Locuria

I think everyone in Brazil is crazy. I hope any Brazilian person reading this isn't upset by this statement but I believe it to be true. There are different kinds of crazy of course. There is good crazy and bad crazy. There is a little crazy and a lot crazy. There are young people who are crazy and old people that are crazy. There are people crazy from being poor and people crazy from the heat. There are crazy people that one sex and crazy people that want money. Whatever the reason everyone here is crazy. I am sure if I stay here for two many years I will probably become crazy too. Hopefully in a good way and not in a bad way. I tell Toni he is crazy all the time. His response is that he is crazy for me. Whatever the reason he is still crazy. Maybe I am already crazy. I did sell my apartment ( well, almost ) quit a good job and moved to the another side of the globe.

We have still been drinking a lot. The other night we made it till 1030 am without drinking but then we ended up having 4 beers while playing Playstation 3. Friday we had nothing to do so I demanded we go to the beach. We went to the bank first because I still need my CDF card. A CDF card is kind of like a identity card that you need to buy anything really expensive or even get phone service. They are suppose to be pretty easy to obtain. You just ask for one in the Banco do Brazil. Unfortunately they wanted a bill or statement with Toni's address on it. We did not have it so we continued to Copacabana beach. I helped Toni with his English homework as we drank beer. The water wasn't too cold but the waves were huge. Most of the other swimmers had boogy boards so I guess it is good for that. After the beach we had a late lunch. It was another pay por kilo restaurant but it was really good. I had spaghetti with cheese sauce, baked chicken and breaded pork. We then went to see Toni's friend Luiza, the dentist. Toni has a small space between his two front teeth ( kind of like Madonna ). It had been filled in but it somehow fell out. We spent an hour there. We then went to the market and got more groceries. We also went to the liquor store because we were getting low on whiskey.

When we got home I started cleaning and Toni started cooking. We also drank Whiskey. It was Halloween but my box with the Halloween costumes had never arrived so we decided to stay in. Toni also had a client coming in at 9am on Saturday. After dinner we did watch Halloween on TV. It felt a little strange seeing a movie that I have seen a hundred times and is quite normal to watch in my new life that sometimes feels so strange. Toni says he wasn't scared but he was clutching my hand the whole last 15 minutes. The next day he told me he had a nightmare I was trying to kill him with a knife. We are all crazy here in Rio. Happy Halloween.

Rio Comprido

Yesterday morning the phone rang early. A young man from Ponto Frio was here to put together are furniture. The young man was pretty cool and was able to put everything together in 2 or 3 hours. Watching him I could see it would have been horrible for us to do. Once everything was together we were finally able to arrange everything.

After being in Rio Comprido for three weeks I don't think it is as dangerous as Toni says. Its not terrible exciting either. Basically there is the one main street that goes to the main plaza. It takes me about 10 minutes or less to get to the plaza. At the plaza is a park surrounded by stores. There are two supermarkets, a video store ( Yes they still have them here ) a hardware store, a gift store and Bobs hamburgers ( which is there version of McDonald's even though they have lots of McDonald's here too ). After making this claim I have to tell you me and Toni witnessed our first crime today. We were walking to the plaza to go to the hardware store when two men come running down the street ( Rua ) at full tilt. The first guy was really skinny in baggy shirt and pants and the second guy was young and dressed like a student. He was yelling Solta bolsa! ( drop the bag ). The man was caring something and as he went a few more feet he did drop a purse. The man continued running after his though. Toni saw that the man was rummaging through the purse as he ran so he dropped it after removing the wallet. A few older men on the street picked up the purse. A few minutes later the young man returned and took the purse. A few minutes after that we reached the Plaza and I notice everyone was milling about watching something. We walked over to the Hardware store which was closed and Toni pointed out the Federal police walking the thief down the street. His pants had come down so he was walking in his underwear. Even though I am not happy to notice the first crime in my neighborhood but at least the police got him. Since we were at the plaza anyway we went to the supermarket and bought 2 more 12 packs of beer.

When we returned we cleaned the house. Toni's' friend Luzia was visiting. She was the lady we had dinner with the first week I was here. She brought two bottle of wine that is always a good thing. Toni served a spicy cheese we had bought earlier. We not only opened both bottles of wine but two bottles Toni had. We talked, well they talked and I mostly listened, for about 4 hours. Luzia is a dentist. She is a nice older lady with blond hair. I had made Tacos for Toni the other day but he did not like them because they were to spicy. I made one for her though and she loved it. Mexican food doesn't seem as popular here as in the United States. We called a Taxi for her and she left.

