Floripa Living

Life Imitates Soccer

2011-06-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

Oscar Wilde, the famous Irish writer, once said that "Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life." I am not sure if I am in agreement with him, but who I am to judge? Wilde felt that he belonged to a culture of male love inspired by a certain Greek tradition, and if I know one thing, it's that gay guys and Greeks know a lot more about art than me. Now while I myself would never consider soccer "art," at least not in the classical sense, there are some parts of the world where this argument has been made. This loose connection between soccer and art came to me one day while watching a Brazilian league game. The realization occurred suddenly and I could only think of Wilde's famous quote, only in a slightly different sense. I realized with absolute clarity that in Brazil, life is simply imitating soccer. Allow me explain. As opposed to popular belief, Brazilian soccer, especially the league soccer which is what I was watching at the time, is really a mess. There is shockingly little organization. I strongly prefer to watch England's Premier League, which is heavy on tactical organization, teamwork, passing, etc. As I was watching the Brazilian game, I realized that the teams had none of the traits that I love about English soccer. It's because Brazilian soccer is the total opposite. Basically, it's just a bunch of guys doing their own individual thing with zero planning, yet every once in awhile something beautiful will happen. And that's when it hit me. Life in Brazil is exactly like the game they love. Everyone is sort of doing their own thing while running around somewhat aimlessly. Their is very little strategic planning and absolutely zero organization. Each person happily keeps the "ball" for himself to show off his individual skills. In order to get the "ball" for yourself, you might have to do something "dirty" to get it. And if that doesn't work, you can always fake it by acting like you just got stabbed in the leg by a pitchfork and hope that the ruling, if you will, goes your way. Yet, every so often, a few magical things are strung together and there is an undeniably beautiful result, usually at the very last minute. Is this not life in Brazil? I say yes, and thus I believe in the following: in Brazil, life imitates soccer....

As the World Cup nears, it's interesting to follow the preparations. Not surprisingly, things are already far behind schedule and over budget. The stadium in São Paulo, which is set to host the opening game, still has no approved project and initial estimates put the price at THREE times the original estimate. They are even building a stadium in a city where the only local team plays in the D League. That's like if the NFL decided to build a stadium for the Super Bowl in Albuquerque. Sure, people will go there for the Super Bowl but what the hell are you going to do with the stadium after it's over??? Even the soccer legend, Pele, is worried saying "Brazil is running a great risk of embarrassing us in how it runs the World Cup." Many friends and family members from home have asked me if I think the country will be ready by the time the WC arrives in 2014. It's kind of like asking if I know what Apple's stock price will be in a year from now. I just don't have a clue. What I can say is this. I think many people will be shocked by the infrastructure, or lack thereof. Most people think that the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are on the cutting edge because of how fast they are growing. That couldn't be further from the truth. The countries are growing so fast that it's impossible to keep up, and it doesn't take much at all to get reminded that these are still third world countries. I was in São Paulo last week and was astounded by two things, the traffic and disparity in wealth (as is typical in emerging countries). In one area I saw 20 new buildings being built at least and not a single new road being built all while sitting in bumper to bumper traffic in the middle of a Saturday. As for my hotel, it was located a block away from an area with more prostitutes than Charlie Sheen's tour bus. On top of that, not once but twice was I in a taxi where we were approaching the hotel (I'm talking 10 seconds away) only to arrive 30 minutes later because the taxi drivers got lost right before the final turn. It wasn't that the taxi driver was trying to screw us. The roads area literally that confusing. We had to break out the GPS to find our way back. On the upside, I saw a lot of hookers. After four days of non-stop work and the stress of the São Paulo logistics, we were all dying to go home. After our final taxi ride (of which we had to take two taxis at R$80 each because it's illegal for a taxi to take 5 people - you can snort heroin on the sidewalk but 5 people in a taxi? Absolutely out of the question!), we arrived at airport to a scene that was not unlike what I imagine JFK airport looked like on 9/11. I was absolutely shocked as I had never seen such chaos in an airport in my life. There were hundreds of people shuffling around fighting for space as lines were disregarded entirely and any semblance of order was thrown out the window. I was certain that we would not get out of there for hours, if not the next day. I was already evaluating the shady hotels across the street for our night's accommodations. Somehow, our manager talked to one person, then another, and then amazingly arrived at the ticket counter within 5 minutes (I knew she was a good hire!). She then brazenly called us to the counter. With several bags full of the traditional franchise fair leftovers (flyers, manuals, business cards, etc.) and a trail full of angry people, we incredibly made it to the front. To this day I don't know what happened but somehow we were changed to an earlier flight and were politely asked to get the hell of out there and on to the gate by the check-in attendant. I was in no position to question her authority. After the security screening, which I love because Mr. T could walk through without the sensor going off, and the traditional bus ride to the plane (passenger boarding bridges have apparently yet to arrive in Brazil) we were comfortably in our seats and on our way. It took me a few minutes to digest what the hell just happened and only one thought came to my mind: in Brazil, there is always hope....

You Might Be A Brazilian If...

2011-04-04T13:27:00.001-07:00

- you eat chocolate pizza
- you wait in line for half an hour to pay your electricity bill
- you say "eu já estou chegando" (I'm about to arrive) but know that you'll really be there in about 45 minutes
- you've never bothered to set up your voice mail on your cell phone
- you've watched the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and recognized three girls from your high school
- you meet someone new and immediately send them a friend request on Facebook
- you consider getting home at 4AM an early night
- your girlfriend calls and immediately hangs up....not because she's mad but because she wants you to call her back so she doesn't have to pay for the call
- you think David Guetta is a God
- it takes you 15 minutes to get of the phone with someone: tudo bem, combinado, obrigado, falou, até mais, tá bom, tchau, beleza, abraço.......
- you wear high heels to the mall
- you carry around more than one cell phone
- you have a wallet the size of a notebook with enough documents to authorize a space shuttle launch
- you eat chicken hearts regularly
- you've ever been hammered and crashed your car and decided to just leave it there and took the bus home. Upon entering the bus, you started to hit on a group of girls on the bus and even invited them back to your house in Jurerê, only they didn't believe you had a house in Jurerê because, well, you were on the bus....
- you consider drinking in the parking lot a "pre-party"
- you have ever been making out with a girl at a club, looked away for 15 seconds, and then turned back around to find that she was already making out with someone else
- you think Jesus Luz is a real DJ ;)
- eating sushi in a cone (temaki) is a part of your daily diet
- you've ever traded your house for an apartment, a car, a surfboard, and tickets for the next David Guetta show
- you think Kim Kardashian's ass is too small
- your idea of catching up on today's news is logging on to MSN chat
- you wear a banana hammock to the beach
- you can sing every word to Moony's "I Don't Know Why"
- you think Lionel Messi should die a slow, painful death
- your idea of dating is meeting a girl at the night club every Saturday
- you've received 15 Facebook invites this week and they are all for parties
- you've ever heard a cop say, "don't tell me the girl who hit your car is drunk. She'll lose her license and her insurance won't be able to pay for the damage to your car."
- you've ever bought gum for the sole purpose of re-attaching camarote (VIP) bracelets to get your friends into the camarote
- memorizing pi would be easier than memorizing the passwords for your online bank account
- your local supermarket charges 15 reais for Heinz ketchup
- you have ever had dinner at the gas station
- you have ever bought a pair of shoes and paid for them over a twelve month period
- your Dias dos Namorados (Valentine's Day) date includes a stop at a motel that charges by the hour
- you're starting to go deaf at an early age most likely because you have been listening to hard core house music since you were 12 years old
- you know what Orkut is
- you can successfully online chat with 15 people at the same time
- you drive like an absolute maniac but yet randomly stop to let oncoming traffic take a left to help ease traffic
- you have ever driven to a party in the middle of the jungle two hours away in a car full of people and never heard one complaint

Survivor: Brazil

2010-04-23T17:07:00.000-07:00

I survived. That's all I can really say. My first summer in Floripa (2009) was merely a warm-up. This one was more like hell week of Navy Seals training where at the end you're just happy to be alive and have all limbs intact. Summer in Floripa really has it all: beaches, surfing, parties, sun, yachts, more parties, girls, churasscos (the Brazilian version of barbeques only taken much more seriously), sports, more girls, more parties and on and on and on. The hard part is through all of this somehow you need to find time to get your work done and stay somewhat productive. Since we opened Cactus in December and were running a strategy based more on trial and error than on experience (probably not what they teach in restaurant management), this summer was all the more intense. Between working at two restaurants, including many 12 hour days at Cactus, constantly moving back and forth between my house and apartment, and trying not to let the summer pass without enjoying it at least a little bit, it really is a miracle to be alive. All things considered, I shouldn't be surprised at how fast it flew by. Three months felt more like a week.....but what a hell of a week it was!!!

One of the highlights this summer was again Carnival. Last year I spent Carnival up north in Salvador so this was my first Carnival in Floripa. There is an incredible amount of energy in the Brazilian culture and during Carnival that energy skyrockets, which really you have to see to believe. It's parties 24 hours a day: day party, night party, after party, after-after party (this was a new concept to me but I loved it nonetheless). Honestly, it's mindblowing. In those four days alone I saw Sharam, Kaskade, Steve Angello, and Erick Morillo play in some of the best, energy-filled clubs in the world. It was really spectacular. Sharam played at Warung, my favorite club in the world, for 9 1/2 hours. I arrived at 3am and left at noon and he still wasn't done. For music lovers, it was one of those rare "I can't believe I just saw that" moments. These are the things you only see at Carnival in Brazil. Luckily, I made lots of videos and took lots of pictures because one day I'm going to need help remembering all of this so thank God for my Canon.....

The good news about living in Floripa is that the sun sticks around for a few months after summer is over. With the sun out and the madness gone for the most part, those of us who live here can enjoy some more peaceful time on the beach in our "recovery mode" (sort of like Betty Ford on the beach). We like to call it "locals' summer." I've said it here before and I'll say it again, March and April are absolutely wonderful months to be in Floripa. Things at Cactus have calmed down quite a bit so I'm enjoying it even more, and I must say it's nice to get back to a normal schedule. The only downside is that as the summer slips away and fall takes over, that means winter is just around the corner. Winter in Floripa is hard. It's cold and, quite frankly, there isn't much to do. The joke in Floripa is that guys ditch their girlfriends right before summer and go on a mad girlfriend search right before winter because that's about the only thing that's going to keep you busy in winter. I still haven't perfected this strategy and as time ticks down I might need a buzzer beater, but in Floripa a buzzer beater is a wife in the US..... ;)

My two year anniversary in Floripa passed in early March and like summer, it's amazing to think how quickly the time has passed. I'd like to think I have accomplished a few things in this period, but really it's just been more of a learning process for something bigger (I hope!). I've definitely made some mistakes along the way, but the learning curve in a country like Brazil is demanding to say the least (I think you need a master's at Harvard just to understand the tax code alone). The key, as we all know, is to learn from these mistakes, and I like to think that I wouldn't be in the position that I'm in now if I haven't learned from those mistakes and moved forward. Now it's time to take advantage and see what the next thing Brazil has in store for me....fingers crossed for a prosperous 2010!!!!!

South of the Border

2010-01-07T16:05:00.000-08:00

It seems like I now start out every post now with an apology regarding the length between posts so I'll say it again. I apologize for being absent for so long! At least this time I have a legitimate excuse. It turns out that I remember how to work hard, and I have been doing exactly that. As a mentioned awhile back, I was about to embark on a new business down here (one that I wasn't ready to announce yet). Well, after six months of hard work, that business is finally up and running. The business is a gourmet fast food (Mexican) store in a shopping mall (Iguatemi). How the hell did I get into this you ask? Great question. On my first trip to Floripa back in 2007, our group kept craving Mexican food. As someone who has spent the last twenty something years between California and Arizona, it's safe to say that burritos, tacos, enchiladas, and fajitas are my version of the four food groups. Amazingly, we were unable to find any Mexican food here. As a matter of fact, most of the Brazilians we were with had no idea what a burrito even was. That thought literally blew me away and actually still does (we get customers all the time who ask what a burrito is). Anyway, to make a long story short (or at least I'll try to keep it short), I started discussing this idea with my good friend and business partner at Tatsuya earlier last year. The idea really started to get momentum and then one day I thought the following. Somebody is going to do this here and we're going to look back and say, "well, that was our idea but we just didn't make it happen." Seriously, in life how many times have you thought that about something? I think I've heard that about a million times and I didn't want this to be one of those things, especially considering that we had the time to do it and we were really looking for a new idea. We basically found an architect and one thing just lead to another. Six months later Dave, my partner, was in the kitchen flipping tortillas and I was washing dishes in a sink without a disposal and we looked at each other and said, "who's God damn idea was this anyway?"

On the bright side, things are going really well. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and I would say that overall we are very happy. The downside is that we are practically living there. This is about as hands on of a business as you can get and, unfortunately in this country more than most, you really have to keep a close eye on your employees. I've heard so many crazy stories about employees here (not to mention what happened at Tatsuya with our waiters) that I pretty much would believe anything these days. Also, since we are in the summer season here in Floripa, it's nearly impossible to find employees. When we started we would schedule something like 15 interviews and literally two people would show up. And now it's shocking to see the corollary between it being sunny out and employees deciding not to show up that day. Quite frankly, it's mind blowing. However, this is the life we chose and now we must deal with it. Therefore, for anyone tired of the sh*tty job market in the US, we are hiring. The pay is terrible but you get free burritos and, really, how can you argue with free burritos?

My favorite story so far was during one of our first days of being open I was running around the store doing everything possible to help: doing dishes, making burritos, you name it. And let's just say that there might have been some sweat involved. Anyway, up to the counter comes a girl I used to date and she looks as me like I'm a cow with three heads and says, "Chris, you work HERE?" I think she was questioning how she could have dated a fast food attendant (hey, we have feelings too!). I kind of just laughed it off and explained it to her and the color returned to her face. Dave said I should have told her that things just went really bad after we broke up and I ended up having to take this job, but I didn't have that much foresight at the time. I would have loved to see the look on her face with that one. It would have been priceless....

The good news is that sometimes with this job there are perks that you would never imagine. One day I was sitting in front of the store on my computer and guess who walks by but Alessandra Ambrosio (for those that don't know who she is google her and clear your schedule for the next 8 hours or so). Her husband ends up eating at our place (by the way, the name is Cactus Mexican Food). He asks the attendant who the owner is and ends up talking to Dave. He later comes over to my table and we end up chatting for 45 minutes. He introduces me to Alessandra, which as you can imagine, was right up there with birth, my first car, graduating college, etc. Then he asks me for my number because he said he doesn't have a lot of dudes to hang out with in Floripa (hanging with super models must be such a tough life). I then ask him for his and he says to me, "I don't have a local number here so just take my girl's number." It's not exactly how I pictured it in my dreams but let's just say that I'm not losing that number. In Floripa, I always say that "surreal is my new reality" and this was just more proof of the truth to that statement....

During the craziness of trying to open Cactus, my Mom came out to visit me for the first time. It was difficult trying to balance everything while trying to show her around Floripa, but we got it done. It was really great having her down her so she could finally see what pulled me away so far from everyone. Her comment was that she couldn't believe I had the balls to move to somewhere like this because she saw how difficult life can be at times here, and I must say I had to agree with her. During this process, I really experienced how much bureacracy exists here and how difficult it is to do something as simple as getting internet installed at the store (I couldn't even begin to explain this experience). Anyway, we had a wonderful time and it was very hard to see her go, but now I think she will be much comfortable returning. I just hope that before her next visit she finally understands that "gracias" is Spanish and Brazilians speak Portuguese. Baby steps....

Everything else here is going great. New Year's passed without and serious problems and I guess that's all you can really ask for. From December 26th to about a few days ago, the whole world arrived in Floripa just like every year, and it was as crazy as you can imagine. I was trying to find that balance of working at two restaurants, seeing friends, being the local nightlife guide, trying to enjoy my life a little, and sleeping whenever possible. The traffics was, as usual during that time of year, horrific. However, I ended up renting an apartment in the Centro for six months and was able to avoid it most of the time. But for that week I continue to think that Floripa must be one of the craziest spots in the world. It's just party after party after party with as many beautiful people as you could imagine. But for us people who live here I must say that I'm happy it's over. It's nice to have our little Floripa back, and now this island serves Mexican food!!!!

Welcome to the Jungle

2009-09-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

It's a funny thing that you must learn as an entrepreneur, discipline. I've always had a strong sense of discipline since the time I was very young, but the real test doesn't begin until you've grown up (is that too much of a stretch for me?), been through a serious job or two, and then been re-released into the wild to figure it out on your own. There is a simple routine in a corporate job: you wake up, head to the office, and wait for the work to come to you. Sure, you have to come up with ideas here and there and creativity is sometimes required (haha), but for the most part you just sit tight and wait for the work that you know is heading your way. This whole entrepreneur thing is the polar opposite. If you sit tight waiting for something to come your way, it's going to be a lonely journey (and one where you'll end up on the streets!). Nobody is looking out for you, and you better be willing to go out and get yours. It's kind of like what I would imagine would happen to a gorilla, for instance, that has lived his whole life at the zoo and then one day is released into the jungle. In the zoo, everything the gorilla wants is provided for him: food, shelter, companionship, etc. Then one day he is sent out to the jungle to figure it out on his own. I can only imagine that this would be an extremely difficult transition, if not an impossible one. The gorilla has to find ways to acclimate to this new world and, most importantly, find a way to survive. He no longer sits in the big gorilla playland with regular meals being fed to him. In the unknown world, he has to go out and make it happen on his own. Now, from a business perspective as a human, it's one thing to find that idea to make to make it on your own but you have to turn that idea into reality. I live on an island full of beautiful beaches and even more beautiful girls so it requires an even deeper commitment to discipline. You can easily get distracted here, and it's something that I see every day. There are lots and lots of people here that have just settled into the easy routine. If you're searching for a great quality of life, Floripa is definitely the place for you. But if you're still young and searching for the next great opportunity in Floripa, you better dig deep for that idea and you must work very, very hard to make that idea a success. There are hundreds of distractions every day and you're not confined to an office. The world is your oyster but you need to swim out to sea, search the ocean for that oyster, find the oyster, nurture the oyster, and then just hope that this oyster is the right one. Perhaps the oyster was not the right one so you need to cut your losses, forget about it, and move on. It's not a simple task by any stretch of the imagination and with all of the distractions, it's even more difficult. Discipline is definitely the key. A wise man once said that, "Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments" and he couldn't have been more right. I'm living in the jungle, baby, and it's time to go hunting for some food....

Bureaucrazy continues to be a hilarious obstacle every day. As I prepare to open my new business, I've unfortunately had to get my hands dirty again. We've been in contract negotiations for at least two months with a shopping center here, and I would argue that we have been as agreeable as possible with our terms. Did you know that all shopping centers in Brazil charge double rent for the month of December? In any universe, does this make sense? My favorite part of their contract is that very last clause that they so conveniently place in the contract. I'm paraphrasing (and some words might be lost in translation) but more or less the clause states "You can ignore anything written above as the shopping center can decide what to do when it wants with no notice whatsoever." It's definitely my favorite part. We're also working with architects, contractors, designers, and God knows who else. Sometimes we'll send a simple question to our graphic designer and we won't hear from him for four days. It never ceases to blow my mind. You'd be out of business in a week if that happened back in the U.S. Also, we've been opening up new companies and dealing with the funding of these companies with international wires. These things all seem so easy but here in Brazil it's like climbing Mt. Everest every day. A funny anecdote - the other day I was having lunch with a few American friends who have a business here. One of the partners was discussing how he just opened a LLC for the company in the states so they could start exporting to the US. A Brazilian guy who was with us asked how long it took him to open the business. My friend responded, "About 45 minutes." The Brazilian was literally dumbfounded and I mean DUMBFOUNDED. We all started cracking up and at the very least, this moment of laughter made us all forget how crazy some of this stuff really is.

I've come to the conclusion that the bureaucracy is the Brazilian government's way of employing as many people as possible. Everyone here seems to work for the public system in one way or another, and it seems to me at least to be such a strange way of going about business as it completely lacks efficiency. And the more people working for the government, the more hoops you have to jump throught. Based on how many hoops I have jumped through in the past few months, I would estimate the number of government employees in Brazil to be about 750 million.

Outside of all of this, all is good here in Floripa. Spring time has arrived along with its best friend Sr. Chuva (Mr. Rain). I can only hope that we don't see the amount of rain that we saw last year. That almost killed me. You can only spend so many days in a cafe drinking coffee. I was more wired last spring that Tom Cruise on Oprah's couch. Everyone continues to anxiously await for summer. As a business owner, your whole year relies on what happens in the summer months so I'm making sure that Tatsuya is completely ready to rock. It's going to be a wild one, and I couldn't be more ready. May God be with me....... ;)

Friends, Family, and More

2009-07-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I just returned from what seems to now be my annual trip to the United States. From all of the stories I have heard about the economy back home, I was expecting a ghost town or at the very least some clear signs of a blood bath, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Maybe it was because my expectations were what they were but I found things to be not as apocalyptic as I was told. Sure, there were plenty of For Sale signs on houses and quite a few stores that I used to visit are now closed. However, there were still lots of people out shopping, going out to dinner, and just overall contributing to the economy in some fashion. Of course, I was only there for a few weeks, and I have no doubt that those living in the US have a much better grasp of what's happening there than I do. My only point is that it wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected. It's just one man's opinion, but I sure hope that I'm right....

Besides being able to spend time with my family and friends, one thing I love about going back to the US is being able to actual shop for the first time in a year. I will literally go an entire year (or very close to it) not buying a single material thing here in Brazil. It is just something that I have never been able to justify. The sunglasses I would wear cost $1,000USD, the Nike shoes I would need cost $250USD, and so on and so on. The Brazilians pay it because they aren't aware how much they are getting ripped off and also because they don't really have another option (like being able to go to the US to shop). The Americans down here just know how absurd it is and nobody buys a thing. The Brazil economy has rebounded fairly rapidly, and I can assure you that the Americans are not responsible. Anyway, it was great to be able to pick up a few necessities and, of course, I couldn't help but bring back more Cholula sauce, waffle mix, and other food that I miss so much. I'm no Bill Gates for sure but I think it's fair to say that I did my share to stimulate the US economy!

Far more important than shopping was the opportunity to see all of my friends and family for the first time in a long time. As I've said here a few times before, Brazil has been an incredible place in terms of meeting new friends who quickly become your new family, but there is just no replacing the history of the friends and family from home. Plus, it's just fun as hell to laugh like a kid again and that only happens when you are with the people who you know so well that all it takes is one word and you're laughing about something that probably happened 20 years ago. I also got to spend lots of time with my niece. She is 2 1/2 years old and is absolutely adorable. Kids grow up so fast so when you only see them once a year it's like seeing an entirely different person, and I'm just glad I get to catch a few moments along the way because no one made me laugh more than her. God bless my sister for having the 24 hour energy to watch over her. As if I needed a reminder but this was a pretty clear sign that I still have quite a bit of time before I'm ready for kids. I had a dog for four days and a cat for six and each one almost killed me. A child? God help me....

