My OperaBOB'S BACK in BRAZIL where he BELONGS!
Tuesday, September 4, 2007 1:17:56 AM
Blog for the week ending Monday, September 3, 2007
TUESDAY, August 28, 2007
I watered a few plants this morning and finished the Tuesday Blog before heading downtown. I visited our accountant and negotiated a better price for Gringolândia. Next stop, lunch. Heidi wasn’t feeling well, so she didn’t meet me for lunch. I walked to Gringolândia, where Eliana and I worked on our strategy for recruiting students. She called two of the pharmaceutical companies in town. Neoquimica was very cooperative. We’re also trying to find out if there is any interest at the Hyundai car factory in town. The heat must have made me sleepy today, but I did get a few other things accomplished while I was at Gringolândia. I must have been really lazy. I didn’t do much in the way of taking photos today, either.
WEDNESDAY, August 29, 2007
Today I had lunch with Heidi across the street from Gringolândia. I hauled a VCR to Gringolândia today, so I didn’t bother to take my camera along... no pix again today. Eliana and I spent the afternoon at Gringolândia going over strategy and planning how to get the word out about our English classes. There’s a big air fair at the air base in a week, so we called for info and two reps came by to give me info on how to rent a booth at the event. It’s a little too expensive, I’m afraid. Eliana is going around to the clinics and high schools with flyers advertising Gringolândia.
I worked a bit on my syllabus for the eventual teacher training course.
In the evening I watered the plants and wondered if I’d get the house in order for Bob’s Friday arrival.
THURSDAY, August 30, 2007
This morning I cleaned the whole upstairs, thinking Bob would be coming home tomorrow...
I went to Gringolândia and had lunch with Heidi, who had just made coconut brownies.
Eliana and I worked on recruiting students, and I puttered around Gringolândia, trying to get ready for any eventual students. OK. So I took an ice cream break with Mônica and Laila and Eliana.
Saulo and Célio couldn't join us.
I came home... and bought ingredients for a fruit salad. I even got mammoth tangerines.
I cleaned the main floor of the condo... and then got the phone call from Bob, in Pittsburgh, saying that due to weather problems in Atlanta, and mechanical problems at Delta, his flights were being delayed one day. So now, instead of coming home tomorrow, he’ll arrive in Brasília Saturday just after noon. Rats. His original travel plans had great connections. It looks like he’s in for another ordeal this time around.
FRIDAY, August 31, 2007
This was SUPPOSED to be the day Bob was coming back from the US.
Heidi was teaching at CCAA today, so I walked downtown for an early lunch by myself. Afterwards I stopped by the tattoo studio to see Lexy and Bianca.
Their family’s new house is painted, and is looking pretty good. The orange wall is my favorite feature.
I went to Carrefour, and on to Gringolândia. Ricardo, Eliana
and Ana Vitória came by to see me.
They are using Brian’s car,
since they had picked it up for the trip to the airport in Brasília... which is now scheduled for tomorrow.
The daytime temperatures have been around 86 degrees F.
Today I had another look at the article that’s going in “O Universitário”.
I got home right at sunset.
SATURDAY, September 1, 2007
Ricardo, Eliana and Ana Vitória came by at 9:00 this morning to pick me up and take me to Brasília.
We stopped in the suburbs to let off Eliana and Ana Vitória at the home of Eliana’s sister.
Ricardo and I continued on into Brasília... but we had time to kill before meeting Bob at the airport, so we stopped at the Hippy Fair under the TV tower,
but I didn’t find the seasonal fruit I was looking for, so we continued on to the airport.
Pedro met us at the airport, where we found out Bob’s flight was delayed... by at least 90 minutes. We went in search of lunch, but the natural food place was closed, so we went to a Lebanese bar, where I had “Swiss lemonade”, which is just regular lemonade with grated rind.
We called from “Beirute” and found out Bob’s flight would be even later, but eventually it was time to head back to the airport.
It's a beautiful open-air airport.
Bob’s flight arrived at about 2:45, over two hours late... Two hours and a DAY, actually. He was supposed to arrive yesterday, but at least Delta paid for his hotel in Pittsburgh when they canceled his original flights.
It was great to see Bob, and he looked good, considering he had been on planes and in airports for about 27 hours. We said goodbye to Pedro, and Ricardo took us back home toward Anápolis. It was too late for lunch, so we stopped along the way for pamonha.
Pamonhas are a lot like tamales. We finally got into Anápolis. Bob was glad to be home. Bob had a look at his garden, and was pleased that the plants were looking so good. He also began unpacking...
He had done a lot of shopping.
My favorite item was the personalized BOB poster he got.
Bob’s impression of the US? It’s a land of excess. Do people really NEED fried Pepsi? But he enjoyed the time he had spent with family and friends.
SUNDAY, September 2, 2007
Today Bob slept in, and then we were back to our regular schedule... meditation, lunch at Ferreirinha,
and a visit to see Heidi, Marcelo, Bianca and Lexy.
I went for a walk around the block with the girls.
Bob wore his new pirate shoes that he had bought in the USA.
Bob and I hit Carrefour and the ice cream place before walking home for a couple of videos.
LAUNDRY OF THE WEEK
Who says the laundry of the week has to be CLEAN laundry?
MONDAY, September 3, 2007
Bob and I stopped at Gringolândia this morning to drop off a few things that Bob had picked up in the US. We continued on to Chão Cerrado, where we met Heidi
for lunch.
Our efficient waiter, whose name might be something like Waldemar, demonstrated how to bus dozens of plates at once.
Bob gave Heidi some pirate shoes of her own.
Bob and I returned to Gringolândia,
where we got a few things accomplished before we decided to head home.
We pass the municipal nursery on our route.
We stopped along the way to see Marco at the lanchonete he runs with his mom.
We get to listen to live music every evening now. A marching band practices in the street right below our condo... but only for an hour or two.
LIFELIKE STATUE OF THE WEEK
This statue appeared as the main street linking downtown and the tattoo studio was being redone: Xavier de Almeida. It is apparently some lifelike artist. It only APPEARS that he is painting a billboard. In real life he probably didn't paint cartoon characters.
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