This morning Toni woke up late. I got up and watched Smallville and two and a half men on the Warner channel. My main channels here are Warner channel, Sony, FX, Universal channel, TNT and FOX. For the most part all the TV shows are in English with Portuguese subtitles. Movies being the exception, they are mostly dubbed. I do miss my TIVO dearly though...hopefully they will discover DVRs here soon.

This morning it was raining again. Toni does not have to work. I am going a little crazy staying in the apartment so much. We are going to Copacabana tomorrow because Toni's' client Aparacida needs her make-up done. Today we will probably work on the apartment. The owners' driver is suppose to come and pick up somethings she still has here. Hopefully everything will be finished soon. Until then I think I will start looking at ways to make money online. Anyone have any ideas?

Third week in brazil.

Saturday we ended up meeting Tonis friend Helena and her crew. The restaurant was really beautiful. It was located in Botafago which is west of us and north of Copacabana. It was right on the water. We started with wine and then switched to whiskey and red bull. We had duck in orange sauce served with rice and mango. After dinner we returned to the sushi restaurant in Ipanema.

Sunday after a late start at home we finally went to the beach. It was hot and pretty crowded. We chose a location at the end of copacabana beach because the waves are a little less strong. We ordered beers from the sellers that walked by on the beach. I got into the ocean twice. It was freezing but still great. Toni told me that in the northeast the water is a lot warmer..but of course the waters are filled with sharks. Knowing this I know prefer the cold beaches. Toni is worries a lot so sometimes I take what he says with a grain of salt but when someone mentions sharks I tend to believe them.

After the beach we met up with Tonis' friends Jean Willis ( winner of Big Brother brasil season 5 ) and went to a drag show. It was in a theater a short walk north. It was somewhat entertaining but not the best since I missed a lot of the jokes. Plus the classic Brazilian songs are pretty well lost on me.

After the show we went and had dinner at Eclipse. It is located in Copacabana on Nossa senhora avenue. We ordered steak with potatoes for two.

Monday we got up late and took the dogs out. One more of my boxes arrived from New York so that was good. Me and Toni went to the supermercado ( supermarket ) and bought groceries for the week. It is always interesting to see what they have that's different. There is a lot of fruit from the amazon that I have never seen. There is a lot less variety though of boxed and canned items. Today we are staying home. Neither of us have anything to do so I am going to make Mexican for dinner. Tomorrow we have errands we have to do in Copacabana.

life goes on....

The drama with our furniture hasn't ended. Ponto Frio charged tonis card twice on the one transaction so he had to get in and yell at them for like an hour. Later that night they called us to say they would give him cash back. We then went all the way into copacabana and went to the store. They finally did give us the cash but we had to wait a half hour for them to find it. We then went shopping but it was so late all the furniture stores were closed. We took another Taxi to Rio Sol which is a large mall. They didn't have any good furniture stores so we ended up going to a jewelry store and ordering are rings. We got plane bands of white gold. It would take a few days for them to arrive. We then had Pizza at the food court.

A few days later i went with Toni to his clients house. Her name is Aparacida and she made us a wonderful lunch. She warmed up rice and beans. The beans in Brazil normally contain some sausage or pork. She fried some eggs and served them with peas. She fried everyone a steak. For desert she served oranges, watermelon and Dulce pudding with coconut. I was really full. I left and went shopping as Toni did her hair. I found a really great CD store called Modern Sound. It is the best CD store I have found in Rio so far. It had a great collection of Brazilian and Import music. I bought RBD ( Mexican group ) in Portuguese and Rihanna for Toni. I met up with Toni and we went to the beach. We sat in one of the restaurants and drank beer. I finally got to go into the water which was freezing cold but still great. The waves were really big so I didn't go to far from the beach.

Later we went Table shopping again. Unfortunately the only table we liked that was cheap was Ponto Frio. Toni had to talk to the salesgirl for an hour because she kept on one to make us pay for insurance which we don't want to pay for. She would say it protects the chairs if they break. We would tell her we don't care. Finally we did get it rung up. She still charged us 30 extra raeis but we were to tired to care.

