Um. That would be me. I’m doing some client work with the sliding door open because it is finally warm enough to leave it open for an extended length of time and let in some fresh air. My laptop is exactly where it was meant to be—on my lap. My feet are up on the…
Oh boy! Today the sun is shining and I jump out of bed, knowing that I need to take advantage of the morning sun. It’s a great day to wash the sheets! (Yes, the expat life is downright exhilarating.) My AirBnB has a fantastic, state-of-the-art washing machine, but like most of the places I saw…
I wake up to the sound of gulls jabbering. A thick, muffling fog rolled in overnight. The construction on the building in front of me hasn’t started yet. It’s much better to wake up to the sound of gulls than jackhammers. Motivating, even. It is cold again, but still warmer than a month ago. This…
I like being five hours ahead of the US east coast. I can do a day’s worth of work—or play—and still take care of business. For the most part, I don’t…but I could. I am still working out the timing on some meetings. 8:00 pm EST is 1:00 am here. Any evening meetings are not…
How do you get a Portuguese visa? Normally, US residents who are visiting for under 90 days don’t need a visa in Portugal or most other EU countries. However, these are not normal times and the pandemic has countries closing their borders. I plan to reside in Portugal long-term which puts me in a different…
It may be a bit telling that one of my favorite movies is a weird cult film from the ’80s: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. Peter Weller with hair. Yum. Actually, it seems like everyone was in that movie: Christopher Lloyd, John Lithgow, Rosalind Cash, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum (and the…
Albufeira: Portuguese for everything is uphill. Yesterday, I made a new rule for myself: Don’t walk downhill until I know for certain I won’t have to walk farther uphill. Some neuron in my brain fired the other night and I remembered that I was supposed to register my presence with the local authorities. I went…
And… we’re in the air. Chicago to Heathrow is about a 4,000 mile flight. We’ve got a tailwind that varies between 40 and 60 MPH and an airspeed of 560 mph. The outside temp is -65.2 degrees which is cold enough to keep the Pfizer vaccine stable. A bit too chilly for this Florida girl.…
The Adventure Begins… I swear to you, I have an almost completed post on the visa process, but I need to slip this post in as an update. Yesterday, January 4th, was my departure date from the US. Today, January 5th, at approximately 4:00 pm Portugal time, I should have landed and by 6:00 pm,…
This is a week of uncertainty. Another strain of Covid has been found and countries are shutting border again. Brexit is not helping—with the UK pulling out of the European Union, I don’t know if EU countries are allowing flights from England to land. My flight goes through Heathrow. A person on one of my…