondie's 1981 hit in re-run. . .

Six Word Memoirs . . .

http://www.smithmag.net/

I happened upon this website today: http://www.smithmag.net/ .  It is really interesting and I'm sure writers, English teachers and psychologists could have a lot of fun with this.

The idea is:  One life.  Six words.  What's yours?

I thought I would give it a shot too. (I thought I would try it.)

Oh yeah, I'm blogging about you.   

hahahahahah   This is fun!

Don't think I don't notice that.
My idea. My work. My success.
I don't get what I deserve.
I am smarter than you think.
Summer is right around the corner.
I am stubborn to a fault.
I see who you really are.
Her problem: She has to WIN.


I could go on all nite,

You should give it a try. . .

why not?

http://www.gonnaridemybike.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/but-why-didnt-you-tell-me.gif

The real question in life isn't Why? but Why Not?

lapse

http://static.starcitygames.com/sales/cardscans/MAG5TH/memory_lapse.jpg

Portugal is a Catholic country and last evening we went to mass. One week ago yesterday (Saturday, May 7) someone Luís knew died.  The funeral and cremation took place on Monday following his death. It is common here for a mass to be said 1 week following the death.

As is ritual, many of those attending observed Communion.  I was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition and tried to remember the last time I participated in this practice.  Was I 11 or 12?  I couldn't remember but thought that it must have been some time when I was in the 5th or 6th grade.  I stopped going to church altogether by 7th grade.  I'm a lapsed Catholic.

And then I began to think about the other lapses that have occurred over the years: lapses in judgement (I'm happy to say that these don't happen very often any more); lapses in memory (which are happening more and more - lol), time lapses (this happened just last week when I was ill and had to spend the day in bed), reality lapses (these usually occur when someone says something so stupid/inappropriate and I just sit there (at the dinner/meeting/party/event) and act like everything is normal) and most of all lapses in communication.

I am a lapsed sibling, aunt, friend . . .  What a shame.  Since this is the only lapse I really care about, I think it's time to close the gap on this. . .

one good turn deserves another, doesn't it

Portugal is in trouble and needs the support of other EU countries to receive money from the IMF.

Finland is a holdout. . .

May 8 - Happy Mother's Day (USA)

Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws. Barbara Kingsolver

one thing after another . . .

http://artanddesign.siuc.edu/newsevents/images/Neitzke-front-showcard-Events.jpg

This week has just been one thing after another and I am sure glad it's over. I had been on a 2-week break from work and spent a great deal of that time doin' nothin' and just kinda hangin' out. It felt good to recharge my batteries and get ready for the last term at school which is always hectic.


By the end of Monday (my first day back at school) I had no voice - yet again. The last time this happened was about 6 weeks ago. I have a bit of "silent gerd" - yes, I know this is way more info than you need. I don't get massive heartburn or anything like that. It manifests itself by allowing just enough acid to burn my larynx and enter my nasal passages resulting in  reoccurring nasal infections and laryngitis. Lucky me. BUT, in the grand scheme of things this ain't bad! So on Tuesday I called my ENT guy and got an appointment for Thursday after work (6:00pm). Cool.


Monday nite my shoulder started hurting. Only had paracetamol so started taking those in the late afternoon. It was helping but I woke up in the middle of the nite as the pill had worn off and needed to take another. Tuesday things got worse and Tuesday nite was a repeat of Monday nite except the pain was worse. This was still the trend on Wednesday so I went to the "urgent care" at a clinic near me (this is similar to but not exactly like an HMO or Private Clinic in the States). I went whimpering in as by now I was sleep-deprived (always a trauma) and in pain.Saw the ER doctor and was diagnosed with an inflamed calcium deposit on my shoulder.  Ouch!  Then I sort of begged to see an orthopedist. I had to wait a fairly long time for an orthopedist and it seems that he had already spoken with someone in depth before seeing me because he knew exactly what was wrong before looking at the x-ray. He was a bit condescending and at one point I apologized for interrupting his day. He immediately told me that he was there to help me and that I shouldn't apologize. Yeah, that's just what I wanted to remind him of. He is there to serve me, not the other way around. Anyway, he prescribed Zaldiar EFE.  The young female pharmacist raised her eyebrows at the prescription and told me that it was very strong and to make sure that I took it on a full stomach.  She looked worried as I left.  I went home, made sure I ate and  I took it as prescribed and was able to sleep through the night. Ahhhhhhh.  It felt good.


