Little Summer in May

They have a saying here in Floripa called veraonita em maio, which means little summer in May. You San Franciscans can equate it to your Indian Summer (although much warmer - haha).  It can only be described by the fact that I haven't seen a cloud in the sky for three weeks, and this week it has been 80+ degrees every day.  I don't know what to say other than I couldn't ask for anything better.  I was a little freaked out about one month ago when a cold front arrived here.  I thought winter had arrived, and I was a little surprised how cold it was.  But now, I'm not so scared, and I've enjoyed every bit of this "little summer" as possible.  The beaches look like they do in the summer with tons of people everywhere, and my air conditioner has resumed its cooling duties.

I took a day off from the beach today to run some errands, which were long overdue.  Today I successfully submitted my paperwork for my segunda via (a "second version" of my Brazilian ID card, of which, of course, my first one never came) at the Receita Federal (Brazilian IRS), successfully obtained a three-month extension on my tourist visa at the Policia Federal, and convinced my car dealership to give me a new car battery for free after my car wouldn't start last night.  The fact that I accomplished all of this in one day in Brazil is beyond comprehension.  Honestly, I feel like I could run for president right now.  Certainly, there will be something that occurs tomorrow that will bring me back to earth, but for now, keep an eye out for Packard for President in 2011! 

Lastly, I received a surprise visit from my friend and his girlfriend earlier this week.  They brought a tiny little puppy with them.  They had found the little guy abandoned on the street starving and barely able to walk.  With Alessandra at my house as well, it was impossible to say no to everyone convincing me that I had so much room at my house and plenty of time to take care of the puppy.  I agreed under the condition that if I didn't want to keep it they would help me find a new home.  To make a long story short, I took care of the temporarily named "Gringo" for a few days and got him healthy and happy again.  I, on the other hand, was not healthy after several days of zero sleep.  Gringo was a new man after a week at my house, but needless to say, I'm not quite ready for that kind of responsibility.  I'm happy to say that we found a perfect home for him last night.  I loved having him around, but I know he will be very happy with his new family and new home.  If you are a dog lover, you will enjoy this.  It's a short video of Gringo vs. The Tennis Ball.  It's safe to say that he was a little scared of the ball:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbRldZuNjxs.

Here are a few other pictures from the past week.