As for some quick highlights of the trip, they go as follows in no particular order:

LA - my first Chinese food meal in a year at Chin Chin, laughing hysterically at the first bar on the first night where last call occurred at 11:30PM (that's dinner time in Brazil!), massive flip cup tournament on the 4th of July in the Malibu Colony, Jonathan Club in Santa Monica where I'm either now an instant lifetime member or no longer welcome (that has still yet to be decided)

SF - having dinner with my old Merrill Lynch colleagues at Betelnut (still one of my favorite restaurants in the world), Friday night at Ana Mandara with great friends, walking down Chestnut Street and reliving some amazing memories, playing tennis and just hanging out with my cousin, a long great talk over drinks with JK

AZ - hanging with my Mom by the pool (it's been a LONG time), seeing my best friend's new baby (and watching the "what in the hell am I doing" look on his face), Saturday night out at Jackrabbit with the old crew, dinner with Dad (who drove hundreds of miles for a few hours with me), Tuesday night at Z Tejas with a few famous chambord margaritas, lunch at Uncle Sam's with Mom, sis, and niece (I can't tell you how much I miss a good philly cheese steak),

NY - the drive into the Hamptons (the scenery is shockingly beautiful), a Coors Light and a long walk on the beach with my bro, the rehearsal dinner at The Surf Lodge in Montauk (and watching a GILF try to attack my friend like a famished lion at the bar), Preston's beautiful wedding at the Most Holy Trinity Church (not to be confused with the Holy Trinity Church - this one is by far the most holy), having my sis clean up her dress after her daughter decided it was appropriate to pee all over her during the ceremony, Sunday at the Georgica beach with family and friends (including an old roommate who took the train out from Manhattan just to spend the day with us)

After three weeks of traveling across the US, I must say that it is good to be home. Living out of a suitcase takes its toll, and eventually all you want to do is sleep in your own bed. Following three glorious weeks of sun, I must admit that it was a little depressing to return to cold and rainy weather. I was bummed out for a few days but the weekend re-energized me. I went to Green Valley, which is a club basically in the middle of the jungle an hour and a half away, on Saturday night. I can't believe what I've been missing out on. The place is seriously unreal, and for all of my future visitors, I will be sure to take you there. It's a place you don't want to miss. In the end, though, it was just great to see everyone from Floripa again. We cranked it up a notch as usual and left at about 8AM. "Last call" in the US was suddenly a long forgotten dream....

Honeymooning in Floripa

2009-06-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

It seems like the longer I live here, the more hesitant I am to write a post. Certainly, during the "honeymoon" phase it was much easier to update because everything was so new and different, and I felt so encouraged to update everyone on my life here. I'm starting to feel more accustomed to everything in Floripa, and I sometimes get the feeling that I don't want to bore anyone with any stories that don't tip the amazing scale. The first year was so unbelievable that as I enter into my second year here I wonder if it can ever be topped. The truth, however, is that it doesn't need to be topped. Like with anything, the beginning of something is always the best whether it be a relationship, a job, a new car, whatever. The sign of something really great is when you pass that honeymoon stage and everything continues to be wonderful. I would say that I'm safely in this zone now. While the first year was full of new adventures, the second year has started off with much of the same only with a slightly different focus. I am still very much enjoying the parties, beaches, friends, and everything else. It's impossible to live here and not enjoy these things. The only change is that now I'm more seriously focused on putting together something that will allow me to stay here for an extended time. Business at Tatsuya continues to be good (we continue to get great feedback regarding the food, drinks, ambience, service and everything else) but as with any business in Floripa, the winter time is very difficult. The tourists are gone, it's a lot colder, and all of the businesses just buckles down into survival mode. By the time summer rolls around, we will be a year old and very well positioned to take advantage of the summer rush. While I'm doing my best to avoid being so cyclical and totally relying on the summer, I must say that, from a business perspective, summer couldn't some soon enough. Thank God Brazil has taught me a lot about patience because December isn't exactly coming tomorrow....

With Tatsuya fairly well in control, I am currently working on my next project with my partner, Dave. We are very close to closing a deal in Iguatemi, the biggest and best mall in Floripa. This is a business that we strongly believe Brazilians will embrace because it's such an obvious void here, and it's something that we both know very well. We have chosen the mall because of the obvious foot traffic that it offers although obviously that comes with a price. It's going to require a lot of work, but we're both up for the challenge and very much looking forward to it. Now, I apologize for being vague on the business, but when the time comes and everything is secure, I will happily describe the details. Until then, I have promised to keep my mouth shut....

Everything else in Floripa has been amazing. It's been awhile since my last post so I'll try to give a quick recap of everything that has happened since then. I had another house party back in May when some friends in LA were in town. It was another incredible party with lots of action, including several celebrities. Marcelo D2 and Seu Jorge, two of Brazil's most popular music artists, showed up to the excitement of everyone. They were in town filming a music video and had heard about the party so they decided to stop by (how cool is that?). It was great having them there and as with any event when celebrities are in the house, the energy always cranks up a bit, which was amazing. Each party keeps getting better so I'm going to have to come up with something extra special next time. Anyone have Justin Timberlake's phone number?

A few weeks ago I went to Curitiba with a group of friends for a legendary costume party. The party has been going on for twelve years, and everyone talks about it like it's the Holy Grail of costume parties. Therefore, I had no choice but to go, right? Well, all I can say is that it lived up to the hype. There were probably 4,000 people there, and it was an absolute show. There was incredible music, strippers (guys and girls), midgets, amazing costumes, and pretty much everything else you can imagine. I have never been to a costume party like that in my life, and I'm pretty sure that I will never see another like it so I'm super glad that I went. Outside of the party aspect, I really enjoyed being in Curitiba. It's known as the most progressive and green city of Brazil. I actually was there last year but only for a day so I didn't get to really see the city. This time we stayed in Batel, which is considered the nicest of the neighborhoods there. The thing that I was really impressed by were the restaurants. We went to this area that has about six super cool places right next to each other each with their own theme: Russian, Mexican, Irish, American, Asian, etc. We went to three of the restaurants and each had at least a 45 minute wait to eat. That would NEVER happen in Floripa. It was just very cool to see that the restaurant business is booming there with lots and lots of people out spending money. Now if only we could get that in Floripa!!!!!

This last weekend in Floripa I had the chance to enjoy Winter Play. Winter Play is basically a three day party up in Jurerê. Literally thousands of people from all over Brazil come here from this thing. It's an expensive party so I decided not to go on Friday, but I did end up going on Saturday. Let me tell you, you've never been to a party (and I realize that I say that a lot!) until you've been to this thing. It would be difficult to explain here. It's essentially just thousands of people all staying in two hotels just going for it the entire weekend. What I can say is that it's worth the trip if you ever make it. For those of you with Facebook, I just posted a few videos so you can get a feel for the vibe by checking them out there. Just don't cry that you missed it. All you can do is make sure that you come next year!

Now that winter has set in here, I am making my annual trip to the U.S. I will be leaving on June 30th and returning to Floripa on July 21st. I will be heading to LA, San Francisco, Scottsdale, and NY. It's always great to get to spend time with family and friends so I'm definitely looking forward to it. The tough part is trying to manage to see everyone in such a short span, but I will do my best as always. The one funny thing is that I always miss Floripa the second that I leave. It's like no other place that I've ever been. So, while I'm very happy to be coming back to the U.S., I know that deep down Floripa will be seducing me back. And what can I do? It's the honeymoon that never stops...

Custard's Last Stand

2009-05-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

After almost six months straight of visitors, it's hard to believe that I'm on the final stretch and I will be going back to "normal" life very soon. You have to understand that it's hard to continue doing your day to day routine with a friend (or friends for that matter) in town. You basically throw your routine out the window. You might be able to squeeze in a few errands here and there but essentially you're doing just enough to get by so that your life doesn't fall completely apart. And sleep? Well, that's not really an option. Tuesday night and you want to be mellow? Forget about it. We're going out! Sunday night, movie night? Yeah right! El Divino here we come! I used to live in a city (San Francisco) where I used to have a lot of visitors, but it's so much different here. What I realized several months ago is that people coming down to Brazil are coming here completely blind, and when you throw in the language barrier, you realize just how much guidance guests need. It's a 24-hour job with no breaks. But the thing is is that I want my friends and family that come here to like Floripa as much as I do. A lot of people, especially my family, must have wondered what kind of place would have made me make such a leap of faith. Therefore, it's very important for me to "show off" Floripa as much as I can when I am lucky enough to have my family and friends down here. Now if only I could find a way to get paid for this.....

I never had a chance to write about it after he left, but I think it's safe to say that my Dad REALLY enjoyed Floripa. I can't say that I was worried that my Dad wouldn't like it, but of course you never know. The one thing I was a little concerned about is that Floripa, like the rest of Brazil, runs on a different time schedule, if you will, than we are accostumed to in the United States. My Dad is one of those people that really engages in that promptness. However, my Dad couldn't have been cooler during his time here. He went with the flow in a big way, and we ended up having a great time. There was lots of tennis, lots of beach time, and of course a few parties. I think what my Dad appreciated most about this area is how green, lush, and protected the environment is. My house is literally surrounded by a lush forest, and my Dad loved that. We ended his trip here with an unbelievable night at P12. It was a proper send off, and I think he left here with all smiles. Actually, I take that back. He definitely left here all smiles. Just look at the pictures!

Last week one of my closest friends was in town. It was really great having him in town. It goes without saying that the hardest thing about living down here is being so far away from family and friends. And no matter how many great new friends I have made here, it's impossible to replicate those friendships that have been created over many, many years (and even decades at this point). As usual, we had a great time. We are definitely in the "off-season" of Floripa by now, but my buddy is married with a kid on the way so it was a good combination. Summer time in Floripa might be a little bit of an overload for a married guy, and God knows I don't want to be responsible for that!!!!

As my final days of visitors comes to an end, I look back at the last six months with many incredible memories that were only made better because I shared these moments with the people that I love. It's been one hell of a stretch, and honestly I can't believe that I survived with minimal wreckage (although I'm sure my liver would completely disagree). Floripa has been my Little Big Horn and the parties have been my Sitting Bull. But now it's time to get back to focusing on my life and my work and the new things that are hopefully on the horizon. But for those that know me, you understand that I couldn't go out quietly. Therefore, I will be hosting one more house party tonight. If you're going to go out, you HAVE to go out with a bang! Truer words were never spoken.....

50 Differences Between Floripa and San Francisco

2009-04-08T09:40:00.001-07:00

50. We don't hug or shake hands when we meet someone in Floripa. We go straight to the kissing.
49. Champagne is a regular part of the diet in Floripa.
48. Every guy I know here seems to have a magic touch with a soccer ball. It must be in the blood.
47. In Floripa the term "playing through" doesn't mean allowing a group of golfers behind you move ahead. Rather, it means going directly from one night of partying to the next night without sleeping.
46. Often times girls in Floripa won't return your text messages not because they don't want to respond to you but because they don't want to pay the money. Unfortunately, this leaves many a guy wondering if the girl is blowing him off or just short on dough.
45. It costs me R$0.38 every time I send a text message in Floripa. I have had to learn how to actually call and talk to people again just so I don't go broke.
44. I haven't touched a washing machine in 13 months while in Floripa and I couldn't be happier about this development.
43. In San Francisco I can't buy a pair of shoes and get the option to pay for the shoes in 12 monthly installments.
42. I pay R$50 per month to have a bank account in Floripa. If that's not a crime I don't know what is.
41. Driving in San Francisco is not a life threatening experience.
40. If I want to park on the street, I have to pay some random street "bum." If I don't pay him, I might not have windows when I get back.
39. Mexican food is actually good in San Francisco. I'm pretty sure that I had a burrito last week that was covered in pasta sauce.
38. In Floripa carrying around a camera doesn't make you look like a ridiculous tourist. It makes you the most popular person in town.
37. I eat dinner no earlier than 10PM in Floripa. In SF, that's almost last call.
36. I don't need to run a bar tab in Floripa. You receive a card once you enter a club that essentially acts as your tab. It seems annoying at first but it's actually quite effective.
35. Nobody flips anyone off in Floripa. Everyone drives like a maniac and it's just accepted as such and therefore, no one ever gets pissed. It's quite novel actually.
34. Pedestrians have rights in San Francisco.
33. I wouldn't touch McDonald's in San Francisco. In Floripa, the golden arches are just that.....golden.
32. People actual use payphones in Floripa. In SF, payphones are about as extinct as the Model T.
31. The houses on the hills with beautiful views in Floripa aren't Pacific Heights-like mansions, they're favellas.
30. In Floripa keeping it mellow tonight means getting home around 3AM.
29. No means Yes in Floripa. Just kidding!!!!! Sort of.....
28. Tennis is played on clay in Floripa.
27. Tattoos, and there are many of them, are considered beautiful and sexy in Floripa.
26. It's illegal to have the photo radar avoiding reflector on your license plate in San Francisco but in Floripa the DETRANS (DMV) actually makes them for you for $40 reais extra (much to my amusement, I personally experienced this yesterday).
25. In San Francisco I wouldn't go out to a place that was farther than 1o minutes from my condo whereas in Floripa I have no problem driving two hours to go to a club.
24. Cops in Floripa drive with their flashers on at all times. I can't possibly think of something more confusing than this for Americans. Should I pull over? Should I stop? What the hell am I supposed to do?
23. When I pick up a friend at the airport in Floripa and park at the curb to wait for him/her I don't get accosted by 17 cops in 20 seconds.
22. In Floripa I don't need sleep to work. I need sleep to go out.
21. Strangers actually want to help you in Floripa and most of the time they even add a smile.
20. Having a two hour coffee in Floripa isn't such a strange concept.
19. When it rains in Floripa I'm surprisingly excited because that means I might take it easy for once.
18. A crazy night out in San Francisco means hundreds of people getting drunk and going wild. That's a slow Sunday in Floripa.
17. The citizens respect the government in Floripa like San Franciscans respect Republicans.
16. There is no sound of an alarm in Floripa (at least not for me!).
15. People actually train their dogs in San Francisco.
14. When I go the beach in Floripa it's beautiful, warm, and clean.
13. A perfect 10 in San Francisco might qualify as a 7.5 in Floripa.
12. When I go out in San Francisco, there isn't a decent chance that I will see Alessandra Ambrosio or any one of the other Victoria's Secret models.
11. In San Francisco I don't need to wait in line (in person, mind you!) to pay my bills.
10. The average temperature in Floripa ranges about 15 degrees between the summer and winter. I could be on the shaded side of Chestnut Street and walk to the sunny side and experience this same temperature variation.
9. Only in Floripa can you go home with a girl from a club in separate cars, watch this girl cause a drunk driving head-on collision, have several cops show up, watch the girl fumble through her purse looking for an ID only to see her give the cops her Confraria VIP card, and still be home making out with her in less than 45 minutes (obviously, this is a story that deserves its own entry but for the meantime, understand that every bit is true).
8. In Floripa the cops can show up at your party to see if everything is ok and you're having fun.
7. Going out with a group of five guys in Floripa won't get you barred from a club because there are already so many girls there that they essentially need the guys.
6. The crab is actually real in San Francisco.
5. Restaurant waiters acknowledge your presence in San Francisco.
4. Somebody else pumps the gas for me in Floripa.
3. When I surf in Floripa I'm not searching the water for sharks.
2. San Francisco, which is a fairly lax city when it comes to enforcing the law, looks like Singapore compared to Floripa.
1. I see more hot girls having a coffee in the Lagoa than I will see in one year in San Francisco (no offense SF - I still love you!)

A Different Kind of Tax Season

2009-04-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

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....

My Favorite Time of the Year

2009-03-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's because I arrived here last year during March and those first months were so memorable or maybe it's something else, but all I know is that I just love this time of year in Floripa. The weather is fantastic, most of the tourists are gone (it's great while they're here but it's pretty damn hectic), the waves start picking up a bit, and the parties are still amazing and, luckily, not as frequent (it's good to take break once in awhile although I never seem to do that). During the summer time everyone around here is flying around at a 100 miles per hour and doing a million things at once that there is literally no time to relax. It's basically just party, party, party. Now is the time to relax a bit and enjoy the beauty of Floripa. There are 42 beaches in Floripa and I still have yet to see so many of them. Last weekend I went to the north of the island to a beach called Lagoinha and it was stunningly beautiful. Since I live at Praia Mole, I very rarely venture out to other beaches. It's just too easy to walk across the street. However, after being at Lagoinha, I realized that I really do need to get out and see some new beaches. The good news is that I have a few visitors coming the next few weeks (including the first visit from my Dad!) so maybe I could use it as a good excuse to get out and venture a little more. Next stops will be Lagoinha do Leste and Matadero....

On an unrelated note, I always have to laugh as I consistently run into the same situation. I can't tell you how many times this has happened. A group of American guys were here this week, and I was introduced to them on Tuesday night while they were at Tatsuya. I talked to them for awhile about Floripa and everything that goes on. They had just come from Rio where they had a great time. Anyway, they were bummed because it was so slow their first few days here. They arrived on Sunday and not much was going on the first few days. I tried to explain to them that it's typically pretty mellow here in the beginning of the week. During the summer time, there are parties every day of the week but after Carnival things go back to normal. They had commented about the NY Times article, and I think they were expecting Floripa to be just one non-stop party, which it's not for those of you who have never been here. It's difficult, however, to explain this to people who want to be out every night. My response to people like this is always the same, "Just wait and you'll see." By Thursday they were still not believers and I wasn't even remotely worried. I've seen this exact thing happen 100 times. Unfortunately, the group had two guys who were leaving on Friday before things really got started so I knew they were going to miss out (I actually tried to convince them to stay because I knew Saturday's party was going to be one you wouldn't want to miss). Well, the ending of this story is always the same. The two guys who were here said yesterday was the best party of their lives. They were completely blown away, and keep in mind that these are people who live in Los Angeles and have great lives. It's not like they are living in the woods of Michigan or anything. It's just that if I know one thing about Floripa, it's this: Floripa never, ever disappoints....

I didn't have my camera last night so I don't have any photos of that party yet but I have friends who took tons of pictures. As soon as I get the photos, I will post them. We took some classics...

Carnival in Brazil - An Experience of a Lifetime

2009-02-25T02:30:00.000-08:00

I just spent the last week contemplating what to write about Carnival in Salvador and came upon the only logical decision. There is literally no way that I could describe it. It's just one of those things that if I tried to explain it to someone and filled them in on every last detail, it still wouldn't come close to capturing the experience. I always believed that a great writer (and I'm not saying that I'm one of those people!) could describe anything and make the reader really feel everything about the moment. However, this is just one of those things that you could only fully understand if you experienced it in person. I've never seen so much ENERGY, passion, and enjoyment of life in one place. It is literally overwhelming. Try to imagine an entire street (and I mean a looooooooong one) with the hundreds of thousands of joyous people in the world all singing and dancing to one incredible rhythm non-stop for a week straight. Add all of the lights, the production and, most importantly, the surrounding beauty and you have one unbelievable scene. I can honestly say that I got the chills several times. And to be honest, the first night I was there I really didn't like it at all. I had no idea what to do, it was really dirty, and basically I was clueless. However, by night number two I decided that I just needed to go for it (you definitely need to try hard to ignore all of the trash and the overwhelming smell of urine) and make the best of the experience, and that's exactly what I did. It helped a lot that I was with a great group of people. Everyone who gave me advice on Salvador said to just stay in the camarote (VIP area) the whole time. That would have been a huge mistake because the action is definitely down on the street. We followed the trio electricos (the huge semis where the bands play), hung out in the pipoca (which means popcorn but in this case it means the people on the sides of the street who are not in the trios), and basically got ourselves in the mix as much as possible. It was just an overall unbelievable experience, and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone with a little taste for fun.

We were fortunate to have a local, Diego, from Salvador in our crew. He was the greatest host of all time, and the coolest thing he did was take us to Liberade. Liberade was the first neighborhood in Salvador and is 100% black. He took us there to see how this little neighborhood celebrates Carnaval and, most specifically, to see the incredible drummers who cruise through. It was really, really special. There is a group of about 100 drummers just walking the neighborhood and playing incredible music. The whole place was jamming to this rhythm. We were the only white people that I saw the whole time (with the one exception of a BBC camera crew), and it was a special deal because without Diego we would have never had the idea or the balls to make this happen. Thank you bro!!!! That was insane!

After Carnaval was over and we finally got some sleep (not to mention getting back to a normal eating schedule), we headed out of town to visit some other places. The beaches in the Northeast of Brazil are beautiful. I felt like I was in Hawaii with all of the palm trees, white sand, and turquoise/warm water. We stayed overnight in Praia do Forte, which is not only incredibly gorgeous but also happens to be one of the best surf spots in Northeast Brazil. We had a long session followed by a cool dinner in a little area with tons of shops, restaurants, and bars. I wish I had more time there because it is a very beautiful place. I will definitely return there in the future. After waking up on Friday and regurgitating some of the week's tasty treats, I finally made it back to Floripa the next day. I will never forget my first Carnival in Brazil. It was one of the best times of my life, and the only thing that I can say is just trust me on this one. Go! You will not be disappointed!

Restaurant Management 101 (Brazilian Version)

2009-02-18T17:07:00.000-08:00

They said it would happen and promised that it would happen. I didn’t believe them, or at least I didn’t want to believe them. I like to think that the human race is inherently good and that sometimes we just make mistakes. In this case, I was particularly wrong.

I received a phone call from my manager, Ana, last Friday night saying that she discovered that the employees were stealing from the restaurant (it was a great start to the weekend!). This was the phone call that I didn’t want. I was already on my way to the restaurant so I just told her to sit tight until I got there. Once I arrived, she explained to me what was happened. Our main sushi chef noticed that an order was canceled after he made it and saw it served to a table. He thought it was strange and notified the cashier. After a little prodding, the cashier told Ana that it happens a lot. After a little more prodding, the cashier said that she sees the waiters exchanging money regularly. Unfortunately, Ana had already put the order back in the system. I would have kept the order off to see how the transaction played out when closing the bill. I was curious to see how the waiters pocketed the money in the scheme. After a discussion with Ana, we decided to “interrogate” the waiter who canceled the order. Of course, he denied any wrongdoing and pled ignorance (I believed Bill Clinton and his "I did not have sexual relations with that woman" more than I believed this guy). We told him that it was very suspicious and that we would continue to look into it. Shortly after, we discovered that another waiter canceled the order (it was odd because it wasn’t her table). Only a minute after we finished talking to the first waiter, two waiters immediately came to us and said it was a mistake and the order was canceled erroneously (obviously, they didn’t realize how suspicious that was). We determined that the scheme was that the waiters told the clients about the error on the bill when it was being paid. The canceled orders were usually R$50 and below and the client would just pay that part in cash and they would pocket the money since the order wasn’t on the bill. Anyway, we decided to review the records to check on canceled orders and leave the matter unsettled until Monday.
Although we were fairly convinced what was happening, we didn’t have any real proof.

On Monday afternoon, we sat down and spoke with the cashier. She seemed to know a lot more that she was leading on and no restaurant scheme works in a restaurant without the help of the cashier. Of course, she indeed had a lot more information. She informed us that the head waiter personally asked her if she wanted in on the scheme when she was first hired (this certainly qualified as the proof we were looking for). They both used to work at another restaurant (a very popular one) where apparently stealing is rampant. She told me that she thought we were good people (that clean living is finally paying off!) and didn’t want to participate in what was going on. She then proceeded to explain her version of what was happening. What was interesting to me is that I became aware that this is just normal behavior for employees in the restaurant business in Brazil. There is always some version of a scheme. Those who want in can participate, and those who don’t want to participate have an understanding not to say anything. She was breaking the mold by telling us and I, of course, was relieved that she had done so.

What came next was the obvious firing of those who were involved. The shitty part is that employees have so many rights in Brazil that any situation involving a dispute almost always comes out in favor of the employee. The other part was that the cashier didn’t want the whole staff to know that she was the whistle blower so we had to keep that part quiet. I wanted to tell the employees who were a part of the scheme how incredibly effed up it was. I’m providing them all jobs (18 in all), I pay them fairly, I treat them very well and the payback is that they steal from me. The other screwed up part is that every order that they steal by taking off the system creates less commission for the other employees. Anyway, we had to come up with ridiculous excuses to fire them. The only solace is that they obviously knew that we knew, and that gave me some sort of satisfaction.