Thursday I went to work - remember I spend my day with teenagers who depend upon me.  I followed the instructions and took my meds like a good girl.  By mid afternoon, I knew something wasn't right.  I was so sleepy that I was afraid of falling asleep in class.  My mouth was completely dry and I started to leave the room for frequent glasses of water to counter-act this.  Then at 3:30 I had to excuse myself from my class of surprised kids who were trying to act like things were completely normal (because they are polite).  I raced to the ladies room and bolted myself inside. This is every teacher's nightmare and I was living it.  I stayed inside the bathroom until 5pm hoping to avoid as many students as possible.  Too sick to drive, Luís came and picked me up.  I wanted to go home and sleep but he insisted that I keep my 6pm ENT appointment.  Before leaving the school one of the other teachers suggested that I take a plastic bag with me - and she was right. Thanks, Maggie! I made good use of it.   I barfed waiting in the parking lot for the doctor, had to excuse myself from the appointment to rush to the ladies room to throw up and then again when I arrived home.


Went to the ENT appointment and for once he was on time.  Usually I bring a book and chill out for an hour or so in the waiting room. He was surprised that this drug had been prescribed because about 1 in 10 experience side effects. Evidently that's a very high percentage rate. I was one of the lucky 1 in 10 and experienced a litany of side effects all at the same time.   I remember the pharmacist saying to me that they prescribe this drug as a last resort.  I explained to her that it was the first time that I saw this particular doctor.  To make a long story short, the ENT said to discontinue Zaldiar (yeah, like I needed someone to tell me that), prescribed something to address and repair my stomach issues and told me not to take any meds  for 48 hours.  Good advice.  Tomorrow I need to start taking an antibiotic for my nasal infection . . .


Anyway, the Orthopedist told me that he would give me something for the pain and he sure did.  All the while I was puking and experiencing nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, stomach pain, vomiting, difficulty swallowing, and anxiety all I could think of was my stomach and purging the Zaldiar - I wasn't focused one bit on the pain in my shoulder.  Thank you Doctor, it was a miracle cure and you are surely worth the €91 per visit you charge. . .

Happy Easter

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I know the difference . . .

http://www.takeavirtualhike.com/images/sip/mexwarst.jpg

When I was in my early 30's I lived in the Mexican War Streets.  A national historic district located on Pittsburgh's North Side, it was one of the city's urban renewal areas.  Each September there was a "house tour" to show off the work that had been done to restore this quarter to its former glory.  

I remember one year a house that was on tour had a number of unusual freehand drawings on the walls of the dining room.  This same dwelling also had a garden full of equally unusual statues.  The owner of the house was on hand and very proud of her accomplishments which bordered on the crude and inappropriate.   I thought that she was nuts but was assured that she was an artist.  Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, an artist.  Well, I guess that explains everything . . .

I have since learned that there are very acceptable lables for very unacceptable behaviors and people. 

Although I may not say it, please don't think that I don't know the difference.  I do . . .

April 22 - Earth Day

Think globally, act locally.
Let's do all we can to help Japan recover.
Happy Earth Day.

Happy Passover

hahahahaha

Groupthink, Groupthink, and more Groupthink

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I took a kazillion psyche classes over the years.  The teachers that I had ran the gamut from the seemingly normal (I've since learned that ya just never know) to the mildly strange to the bizarre. Some of them were university instructors, some of them were practicing psychologists.  Still, I learned a lot.  One of the concepts I studied was "groupthink".

According to Wikipedia, "Groupthink is a type of thought within a deeply cohesive in-group whose members try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas. It is a second potential negative consequence of group cohesion."   Wow - that says a lot right there.


Groupthink is a phrase that was coined by Irvin Janis, a forefather in the study of group dynamics. Some prime examples of groupthink are:  the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the Challenger disaster, World War II, the failure to anticipate the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and the escalation of the Vietnam War. While at Miami I wrote a convincing paper for a history class that purported that The Spanish Armada set sail under the flag of groupthink.   More recently it has been suggested that the current economic crisis and the invasion of both Afghanistan and Iraq were driven by groupthink. Although I agree that the war was started by a bunch of alpha-males in uniforms who have a lot of weapons that they were just dyin' to try out and led each other on until they put a lot of 18 and 19 year olds (both male and female because "We've come a long way baby!") on airplanes and shipped them half-way around the globe away from all that they know and all the while assuring them that they are saving the world, I think the economic crisis was influenced by another prime motivator - GREED.  


