This has got to be the oddest winter I’ve experienced, a strange mix of super nice days and occasionally snowy days like yesterday.  At least it’ll be in the 70’s this week…

We had dinner at Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian chain on the Plaza.  Very good stuff, but I ate way too much and ended up regretting it most of the evening (you get served unlimited meats and sides).  Also costs quite a bit to dine there, so it’s definitely not some place to go every weekend.  I do recommend it though.

We finally got on board the Wii bandwagon, I just set it up this morning and the Sports games are fun.  It’s my wife’s bday present, but it’s something we both can enjoy. 

Alright, here are some photos I took today:

I noticed today that espn360.com is carrying select Portuguese soccer league games each week, which puts a hop in my step.  This Saturday’s Sporting Lisbon vs. Benfica matchup will be a key in determining who wins the league this season (I’m an FC Porto fan, so I want them to win it all).  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I understand.  If you like soccer, I recommend checking out the action online.  Technology truly makes the world feel smaller.

Got out my camera for the first time in a while (a while for me, anyway).  Sometimes I fall into spells of not doing stuff I really enjoy, and I guess if I could give anyone advice, it would be not to forget what you really enjoy doing in life, especially when stuff gets difficult (not that my life is difficult, but I do tend to focus too narrowly on distractions).  Anyway, here are the dogs doing what they love, laying on the human bed

I’ve been dealing with desktop PC issues for about two months now.  I bought it in July and worked fine until November, and since then I’ve been having it repaired and having the same issues.  The vendor, unfortunately, isn’t the most responsive, which is frustrating.  I’m hoping they just replace my PC rather than continuing with back and forth diagnosing.  Fortunately, I’ve got nothing immediate pending that I need to do on the desktop, so I’m making due with my netbook for now.  Basically I’ll have to do without CD burning and the added performance to run certain programs on the desktop.

But on the more positive side, I’ve been running Windows 7 on my little netbook, and it’s running superbly. It’s definitely different from Vista and XP in terms of the taskbar, but I like it.  The OS is a beta version, so don’t try it unless you have a good way back to your old version of Windows.

Ever since it became winter, I’ve been in a bit of a funk with taking photos, I do need to snap out of it.  But for now, here’s one from the archives, face to face with a bull.  It was really as close as it appears, perhaps not a smart idea on my part, but I’m still in one piece.

So I recently “downgraded” from a 15″ laptop to a 10″ netbook (it wasn’t really much of a downgrade because I had an inexpensive laptop anyway).  The model I got was the MSI Wind, which can be had for $300 if you look around.  It’s nothing fancy, but is ultraportable and does the basic tasks with ease.  I definitely recommend one of these if you’re on the go.  One bit of advice is to actually go to a store and test out different models, since they’re configured differently in terms of layout.  And, with the Wind, it’s apparently quite easy to install a certain other operating system that rhymes with smack.  I’ll leave it up to you to research!

Here’s to a great 2009!  As usual, I resolve to get in better shape (I did last year, but am in need of retooling once again), and to try and be a positive force in this world, among other things.  Happy New Year!

Just wanted to wish visitors a happy holiday season as we turn the page on 2008 and look to 2009.  I can definitely say 2009 will be an interesting year full of challenges and opportunities,  so I’m thankful I’ve got a chance to unwind now.  Here’s a holiday photo featuring the ever popular doberman duo.  Merry Christmas!

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I had this idea to attempt to do documentary photography while I was in Portugal, focusing on the northern region where my parents grew up.  With only 2.5 weeks to enjoy ourselves and do siteseeing, that idea was quickly out the window.  Fortunately, I found a photographer who does what I was imagining, only way better than I could ever do it.  His name is Joao Pedro Marnoto and his series “Nine Months of Winter and Three of Hell” (a reference to what can be a harsh climate) really shows what life is like in northern Portugal.  Maybe some day I’ll get to go back and realize my initial idea, maybe not, but at least I can appreciate this gentleman’s art.