Friday we went to see the Lawyer. The anti discrimination laws that protect Homosexuals have only been around since last February so the lawyers are still getting used to them. We had two lawyers that were really nice ladies in there early 30s. They said that for the formal proposal we have to be together a year. That means we have bank accounts and pay bills together. Of course we just started living together so it basically means I can't get a work visa until after a year. I also can only stay in the country for 3 months on a Tourist visa. I can go to the airport and request 3 more months but that is still only half a year. The lawyer said a good option would be a student visa. Normally that is done from a foreigners country so I might have to go back to New York to do it. I was of course concerned about the time this would take and the money. Toni doesn't seem to upset about it. He is pretty positive everything will work out.

We went shopping afterwords in a huge market downtown. It is crazy and there are small booths and shops everywhere. We got a lot of things for the kitchen and bathroom. We did splurge and got two more games for the Playstation 3. Unfortunately we paid two much but games here are hard to find. Brazil has there own video games units that I thing would be very bad compared to our. At home we cleaned the whole house. Scrubbing all the floors. Toni hooked up the hose for the washing machine so we were finally able to do a load of wash. We also drank beer while we were cleaning which made everything a little less painful.

In the evening we went and had dinner with Helena and her friends. It was at a sushi restaurant on the lake. We drank lots of wine. There was a musician who sat at our table and played the guitar and sang for us. Helena held my hand and sang too me. It was pretty late by the time we got home and we were both pretty tipsy.

Saturday Toni was hungover. Punto Frio called and they brought up our table. It all came in boxes to be assembled so Toni spent and hour on the phone trying to arrange someone to come assemble it. We still have the other things to be assembled too. I find it pretty humorous that you buy something and have to wait a few weeks to have it put together. Later the front door man called and said that we had a box. It was one of the three I sent. It had gotten knocked around and a few things were broken. Everything else I unpacked. Toni heated up our lunch which was a stewed fish he made the night before. You serve it over rice. Today we have to go to Copacabana because Toni has English school. I will probably go along and get some exercise. I am not sure what we are doing tonight but tomorrow we will spend a day at the beach.

Tuesday in Copacabana

Last night we stayed up a little late. Helena called and invited us to have drinks. We went to one of the same restaurants as we did on Friday. It is located on the coast of the lake ( Lagoa ). There were seven of us in all. Me and Toni drank Whiskey and red bull. We were served Empanadas and later a pasta with chicken dish.

We woke up to the phone and it was our new lawyer. She is going to send us an email about what we needed to do. She wasn't extremely encouraging. She said we had to prove that we are together for at least a year. That would mean that I won't be able to work for a year. She also said that I can only stay for 6 months. I could tell Toni was a little upset but its best to stay calm until we know what really is going to happen. Definitely living in South America is teaching me to live one day at a time.

Toni had a client in Copacabana beach so we walked the dogs quick and made breakfast ( cafe de manha ). I went with him and walked around the neighborhood. Copacabana to me seems like a much busier and bigger south beach. I had lunch at one of pay per kilo restaurants which are big in Rio. You go in and they give you a ticket. You take your plate and fill up and then they weigh it. You sit down and someone comes to take your drink order. I got some potatoes and chicken with a Empada ( a baby empanada that is round in shape ). Afterword you go to a cashier and pay and finally you give the receipt at the lady at the door so you can leave. I walked over to Ipanema beach and walked in the sand. I was alone so I couldn't go swimming so I turned around and got back to Copacabana just as Toni called. We ran some errands and then took a taxi back home. In order to get to Rio comprido you have to go around the lake at Lagoa and then pass through two tunnels. Unfortunaley a truck and broke down so there was a traffic jam. We got home and played video games. Tonis' friend, Claudia, Called and ended up dropping over for a coffee and Toni cut her hair. I think this is the first time in the past 9 days I haven't had a drink. It is only 1920 ( 720 pm, in Brazil they use military time) so who knows about later.

The cave / Churrasco

Saturday night we ended up going out after dinner. We started at this gay bar called La Cueva ( The Cave ) in Copacabana. Fittingly the place looked like the inside of a large yellow cave. The place was nice but the scene was a little older and bearish for my taste. The next place we went to was Galaria in Ipanema. There was a little bit of a line outside and inside was packed. I have been here a few times and really like it. The crowd is a lot younger and hipper and the music is much better. We had two more beers and a caipirinha. We were dancing on the side and watching the video monitors that played music videos.

