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, and grammar geek, so the posts in this blog tend to be eclectic.
Click the "About" tab if that wasn't quite enough detail.
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Recent Posts
- Gecko tail update
- Nat Geo on the veranda
- Three minutes of art
- Portugal wildfire (we’re okay)
- Alien: Covenant review
- A must read: “My Family’s Slave”
- Curmudgeons
- Dia da Liberdade (Freedom Day)
- Nat Geo moment
- Song of Saturday
- Innovative teachers (subtitle: Ryanair is the Scrooge McDuck of airlines)
- Strange weather
- No good deed goes unpunished
- Raise your hand if you remember the modem dial-up tone
- Rogue One review
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Monthly Archives: March 2014
Wallpaper Monday
I know it hasn’t been too long since we were last in Canada, but Vancouver has always held a special place in my heart (and Victoria, a ferry ride away, even more so). This is a different sort of view, … Continue reading
We regret to inform you that there will be no joy today.
Last Friday, one of my favorite musical artists of all time made a shock announcement: she was going to perform live, in a string of concerts at the Apollo Hammersmith in London. KATE BUSH IS PERFORMING LIVE. Other than a … Continue reading
Posted in event, life
13 Comments
The cat that scented death
From the July 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine: Making his way back up the hallway, Oscar [the cat] arrives at Room 313. The door is open, and he proceeds inside. Mrs. K. is resting peacefully in … Continue reading
Posted in life
3 Comments
Wallpaper Monday
According to the photographer: This picture was taken in Beilstein by the river Mosel in Germany. It was one of the most famous of the small old towns situated there. The image was made of several vertical photographs processed into … Continue reading
Posted in wallpaper
4 Comments
Gravitational waves illustrated — with a towel
In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that my reaction upon reading a second article about the gravitational wave discovery was, “Yeah, but — huh?” Even after the fifth article, I still had one large, unanswered question: How did the gravitational waves … Continue reading
Posted in astronomy
8 Comments
The astronomy world is abuzz about swirlies
Big news hit the space-geek scene on Monday, when an astronomy team announced the first direct, physical evidence supporting cosmic inflation theory. And if that sentence fried your brain, try this one: The Big Bang, which until now was just … Continue reading
Posted in astronomy
3 Comments
How wet does it get in western Oregon?
This wet: My mom sent this photo, taken on 9 March. Yes, that is moss growing on the fronts and legs of the mailboxes, and on the pavement beneath. The green stuff on the sides is probably mold, though I … Continue reading
Posted in Oregon
2 Comments
Wallpaper Monday
Capilano Lake, in North Vancouver, British Columbia. I particularly love the dusting of snow on the mountain tops, and can just imagine what the air must smell like…crisp and moist, with essence of conifer and decomposing leaf litter. Heck of … Continue reading
If the Moon were only 1 pixel (and Cosmos)
We watched the first episode of the new Cosmos last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course my wife and I spent every minute comparing it to the original, while our son thought it was all new and cool. My … Continue reading
Posted in astronomy
2 Comments
The great bee shortcut
A few weeks ago, I was watching one of Portugal’s massive black carpenter bees (Xylocopa violacea) feeding from an ornamental flowering bush. The bush had large, bell-shaped, pendulous flowers, which were plenty big enough for the bee to enter, but … Continue reading
Posted in biology, Portugal, wildlife
2 Comments
