Getting Cleaned Up

Poor Java. I took her today to the pet care place in our complex for a banho (bath). When I picked her up, they had bedazzled her. She had sequins on her ears and even a bindi between her eyes. Can't you see the humiliation in this homedog's face? Our poor adopted mutt from the streets of Detroit is now jeweled. We had a good laugh.

Speaking of cleaning up, how about those Spartans?? Ro and Jackson watched the game on the computer. Thanks cbssports.com! Go Green.

This weekend we took in the international scene. On Saturday, Hannah and I went to the International Festival at Chapel, the rival international school. We pigged out on Mexican, Taiwanese, Indian, German and Greek cuisine (and we didn't even come close to visiting all the stations). We took Flat Ben with us and had some fun getting people to pose with him. The next day, the entire family went to Liberdade, the Japanese district of Sao Paulo. There were lots of cheap items for sale on the street from vendors and we ventured into a few shops. Ben found his way into the hands of a street performer. I plan to bring Ben back to the States with me on April 14 but maybe we'll keep him here in Sao Paulo. He's having a good time.

A Day at the Policia Federal

Flat Ben, a class project of my nephew Ben, visited the Policia Federal today in pursuit of his RNE card, the Brazilian equivalent of a green card. After taking a few fun photos with my guide Mara, we put Ben away and went upstairs. It should have been a quick signature and goodbye. Instead, my card was handed to me with an M in the Sexo field. Big trouble. I asked Mara if they meant mulher, the Brazilian word for woman. Not a chance. Did it mean I have sexo with males? Nope. It meant masculino. The Brazilian government has coded me as a male. So all the applications I filled out in November are now null and void because they are wrong. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! So I spent the next hour getting new fingerprints, new photos and filling out the paperwork again. I figure I'll get the card about the same time I leave Brazil. Mara thought it would be at least six months.

I kept hearing the Beyonce song over and over, "If I were a boy...."

Waffles!

Thought I'd share the first piece off my loom (notice the colors are kind of similar to the Brazilian flag which I didn't notice until I was finishing it). I finally completed the ends of it last night. It is a waffle weave made from cotton I bought with my friends at the Ann Arbor Festival last year. The weft is a rik rak rayon. It is 96 inches long! I lost about an inch in width when I washed it but the length stayed. Guess it will be a good scarf to tie around a couple of times during those cold evenings in Brazil (not!)


I am going to dive into my Habu stainless steel/wool next. It is so thin you can't call it yarn...it is more like thread. The pattern is an 8-block shadow huck and I am going to combine the stainless/wool with some leftover alpaca/silk from another piece. Wish me luck.

Ah! Brazil!!

After a grueling month of layoffs and cutbacks at work, I raced out of Detroit probably a little too early so I could get to Brazil to see my brother Tim and his girlfriend Jennifer who were visiting. They were leaving on Friday so I landed mid-day on Thursday. What's my rush?? When I got here, they were having a relaxing vacation. It was exactly what I needed. I can learn a lot from them. After a big beef dinner at a churrascaria Thursday night, we had a nice visit and trekked around Ibirapuera Park on Friday. The park has a modern art museum, beautiful paths and bridges and lots of people running and biking. What a pleasant day and a great chance to breathe again after all the stress.

It is really nice to be home.



These pictures were taken at the Monumento às Bandeiras, just outside the Park.

Home to SP

I had the hardest day today. I had to let two really talented people go from my Automotive News team. They were in way better shape than I was when I gave them the news. Both were real professionals as I ripped their world apart. I feel terrible.

This was a grueling month of duty.

But, I get to go home to Sao Paulo now. I am flying home (through Toronto??) tomorrow night.

Say a prayer for my friends.

Still in the US

I am starting my third (!) week here in the States. If I stay all this week, I'll have been home longer than I have been in Brazil. I have really hard, hard work ahead of me at Crain, but if nothing is slated to happen for a few weeks, I am going to high tail it back to SP. I can do a lot of it long distance. I should know more about timing tomorrow.

I must say though, I do so love my friends. In the last week, I've dined with Trish, Linda, Kim, Miriam, Shelia, Paula, Sean and Amber. I even went to the St. Clare Auction last night and caught up with so many wonderful people. I am very lucky but if I keep eating this well, I'll never fit into my clothes.

Today I went and saw Slumdog Millionaire. I am so glad I did. Awesome movie!

Cross your fingers that I get to return to my family soon.

Catching Up with Friends and Family

One good thing about being home for a week or more is that it has given me a chance to see a bunch of friends and family. On Saturday, I stopped by my weaving class (oh, how I miss that group!) and then went to Dawson's first birthday party. He fell asleep during his gifts. I bet this is the only year in his whole life that he'll crash as he opens presents. By next year, he'll get it. Saturday night, I went out to dinner with the Santoscoys and Thomases and then saw Rosemary in Godspell. Very fun. On Sunday, I was driving through Highland after stopping at the funeral home for Aunt Ellen Jo and dropped in on Lori. Good to see those Emme Boys. Man, are they getting big. As nice as the visits are, I really want to go home to SP. I still have no clue when I can leave.