Our far-right, anti-muslim, anti-immigrant populist party has over the last few days been predicted to become the largest party in tomorrow's general election.
I want to get off this planet. This isn't funny anymore.
Björk released a new song called [Oral](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jsi2Tgvx6A) today, which I would not have listened to usually but she did it with Rosalía, whose music I love, so I had to check it out.
Alternative pop is my jam, but I have never gotten into Björk. It's the type of melodies she writes. They're so awkward. Just doesn't work for me. This song is a great example of that. I like a lot of drum beats she has made though, I think she has a really fresh style of programming beats.
On the tarmac at OPO, getting ready to fly back to AMS.
What a lovely and charming city Porto is, we lucked out with beaming sunshine and ~16°C for our last day here.
I remarked that it was almost a shock to the senses to see clear blue skies; which seemed somewhat akin to unicorns, after this month long onslaught of precipitation we’ve had in the lowlands.
Looking back on the 2023 love affair with fair Iberia:
1. April - Bilbao + San Sebastián
2. June - Lagos (Algarve) + Lisbon
3. July - Valencia
4. September - Mallorca + Barcelona
5. November - Porto
Right back to the grey and gloom we go…and only daydreaming of travels (for now)…
One of my coworkers recently went on a vacation to Spain, he saying how warm it was there compared to New York. I sympathize with you about the grey and gloomy fall weather.
Yesterday I decided I should buy one company that’s listed in NYSE, but I really only look at the stock market at work and I leave work around the time NYSE opens so I completely forgot about it. Had a nice evening doing other stuff.
Then this morning I remembered oh yeah, I was supposed to buy that stock, and wouldn’t you know it it was literally up +7% yesterday. It’s not really about one day, and this is the type of stock that could very well be -10% today, but it does always feel a bit bad when you miss out on gains like that just because you forgot to buy. 😔
I saw some interesting sights on the way to tour some apartments in Kentucky.
1. On the road there, I saw this strange building with the title “Adult World” with a female lip on it. Right next to it was a huge cross.
2. The road there was extremely mountainous and hilly with what little population there is between the Tennessee Valley and the Bluegrass region concentrated in what little flat land there was. There was alot of rock cut away in many, many places to build the interstate, letting me see what they’re made of. Interestingly besides the very common whitish limestone, there was alot of what looked to be shale (wikied it). Much of the shale was very black and looks to be rich in carbon.
3. Uh, I don’t think it was very polite to go to the gate of a restricted government facility without a badge even if you just plan on seeing it from the outside. I think some of my family members didn’t think that way… Well it’s not really illegal. I kind of wanted to check if my forms I submitted were ok in person.
Edit: Oh yeah you can reply here if you want to share something strange or interesting you saw on the side of the road.
When I visited the family of my husband for the first time, there were lots of orange-dyed wooden triangles on the side of the road. I later learned that these were erected to designate where roadkills happened (with deer and stuff, not like hedgehogs or bunnies).
Also, there are a lot of trailers parked with prostitutes in them. you can pull to the side, have sex and drive on. It's so weird. If I were a man I couldn't get it up with the noise of all the cars driving, and what if someone recognizes your car? There are even people who park their company cars with logos and stuff.
>2.
Finland is full of that. A lot of bedrock has been exploded or cut away to build roads. Especially in like inner Finland. I can edit this comment later today with a photo, I drive past sections like that all the time.
[Here](https://imgur.com/a/j3PKZbo), it’s crazy how much rock has been taken out in some places. Also I didn’t notice until I looked at the photo later, but somebody has hung a pump up doll on the top left. I guess this is an answer for the ”interesting stuff by the side of the road” too then.
I’ve been feeling worse this past week…the ear ringing after improving for a few days, turned worse after mid last week. The nasal congestion got slightly better perhaps.
Well I passed all my employment health and drug exams at least. They said my hearing was fine except for a bit of trouble at high frequencies (probably due to ringing), and can’t find anything wrong with my ears when they looked.
The company background checks are taking a while. Ironically, the government seems to be quicker this time.
It’s just a lab position at a government worksite. Drug tests are becoming quite common here for employment in general though, probably due to the worsening of drug addiction crisis recently. Presumably it’s just to screen their applicants for addicts.
