I realise it has been quite a while since I published anything really worth reading in this thing and I am damn sure that I don't want to get out of the habit. The simple and boring truth is that life at the moment has settled down in to a somewhat regular, that is to say not at all boring, pace. I have been finding it increasingly more difficult to find the time and will to write here, especially given my own high expectations of quality. In shorthand, I can't always muster the wit I wish I had.
Nevertheless many things have been going on and I will attempt to revisit and review events of the past as soon as I can so please continue to check back when I will attempt to write fuller accounts of my new colleagues, international conferences and especially the amazing experience of meeting some of S's more (ahem) posh friends.
This weekend has really seen the sun come back to Portugal which has seemed something like the return of an old friend. I was really quite ill the weekend before, and for the early part of last week, with a chest bug that I picked up from one of the delegates at the international conference I went to on the 5th and 6th. Combined with the germs brought to Lisbon from all corners of Europe S and I found ourselves the proud foster parents of a cat who I'm sure didn't really make things worse but who I like to blame all the ills of the world on. Here's the devil himself (photo by V, his loving mum):
So now we've had this visitor for the past few days and V & C have been here looking for their new abode. It looks like they've finally got a place and they seem really happy with it which I'm really pleased about. They weren't big fans of Manchester at all so it's good for them to be able to return to a city that they love so much.
For me this weekend was much as the last couple. S has some big deadlines for her MA so Saturday daytime was largely spent working on this. Unfortunately for me she's gone from one subject that I flatter myself into thinking I'm relatively well informed on (American history and politics) to one that I am largely clueless about (a rather specific policy principle of the EU), I am learning lots but for me anyway it's not a topic of particular interest. I try to be as much help to S as possible but really in this sense it's more as a sounding board for S to try bouncing her own ideas off. At this stage I think it would take me a little too long to thoroughly learn the subject myself.
All this intense study and debate has of course brought to the fore the question of my own future and plans for my own development. The latest idea (this is perhaps a little unfair, the idea has been knocking around for a long time, if anything it is becoming more clearly defined) is for me to do an MA here in Lisbon. I have looked at the institutions and there are a couple of likely courses in political science but there are, inevitably, problems in these choices. I have discussed my concerns with S and she thoroughly understands that it is going to be difficult for me to do an MA course in Portuguese from what is essentially a standing start (even though my Portuguese language course starts in a couple of weeks) and I have deep concerns about the quality of the institutions and the teaching. The idea of international prestige is another concern to me, especially if in the future we were to leave Portugal and try and get jobs elsewhere. The simple fact is that whether I like it or not, whether I agree with it or not, my CV does have a hole where an MA should be. These are not concerns that can or even should be addressed straightaway but some things to bear in mind.
Saturday being Valentine's day meant of course that studying was postponed until a lovely breakfast, (pancakes made by me!) with delicious homemade (by S's mum) orange marmalade and fruit juice and coffee, was eaten. Being poor as the proverbial church mice we didn't exchange presents of cards (we're almost amongst those hip, cynical people, who think that Valentine's day is for those in failed relationships, as those who know us will testify, we're sickeningly gushy all the time so don't need a day to celebrate this) instead we wrote some cool messages and drew some hearts on out big blackboard wall. After breakfast I then attempted not to disturb S which inevitably mean that I made more of a nuisance than if I had actually been trying. I am one of those worst kind of readers...the ones who constantly laugh out loud and have to share interesting snippets...so I then thought it might be for the best if I ran a few errands, leaving S in peace. I went to the pastalaria on the corner to pick up lunch and then came back and did a little tidying. I then decided to go to the supermarket and pick up a couple of things for the evening, namely a bottle of vodka and limes for caipirinhas and some ice cream.
On my return I set about making a meal for my hard working girl and had decided on an old staple, my vegetarian chilli. It had been a while since I had made a proper meal and it really felt good to be back in the kitchen. We have got used to a routine of big lunches and then just soup or salad for dinner so it was nice to be able to get my knives out. As well as that, considering the amount of meat I now but away on a daily basis it was good to be able give it a rest.
The meal was a success to an extent that even surprised me, especially considering the amount of wine I had put away (or it may just be that the wine inspired that feeling of success). After the meal we decided to make our caipirinhas and get quietly drunk with each other but at this time we received some rather bad news. S got a message from J asking to ring her as soon as possible and it turns out that J and R had split up. The timing was particularly dreadful but I don't think in this case there would ever have been a good moment to call time on an 8 year relationship. The details are personal between J and R but a prime reason seems to be that they just want different things in life, something that makes me even more happy to have found someone who shares my ambitions and goals.
