quarta-feira, 31 de dezembro de 2008

A better harder year

So we blog... cause that's what we do.

Not nearly enough logic there - admittedly, it sounded better in my head -, but still a valid point in a pre-bubbly state-of-mind. Indeed, we blog. We all come up with stuff. I might be the champion of randomness by now... so I put the internet and the cable out of their mediated miserary in 2008. See the logic there? I meant the intrinsic logic of trying hard not to try at all, but hope hard, instead, that Life will bestow upon me whatever it is that I might want. I make simbolic sacrifices. But lo the martyr fails yet again to hit its target.

Of all the random stuff, what's appropriate for New Year's Eve, other than happy you know what?

So happy 2009! Yes, it will be great! Obviously, it will be amazing. Comparative Politics will still be as trivial as blogging and as scientific as common sense. In keeping with tradition (yes! yes! yes!) it will provide much fodder for our every day "news" dealers, dear leaders' speeches and certified opinion-makers. A grand year, crisis notwithstanding. A critical year, I would say.

And yes, hope. Hope that I can try harder!

(4/36)

segunda-feira, 29 de dezembro de 2008

OMFG CLEARLY


I say CLEARLY

POLITICAL SCIENCE (or some - and by some, I mean most - portuguese political scientists)

or

POLITICS (and by politics, I don't mean most, but ALL portuguese politicians)

HAVE NOTHING ON THE LAW.

cf. THE CONSTITUTION OF THE PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC and J. Vidal's excellent one-line essay "Os políticos portugueses comportam-se como dirigentes de pequenos clubes de bairro" , (2007)

and i am so so so so so sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry

speedreading stats: 3/36 (political science has nothing on me, though!)

domingo, 28 de dezembro de 2008

few days left till... something

By now, everyone who knows me or stumbled on my blog and kept reading for more than ten seconds, knows that I was taught this little trick called speedreading. Everyone who knows me and everyone who stumbled on my blog and managed to keep reading for five seconds, knows that, though I know the theory of speedreading, I have yet to master or even grasp the technique.

As happens everytime I feel some desperation or circumstantial claustrophobia, I am reminded that I might already have the answer for my problems... if we reject the snake-oil hypothesis, that is! Faith is, indeed, everything and, although I am set on giving speedreading a go, I cannot shake this unhelpful skepticism.

Sadly, I never wanted something so much as to try hard (let alone Michael Phelps-hard) to get it. Still, I often find myself disappointed (and disappointing others) with failures that could either have been prevented or anticipated, were it not for my childish mix of optimism and laziness.

So, once more, once more, with feeling...
here are my current the stats: 2/36
I am clearly screwd!

domingo, 7 de dezembro de 2008

this student's work

Juntei-me, esta semana, provavelmente com três anos de atraso, às massas trabalhadoras. 
Na verdade, sou capaz de me ter juntado às massas "temporariamente" trabalhadoras, mas há a prestação pecuniária (que não vai chegar a tempo das prendas de Natal) que é o mais importante. Eyes on the ball!   

E mais umas linhas no meu CV.