We got home and the dogs, drago and Cacau had gotten out. We have a gate that keeps them in the kitchen. They can not be trusted alone, especially with the new sofa. Unfortunately Drago has eaten part of the door to get out. We are going to have to buy a new metal gate to keep them in the kitchen.

Sunday we got up late. We were going to Toni's brothers house to celebrate his brothers birthday, which was actually a week ago. We drove about an hour to get there. It is just outside the city. We stopped at a supermarket first to buy a bunch of meat. We also ended up buying some things we still needed for the apartment. When we arrived there the whole family was on the front porch. Toni's other brother was there with his wife and new daughter. We lite the fire for the barbecue and opened the first round of beer. Toni had to drive home though so he could only have non-alcoholic beer. The day passed in a lazy haze of beer and sausage, steak and chicken. Everyone sat on the porch and listened to popular Portuguese dance music. The children played ball in the front yard. The women gossiped and told stories. We left around 9pm and got home at 10pm. I had purchased a cable for the Playstation 3 my friend Andrew had given me so I connected it. We then ended up playing the video game Wolverine till 2am. All in all it was a pretty good day.

Saturday

Yesterday was sort of a long day because I was inside all day. In the evening we took the dogs out. Then in the evening we met Tonis friend Helena for dinner. Her daughter Antoina ( who picked me up at the airport ) and three of her sons were also there. We met in a little restaurant/club around lagoa ( the big lake ) in Ipanema. It is inside but the whole front and back is open giving you the feeling of an outdoor club. We drank wine and Red bull. They like Red Bull there a lot, drinking it alone or with whiskey. Live samba was playing and Toni danced with an older lady. We then all got into Taxis and went to another restaurant where we ate huge deep friend shrimps and pieces of steak. After this me and Toni were pretty drunk so we went home.

Saturday we got up and took the dogs out. Toni make eggs with pao ( bread ) for breakfast. We then watched cartoons for awhile. I normally get pretty tired after watching to much Brazilian television because i have to concentrate so hard to understand anything, Toni has English classes later today so I then helped him go over his lessons. Afterwords he started cooking. In about an hour Marcelo came with a client. We made the spare room into a beauty salon so they went in there. Toni made them all coffee. For lunch we had some steamed vegetable that I have never had before. With beans ( Fejones ) with white rice. Toni also made sausages with peppers and onions. The cable men then came to install are cables. Obviously I am very excited to have some English channels again.

the furniture arrrives

I have no idea what today is. In fact yesterday I was confused too. With no calander and the fact I am not working I have totally lost count. I heard from my friend Yeidy today that they had the first snow fall of the year in New York. That makes me feel a little better about my sunburned legs.

Today I made Toni breakfast in bed. That seemed to make him happy. He could not figure out how to turn on the stove though so I couldn't make eggs. It turns out there is a gas valve in the back of the stove. I looked for one but couldn't see it. Instead of eggs Toni got a Paezinho ( a Brazilian bread roll ) with cheese and prosciutto. A cup of coffee and a glass of yogurt. After breakfast i took my shower and the phone rang. It was Punto Frio and our furniture was here. The sofa were easy to get ready...unfortunately the TV stand and the dresser for our shoes was in kits to put together. I thought we were suppose to put it together ourselves so I opened the one box. Toni then told me we are suppose to wait for a man from the store to come do it. That wouldn't be a problem but of course the kit was missing three piece. Now its my fault and Toni says when the man comes we will probably have to give him a bribe so he will call the store and send another kit. This is my second example of how things get done here. Instead of just getting our furniture it seems it has become a mission and will probably not be done till the end of next week. The TV works OK though and Toni ordered cable today. We ate leftover pasta and chicken for lunch. I am not sure what we are doing tonight. Well it looks like a nice day outside. I am starting to feel a little shut in that I can't go out. Toni said Rio Comprido isn't really that safe for me to just go walking around. I guess I will go watch Brazilian cartoons with Toni.

Dinner / Shopping/ The beach

On the night of the 13th we had dinner at our favorite restaurant in Ipanema. The name of the restaurant is Manoel & Juaquim. It is located on Rua barao da Torre on the main gay strip. The food is really delicious. A friend joined us and the three of us had steak, rice, french fries and three bottles of wine. We were all pretty drunk by the time we finished. We jumped in a tax...sped through the two tunnels it takes to get home. The tunnels go under the mountains.

