Where Have all the Sidewalks Gone?
dated 2009-11-18 | posted in columns | topic People | permanent link
As if the sidewalks in Portugal aren’t hazardous enough with missing stones, dog poop and trash thrown carelessly, now we have another impediment: the smokers. Ever since the non-smoking in public places law went into effect, the smokers have hijacked outdoor cafes, sidewalks and doorways in front of businesses, restaurants and even schools. There they blatantly blow their poisonous fumes into the faces of anyone who walks into their path.
I ...
Thanksgiving in Baltimore
dated 2009-11-30 | posted in columns | topic People | permanent link
“It’s always the unexpected,” my mother used to say. And so it was the morning of
Wednesday, November 25. I’d finished packing late in the night for a 3-day bridge tournament in Sesimbra. That’s where I had planned to spend Thanksgiving eating grilled fish instead of roasted turkey, potatoes instead of pumpkin, Portuguese bread instead of American stuffing. It was 7.50 am and I decided to check my emails before walking the dogs. That ...