To combat groupthink Oregon State University offers advice here: http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/theory/grpthink.html

I have a better idea.  When someone asks you what you think, muster up the courage to speak your mind.  I try to do this and while I can say that it is NOT usually well received (I have recently been told that I am negative and can find something wrong in every situation), I can sleep at night. . .


Articles and Blog Posts for further scrutiny.
How Group Think Rules What We Like:  http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/12/st_clive_thompson/
Egypt: The Groupthink Problem: http://thenakedtruthinaconfusedworld.blogspot.com/2011/02/egypt-groupthink-problem-analysis-by-dr.html
Does Social Media Produce Groupthink: http://inventorspot.com/articles/does_social_media_produce_groupthink_30660

Cartoons to smirk at: http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/g/groupthink.asp

Oldest Man Dies

Walter Breuning in seventh grade, second from left, top row with blue "x", October 1907

On Thursday, April 14 the oldest man in the world, Walter Breuning,  died.  He was 114 years old. WoW!

He was born in 1896 and lived a very long and full life. He was born into a world that had no electricity and no running water and died in a completely different world.

In an earlier interview, Mr. Breuning (see I called him Mr. Breuning, not Walt) offered the following advice:

• Embrace change, even when the change slaps you in the face. ("Every change is good.")
• Eat two meals a day ("That's all you need.")
• Work as long as you can ("That money's going to come in handy.")
• Help others ("The more you do for others, the better shape you're in.") 

Then there's the hardest part. It's a lesson Breuning said he learned from his grandfather: Accept death.    "We're going to die. Some people are scared of dying. Never be afraid to die. Because you're born to die," he said.

Sound advice indeed.

To read the whole article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110415/ap_on_re_us/us_obit_world_s_oldest_man.

Gonna rise up . . .

One of my Year 11 students introduced me to Eddie Vedder and Rise -



Such is the way of the world
You can never know
Just where to put all your faith
And how will it grow

Gonna rise up
Burning back holes in dark memories
Gonna rise up
Turning mistakes into gold

Such is the passage of time
Too fast to fold
And suddenly swallowed by signs
Low and behold

Gonna rise up
Find my direction magnetically
Gonna rise up
Throw down my ace in the hole

Changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes

                        Restaurante Srª Tasca,                        
Graça Peixoto

I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch at Restaurante Srª Tasca this afternoon.  Luis' cousin and his wife introduced us to this very cute out of the way restaurante outside of Lisbon near Alenquer.  We missed our exit and got lost on the backroads but as everything was in bloom, it didn't seem to matter. 

The restaurant is housed in a quaint 1879 building (in Labrugeira) and is owned and operated by Graça Peixoto.  It's pretty much a one-woman show.  The restaurant is small and as soon as you enter you feel that you have stepped into another era -  one in which hospitality and attention to detail still mattered.  The menu was limited to 4 choices and delivered orally by Ms. Peixoto.  She mentioned off-hand that the recipe for one of her entrees that day had been her grandmother's.  Yes, it's that kind of place. The atmosphere was welcoming, the room and decor charming, the service was attentive, the food was delicious, and the company was convivial. It goes to show that you don't have to travel very far to get away from it all.  Just what I needed.

Restaurante Srª Tasca,                          (closed Sunday for dinner and all day Monday)
R. Comendador António Máximo
Lopes de Carvalho, 25
Labrugeira
2580-405 Ventosa
Alenquer
Tel. 351 - 263 779 205

Earth Hour 2011

Saturday,       March 26, 2011       8:30pm

The perfect opportunity for the day to stop.  The perfect opportunity to light a few candles.  The perfect opportunity to pour a glass of red wine.  The perfect opportunity to relax.

Thank you Earth Hour!

Remembering Liz

Liz Taylor passed away today.

According to Yahoo News:

She was a child star who grew up and aged before an adoring, appalled and fascinated public. She arrived in Hollywood when the studio system tightly controlled an actor's life and image, had more marriages than any publicist could explain away and carried on until she no longer required explanation. She was the industry's great survivor, and among the first to reach that special category of celebrity — famous for being famous, for whom her work was inseparable from the gossip around it.

Elizabeth Taylor lived a full life and she will be greatly missed. 

World Poetry Day - March 21

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A Very Short Song
by Dorothy Parker

Once,when I was young and true,
Someone left me sad -
Broke my brittle heart in two;
And that is very bad.