S was obviously very shocked and upset by the news as it had come totally out of the blue and she was deeply concerned for her friend but J is strong and if anyone can cope with something like this then it is her.
In the end we did succeed in getting more then a little drunk but it had been such a draining day (for S rather than me, I'm just a drunkard) that we fell asleep in front of a film with barely 10 minutes of it watched.
Sunday was remarkably hangover free and we had planned for a long time to take a walk by the beach. It had originally been the plan for the weekend before but I was too ill and the weather wasn't great. Yesterday I could actually take my coat off and breath. We woke late and had a quick brunch out before leaving for Estoril and making our way down the surprisingly packed promenade. We had a leisurely walk in the sun and did a bit of people watching, amazingly people were sunbathing in bikinis already.
We walked all the way into Cascais and then had a wander through town. It was very interesting to hear S talking about her memories from childhood there and hearing about all the places she used to go. It was also good to hear her opinions on the Cascais of then to what it is now. We walked to the park and watched the peacocks there for a little while before bumping into an English colleague of mine who was out with his little daughter.
After the walk we decided to pop round to the in-laws who then surprised us with a late lunch, hmmm....it was like it was all planned or something...it was as usual delicious but S had to dash off to meet J who was nearby at her dad's. Understandably they had a lot to talk about so I stayed at the in-laws and had an afternoon of football. First Derby v Man United then Inter v Milan followed by Porto v Rio Ave. It was a lot to take in one afternoon but it was enjoyable and I wasn't flayed by the cat which is always a bonus. S only returned rather late so by the time we arrived back in Lisbon there was little time to do anything other than heat some soup and get into the second episode of the second season of the Wire...which frustratingly is really not living up to the first season yet.
All this talk of romance and relationships etc put me in mind of this article I read the other day. Maybe this woman's problem is that she obviously has some problem communicating in the real world. I do realise the irony of me whinging about 'new media' from my blog, I really do, but I really really hate all this talk of Facebook (yes I have one which I very occasionally use) and Twitter (which I also have but have never used or even looked at) and other blogs as a substitute for real life. No it's not the same as real life, no, friends or relationships on the internet are not the same as those in real life! It's not the real world, it's an escape where opinions can go unchecked and unverified, which communication is filtered, repackaged and dumbed down. I am forever thankful that I am with one of the few people, it seems, who are completely disinterested in 'social networking'. I remember the months and months we spent apart when people would comment things like, "at least you have Skype" without realising that these tools just made it all the more striking that we were hundreds of miles apart and only served to emphasise the distance. Thankfully those days are over now.
Nevertheless many things have been going on and I will attempt to revisit and review events of the past as soon as I can so please continue to check back when I will attempt to write fuller accounts of my new colleagues, international conferences and especially the amazing experience of meeting some of S's more (ahem) posh friends.
This weekend has really seen the sun come back to Portugal which has seemed something like the return of an old friend. I was really quite ill the weekend before, and for the early part of last week, with a chest bug that I picked up from one of the delegates at the international conference I went to on the 5th and 6th. Combined with the germs brought to Lisbon from all corners of Europe S and I found ourselves the proud foster parents of a cat who I'm sure didn't really make things worse but who I like to blame all the ills of the world on. Here's the devil himself (photo by V, his loving mum):
So now we've had this visitor for the past few days and V & C have been here looking for their new abode. It looks like they've finally got a place and they seem really happy with it which I'm really pleased about. They weren't big fans of Manchester at all so it's good for them to be able to return to a city that they love so much.
For me this weekend was much as the last couple. S has some big deadlines for her MA so Saturday daytime was largely spent working on this. Unfortunately for me she's gone from one subject that I flatter myself into thinking I'm relatively well informed on (American history and politics) to one that I am largely clueless about (a rather specific policy principle of the EU), I am learning lots but for me anyway it's not a topic of particular interest. I try to be as much help to S as possible but really in this sense it's more as a sounding board for S to try bouncing her own ideas off. At this stage I think it would take me a little too long to thoroughly learn the subject myself.
All this intense study and debate has of course brought to the fore the question of my own future and plans for my own development. The latest idea (this is perhaps a little unfair, the idea has been knocking around for a long time, if anything it is becoming more clearly defined) is for me to do an MA here in Lisbon. I have looked at the institutions and there are a couple of likely courses in political science but there are, inevitably, problems in these choices. I have discussed my concerns with S and she thoroughly understands that it is going to be difficult for me to do an MA course in Portuguese from what is essentially a standing start (even though my Portuguese language course starts in a couple of weeks) and I have deep concerns about the quality of the institutions and the teaching. The idea of international prestige is another concern to me, especially if in the future we were to leave Portugal and try and get jobs elsewhere. The simple fact is that whether I like it or not, whether I agree with it or not, my CV does have a hole where an MA should be. These are not concerns that can or even should be addressed straightaway but some things to bear in mind.
