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foooood in the usa postcrossing

weeknotes, 22/26

our second week in boston was all about stamps! we attended the boston 2026 world expo, a big event that takes place in the usa every 10 years (in different cities). it’s a huge thing, with postal services, stamp dealers, and all kinds of philatelic associations and collectors coming together to celebrate stamps. usps launched a new stamp every day of the show, and the postcrossing one came out on tuesday!

friends, it was such a beautiful thing. there were speeches, pictures and autographs, but also the opportunity to meet and chat with hundreds of people throughout the week — all kind-hearted and full of beautiful stories about postcrossing. it felt amazing to be there and experience this collective joy for something we’ve been working on for over 20 years – and also to see these beautiful stamps start to make their way around the world. i want to bottle this feeling and remember it when i get frustrated in front of a computer.

we even got to chat with antónio alcalá, the usps art director responsible for many of their amazing stamps. and we met graham and laura (from pixpost and exploring stamps) too and they were both so nice! aaaaaaaaaaah! 😍

but it wasn’t just stamps! we also got a little bit of time to go to a diner with our friend addis from puerto rico, and try some other american staples, like grilled cheese sandwiches, lobster rolls, clam chowder, mac & cheese and dr. pepper!

and! we visited a local post office to see one of their historic new deal murals — something that had been on my bucket list for a while now.

sadly (but not surprisingly), after all the excitement was over we immediately became sick… 🙄 *le sigh*.

Categories
in the usa

weeknotes, 21/26

we’re in the usa! specifically in boston, for the launch of the US postcrossing stamps. it’s a BIG deal! the local postcrossers have been asking for these stamps for over a decade and USPS finally relented and made it happen, in the best way possible: with a fun format and amazing designs. so everyone was eager to see these make their debut, and we didn’t want to miss the party! :)

but anyway, this week before the event was actually relatively chilled, mostly waking up jetlagged super early in the morning and walking around the neighborhood to see some birds. all of them are new and exciting, and our life list has grown quite a bit in the time we’ve been here. northern cardinals! baltimore orioles! mourning doves! so many birds we’ve heard about but never seen… visiting a new continent is easy pickings and excitement for these newbie birdwatchers.

as is going to the supermarket and finding all the brands we usually only hear about in movies and tv series! or just walking down the street and marveling at the familiar urban architecture, the little free libraries, the sirens, the flags everywhere, the delivery vans…

boston is pretty and historical, so there’s lots to do and see. besides work, we haven’t done much apart from a few walks around north cambridge or in boston itself, but that’s ok! there are speeches to prepare and just work to get done. the excitement for the week ahead is palpable!

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weeknotes

weeknotes, 20/26

a quiet week, getting settled in aveiro. everything feels very temporary, with plates, cutlery and other things borrowed from family. but at the same time, the city is all new and fresh, with surprises (and ovos moles!) around every corner.

we registered for the buga bike scheme and i rode them around town on a couple of days. what a beautiful thing, all this infrastructure on our doorstep, ready to be used! :D

we spent a couple of days with family, picking (and eating) even more cherries straight from the trees! friday was “international day of family” and our seniors’ daycare center invited us to attend a little party they were having there — now we live close enough that we can just go and attend these things. :)

i haven’t had much time (or energy) for reading, but still finished a prayer for the crown-shy (the second book of the monk and robot series) and nana upstairs and nana downstairs these past few weeks. i’m digging into leviathan wakes now, a space opera that my czech friend recommended. it’s been fun!

i had another look at my cholesterol levels, and although they’ve improved a bit since the last check, my LDL levels are still highish. they’ve been that way since forever, and i think everyone would be more comfortable if they were actually within the limit. but how does that work, if we’re already not eating much meat at all, and close to no dairy/cheese…? well, the ovos moles might not be helping, but this feels like a complicated jigsaw puzzle without a happy solution in sight. sigh.

Categories
one second everyday

april 2026 — one second everyday

april was a busy month, full to the brim.

we started the month flying to the north (instead of driving or taking the train) for a quick visit to check on family and celebrate a birthday. back south, we spent a few weeks working, enjoying our friends and the good weather and trying to destroy the bamboo that has been threatening to take over the garden. and i also did a quick detour to pardubice to see a friend and some birds! 😍

Categories
aveiro just life

weeknotes, 18-19/26

two very full, very busy weeks. week 18 was just tidying up the house and getting it ready to leave for a bit. paulo finished hacking the bamboo that we’ve been trying to get rid of for some time, because it just keeps spreading everywhere… it was a whole thing and a hard lesson learned. never plant bamboo, kids!

we walked around town, saw birds, met friends, played games, got prescribed some more vitamin D and iron…

… and then packed the car with all the things we might need for coming north because we’re kind of moving to aveiro!

moving is not an easy decision to make, but it slowly became clear it might be a necessary one, if we want to see little niece grow up and also help out the parents without so many exhausting north-south trips. so we’re giving it a try for some time, to see how it goes. we found a 1.5 bedroom apartment in the center of aveiro, negotiated a rental contract (while stunned at the price of everything) and just drove here with our stuff.

the new place is small and central, sparsely furnished and with huge windows. there are supermarkets and all kinds of shops within walking distance, a bike sharing system, cafés that open early in the morning, the university… it feels like such a novelty to experience life in a city again (after 10 or so years in the quasi-countryside of conceição), so many possibilities and things to explore! i’m a tiny bit excited about it.

being closer to the parents also means fresh produce, like strawberries and cherries that we pick ourselves from trees! i foresee a lot of deliciousness in our future. :P