Ahhhh

Been up to my eyes at work and was on a happy holiday in the sunny Algarve. No joke. 35 degrees Celsius, shining sun and a slight breeze. Now, I am normally not one to complain about heat. I am a sun baby and I love being out in it. However, this was some seriously hot sun folks. I felt like my Portuguese butt was being roasted, an apple was about to be shoved in my mouth and I would be served up at the next bbq. Seriously baking :) Just the way I like it.

The trip was great. We drank quite a bit of wine and lazed about in the sun most days. Naps are essential to a good day. Mmmmm naps.

Interestingly, there were less Portuguese people there than one would suspect. I realized it was quite a tourist area (although we were lucky enough to have a villa outside of Albufeira so we avoided most of the crunch), however, I really had forgotten exactly how many English and German people invaded. Holy Hell! Anyone for a proper fry up? EVERY restaurant has a “proper English breakfast” and some have the American version. Tons of English dishes to be had at the restaurants. Now, correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t I in PORTUGAL? Why the hell would someone (English) want to have their (English) dishes they can get at any old (English) pub? Isn’t the point to experience and enjoy the “native” food? It isn’t like there is a derth of choices in Portugal for food – rabbit, beef, pork, chicken, fish (about a zillion types), shell fish, pasta, baked goods (mmmm yum) all made with actual herbs and spices unlike SOME (English) food. And before Sug starts goin on a rant about fought over real estate being valuable real estate (extra points if anyone besides Beth gets that reference), ackadak languages, Her Majesty’s Empire and cheap help, I would like to point out that Portuguese food is some seriously good eatin. Unlike the boil it till it’s grey mentatlity one experiences..ahem..elswhere.

I am already missing the herbs and spices used there. Not to be mean to Finland, but..to my Finnish brothas and sistahs..there are more spices than just pepper, salt, and crappy chili powder that has no kick. There is nothing like a garlic ladened proper FULL meat and fat sausage (mmmmmm Portuguese churiço), or mussels in a cataplana, or spit roasted picanha (wikipedia explination for you non portuguese food savy types..Oh and Beth..in case you wanna try it: Picanha Churrascaria – 269 E. Palm Ave in Burbank). Now, before you get your panties in a bunch..I know it is a Brazillian way of making the food. HOWEVER, Brazil was discovered by the Portuguese in 1500 (Pedro Álvares Cabral)- pay no attention to the indigenous people folks – they didn’t have a flag and even Beth knows what happens when you don’t have a flag. So, Brazilian food is Portuguese food. And I am also the queen of the universe. Don’t tempt me to smite you.

I should say this though. God love the English, and Germans for bringing a decent beer to the Algarve. I can’t STAND the piss they try to pass off as beer! We drank (not including those bottles at restaurants) 35 bottles of wine during the week. By Friday, I was so jonesin for a beer it wasn’t even funny. I was NOT going to dring Sagres and the “Super Bock” concoction they try to pass off as beer makes me wanna hurl. All hale the E.S.B! Oh and I can’t leave out the Irish..:Guiness is the nectar of the gods.

All in all it was a great trip…we left there with 1 more large suitcase than we arrived with. We have priorities here..had to have space for the wine and Cachaça. I won’t bore you with the details of how brown I am or how rested I became. Love Portugal..land of my heart..

Vroom vroom vroom

Reacap: Motorcycle gathering was pretty damned good. Cold as $h!t in the tent at night though. Crowning moments: 1.) 4 ladies packed evening dresses in their saddle bags and wore them on Saturday night and 2.) watching an 8 month pregnant lady riding a motorcycle. Weather was great..no rain! Not so cool item: I think I caught a cold. Either got it from my friend Tii, or from shivering my arse off in a tent..either way..don’t feel so good right now. I thought it was my allergies when I woke up this morning. Sadly, it does not appear I am that lucky.

This suxors. I am leaving for a week in Portugal (the Algarve) on Saturday morning at 08:15 with Mira, Satu and Kati. Hopefully this doesn’t linger and goes away soon. I really don’t want to be sick on my holiday..however, there is nothing I can do but medicate and rest and see what happens. My friend Amanda advocates a stiff hot toddy and a good night of rest. I may just take her up on that suggestion.

I was supposed to be sitting the exam for my ISEB Practitioner Certificate today. Project’s too crazy, so I can’t. Had my attendance moved to the next exam in the autum. On the good side it gives me more time to study. On the bad side it gives me more time to stress. I am a horrible test-taker folks. My mind goes completely blank and I freeze. I could know the material cold, but put me in an exam situation and I am a drooling idiot.