Saturday being Valentine's day meant of course that studying was postponed until a lovely breakfast, (pancakes made by me!) with delicious homemade (by S's mum) orange marmalade and fruit juice and coffee, was eaten. Being poor as the proverbial church mice we didn't exchange presents of cards (we're almost amongst those hip, cynical people, who think that Valentine's day is for those in failed relationships, as those who know us will testify, we're sickeningly gushy all the time so don't need a day to celebrate this) instead we wrote some cool messages and drew some hearts on out big blackboard wall. After breakfast I then attempted not to disturb S which inevitably mean that I made more of a nuisance than if I had actually been trying. I am one of those worst kind of readers...the ones who constantly laugh out loud and have to share interesting snippets...so I then thought it might be for the best if I ran a few errands, leaving S in peace. I went to the pastalaria on the corner to pick up lunch and then came back and did a little tidying. I then decided to go to the supermarket and pick up a couple of things for the evening, namely a bottle of vodka and limes for caipirinhas and some ice cream.
On my return I set about making a meal for my hard working girl and had decided on an old staple, my vegetarian chilli. It had been a while since I had made a proper meal and it really felt good to be back in the kitchen. We have got used to a routine of big lunches and then just soup or salad for dinner so it was nice to be able to get my knives out. As well as that, considering the amount of meat I now but away on a daily basis it was good to be able give it a rest.
The meal was a success to an extent that even surprised me, especially considering the amount of wine I had put away (or it may just be that the wine inspired that feeling of success). After the meal we decided to make our caipirinhas and get quietly drunk with each other but at this time we received some rather bad news. S got a message from J asking to ring her as soon as possible and it turns out that J and R had split up. The timing was particularly dreadful but I don't think in this case there would ever have been a good moment to call time on an 8 year relationship. The details are personal between J and R but a prime reason seems to be that they just want different things in life, something that makes me even more happy to have found someone who shares my ambitions and goals.
S was obviously very shocked and upset by the news as it had come totally out of the blue and she was deeply concerned for her friend but J is strong and if anyone can cope with something like this then it is her.
In the end we did succeed in getting more then a little drunk but it had been such a draining day (for S rather than me, I'm just a drunkard) that we fell asleep in front of a film with barely 10 minutes of it watched.
Sunday was remarkably hangover free and we had planned for a long time to take a walk by the beach. It had originally been the plan for the weekend before but I was too ill and the weather wasn't great. Yesterday I could actually take my coat off and breath. We woke late and had a quick brunch out before leaving for Estoril and making our way down the surprisingly packed promenade. We had a leisurely walk in the sun and did a bit of people watching, amazingly people were sunbathing in bikinis already.
We walked all the way into Cascais and then had a wander through town. It was very interesting to hear S talking about her memories from childhood there and hearing about all the places she used to go. It was also good to hear her opinions on the Cascais of then to what it is now. We walked to the park and watched the peacocks there for a little while before bumping into an English colleague of mine who was out with his little daughter.
After the walk we decided to pop round to the in-laws who then surprised us with a late lunch, hmmm....it was like it was all planned or something...it was as usual delicious but S had to dash off to meet J who was nearby at her dad's. Understandably they had a lot to talk about so I stayed at the in-laws and had an afternoon of football. First Derby v Man United then Inter v Milan followed by Porto v Rio Ave. It was a lot to take in one afternoon but it was enjoyable and I wasn't flayed by the cat which is always a bonus. S only returned rather late so by the time we arrived back in Lisbon there was little time to do anything other than heat some soup and get into the second episode of the second season of the Wire...which frustratingly is really not living up to the first season yet.
All this talk of romance and relationships etc put me in mind of this article I read the other day. Maybe this woman's problem is that she obviously has some problem communicating in the real world. I do realise the irony of me whinging about 'new media' from my blog, I really do, but I really really hate all this talk of Facebook (yes I have one which I very occasionally use) and Twitter (which I also have but have never used or even looked at) and other blogs as a substitute for real life. No it's not the same as real life, no, friends or relationships on the internet are not the same as those in real life! It's not the real world, it's an escape where opinions can go unchecked and unverified, which communication is filtered, repackaged and dumbed down. I am forever thankful that I am with one of the few people, it seems, who are completely disinterested in 'social networking'. I remember the months and months we spent apart when people would comment things like, "at least you have Skype" without realising that these tools just made it all the more striking that we were hundreds of miles apart and only served to emphasise the distance. Thankfully those days are over now.
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