Wash. Rinse. Spin. Dry.
Wednesday, 7. February 2007, 00:18:44
Blog for the week ending February 6, 2007
So, you’re asking, what does the Anápolis weather have to do with the wash cycles on our new washer-dryer?
They call Seattle “The World’s Largest Car Wash”.
Maybe Anápolis should be called “The World’s Largest Washing Machine”.
Heavy rain = wash.
Light rain = rinse.
Wind = spin
Sun = dry
And I came 6,000 miles to get away from weather like this.
Oh well. At least rainy season doesn’t last forever, and like our new washer, the climate has a heating element for hot water, and there IS a DRY cycle.
Besides. With our new gutters and flashing, we’re ready for whatever the weather brings.
WEDNESDAY, January 31, 2007
João and his son came this morning.
The weather? Rain with clearing.
Wash cycle, dry cycle.
Brian and Lorena came. Brian worked on configuring our computer.
Bob walked downtown
Brian, Lorena and I had lunch at a place down the street where I had never been.
All you could eat for $2. Not bad.
....I love their color scheme.
Brian drove me over to the stadium,
where I could look back at Saint Germain.
Today’s accomplishment:
We kind of got the dishwasher installed…
And João cleaned out the grease trap. I took pictures of the grease trap, but they weren’t pretty.
João went up on the roof to have a look around…
The area above the upstairs bathroom is full of pipes and can’t be used as a storage space… or a view deck.
Brian and I took João to the airport house to fix the kennel faucet that had come off.
Cleo was glad to see us. The house looks kind of empty.
We all picked lemons. The neighbors' flowers were in bloom.
Brian brought me back home. The rain began, and Brian headed for home.
Euripides came to discuss the bathroom cabinets he’s going to build for us.
Juan came for English class in the evening.
THURSDAY, February 1, 2007
João and Josemar were here to work.
Their friend Nestor, the gutter guy, came to give an estimate for the new gutters and flashing.
I like to go up on the "cobertura" too.
The money transfer is being processed. Wait. My e.mail says the money transfer is for $49,980? What happened to the other $20? The government requires a transfer of $50,000 or more.
I called Marcos, the money changer. He says the transfer went through. I guess he found an extra $20 somewhere. The exchange rate: 2.11 reais per dollar. It fell from 2.13 yesterday. Oh well. Marcos e.mailed me yet another document that I need to sign and fax off somewhere. I can’t wait till this ordeal is over.
Bob and I had things to do, so we set out for a walk downtown.
We discovered a little restaurant downtown where vegetarians eat all they want
for just over a dollar… 2.50 reais.
We went to the lighting store where we had gone months ago… when we thought we’d be moving “soon”. We found some fixtures we liked.
Lighting is one of the last things to be done to the house now.
Our journey downtown had begun with hopes of finding just the right water filter for our kitchen wall… but there wasn’t much that interested us.
During a brief rain shower, we walked to Marcelo’s tattoo studio.
The sun came out, and I was able to photograph Lexy.
Lexy loves cupuaçu popsicles.
Heidi and Lexy walked with us to the granite store,
where they had measured and cut our countertop wrong. Oh well. The correct counter should be ready tomorrow. On our way home we stopped at the faucet store to pick up the faucet for our second kitchen sink.
When we got to the “praça”, I decided to walk home, and Bob decided to walk way off to the horizon where a water filter was waiting at the home supply store.
João and Josemar were here until nearly 6:00, finishing off their list of projects. The rain might have been another reason they stayed around so late.
Ricardo, our painter, stopped by to deliver some homemade bread.
At 7:00 Maribel came for her English lesson.
Afterwards, Bob and I watched our soap opera.
I’m looking at Juan’s and Maribel’s Volkswagen with renewed interest. It’s for sale, and she and Juan are going to offer me a deal. Used cars here sell for two or three times what they’d go for in the States. Too bad their car runs only on gasoline. Most cars now run on both alcohol and gasoline.
FRIDAY, February 2, 2007
Groundhog’s Day would have no utility in Brazil, as far as I can figure out. Some varmint could stick its head out of its hole, and then what? Predict six more weeks of summer? What would be the point? It’s always summery here.
João and his son were here again today, one last time, to finish up all of the things on their to-do list.
The granite countertop and sink arrived first thing in the morning.
I spent the morning fighting with the computer. The computer always wins. Why is it telling me it’s trying to download 1,283 messages?