The good news is that we caught the problem quickly and, although we lost some money, it could have grown to be a much bigger problem. The bad news is just the disappointment that comes along with something like this. Like I said, I always want to give people the benefit of the doubt but when people steal from you, it’s hard to have this philosophy. However, it was a lesson learned, (and one that I was warned about) and it will only make us focus more on running a very tight ship. The restaurant business is hard enough as it is so we’ll chalk it up to experience and keep moving forward. I said to some friends last week that owning a restaurant is like having a girlfriend. When things are going well and you have a packed house, it couldn't be better. However, when it's quiet and there are problems, it takes a lot of work to keep things going.

On a brighter side, outside of this, things are going great with Tatsuya. People really love the place, and the compliments we get from the décor to the food to everything else are just overwhelming. I’ve even had many sophisticated travelers tell me that Tatsuya was by far their best night experience while in Floripa. While in takes time and patience to make a successful restaurant, I certainly feel like we’re on the right track. Now if I can just figure out how to do FBI background checks on employees we will be all set!

A Paradigm Shift

2009-02-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

As always, I have to apologize for the delay in posts. It seems that the longer I live in Brazil, the more I get accustomed to a the very relaxed culture where urgency isn't exactly a top priority. Plus, it's summer time so cut me some slack! There are a few distractions to say the least. Haha. With that being said, I'm glad I am finally taking the chance to sit down to think and write a little something....

As I sit on my patio writing this, I can't help but think about how much the world is changing as a result of the global crisis. When I decided to pack up and move to Brazil, things were still relatively fine back in the US. The banks were still intact, the markets were volatile but not dire, and the housing market was still holding on. I know there were a handful of doubters who thought I must have been crazy to do what I was doing because I was leaving a great job and what you might have perceived was a good path to happiness (whatever that may have meant at the time). As it stands now, I think there has been a dramatic paradigm shift. I can't look at the status updates on my Facebook without seeing that another person was laid off. It really bums me out because I think losing your job is an incredibly unfortunate situation. From my perspective, what I have seen is that this has affected people very dramatically because suddenly people are realizing that jobs aren't guaranteed and that any day a good job can disappear. What does this mean exactly? I guess that's tough to say because it depends on the person. However, what I have seen first hand is many, many people saying, "Screw this. I don't need this and I'm going to make myself happy." I get at least 3-4 emails per week from people around the globe (usually friends of friends or someone who came across this blog) who have decided that they are going to move to a foreign country (obviously most are reaching out because they want to live in Floripa) and want some advice on how to go about it. For the first nine months I lived here, I probably received just a couple emails about this so certainly I can see how much things have changed in the past few months. I think a lot of people have realized how vulnerable their jobs and lives can really be. You can dedicate yourself to a company, work your ass off for it for years, plan your whole future based your job, and then come in one day to find out that you are expendable. It's definitely a shame because the last thing I want to see is someone's security being pulled out from under them. However, it happens and you have to find a way to deal with it, and it seems that everyone has decided that Floripa is the solution. Herein lies the dilemma.

Floripa is an incredibly beautiful and special place, and I always want to protect that. That last thing I want is for Floripa to lose its charm by being overrun for foreigners, but at the same time, it's tough to be selfish about it because I don't want to be a hypocrite since I am already a foreigner living here. The one thing I do tell people is that this place is not easy to find work. Between the language barrier, the work visa issues, and just the overall job market here, there are a lot of big obstacles. However, as with any emerging country, there is still plenty of opportunity if you are willing to be creative. Just don't expect to get off the plane and start working. If that's what you are looking for, then this is not the place. It takes time to get accustomed to the way things work and to do all of the things that you need to do before opening a business or whatever is you are looking to do. And if you need any advice, please feel free to reach out to me. I will be starting Packard Consulting Co. ASAP!

The most important things when coming to Brazil, whether it be to live here or just for a visit, is to have a very open mind, be patient, and be respectful. Anyone with this kind of attitude will enjoy Brazil (and any other foreign country for that matter) much, much more. I have had such a blast meeting all of the people that have come through, and it seems that the large majority of them have the right attitude (although unfortunately there are always exceptions to everything - the self proclaimed "Hebrew Hurricane" definitely takes the cake). The right attitude takes you far any place but even more so here because Brazilians are so open and warm that it's important to be the same way. On that note, I received a good email today regarding Brazilians. I did not write this so I can't take credit for it but I wanted to pass it on because I thought it was pretty accurate....

Brazilian Friendship and Hospitality

"Humans are in many ways the same the world over. I have lived several months to more than a year in a dozen or so countries and have visited a few dozen more. While sweeping generalizations can inaccurately portray the people of one nation, I have found that people can have “tendencies” to congregate around certain behavior and characteristic traits that change from nation to nation. These characteristics will also change within the borders of a nation from place to place."

Having appropriate qualified what I am about to say, - Brazilians tend to:

Be extremely kind and generous.
Make great friends.
Embrace and welcome foreigners into their homes and circle of friends.
Be at ease with themselves and those around them.
Seek a spiritual (not necessarily religious) community of like-minded people.
Place a higher priority on quality of life than they do on quality of work.
Place less importance on material wealth and consumption.
Seek peaceful solutions to conflict.
Be respectful of the rights and differences of others.
Exhibit patience in situations that would bring others to rage.
Be more likely to gather socially to celebrate whatever occasion they can muster up for celebration.
Celebrate sexuality and sexual expression more so than people of other nations.
Very fond and knowledgeable of music.
Love the beach and go to great lengths to spend time there.
Smile often, - they have beautiful, healthy smiles.

Tatsuya Sushi Lounge

2009-01-15T09:07:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to throw up a few quick photos of Tatsuya. We had a photographer take some pics this week and I've received a couple of them so far and thought some of you might want to see them. I'll add the upstairs pics when I get them. Hope you like 'em!

More Thoughts of an American Living in Brazil

2009-01-12T18:33:00.000-08:00

Is there a better feeling in the world than getting pulled over late at night at a check point and being dead sober? I don't think so. I have been pulled over twice at night time during my time in Brazil and, as luck would have it, both times I have been sober as a nun. I just ooze confidence when this happens. I start talking to the police officers like I'm Eddie Murphy or something...making jokes, laughing outrageously, etc. Really, I feel invincible during this time (although not quite as much as Charles Barkley apparently....but close).

Well, it took me 10 months but I finally learned what the word "carona" means. Carona, which is pronounced exactly like Corona (the famous Mexican beer), means "lift" or "ride" as in "can you give me a lift?" Now, to all of my Brazilian friends, I could have used a little help on this one a few months ago. People have been asking me for "caronas" for awhile now and I always thought it was strange....I was constantly thinking to myself, "Do I look like someone who drinks a lot or walks around with a few extra Coronas to spare?" It always perplexed me, and typically my answer was no. But, finally, after many months of unknowingly seeming like an asshole, I am now giving free caronas left and right so if you see a grey Ford Fiesta with a surf rack cruising on by, just throw out the thumb and I'll get you where you need to be. And if you're lucky, I might even have a beer for you!

Speaking of hitchhiking, as I've mentioned before, hitchhiking is much more commonplace here in Brazil (at least Floripa) than in the U.S. (those serial killer stories apparently never affected the people down here). In fact, I have even heard several stories of guys meeting their future girlfriends for the first time while picking them up for a ride (nothing seems to surprise me anymore). But honestly, I'm all for this and who wouldn't be? It's like speed dating but in the comfort of your own car, and you always have the option to drop them off at any destination you choose or perhaps you can keep driving if things are going well. Therefore, I would suggest you forget Match.com and yoga classes. If you're looking for a girl, I recommend that you start doing laps around the Lagoa...trust me, it beats the hell out of Facebook stalking.

People keep telling me that I should buy a scooter or motorcycle to avoid the traffic. After much deliberation, I decided that I would rather ride a tricycle on the New Jersey Turnpike than ride a motorcycle in Brazil.

It seems that all of my thoughts these days are based around driving and that's because with the traffic that I have encountered during the summer here, you are literally taking life into your own hands. The people on the side of the street selling water and beer (think about that for a second - selling beer to drivers!) must be making a killing. However, based on what I've seen, if I just set up a first aid tent down on the main road and charge to help those injured in traffic accidents, I might be able to retire in about six months.

If you own a house and end up renting the house to a few guys from New York who tell you that they met some "crazy girls from Rio" over the holidays, do you just burn the sheets or do you do the whole thing and burn the beds and start all over?

I have eaten more sushi in the past month than I have eaten in my entire life. It seems that I have convinced myself that Mercury poisoning is non-existent south of the equator. Literally, not one Brazilian (at least not one that I have met) has any idea what Mercury poisoning is. Let's just say that the government hasn't exactly done its job in getting the word out. Therefore, if I start to experience skin discoloration, swelling, or burning of the skin, don't worry. I own a sushi lounge, and this is the price I must pay.

If a Brazilian girl tells you that she doesn't like to have her picture taken, don't trust this girl because she is a liar!

It's 90 degrees every day and the water feels incredible (at least for a Californian). However, the majority of the Brazilian surfers wear wetsuits every day. For a culture that is known for its machismo, this is about as macho as me wearing a thong on the beach. Unfortunately, I witnessed a dude doing just this last week (fully shaved legs and all). The nightmares I'm having at night should come as no surprise.

In the U.S. I used to have an X5 yet here in Brazil I drive a car that requires me to turn off the air conditioning to make it up steep hills. It's funny how things change, yet I wouldn't change it in a million years.

The days keep passing and the speeding tickets keep coming. I swear to God that I basically drive like a grandmother now so I don't know what the hell is happening. If this is some kind of candid camera prank, it's not funny!

Tan lines - I swear at this point I don't know if I could live without them.

In Brazil, the most popular restaurants are buffet style (pick your food and weigh it). Seriously, how did this concept not work on the U.S.? You get to pick exactly what you want to eat and you know essentially how much you are going to pay for it. It must be the white trash stigma or maybe it's because the food in the buffets here is just so much better and healthier. However, if I ever move back to the U.S., I'm growing a mullet and rockin' the wife beater because I just can't live without the buffet!

Of the many things I am learning in the restaurant business, one of the most prevalent is how to deal with employee issues. It's funny because we used to joke about how our investment team at Merrill Lynch was just a human resources department due to the fact that we had a big team and it always seemed like we were dealing with some sort of ridiculous issue. Now, I'm facing these these issues every day, and I'm thankful to Shotty for all that I learned in this department during my years there. However, I would argue that the H.R. rules are a little different down here than at Merrill Lynch. For instance, I'm currently looking for a waitress and I'm not going to say that the interview process involves a runway buuuuuuutttt..........

It blows my mind how little what goes on in the rest of the world affects the place I live (at least on a day to day basis). I easily could go through each day and not hear a single word on what is happening across the globe, and on many days I do. Obviously, you could argue this as a good thing or a bad thing (certainly, I don't want to lose touch). However, for now while the world is in the shape that it's in, I'm going to argue that it's a good thing. Life is simple here and why not? Who wants to hear about terrorism, oil prices, investment pryamid schemes, etc., etc. I, on the other hand, am looking forward to the big decision of tomorrow: blonde or brunette for the open waitress position????

Lastly, check out these two recent articles on Floripa:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/travel/11party.html
http://www.jcreport.com/blog/120109/florianopolis-ibiza-south-america

Summer Insanity

2009-01-03T12:06:00.001-08:00

After a week and a half straight of partying, I finally got some sleep last night. I woke up to some serious rain and decided that finally it was ok to sleep in. I rented out my house for the past 10 days, and I have been crashing on my friend's couch after my other apartment rental fell through. In the end though, it probably saved me money since I have basically used this place just to sleep (average bed time has been around 7AM) and shower. When people had explained to me what happens when the crowd arrives in Floripa, I was expecting a lot. However, I could never have anticipated this. There are literally people everywhere. You wouldn't even believe it. Unfortunately, with any crowd comes traffic....and I mean serious traffic. I have tried to avoid it at all costs and have been somewhat successful thus far. However, a few times I have been caught up in it and I'm having flashbacks to my days in LA on the 405 (I have, however, long forgotten road rage because at least here I can stare at chicks in bikinis while I'm stuck in traffic). I can't complain though. This has been one of the most fun weeks of my entire life. Every night is an adventure, and almost every night brings another great story. One of my favorite days of all time was this last Saturday (December 27th). My friend and I went to Cafe de la Musique (super model central), P12, Tatsuya, Pacha, and Posh all it one day. From a partying perspective, it probably doesn't get any better than this. Every place is going absolutely off, and I'm doing my best to take advantage of it because how many times in life do we get experiences like this? I've managed to meet some great people along the way from all across the world, and all anyone can say is that this is the best place in the world. I couldn't agree more, and I absolutely love it when other people agree. As for New Year's, it was, as expected, one of the best parties of my life. We went through probably 70 bottles of champagne and literally tore the roof off of the place. It was a great way to end the most exciting year of my life. After the party, I kept getting the feeling that the craziness was about to end, however, I couldn't be more wrong. It's January 3rd and the summer insanity has only just begun...

As for an update on Tatsuya, I'm happy to report that things are going great. I feel lucky to have what I call a "high class problem," which is that we are so busy that we are working very hard to keep up. People really love the concept, and I feel extremely gratified every night. As for the mayhem, the 30rd had to be the topper. One of our three sushi guys (we now have four thank God) hurt his hand and couldn't come to work. On top of that, our system went down right before we opened. We had a completely full house with people waiting outside, and we were running around like maniacs (imagine every single order being written down on a piece of paper and having to add it by hand to close out a bill). I was the barback, the dishwasher guy, and pretty much everything else. It was pure craziness and definitely a crash course in restaurant management. I felt bad for the sushi guys as only two of them were making food for about 80 people. We had a few complaints on the time it took to make the food (just being honest!) but overall it was a great night (even though I was definitely happy when the doors finally closed). There is certainly still a lot to learn, but I think all of the pieces are coming into place to make Tatsuya a long term success...

I finally get to move back into my house tonight. As happy as I am to have rented my house (thank you fellas - you absolutely rocked!), I'm really excited to get settled back in. Living out of my car and sleeping on a couch has been fun but I miss Casa 13 and Praia Mole. And hopefully now I can return all of the phone calls I missed and catch up on everyone's holiday stories. I do want to wish everyone the very best in 2009. 2008 was a very trying year all across the world but if I have learned anything, it's this: don't ever be afraid to take a chance and do something you never thought possible. You never know what might happen. A year ago yesterday I went to Merrill Lynch and told them I was walking away from a great job (and especially great colleagues!), a wonderful city, incredible friends and family and moving to Brazil. It was a chance I took and one filled with a lot of risk. However, there is no looking back now because life is just too damn short and the experiences I have had can never be replaced. Nobody knows what tomorrow may bring so you might as well live every day to the max.....and I plan on doing just that in 2009 here on the Island of Magic....

The Summer Time Dream

2008-12-23T12:18:00.000-08:00

The inauguration party came and went in the blink of an eye. We were cranking at max capacity to make sure that everything was perfect. The party started on Thursday at 9PM and the last piece of glass and the last piece of stickers (for the windows) were still going up at exactly 9PM. Even with all of the craziness, everything was totally done there wasn't a single thing missing (I don't think any of us really believed that we did this all in 5 weeks). As for the party, it was fantastic. After all of the work that I put into the place, all I really hoped for was that everyone else liked it as much as me. The overall feedback was that people were shocked. Everyone really, really likes the place. I had several people tell me that they felt like they were in Manhattan, and, honestly, I can't think of a better compliment than that. The party itself is never really that enjoyable for the owners, because we have to make sure to say hi to everyone and to make sure everyone is totally happy. Of course, the rough part was the TV interview. My partner, Val, hates the spotlight and my other partner, Dave, is still in the early learning phases of Portuguese. Therefore, the interview was laid squarely on my shoulders. However, once it got started, it was fine. The interviewer made it really easy. Unfortunately, it ran on Sunday and I missed it but I'm probably better off not having seen it. Otherwise, I would probably realize that I need to enroll in some intense Portuguese classes ASAP and God knows I don't have time for that. Anyway, here are the pics from the party. Enjoy: http://picasaweb.google.com/cpackard11/TatsuyaSushiLoungeInaugurationParty.

As for everything else, it feels really good to have life somewhat back to normal. I no longer have to wake up and go straight to the restaurant. I'm enjoying my days at the beach and trying to get back into shape. Summer time is definitely here. It is SUPER hot, and the action is really start to happen all around the island. Come Christmas time, the population on the island is going to triple. I don't know if I'm prepared for what is about to happen, but I know that I couldn't be more excited. I have been at the restaurant every night just having a blast. Fortunately, we have been full every night we have been open, and there is nothing more satisfying that watching people have a good time at your place. And now there will even be more people to entertain, and I'll do everything I can to make sure they have a good time.....make sure to stop by if you're headed this way!

I wish everyone happy holidays and a very healthy new year. If you don't hear from me until January, don't worry, I'm probably just sitting on the deck of Tatsuya having a cocktail and living the summer time dream....

24

2008-12-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to give a quick update now that I finally have two seconds to sit down. It looks like we are a "go" for the opening tomorrow. It has been one hell of a stressful week. We are getting down to the wire and things are definitely tight. We all sat down this weekend to decide if Thursday was still going to work for the opening party, and I didn't want to waver one bit. In my opinion, all that does is allow people to delay their work even more. If you tell someone that it needs to be done on Friday, they will get it done by Friday. If you tell that same person that it has to be done by Saturday, they will get it done by Saturday and act like it couldn't have been done a minute sooner. It's so funny how that works. Anyone who has ever opened a restaurant can tell you that it's ALWAYS like this. I have heard the word "tomorrow" about 10,000 times and all I can do is laugh when I hear it. I just try my hardest to keep a positive attitude and keep people moving forward so that we're always making progress. The crazy thing about being in Brazil is that I have a whole different set of problems to deal with that I never would have thought of. For instance, at night we have to take the light bulbs out of our lights in the garden because people steal them. And if you can believe this, someone stole a piece of wood today that was on our deck and nailed in (that one even shocked the Brazilians - definitely a desparate move). Anyway, today was the big day for sure. I was at the restaurant yesterday for 21 hours straight (sleep has definitely gone out the window - didn't I come here to relax?), and if you looked at it when I left this morning you would say that there was no way that we could be open by Thursday. However, I just left tonight (it's 3AM here) and things really came together today. We have to rig a few things. For instance, a piece of black glass has yet to come in so our plan B was to paint that wall black for now (I don't think we had another choice). This was a perplexing one. Yesterday a piece of the black glass broke and so they had to redo it. It will be ready by tomorrow. Yet, one of the main pieces on the bar has still yet to show up and they don't think it will by tomorrow. Therefore, I asked the glass guy how they could make an entire piece in one day yet not make the bar piece in three weeks. My answer was a blank face. Those of you who have visited Brazil might recall that face. One of the other hilarious things is seeing how people work with the guest list on this type of party. Everyone has an opinion and everyone says that you have to invite such and such because he/she is the "most influential person in Floripa!" Based on everyone I have talked to, apparently there are about 25 different "most influential people in Floripa." I'm less concerned about some person I don't know who may get offended if I don't invite them and more concerned with everyone just having a good time. That's what this is all about right? And the end, I think it's going to be great. Invitations have been sent out, and it's going to be one hell of a party. The photographers will be there so I will make sure to post plenty of pics. Surely, there is still a lot of work to do, but the next 24 hours is going to be one hell of an experience....

Clean Living

2008-12-08T16:59:00.001-08:00

For those of you concerned about me, I didn't drown in the floods, I didn't die of liver cancer, and wasn't thrown in jail. It's just that it seems each day gets busier and busier. I would, however, say that life continues to be great. The rain finally stopped (if you can believe it, it rained for 15 weeks straight!), and summer has officially arrived. The last few weeks have been full of parties, beaches, and great times. I have had one friend here for almost three weeks (he has since decided that he is moving to Floripa) and, in the meanwhile, I also had three other friends visit me. Unfortunately, those three had a nightmare travel experience thanks to the rain but once they arrived, we did as expected and I don't think we could have had more fun. I would say that the entertaining of friends can be cumbersome in a world where they don't speak the language, but nothing makes me happier than seeing a smile on their faces. Now, after three straight weeks of partying (more like 8 months for me!), the hour has arrived for a brief time out and some good, clean living.

As for the stories for when the guys were here, there is not much to say other than it was fantastic. I had the second of my crazy house parties, and this one was even better than the first. There were over 200 people at this one. I had to have a guest list, hire security, etc. The pictures of the party even made the front page one of Floripa's most known event websites (that was trippy). The best part was that the cops actually showed up, which in Brazil is pretty damn difficult to accomplish. You typically need a 10-car wreck and a fire for them to show up. I went outside to talk to them and they basically told me, "Man, we could care less. We're just required to show up so no worries and have fun." It was pretty epic. I'm sure the neighbors hate me but since their dog wakes me up literally seven days a week, I could care less. Until that thing goes away, it's going to be a summer of parties and I hope they at least like the music...

The craziest night of the past month was a night at Confraria with Steve Aoki. For those of you who have seen him play you know what I'm talking about. Of all the DJ's I have seen in my life, he is by far the best. No one puts on a show like him. He is basically throwing one hell of a party and you better be on board. He was literally hanging from the stereo speakers, pouring vodka down the crowd's throat, and just overall killing the place. It was unbelievable but it didn't stop there. He actually went to high school with some friends of friends so we chatted him up before he started his show. Once his show was over, we decided to throw an after party at my house. We asked Steve if he wanted to come over and he was like, "Of course." Therefore, basically the rest of the club just came to my house (keep in mind that this was around 6AM). I threw on my iPod and let the party start. Steve came up to me and asked if I would mind if he played his laptop. I was like, "Ahhh, yeah, sure." When one of the best DJ's in the world wants to play some jams at your after party your only answer should be "Let's do this! Can I get you something to drink?" We rocked it until about 9AM when everyone finally got a little tired. I have said it before and I will say it again....this shit only happens in Floripa. It literally never ceases to amaze me.

The gang and I also threw a party to help those people who have been devastated by the rain. We brought in a big semi-truck and sent out the word to everyone to come donate as much as they could before the party. It was very rewarding because the next day everything was delivered to a small village who had yet to receive any aid following the rain. Several families called to give thanks and many of them were crying tears of joy. If there is something more rewarding than that, let me know because I'm all ears....

Lastly, Tatsuya Sushi Lounge is scheduled to open December 18th. It's an incredible feeling to look at what I am creating but at the same time very nerve racking. I LOVE the place, love the food, and just love the concept but at the end of the day, other people still have to share that same opinion and show up. I am trying to do everything perfect (decor, food, press, etc.) and if they don't come, I can say that I tried my best. But I do have a lot of confidence that it is going to be great. There is nothing about the place that I don't absolutely love. I've really enjoyed watching the transformation over the past few weeks as things are getting built and the buzz goes around town. It's amazing to see everything that we had on a piece of paper just a few weeks ago come to life. It's been very rewarding. The next 10 days are going to be intense but once all the ducks are in line, all I can do is sit back, watch, and enjoy. It's going to be one hell of an experience, and I can't wait to see how it goes....

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

2008-11-17T15:13:00.000-08:00

My head is officially ready to explode. Whereas a month ago, I made about three decisions during the course of the day (where to surf, where to eat, and where to go out), I'm now making about 200 per day. The decisions are all across the board also: what kind of fabric do you want to use on the sofas, what kind of soap do you want to use in the bathroom, how many shelves do you want in the kitchen. It is literally unbelievable the amount of things that you have to consider in this business. I now have a great deal more respect for people who run successful restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. because I can see how much work it involves. I have a consultant who is with me literally all day long, and I thank the Lord each day that she is alive. Without her, I would be screwed. I'm laying the groundwork to hire her permanently, but it isn't going to be easy. As I've always said, everything is for sale. It just depends on the price, and this would unquestionably be the best money I've ever spent. To make things more complicated, I have four friends coming into town this weekend to visit me. I'm very interested to see how I will be able to coordinate the beach, the surfing, the parties while all the meanwhile continuing on with this monster project. If I think that I am not sleeping enough now, then next week should be quite an adventure....

