Hard to Defend

Greetings once again from the drivers seat of this car somewhere in Portugal.

Briefly, as my hands are cramping up and I predict the neighbors will call the cops or sic the dogs on me…

I have spent a decent amount of energy doing what some might characterize as defending the president of IRan. Of course its not that i want to defend him exactly, but I disapprove of how the media uses and twists his rather odd and conservative words. Most of all I think the media have done a poor job of reporting about him without using sweeping generalizations that adhere to exactly what the warmongers of America would like to hear: the same ol pitch about him being so dangerous that we must attack and bla bla bla.

But recently with the whole haulocaust deniers convention… I gotta say it was extremely hard to lift a finger to defend the man anymore. Not that i want the war mongers to get there way, but man… you work so hard trying to understand and explain a very ignorant man and poof… he holds one of these conferences.

Finally with the recent election results in Iran I got the ray of hope and clear sign that I was needing to boost the “Iran is not the boogy man campaign”. The reformists made some big gains, which means anyone who says the country is out of control and dangerous, has to face the fact that actually the country has some terrible politicians but it also has some brave and politically able citizens who see things very differently and can take back power using the political mechanisms in place (even if it isnt easy).

Not that Americans are so easily fooled these days, I certainly hope not. But I also like to prepare for the worst, and I know that the worst involves military leaders who love to plot wars and sit back and watch them unfold would love for the reformers to disappear and for the hardliners liners like Ahmedinejad to take over and hold lots of loony conventions. But if you ever needed one, here’s a clear sign…. peace is the solution here and if you respect a country and its citizens, let them make change from within and respect their decisions.. don’t threaten to destroy them.

Time to turn the engine on.. its cold in here.

Family History, Word of Mouth

Spent the day with grandma and grandpa, which means I have tons to say, and even more to reflect on when it comes to life, work, love, and family.

On the surface my grandparents may seem to have the typical 80+ snydrome where you talk alot about aches and pains and how everything sucks. But once you finish lunch, put away the dishes, and gather around the fireplace with them, that is when the magic happens.

Sometimes, I admit, I set it off on purpose. I’ll ask a leading question, maybe because Ive got my camera ready to record the magical response… I’ll ask: So how old where you when you started working grandma? And she won’t give me a second look… no hesitation… she breaks right into “Oh.. me… 9 years old. I was nine years old and my father made me guide the cows because the cows never knew where they were going and it was during the olive harvest and …” She goes on and on for hours. And you know what? I don’t mind one bit.

Maybe I’ve even heard half the stories already.. but I don’t care. I want to hear them again. I want to burn them into my head. I sometimes catch myself daydreaming while grandpa talks.. picturing how I will tell my children about their great grandparents. I’ll tell them the stories about the wine harvest and the great-great grandfather who was the town poet… it will all be told as if I was there. Because I will adopt these stories as mine.. because when it comes down to it.. they are.

Keep the Car Runnin Paw’

Here I sit… 3 houses down from my parents place… engine running.. heat on… laptop on crotch… this is what it takes be a dedicated blogger in this town. Hot dam.

I’ve clearly left Lisbon and it is, as always, an internet jungle out here. Just got kicked out of the Youth Center-Cafe where I had only sat for 30 minutes before they were telling me to hit the road, not that i care, that fascist place firewalls my website. Imagine that? Internet Porn and Bicylemark.org… thats not right. Both of those should not be censored.

Before it gets to dam cold with the engine off… i wanted to tell a brief story:

Today I had lunch at the pump house.. to see my darlng Elsa. Ive blogged of how much I love her before.. she and I go sooo way back and its amazing to see how we’ve both aged and life has changed.. yet whenever Im here I end up right there in that pub.. and there she is ready to leap from behind the bar and give me a big hug and she knows my flavor of iced tea and loves to tell me about her love life. And thats how it has always been.. since I was teenager and she was this super cool bartender.

As I sat eating, the cook came to sit with me. Ive noticed him only in the last year or so.. looks british.. might be eastern european, I aways figured, from his style. Turns out he’s polish and we got to speaking about a certain town in Poland that Im trying to do a podcast on the mayor.

Turns out he’s also a journalist, just cooking to pay the bills (soon I will too!). He was talking about how opposite Portugal is from Poland, and how he can’t explain it.. but that I must simply go there to see and feel it. He also spoke about how there is only about one town where people walk with their heads held high(!). According to him, most people are disillusioned with everything and either planning to leave or walking around in a rut. This general mood is said to be reflected in politics, where I went on and on about how fickle the electorate is and how they change there minds about politicians so fast, no one has enough time to ever impliment any programs; good or bad.

Unexpectedly interesting conversation at my favorite pub. Which gave me more fuel and inspiration for the Wroclaw Mayor podcast (working on it) and confirmed any thoughts I had about needing to visit that country ASAP.

Time to get out of this car.

bmtv32 Jingle Bell Hash


Click To Play

One of the great traditions I keep is whenever I come back to Lisbon I participate in the hash with my buddy BadHareDay. To get a taste of the Lisbon Hash House Harriers, watch this vlog… and weep.

Direct Link HERE.

Saturday in the Lisbon Area

Im editing video of my most unique day near Cascais. Plus its 240am and Ive just returned from drinks with unexpected friends, old and mostly new.

So for now, here’s photo

Vamos As Compras

Portuguese people be shoppin.’

You cannot stop a Portuguese person from shopping.

I didn’t bother trying. I joined them, cause grandma and grandpa deserve a little something nice from the impoverished travelling vlogger of a grandson.

But it really me wonder that classic question: How do they afford it?

I’m sure you’ve heard about people in debt and still shopping in places like the US. But someone should check the stats, Portugal has by far less money yet there are shopping malls and insane shoppers everywhere.

Spent the early afternoon with Mr. Miguel of the vlogspark project, whom I became fast-friends with at VlogEurope a few weeks ago. We talked about people’s consuming habits here, and how they aren’t very into shopping locally. Instead you find the big megastores full of people while the beautiful little mom and pop stores wait nearly empty in the heart of the city.

My hope, as I told Miguel over lunch at this fancy-fun alternative café/clothing store, is that this is a phase, and soon people will long for shopping in a local place again, where shop owners give you that wonderful personal and caring touch. Luckily for me, I got to experience that joy today, as random old people walked me around their shops, carefully helping me choose and taking their time to carefully prepare every detail of my purchases.