I had to go to the post office to send a fax to Brasilia… Some bank document with my signature at the bottom. Most of the things I do these days seem to be bizarre fraternity initiation rites or pranks… things I do on a dare. Sending money here, sending documents there. Send this stranger money. Send that stranger money. Open a bank account. No, open a different account. Get authenticated copies of these papers… those papers…
Bob and I walked to the building supply store to pick up a gallon of granite sealant and a gallon of varnish… and a bunch of other things we need for the house. On the way back we stopped so I could pay property taxes and some garbage service fee I didn’t even know about.
We also came home with a new door mat, to continue the Chinese theme we started.
Brian dropped by for a visit,
and tried to get the squeak out of the refrigerator door. João installed the gas stove, but it scared me, so I had Brian test it out. All of our eyebrows are still intact. The gas stove works better than Brian’s car.
Something about the engine overheating and having to pour gallons and gallons of water in the radiator.
The Big News:
Thanks to João and Josemar, Bob and I now have a fully functioning kitchen.
I never thought I’d live to see the day. OK, so we don’t have kitchen cabinets, or even things to put in potential cabinets, but we do have a room full of functioning appliances.
I’m already beginning to wonder what I’ll do with myself when the house is fully assembled and the visa work is done. We’ll probably buy a car and I’ll either look for a job or try to turn Gringolândia into a profitable enterprise.
Bob and I went for a walk in the evening… the usual places… bank machine, video store… And I stopped at the grocery store cuz we were out of banana cookies. And besides, our gatekeeper, Júnior, needed crackers.
The construction continues next door.
Juan had the night off from English, so Bob and I watched our soap opera together. I missed the first six months of the show, but I’m beginning to figure out the characters and the plot.
SATURDAY, February 3, 2007
This morning I woke up to a rainy, gray “Seattle” day.
Then things started to go downhill from there. Brian thinks this blog entry is a downer. I think maybe there is some connection between the weather and my mood. Be that as it may...
The gutter guy showed up with our new gutters, but he was turned away by the gatekeeper, or “porteiro”.
It seems that people can only come here to the condo to work Monday through Friday. I’m not sure why. It can’t be noise abatement, since everyone makes as much noise as they want. I have yet to see the condo rules that we’re supposed to be following.
Bob and I walked downtown and ordered 18 lighting fixtures for the house, to be installed later.
It rained on us coming home, but when it’s in the 70s, I don’t seem to mind. If the weather washes and dries my clothes while I walk, then it’s one less thing to put in the laundry. Brian says I should carry soap in my pockets for these occasions.
We went grocery shopping, and came home. I was tired. I wanted to take a nap.
But then I discovered the new sink was leaking. I lay down for a nap. Then Bob came in. The gas stove-oven wasn’t working. As it turns out, the electrical outlet that controls the automatic start had come unplugged.
Just as I was about asleep, Lawyer #2 called to tell me how to run Gringolândia, and said he had found all kinds of lots and houses for me to buy for the school.
Then Bob tried to run a load of dishes in the new dishwasher. Oh oh. It’s leaking all over the new cabinet. I wonder why I have a headache.
Bob made pizza, and we watched a video.
Then things began to improve. He made açaí juice in our new blender, and I would have taken pictures of it, but my camera battery went dead. So I put in the two eight-dollar-each rechargeable batteries I had just bought, but no luck. They didn’t work.
Bob told me not to be discouraged. The other sink works. The blender works. The oven works. The refrigerator works. And the washing machine works, so we can wash all the towels we used cleaning up one kitchen disaster after another.
I took pictures of birds on the roof. I wanted them to be parrots.
I think they tried their best, too, but in the end they were just some nondescript gray bird unknown to science.
Quote of the week
This week as Bob was having a bad day, he said, “I want to learn Portuguese so I can YELL at everyone!” That’s culture shock for you.
“Everyone is doing all the wrong things for no good reason” is how Bob stated it ten years ago when he came to Brazil for the first time.
SUNDAY, February 4, 2007
Today the weather went through each of the washer-dryer cycles…
Wash cycle, rinse cycle, spin cycle, dry cycle. The earthly elements went through each cycle as if in a big hurry to get the city cleaned and dried for the week to come.
Bob took a hint from the ambitious weather and cleaned the house.
Up
and down.
I puttered around.
We went for a walk and ended up at our neighborhood Chinese restaurant, where the Brazilian owner admitted that he learned how to cook from a Japanese friend in São Paulo state. That would explain the Chinese yakisoba.
Bob and I had the chef prepare us a special vegetarian curry dish, with lots of broccoli.
For dessert we had apple dumplings.
Our walk took us past purple and green scenery.