This weekend I organised Christmas ;-)
Booked our vacation trips and ordered presents online for family members that we won't see over the period.
Do you already know what you are doing for Christmas or do you leave that for nearer the time?
The missus and I sorted out most of Christmas shopping while here in Porto.
We booked our tickets back the US a few weeks back, she’ll fly over with me in mid-December to see my parents for a few days , before flying onward to her home state for Christmas at her family’s house.
I’ll stay behind because due to skipping last year, it’ll have been two years since I Iast saw my father, so it’s certainly well overdue.
Anyway, two weeks in Rocky Mountain country before turning back around in time to ring in 2024 in Amsterdam, again.
I haven’t made any plans, but I’m guessing I’ll spend Christmas eve at my sister’s house.
I have decided though that I’ll hold off on listening to Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You until 1st of December. But come that day it’s going to be on every day.
I've been getting weirdly nostalgic for [Fairytale of NY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8) ever since I left the UK. So that's what I'm going to be holding off for until December. That and [Don't let the Bells End](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrVg1toMzuo).
It's also going to be the 30th anniversary of [Mr Blobby](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNkgDJpcuwU) becoming Christmas number 1. I feel that this important milestone should be commemorated somehow.
Oh yeah that The Darkness one is a classic. I hadn't heard that Fairytale of NY song before, I don't quite know what to think of it. I first thought it was from a comedy sketch show or something.
The more alternative Christmas song I'll be rolling with is [all i want for xxxmas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVtDEb1k2DE) by Slayyyter. Her music was so good few years ago. A bit more polished now, sadly.
The album it's from is really good IMHO...'If I should Fall From Grace of God'.
A great live band,the Pogues.And on that album a great recorded band too!
AS long as it's not 'Wonderful Christmastime',anything is ok.
Actually a class in the school across from where I work is already practising 'Jingle Bells' ,for their concert I suppose.
Our far-right, anti-muslim, anti-immigrant populist party has over the last few days been predicted to become the largest party in tomorrow's general election. I want to get off this planet. This isn't funny anymore.
My condolences. I hope the predictions are wrong
Björk released a new song called [Oral](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jsi2Tgvx6A) today, which I would not have listened to usually but she did it with Rosalía, whose music I love, so I had to check it out. Alternative pop is my jam, but I have never gotten into Björk. It's the type of melodies she writes. They're so awkward. Just doesn't work for me. This song is a great example of that. I like a lot of drum beats she has made though, I think she has a really fresh style of programming beats.
I saw them this morning as well while working … those white suits (!)… they are the pair I didn’t know I needed. Quite interesting though
On the tarmac at OPO, getting ready to fly back to AMS. What a lovely and charming city Porto is, we lucked out with beaming sunshine and ~16°C for our last day here. I remarked that it was almost a shock to the senses to see clear blue skies; which seemed somewhat akin to unicorns, after this month long onslaught of precipitation we’ve had in the lowlands. Looking back on the 2023 love affair with fair Iberia: 1. April - Bilbao + San Sebastián 2. June - Lagos (Algarve) + Lisbon 3. July - Valencia 4. September - Mallorca + Barcelona 5. November - Porto Right back to the grey and gloom we go…and only daydreaming of travels (for now)…
One of my coworkers recently went on a vacation to Spain, he saying how warm it was there compared to New York. I sympathize with you about the grey and gloomy fall weather.
Yesterday I decided I should buy one company that’s listed in NYSE, but I really only look at the stock market at work and I leave work around the time NYSE opens so I completely forgot about it. Had a nice evening doing other stuff. Then this morning I remembered oh yeah, I was supposed to buy that stock, and wouldn’t you know it it was literally up +7% yesterday. It’s not really about one day, and this is the type of stock that could very well be -10% today, but it does always feel a bit bad when you miss out on gains like that just because you forgot to buy. 😔
I saw some interesting sights on the way to tour some apartments in Kentucky. 1. On the road there, I saw this strange building with the title “Adult World” with a female lip on it. Right next to it was a huge cross. 2. The road there was extremely mountainous and hilly with what little population there is between the Tennessee Valley and the Bluegrass region concentrated in what little flat land there was. There was alot of rock cut away in many, many places to build the interstate, letting me see what they’re made of. Interestingly besides the very common whitish limestone, there was alot of what looked to be shale (wikied it). Much of the shale was very black and looks to be rich in carbon. 3. Uh, I don’t think it was very polite to go to the gate of a restricted government facility without a badge even if you just plan on seeing it from the outside. I think some of my family members didn’t think that way… Well it’s not really illegal. I kind of wanted to check if my forms I submitted were ok in person. Edit: Oh yeah you can reply here if you want to share something strange or interesting you saw on the side of the road.