The good news is that I'm still having a ton of fun. I'm creating my own little baby (hopefully this is just the beginning!), and I'm doing it in one of the most fun places in the world. We officially shut down on Friday and will be cranking away for six solid weeks to get ready for a December 18th opening. The trick is trying to coordinate the 100 different people involved in the reformation to make sure that they all do their part in time. If one goes astray, then the whole thing falls apart. Of course, the fact that I'm dealing with Brazilians is making it more complicated, but I have faith and right now that faith is holding me together.

With this new endeavor, one of the most important things to do is to be out there marketing. Luckily for me, this is what I love to do. Everyone here knows my plans, but I still take every opportunity to talk about it as I can. The most hilarious part of this was the opening of Pacha (one of the most famous clubs in the world) in Floripa this past Thursday where I was asked to give an interview to a famous journalist. Imagine trying to give an interview in the middle of a packed club with a bright shining light on your face while the music is blaring and their people all around. Oh yeah, and it's in Portuguese. I tried to warn them that I wasn't fluent in Portuguese but they assured me that it would be fine. Well, it went ok at best. I will spare you the details but I will say that it was very, very funny. I would be deathly afraid to see a recording. Undoubtedly it was a good experience and at the very least, hopefully I gave the reporter a good laugh.....

I also had my first house party of the summer. I had been wanting to throw a party at my house for some time and I finally had a reason....actually, I didn't have a reason but that's beside the point. It was an incredible party. The lights in all of Praia Mole went out for at least an hour around 3AM (we joked that the neighbors were trying to stop the party) but nobody left. The party started again and everyone had an absolute plast. Summer Party #2 at Praia Mole will be next Tuesday with the whole gang in town. If the house gets burned to the ground, I would not be even remotely surprised....

Getting Loose

2008-11-03T05:47:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official. After eight months of surfing, beaches, and parties, I am returning to the working class. The only difference is that I am still going to be very much focused on surfing, beaches, and parties (otherwise, what am I doing here?). I spent the first eight months of my time really trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I was all over the map during my research with ideas ranging from importing sandals to the U.S. to starting a Brazilian real estate fund. What I settled on was buying a Japanese restaurant.

Let me start by saying that Floripa is an interesting place. The people here (and this might relate to all of Brazil but that's tough for me to say) are very particular about what they want and how they want it. In my opinion, it's a mentality that I would say isn't exactly so open to new ideas. Entrepreneurialism isn't embraced like it is in the U.S. (unfortunately, this is one of the reasons why I think Brazil struggles so much to advance as a country). For instance, you can't just come down here, open a business, and expect it to work. You have to have patience, make sure you meet the right people, and do the right things. For anyone trying to do something in Brazil, I would strongly urge patience to get a feel for a community. The best business decision I have made since moving here has been to do nothing. It has allowed me to really understand Floripa, meet some great people, and really get a feel for what people here like.

Anywyay, how did buying a Japanese restaurant come about? I have asked myself that question many times. While buying a restaurant was never one of my intentions, sometimes life just works in strange ways.I met a really nice girl when I first moved here (strictly friends!). We stayed in touch and hung out every now and then. After not seeing her for a few months, I ran into her at a party. She told me that she was selling her restaurant. I had never been there so didn't know much about it. To make a long story short, she had lent money to a friend of a friend to start the restaurant. After building the restaurant, the guy basically walked away. Therefore, with no experience whatsoever, she was stuck with a restaurant. It hasn't been a fun experience for her as she has spent the last two months cleaning up this guy's mess and, therefore, she decided to sell it. I was a little curious so I went there with a friend to have dinner. We both really liked the place a lot (the food is very good and the location is killer). A few days later I told her that I ate at the restaurant, and she asked me if we went upstairs. I didn't even know there was an upstairs so obviously I didn't see it. I went back to check it out and immediately realized the potential of the place. While I never wanted to own a restaurant, I have always been interested in owning a nightlife spot. I knew that with a little work this could be a fantastic place. One thing led to another and I started getting serious about buying the place. She had started to tell people that she was selling the restaurant, and all of her friends told her she was crazy. They said that she was sitting on an unbelievable spot and she had done so much work that she would be crazy to sell now. Her biggest problem is that she never marketed the restaurant at all so it's been a struggle for her. Also, she has never wanted to be the "face" of the restaurant, and it's very important in Floripa for the customers to know the owner. This where I came in. Again, to make a long story short, we decided to move forward as 50/50 partners. I couldn't be more excited. I now have a great project to work on, and I look forward to it each day. I tell people that the restaurant is like a great canvas painting only the artist never put it in a frame and hung it on the wall. My goal is to create a very fun, Japanese restaurant with an amazing lounge. The Japanese restaurants in Floripa are very, very boring and nothing at all like the Japanese restaurants we are used to in the U.S. The sushi is also very basic in these restaurants so I'm going to fly down a friend of mine who is an unbelievable sushi chef to create a killer menu. As I said, you don't want to totally change the concept and scare everyone off, but I am confident that a place like I imagine could be very successful. Every day I am meeting with architects, interior designers, and everyone else under the sun. For better and for worse, I'm busy again but I'm also working on something that I am passionate about. My friends have told me a hundred times over the past few months that I would be crazy not to do something involved in the nightlife because I love being out, meeting new people, and just having a great time. So, here we are. The name of the restaurant is Hikari, which means "Loose" in Japanese (for those of you who know me well, was this not fate?), so the next time you are in Floripa make sure to stop by!

As I said, I love meeting new people. It's one of the great things I am looking forward to in my new business. The best part is that Floripa is a special place, and I have had the opportunity to meet some very amazing people. Last week, I had dinner with a few friends to talk a little business and a little pleasure. Of course, one of the guys is married to a super model (Fernanda Motta) and she joined us for dinner. Never in a million years do I imagine this happening in the U.S., however, it seems like this stuff happens here all the time. It was a very, very enjoyable night. They even put our picture in the newspaper. What can I say? Does it getter better than life in Floripa????

Summer is Coming!!!!

2008-10-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it's finally happening. Summer is almost here. I keep saying that everyone is wiping off the dust, washing the windows, and getting ready for the circus. So far, the weather is not cooperating (we've had rain, rain, and more rain) but there is definitely a buzz starting to circulate regardless. You can literally see in everyone's eyes. The parties, which usually start on Thursday have pushed it up a day and are now starting on Wednesday. I joked with one of my friends that it doesn't give me nearly enough time to rest up from the weekend (trust me, I know that "resting up from the weekend" sounds strange but such is my life - I'm on a sleeping schedule that would shock Keith Richards). Anyway, the population more than doubles here in Floripa in the summer. Honestly, I can't imagine what that will be like. Everything is already so crazy as it is so I can't possibly fathom what it will be like when the circus does indeed start. And I couldn't imagine being any busier. I have a lot of things cooking, which has been incredibly fun (there are legitimate reasons for my lack of posts so please be patient with me). All I know is that I've done everything humanly possible to get ready. The wheels have been greased and I'm ready for the best summer ever. Bring it on....

Words of wisdom - when four ridiculously hot blonde girls (see picture) tell you to leave your car at the party to drive with them to another party, always so yes no matter how far away that current party's house is from your house. These are just simple rules of life. Oh, and don't call shotgun. It's MUCH better in the backseat. Trust me. The loud music, the singing, and the pounding on the roof were eerily remiscent of the days of Cabo that I had missed so much, and I can assure you that it didn't make the safety of the drive any better. However, if I would have died during that ride, there would have been an enormous smile on my dead corpse....

On a "back to reality note," I am happy to report that the banks have reopened. However, they are still finding ways to screw me. I finally received the call from my lawyer yesterday while he was at the bank trying to receive my money. I could tell right where the conversation was going. Everything was sounding great, and I was only waiting for the "BUT' and boy did it come. Apparently, the bank wanted a projection of my annual revenues (how do you project something that doesn't exist?) with a document signed by my accountant and lawyer. As I like to say now, this sh*t no longer shocks me, but this was indeed a wild one. Therefore, my money is still in cyber wire transfer land, wherever the hell that may be. HOWEVER, the real salt in the wound came this morning. I wanted to get the signed document to my lawyer first thing this morning in an effort to hopefully get my money today. I got home around 5AM last night and couldn't sleep a wink so I went to his office at 8:30AM. Errand done, right? Not so fast. As I was driving down the main highway stretch, I stopped at the light as it was turning red. The guy behind me apparently didn't get the memo about stopping when the person in front of you stops. He crashed into my car at about 40 mph and sent my car about 15 feet ahead. I really couldn't believe it. He got out of the car crying like a girl because he probably just lost his job (he was a taxi). Needless to say, I didn't feel sorry for him. I'm happy to report that I wasn't injured (my little Ford Fiesta was apparently built by the same guys who built Sherman tanks), but I am going to be sore as hell tomorrow and I have my fingers crossed that nothing long term will come of it. I had a witness, got all the documents signed by the cops, learned some interesting new Portuguese, and finally headed home a few hours later. I'm sure I'll be without a car for at least a week while it gets fixed so I'm really looking forward to that. Therefore, I'd like to personally thank all of the banks for your tremendous help and service along the way. You've been a real pleasure to work with. I hope you enjoyed your vacation while the strike was on because it's over now. I'll be at the beach all summer while you are working so kiss my *ss! ;)

Another Reason Why Brazil Can Be One Funny Country

2008-10-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

Since most of you have followed my stories since I arrived here, you by now understand that things work a little bit different down here (that may be the world's greatest understatement). I am currently in the middle of another one of my epic little "experiences." BTW, for those of you Brazilians who read this, again, I'm not complaining. I love Brazil, the people, the culture, everything. It's just that us Americans get a kick out of these stories, and I wouldn't be doing anybody any favors if I didn't mention these little stories. With that out of the way, as I mentioned in my last entry, the exchange rate has moved considerably in favor of the dollar over the past two months. For us gringos, this is a great relief on our lifestyle expenses down here. In an effort to lock in the favorable exchange rate (I think we'll see a bit of a pullback soon), I decided to wire some money down here. Of course, that's not as easy as it sounds. The banks still do not allow me to open a personal account even though I live here, I have a Brazilian social security number, etc., etc. What blows my mind about that is the pure lack of business sense that it makes. If you can give me one good reason why a bank wouldn't want a new customer who can clearly prove that they are in good standing, I'm all ears. Since I don't have a personal account, I have to wire the money into my business account. This requires filing several documents as well as waiting three days for the documents to process before my lawyer can enter the bank to receive the funds (sounds fun right?). When my lawyer told me all of this, I just accepted it for what it is. I've been here long enough for this stuff not to shock me any more. Anyway, to make a long story short, I wired the money late last week when the exchange rate was at 2.31 (it's currently 2.15) and after the three day waiting period. The kicker was that I received an email on Friday saying that the bank is on strike and no one is allowed to do ANYTHING. This was last Friday. Today my money is still sitting only God knows where and I can't lock into any rate until everyone decides to go back to work. When that happens, I'll be a happy man. Every day the currencies are moving 5-10% in either direction, and I'm pretty tired of staring at it. I just pray that when the dedicated employees of Banco do Brasil make their way back to work that the exchange rate ends up landing on Park Place instead of Baltic Avenue....

Vai Figuerense, Vai!

2008-10-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in my living room the other day with a friend. He got off the phone and said his buddies were going to a soccer game. The #1 team in Serie A (Palmeiras) was in town playing Figuerense (Florianopolis' local Serie A team and by default, my team). I said, "Why the hell don't we go?" I had wanted to go to a game since I arrived here and couldn't think of a reason not to go. Therefore, we grabbed a couple other friends and hit the road (the stadium is about 45 minutes away). We arrived to pure mayhem. People were partying in the street everywhere you looked. The game started at 10PM so it's safe to say that these people had been drinking for awhile. It was exactly what you would imagine a Brazilian soccer game to look like. We had a beer or two, hung with the crowd for a bit, and then headed inside to our seats (after a lengthy body search!). In an effort to stop the madness, they no longer serve beer or alcohol inside the stadium. Once I got inside, I realized exactly why. I couldn't possibly fathom what these fans would do if they were able to drink all night. They were going nuts the whole time. There was, however, one very favorite part of the night for me. There was one section going crazy and I wanted to sit by them. After being there for a bit, it finally dawned on me that these fans weren't cheering for either team. There were cheering for Gremio, an entirely other team from Rio Grande do Sol!!!! I was flabbergasted. These were true fans. There must have been at least 1,000 of them. I asked my Brazilian friend what the hell was going on. She said that Gremio is in 2nd place and, therefore, these fans were there to cheer for Palmeiras to lose. I couldn't believe it. I was trying to imagine a bunch of Bronco fans going to a Raiders game to cheer on the Chargers. I'm not quite sure what the reception would be like, but I know it wouldn't be good. The other hysterical part was listening to the songs about the referees. The most popular one had to do with the sexual preference of the referees. The fans were loving that one, and I thought it was pretty damn funny too (it's safe to say that these soccer games are not a great place to take the kids - it wasn't exactly Disneyland). To make a long story short, we cheered all night and had an absolute blast. Unfortunately, the game ended 0-0, but I learned some great new songs, had a few laughs, and can't wait to go again....

Lastly, I went to the best party of my life on Friday night. I'm trying to find the words to describe it all but don't quite know how to put it into context yet. More to follow soon....

You Can Run But You Can't Hide

2008-10-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

When I was making my decision to move to Brazil, one of the things that I looked forward to most was just taking some time off from following the markets. I had spent so much time over the past eight years in finance that I was intrigued by the idea of having a break from it all. I would say that in the first few months here I enjoyed that luxury. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case as the destruction that is occurring in the U.S. has finally made its way south. The Bovespa (Brazilian stock market) is down 20% in just October alone and off around 35% in the past 30 days as investors are starting to worry that the developing countries are going to slip into a recession. Commodities, which are Brazil's bread and butter, are getting hammered left and right. However, the most relevant data to us foreigners is that the Brazilian Real (Brazil's currency) is off 60% against the dollar since the low, which was reached only in August. It's been incredible to watch and none of us can believe it, and this very rapid and wild swing in the exchange rate has forced all of us gringos to address the issue head-on. It can be looked on in both good and bad light. Certainly going forward, a better exchange rate like we have now is great for any future dollars that are exchanged into reais. However, if you had exchanged some money into reais in the past, you might be feeling some serious pain right now. For instance, I had to wire a big chunk of change back in August (very near a six year low) to apply for my visa and although I keep telling myself that there isn't a whole lot I could have done about it, it's enormously painful. At this point, I have two choices. I could say WTF and keep trying to tell myself that it will all work out in the end, or I could slip back into the old mode, start tracking the markets, and figure out a way to take advantage of the current environment. For better and for worse, I have chosen the latter. You can run but you definitely can't hide so why the hell not?

The interesting thing about all of this is that it seems that it's all anyone can talk about. You can't escape it. Most of my conversations now start with a quote from today's exchange rate. "Hey Chris. Just checked - 2.45. How are you man?" This has greatly confused my quest to find something to do on the business side. As of a month ago, it was a great idea to be making reais with the thought of there being an eventual return to the U.S. to spend those reais. Now, it makes much more sense to be making dollars and spending them here. Of course, with how quickly this has changed in one direction, it certainly has the potention to reverse itself again. But if I knew the answer to how that would work out, I wouldn't have to be searching for a business in the first place. ;) BTW, the great news is that for those of you coming down to visit, you just got 60% richer!

As I mentioned above, the Brazilian economy is finally starting to feel the effects of the global slowdown. The correlation certainly makes sense. Although many people thought Brazil was immune to this (including the current president who cracks me up with his arrogance), this was inevitable. The emerging market countries like Brazil, India, and China really so heavily on the big economic powers that when those countries are hurting that pain will most certainly trickle down in a big way. I have a friend who is a stock broker here, and he invited me to his office last week. It's a really interesting setup. There is one big office for the brokers and an outside room with computers and TV's where clients came come during the day to monitor the markets and trade stocks. The only thing that separates them is a big piece of glass, but most of the brokers are out there mingling with the clients anyway talking about trades, etc. I really couldn't imagine having clients in the office but we're in Brazil so I just went with out. The kicker was that there were people literally crying....literally. That's how much money is being lost. Many people rode the wave up and had a hell of a time, now it's time to take a seat and face the music. Let's just hope that a return to "normalcy" happens sooner rather than later.

BTW, I heard a great quote from the Senate committee hearing on Lehman Brothers. The quote was, "We can't keep privatizing gains and socializing losses." Talk about summarizing everything in a nutshell.

Ok, sorry for the drag blog post. I'll get back to writing about surfing, nightlife, and Brazilian chicks ASAP!!!!

I Don't Think the Heavy Stuff is Going to Come Down for Quite Awhile

2008-09-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

This last week was great as always. Tuesday I woke up to an early call from my local surfer friends. Apparently, the waves were going off and it was time to get up. I had only been in the water once since I took out my stitches so I was psyched. After a cup of coffee and the short few minute drive to Joaquina (one of the best surf spots in all of Brazil if not all of Latin America), I arrived at the beach to pure delight. I only surf Joaquina every so often because it has a pretty heavy local vibe (this is a direct correlation to how good it is - the locals cherish the spot and surely want to keep it to themselves). I really couldn't believe my eyes. It was nothing but barrels and barrels. I had never seen it like that, and it was then that I first realized why everyone raves about the break. We had an incredible session for almost three hours until the south wind came to blow it out. The highlight of the session was a local guy who was born with one leg significantly shorter than the other. As far as I could tell, it doesn't seem to phase him. He was a little outside (local knowledge never hurts!), caught a great wave, and got barrelled all the way down the line as the whole lineup looked on and cheered like crazy. Everyone was so pumped up, and he was smiling like a little kid when the ride ended. I love seeing stuff like that, and I felt privileged to be a witness to it. It was a day that I won't soon forget....

As for the rest of the week, it was fairly normal....well, sort of. Friday we had heard that there was a big party going on at El Divino Club, which is huge club at near Jurerê Internacional that only has a party every few months or so (although that will change because Pacha just bought the property and is coming to Floripa!). I had only been there once and the party was inside. When we arrived, this particular party was outside. They have sort of concert type property located adjacent to the indoor club. This would have been all and good, but it was raining....a lot. We arrived around midnight and it was pretty empty. I wasn't sure if it was because of the rain or just because of the party (I hadn't heard a lot of talk about the party so I was skeptical whether or not it was going to be good). Lucky for us, we had VIP tickets and that whole area was covered. My friend (who just arrived here from Texas two weeks ago) asked me if I thought the party was going to get better. I told him that Brazilians always tend to make it a good party one way or another. Slowly but surely, people starting showing up and things really got cranking. By 3AM, the place was going nuts. I didn't really have any idea why everyone was going crazy until my friend filled me in. Armin Van Buuren was playing onstage, and he is considered one of the top DJ's in whole world (if not THE top DJ). I don't really follow any of that stuff closely, but it didn't take an expert to see what was happening. Watching thousands of people dancing to techno in the rain with all the crazy lights was definitely a spectacle. For this type of music, it was like watching the Rolling Stones live at their peak. It was seriously incredible. We finally made it home around 7AM. Once again, we considered going straight out for a surf. Lucky, cooler heads prevailed and we decided to get some sleep. One of my friends always says that something always crazy happens in Floripa and once again, he was right....

As always, here are some pics from the week.

Brazilian Tourette's Syndrome

2008-09-19T15:08:00.000-07:00

"Feia (Ugly)!!!! Feia!!!! Bonita (Beautiful)!!!! Feia!!!!" These are the words I hear being spoken by Alessandra at an abnormally high tone as I am trying to casually watch TV. It cracks me up every time. It seems that whenever a new woman appears onscreen Alessandra apparently finds it normal to throw out a quick judgement based on the physical appearance of that woman. I love it. It kills me. Mostly, it makes me realize how much beauty is valued in Brazil. Rio de Janeiro has the highest number of plastic surgeons per capita than any other city in the world. Silicone is all around, girls wear contact lenses to change the color of their eyes, and girls do not go anywhere without dressing to the nines. And if you ever want to approach a group of girls all you need to do is to ask to take their picture. Brazilian girls LOVE to have their picture taken. The guys who are hired by the clubs to take pictures of the nightlife are easily the most popular guys around.

Of course, I am in no way saying that Brazilians are shallow because they only judge people on looks. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Brazilians place a tremendous amount of value on such important characteristics as being friendly, caring, helpful, sympathetic, respectful, etc. With that being said, beauty if definitely a prized trait here and, quite frankly, I can't explain how much I appreciate that. The girls spend a LOT of time getting ready, and they seem happy by the time it's all said and done. All of the girls are running around looking fantastic, which, in turn, makes the guys happy. Really, we're all winners here.

Consequently, it should come as no surprise to learn that mirrors are a Brazilian girl's best friend. In fact, there is one night club in particular that has huge mirrors that span the floor to the ceiling all throughout. One of the funniest things that I have seen here (and I witness this regularly) is girls dancing by themselves facing the mirror from three feet away with not a care in the world. And these girls are not messing around. These girls are feeling the vibe......of themselves. Now, I can see a teenage girl doing this at home in the confines of her own room while listening to Britney Spears' hot new single. However, this occurs in the middle of the club, and these girls are not teenagers (don't quote me on that!). You would have to see it to believe it. I know a few of my friends have seen it and they enjoyed it as much as I do. So, when I'm sitting at home and I'm hearing these snap judgements fly out of Alessandra's mouth like a person with Tourette's, I can only nod my head in agreement. At least she's not dancing by herself in front of the mirror.....

Ir à Falência

2008-09-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

In my process of learning Portuguese, I am constantly finding new words and phrases every day. Typically, I find these through watching TV, conversations with others (I usually try to stop them to ask what they just said), and reading magazines or online news sites. The process never really stops. And just when you think you know every word and every phrase, something new will inevitably come along. At that point, I break out my English/Portuguese dictionary, make a note in my spreadsheet (those of you who know me know how much I love a spreadsheet!), and do my best to add that to my repertoire. At roughly 2:30AM last night I learned a new phrase: ir à falência. - to go bankrupt. Like I said, just when you think you know it all, you will come across a new situation and realize that there will always be more to learn.

After reading the financial news last night before going to bed, I was having a hard time sleeping. I was thinking about what I would have been doing right now if I was still working at Merrill Lynch (which, as of this moment, is sadly Bank of America). I knew one thing for sure. I would not have been sleeping. I probably would have been up all night thinking about the difficulties of the day ahead. Right on cue, the phone rang (it was like I had been transported back to my old life!). One of my friends had "gambled" and bought a sizeable position in Lehman Brothers on Friday. He was predicting a weekend bailout by a suitor over the weekend and upon hearing that those talks had halted late Sunday night, he was devastated. The stock would bound to open up well below Friday's closing price (possible at pennies). I tried my best to comfort him, and I reached back into the vault to attempt to give him the best advice I could. Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot to do. As much as Wall Street has changed to provide more access to the average investor, there is no other place that can make a person feel so helpless and alone. This was one of those times. My only advice was to take the loss, understand that it could have been far worse, and try to have an extremely short memory.

I am feeling for those friends back home entrenched in this mess. This is a legitimate crisis that will effect the financial world for a long, long time. In my far removed opinion, even after the Bear Stearns debacle, I don't think believed that another bank, especially one of Lehman Brothers' caliber, would fall. I was reading a news story last night about a reporter who was standing outside the Lehman Brothers office in Manhattan and watching people funnel in and out with boxes to gather their personal stuff. Some of these people had yelled at the reporter because they didn't find it to be in good taste to be broadcasting what I'm sure these employees felt like was a very personal and difficult situation. I have several good friends working at the firm, and my heart goes out to them today. They are all very smart people so I have no doubt that they will land on their feet. But these are tough times and nobody wants to see someone lose a job.

