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September 2007
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In Lisbon

My flight on Thursday arrived on time and, thanks to not checking luggage, I was on the streets of Lisbon less than ten minutes after the door opened at 17:35. Navigating the Lisbon Airport is a lot like navigating Ikea: it’s a maze that forces you to see everything the airport has to offer.

By the time I got to my hotel, I’d gone to a mall where I bought bottled water, razors, sunscreen, and helped pick out a new flat-screen Full-HD television.

I’d also had dinner at a Brazilian Bar-Be-Q restaurant. I’d taken way too much beet salad, cucumber salad, and other salad-like items before the meat course began. Suffice it to say, I didn’t eat too much meat before my stomach protested and I stopped for awhile before dessert.

I got to the hotel at 11:15, checked-in, and then proceeded to ask my room number and was told it was 901, go to the floor, read the piece of paper, then go to 907, and be puzzled why the key did not work. The way Europeans write 7 and 1 are too close and confusing.

9 comments to In Lisbon

  • Reko

    Senhor Adam,

    Have a good time in Lisboa, but watch out for EARTHQUAKES! And don’t forget about the green wine. And don’t forget that Portuguese is the only modern Romance language that places object clitics after finite verbs in non-imperative contexts. Did I mention the EARTHQUAKES?

  • I noticed that about European 1’s and 7’s too. Don’t they usually cross the 7?

  • Reko

    ‘1’ is written with an upstroke; ‘7’ is written with a cross-bar. It’s all good.

  • Reko

    I am much more troubled by the neglect of (male) circumcision in Europe than about the way the numerals are written.

  • J

    I do agree that there’s no problem with the way Europeans write 1s and 7s. The 7 has the bar across the stem (I do it that way too now).

  • Ed

    It takes $1.40 USD to buy one Euro dollar according to Matt Lauer.
    Circumcision is a painful and barbaric practice.

  • random thoughts on the comments:

    1) Earthquakes in Portugal Happen. They also happen in Indiana, San Francisco, and Thailand. I will still visit all of these places.

    2) I should have caught the fact that I mistook the 1 for a 7: there was no cross bar. I still write my 1s in the American style. My 9s are defiantly European now.

    3) Circumcision in western countries is uncalled for. Reko is completely wrong, but given his ethnic heritage, he is used to being wrong most of the time.

    4) The strong €uro is fantastic. I am looking forward to shopping in the States.

  • Reko

    Actually, (male) circumcision is called for in all countries under all circumstances. Medical research has shown that it greatly reduces the risk of transmission of STDs (including HIV). It is also well known to reduce or eliminate “head cheese”, a smelly, unappetizing, and itching build-up of gunk. Of course, circumcision greatly enhances the appearance of the penis, but I believe that this should be viewed as a secondary consideration. It is preferable for the procedure to be performed when the boy is eight days old (i.e. on his ninth day of life outside the uterus).

  • @reko: I will respectfully disagree: although it reduces possibility of acquiring HIV, it is no replacement for safe sex and appropriate sex education. Penises can easily be kept clean, and quite frankly I find uncircumcised penises more beautiful. As for when it should be done, I won’t object to it being done for religious beliefs, but on the other hand, do we really know that 8 day old boys want to be Jewish? There are an awful lot of guys who have ultimately decided against having a faith that requires circumcision.

    Like me.