Love is for unlucky folk,
Love is but a curse.
Once there was a heart I broke;
And that, I think, is worse.

Think Spring!

Paredão - Tamariz Beach

It was such a beautiful 1st day of Spring that everyone came out to enjoy the sun!

With weather like this, we know that summer can't be too far off . . .

Beware the ides of March

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The two women exchanged the kind of glance women use when no knife is handy.  Ellery Queen

Azenhas do Mar

Azenhas do Mar

Have been enjoying my half-term break this week. Yesterday we drove around Sintra (the mountain) and stopped at Azenhas do Mar. This little hilltop village perched above the Atlantic Ocean is reminiscent of those that you would find in the south of France, Italy and Greece.  We stopped for lunch in another small town called São Pedro and ate at a recently opened (6 months or so) restaurant called São Pedro 18 (St. Peter's 18).  It was way cute.  All in all, a very good day:-)

International Women's Day - March 8

Sure God created man before woman, but then again you always make a rough draft before creating the final materpiece.             Author Unknown

The way I see it . . .

Starbucks quote #287

You don't have to be the Former Secretary of State to understand why the world is not a better place . . .

Look what they've done . . .

As I reflected on the week (yeah, it's been one of those weeks - lol), Melanie Safka came to mind.  I haven't thought about her in ages. Through the miracle commonly known as the internet, I was able to connect with her and the past.

I found a relatively recent quote by her, "For the first time, I'm not afraid to voice exactly what I feel. I used to feel that I didn't want to say too much, but now I can say anything. I feel like a person who's never been heard. Maybe people think they've heard me, but they never really have. I'm a new artist who is having so much fun with my voice -- a person shouldn't be allowed to have so much fun. I'm the woman I wanted to be when I was sixteen and going for Edith Piaf. It's me -- I'm back."

Yes, Melanie. Me too!

Who's The Boss? part 1

In January 2007 I was a 4th grade substitute teacher for 1 term. I had no training in elementary education and no children of my own.  The only experience that I had with children that age was that I used to be one - a VERY long time ago.  It was a hard job but I loved those kids. After school one day one of the moms complained to me about her daughter. The conversation went roughly like this:

Mom: Little Bonnie (obviously not the child's real name) is bossy.
Me:  No, she's really nice. 
Mom:  No, she's bossy.  She bosses everyone around including her older sister and me.
Me:  making more protests about how nice little Bonnie is/was
Mom:  Being bossy is not a good trait in a 9 year old girl. That's why none of the other kids like her.  She's always telling everyone what to do.
Me:  But it's a good trait in a 39 year old CEO.  She will grow into it.
This seemed to de-stress the moment and relieve a little tension for the mom. Ahhhhhhh! I watched her relax.

But on second thought, is it?  Is being bossy ever acceptable?  Being bossy is not synonymous with being the boss. And bossy people don't make good bosses.

There's a chain of command in every household/institution/group.  Humans naturally play a type of follow the leader. It's in everyone's best interest to have 1 chief while the rest of us get on with the daily grind of doing whatever it is we do. This is the way of the world.  Natural leaders are those special people that have traits that bond the clan and build excellence within the group.  Traits such as integrity, compassion, intelligence, fairness, and being generally inspiring go a long way in building group cohesion.  This is the color of leadership. It's not some bossy, self-appointed know-it-all who barrels in and pushes everybody around and looks down her nose at us all while passing out orders and telling the world what to do and how to do it. 

No, I guess bossy doesn't work at 39 any better than it does at 9. . .

Happy Valentine's Day

Thanks for listening.       Happy Valentine's Day. . .

this is what it's all coming to

every life is an open "face"book. . .

A sigh is just a sigh... Or is it?

We all know the line from the song made famous in the movie "Casablanca". Ilsa cajoles Sam as she smiles sweetly and says, " Play it, Sam, for old times' sake, play 'As Time Goes By'."  And Sam croons "You must remember this, a kiss is still a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh. . ."

Ah, the sigh.  According to Webster's Online Dictionary "sigh is an intransitive verb and offers this as a definition: to take a deep audible breath (as in weariness or relief)".  We relish those sighs that are associated with love and longing, yearning and even pining; well, afterall, they are almost swoons.

But is a sigh just a sigh ?  Or is it something else?

When doing a bit of research to find out why some people seem to be in sigh overdrive, I came across this information from the Discovery News in a piece entitled: Why we sigh (It's a human reset button).

