About Oregon Expat
Sometimes the best view is from the outside, and an American expatriate living in Portugal is, in many ways, outside of both nations. The views can be spectacular. I’m also a science nerd, Mac dweeb, grammar geek, and science fiction author, so the posts in this blog tend to be eclectic.
Click the “About” tab if that wasn’t quite enough detail — or go to my official author website.
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Recent Posts
- Hope, an unfamiliar emotion
- Pompeii takeout and American assumption
- Far Enough
- I have an issue with Netflix’s “Away”
- Now, about *that* topic
- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
- Alsea Rising: The Seventh Star is in the wild
- Alsea Rising is out and #1!
- Coming soon: Alsea Rising
- On his terms
- Beyoncé: Homecoming
- UPRISING and balance
- The brain radio
- Alsea lovers: This is the one you’ve been waiting for
- The chicken church
Recent Comments
- Fletcher DeLancey on Porto’s most famous bookstore
- pablohaake on Porto’s most famous bookstore
- Alberto on Throwing flowers
- Rael on Portuguese idiom of the day: Lança perfume
- Rael on Portuguese idiom of the day: Lança perfume
- Fletcher DeLancey on Hope, an unfamiliar emotion
- Miriam English on Hope, an unfamiliar emotion
Categories
Monthly Archives: July 2011
National Geographic on the veranda
A few days ago a new spider appeared on my veranda, with a web strung across my succulent pot. I’d never seen anything quite like it. She had vertical stripes of silk woven above and below the center section of … Continue reading
Posted in life
11 Comments
It’s enough to make a photographer cry
On 8 June I posted the fabulous NASA photo of Endeavor docked to the International Space Station — the last such image that would ever be taken. Today I learned the dark side of that photo: the Nikon that took … Continue reading
Posted in science, tech
3 Comments
That figures
Wired.com recently interviewed Carolyn Porco, director of NASA’s Cassini project, which has returned such fascinating results from Saturn’s rings and moons. The interview got interesting when Wired.com asked Dr. Porco which moon she would bet on for extraterrestrial life. Wired.com: … Continue reading
Posted in science
11 Comments
Geekiest anniversary gift ever
Geeks around the world, watch and learn: After one commenter asked, “What did your wife think of it?” the original poster replied, “She liked it. Wasn’t too happy about me clearing all her icons off her desktop but she liked … Continue reading
Wallpaper Monday
In solidarity and sympathy for the people of Norway, who surely live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. If only beauty could overcome the ugliness in the hearts of evil men — what a world we would … Continue reading
Posted in wallpaper
4 Comments
Saturday picture show: The Shuttles
In celebration of the final flight of both Atlantis and the US Space Shuttle program, here are some of the best photos from the last two missions, courtesy of Astronomy Photo of the Day. (Click on each photo for more … Continue reading
Not a tall tale
The story usually goes something like this: “You people in (location X) have never even seen a real storm. Why, where I come from, we get hailstones the size of tennis balls.” Residents of Vivian, South Dakota can make this … Continue reading
Grade inflation
Having been a nearly straight-A student in both high school and university (math was always my downfall), I had quite a shock when I took my first Portuguese language class at the University of Algarve and came away with a … Continue reading
Posted in culture, Portugal, USA
11 Comments
Liking and loving
An email from my Swedish friend got me to thinking about the words for liking and loving. It sounds as if Swedish is quite similar to Portuguese (and probably many other European languages) in having a very strong distinction between … Continue reading
Posted in language
12 Comments