The next day we had a late start. The other day Toni noticed a leak in the kitchen wall and we had to wait for someone from the building management to come take a look. We drove a car toni has been using. It belongs to his friend Antonia. We drove to Copacabana to go shopping for furniture for the apartment. It took us twenty minutes to finds a parking space but we finally got one on a side street that cost 4 reais ( 2 dollars ). The shops we went two all had electronics in the front and furniture on the top floors. We went to four places and then decided to eat lunch. We went to a restaurant where you pay by kilo which is pretty normal there. I got a plate and picked salmon, pasta, chicken and some potatoes. After lunch we went back to the one store that was named Punto Frio. We choose a sofa, a sofa that turns into a bed for the spare room, a TV, a TV stand and a dresser for our shoes. It only took about an hour to pick it out but for ever to finish. First they did not have the first four tv stands we picked out. Then Toni had to bargain to get us a good price. We went to pay at the cashier who was a strange lady who kept screaming at everyone. I was loosing my patience. I know things are slow in South America but I really did not know our shopping trip would be an all day affair. Toni paid for half and I paid for half. Of course two of my credit cards did not work so I had to put it on my debit card. It all came out to $3800 ( $2400 US dollars ) When we were leaving Toni noticed that our sales person added extra charges to the bill so he would get a bonus. Our salesperson had sneaked out the back. We then had to spend another hour discussing it with a manager and finally we got 180 reais back in cash. I was past exhausted so we walked a few blocks to the beach so i could drink two Capairinhas. We then went to the grocery store. Thankfully this shopping trip was a lot easier and a lot more fun. We picked out our groceries together and purchased a bottle of whisky. When we got home Toni cooked and I checked my emails. Toni make a fried chicken served in a brown sauce with potatoes.. Beans with sausage and peppers. He also prepared white rice. We drank the whisky with Red bull while he cooked. After dinner Toni showed me his old photos of his family. In Brazil I notice they don't race to refrigerate there leftover like we do in the states. Toni left everything in the pots on the stove and just put the lids on. For the next couple days we will keep on eating it. They aren't afraid it will go bad overnight like I was always taught.

The next day Toni had to work. We walked to the plaza a couple blocks away and took the bus. The buses are a little crazy because the roads aren't as well kept as in new york and the drivers still go pretty fast. I found I had to hold on pretty tight or end up sitting on someones lap. The bus took a little longer then we though because it went east to Botofago and then south to Copacabana. Toni went to meet his client and I went to the beach. It was warm but it wasn't the best beach day. The wind was really strong. The man had to come and close my parasol ( umbrella ) to keep it from being blown away. Toni took longer then expected, but I wasn't surprised. I read my Portuguese book and drank three beers. It started to rain so I decided to leave. I packed up everything and paid. I walked along the beach and noticed that I was actually burnt on my legs and stomach. I called Toni and met him outside his clients building. We took another bus home. This bus took a better route but unfortunately there was a huge traffic jam so it still took us forever to get home. Toni heated the leftover up and I ate chicken and beans again. In the evening Tonis' friends Romulo came to visit. I was glad I finally got to go to the beach even though i foolishly let myself get burnt. And even though the shopping for our home was not fun I will be very glad when everything gets delivered in the next day or so. I like our apartment but i am not sure about taking these buses around. I don't really like the buses in NYC and at least there I know what everyone is saying. I have a lot of things here to get used too.

brasil

Where to start.....

I left New York city early Sunday morning. Nisha woke me up and called the taxi. I said good bye to the girls, Nisha, Jenny and Yeidy who was sleeping on the couch. I had mixed feeling as I drove through Brooklyn to the airport. I think I will be a little confused for awhile. I love NYC so I am not sure if I will ever be used to not being there.



The wait at the TAM check in counter was a nightmare. Both of my 70 pound suitcases went through ok but the lady gave me a hard time about my carry on. I quickly had to shuffle somethings around. The flight left on time and I spent the next 10 hours watching The Proposal, The Hangover, Adventurland and Chocolate. The girl next to me was cool. Her name was Maria and she just spent the past month studying English for business. I have to say I was getting cold feet a little bit on the flight. I know that sounds a little crazy since I was truly past the point of no return. But i had 10 hours to think of how I got to this point and what could happen next.



