Tag Archives: portugal

(written this morning but WIFI ran out before I could post it)
Bout 5 minutes left on the WI-Fi. Podcast in the pipe, later tonight. I’m in Porto, second city (though don’t tell them that) of Portugal. Being here has reminded me of that wild summer of 2001 that forever changed my life.

I had just wrapped up a stint at New York’s Village Voice as a researcher and a slave. I was in love. Two loves I guess, one was a human the other was the city of Lisbon. Unfortunately they weren’t located in the same countries, which would eventually become a huge problem. But nevermind that. I was here in Portugal and two brave men came to visit; the D-Rock and ThePasta. Pasta doesn’t read the blog, but D-rock is reading this, as you are, and he’s remembering those crazy nights in Lisbon. So crazy in fact, that on many a night, I told him I was heading home and he wished me a good night and KEPT GOING.

so it was that summer that I took him and a random german girl up here to Porto. I’ve long been a fan of this city, argueably one of the most beautiful in Europe. we got a place at some hotel and we ran around mixing tourism with general lazyness. one of the shining moments came as we did a tour of one of the port wine caves. at the end of the tour, everyone is allowed to glasses of port, a red and a white. Then you either go to the gift shop or you get out, as another group takes over the table and has their wine. Sure enough, and I doubt it ever happened again, having just finished our wine, we rose to leave the table. And as mr D-rock is walking by another table being prepared for the next group, he quickly and before anyone realizes what is going on, snatches a glass from the next table and downs it like a shot. A few people looked over in shock and I think he put is finger over his lips and smiled, saying ” shhhhh” the international code for — I didn’t just down an extra glass of port.

These hotel people can’t handle me. I sneak into there lobby and when they ask who I am… if they even ask.. I say I’m waiting for someone.. and I’m a journalist and there’s going to be an interview. After that they never ask with who, which is good because I run out of bullshit.

Greetings from Lisbon, Portugal sports fans. Where Wi-Fi is more privatized then…. umm… something private. I’m paying a pretty penny for this quality time, and while I write lots of new podcasts are being sucked into my beautiful powerbook.

I’m such an outsider here now. I realized that this morning when I woke up with the roosters crowing (yes we have roosters in lisbon where I live) and went to the bus station that no longer exist. I walked right up to the dark and abandoned building, as if in denial, I tried to open the door anyway. Who knows, maybe there was just 1 bus left waiting for me. – Apparently not. Missed my bus, and hereby forced to wait two more hours to see my moma and papa, who have hidden themselves away in a tiny corner of the Algarve, right on the border with spain.

I’ve lots of topics to discuss, economics, politics, human relations, metro ettiquette…. it all rushes through my head as I get around town. One thing for sure, Amsterdam is in no way a big city, compared to this place. Never in Amsterdam am I completely inundated and engulfed by a mass of people walking in the opposite direction. Here.. it happens constantly. Oh bicycle, I miss thee already.

No photos yet. Podcast is in the pipe if Id find the time to put it together. And hooray for Lance, a true bicycle hero. Rumor has it, he’s going to run for gov. of texas! How cool would that be, a governer of texas who speaks french and owns a passport. BREAKTHROUGH.

2 weeks. 15 days actually. Technically that’s 50% of the amount of vacation I’m allowed as a Europeeuhn. Yet being a migrant worker in Holland, I tend to fall through the cracks for alot things I’m “supposed” to have. The point being; 15 days is the longest vacation I have had since… hmm.. maybe since last summer. My destination: Portugal of course.. and more importantly- the awaiting arms of moma and papa.

While in Portugal, I will of course visit my wise and all-powerful friends JP and BadHareDay whom I’ve known since our days teaching English to the rich and famous. I mention this because I spoke with BHD online last night, and he expressed great frustration with my post about the big london bombings a few weeks ago. He said, to paraphrase as best as I can, that if I claim to be a pacifist then I should condemn the london bombings just as I condemn the invasion of Iraq. He reminded me of the non-violent philosophies of Ghandi and MartinLutherKing, which as a pacifist I should be familiar with.

I’m excited to see him, my longtime friend, when I arrive in Lisbon, and I know this discussion will continue. Hell, he’ll probably point out how I misunderstood his disagreement with what I write in this post. But in my own defence I must say the following:
Part of my aim, as a blogger, is to write something from my own unique point of view. Which of course might be shared by others, but is meant to be an original thought. There are plenty of bloggers out there condemning the bombings in london and describing how terrible it is, I have no desire to be YET another.

But I do desire to present a different way of talking about world events such as these. To do more than just say — thats terrible — but to examine what are the causes and factors that influence these events. And I do this not only because I feel there’s a lack of this kind of critical thinking in media, but because it just comes naturally — it is how I, as a simple and often ignorant human being, look at the world.

Back to my vacation, it’s maté time, oh and this man and this feminina are off on vacation as well.

2 weeks. 15 days actually. Technically that’s 50% of the amount of vacation I’m allowed as a Europeeuhn. Yet being a migrant worker in Holland, I tend to fall through the cracks for alot things I’m “supposed” to have. The point being; 15 days is the longest vacation I have had since… hmm.. maybe since last summer. My destination: Portugal of course.. and more importantly- the awaiting arms of moma and papa.

While in Portugal, I will of course visit my wise and all-powerful friends JP and BadHareDay whom I’ve known since our days teaching English to the rich and famous. I mention this because I spoke with BHD online last night, and he expressed great frustration with my post about the big london bombings a few weeks ago. He said, to paraphrase as best as I can, that if I claim to be a pacifist then I should condemn the london bombings just as I condemn the invasion of Iraq. He reminded me of the non-violent philosophies of Ghandi and MartinLutherKing, which as a pacifist I should be familiar with.

I’m excited to see him, my longtime friend, when I arrive in Lisbon, and I know this discussion will continue. Hell, he’ll probably point out how I misunderstood his disagreement with what I write in this post. But in my own defence I must say the following:
Part of my aim, as a blogger, is to write something from my own unique point of view. Which of course might be shared by others, but is meant to be an original thought. There are plenty of bloggers out there condemning the bombings in london and describing how terrible it is, I have no desire to be YET another.

But I do desire to present a different way of talking about world events such as these. To do more than just say — thats terrible — but to examine what are the causes and factors that influence these events. And I do this not only because I feel there’s a lack of this kind of critical thinking in media, but because it just comes naturally — it is how I, as a simple and often ignorant human being, look at the world.

Back to my vacation, it’s maté time, oh and this man and this feminina are off on vacation as well.