Even though it’s summer, we wore our jackets during the rinse cycles.
The temperatures are still in the 70s, but it doesn’t take long to get soaked to the bone.
I still enjoy the view from our upper deck. The new big huge Carrefour store is visible from our house.
It should be opening later this month.
In the evening we watched a Spanish video.
MONDAY, February 5, 2007
The painters’ stuff has sat on the roof for a week now. Maybe longer. The rainy weather just won’t let up. They were supposed to come back on the first sunny day. Yeah, it’s in the 70s all the time, but still, I’m ready for some sun.
The gutter guy came this morning, and worked through the day, installing flashing and gutters.
The lighting store delivered the fixtures, but the installer was in Goiânia, so we have to wait for another day.
We'll really miss our current fixtures.
Brian dropped by and fixed our new leaky sink and our new leaky dishwasher.
For someone who keeps airplanes in the air, fixing such problems was easy. We ran the dishwasher through a full cycle for the first time today. We were so excited, we forgot to put dishes in it first.
I didn’t leave our walled compound until 7:00 in the evening when Juan came by for his English lesson.
He left his homework at home, so I said, “Hey, why don’t you give Bob and me a test drive in the car you’re trying to sell us.”
So we went and visited Juan’s family and the furniture Juan will give us when he moves to the USA.
TUESDAY, February 6, 2007
João came by with his son-in-law today to do a few last-minute things and to pick up the tools he had left.
The condo supervisor dropped by to answer some of my questions. I finally have access to the nine-page list of condo rules.
The sun appeared briefly today, off and on. The weather would make me think I was at the Oregon Coast, or in Seattle, except that it’s still in the 70s.
This being Tuesday, I worked on my Tuesday Blog.
Bob walked over to the tattoo shop to see Heidi and speak Portuguese. I stayed home and waited for the electrician to install our light fixtures. First thing in the morning means 4:00 pm. I keep forgetting about the six hour time difference between promise and reality.
Maribel came by for her English lesson in the evening. Then we watched our soap opera.
We’re happy with the way the lighting turned out. Some of the fixtures are on back order, so we can save some of the excitement for later.
The rumor is that we’ll have sun tomorrow. The prediction is likely 3% correct. We really need the DRY cycle.
I always like to end the laundry cycle with DRY.
So, you’re asking, what does the Anápolis weather have to do with the wash cycles on our new washer-dryer?
They call Seattle “The World’s Largest Car Wash”.
Maybe Anápolis should be called “The World’s Largest Washing Machine”.
Heavy rain = wash.
Light rain = rinse.
Wind = spin
Sun = dry
And I came 6,000 miles to get away from weather like this.
Oh well. At least rainy season doesn’t last forever, and like our new washer, the climate has a heating element for hot water, and there IS a DRY cycle.
Besides. With our new gutters and flashing, we’re ready for whatever the weather brings.
WEDNESDAY, January 31, 2007
João and his son came this morning.
The weather? Rain with clearing.
Wash cycle, dry cycle.
Brian and Lorena came. Brian worked on configuring our computer.
Bob walked downtown
Brian, Lorena and I had lunch at a place down the street where I had never been.
All you could eat for $2. Not bad.
....I love their color scheme.
Brian drove me over to the stadium,
where I could look back at Saint Germain.
Today’s accomplishment:
We kind of got the dishwasher installed…
And João cleaned out the grease trap. I took pictures of the grease trap, but they weren’t pretty.
João went up on the roof to have a look around…
The area above the upstairs bathroom is full of pipes and can’t be used as a storage space… or a view deck.
Brian and I took João to the airport house to fix the kennel faucet that had come off.
Cleo was glad to see us. The house looks kind of empty.
We all picked lemons. The neighbors' flowers were in bloom.
Brian brought me back home. The rain began, and Brian headed for home.
Euripides came to discuss the bathroom cabinets he’s going to build for us.
Juan came for English class in the evening.
THURSDAY, February 1, 2007
João and Josemar were here to work.
Their friend Nestor, the gutter guy, came to give an estimate for the new gutters and flashing.
I like to go up on the "cobertura" too.
The money transfer is being processed. Wait. My e.mail says the money transfer is for $49,980? What happened to the other $20? The government requires a transfer of $50,000 or more.
I called Marcos, the money changer. He says the transfer went through. I guess he found an extra $20 somewhere. The exchange rate: 2.11 reais per dollar. It fell from 2.13 yesterday. Oh well. Marcos e.mailed me yet another document that I need to sign and fax off somewhere. I can’t wait till this ordeal is over.