THE GIST

• Sighing is an essential part of an inherently chaotic system: breathing.
• Researchers find that breathing before and after sighs fits the "re-setter hypothesis" for sighs.
• Sighs help people on ventilators, but too much sighing can be trouble for anyone. 

This didn't satisfy my curiosity one bit so I plowed forward through cyberspace and learned that this can be a symptom of panic disorder in some people.  People also sigh when frustrated, bored,  fatigued, and to relieve anxiety. But I'm more interested in people who sigh for emphasis.

Every now and again you run into one of these people who are loud sighers and they do it to prove their superiority.  When you don't buy some off the wall explanation that they made up or got from someone and they didn't question the validity of the answer and you push them for an response, they sigh.  When you are all working on the same project at the same time and all is quiet, they sigh. When you contribute something in a meeting that doesn't suit their own immediate it's only about me goals, they look up from their facebook page and sigh. These sighs are meant to emphasize that the sigher thinks that the person or persons they are dealing with are morons, buffoons and idiots.  Sighers don't hold back thoughts that they are the smartest person in the room and that the rest of us are too stupid to have anything to contribute, hence, the facebook page used as a form of entertainment during a meeting. They sigh loudly to emphasize how exhausted they are from doing all that work and assume that the rest of us who are not sighing all over the place haven't done anything because if we were working hard we would be sighing too.  They sigh to emphasize their frustration at having to deal with us; the rest of the world. 

So keep an eye open for sighers who can, by the way, often be spotted with their arms crossed, shaking their head no and rolling their eyes.

1-1-11 New Year's Resolutions

This morning, like most weekend mornings, after a doughnut and an expresso, which I refer to as breakfast, I walked on the "paredão" (an esplanade along the the ocean from Estoril to the Bay of Cascais).  While the crowds don't come out until lunchtime (or later!) on New Year's day, I was by no means alone. You could easily tell the regulars from the newly resolved.  The newbies were recognizable by their footwear and their faces. You see them on January 1 wearing their recently-purchased-stark-white-I'm-gonna-get-in-shape-this-year-if-it-kills-me shoes that gleam as they slap against the damp, sandy stones underfoot in a rhythm that isn't yet practiced, smooth. But it's the expressions that they wear that really set them apart.  Determined, stressed, drenched with sweat they forge ahead one foot in front of the other in too tight, too new trainers until the 3 mile jog/walk/run comes to an end.  Looking proud and satisfied they hobble away.  Each subsequent jog/walk/run moves them that little bit closer to their ultimate goal.

I have come to the realize that most New Year's resolutions don't even make it through the first month, but I hope that your goals for 2011 all materialize. 

Happy 2011

This is a recipe for the Happiest New Year!

Merry Christmas to all . . .

and to all a good night . . .

Mean Girls Mentality

Boys run in packs, girls join cliques. The club is open - for a while - but slowly, slowly, slowly the door closes. Once the door is closed, it's almost impossible to enter. I know, I'm a girl.

And from there the "Mean Girls Mentality" commences. Mean girls are selfish and connive:  to get their own way, to get what they want.  Mean girls behavior is often  referred to as "relational aggression". (click here to find out more).  Common tactics include: gossip, rumor spreading, exclusion, ignoring, intimidation and alliance building. These are covert forms of aggression.  Like, how can you explain to a teacher that Susie/Mary/Bonnie's "looking" at you is hurtful?  How can you complain about someone saying "ew"?  Motivation for this behavior can vary but includes: Fear, Power, Control, Popularity, Security. Unfortunately, this is often an adolescent reality.  Time marches on and little girls usually grow up and leave behind unsuitable conduct.

BUT how do we survive when mean girls morph into mean women and invade the workplace and show-up as your line manager or the wannabe girl at the office who steps on everyone's ideas to get ahead?  And I ask myself - ahead of what or whom? This mean girls mentality is especially harmful in an environment where support and encouragement should be the tools of the trade.

It only takes one mean girl (or the perception of one mean girl) to set things into motion and transform the workplace into a catfight zone with claws unsheated and everyone hissing. Once that occurs the force of the dysfunction drives it forward on a course all its own.  There's no turning back then and all the members of the organization take a quantum leap back in time.  They resort to teenage behavior.  What a pity.

All I can say is that I hated being 14 when I was 14, I don't like it any better this time around.

I'm pulling out.