On a surprisingly maliciously happy note, my PM has to do my job when I am on vacation. Small joys.

La la la la la Jesse's Girl....

Okay, so I deluded myself yesterday. A common occurrence, but this time I hit the mother load of denial and deliberate delusion. For years my best friend has relentlessly and ruthlessly - alright not so ruthless as she is a mushball with a finely crafted illusion of toughness - serenaded me, in her fine warbling voice, with strains of "Jesse's Girl" because she seems to be under the impression that 1 photo I mistakenly showed her of me remained her of Rick - frickin-Springfield.

For years, I thought she was severely in need of medication. Okay she IS in need of medication for other various reasons, but this one was the Big Kahuna. How can one defend HERSELF when she is being told she looks like an 80's MALE soap opera star cum singer? I had nuthin. My brain seized every time she would belt out the chorus at me. My brain's ability to generate any kind of snarky response was instantaneously thwarted by the cryptonite contained in the simple words of: "You know, I wish that I had Jessie's girl. I wish that I had Jessie's girl.." It was like some sick cosmic force just clamped my mouth shut and only allowed my brain to perfom the basic -keep your body alive-functions. Our usual quick and witty banter was reduced to me being practically apoplectic and doing the thorazine shuffle all at the same time.

Well, as some of you know, I cut my hair completely off soon after moving to Finland. Beth has some long hippy flowerchild thick blonde hair (damn her!) and I had long,dark, not so thick -and liberally dusted with white (including the Cruella DeVille streak in the front) hair. Ponytails and baseball caps in the summer just to keep my body from getting overheated was a common occurance. Beth washes her hair and it takes a frickin whole day (and sometimes more) to even get REMOTELY dry. Hair to your ass has that unfortunate side effect.

So I decided recently that I would forgo the buzzer and actually let my hair grow back a bit. Call me crazy, but I sort of missed the weight of it. Anywhozywhatsit, even though I am growing it back, it is still required to visit the hairdresser to get it trimmed so that I don't end up with a photo on the mullet website. Yesterday I went. I even had most of the white dyed out but kept the DeVille streak because, frankly, it is cool and what's more I LIKE it. The hairdresser proceeds to do a fabulous job and then blow it dry all poofy like. If you know me, poofy hair on me went out in the 80's--along with the Aquanet hairspray, pegged jeans, Champion sweatshirt and penny loafers. When I looked in the mirror I just smiled. Not out of politeness, but just because I couldn't believe what I saw. I was transported back in time to when every girl wanted the Dorothy Hammel. I am not kidding. I can still remember my Dorothy Hammel skating doll. Any cracks about that folks and you will have stumps for limbs. There was NOTHING wrong with having a Dorothy Hammel doll (sort of in the tradition of the Barbie but she was on her skates and stood in this lovely stand)..

I was so impressed that I looked like her that I even emailed K and told her so. I was all about the haircut. Fastforward to this morning after taking the time to blow dry the hair and put some product in it, I promptly slammed my motorcycle helmet on my head and went to work. Remove Helmet and BAM.....LALALALALALA Jesse's Girl...... DAMN YOU SUG!! You are 10 bizillion miles and 345626 timezones away and you STILL got me to suffer apoplexy!!!

Stuff

Idiotic doctors went and punctured my aunt's colon during a routine colonoscopy..bastids. She ended up in emergency surgery to repair the additional hole they created in her bum.. Dad and Peg are driving to Maine to see her...

My namesake (cousin Stephanie) graduated from High School today... WOW do I feel old. I remember when she was born and her dad (my Dad's nephew) told me that he and his wife were naming her after me.. I was so honored.. She was an adorable baby...

Getting ready for a women's motorcycle gathering next weekend..should be fun. I also have to pack for Portugal when I return from the biker thing. Not to mention we need to paint the doors in the house the night before we leave... the strength of the odor from the paint will be too strong for us to sleep here then, so we are staying at Satu's and then all going to the airport for our 08:15 flight...yay Portugal - sun, terraces, sangria, wine shops, great food. I am being Julie the Cruise Director on this trip (K: I will try to do you proud)..and also the translator... 3 Fins and an Americanized Portuguese woman are decending upon the Algarve for a week of relaxation... We have rented a Villa from a lovely German couple and have our own private terrace and there is a giant pool and it is 10 minutes from Albufeira :) Beach restaurants and afternoon siesta..heaven on earth...