Bob and I had things to do, so we set out for a walk downtown.
We discovered a little restaurant downtown where vegetarians eat all they want
for just over a dollar… 2.50 reais.
We went to the lighting store where we had gone months ago… when we thought we’d be moving “soon”. We found some fixtures we liked.
Lighting is one of the last things to be done to the house now.
Our journey downtown had begun with hopes of finding just the right water filter for our kitchen wall… but there wasn’t much that interested us.
During a brief rain shower, we walked to Marcelo’s tattoo studio.
The sun came out, and I was able to photograph Lexy.
Lexy loves cupuaçu popsicles.
Heidi and Lexy walked with us to the granite store,
where they had measured and cut our countertop wrong. Oh well. The correct counter should be ready tomorrow. On our way home we stopped at the faucet store to pick up the faucet for our second kitchen sink.
When we got to the “praça”, I decided to walk home, and Bob decided to walk way off to the horizon where a water filter was waiting at the home supply store.
João and Josemar were here until nearly 6:00, finishing off their list of projects. The rain might have been another reason they stayed around so late.
Ricardo, our painter, stopped by to deliver some homemade bread.
At 7:00 Maribel came for her English lesson.
Afterwards, Bob and I watched our soap opera.
I’m looking at Juan’s and Maribel’s Volkswagen with renewed interest. It’s for sale, and she and Juan are going to offer me a deal. Used cars here sell for two or three times what they’d go for in the States. Too bad their car runs only on gasoline. Most cars now run on both alcohol and gasoline.
FRIDAY, February 2, 2007
Groundhog’s Day would have no utility in Brazil, as far as I can figure out. Some varmint could stick its head out of its hole, and then what? Predict six more weeks of summer? What would be the point? It’s always summery here.
João and his son were here again today, one last time, to finish up all of the things on their to-do list.
The granite countertop and sink arrived first thing in the morning.
I spent the morning fighting with the computer. The computer always wins. Why is it telling me it’s trying to download 1,283 messages?
I had to go to the post office to send a fax to Brasilia… Some bank document with my signature at the bottom. Most of the things I do these days seem to be bizarre fraternity initiation rites or pranks… things I do on a dare. Sending money here, sending documents there. Send this stranger money. Send that stranger money. Open a bank account. No, open a different account. Get authenticated copies of these papers… those papers…
Bob and I walked to the building supply store to pick up a gallon of granite sealant and a gallon of varnish… and a bunch of other things we need for the house. On the way back we stopped so I could pay property taxes and some garbage service fee I didn’t even know about.
We also came home with a new door mat, to continue the Chinese theme we started.
Brian dropped by for a visit,
and tried to get the squeak out of the refrigerator door. João installed the gas stove, but it scared me, so I had Brian test it out. All of our eyebrows are still intact. The gas stove works better than Brian’s car.
Something about the engine overheating and having to pour gallons and gallons of water in the radiator.
The Big News:
Thanks to João and Josemar, Bob and I now have a fully functioning kitchen.
I never thought I’d live to see the day. OK, so we don’t have kitchen cabinets, or even things to put in potential cabinets, but we do have a room full of functioning appliances.
I’m already beginning to wonder what I’ll do with myself when the house is fully assembled and the visa work is done. We’ll probably buy a car and I’ll either look for a job or try to turn Gringolândia into a profitable enterprise.
Bob and I went for a walk in the evening… the usual places… bank machine, video store… And I stopped at the grocery store cuz we were out of banana cookies. And besides, our gatekeeper, Júnior, needed crackers.
The construction continues next door.
Juan had the night off from English, so Bob and I watched our soap opera together. I missed the first six months of the show, but I’m beginning to figure out the characters and the plot.
SATURDAY, February 3, 2007
This morning I woke up to a rainy, gray “Seattle” day.
Then things started to go downhill from there. Brian thinks this blog entry is a downer. I think maybe there is some connection between the weather and my mood. Be that as it may...
The gutter guy showed up with our new gutters, but he was turned away by the gatekeeper, or “porteiro”.
It seems that people can only come here to the condo to work Monday through Friday. I’m not sure why. It can’t be noise abatement, since everyone makes as much noise as they want. I have yet to see the condo rules that we’re supposed to be following.
Bob and I walked downtown and ordered 18 lighting fixtures for the house, to be installed later.
It rained on us coming home, but when it’s in the 70s, I don’t seem to mind. If the weather washes and dries my clothes while I walk, then it’s one less thing to put in the laundry. Brian says I should carry soap in my pockets for these occasions.