It is going to be interesting to see what happens from here. Without a doubt, nobody knows for sure. I am certainly in no position to predict what that could be. All I can do is be thankful that I'm somewhat removed from the craziness. I had another friend tell me last night that life is full of smart and lucky choices. He told me that he had made a lucky one (he passed up a prestigious job at Lehman Brothers), and he told me that I made a smart one. I wouldn't go so far as to give myself that much credit but whatever the case may be, I'll take it. Instead of going to the office today to research what bank may be the next to fall, I'll be out researching which beach will have the best waves and the best eye candy. I could not be more grateful. Thank you, thank you, thank you...

The Ups and Downs of My Life in Brazil

2008-09-06T23:02:00.000-07:00

My return to Floripa has been auspicious at best. Upon my arrival on Wednesday, the sun was shining brightly and I found myself hardly missing the beautiful summer in the U.S. I pondered the idea that the winter may have passed, and I was welcoming an early summer with open arms. Of course, I couldn't have been more wrong. I woke up to pouring rain on Thursday. Unfortunately, that was the least of my problems. My car stalled roughly six times including three times on the main highway. Needless to say, that was not fun. The definition of uncomfortable should include sitting in a stalled car in the fast lane on a highway in Brazil without having any idea of what to do (does AAA exist here? - I have no idea). Normally, I would have just laughed it off as just another part of living in Brazil. Unfortunately, I had just returned from the incredible functionality of the U.S. and, therefore, I was pretty bummed out. I contemplated taking the car to the mechanic ASAP but it was getting late. I was able to restart my car after about 10 minutes each time, and luckily I made it back home although I felt about as safe as Rodney King at an LAPD convention. On top of that, while I was away, I received several speeding tickets in the mail. I was certainly expecting some of them. The problem was that these tickets were for March and I didn't buy my car until May. Now I need to go down to the DMV and fight the ticktes. It was basically the total opposite of the feeling when you move into a new apartment and you're suddenly receiving the old tenant's Playboy subscription.

Even though I was pretty bummed about the car debacle, we decided to go out. This turned my fortunes around immediately. Once I arrived at El Divino, I realized why I liked Brazil so much. Sometimes when I get down I just need a kick in the ass to make me understand how lucky I am to live here. This was exactly what I needed. To make a long story short, we had a total blast, and I couldn't have been any happier. The drive home, however, was not nearly as much fun. Although my car had no problems on the way there, it finally kicked the bucket just a few minutes from my house. This time, though, it wouldn't restart and I had to walk the rest of the way home. It was an incredible night with a not so great ending.

On Friday the swell that we had all been waiting for finally arrived. My friends had scoped the island and told me where we would score the best waves. I ran to my car because I was excited to meet them (they were already at the beach where they wanted to surf), but unfortunately my car wouldn't start. I gave up at this point and called a tow truck. After a lengthy wait time, I found out that fixing my car would cost about 1,000 reais and I wouldn't get it back until Monday. I missed one of the best surf days of the year, I was out 1,000 reais, and I was going to have a car for my first weekend back home. What a bummer.

I woke up Saturday with high hopes. Everyone has car problems (or at least I keep telling myself that). This was just part of the deal. Luckily, the swell was still cranking and we decided to wait until the afternoon. And by "we" I mean my friends. The have been living on the island their whole lives and they predict the swell, the wind, and all other atmospheric conditions like God's personal weatherman. The crazy thing is that they are almost always right. We hit the afternoon session, and everyone was super stoked. The conditions were great, and everyone was having a blast. As a big set wave came in, I found myself a little inside. I paddled hard but knew I was going to get buried. I tried my hardest to for a deep duck dive but had no luck. The wave was just too powerful. The force of the wave flung the board down my body, and I felt something hit my foot pretty hard. At first, it didn't seem like much (isn't that always the case?) but after looking down, I knew it wasn't good. I had just gashed my foot pretty deeply. I stayed out for a little while longer because I didn't want to ruin everyone else's session, but finally I had to paddle in. It was only worse when I got arrive onshore. The stream of blood was not a pretty sight. My friends convinced me that I should go to the clinic to get stitches, and that's exactly what I did. The ocean is off limits for one week as is running, working out, etc. Killer news.

As I was laying on the couch nursing my wound following a pain killer and my dinner special (frozen lasagna), I received a call. The call went something like this:

Friend: "How quickly get can you get to this house."
Me: "Why?"
Friend: "Ummmm, I'm pretty sure you would like it here." (This is man code for "there are a LOT of girls here")
Me: "About 10 seconds."

And I was off. I arrived at the house party which was a 22nd birthday celebration for Brazilian twin girls. There were about 15 girls and 4 guys. Suddenly, all of my problems were gone, and Brazil was once again the greatest place on earth....

The Escape from Immigration

2008-09-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

Well, despite my investor visa not being processed while in the U.S., I took a gamble and decided to return to Brazil anyway. Although my tourist visa was stamped with an expiration date of August 25th, it technically had seven days left on it since I left the country on August 18th. This was a 50/50 shot, but I knew I couldn't stay in the U.S. with an undetermined return date. And knowing how Brazil works, undetermined wouldn't even be the right description. It would be more like, "Who in the hell knows?" Therefore, I took the gamble, hopped on the 14 hour flight, put on a big smile and a dumb look, and crossed my fingers. The immigration officer took a look at my visa, glanced at me like I was a teenager trying to buy a six-pack of Bud Light, and asked me if I knew that I only had seven days left in the country. Mostly, she was curious because I had just spent five and a half months straight in the country, left for two weeks, and then wanted to come back for only one week. Was I really going to leave after seven days? I was prepared for this exact question and I stone faced her like I was sitting at the final table of the World Series of Poker. My insurance plan was a doctored Delta itinerary with a return date of September 10th, which, I have to admit, I was very proud of (apparently, I was not thinking about what Brazilian prison must be like). I came back strong with the simple answer that I was only coming back for a quick surf trip with my friends. She bought it and so here I am back in the wonderful world of Floripa. Don't ever underestimate the power of persuasion!

Overall, I would have to say that my trip to the U.S. was everything I wanted it to be. My biggest goal, as I wrote earlier, was to spend as much time with family and friends as possible, and I think, with just a few exceptions (Pat - I miss you brother!), I accomplished that. It was extremely, extremely fun to see everyone again. Without a doubt, that is what I miss most. I didn't have a single second of downtime while I was there, but I wouldn't have changed that for the world. Being able to always have friends and family around to do whatever is something that I don't take for granted. It's impossible to replace that no matter where you live. Your best friends will always be just that - the best. You know who your best friends are because they are the people you see after six months and you feel like you never missed a single beat. As for my family, what can I say? Everyone is happy and healthy. I couldn't really ask for more. The real treat was spending a lot of time with my niece. She is almost two years old now and an absolute character. She has more energy than Flavor Flav on crack, which, I suppose, provided some decent incentive for me to use birth control. God bless my sis and Scott for having the energy to raise her. Seriously, they deserve some sort of award or something. I was exhausted after about 10 minutes of hanging with her.

A lot of people have asked me what my impressions were after coming back. I would say that they were mixed. I immediately missed the simplicity and mellow vibe of Floripa. The intensity of the U.S. was glowingly obvious in about the first five seconds. With that being said, I definitely felt at ease in San Francisco. I spent eight years there so I guess this would be no surprise (not to mention that my friends were especially accommodating - thanks for the pad TK!). I think being back in a place that functions incredibly, incredibly well made me comfortable. Also, it is still, and always will be, a beautiful city. However, although this may shock some of you, it continues to be 50 degrees and foggy in San Francisco. People always say that the easiest job in the world is to be a weatherman in San Francisco. "Today, folks, it's 50 degrees and foggy. Back to you Pam." I am no longer acclimated to the fog and cold, and my standard SF North Face collection was packed into storage. Don't let that sun fool you. You step into that shade for longer than 10 seconds, and you'll be stiffer than the Statue of Liberty.

San Diego provided me with exactly what I wanted: sun and surf. I really, really enjoyed my days there. I have heard more than a few times that Floripa reminds people of San Diego 30 years ago, and now I see why. The vibe there was great (except for the 50-year old woman surf Nazi at Swamis but that's a whole other story). We surfed every day and spent lots of time at the beach. Certainly, I could do without the traffic but as I've always said, no place is perfect and you have to take the good with the bad. It was great to spend time with friends there as well. Two dollar Tuesday's at En Fuego was excellent as always! It's amazing how much Facebook can keep you in touch with everyone. You really can't put a prize on that. Obviously, Mark Zuckerberg is trying to prove that to everyone by turning down literally billions of dollars.

As for my last stop, I don't think I've ever been to Scottsdale and not had a blast. Growing up there, things were pretty normal. These days, things have changed. Scottsdale is one giant scene, and it definitely makes me laugh every time. I don't like a lot of the things that have somehow found there way there (lose the bandanas and "sleeves" people!), but overall it is an amazing place. We had some epic nights (with one in particular that is not appropriate for the internet, let alone this blog), and some great days by the pool. It's still hot as balls there (we literally had to quit golf on Friday after 10 holes because we were dying), but hot means bikinis, and I LOVE bikinis!

As I journeyed down the coast, I made a few notes along the way about the things that I noticed and I wanted to share them with you.

The very first thing that I noticed was that the U.S., especially San Francisco, is a LOT more diverse than Brazil. Certainly, it is one of the things that makes the U.S. so special. I was so amazed during my first day there. I literally couldn't believe it. Somehow, I had forgotten what it was like. In Brazil, everyone pretty much looks the same. In the U.S., it looks like a giant Jackson Pollock painting. It probably didn't help that my first two modes of transportation in SF were BART and Muni (pretty much the epicenter of diversity). I heard four languages on my short ride: English, Chinese, Spanish, and jive.

Logging on to my computer for the first time was like going to the future for me. I didn't realize how slow my internet is here until I got a little taste of what it is like back in the U.S. I was downloading songs in about 10 seconds, which takes me about five minutes here. I once had a friend tell me that he liked the internet that way it used to be because he liked the anticipation of watching the page slowly load because it felt like the girl was stripping for him. The genius of that comment was not lost on me. However, I was just in that guy's wedding so it appears that he has moved on and embraced the new internet. I'll be waiting anxiously for it to arrive here...

Laughter. God I miss laughter. I LOVE to laugh. Unfortunately, one of the most difficult things to grasp when you are learning a new language is humor. It's hard enough trying to understand the language, the gestures, the accents, the slang, and everything else. Trying to find humor is almost impossible. Honestly, my friends probably felt like Eddie Murphy when I was around. I was dishing out laughs non-stop. Man, I miss that.

People in the U.S., present company absolutely not excluded, utilize their horns as much as they utilize their brakes. You very rarely hear people use their horns in Brazil. If you drive like a maniac, it's just expected. There is no reason to obnoxiously honk your horn in order to let someone know he is driving out of control. You already know it and he already knows it. I think in the U.S. people expect other cars to part like the Red Sea and make way for them like they're driving the red carpet or something. I never thought this before but if everyone just has a little common courtesy and accepts the fact that nobody drives perfectly, you would be amazed at how much this will result in a better driving experience. BTW, for those of you counting at home, I managed to get Mom and myself from Del Mar to Scottsdale in 5 hours and 15 minutes with two legitimate stops (one included a full sit down Wendy's stop). That record might last as long as DiMaggio's 57-game hitting streak.

The salespeople in the U.S. need a lengthy class in manners. Honestly, at times, I felt more like a Dad pestering his teenage son in the middle of a video game rather than someone trying to patronize the store. In Brazil, people are so happy to have jobs that they'll pretty much do anything for you. I think that in the U.S. there are so many jobs and opportunities that employees completely take if for granted. I felt like I was asking someone to come mow my lawn when all I really wanted to know was if the iTrip would work in Brazil. Totally unreal, and this happened at almost every place I went (one notable exclusion was the Apple Store where I think the salesgirl wanted to come back to Brazil with me).

Everyone kept telling me that they couldn't wait for college football to start and I kept saying that I wouldn't miss it that much. Basically, I was just trying to fool myself since I won't get hardly any of the games (if any at all). I was at a pool party on Saturday where people kept going inside to catch glimpses of the games. Now, it's no joke. I'm really going to have to step up my activities these upcoming Saturday's. I don't want to be thinking about the Sun Devils vs. Georgia or Pac-10 cheerleaders. I just don't.

Apparently, bars in the U.S. still close at 2AM. I'm just getting warmed up at that point. As I write this, it's 10PM in Brazil and I won't be going out for another two hours. An ex-girlfriend's mother once told her than nothing good happens after 2AM. I couldn't agree less. I'm pretty sure that the best times of my life all happened after 2AM. If only I could remember all those times, I would be able to verify that.

As usual, here are some pics of my trip.

Time for Reflection

2008-08-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

As I get ready for a trip back to the U.S., I'm left with an opportunity to reflect back on the first six months or so of my life in Brazil. Since it's now been a more significant amount of time, I am starting to get asked when (or if) I am returning for good to the U.S. Although I believe I have a lot more clarity now on what I want my experience to be like here, it is still a tough question to answer. I am psyched to for my trip to the U.S. for many reasons but on a bigger picture level, I am looking forward to returning so that I can experience it with a much different perspective. I have a few American friends that live here and each has told me separately that they never experienced culture shock when coming to Brazil, however, they experienced it immensely when they returned to the U.S. for the first time. It was very interesting to hear that. Ultimately, this trip will really help me understand the differences between these two very distinct worlds. I will also be able to indulge in the things that I have been missing (I literally can not wait to eat Chinese food), while, at the same time, I surely will feel the absence of the things that I have come to love here. After a few weeks up north, I think I will know deep down what I really want to do. Of course, a lot of this will hinge on work opportunities. As much as I would like to surf and hang on the beach all day with bikini clad Brazilians, it's probably not in the cards. Plus, there is always that yearning for a challenge, which is more prevalent in each passing day. But, all of that aside, most of all I am greatly looking forward to spending a lot of time with my friends and family, who I have missed dearly. I wish the trip was a little bit longer but thanks to my Brazilian lawyer, it might just be! You'll understand in a minute.

With all of the life introspection aside, there is not much to say about how I feel about my experience so far other than it has been totally unreal. Outside of the incredible amount of fun I've had, I now speak another language, I have new friends for the rest of my life, and I have lived in one of the most spectacular places in the whole world. What else can you possibly ask for? No matter what I end up doing in life, I will never forget these first six months. You learn an amazing amount about yourself when you are removed from your comfort zone. Throw in a different language as well and all that does is press the fast forward button. Not to sound pompous, but I really feel like I succeeded in getting through that first big hurdle. There is no question that the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward that awaits you. As one of my favorite sayings goes, "Fortune favors the bold."

I had a few random thoughts over the past few days and, as always, I like to share them with you.

I am trying my hardest to learn Portuguese. I study for an hour a day by myself and I also have class three times a week for two hours each class, yet I'm still pretty far away from being totally fluent. However, every once in awhile, I will meet a Brazilian who learned English simply by watching American movies and listening to American music. If you ever meet someone who is learning a new language and you want to make them feel like a total idiot, tell them that you learned English by watching Indiana Jones 200 times...

One of the things that I think is really funny is that Brazilians who speak English have an accent that derives from wherever they learned the language. For instance, if a Brazilian learned English in Australia, he/she will have an Australian accent. If a Brazilian learned English in London, he/she will have a British accent. I have no idea why but it throws me for a loop every time. When they are talking, I look at them like they have three eyes. It's hard enough learning Portuguese. Now you're telling me I need to try to understand a Brazilian speaking English with an Australian accent? I swear when this is all said and done, I can at the very least get a job with Rosetta Stone, right?

I have a list of things to do that I started when I first moved here. I cross things off as I complete them. One of the items that I still have on there is, "Transfer cable into my name." You would think that this would be a fairly easy task. Call up the company, request the change, and be done with it. Not in this country, my friend. I think that one is going to stay on my list for a long time right next to "Pick out headstone for grave."

I am still amazed by the amount of hitchhikers there are in Brazil. You would think that in Brazil, which has a reputation for being very dangerous, people would be unwilling to pick up strangers on the side of the street and take them wherever they may be going. I think it's just another example of how welcoming Brazilians are in general. Of course, it also has to do with the fact that most of the hitchhikers are women wearing tight stretch pants.
"Hop in. Where you headed?"
"I'm going to Sao Paulo."
"Really? What a coincidence. Me too."

Last, but certainly not least, I need a visa in order to stay in Brazil. The only way for me to do this was to apply for an investor visa. Essentially, I set up a corporation, send money from the U.S. to the corporation, and my visa suddenly appears. As I was told, it is not complicated, but it is a process that requires a lot of steps and navigating Brazilian bureaucracy. Therefore, I hired a lawyer, which is typical. I met with him back in March and all was good. I told him that I was leaving for the U.S. in August, and he assured me that we would be well finished by then (I have to be in the U.S. to get my actual visa). He gave me a few updates along the way and all seemed to be in fine order. After not hearing from him for awhile, I called him last week to get an update. Let's just say that the conversation didn't go so well. To make a long story short, he basically failed to do anything for the past two months or so. I have to give him credit though. He did not have a single excuse. It was more along the lines of, "Ahhhh, well, ahhhh, ok, ummmm..." I asked him how he intended to solve the problem. He responded that I could just wait in the U.S. until it's done. My head literally almost exploded. I told him that obviously I live here now and that's not exactly an option. Anyway, I dropped the hammer on him, and hopefully he is working on it day and night (although I highly doubt it). We'll see how it goes but it's going to be a close one. When all is said and done, I think I'm going to pay him in Monopoly money. I'm guessing he won't know the difference, and if he asks what kind of money this is, I'll simply respond, "Ahhhh, well, ahhhh, ok, ummmm..."

As per the norm, to the side are some pics from the past week or so. I'm looking forward to seeing many of you soon!

There's More to Life Than Being Really, Really, Ridiculously Good Looking

2008-08-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

This is not an advice blog, and I don't pretend to be an expert on much of anything. However, from time to time, I may pass on some words of wisdom if I think it is worthy. Now, with that being said, here is some advice to follow. If you ever get invited to a Brazilian fashion show, the following responses are appropriate:

- "Should we leave now?" (Keep in mind that it doesn't matter whether it is 11AM or 10PM. You should always leave NOW.)
- "I'll go get my camera and I'll bring three spare batteries just in case." (This is obvious. The trick is trying to maintain focus while the models try to throw you off with that crazy walk of theirs.)
- "I think I will leave my cell phone in the car." (This might be tough for some of you crackberry addicts but I assure you one thing: the less distractions, the better. Watching a runway show requires some of the same traits they look for in Navy SEALS: heightened awareness, sharp focus, etc.)
- "Let's skip the pre-show cocktails and head to our seats." (From time to time, men have been known to drink so that women may appear hotter than they actually are. With Brazilian models, it's actually a good thing to be as sober as the pope. You want to make sure that you don't miss any of the "details.")
- "Should we invite anyone else?" (That was a joke. Never invite anyone else unless your best friend just got divorced or it's a dying man's last wish. Sometimes in life it is acceptable to be selfish.)
- "Let's stick around after the show and mingle." (Well, because you never know who you're going to meet....)

That is about all I can offer for now following last night's experience. My friend, Andre, and I had front row seats to the Floripa Fashion DonnaDC show. It was quite a night. When people refer to the beauty of Brazil, I'm certain that they are not talking about the geography...

Here are a few pictures from the show. I obviously need a little work on my runway photography but I was a bit distracted to say the least. Also, here is a short clip from the end of the show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1AxBP_pf_Q

Book Recommendation

2008-08-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

For those of you grinding it out day after day and wondering if there is more to life, I have a great book recommendation for you. The book is called The 4-Hour Workweek. Surprisingly, you would think that this is something that I read before deciding to quit my job and move to Brazil. However, it was just recommended to me recently by a friend who did something very similar to me (he is actually mentioned in the book). Anyway, I'm not trying to convince everyone to quit their jobs and start traveling or whatever. In fact, a lot of the book is focused on how you can keep your current job and be more effective while having much more time to enjoy your life. I think that there is plenty of useful information in this book for all of us. Give it a try. I think you'll like it a lot.

A quote from the book that I particularly liked: "What is the pot of gold that justifies spending the best years of your life hoping for happiness in the last?"

Above you will find two of my favorite Brazilians: Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima (my personal favorite).

Where the Customer is King (Only the Exact Opposite)

2008-07-29T12:03:00.000-07:00

Whoever created the slogan "The Customer is Always Right" most definitely had never visited Brasil. I often think about the things I miss (and don't miss!) from back in the U.S., and I would have to say that the customer experience along with the overall functionability and reliability of businesses are the things that I miss most. There is no concept along the lines of "if you do right by the customers, they will do right by you" that exists in Brasil. In actuality, it's almost the complete opposite. I joke with my friend, Hans, that I now realize why the majority of Brazilians don't spend money. Hans, for instance, didn't have a washer or dryer for several years while living here. He preferred to send out his laundry, which in the long run is far more expensive, because he knew what would entail if he were to venture out to purchase a washer and dryer (he was right!). This country has made it so difficult to buy anything that it's almost not worth the hassle. As I said in my previous post, sometimes you need so many documents (passport, current bill, etc.) to buy something that you wouldn't even believe it. However, it unfortunately doesn't quite end there. If you want to get something fixed, be prepared to wait several weeks. Need something delivered? Get comfortable. If you bought something that didn't work out for some reason or another and wanted to return it, you can forget about it. I can't possibly explain how much time and energy I spend on things that I absolutely took for granted in the U.S. I honestly believe that is why people here prefer a simple lifestyle. The more things you have, the more complicated your life is. If you can keep it simple, you can have a great life here. If you desire more, be prepared for a lot of complications. In order to give you a little taste of life in Brazil, here are just a few examples of these headaches.

Last week I did not have a functioning internet and phone line for four days. You have no idea how annoying that is until you experience it. I lived in my condo in San Francisco for almost five years and I don't think I ever once had to fix my internet. I've had to do so no less than six times since being here. Thankfully, I was able to use Hans' wireless line at times, but that too wasn't always working. It got so bad that I even sat on his front step to get a signal. Finally, Brasil Telecom came to my house and fixed the problem. The service man from BT summed it up best by saying, and this is an absolute direct quote, "Brasil - beautiful scenery, beautiful people, terrible phone service." And this guy worked for the company! Could you imagine someone saying that from AT&T? At least I got a chuckle out of it....which was very hard to do at 8AM on a Saturday (killer wake up call buddy!).

As I mentioned previously, I received an electricity bill for the month of June for roughly $1,400. Since then, I have done everything under the sun to contest it. There is an entire team that would impress Bill Belichick working on the problem, and I have visited the electricity company twice in person. The people at CELESC, the electricity company, all agree that the bill is inaccurate. Some of them have even gone as far as saying the bill is impossible. Two private electricians have visited my house and said the same thing. One said that if I left every single thing on for the month, my bill wouldn't be that high (he even wrote a personal letter to CELESC). However, no one can figure out the problem and so far I haven't received any promising news. In fact, this month's bill says that if I don't pay last month's bill by August 2nd, they are going to turn off my electricity. This is the first place I have lived in my life where I receive a bill that I know is wrong and the company knows is wrong, yet I have no choice but to pay it otherwise I'm going to the dark ages. In the U.S., I would refer to this as "no lube."

As previously mentioned, the first dryer I bought here in Brasil wouldn't work in my house because it operated at 110 volts while my house is geared for 220 volts. The company recommended a transformer to make it work. To say the least, that was not successful. Therefore, I tried to return the transformer. It literally had never been used, but the company wouldn't take it back because it was past 30 days (although it took 30 days for the dryer to even arrive at my house!). They would only exchange it for two coffee makers, which makes three total now in my house. The bright side is that I'm now well on my way to opening up the first Starbucks in Floripa.