Finally at 1030 pm I landed in Rio. I collected everything and met Toni and his two friends at the arrival area. They of course were at the bar drinking. It was of course more amazing to see him again. It is strange how short and how long 4 months can be. Sometimes it feels like I haven't seen him in forever and sometimes if feels like I never left. We drove for 20 minutes and arrived at our apartment in Rio Comprido. His friends came in and we all drank and had dinner. Toni had cooked Rice with Chicken and mushrooms in a tomatoes sauce. After they left, me and Toni went through the photos I had brought and drank more beer. We got to bed late and slept in each others arms.



The next day we drove to Mesquita for the holiday of the children ( Dia das Crancas ). Mesquita is 90 minutes away. Tonis business partner, Marcelo, rents a house there with his husband, Marco. We stopped at the super market to buy 4 cases of beer and a lot of meat. We were having a Churrasco ( Brazilian Barbecue ). We then went to Marcos' sisters' house. We the started drinking beer and cooking the meat. She has two children who filled up an inflatable pool. We spent all day drinking and eating and we got crazier as the night progressed. Pretty soon we were dancing in the front gated in area. In Rio a lot of houses are totally surrounded by walls for security. Toni started getting really drunk. At some point we switched to Caparinhas. I also started playing my ipod through the stereo. We drove back to Marcelos house late that night and went to sleep.


In the morning I woke up late with Toni on a blow up mattress. I had a pretty bad headache. We made coffee and eggs with bread for breakfast. We then drove back to Rio Comprido. Marcelo came with us because two clients are coming for a hair appointment. Tomorrow we have to see a doctor friend of Tonis' because I need a certification that my skin is good before I can use the pool in the Condo. Toni says we are also going to look for our rings and after we can go the the beach. I have only been here one full day and a lot of things have happened. We still have a lot of things to do though. We need to buy things for the apartment too. I like the apartment a lot but we do have a lot to organize and buy still. I am here though and after all this time me and Toni our finally together.

The last day....

Today is my last day in New York for awhile. Last night everybody at work was sick so I went to the house of my co-worker and women department manager Brenda. She is married and has a little girl named bailey. We had Chinese food and it was really good. After dinner I drank wine and hung out with Brenda. I also played with Bailey. She heard I was going away so she put on traveling clothing and was wheeling around her suit case. Later, we met two of my coworkers, Amanda and Raymond, for drinks. I got home around 11pm and Jenny and Nisha were in bed but still awake. I had one last beer and went to sleep. Today I have to finish up at my apartment. I brought most everything here with me yesterday so there is just a few little things to take care of. Tonight some people are coming here for dinner. Then tomorrow my flight leaves at 10 am. It might be a few days until I am blogging again but the next time I am it will be from Brazil. Everything I have been working for is here. It's time to say goodbye to New York and all my New York friends and Hello to Brazil

1 day left....

Well I survived Ohio...it was touch and go for a little bit. We just did things around town on wednesday, my final day. We went to see my Uncle Kenny in the hospital which was pretty sad. Him and my Aunt are getting up there in years. We went to My stepmother and fathers house for dinner. The beef and noodles were actually really good.

Thursday we just had breakfast and went to the airport. I felt pretty bad because my sister broke down crying as we said goodbye. I know this is pretty normal but my family doesn't show a lot of emotions so when they do it must be pretty strong. I know they feel sad because I am going so far away but unfortunately I feel this is best for me. I must get off topic though and say that my whole family is Republican which of course is against gay marriages. Maybe if we could get married here we would. But because of those conservatists bastards I have to leave the country to be married like a normal person. Ok, I got out my little political tirade.

The flight went well and I made it to Jenny and Nishas' apartment alright. Yeidy and Andrew came over and we had pizza and drank wine.

Today is Friday and I am going to the apartment all day to clean and organize. I received an email from Toni and things are good in Brazil. I will be with him in just a few days now.

5 days left...( still in Ohio )

Last night was stressful. I helped my sister put her entertainment system together...which is made up of my big flat screen TV, my TIVO player and her DVD player. She didn't want to use her cable box so it took me hours to get it all working and we still had to use her cable box. My sister thinks she is the President of her own little country and seems to like to throw around orders. Well words were had and emotions went high. Anyway it was done, even though by I spent most of the rest of the night shut in my room doing Rossetta Stone.



