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.
-
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
Category Archives: USA
Hope, an unfamiliar emotion
All right, I’m going to say this out loud. I didn’t want to vote for Joe Biden. I was angry and disillusioned when the most diverse collection of presidential candidates in US history dwindled down to…an old White man. After … Continue reading
Pompeii takeout and American assumption
Archaeologists have uncovered another fascinating glimpse into pre-eruption life in Pompeii — the recently excavated termopolium, or takeout counter. I’m agog at the brightly painted counter, still vivid after 2,000 years, and the fact that the physical design is so recognizable: … Continue reading
The chicken church
This image came across my Facebook feed today and made me laugh: …and then I saw this comment: This is The Church By The Sea in Madeira Beach FL. The owl/chicken/bird…whatever you see was intentional. It was a fishing town … Continue reading
Down the research rabbit hole
While writing Resilience, I needed to estimate how much maintenance a shuttle might need after each hour of space flight. As a guide, I looked up maintenance requirements of US military jets and was floored. Not my shuttle. On average, a military … Continue reading
“Portugal is not the USA”
I’m guessing this was not trumpeted all over the US news, but the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, met with Trump at the White House last week. The meeting started off with a handshake. It’s clear from this … Continue reading
Posted in politics, Portugal, USA
13 Comments
The right-wing megacorp controlling your local news
Once upon a time, your local news stations were a reliable bastion of independent journalism. Chance are good that isn’t the case now. If your local station is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, then it is required to run certain … Continue reading
Know your gunfire
I did something today that I never imagined myself doing: I sat down on the sofa with my wife and teen son and played them a video from the Las Vegas mass shooting. Why? Because my wife and I frequently … Continue reading
Posted in USA
3 Comments
Wallpaper Wednesday
This is probably not where you think it is. It’s Beaver’s Bend State Park, located on the shore of Broken Bow Lake in Oklahoma—a state that is not exactly known for its scenery. Though I hear the Witchita Mountains are … Continue reading
A most amazing “failure”
Sometimes the mainstream press really does not know what’s going on when it comes to anything techy. Case in point: earlier this month, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule that was destined to dock with the … Continue reading
Posted in astronomy, science, tech, USA
11 Comments
Wallpaper Monday
When most people hear the word “Maui,” they don’t think of a scene like this. But all of the Hawaiian islands have a similar geographical division in which the prevailing winds bring tons of rain to the east and north … Continue reading
Posted in USA, wallpaper
2 Comments