I haven't received mail in a few weeks and was starting to get curious. Apparently, the post office went on strike. I don't think anyone noticed nor do I think anyone cared. However, you can't do hardly anything electronically in this country so it is a big deal (this whole country lives off of paper - what a shame). I basically have to go through all of my past bills and see what I need to pay this month since I haven't received any bills in the mail. I'm super psyched for that day. Any volunteers?

I know I mentioned it before but I will mention it again because it's relevant to this topic. It literally took me two months to buy a car here, and it's not because I couldn't find a car. I found one right away. However, I wired the money from the U.S. into the car dealership's owner's account. The bank would not let him withdraw the money, therefore, I wired money into his business account. Again, the bank would not let him withdraw the money even though he provided all the documents (this process took forever). Apparently, the problem was due to the fact that the money was coming from another country. I guess it was irrelevant that it was coming from the U.S., arguably the most reliable financial country in the world. Here I was, an American trying to purchase a Brazilian product, which in turn helps stimulate the local economy, and I wasn't allowed. It literally blew my mind. Imagine where the U.S. would be today if we had these type of restrictions on foreign investment. I ended up just returning the car and buying from another dealership. The fine line on the car purchase agreement read: "If you purchase a car from us but later discover that our country's banks are a financial nightmare, you may return the car free of charge."

When you enter a nightclub in Brazil, you have to wait in a line to provide your name and phone number. Upon doing so, you receive a card, which has a number attached to it. During the night, you have to provide your card to purchase anything. I was told that this was done because otherwise the waiters would scam money from the establishments. However, when the club closes, everyone has to wait in line AGAIN to pay what they owe. It is generally an enormous mess. Imagine a bunch of drunk people waiting in a huge line just trying to get out of there. The lack of efficiency in the system baffles me, but that's just the way it is so everyone accepts it. The good news is that if you were unsuccessful during the night, this is the opportune time to throw up a buzzer beater.

As with anything in this world, you have to take the good with the bad. There is no such thing as the "perfect place." The key is to not let these little problems bring you down. Sure, at the time, they can be very time consuming and annoying. However, in the grand scheme of things, they are trivial compared to the things in life that are important. My ex-girlfriend, Alessandra, got into a terrible car accident last Monday. She was in the passenger seat and her car was sideswiped on her side (unfortunately, she wasn't wearing a seat belt). She was in the emergency unit for 24 hours and nearly fell into a coma (she was unconscious for more than 12 hours). After seeing her for the first time after the accident, you suddenly realize that not having access to the internet isn't quite so important anymore....

On an unrelated note, I marched like the King this Sunday. There was an event at Praia Mole, my local beach, to bring awareness to the situation on Gravata. Gravata is the section of hills and cliffs on the right side of Praia Mole. It is beautiful, untouched land that makes Praia Mole the incredible beach that it is. Unfortunately, a builder has been approved to build a hotel, houses, etc. on the land. The local community has rallied together to oppose the construction. Hopefully, we will be successful in stopping this unfortunate event from happening. The event on Sunday including music, a surf contest, and a great hike up through Gravata. Here are some pictures from the day.

More Thoughts of an American Living in Brazil

2008-07-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been reading my blog regularly, you know that a few months back I started to write down the things that I find random or different that I come across in Brazil. You can find the original post on the May column to the right. Again, these are just little tidbits that aren't worth an entire column but things that I find interesting for better and for worse. Here they are in no particular order.

One of the funniest (and annoying at the same time) things that Brazilians do is that they always ask if you have change when you are buying something. They literally ask you EVERY single time. For instance, if you buy something for 11 reais and you give them 20, they will ask you for one real. But it doesn't stop there. If you buy something for R$15.50, they will ask you for the R$0.50 every time. If I had the change, don't you think I would use it? You may not think this is that unusual but, trust me, you will notice it right away. It's almost as if they are deathly afraid of having to reach into the cash register and grab some change. I have no idea how or when this started, but I would very much like it to end soon...

I constantly find myself in unique situations here in Brazil. Like I've always said, it's like the wild, wild, west down here. In the last week alone, I've partied with a Brazilian pop star, Ja Rule, and a Russian oil magnet (who must have ordered at least 50 bottles champagne during the night - I had never seen anything like it in my life). This past week my picture with some friends even managed to grace the pages of a local magazine. I'm not exactly sure how these things keep happening, but I'm not going to ask any questions. It sure beats sitting at my desk wondering if there is going to be a hot chick at Balboa that night.

If you are ever lost and need to ask for directions, be prepared to stay lost. Brazilians are good at many things but giving directions is not one of them. I was looking for the Brazilian version of the DMV last week and had to stop twice for directions. One guy sent me south and one guy sent me north. I've learned my lesson, and so I went west and found it immediately...

On that same note, Brazilian cities weren't built with a lot of foresight. The streets go in every which way imaginable (imagine the world's biggest maze) and the street names are so long that you couldn't possibly remember them. For instance, my home address is Rodovia Jornalista Manoel de Menezes 2129 (that took only about a month to remember). My last two addresses in San Francisco were on Green Street and Pine Street (not quite the same). Therefore, when you are receiving directions, it will be more along the lines of, "take a left at the Pizza Hut, go straight until you hit the video store, you will see a hospital, turn right, etc., etc., etc."

Brazil just about one month ago enacted a law that makes drunk driving illegal. If you can believe it, before then you could drive anywhere you wanted totally blacked out without it being illegal. Since the DUI laws in the U.S., as we know them now, were created in the 1980's, that only puts Brazil about 20 years behind the rest of the civilized world! The only problem is that Brazilians drive like such maniacs in the first place that it is impossible to tell who is drunk and who is not on the road. If I were a Brazilian police officer and I saw someone driving the speed limit, staying within one lane, not aggressively passing cars, and overall just obeying all laws, I would pull them over immediately. That person is clearly drunk!

My washer/dryer drama has finally ended. It officially took me around two months from the original date of purchase for me to have a working dryer. There were so many electrical problems with my first dryer that I had to return it for another version. Currently, I have a 15K washer and a 10K dryer (and this was the biggest dryer in the country that I could buy). Therefore, it takes almost two dryer loads to finish one washer load. My maid gets so frustrated sometimes that she just goes old school and puts all of my clothes outside on a rack. It's like the Brazilian Hillbillies over here!

I never in my life could have imagined how much Brazilians like to party. On Sundays back in the U.S., I would be hard pressed to find a place that was open, no less a place that actually had something going on. On Sundays here in Floripa, you have to go out early, otherwise, you risk having trouble getting in because there are so many people out (did I mention it's ladies night?). Tuesday - sure, let's go out all night. Thursday, Friday, Saturday - of course, party until 6AM. Anyone who thinks Brazilians are a little more laid back than the rest of the world should see them on a dance floor with strobe lights on Sunday night at 3AM!

One of the most entertaining things I have witnessed while being here is how aggressive Brazilian guys are with girls. You honestly wouldn't believe the difference in mentality. If a Brazilian guy doesn't have his tongue down the throat of a girl he just met within minutes (the "Brazilian handshake"), he will quickly throw her aside for the next one. I joke with my Brazilian guy friends that they would be thrown in jail within minutes of going into a club in the U.S. I do want to thank them, though, for paving the way for us "gentlemen" from the U.S. If I say please or thank you to a girl, she thinks that I have more manners than Prince Charles. It is like the equivalent to a lifetime of holding open the door and pulling out the chair for a girl in the U.S. I think Brazilian guys are just spoiled. They have been surrounded by gorgeous women their whole lives so if one doesn't like them, they simply move on to the next available one. What an insanely great country...

Along those same lines, for us Americans, everything we have learned about approaching women must be thrown out the window. If a girl indicates that she is not interested, it rarely means that is the case. However, we are just used to being respectful (I guess that's the right term) and moving on if things don't start off well. Whereas, Brazilian girls are so used to being relentlessly pursued that the first "no" is just a reaction and may not actually depict her true feelings. Here is a typical conversation between an American male and a Brazilian female and what each is thinking along the way:

American Male is thinking: Jesus, that girl is smoking hot. I HAVE to talk to her, right?

American Male says: "Hey. How are you? My name is John. I like this place a lot. I just moved here from the U.S. Can I buy you a drink and we can talk more?"

Brazilian Female is thinking: Jesus, this guy has a bad Portuguese accent.

Brazilian Female says: "Get away from me. I don't want to talk to you."

American Male is thinking: Wow, that was rough, but I can't wait to tell my friends that I talked to a hot Brazilian!

American Male says: "Ok. I'm really sorry. I hope you have a good night."

Brazilian Female is thinking: I can't believe he doesn't like me. Seriously, I CAN'T believe he doesn't like me. I wore the wrong dress. I'm not pretty at all. I'm disgusting. Why does he not like me?

The moral of the story is that if you are to have any chance here, all societal norms from the U.S. must be thrown out the window. You have to be willing to fight through that first wall and forget it ever happened. We have convinced my friend, Marvio (literally the most aggressive human being on earth), to start writing down his thoughts and hopefully one day he will have a book. I don't know the title yet but something along the lines of It's Not Her Choice, It's Mine would not be out of the question.

I saw Alessandra Ambrosio at a party last week. Granted, she was pregnant, but she was probably the 20th hottest girl at the party. It's like the Westminster Model Show down here...

I'm finally making progress on my Portuguese thanks to wonderful Rosana (don't get excited - Rosana is pushing 50). The funny thing is that she can tell within five seconds whether I went out the night before. When I show up and she asks, "Tudo bem?" and I respond, "Eu estou com sono," she knows she's in for a long lesson. Sometimes I try to mislead her with, "Eu estou cansado," but she reads right through that....

Being single in Brazil might cause me to die about 20 years before expected (it's virtually impossible to stay home at night), but I can't imagine that I would be too depressed about it. I'm 31 years old (soon to be 32, uhum) and having the time of my life. If I had done this 10 years ago, I would have been too immature and too dumb to realize what was happening. In 10 years from now, I would be the old guy at the bar creeping everyone out. After high school, I thought nothing in life will ever be as good as that (no cares in the world, no problems, friends, girlfriends, sports, parties, etc.). Then college came and went and I was certain that it was all downhill from there (living in Malibu, partying in LA, no bills, no responsibilities whatsoever other than showing up to class at 1PM, etc.). And then I moved to San Francisco, met some incredible people, and couldn't believe how fun life was and said, well, this is it (incredible city, trips to Tahoe, trips to Napa, new friends, new everything, etc.). Now I'm here and I wake up every day with a big smile on my face. Just when you think some of the best times in your life have come and gone, something like this happens and blows your world away. I have no idea where life is going to go from here, but there is no other place in the world that I would rather be than RIGHT HERE. Now hurry up and come visit!!!!

One last note: my friend, Jeremiah, is nearing the end of his epic journey of creating "The Girls of Floripa" calendar. You can actually go on his website and vote for the pictures you like the best. Check it out at www.floripacalendar.com and make sure your schedule is clear for the next 3-4 hours....

I made the mistake of not having my camera with me for this week's parties. I should have known that there is no such thing as a down night. Oh well. Anyway, to make up for it, here are just some random pictures from Floripa for your viewing pleasure...

One Crazy Week

2008-07-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how to start this story so I'll just try to do the best I can while not babbling too much and sticking to the highlights. I won't do the experience justice but I'll give it a shot. My friend, Carol, asked me a few weeks ago if I wanted to interview Ja Rule. He is touring Brazil and had a show in Floripa. She was asked by a local magazine to interview him, and she in turn asked me because of my English. Without having any idea of what to expect, I agreed. After obtaining our "journalist credentials" (I'm using that term very loosely here), we were scheduled to interview him on Thursday with the other journalists. We headed over to the hotel on Thursday and waited for two hours. Since I have never interviewed a single person in my life, I had no idea what to expect. I was thinking, "What in the hell am I doing here?" But we had prepared some good questions, and I was confident that I knew a lot more about Ja Rule than most of the Brazilians. Anyway, he never showed up. Apparently, there was a scheduling conflict and he went to a radio station instead of the interview (I actually was not surprised even remotely). The rest of the journalists were pissed and headed home. The PR group invited Carol and I to dinner at the hotel and we agreed with the hope that he would eventually show up. During dinner a few of his entourage sat down and joined us. I was chatting with them for awhile about Floripa, and we seemed to hit it off. They were impressed that I just packed up my life and moved to Brazil. They had been to a few cities in Brazil already and were loving it. The DJ was scheduled to play at one of our favorite clubs, Confraria, that night while Ja Rule was scheduled to make an appearance. One thing led to another and two of his entourage said, "Screw it. We don't want to wait for the tour bus. Let's go out with you and we can go the club together." Therefore, they hopped in my car and we were on our way. We had a very short amount of time but I suggested that we hit one other club that was having a hip hop party very quickly before heading to Confraria. They wanted to see what Floripa was all about so they were psyched. We called the club ahead and told them that we were coming so they waited for us outside. We cruised right in and I introduced D-Life, Ja Rule's DJ, to the DJ at El Divino, who is my friend and neighbor. D-Life hopped on stage and tour the roof off the place for about 15 minutes. The place went nuts. We then cruised to Confraria where the whole club was waiting for us (this was around 1:30AM). It was so wild. Since we were with the crew, we were treated like celebrities. We were escorted to the DJ booth and they brought us champagne, vodka, (girls - haha, just joking) etc. They place went nuts as D-Life started doing his thing. I'm sure the people that I knew there were wondering what in the hell I was doing with these guys. After awhile, the place started getting anxious for Ja Rule to show up. I thought for sure that he wasn't going to show but his guys kept saying that he would come. Sure enough, at around 4:30AM he cruises in with the rest of his entourage and proceeded to bring the house down. We partied with him the rest of the night. Words can't really explain how crazy it was. They even almost brought the tour bus to my house after but for better and for worse, it didn't happen. I really wish I had videotaped the whole thing. It would be incredible to watch the night over again.

After two nights of partying (we went to a great Pagode party on Wednesday night), I wanted to take it easy on Friday night. However, one of Ja Rule's entourage stayed back (the rest went to Porto Alegre for a show) because he had a flight to LA the next day. He called me and wanted to go out. He was a super nice guy so we went out and got it done again....I was hurting to say the least but there was more to come.

And so the story continues. Saturday everyone was pumped up to go to this day party at P12 in Jurere. We took off around two and there was a line down the street when we arrived. Only in Floripa can there be a line down the street for a day party in the middle of winter. It ended up being a crazy, crazy party. Nobody has school for the month of July so the parties tend to be a little more packed. All the big hitters ending up coming to this party for some reason. There were multiple people that were dropped off at the party via helicopter (that is NOT something you see every day - there are some VERY rich people in Brazil), and we even saw Alessandra Ambrosio there. At some point during the night, we all decided that we should go the Ja Rule concert, which was not an easy decision since it was about an hour and a half away. I had backstage passes so I thought it would be fun. The crew rallied and we were on our way....

During the drive to the concert, I was convinced that it was going to be either one of the best nights of all-time or one of the worst (the venue was in the ghetto to say the least and the drive was not fun). I had no idea which it was going to be. We all arrived and got in without many problems. It was early so we hung out in the VIP area for awhile. Carol and I went backstage before he arrived, and she told me that we were going to interview him before the show (this is the kind of information I would have liked to know beforehand). He arrived around 12:30AM and us "journalists" went into a room to interview him. It was too funny for words. The Brazilian reporters were for some reason afraid to ask him questions. Carol and I were the only ones asking him questions. One of the Brazilian reporters actually turned around and asked ME what I think he should ask him. I was laughing inside. After the interview, we hung backstage with D-Life and the rest of the gang before they started to perform. I have a buddy from SF who is in town this week who was backstage with me. He was with a famous Brazilian singer so he managed to get backstage also. We were talking about how this stuff could only happen in Brazil. In the U.S., we would never have been able to do what we were doing. The show started and Ja Rule proceeded to blow the place up. We were so close that we were basically on stage with him. It was unbelievable. This was also my first glimpse into the power of being a celebrity. During the show, the bodyguard was picking girls out of the crowd and bringing them onstage. As soon as he was done playing, he told the girls to follow him to the backstage room. We got down there before him and they all walked into another room for God knows what with no questions asked. I would have done anything to be a fly on that wall. I can't even imagine. All in all, it was a crazy, crazy night and there is no question that this stuff would not happen back home. This is a land of opportunity and I'm having one hell of a time.....

During this whole week of craziness, I was playing in a tennis tournament. I was out until about 7AM every night and then playing tennis at 9AM, 10AM every morning. It became a running joke with the other guys regarding what time I would get home. The guy I was playing in the finals even joked that we should start at 8AM so he would have the advantage. It was nuts. I was on the verge of dying, but somehow I managed to win the tournament. Only God knows how....

As always, here are some pictures from the craziness of this week. I also took two videos. One is a short video of us at Confraria and one is of Ja Rule coming on stage for his concert. Here are the links:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=x5anS0-5X4w

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fQiFFVzy30o

Independence Day Without the Independence Day

2008-07-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

The first real time that I missed home was this past Friday on the 4th of July. I was seeing all the messages about going to Tahoe, San Diego, wherever and was really feeling like I was missing out. It is a very strange feeling to be in a place where one of the most important/fun days of the year not only isn't important but nobody even knows what it means. I guess the importance (for me at least) doesn't lie in the fact that it is an significant holiday for our country, which obviously it is, but rather it has always been a great time to be together with all of my friends somewhere warm and just having a blast (beach volleyball, surfing, the most intense games of flip cup this world has ever seen, etc., etc.). No matter where I am in the world, it will be impossible to replicate the friends I have back home. Not only do I think they are special people, we have all been through so much together and have had SOOOO many good times that it would take another lifetime to recreate those kind of friendships. The good news is that I will be heading to the U.S. in August and will have a few weeks to hang with everyone and catch up in person. And, of course, we will add to the long list of memories when all of my friends start visiting later this year. I have been working harding on greasing the wheels, making the right contacts, and seriously preparing the city of Floripa for what will surely be the greatest summer of all time...

The best news of the winter so far is that the weather has been FAR nicer than I had imagined. It has been in the low 70's for awhile now, and I'm still rocking shorts and short sleeve shirts every day. The nice winter days here are better than the nicest summer days in San Francisco. It really is unbelievable. There are certainly cold days here and there but overall I would say that I have been greatly surprised on the upside, and I have really been taking advantage of it. I surf or go for a long run every day. I was also in a tennis tournament this past weekend. I had two matches and won them both. I think I have around four more matches to go, but if you don't think that I plan on taking the trophy home, then you are crazy!

In an effort to increase my enjoyment of life down here, I added a ping pong table to the house. It's about as fun as it gets. I had some people over Saturday night and we ended up playing for almost four hours. I just want everyone to know that I am currently undefeated and am accepting any and all challengers....

I started taking private Portuguese classes last week. I will now have class three times a week for two hours each class. I realized that Portuguese is not a language you can learn on your own. It's going to be a lot of work but I am very committed to becoming fluent within the next few months. We'll see how it goes.

Lastly, along the lines of what I was told about having a sense of humor and a lot of patience while living in Brazil, I received my second electricity bill last week. My first month's bill was 115 reais and this one was 2,100 reais, which is about $1,300. I live by myself and hardly ever have any lights on. The electricity company came out, checked the meter and said that I probably had one light on that was using all the electricity, which was probably the laziest answer in history. It is no wonder why this country has had so many difficulties getting off the ground. These things happen all the time. Only in Brazil...

As always, here are some pictures from the past week or so...

A Strange Term

2008-06-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

When I was traveling last week I heard a term that I haven't heard in a long time. We all were at a churrasco with some older Americans (around 40-50 years of ago) and they called me an ex-pat. It really struck me as odd for some reason. I think it is because, in my opinion, it is not a term used in my generation. As the world becomes far more intertwined, it is no so uncommon these days to live in a foreign country. I think in generations prior to mine it was far more difficult and rare to pick up and move to a foreign country. Leaving the U.S. was not even considered a possibility, let alone an option. To be an ex-pat, as rare as it was, probably seemed both bold and strange at the same time. I think if my dad were to tell his parents that he wanted to move to a foreign country when he was 31, his parents would have looked at him like he said he was going to the moon. When I told my parents that I wanted to move to Brazil, they were like, "Ok, sounds great." Now living in a foreign country is so common that there isn't even a term for us anymore, and I would like to forever bar the word ex-pat. We may look different but we are the same as everyone else: just people trying to make a living day by day....

One other comment I wanted to make about the term ex-pat is that I think it insinuates that you no longer are an American (or no longer want to be considered an American). Think about it, ex-pat literally means former patriot. I am very proud to be an American and never want to be considered a "former patriot." Things are not so great in the U.S. right now (the war in Iraq, the housing collapse, a bear market, oil crossing $140, etc.), and I have to say that it is nice not to be completely as entrenched in these things as I was formerly. However, what happens in the U.S. is still very important to me both personally and financially and, therefore, I care deeply and like to stay in tune with everything. It's unfortunate that Americans often encounter anti-Americanism in other countries, especially considering that we were once a country that was adored and envied across the globe. However, I will never shy away from my country. Sometimes people here tell me, "Oh Chris, you're becoming a Brazilian," and I always respond the same way, "Nope, I'm just an American enjoying the Brazilian culture." And by "enjoying," I mean REALLY enjoying...

Here are some pics from a big party we went to last night. Some of the bigger clubs close for the winter and this was the closing party for one of them. Great times to say the least.

Mistakes, I've made a few. Regrets, too few to mention...

Road Trip: Final Thoughts and Pictures

2008-06-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

I went back and read through my posts of the road trip and didn't find them that interesting. I didn't have a lot of time to write while traveling. The posts ended up being more of a recap of what we did, which I guess is fine. However, as I look back, I would have preferred to describe more of my thoughts of the locations, people, and experiences along the way. Therefore, since I didn't do it before, I thought I would jot down a few things from each place that stood out and were memorable to me. Here they are in the order of the places we visited:

ILHA GRANDE

1. My first impression was that the island is much bigger than I had expected. The main island is 115 square miles, and there are a total of 365 islands in the area. When I tell people that I live on a island they always imagine something small (must be something about the word island), but when they arrive here they understand how big it is. That's how I felt about Ilha Grande. With that being said, there is very, very little development there, and I think that's what makes it so appealing. The total population of Ilha Grande is 3,000 people. It felt like 100.

2. The beaches on Ilha Grande are outrageous. For those of you who like a little adventure mixed with pure beauty, this is a place you must visit in your lifetime. We hiked for two hours on our first day and came across three beautiful beaches. And if you have the means and the patience to travel by boat to the other beaches, you wouldn't believe how beautiful they are. Each and every one of them are postcard material. I can't imagine what they look like in the summer time with the water being even more turquoise.

3. I continue to be amazed at the resourcefulness of the people who live on these remote beaches. They live hours away from the rest of civilization with no electricity (only generators) and not much else. However, they seem to be some of the happiest people in the world. I think sometimes it pays to be simple.

4. The people on the island spoke a lot of English. This is most likely a result of the fact that it is a very popular destination for international travelers (there were a lot of backpackers there). I actually prefer to visit places that don't speak English. I guess for most people it makes life a lot easier. However, for those of us trying to learn Portuguese, this was not a good thing.

5. The surf on Ilha Grande is all-time. With the world shrinking (it's so easy to travel these days), the population growing, and surfing becoming more popular each day, I can't tell you how happy I was to be surfing great waves with only my friends. This is NOT something I take for granted. If you are ever searching for the ultimate feeling, try surfing a wave while your buddy is hollering the whole time all the while knowing that no one else in the world can hear you....

BUZIOS

1. Buzios is a very likeable place. It doesn't have the rugged feel of Ilha Grande but it was a nice change. As I said earlier, the downtown is certainly the most charming area. It is very "touristy" (Brazilians from other cities) but sometimes that is a good thing. You could spend a lot of time just wandering around doing nothing....and we did exactly that.