Today we went to the Ohio wine country. We got to the first place kind of early. I am not use to drinking before noon. I tried 8 wines and they were pretty good. Actually afterwords I was feeling pretty good. We then went to two covered Bridges. I saw the largest covered bridge in Ohio. I am definitely glad i drank the wine first. We went to the second winery and had a cheese plate and another selection of house wines. This was also very good. Jamie drank grape juice but dad and Caroline ( stepmother ) drank also. Afterwords we went to see my stepsister, Heather, who lives in Cleveland with her husband and son. We ordered Pizza and it was good. After I went home to enjoy the one bottle of Pinto Noir that I had purchased before.

6 days left...

Today I woke up and it was cold. The gas man is coming today. Jamie got a new furnace but it hasn't been hooked to the gas yet. Hopefully it will be nice and toasty warm tonight. Today we are going to Holmes county ( The land of the Amish ) to see were dad built his new house. Let's just say I have my doubts. Last night I was bored and watched Wrong Turn 2 about a family of mutant cannibals that hunt people in the woods. I am taking a pocket knife with me to the land just in case.

I am resting here and I am mentally getting ready for my trip. Brazil I am coming soon!

7 days left...

I still woke up kind of early. I am not use to a single bed. Jamie made eggs and toast for breakfast. I was finally able to video chat with Toni. He showed me our new apartment via video feed. It looks really great and I am very excited to go next Sunday. It seems pretty large and the view from the window was very cute. I could see the apartments and the mountains. It looks like a great neighborhood.

We met Dad, Carolyn ( stepmother ) her sister Janet and her husband Bob. We had lunch at the Pines Country club. It was an all you can eat buffet. The food was ok and I probably ate too much. It may say it is a country club but it feels more like a retirement home.

Later, me and Jamie did some shopping. Jamie bought new Jeans and some things for her house. I am use to being in Ohio so this is kind of a mental break from New York and my new found unemployment. Time is really going quickly and I will be on the plane to Brazil before I know it.

8 Days left...( Lost in Ohio )

Last night went as good as possible. Me and dad brought everything down in a few hours. Jamie says people were eyeing my goods so she had to give them her best mean look. We got some angry beeps at us when we hooked up the trailer to the truck. Jamie yelled at a few pedestrians that wouldn't get out of our way. It took us about an hour and a half to get out of the city. It was a Friday night and rush hour so it took forever to get across the two bridges.



We drove about an hour and had dinner at Arbys. I love the roast beef sandwiches so I was happy. We found a Days Inn in the Poconos mountains right past the Pennsylvania border. I slept pretty good even though both Jamie and dad snore pretty loud. Thank god for sleeping pills.

The next morning we dined on there Continental breakfast and started driving for the last six hours. We stopped in the afternoon at Perkins. I have never eaten there before. It was the normal family restaurant menu. Jamie and dad were thrilled though that they got the best country fried steak that they had ever eaten. With are stomachs full we reached my sister house in Apple Creek and unloaded everything with the help of my uncle Dave. Afterwords we went to visit my Aunt Sue and her grown children Julie and Nichole. We stayed for awhile and talked and then went to Walmart. We did some late night food shopping, well for me it was actually buying wine and beer. At home we were both exhausted so we went to bed early. Jamie's house is pretty full so it is going to take some reorganizing to make everything fit.

9 days left ( Moving day )

I woke up early and started moving things. Dad and Jamie ( Sister ) are suppose to have started driving at 6am. I still am organizing here. I took the flat screen off the bedroom wall and am still putting things into boxes. I am not sure how easy it will be to load everything into the truck and trailer with just me a middle aged women ( Sorry Jamie ) and my retired father. Unfortunately it is a Friday afternoon and we will have to make due. It will be a long day.

Today was a little sad when I got up and realized all the lasts....( last day in the apartment, last shower in the apartment, last night sleeping in the apartment ) That after today I will visit the apartment a couple times but as for living in it...its over. The weather is turning cooler and i sense it is time to leave.

10 days left... ( and unemployed )

So today is my first day of being unemployed. I have been pretty busy today. I did two loads of laundry. I went to the gym ( but don't ask what i ate for lunch. I have more boxes to pack. I am going to the cable place soon to turn in my cable box ( No cable...thank god I have two days of viewing saved on my TIVO). It is now after 1am and I haven't shaved so that gives me an unemployed kind of feeling. Maybe tomorrow I will wear my pajamas and robe till noon.

I haven't talked to Toni today but I know he IS getting our keys. Yes I have a Rio address and soon I will have keys. I have tried to find out more about Rio Comprido ( long River ) but I haven't found too much on the web. Oh well, I will be there soon.