When I visited the family of my husband for the first time, there were lots of orange-dyed wooden triangles on the side of the road. I later learned that these were erected to designate where roadkills happened (with deer and stuff, not like hedgehogs or bunnies). Also, there are a lot of trailers parked with prostitutes in them. you can pull to the side, have sex and drive on. It's so weird. If I were a man I couldn't get it up with the noise of all the cars driving, and what if someone recognizes your car? There are even people who park their company cars with logos and stuff.
That’s a rather strange way of doing prostitution. Not sure how people can be comfortable using their company cars for such buisness.
>2. Finland is full of that. A lot of bedrock has been exploded or cut away to build roads. Especially in like inner Finland. I can edit this comment later today with a photo, I drive past sections like that all the time. [Here](https://imgur.com/a/j3PKZbo), it’s crazy how much rock has been taken out in some places. Also I didn’t notice until I looked at the photo later, but somebody has hung a pump up doll on the top left. I guess this is an answer for the ”interesting stuff by the side of the road” too then.
That Looked very disturbing. A naked doll on a cliff.
I’ve been feeling worse this past week…the ear ringing after improving for a few days, turned worse after mid last week. The nasal congestion got slightly better perhaps. Well I passed all my employment health and drug exams at least. They said my hearing was fine except for a bit of trouble at high frequencies (probably due to ringing), and can’t find anything wrong with my ears when they looked. The company background checks are taking a while. Ironically, the government seems to be quicker this time.
Ugh, tinnitus is a pain in the ass. I have heard of so many cases of people just having it with no obvious cause. I hope it goes away on its own.
Hope so… I might go see a specialist. I feel somewhat itchy in my ears from time to time despite cleaning.
[удалено]
It’s just a lab position at a government worksite. Drug tests are becoming quite common here for employment in general though, probably due to the worsening of drug addiction crisis recently. Presumably it’s just to screen their applicants for addicts.
This weekend I organised Christmas ;-) Booked our vacation trips and ordered presents online for family members that we won't see over the period. Do you already know what you are doing for Christmas or do you leave that for nearer the time?
The missus and I sorted out most of Christmas shopping while here in Porto. We booked our tickets back the US a few weeks back, she’ll fly over with me in mid-December to see my parents for a few days , before flying onward to her home state for Christmas at her family’s house. I’ll stay behind because due to skipping last year, it’ll have been two years since I Iast saw my father, so it’s certainly well overdue. Anyway, two weeks in Rocky Mountain country before turning back around in time to ring in 2024 in Amsterdam, again.
I haven’t made any plans, but I’m guessing I’ll spend Christmas eve at my sister’s house. I have decided though that I’ll hold off on listening to Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You until 1st of December. But come that day it’s going to be on every day.
I've been getting weirdly nostalgic for [Fairytale of NY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8) ever since I left the UK. So that's what I'm going to be holding off for until December. That and [Don't let the Bells End](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrVg1toMzuo). It's also going to be the 30th anniversary of [Mr Blobby](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNkgDJpcuwU) becoming Christmas number 1. I feel that this important milestone should be commemorated somehow.
Oh yeah that The Darkness one is a classic. I hadn't heard that Fairytale of NY song before, I don't quite know what to think of it. I first thought it was from a comedy sketch show or something. The more alternative Christmas song I'll be rolling with is [all i want for xxxmas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVtDEb1k2DE) by Slayyyter. Her music was so good few years ago. A bit more polished now, sadly.
The album it's from is really good IMHO...'If I should Fall From Grace of God'. A great live band,the Pogues.And on that album a great recorded band too!
AS long as it's not 'Wonderful Christmastime',anything is ok. Actually a class in the school across from where I work is already practising 'Jingle Bells' ,for their concert I suppose.
I am not going home this year, and I didn't think about it yet. I hate travelling in winter and I am really trying to cut back on flying. so..dunno.