2. I actually enjoyed the beaches of Buzios. They are not as beautiful as some of the ones we came across due to the multitude of houses that surround them, but they are certainly worthy. And if you are willing to drive a little, you will see some incredible, incredible beaches (wait until you see the pictures).

3. The nightlife wasn't really happening during our visit because it is the off-season. However, I can imagine it to be very good. Both Privilege and Posh, two of the world's best clubs, opened up there recently so I would assume they have high expectations for the area.

4. I found the people in Buzios to be a little snotty. As I've said before, Brazilians are some of the most likeable people in the world. However, I didn't get this vibe while there at all. I think that with all the money pouring into the area and the big mansions being built, the people suddenly think that they are in the coolest place in the world. I could certainly do without the attitude. Maybe these people should visit Floripa before they decide that Buzios is the best place in the world (haha)!!!

RIO DE JANEIRO

1. I'm not even sure where to start with Rio. You could write a novel alone from a two day visit. Before arriving Saturday, I had only been through the airport, the bus stop, and the area that surrounds those two places. Let's just say that it couldn't be much worse. There is trash everywhere, graffiti on every single thing, and unbelievable favellas. I was hoping that there was more to Rio than just this. It is too much of an international destination to have only what I had seen.

2. The answer is that, yes, there is a lot more to Rio. I liked Ipanema and Leblon the best. These are very cool places with the same feel you get in the best neighborhoods of New York and San Francisco. The only difference is that these neighborhoods have some of the most happening beaches in the world located just across the boardwalk. Unfortunately, it rained while we were there so I didn't get to experience that aspect. I'm not super anxious to return to Rio but when I do go, this is what I will be looking forward to most.

3. I was amazed at all of the international aspects of Rio. I saw a lot more Americans (I'm not used to that here in Floripa) and people form other countries than I would have ever imagined. I guess it's a popular spot to visit to say the least. Also, like Ilha Grande, you could get by very easily without speaking any Portuguese.

4. I never really felt unsafe at any time during the trip. I could easily see how someone would feel unsafe there, especially if it was the first visit to Brazil. I guess I'm just acclimated to the culture by now and understand what to do and what not to do. However, even with that being said, you can easily stick to the "safe" areas and hopefully never have a problem (I say hopefully with my fingers crossed). But, never let your guard down. When you're in a city where people advise you never to wear jewelry, it's probably better to be a little cautious.

FINAL THOUGHTS

One of the best things about traveling is that it helps you gain perspective on the rest of the world. Also, it helps you evaluate the place where you live. You can see the good and the bad things of other areas and see how they compare. The number one thing I learned while traveling is that Floripa HAS to be the best city in all of Brazil. If you took all of the good things from each of the places I visited and put them in one city, you would have Floripa. Wow, I'm started to sound like someone from Buzios. Somebody punch me!

PICTURES

You can find all 267 of my pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/cpackard11/BrazilRoadTripJune2008 (copy and paste into your browser). I know it seems daunting to go through that many pictures, but I thought it would be more fun than selecting only a few. Plus, I think it is better for those of you (like my parents!) who want to share in the whole experience. I added some commentary to make it a little more interesting. Enjoy!

Road Trip: Day 7

2008-06-24T09:17:00.001-07:00

After waking up a bit late thanks to our late night, we were bummed to look outside and see a little bit of rain. We wanted to have a nice breakfast so we headed over to one of the cool spots of Rio called Leblon. I was actually surprised to see how nice it was. It actually reminded me a lot of San Francisco, especially since all of the breakfast spots were happening. Afterward, we walked to the beach to check it out. It was cool to see Ipanema and Copacabana for the first time. I really wished it was raining though so I could see it all in its best state. The light rain really never gave up so we ended up just walking around and killing time. It was wild to see the flavellas for the first time. It is incredible to see people living like that. I'm still not quite sure how they exist as they do, but somehow they manage. I can't imagine the crime that goes on but I sure as hell didn't want to find out. The rest of the day was very mellow until night time rolled around. We found a club that was supposed to be great on Sundays. Hans called them around 9PM to see if it would be good that night. When he called, they said that it was already packed (unusually early, especially for Brazil) so we had a quick bit to eat and headed over. After some "negotiations" at the door, we finally entered the club. It was a very cool spot. They were pumping some old school American jams, which are my absolute favorite, so I knew this would be a fun night. One of the most interesting things about the culture that I have noticed here in Brazil is that no one really cares about the U.S. (I have described this in depth in previous posts), yet they almost exclusively listen to American music. It's like the music from the U.S. is the one thing that has been able to penetrate Brazilian culture. I'm not sure why but I love it so I'm not complaining. Anyway, I partied late in to the night and eventually made my way back home for a flight back to Floripa...

The road trip was actually cut a little bit short for me. The main premise of the road trip was not only to enjoy some of the different areas of Brazil, but also for my friends to research other warmer areas of Brazil for a possible additional location for their tourism business during the colder months in Floripa. Our original goal was to rent a car after our Rio stop and head south, but it was determined that it wouldn't be warm enough in these spots to make it worthwhile. Therefore, they were going to head back to Ihla Grande for a few days. However, since I had already been there and it was supposed to rain all week there, I decided to come home a few days early. I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, eating more regular food and, of course, the beautiful women of Floripa, which I had missed dearly on my journey....

Road Trip: Day 6

2008-06-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

The goal of today was to hit some beaches a little bit south of Buzios. We had been checking the swell report and this is where we thought it would be best. We hopped in the car and started our mission. After an hour drive, we struck out on our first stop. After a little while longer, we came across Praia Grande, and I couldn't believe my eyes. You have to drive through this very poor town to get to the beach, and therefore, I was not expecting much. As soon as we got through town, all you could see was white sand and turquoise water for as far as you can see (you won't believe the pictures). If this was the U.S., this beach would be surrounded by multi-million dollar mansions and huge resorts but here in Brazil, this was just another beach with nothing but sand (you could actually drive on the beach because hardly anyone was there). I am still amazed at the lack of development in Brazil. I think it's actually a great thing because it protects the beauty of these spots. However, I just can't see it lasting forever as the economy continues to surge and money keeps pouring in to the country, but we will see. Brazilians are very different than Americans, and it will probably be a long, long time before these areas see any change. Anyway, the beach even had some great waves so we grabbed our boards and headed out. We were told that the water would be really cold, but it was even close. We were trunking it and having an absolute blast. To say the least, we were psyched. After the session, we headed back to Buzios for a churrasco (BBQ) at Hans' friend's house. It is one of the most amazing houses I have ever seen. It sits on the cliff overlooking the ocean in almost every direction with some of the best views in the world. I could imagine myself being VERY happy living in a house like that (haha - we can all dream, can't we?). We only stayed for a short time because we needed to head to Rio that night so we packed our things and took off (not a lot of down time during this road trip). The drive to Rio took almost four hours. Our buddy's girlfriend's brother (get that?) is in a band and he was playing in a concert that night so wanted to be there to support him. We checked it out and it was pretty cool to see. Hopefully, they will make it big and we can say that we knew him long before he was famous. The big part of the night was after the concert. We headed to a part of town called Lapa to a club someone recommended. Rio is an incredible sight. There are people everywhere and it seems like it is always a party. The club we went to had four floors and all of them were packed. They were playing all sorts of great music so we joined the crowd and danced the night away. We ended up leaving around 4AM and hopped in a cab. The drive home was nuts. People were still partying in the bars, sidewalks, and even the streets. I really couldn't believe it. You would have thought it was midnight, and I'm sure these people weren't even close to going home. After a stop for a cheeseburger (we never ate dinner), we made it home safely with some great memories of my first night ever in Rio.

Road Trip: Day 5

2008-06-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

Today we woke up and headed down the the main beach in Buzios, Geriba. It is another beautiful beach with unreal views. I couldn't believe that we were in the dead of winter and just lounging around on a beach in great weather. The guys all went surfing. I had to pass because I wasn't feeling too well (I think the effects of road trip food were finally kicking in). The water was warm so nobody needed a wetsuit, which is always the best way to surf. One of the lifeguards walked by me when I was hanging out, and I stopped him to chat. The lifeguards have these really cool Buzios shirts that they wear. Anyway, after some negotiation and convincing him that I live in the U.S., I was able to buy it from him (rule #2 - everything is negotiable). I was psyched to have a unique souvenir. Anyway, after awhile we headed into town for some lunch. The sun was starting to go down and I had started to feel better. Therefore, I was antsy because I missed the surf session early in the day. Therefore, we arranged to rent a buggy, which are very popular in Buzios. My buddy Earnie and I grabbed our boards, hopped in the buggy, and headed back to the beach for a sunset surf. It was a total blast. The lowlight, however, was when the surf session was over I went over to the bushes to grab a board bag, which we had stashed there earlier. I ended up getting bit by over 40 mosquitos (we counted). That was the complete opposite of fun. The good news is that when you get bitten that much, your body can hardly feel it because it is so widespread (I was trying to think positively!). We headed back to town again that night for a great dinner. We walked around a ton and ended up having drinks at several bars. I even found a great art store that had some unbelievable deals. The store had only been open for three weeks and I guess they were anxious to get some sales. I bought three very cool, large paintings for less than the price that I would pay for one painting in Floripa. They even agreed to ship them to me for free! It was the perfect end to another great day on the road.

Road Trip: Day 4

2008-06-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

Today we woke up and packed our things to head back to the mainland for our next stop in Buzios. We took a little private boat over to a bus stop on the mainland in order to cut down some of our travel time. The bus to Rio was actually really nice (the bus stop, not so much). We got picked up at the Rio bus stop, which is an interesting sight to say the least, by one of my friend's friends. The drive to Buzios took about two and a half hours and the geography along the way reminded me a lot of the drive between the bay area and San Luis Obispo - lots of rolling hills, farms, and beautiful wide open space. We finally arrived in Buzios at our pousada where we met up with our buddy and his girlfriend who arrived the day before. The pousada has an incredible view from the patio and the weather was great. Buzios is known as the "St. Tropez" of Brazil. I have never been to St. Tropez but have seen lots of pictures and could see why the comparison is made. Also, Buzios is a big vacation spot for the wealthy Rio crew, and you could tell from the surrounding houses that this place was not like most of Brazil. We headed down the hill to the beaches to check out the surrounding area, and then we headed off to dinner. I have heard many stories about how cool the downtown area of Buzios is, and I finally got to see why. It was built in sort of a promenade style where everyone can walk down these beautiful cobblestone streets with lots of shops, restaurants, bars, etc. It is a very charming area and probably the main reason it is so popular. We had a great dinner with the whole gang at a Cuban restaurant. At dinner, my buddy's Brazilian girlfriend kept wanting him to dance but he wanted no part of it. Finally, the professional dancers at the restaurant came over and grabbed them to dance: my buddy with the female dancer and my buddy's girlfriend with the male dancer. They all danced for a song and it was really funny to watch my buddy get dominated by the ridiculously good female dancer. Anyway, they returned to the table after the dance and my buddy's girlfriend was steaming over something, and we couldn't figure out why. Well, it turns out that she was mad because my buddy had danced with another girl, although that girl was just a professional dancer trying to liven up the restaurant (not to mention, she danced with the male dancer). It was hilarious stuff. When I told you that Brazilian girls were intensely jealous, I wasn't kidding....

Road Trip: Day 3

2008-06-18T13:13:00.003-07:00

Today was one of the best days of all-time. The island is really big, and we wanted to see a lot more of the beaches on the other side. Therefore, we hired a private boat to get us there. It was expensive, but we figured it would be more than worth it. They initially offered us a boat that would take three and a half hours to get to the beach for R$750 but after some negotation, we got a boat that would take 45 minutes for R$650. This just proved one of my favorite idioms: never accept the first offer! After taking off early, we cruised around checking out all the cool spots. There is literally no one at most of the beaches. It really is incredible. Now I know why so many people love it here. The beauty is shocking. When we found a surf spot thanks to the help of our captain, we grabbed our boards and surfed for awhile. We ended up surfing two spots completely by ourselves with not a single other human being or man made thing in sight. The swell is still here so most of the sets were at least six feet. I can´t describe how fun it was. We were yelling and cheering for each other on each wave. My buddy, Ernesto, is one of the coolest and happiest guys I know, and it was so much fun being sharing in this experience with him. I tried to think how many times in my life I would get to surf at a remote location with friends, and I figured the opportunities would be few and far between. Therefore, I really tried to take it all in and remember how lucky I am. After a big lunch, we headed back to Abraao, and here I am typing this message. We´re off to Buzios tomorrow. I´m going to miss this place, but I´m also excited to continue our journey and see other places (although I´m not excited for tomorrow´s travel - one boat ride and two bus rides). I can´t wait to post all of the pictures from today but unfortunately I won´t be able to do so until I get back next week. You won´t be disappointed.

More great news: I just found out that they found my bag in the Floripa airport and it´s on its way to the Rio airport. My buddy and his girlfriend are on their way to meet us in Buzios and I had them go early to the airport to check on the status of the bag. They are picking it up in Rio and I will have it tomorrow! Apparently, I´m famous in both the Floripa and Rio airports because I called so much (I don´t think they are used to that here but their nonchalant attitude was not giving me confidence). As with everything in Brazil, it probably seemed like no big deal to them that I was on an island without clothes, asthma medicine, etc. Take your time, I´ll be fine!!!

Road Trip: Day 2

2008-06-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

Today we woke up to sunshine, and the beauty of the island really took over. The first thing you notice is that you are surrounded by huge, lush mountains in all directions. It is really something to see. After a quick breakfast at the pousada and some packing (I, of course, had very little to pack), we were off. Our destination was Praia Lopes Mendes. Our hike to the beach ended up taking almost two hours up and down huge mountains, across incredible serene beaches, and through some seriously dense jungles. This is definitely a perfect place for those who love the outdoors and love to hike. Every beach that we came to shocked me more and more. The water is clear, the beaches are perfect, and there are very, very few people there (some beaches had no one). I couldn´t help but think of the movie The Beach as we were making our journey. I wondered if the people know how lucky they are. People search the world trying to find beaches like this, and here these people are getting it done with almost nothing. Their resourcefulness makes me feel like they deserve everything they have.

We finally arrived at Lopes Mendes. It is a very beautiful and long beach with some incredible surf. My friend Ernesto and I grabbed our boards and headed out. This was the reward for all of our troubles! The sets were around eight feet, and we were only two of the four people out there. It is definitely a special feeling to be in the water with so few people all the while looking around and seeing nothing but some of the most incredible and untouched scenery in the world. The locals say that about 10 times a year the surf at Lopes Mendes is as good as Bali with the water being just as clear, and I had no problem believing it. We scored for about two hours and then decided to head back. After a short hike across one mountain, we took a boat back to Abraao, which is where we are staying. Everyone crashed for awhile and then we headed out for some dinner. We ended up watching the Lakers get killed at a little bar. After meeting some locals, we discovered that there was a party at one of the hostels (who would have thought?). It was really cool. The bar is a little tiki hut on the ocean with lots of cool lights and a small natural pool (basically a enclosed section of the ocean) so it was really fun to see. This seems to be a big travel destination for a lot of backpackers from Europe. They were in full force at the bar having a blast, but I couldn´t help think of how different things are back in Floripa. Anyway, we had a few drinks and called it a night...but not everyone slept alone (I´m not naming names!).

Road Trip: Day 1

2008-06-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

The only way to explain day one would be Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. To say that the trip got off to a rough start would be like saying Adriana Lima is kind of pretty. We arrived very late to the airport Monday morning thanks to my friend not being able to find his passport and my other friend forgetting his wallet. We arrived at the airport at 5:45AM for a 6:15AM flight. Luckily, there are no rules in Brazil (haha) so we didn´t have any problems getting on the plane although checking in was a bit of a scramble. I hate rushing to the airport. It honestly is the most unnecessary stress that we all put on ourselves. Once we arrived in Rio things only got worse. I felt the most miserable travel feeling of them all: standing there like an idiot watching the baggage carousel go round and round long after everything had come out and everyone else had dispersed. We had all three baggage claim tickets, however, we quickly noticed that the baggage attendant had put two tickets on our surfboard bag instead of one. Therefore, not only did I not have my luggage, it was more than likely that it didn´t have a ticket and could theoretically be anywhere. I imagined two weeks traveling up and down Brazil without clothes and I was not a happy camper. After submitting the claim to the lost luggage department, we went outside to find our ride. We waited, waited, and waited but our driver never showed up. Apparently, his cell phone was out of batteries (only in Brazil) so we couldn´t get ahold of him. We hopped in another taxi and were on our way for the hour drive to the dock.

Quick tangent: my first impression of Rio de Janeiro is that it is a city in disrepair. It looks like everyone just gave up and said, "screw it." There is trash everwhere, the buildings look like they just got bombed, there is grafitti as far as you can see, and it smells like crap. I´m interested to see the beaches and the "nicer" parts, but overall it left me widely unimpressed....and even more depressed.

The taxi driver, who apparently was born with a lead foot, was racing like he was driving his pregnant wife to the hospital (sometimes literally driving on the inside shoulder of the highway to pass other cars - no joke). Just as my friend Hans was contemplating saying something to him, there was a huge pop. We had just got a flat tire. As luck would have it, we literally got the flat not 100 feet from a car garage (I´m convinced that they have spikes laid down on the highway). It didn´t take hardly any time for the change and once again we were on our way. After 30 minutes, we stopped for gas. This time the car didn´t start so we had to get out and push the taxi to get it to start (those of you who have seen Little Miss Sunshine would understand). After a good hour and a half, we arrived at the dock and hopped on the boat. Everything from here on out went ok other than the fact that we arrived on what the locals say was the coldest day of the year. You could see how beautiful the island could be in the sunshine but at the time, we were too cranky and cold to imagine much more than staying warm. All of us were tired so we had dinner and crashed early. What a day. You couldn´t make some of this stuff up, and it got to the point that we were just laughing each time something new happened. I have said it before and I will say it again, you have to have a sense of humor if you want to survive in Brazil.

Clean Livin'

2008-06-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

I was at a day party at a beach club last weekend with my buddy and our two girls (at the time, I still had a girl). As always, the talent level was overwhelming. There were two American guys who met up with us later at the party, and they were immediately blown away. One guy currently lives in Sao Paulo and I asked him how it compared to Floripa. His exact response was, "it is nothing like this." Anyway, to make a long story short, we were sitting on the sofa when this very, very attractive girl and her friends sat down close to us. We were there for probably two hours, and no one came and talked to this girl (I can't imagine this happening in the U.S.). I kept telling the two Americans to go talk to her, but they were too intimated (one even spoke fluent Portuguese so language wasn't the issue). The quickest way for a Brazilian girl to absolutely blow up on you is to talk to another girl (or acknowledge that other girls even exist for that matter) so I couldn't do a thing. The girlfriend of my buddy who is shooting the calendar went and talked to her for a bit to see if she would be willing to shoot photos (she said yes). We left after awhile and I kicked myself all night for not being able to talk to her. However, my clean living must have paid off because I coincidentally ran into her this weekend. As of early last week, I am officially, officially single so decided to go talk to her. She couldn't have been any nicer, and she didn't even laugh at my Portuguese. She shot photos with Jeremiah the next day and it turns out that she wants to go out so we will be going out next week. After agonizing over the plus/minuses of a girlfriend for a few days last week, this was a sure sign that I made the right choice....

We're off tomorrow for our big road trip. I couldn't be any more excited. We are flying to Rio early morning and our first stop is Isla Grande (Lopes Mendes Beach). This is known as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The amazing news is that a huge swell is coming tomorrow so it looks like we will be scoring 10-12 foot waves. After that, we will be headed to Buzios, which is supposed to be an incredibly beautiful town. Of course, we will hit Rio for a few days and then will be making our way back down south by car. Some stops include Ubatuba, Maresias, and Camburi to name a few. I am filled with all kinds of anticipation as you never know what can happen on these kind of trips. It will also be very interesting to visit other spots in Brazil. I have been a little isolated since I've been here (it's very tough to leave) so it will be fun to have places to compare. I will be sure to take tons of photos along the way.

As for the photos, here are a few of the places I'm going that I got off the internet to give you an idea of where I'm headed along with some from last night.

Happy Father's Day!!!!

Did anyone think Tiger was going to miss that putt???

Uma Viagem da Rua (Road Trip)

2008-06-10T12:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I ventured on my first road trip in Brazil. This was a test trial, if you will, for a much longer trip that I will be taking with three friends in about two weeks. I had a meeting scheduled in Curitiba, which is about four hours north of Floripa. I made one absolutely terrible mistake prior to my departure. On Sunday before the Lakers game, I happened to stumble upon a movie called Turistas, which I had heard was good, and, therefore, I gave it a go. Little did I know that the movie was about a few Americans getting in a bus crash while in Brazil and subsequently getting drugged and robbed. I am pretty sure that this was not the kind of preparation I needed for my trip. This was the equivalent of watching the movie Unfaithful right before getting married. Worse case scenarios were dominating my thoughts all night, and I hardly slept a wink. Not to be denied though, I decided that my plans were set and there was no turning back now. Although Alessandra and I are "taking a break" (it was tough translating that from English to Portuguese!), I had her come along. It's one thing to have a language barrier when you're trying to order a strawberry smoothie, but it's a whole other thing to have a language barrier when you get a flat tire 50 miles from civilization. As is typical in Brazil, I was told that the drive would take two hours and I was told that it would take four hours, depending on who I asked. I played it safe and left early. My old boss, Jeff, and I used to be amazed that no matter how early or late we left for a meeting, we would always arrive almost exactly on time. It was really uncanny. The same was indeed true for this trip. After arriving in Curitiba in about 3 hours, 15 minutes, it took quite some time to actually find the building (we had to ask four different people) and I arrived at the meeting at exactly noon, which was the scheduled time. Four hours of travel time and not a minute to spare! To make a long story short, the meeting went great and we were even given a little tour of Curitaba afterwards. It's a fairly big city with almost two million inhabitants. There is not a great deal to the city so I can't say that I was totally enthralled with it. We ended up staying the night at a hotel because we were so exhausted and didn't want to drive back. Later in the night, we asked the hotel clerk for a restaurant recommendation, and she spattered off a few options with directions. Ale and I got in the car and ran into what looked like a great restaurant only a block from the hotel (why the hotel didn't recommend it, I have no idea). We both agreed that we didn't feel totally safe driving around the city so we dropped the car back off at the hotel and walked to the restaurant. We had a great meal and went home and slept like babies. The drive home today was very smooth. The sun is shining and the waves are good so I'm very happy to be back home. However, I feel like I popped my cherry on local Brazilian travel, and I'm very much looking forward to the next real test in two weeks!

These pictures aren't super interesting, but I thought I would include a few from the drive to give you a little feel...