We went grocery shopping, and came home. I was tired. I wanted to take a nap.
But then I discovered the new sink was leaking. I lay down for a nap. Then Bob came in. The gas stove-oven wasn’t working. As it turns out, the electrical outlet that controls the automatic start had come unplugged.
Just as I was about asleep, Lawyer #2 called to tell me how to run Gringolândia, and said he had found all kinds of lots and houses for me to buy for the school.
Then Bob tried to run a load of dishes in the new dishwasher. Oh oh. It’s leaking all over the new cabinet. I wonder why I have a headache.
Bob made pizza, and we watched a video.
Then things began to improve. He made açaí juice in our new blender, and I would have taken pictures of it, but my camera battery went dead. So I put in the two eight-dollar-each rechargeable batteries I had just bought, but no luck. They didn’t work.
Bob told me not to be discouraged. The other sink works. The blender works. The oven works. The refrigerator works. And the washing machine works, so we can wash all the towels we used cleaning up one kitchen disaster after another.
I took pictures of birds on the roof. I wanted them to be parrots.
I think they tried their best, too, but in the end they were just some nondescript gray bird unknown to science.
Quote of the week
This week as Bob was having a bad day, he said, “I want to learn Portuguese so I can YELL at everyone!” That’s culture shock for you.
“Everyone is doing all the wrong things for no good reason” is how Bob stated it ten years ago when he came to Brazil for the first time.
SUNDAY, February 4, 2007
Today the weather went through each of the washer-dryer cycles…
Wash cycle, rinse cycle, spin cycle, dry cycle. The earthly elements went through each cycle as if in a big hurry to get the city cleaned and dried for the week to come.
Bob took a hint from the ambitious weather and cleaned the house.
Up
and down.
I puttered around.
We went for a walk and ended up at our neighborhood Chinese restaurant, where the Brazilian owner admitted that he learned how to cook from a Japanese friend in São Paulo state. That would explain the Chinese yakisoba.
Bob and I had the chef prepare us a special vegetarian curry dish, with lots of broccoli.
For dessert we had apple dumplings.
Our walk took us past purple and green scenery.
Even though it’s summer, we wore our jackets during the rinse cycles.
The temperatures are still in the 70s, but it doesn’t take long to get soaked to the bone.
I still enjoy the view from our upper deck. The new big huge Carrefour store is visible from our house.
It should be opening later this month.
In the evening we watched a Spanish video.
MONDAY, February 5, 2007
The painters’ stuff has sat on the roof for a week now. Maybe longer. The rainy weather just won’t let up. They were supposed to come back on the first sunny day. Yeah, it’s in the 70s all the time, but still, I’m ready for some sun.
The gutter guy came this morning, and worked through the day, installing flashing and gutters.
The lighting store delivered the fixtures, but the installer was in Goiânia, so we have to wait for another day.
We'll really miss our current fixtures.
Brian dropped by and fixed our new leaky sink and our new leaky dishwasher.
For someone who keeps airplanes in the air, fixing such problems was easy. We ran the dishwasher through a full cycle for the first time today. We were so excited, we forgot to put dishes in it first.
I didn’t leave our walled compound until 7:00 in the evening when Juan came by for his English lesson.
He left his homework at home, so I said, “Hey, why don’t you give Bob and me a test drive in the car you’re trying to sell us.”
So we went and visited Juan’s family and the furniture Juan will give us when he moves to the USA.
TUESDAY, February 6, 2007
João came by with his son-in-law today to do a few last-minute things and to pick up the tools he had left.
The condo supervisor dropped by to answer some of my questions. I finally have access to the nine-page list of condo rules.
The sun appeared briefly today, off and on. The weather would make me think I was at the Oregon Coast, or in Seattle, except that it’s still in the 70s.
This being Tuesday, I worked on my Tuesday Blog.
Bob walked over to the tattoo shop to see Heidi and speak Portuguese. I stayed home and waited for the electrician to install our light fixtures. First thing in the morning means 4:00 pm. I keep forgetting about the six hour time difference between promise and reality.
Maribel came by for her English lesson in the evening. Then we watched our soap opera.
We’re happy with the way the lighting turned out. Some of the fixtures are on back order, so we can save some of the excitement for later.
The rumor is that we’ll have sun tomorrow. The prediction is likely 3% correct. We really need the DRY cycle.
I always like to end the laundry cycle with DRY.
WIDGETIZE
Anonymous # 7. February 2007, 23:23
And when you are all "enrolado", it means that you are in the "spin" (centrifugar) cycle?