Portugal, The Man

That's actually the name of a band from Alaska. I never heard it though.

Here's a caption if you're having doubts of where its at. (Yes, Azores and Madeira are part of Portugal too even though they wish they weren't. Conversely, Galicia wishes they were.)

So, June 10th, Portugal Day. If Italy is the boot of Europe then Portugal is its face. And the nose would be its capital.

Its funny how Portugal has become so hip these days. Most Europeans have heard of Mourinho for obvious reasons (although he's not the specimen we're the most proud of but, then again, we all have a little Mourinho inside of us.... eww, that came out wrong). Overseas we have Nelly Furtado (which means "stolen" BTW) pretending to have a real passion for this country which I find completely insincere and wish she would just stfu but whatever. Also, these days, Portugal has been showing up all over the place. You can find a "Portugal Yell" in one of buffalax's hits, mentions to it on various sitcoms (Arrested Development, New Adventures of Old Christine, etc) mostly as this obscure country that they've heard about but aren't really sure where its at and what it does, and it continues to be, as it has always been, a favorite holiday destination for the middle class of colder regions like the UK, Germany and the phallus of Europe (Scandinavia).

All in all, I find it a great country to be in. Weather is always nice, we're not bankrupt (yet) and... did I mention the weather is always nice? The food is tasty, the booze is intoxicating, the people are short and friendly, even more so these past few years (except the "short" part, we're getting taller) and the sidewalk is always awesome, albeit a bit dangerous. There is history here. My favorite part of it would be it's origins. Over a thousand years ago this dude stood up and said "fuck this, I don't even like the spanish anyway", rebelled against his mother and proceeded to create a country of his own. Some time later some other dude said "this feels a little cramped here, right? Let's check out the rest of the world." And so they did. Of course, like all the big empires it eventually fell through but who gives a crap. T'was an awesome initiative. I also like the story of Martim Moniz. The most legendary tank wall ever.

I have come to the realisation that I am as dedicated to Destruction as I am to being portuguese. I mean, sure I may visit other countries and learn to speak different languages but this is where I belong, where I reside and what I fight for. Although, unlike Destro, Portugal has lost the habit of imposing its beliefs on the rest of the world. Still, I feel warm inside when I think about both. The bigges difference would be, as a Destro, I feel like part of history in the making.

I love my country. In a healthy european way of loving one's country. It's like so small and cosy and friendly and tasty.
And did I mention the weather is awesome?

Happy Portugal Day everybody!