Meow . . .

gobble, gobble

So much of life is what we make it.  Make time today to think of all the "good" in your life:   good people, good opportunities, good moments, good books and try to be a person that your parents would be proud of.

gobble, gobble

Against the wind. . .

Against the wind
I'm still runnin' against the wind
I'm older now but still runnin' against the wind . . .

Resize your problems. . .

After school on Friday I was talking to one of the other teachers. We were talking about some problems which have been cropping up at work.  She explained that as she has a little boy, she needs to put away problems in the evening and focus on her family life.  The expression that she used was - "resize problems".  It's such a great way to think about it.  Instead of spending all our extra available time caught up in circular thinking in which a problem spins out of control, we have the option of  "resizing" it and making it smaller. Good idea!

 Elena, thanks for another way of looking at things.

Boo!

Bragança, Portugal region

Here in Europe Halloween isn't really a big deal but as the world becomes more of a global village cultures and festivals are crossing.

Yesterday my English B students were doing a bit of research on Halloween and we established that there were festivals held at the this time of the year by the Celts (from the 5th century BC) and they believed that "spirits of all those who had died the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess. The Celts thought that by dressing up in ghoulish costumes they could frighten the spirits away."

Portugal has Celtic origins and funnily enough way in the north in a region sparsely populated (Bragança) near the border with Spain there is a tradition of donning costumes and masks on October 31.

So beware the 31st of October wherever you are. . .

Happy birthday to me . . .




Another birthday, not mine.
Although I am the child on the right in this photo, I was standing on the left. Funnily enough  I'm still very much to the left these days - lol.

 1951 was the year that:

• Harry S. Truman was President,
• Alben W. Barkley was Vice President,
• Nuclear testing began at the Nevada test site,
• The 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution, limiting a President to 2 terms, was ratified,
• Second Red Scare: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage. On April 5 they are sentenced to receive the death penalty,
• Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I opens on Broadway and runs for 3 years,
• The 23rd Academy Awards ceremony is held; All About Eve wins Best Picture,
• Remington Rand delivers the first UNIVAC I computer to the United States Census Bureau,
• In Joplin, Missouri, the George Washington Carver National Monument becomes the first United States National Monument to honor an African American,
• Walt Disney's 13th animated film, Alice in Wonderland, premieres in London, United Kingdom,
• The American soap opera Search for Tomorrow debuts on CBS. After over 30 years, the show switches to NBC on March 26, 1982. Search for Tomorrow airs its final episode on December 26, 1986,
• Treaty of San Francisco: In San Francisco, California, 48 nations sign a peace treaty with Japan to formally end the Pacific War,
• Tennessee Williams's adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire premieres, becoming a critical and box-office smash,
• MGM's Technicolor musical film, An American in Paris, starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, premieres in New York. It was directed by Vincente Minnelli. It would go on to win 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture,
• I Love Lucy made its television debut on CBS,
• Judy Garland begins her legendary concerts in New York's Palace Theatre,
• CBS' Eye logo premieres on TV,
• U.S. President Harry Truman declares an official end to war with Germany,
• The first military exercises for nuclear war, with infantry troops included, are held in the Nevada desert,
• Direct dial coast-to-coast telephone service begins in the United States,
• John Huston's drama film, The African Queen, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, premieres in Hollywood,
• The Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than $13.3 billion USD in foreign aid to rebuild Europe.

After WW2 there was a sharp rise in the US population.  There were 3,820,000 babies born in 1951.  I belong to a group called Baby Boomer cohort #1 (born from circa 1946 to 1955), who epitomized the cultural change of the sixties.  

Memorable events: the Cuban Missile Crisis, assassinations of JFK, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr., political unrest, walk on the moon, risk of the draft into the Vietnam War, anti-war protests, social experimentation, sexual freedom, drug experimentation, civil rights movement, environmental movement, women's movement, protests and riots,Woodstock, mainstream rock from the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix

Key characteristics: experimental, individualism, free spirited, social cause oriented  - yeah, this sums it up nicely!

Someone called me Arrogant today . . .

Arrogant? Me? I don't get it so I looked it up online and came up with the following definition thanks to: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/arrogant.

Arrogant: adjective
1. Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance.
2. Marked by or arising from a feeling or assumption of one's superiority toward others: an arrogant contempt for the weak.

