election 09

We're coming up on a big election this weekend for Portugal. Yep, I said weekend. On Sunday the polling stations will be open so people can vote. I thought it was interesting that Portugal decided to have elections then, but I guess it makes sense. As one of our friends said, "more people can go vote instead of having a work conflict on the weekday."

It's interesting to see the political process here. It's not very different from the States; political ads, newspaper reports, campaign pledges. One thing I think is very interesting is the presence of the communist party (Partido Comunista Portugues) here in Portugal. They are alive and well, although not as big and powerful as they probably would like to be. During the past couple of weeks a car has driven through our neighborhood blaring communist ideals from a loudspeaker. Funny to hear because we grew up with such a disdain for the communists.

The communist party here actually holds one of the biggest concerts each year. Thousands go to hear bands and the party takes the opportunity to share its vision and hand out leaflets. There are other parties here as well....like the left bloc (Bloco de Esquerdo), Social Democrats (Partido Socialista), Social Democrat Party (Partida Social Democrata) and other smaller ones. The election this weekend is parliamentary so the office of Prime Minister will be up for grabs. I think the election for president is not until 2011.

Anywho, just thought this was interesting information about the Portuguese political process...

The mob has spoken

I'll keep it. But, don't hold your breath. I'll still be a bad blogger. I'm not giving that up. What I will try to do is try to post more about life in Portugal because it's interesting and worth keeping people updated.

So, late-breaking news.....On Sunday night I went to a Sporting game. We live about 10 minutes (walking) from the stadium so when a colleague called and said she couldn't use the tickets she had bought, I jumped at the opportunity. Our seats were on the second row so needless to say we saw the action close up. Sporting won 1-0, in fact, they eked out the win when Liedson headed a ball with authority into the back of the net in the late minutes of the game.

Seriously, living here is just an incredible blessing. I grew up as a kid watching futebol and playing it every waking moment. To be able to live in Europe and go see professional games is just an incredible experience. Plus, it gives me plenty of opportunities to talk with people as futebol is pretty much more important than who's getting elected this year. I've never had anyone turn down a conversation if I start with a question or comment about the local teams.

Okay, so there you have it. I've finished my quota for this week. :) Ate ja!

Death of a Blog

Okay, we'll take a poll. Please be honest.

My vote is:

A. Press delete already.

B. Drag it out for another six months of not posting anything

C. Press delete, have bloggers remorse, and start another one

D. No, keep it! I read it when you actually get around to posting something

E. Start one in Portuguese

Leave a comment and we'll see where this goes. If nobody posts within a couple of days I'll do a countdown and enact option #A.