So I'm back after a crazy and frenetic 48 hours in Portugal this weekend. I hardly slept--a few hours on Friday and Saturday night was about it. But first, one bit of exciting news: Since I finally purchased a mattress, my Internet access in my apartment has improved slightly. It's amazing what a bit of elevation, thanks to the mattress and box spring, can do for increasing the signal strength of my anonymous neighbor's generous non-password blocked (the new cockblock?) openness with his or her wireless network. So now I consistently get...prepare to be blown away...one to two bars of WiFi. You know what this means? Less time spent with old unread books from school and more random peregrinations through the Internet Wild Wild West--and back to my obsessive reading of Salon, Slate and others.
Speaking of Slate, I thoroughly enjoyed their entirely unnecessary hammering of the actor Zach Braff: the guy who really proves that it's not always about looks with the ladies (Being a star of a major network sitcom and writing and directing a hit movie helps generally). You can't get more blunt than their title for the article, "Why I Hate Zach Braffs."
I'm moderately neutral with a side of benefit of doubt with Zach. I always thought he was hilarious on Scrubs when it first started airing and thought him to be that likeable actor who seemed like your best mate. And then I saw an appearance on Conan and thought, "Wow. He really sounds like a pompous jackass."
Anyway, the article linked to a YouTube posted creation (see below) that remixes a scene from Braff's film (in every sense of the word) Garden State. And I found it goddamn hilarrrious. Aside from how the Slate author uses that YouTube link to prove a certain point, the video is interesting to me because it embodies my humor and interests exactly: feigned intellectual "indie-ness" mixed well with the vulgar, uncouth and mildly retarded.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRH4gG5LmZ0]
Anyway, back to my new mattress: I actually did NOT purchase it off Craigslist. I figure at this point in my life I don't need to be using someone else's well-worn, used mattress. Although after factoring in how the hell I would ship some whore's (male or female) mattress from their apartment to mine, I was approaching the price of a new mattress anyway....so....I'll gladly pay an extra 100 bucks for a bed where I know how every broken spring in it occurred--probably after I accidentally drop a heavy bowling ball on it. Hah. I said ball.
Anyway, here's a censored PG recap of my trip this past weekend to Portugal with lots of pictures--and entirely way too many artsy fartsy photos.
Day 1
Hectorious taking a little nap on the shuttle ride to Newark--My first Newark airport experience.
Mmmm, beautiful New Jersey.
At the airport bar: Rory demonstrating his friend's coke jaw.
Rory is STOKED and AMPED to go to Portugal!
Twenty minutes later.
At approximately 4:30 am, this was served to us for breakfast. When I first saw the flight attendants preparing food, I got excited for some egg and cheese sandwich action (I have a sadomasochistic relationship with airplane food). Instead I got some cold bread with a slice of cheese and a thin piece of turkey slice slapped in between...and a milky way bar. I had one bite of the sandwich and put it away. The milky way bar on the other hand was absolutely delectable!
NOT happy about the Portuguese airplane food.
Jumping for joy at getting out of that damn airplane and getting to our beach front hotel.
We arrived at the hotel at 7 am--perfect for a romantic walk to see the sunrise...the Portuguese sunrise.
A boat...a Portuguese boat.
These fellas look like they are about to rob a casino or some shit. We all dumped our bags at the hotel, since check in wouldn't be for another four hours, and decided explore the area.
We found a cafe with signs suggesting that they sell egg sandwiches, which we were all craving. "Egg?" "No" replied the cafe clerk. So we all just drank coffee and tea instead.
Alexis enjoying his motorcycle, maybe a little too much.
A window...a Portuguese window.
With a few more hours to kill, we decided to walk along the boardwalk, where I took me some pretty pictures.
More beach action.
Group picture.
Tony is chilly in the morning. Note the big building advertising in the background--it's advertising Europe's largest casino supposedly. Foreshadowing...
Not quite sure what those colorful thingys were.
I feel like this should be the backdrop to those posters you can buy with inspirational messages written on them.
Man enjoying the morning air...a Portuguese man.
A shot from the Truman Show.
I can't believe I had this much energy so early in the morning after a long flight.
Looking for clams. Heh heh heh.
Okay, that's it for now. We eventually walked back to the hotel, checked in and took a nap.
Part 2 of Day 1 to come.