 Am I/Was I arrogant when I:

• finally listened to others and started night school to further my education and earn a degree?  No, I would call that : Industrious.
• applied to study abroad for a semester when I was 39?  No, I would call that:  Curious and Risk-taking.
• decided that in order to live and work in Portugal that I needed  to earn a graduate degree in Education (which wouldn't have been my first choice if I were living in the States but my best option for living abroad and was financed thru loans and financial aid that I am still paying by the way - lol) and get my teaching certificate?  No, I would call that:  Realistic and Committed.
• offer someone my time, ideas, effort, support? No, I would call that: Available, Thoughtful, Generous, Interested.
• developed an interest in Educational Technologies as a way to develop my skill set and improve my chances for opportunities here in Portugal?  No, I would call that: Practical and Mature.
• continued to upgrade my skills by taking a Publisher course and was consequently offered a small gig editing a local newsletter for 2 years?  No, I would call that: Persistent and Tenacious.
• approached the international schools in my area with an idea for an afterschool activity for grammar school kids that would combine learning English with learning basic computer skills (This by the way led to a full time teaching position at one of the schools)?  No, I would call that: Imaginative and Resourceful.
• argue my point based on evidence and research and not "just makin' it all up as I go along"?  No, I would call that: Prepared.
• reveal a lot of my life with this "tell-some" blog for all of cyberspace to critically read and comment on?  No, I would call that:  Brave.

One of the things that I have learned (really learned) in my life is that I need to support what I am saying.  This is true in the scholastic world, the business world and in our personal lives. I try to pass this message on to my students.  You can say whatever you want or hold any opinion that you have but you MUST to be able to support your message/opinion/thesis based on research and evidence with  facts, examples, statistics, and/or quotes.

So, based on the above definition and supporting information, I conclude that I am NOT arrogant.  Now, if someone called me opinionated or suggests that I am stubborn  - Well, that's another post entirely . . .

Sound advice . . .

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28016498@N00/3931122112

The New Math . . . lesson 1



Low income + High tax = Undernourishment/Poverty/Despair


Here in Portugal we have 3 catagories of sales tax (called IVA) and we will see changes in the categories and a tax increase beginning January 1, 2011. 

The catagories:
1.Essential items (food) and medicines fall into the group with the lowest tax rate.  It was 5% and was recently increased to 6%.
2.  The second group includes other basics like cleaning products, personal products like shampoo/toothpaste and wine. The tax on these items was recently increased from 12% to 13%.
3.  The third catagory includes everything else from clothing to furniture to household appliances.  These items were taxed at 21% and will increase to 23% in January.

Can you imagine?  23% sales tax on just about everything else including shoes, coats and school clothing for kids.  The young and the old are going to take a beating on some of the changes.  Items like chocolate milk and fruit will move from the Essential food items list (6%) to 13%.  For many young families with low incomes this will hurt and limit their purchases for home consumption while the tax on wine remains stable  (good idea, limit healthy food options and a treat for kids and encourage everyone to get soused).  The "new" poor in the 21st Century are the young and the elderly (society's Hope and Wisdom).

Here's the equation:

Low income  +  High tax = Undernourishment/Poverty/Despair

Buffoons, morons and idiots - oh my!

Last night I half-watched part of an episode of a relatively new and extremely lame sit-com called Parks and Recreation and got really chipped off. The story line of this mockumentary involved a Valentine's Day Dance for senior citizens and reuniting Leslie's mother with a long lost love. Actually, the episode involved deriding senior citizens - period.  (Check out this clip which NBC lauds as a "HIGHLIGHT" : http://www.nbc.com/parks-and-recreation/video/ladies-love-mouse-rat/1200953/) 

Like what the hell is that all about? Don't we have anything better to do with our free time than ridiculing and marginalizing portions of our population?  How can we teach kids NOT to ridicule other students when they watch this happening over and over again and disguised as "entertainment" and assume that if all the grown-ups are doing it, then it must be acceptable. It's no wonder there is a lack of tolerance and empathy for others when our "role models" scorn the elderly (and the not-so elderly as well - since when is 63 old?  Seems to me that we are still working and supplementing our kid's-who by the way are pushing 40- incomes at that age . . .) all the while waiting to inherit.

Parks and Recreation is not clever, smart or funny.  What are they thinking?

Since adding "senior citizen" to the list that defines who I am is not that far in the future, I feel that I have earned the right to complain. . .

The morning after . . .

I usually walk on weekend mornings.  There is a 5 kilometer (approx 3 mile) esplanade near my home that offers a pleasant place to promenade along the shore. 

