Sarah A. Hoyt's Blog, page 229

It’s Not A Magic Spell

 

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I woke up feeling human. That’s not a magic spell, either, it’s just 11:30 hours of sleep.  You see, this was QUITE the most arduous course to Portugal we’ve ever done.

It’s not unusual for us to travel for 18 to 20 hours, but this one was 35 hours, counting, granted the one night in Madrid, which would have worked fine if the hotel were in the terminal we left from and we hadn’t spent three hours looking for it, then gone back early in case there were more confusions.  So in those 35 hour...

I’m Back

I’m back. I’m even awake.  Actually woke up very early ,around 6 am and couldn’t sleep again.

It’s just that my mind hasn’t RETURNED yet, so I’ve been unpacking and stuff.

Tomorrow should be better.

Meanwhile, why can’t GPS choose a language for instructions but do the streets in the native language of the country you’re visiting?

While in Portugal, our GPS had a British accent. That’s fine.  For a long time our GPS had an Australian accent and the kids called it “Aunt Kate.”

The problem is t...

It’s Mad and It Drives You There

Madrid’s call letters are MAD.  Ask me how appropriate they are.

The air rooms are less than advertised.  Longer story later.  BUT finding them was an adventure taking three hours, ina  land so solidly confident they are in charge of the world they don’t bother learning even English.  Also where they don’t bother putting up signs to anything, because OF COURSE you KNOW.

By the end of it I was going insane trying not to let the berserker out to play.  We slept maybe all of four hours, before h...

Homeward Bound

Not right away, but tomorrow around this time, actually.  It’s just that I have a strong feeling there won’t be time to write a post again before then.

I come back having got nothing written, but trying to convince myself that in a trip of more than 24 hours there will be time to write (we’re overnighting on the first layover. Thank heaven we secured in-airport rooms. I’m too old to sleep as I have, sitting up in a corner of the airport, really.)  And then from there we have 17 hours (with la...

It’s Just The Place We Bathe!

 

Yesterday, because it was the only chance for exercise, and we’re being fed like geese headed to foi gras, we took the morning to go to the beach and walk around a bit.

The beach — praia de Matosinhos, the only name I remembered because we used to go there for a month sometimes two every summer — has come on a bit.

First it’s only 15 minutes or so away.  I always tell everyone we didn’t grow up near the sea and going to the beach was a treat.  This is not precisely true, so much as it’s har...

What the actual heck?

Guys I’ve been away a long time, and I want to come home. I got homesick about a day after I landed.

See, I’m actually a homebody. I just want to have my office and my routine and work.  For a wonderful break from routine, I go to Pete’s — about 20 minutes away unless traffic intervenes — for some Greek salad. The only thing that brings me all the way out here is that I have family I can’t see any other way.

But you guys have to rein in those crazy f*ckers out there, or I’m going to stay out...

In The Dark

The day started with my mom knocking at our door at 6 am because “you were so quiet we thought you’d died.”  While I understand the impulse… they thought we’d died both at once? unlikely.  I think I swore at her, but fortunately she doesn’t understand English, and also I was so sleepy it probably came out as unngggghn.

I have been up about an hour and a half.  Another cold and rainy day to the point I swiped one of mom’s outdoor coats to wear inside.  Agatha Christie says Americans, used to c...

Odd day

The bridal couple left this morning at 4:00 am.  I don’t quite know what to do today.  I’d like to go do something, but we’re horribly tired.  Also, it’s a cold and rainy and disagreeable day.

I need to torture Grant, but I don’t think I’m awake enough to.

Perhaps I’ll go lie down till the interest in moving passes?

We’ve been going going going for 8 days.  Perhaps it’s time for a day of rest.

Portugal 2019, the Feedning

Sorry we haven’t been on much.  It’s been rather crazy.

As I expected, everything was crazy going up to the wedding, but it barely slowed down after.

Yesterday was mom’s 85th birthday, so, of course, everything came to a standstill while we celebrated that.

Around the edges, we managed to get lovely daughter in law’s family shown around downtown Porto and a castle, which was paltry, but they left today (early Monday.)  We don’t think they’re home yet.

We’re going to put the happy couple on a...

When you figure out your family is weirder than you

Too complicated to explain, but I’m the SANE one in this family.

No, seriously.  It’s not weird I read and write science fiction…

The suitcase was found. I now need to decide which of the THREE wedding outfits I wear….

Meh.

Lots and lots of meh-itude.