A Different Kind of Tax Season

If there is one thing that can snap you back to reality in a heartbeat, it would have to be paying taxes. Every American citizen, no matter where you live in the world, has to pay taxes in the U.S. Now, I certainly wouldn't say that I have ignored the situation, however, I just haven't payed as much attention to it as I have in the years past. In the past, I have had folders, spreadsheets, diagrams (jk), you name it. This year has been a lot different to say the least (I'm slowly turning into a Brazilian). When you are receiving a paycheck, paying your taxes isn't such a big deal (although don't get me wrong, it still sucks). However, when you haven't received a paycheck in a year, it seems that every dollar counts and it's tough to face the reality of giving more money back to the government (somehow this is always the case with me). With that being said, I've gotten my act together the past two weeks and faced the fact that as much as it sucks to pay taxes, you have to do it. The great news is that since I'm living in Brazil I am no longer a California citizen. From a tax perspective, I couldn't be more pleased about this. A few more days and we'll all be done and then we can go back to figuring out when in the hell this economy is going to turn around. Who has 2011 in the office pool?

On the bright side, things continue to be marvelous here. The weather has been as good as it's been all year. I know I've said it a hundred times but I'll say it again. This is absolutely the best time of year in Floripa. In the last two weeks, I have had two friends here as well as my cousin. It's been an amazing time but an unbelievable balancing act. I'm trying to entertain, translate, work, sleep, and essentially coordinate everything. The good news is that everything has been fantastic. I had a blast with my cousin. Even though he was only here for three days, we did in those three days what most people would do in a month. It was outrageous. Including in the three days was my first trip to Lagoinha do Leste. The hike was MUCH harder than we thought but the payoff was insane - an incredibly beautiful, secluded beach straight out of the movies. Since I don't get to spend much time with my family these days, it was really great to have these few days with him.

I had another one of my house parties on Saturday after the arrival of an old friend from San Francisco who now lives in Liverpool. It was, as usual, an insanely good time. I put this one together very last minute but the results were the same. I had a few guys renting my house for the weekend and we thought it would be a good idea to have a house party since. A house party might be an understatement. It's more like a house "club." I got the same complaint a few times and they were all from girls. The complaint was that there were too many girls at the party. Now, I'm not being picky, but who in the world would complain about that???? I know my buddy wouldn't complain. He is already on his way back home to Liverpool where I'm guessing things aren't quite the same as they are here.

Speaking of family, my Dad is making his trip to Floripa and will be arriving this Thursday. No one in my immediately family, except my brother, have been able to visit me so this will be a lot of fun. Of course, I will have to slip back into the host mode (honestly, I think I'm permanently on this mode now). The most interesting thing will be the fact that my Dad wakes up around 5-6AM and this is precisely when I make it home from a night out. Now, one choice will be to cut back on the parties, which certainly I will have to do. However, I can't not go out for 10 days, right? Honestly, I think that's impossible at this point. The first real test will be this Friday, which is a holiday, when Sasha will be playing at Warung. The holiday, Pascoa (or Easter), is something that Brazilians take very seriously (although I tend to think it's just another reason to party). The party is going to be outrageous and, well, you can't really miss it. I usually get home from Warung about 10AM since it's located about an hour and a half from my house. I might have to send Danger Pete on a photography mission on Saturday (I'm sure he can find something interesting to shoot on the beach) while I sleep it off. There is always the option of showing my Dad what a real Floripa party is like by taking him to Warung but I really think his head would explode....