Due to the heavy rains Saturday, this morning's stroll was a shocker. A torrential downpour and high waves took their toll and left a path of destruction that I was surprised to see.  Clean-up crews were on hand at 9am to begin removing rubble and debris.

Too bad there's not a pill for this . . .

Happy birthday John

This song deserves a replay.

My favorite stanza is:
Saving up your money for a rainy day,
Giving all your clothes to charity.
Last night the wife said,
"Oh boy, when you're dead
You don't take nothing with you
But your soul - think!"

Good advice. . .

money, money, money

The Portuguese Prime Minister announced yesterday that in order to balance the budget for next year the State would be taking austerity measures a few of which include: freezing pensions, reducing salaries of state workers (between 3.5% and 10% based on monthly income), and increasing the IVA (sales tax) to 23%.  Looks like we are all headed for the poor house . . .

New life goal

Skinny jeans  . . .

Leadership

Derek Sivers: How to start a movement

Watch video before reading;-)

This is an interesting little video that someone passed on to me last week about leadership with Derek Sivers explaining how to start a movement. I found it really clever and thought provoking. Yesterday I had the opportunity to take this video one step further and try out the theory.

Last night there was a festival called "Endless Nights" in Cascais (which is close to me). There was animation of all sorts: a magic show, pop groups, a Brazillian Carnival show (complete with young girls in skimpy costumes), and stilt-walkers to name a few. Cascais is a touristic area with loads of outdoor restaurants and many of the shops were open to accommodate the crowds.

There was a roving brass band playing typical Portuguese tunes. We met up with them at one point along their circuit and we stood among a crowd of people who encircled the group and formed their audience. When all of a sudden an old guy (yeah, even older than me) jumped into the center and began to dance. It was totally unexpected and he must have been nuts. Well, I thought about the video and decided it was the perfect opportunity to conduct an experiment so I jumped in and started to dance with the nuts guy. I was really curious to see how many others would join us. A couple in their early 50's (tourists I'm sure - lol) were the next to enter. They were really good and showed off their jitterbugging skills. The piece ended too soon and the brass band moved on without us.

It was pretty funny and I wonder if more people would have danced with us if the music had continued . This experiment isn't over yet (lol). . .

The last days of August. . .

Carcavelos Beach, Aug 30, 2010, 9am

I can hardly believe that I have finished 8 weeks of summer vacation. It passed in the blink of an eye. Although not being paid until Sept 1, most of us have agreed to go into school for meetings these last 2 days of August.

I have a new route - an ocean drive - to my new job. This morning as I passed by I saw that there were people already on the beach enjoying these last days of August. . .

Forever fourteen . . .

Today would have been Sophie da Silva's 15th birthday.

Our school is truly international. Sophie was born in Zimbabwe in 1995 and immigrated to Portugal with her parents in 2005.

She was a great kid with a big smile. In addition to being a fab student she was a daughter, sister, dancer, swimmer, sailor, Christian, animal lover, friend. . .

Sophie passed away suddenly on July 6, 2010. A tribute to Sophie's zest for life can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=138548346170598&v=wall&so=30

In the black summer night sky there is a new star shining brightly over the bay of Cascais.

Rest in peace Sophie da Silva. . .

Movin' on - again

It says a lot when an almost over the hill chick living in a foreign country looks for a new job during a global recession - hahaha. Today was the last day of school and my last day at the school. I'm movin' on.

It's been a hell of a year with too many students and too little support. I had an unreasonable workload and the senior school administration turned a deaf ear. There were so many things that I had to do and so many students that the rhythm of my week was exhausting. I never had time to develop my teaching practice and be innovative in my classes. I ran out of steam and patience by Wednesday. What a shame.

What's a girl to do? I heard about the possibility of a new international school coming onto the scene so I dusted off my resumé and knocked on their door.

Even as a child I would sit back and wait for the other kids to play nice. You can only push me so far and then I reach a point that I quit banging my head against the wall to try to understand and accommodate others. I would take my doll and go on home and play alone if need be. But not before telling you just what I think about you. I'm still like that - lol.

My Yearbook 2009/10 was a huge success with everyone saying that it was the best yearbook yet, so I finished the school year on a high note. I left on good terms with new owners (the school was bought by a business group 2 years ago), women in the admin, and the current principal.

I take with me 3 years of MYP experience, lots of memories and enough stories to keep me blogging for a long time to come.

I'm not goin' away mad, I'm just movin' on.

Again . . .