Yu Must Ve Keeking Yurselv Now

2008-06-04T07:48:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting experience last night to say the least. A Brazilian friend of mine, Andre, has asked me if I wanted to play poker with him on the continent at least 100 times and I have said no 100 times in absolute fear of where and who I would be playing with. He has been helping me out a lot on business stuff down here so after being asked for the 101st time last night, I finally caved and said yes. Coincidentally, I had somehow gotten on the topic of sports and gambling yesterday at lunch. He told me that, like most places, gambling is illegal in Brazil. Apparently, they used to have casino-type places with only slot machines but they have long since been shut down. Therefore, when my friend Andre asked me to play poker, I asked him if we were playing with his friends or at an "establishment." He answered the latter. We made the 30 minute drive and parked the car in a back alley (I wish I was kidding). My trepidation was at an all-time high. Upon entering, it was like I just entered a scene from Rounders only with Brazilians instead of Russians ("just like a young man coming in for a quickie"). After getting my chips, I decided to watch for a few minutes. The place itself was intimidating enough let alone the language barrier. I soon found out that poker terms (flush, full house, etc.) are actually spoken in English so the hardest part was just getting acclimated to the pace of the betting, which is done in Portuguese. The intimidation I felt only got worse when Andre told me that about half the players are sponsored by Partypoker.com. What in the hell did I get myself into??? Anyway, after about 30 minutes, I picked my seat and began to play. To make a long story short, all in all it was like any other poker game. I played very soft (i.e. folded a lot) and didn't really lose much until my two Kings, which I was dealt, lost to three 8's after getting nothing on the flop, turn, or river. The highlight of the night was when I stayed in with an Ace and a 9. The flop gave the table two more 9's and a 2. Therefore, I easily had the best hand on the table. The turn didn't produce anything useful. There were three of us left in the game. Andre was sitting next to me and literally starting kicking me under the table. I could only guess that this wasn't legal and the others would not have been happy about it had they seen it (this was not pre-planned, trust me). Nonetheless, I viewed it as his advice not to play this hand because he was obviously holding something great. There was no way I was folding and so I went all in. Andre and the other guy followed only there weren't necessarily all in because they had more chips than me. We all showed our cards and Andre produced a Jack and 9, which would have been a monster had it not been for my Ace and 9 (the third guy's cards were irrelevant). Of course, the river produced another 2, which voided my Ace by making the three 9's and the two 2's the best five cards on the table. It was disappointing to say the least but I at least got to split the pot with Andre. I played for a little while longer and ending up losing another tough hand (I was again dealt two Kings) to end my game. At the very least, it was a great experience from start to finish. As is typical here, I found the players very welcoming of a Gringo (perhaps because they were soon to take all my money!). Most importantly, I had a few laughs and can look back at is at a great experience. I didn't lose a lot of money, and I just played underground poker with the pros in Brazil. What else can you ask for on a random Tuesday night????

Enjoy some pictures from the last week.

Thoughts of an American Living in Brazil

2008-05-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

I wanted to put together all the random things that I have noticed while living down here. Most of these things in and of themselves do not warrant a post of their own, but I thought together they would be more interesting. Perhaps they will be helpful for those who intend to visit one day or to simply give you some perspective on how different life is in Brazil. Here they are in no particular order:

Brazilians are HUGE on documents. If you want to buy a loaf of bread with your credit card, be prepared to provide your report card from 7th grade.

The easiest thing I have done so far was apply for my segunda via ("second version" of my Brazilian ID card) at the Receita Federal (the Brazilian IRS). Go figure, in the country with more bureaucracy than you can possibly fathom, the IRS is the safe haven.

Never drink straight from a can (use a straw!) or people will look at you like you are licking the sidewalk after a parade.

No drink is ever served with ice (unless specifically requested) yet Brazilians absolutely love drinks that are basically on the verge of being frozen. Does that make sense??? I say no. Perhaps the lack of ice has inadvertently created an acquired desire for it. Therefore, if you are having a party, make sure there is plenty of space in your freezer!

Milk lasts two months here and is not refrigerated in the grocery store yet I can't find milk that lasts one week in the U.S. This development is perfect for the bachelor and has even allowed me to endlessly enjoy Frosted Flakes.

At the movie theater, you get half price (full price is less than $4 if you can believe that) on Tuesdays if you kiss your girlfriend/wife (or whoever for that matter) at the ticket counter. Keep in mind that this is not at some Mom and Pop movie theater. This is at the huge cinema in the mall (with fantastic leather seats I might add). I think it's safe to say that business is valued a little bit differently down in South America.

A Red Bull/vodka costs 20 reais (about $12) yet I can get a great car wash or hair cut for the same price.

We have an almost universal alphabet yet in Portuguese o's are pronounced like u's, r's are pronounced like h's, and so forth. What is the point of the alphabet if there is no universally agreed upon pronunciation? BTW, I think I'm just bitter at Portuguese right now ;).

If you want to cross the street, you have to be willing to die a tragic death. Pedestrians have about as many rights as grasshoppers.

When you live in a country where soccer is everything and you were the best player on the team that won two World Cups, you can go to a motel with three transvestite hookers and everyone will still love and admire you.

Ten minutes means one hour, two days means one week, two weeks means one month, and so on and so forth.....

If you never ask for your bill upon finishing a meal, they will literally never bring it to you. You could sit at the table all night. I actually think they are trying to be polite in an effort not to rush anyone. Needless to say, there is definitely no such thing at "turning over tables" in Brazil.

Brazilian girls are intense, passionate, and in constant need of attention. If you're not ready to publicly display your affection to a girl in every way imaginable, just stay home. You will be better off. Trust me.

Brazilian girls are the most resourceful bunch on the planet. They could live out of a purse for a week straight and never go home. Somehow, they are still able to go the beach and out at night with a different outfit each time (where do they come from?) while still looking like they have been prepping for hours.

I could drive down the highway and shoot a machine gun out of my window for five minutes straight with three transvestite hookers in my car without a problem, yet somehow I have received five speeding tickets and counting. I can't explain how much I hate photo radar. Some things are better off left in the U.S.

When meeting with an tax adviser, he asks how much I would like to pay. In a country where the top officials regularly steal from the citizens, it is not uncommon to find ways to get some of that money back.

Brazilians are the friendliest people on the planet. They make Mr. Rogers look like Rasheed Wallace when his pot runs out.

When you arrive at a gas station, don't get out of the car and try to pump the gas yourself. Somebody does that for you, or at least that's what I found out...after the fact. Thank you to my Brazilian friends sitting in the car laughing!

I can get wi-fi access at almost any cafe, but I can't flush toilet paper down the toilet. Somebody please tell me what's more important: establishing wi-fi internet capability that allows me to surf TMZ.com while sipping a latte or fixing a sewage system that is so bad that people have to throw poo in the trash?

The one universal comment I get when Brazilian girls see pictures of American girls on the beach is, "Wow, their bikinis are really big." I am not even remotely kidding. I would now like to personally thank the angel that created the Brazilian bikini.

In order to pay my bills, I have to physically go to the Loteria (half lottery store/half shit hole). In the U.S., I can pay all my bills at one time in less than 30 seconds. In Brazil, paying my cell phone bill requires me to get in my car, drive 10 minutes, wait in line, and then pay in cash (one of my least favorite things to do). If there wasn't a 95% chance that I see a ridiculously hot girl in line, I would go back to sending smoke signals.

The biggest scam in Brazil is the notary business (it's a family owned monopoly - shocker!). Almost everything you do requires some sort of notarization. You want to transfer your phone line? Get ten documents notarized. You want to set up cell phone service? Get your proof of residence notarized (which was probably also notarized). My favorite part is when my lawyer asked for notarized copies of my passport. Oh, you mean the U.S. government wasn't good enough? You prefer to have a 21 year old Brazilian girl who has never been on an airplane and still lives with her parents validate the authenticity of my passport with her signature? Ok, sounds good.

I decided to give up my life of luxury of delivery laundry service and purchased my own washer and dryer (my maid graciously agreed to do my laundry - haha). However, my washer is 220 volts and my dryer is 110 volts, which will require an adapter or my house will burn down. I really hope that the guy who decided on 110 volts for the dryer gets fired.

99% of the Brazilians I know have tattoos. In a place where clothing is minimal, I think tattoos are simply a way for Brazilians to express themselves in another way. You can spot the gringos on the beach from a mile away. We're the only ones without them....and, um, we're much whiter.

You shouldn't be shocked if I tell you I made out with a girl with braces. But don't worry, I'm not going to jail. Braces are very popular here and are even seen as a sign of wealth (not everyone can afford them). The strange thing is that people get them at a much later age than in the U.S (20's, 30's, you name it). Therefore, if you meet a girl and her beautiful smile reveals braces, don't hesitate...but check her ID first. ;)

Two things regarding eating at a restaurant with Brazilians: (1) don't be surprised if one of them orders as soon as he/she sits down without waiting for anyone else (or asking for that matter), and (2) they never wait for everyone's food to arrive to start eating. If their food arrives, they will start eating immediately. Neither is considered remotely impolite.

As I said above, these are all things that I have come across while living here. Some of these things sounds like complaints, which they aren't. I love every minute of living here but, as with anything, it just takes some time to adjust to a different way of life. In the moment, it can be very frustrating but I have a good sense of humor. I find myself laughing more often than not, and I guess that's all you can really ask for.

As usual, here are some pictures from the week.

Little Summer in May

2008-05-23T14:28:00.000-07:00

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.

The Blind Date

2008-05-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

I can really only give you one piece of advice when it comes to blind dates in Brazil. If you are in Brazil and somebody wants to set you up with someone, just say yes, put on some nice clothes, and get it done. I would find it hard to imagine that you wouldn't be happy with the results. I think you would have to pay me a lot of money to go on a blind date in the U.S., but I wouldn't hesitate for two seconds in Brazil. This all went down because my friend is dating a new girl and they thought it would be fun to play cupid. I also think that they just wanted some additional company to have a fun night out. I, being the nice guy that I am, stepped up to the plate and saved the day (wink, wink). The four of us went out earlier in the week and had a blast. I won't bore you with the details ;-) but here are a few pics....

Philosophizing....

2008-05-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

I have a friend from San Francisco that moved to Liverpool, England almost exactly when I moved to Brazil. He is currently the Senior Partnership Manager with Liverpool Football Club (what a great gig!). Anyway, he asked me a very interesting question today that got me thinking. The question he posed to me was as follows: what, if anything, would you have done differently while living in SF? One of the greatest things about this time off is that I am able to evaluate my life by reflecting on the past and envisioning what I want in the future. I especially like to do this while surfing because the solitude and peacefulness of surfing is the perfect environment. As I have stated in a previous post, we get too caught up in the U.S. (I apologize for the generalization) and never spend this very necessary time just thinking about what we want. Thus far, this "personal evaluation time" has been very rewarding.

In order to answer the question, I would first say that I believe strongly in living life with no regrets. As the same time, and without trying to contradict myself, I believe it's important to reflect on the past in an effort to avoid making the same mistakes I have made and to improve my overall life. Therefore, after spending a LOT of time thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't change a thing. I was very happy during my time in SF. I had a difficult but rewarding job, amazing friends, a great apartment, and the opportunity to enjoy everything the city has to offer. I would say that I probably spread myself too thin at times. There are many people I miss a great deal (I mean all over, not just SF) and I would like to to think that I would maximize my time with those people as much as possible. I never, ever took that for granted because I have always known that my friends/girlfriends are special. However, living in a country where you know only a handful of people and don't speak the language makes you appreciate them even more. I think there is a possibility that people assume you must have been unhappy to move. I don't think that's the case at all. I think life is made up of chapters, and this was just the next chapter of my life (and definitely the best one yet!).

On an unrelated note, I have been talking to a friend about business ideas and various other things. He has been very successful in dozens and dozens of various endeavors, and he shared something very simple with me. If you have an idea, just do it! You can come up with a thousand different reasons why something wouldn't work or why it would be too hard but if you never try, you will never find out. I think moving to Brazil was a big step in the "just do it" category so we will see what happens next. More to come on this area soon.

Lastly, this same friend is the genius who came up with the idea to shoot a "Girls of Floripa" calendar. He recruits the models (sometimes with my help) and shoots them by himself. When I'm lucky, I join the photo shoots (see post titled "Greatest Job in the World"). Anyway, he just put up a quick website to get some of the shots on the internet. Check it out when you have time (floripacalendar.com). Obviously, these girls are ridiculously gorgeous, and you would think that they are all totally unattainable......and you would be wrong.

Investing 101: Brazilian Edition

2008-05-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

At a young age, I learned the importance of investing from my father. He taught me the basics and showed me what could happen if you saved money and invested wisely. The process captivated me immediately, and I am eternally grateful. Later in life, I was able extend my knowledge of the principles of investing through the tutelage of some of the best financial advisors in the world at the biggest brokerage firm in the world. Putting those principles into practice and thoroughly monitoring the process was tremendously rewarding for me. However, it wasn't until I arrived on an island in southern Brazil that I truly discovered the value of investing.

I have a very good girlfriend who I talk to about all sorts of things. She only speaks Portuguese and she is one of the sweetest girls on the planet so it's a win-win for me. Anyway, a few days ago we were discussing her upcoming travels. She is going home (about a 10 hour drive from Floripa) a the beginning of June. She is from a VERY, VERY small town up north. Her father left her when she was 2 and her mother left her shortly thereafter. Her neighbors were kind of enough to take her and her brother in, and she has since considered them her family. Anyway, to make a long story short, she told me that she would like to get silicon implants (fake breasts, if you will). She is an extremely attractive girl but, as I said before, this is the most competitive place I've ever encountered when it comes to beauty. Girls do as much as possible to maximize their beauty (it's no wonder than Brazil has the highest per capital plastic surgery in the world). I thought about what she just told me for a minute or two and it dawned on me: how in the world did she expect to pay for the surgery? The large majority of people here are far from wealthy. They work just enough to pay some bills and go out a few nights a week. It is not a culture of 401k's and IRA's. I asked her how she intended to pay for the surgery. She told me that her family, her surrogate family, has given her a cow each birthday for the past nine years. Now, the cows have grown a great deal and are worth quite a bit of money. She told me that she would sell the cows to pay for the surgery. Yesterday she found out that one of the cows is even pregnant and its value has instantly increased substantially (we're talking double-digit returns here!). I have since contemplated going back to my roots and revitalizing Packard Cattle Company. Needless to say, the whole conversation left me speechless. I peppered her with questions out of simple curiosity, and she answered each and every one thoroughly and seriously. I thought about the things I have encountered here and this most certainly has pleased me the most. In the United States, this girl wouldn't have to pay for a thing. Here in Brazil, she is selling her nine cows (technically ten) to buy a fake rack. Only in Brazil......

Nine cows in northern Brazil: ~10,000 reais

Breast augmentation in Sao Paulo for a beautiful girl: ~10,000 reais

True value of a cow: priceless

The Next Ronaldinho???

2008-05-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

I highly doubt it. However, I did play in my first Brasilian futebol game last night, and it was as fun as I imagined it would be. I scored two goals and one was the goal of the game (please forgive my lack of humility but it was good!). I think I even impressed the Brasileiros, which I guess is all you can ask for as an Amerian playing futebol in South America. As most of you know, the game of soccer means everything to the people of Brasil. To those playing the game, however, it's almost like a dance (the locals compare it to the samba). It is total and utter enjoyment and it runs parallel to everything else in the country. From my perspective, the most glaring difference in the game between here and the U.S. is the total respect everyone has for each other. It was a friendly game, nonetheless, it was far different from what I am used to. During training in the U.S. we play lots of games and it seems that everyone is constantly bitching to each other on both teams (fouls, ball out of bounds or not out of bounds, somebody missed a pass, or whatever). I'm ashamed to say that I'm just as guilty as anyone. Last night guys were calling their own fouls, happily encouraging each other, and just enjoying the game in full. Two times there were disagreements on fouls and both times each player kept conceding to the other guy in an effort to keep the pace of play and show respect. Needless to say, I strongly believe that those of us who enjoy the game of soccer can learn a great deal from the jugadores (players) here in Brasil. Maybe I can convince the Olympic Club to let the team travel to Brasil on a soccer cultural improvement mission. ;)

I was invited to the futebol game by a Brasilian guy I met through a friend. As with everyone else I have encountered here, he has been extremely friendly and welcoming to me. He is married and has several companies so it's not like he is lacking for things to do. However, he is always inviting me to surf, to go to churrascos (BBQ's), and recently to play on his futebol team. One of the more interesting aspects of Brasilian culture is that most people work several different jobs, and typically none of them are related. As it has been explained to me, it's almost like a hedge in the event that one of the jobs is experiencing difficulty. My friend Guga owns a scooter rental shop and an ice cream distributing business (talk about a hedge!). The Brasilians are very resourceful people, and I'm beginning to respect them more and more each day....

The Greatest Job on Earth

2008-04-28T13:26:00.001-07:00

I don't know how you apply for something like this or who you have to know but I have discovered possibly the greatest job on earth. I was introduced to an American guy who is down here for two months on a work project (I'm using the term "work project" very loosely here). He is a photographer and is creating a "Girls of Floripa" calendar to be marketed in the U.S. to Maxim and other sources. To make a long story short, I have spent a lot of time with him surfing, partying, searching for models, etc. Every girl in Brasil wants her picture taken so finding the models is surprisingly easy. The hard part is getting the courage to approach beautiful girls and speak to them in broken Portuguese about taking photographs with someone they don't know. Anyway, a few days ago he asked me if I would like to join one of his photo shoots. After checking my extremely busy calendar and deliberating for approximately 1.5 seconds, I agreed. We discussed my role in the shoot and determined that I would be the guy who stood there with the light reflector basically doing nothing but staring at the model. I'm sending in my resume to Sports Illustrated this afternoon with my fingers crossed. Wish me luck.

To the side you will see some pictures from the shoot. Her name is Fernanda and she is as charming as she is beautiful. Imagine that.

Two Crazy Days

2008-04-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

A huge swell arrived here earlier this week and I've been surfing great waves since Monday. The last two days have been the biggest. The surf report says it is eight feet but I think it's easily a few feet bigger than that. Joaquina, which is right around the corner from me, was so big that they were doing tow-in surfing with jet skis yesterday. The only problem is that most of the local waves don't hold their shape when it gets big like this. I walked over to Praia Mole yesterday with my surfboard ready to give it a go. However, when I got there, there wasn't a single person surfing, which is always a bad, bad sign. There were signs everywhere saying "Local Danger." The waves were HUGE and they were mostly closing out. I saw two guys try to paddle out and they got demolished and came back in. I sat on the beach for awhile and tried to determine my plan. I knew exactly what was going to happen but I couldn't resist the temptation to give it a try. I found the channel and actually made it out fairly easily (I can paddle all day long now, which has been one of my biggest improvements) and found my spot. I then decided to play it safe and paddle out another 20 yards or so. Sure enough, an enormous set wave came rolling in about a minute later and I had no chance. I paddled like a mofo and saw my life pass before my eyes as I looked up at 15 feet of powerful water about to close out on my head. I ditched my surfboard and tried to dive as far down as I could. To no avail, I didn't make it and got thrown around like I was in a washing machine for a good 30 seconds (it felt like 10 minutes). All I kept thinking was, "I hope to God there isn't another wave behind this one." I finally made it to the surface and luckily there was nothing coming. I thought about my options and wisely whitewashed it to shore immediately so I could live to surf another day. Every once in awhile I get reminded that the ocean must be respected in a VERY BIG WAY.

Today I decided it was best to have a short memory and I paddled out again. The north end of Praia Mole was going off but it's typically a pretty local spot. However, I'm finally at the point where I'm comfortable enough with my surfing and just the local vibe in general so I said "screw it" and paddled right into the mix (I would not have done this a month ago). Everyone was cool and I caught some of the best waves since I arrived here. Unfortunately, my luck was running low again today. Another huge wave came out of nowhere and we were all caught out of position. I paddled as fast I could but had no chance. I tried to duck dive but the wave was so big that it just barrelled me over. It was so powerful that it snapped my leash. My board quickly went to shore and I was stuck out there wading like a duck. This happened to me once in college in Ventura County, and I learned just to stay cool. It's actually easier to get under the waves without the board. Therefore, I just took my time and swam to shore where a nice Brazilian girl was waiting with my board, and I quickly forgot all about what just happened....only in Brazil.

I'm exhausted now but I've been laying low all week so I'm ready to let loose a little bit. The crew is headed to a club that opened last week (we were at the opening party and the place is fantastic). As someone once said, I'll sleep when I die. What a wise, wise man.

The Turning Point

2008-04-22T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well, the fellas are finally gone. It was one hell of a stretch. We really hit it hard on the beaches, at the house, and in the night clubs. I slept 14 hours Sunday night because I was so tired. Partying like that takes its toll on this guy but I wouldn't change it for the world. Jed and I finished off the week with an amazing trip to the restaurant Ostradamus (the best oysters you'll ever have), a trip to Guarda (a beach about an hour away), and three consecutive nights of unbelievable times. Our goal was to have a big steak dinner at Confraria on Saturday night and be home by 2AM. I think our actual bed time ended up being around 7AM. It was just too hard to leave. All in all, I had an absolute blast with everyone and I can't wait to have more visitors. As I said before, I was very much looking forward to having friends around to enjoy this with me. Also, it's a lot of fun to see the look on peoples' faces when they come here. I remember talking to Jed about the lifestyle here when he first got here and he told me that he was honestly skeptical. For those of you that know Jed, I urge you to ask him what he thought. It's safe to say that he is no longer skeptical....

The only downside of visitors is that I end up speaking too much English. When you're learning a new language, especially one as hard as Portuguese, you need to be studying, reading, and thinking in that language at all times. Therefore, I've been cramming the past two days to get back up to speed. Also, Alessandra ended up opening my eyes up to something really important. I have one friend in particular who helps me with a lot of random stuff. Part of that is because he has been here for 3 years and knows his way around but part of that is because it is, at times, very intimidating to venture out in an unknown world where I don't speak the language. Ale said to me, "what will you do if he's not around?" That simple question changed my paradigm instantly. Now I realize that I need to really do things on my own and that will only help in my progress here. My first instinct prior to this was always to pick up the phone and call someone. Now I just sack up and go get it done without any guidance. I went on two road trips with Jed, which I probably would not have done before, and they were both tremendously rewarding. Today I had a bunch of errands to do today and I just went out and did them without calling or talking to anyone. I know that doesn't seem like such a big deal, but trust me, it is. We take an extraordinary amount for granted in our day to day lives and living here has really opened up my eyes to that. Imagine trying to go the DMV in a foreign country where you don't speak the language and having a car switched into your name. Just thinking about that used to scare me to death, but now I've reached the turning point and there's no looking back.

A took a short video from the point above the waves at Guarda. It's an amazing spot to view all of the scenery. The waves were very big that day and I was psyched to catch a few. Some of the sets were big league size and this was one of them. For perspective on the size of the wave, watch how far inside the surfers are. Surfers typically sit right where the waves break but these guys had to paddle 50 yards so they don't get crushed....and most didn't make it. Enjoy:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nmlxRwCDsd0

As always, I have included pictures. There is one picture from a club opening we went to on Friday night and the rest are from our day at Guarda.

A Night in Floripa

2008-04-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

People always ask me what the nightlife is like in Floripa and I always answer the same way: you would have to see it to believe it. Brazilians take their partying very seriously so if you're going out, you better bring your "A" game. My friend Chris said it best when he said, "You have to dance when you're in a club because everyone else is. If you are not dancing, you look like an idiot." Truer words were never spoken, and I thought it was a pretty funny way to describe a night out. When you're not dancing (everyone needs a rest now and then), you are probably staring because the talent will stop any man in his tracks. In an attempt to give you an idea of what a typical club may feel like, I took a short video on Saturday night from KM7. Turn up the volume and welcome to Floripa!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePeem6aO0xA

Good Times

2008-04-12T10:26:00.001-07:00

Justin and Chris have now been here for almost a week and Jed has been here for a few days. It's been quite a change of pace for me. It goes without saying that it's great having friends here. There are so many fun things to do here and it's a blast to do them with your friends. The weather has been off the charts nice, and yesterday was the best beach day I've had since I moved here. We surfed (twice, actually), played football, played fresca ball (similar to paddle ball), and just lounged around the beach all day. The weather was so nice that we stayed on the beach until it got dark. After a little bit of rest, we had a very big night out at Confraria. They were having a special party for the owners and it was an open bar. Brazilians don't typically spend a lot of money when they go out (especially girls) so you can imagine what it was like to have everyone drinking a ton more than they're used to. Inhibitions went out the door and good times were had by all. I'm hurting a little bit today but it was undoubtedly worth it. I hope the guys feel the same. Here are some pics from the last few days....

Floripa House Party

2008-04-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

Now that my brother has arrived in Floripa, I finally had a housewarming party at the new house. Justin and Chris were great in helping getting everything together and my buddy arranged for an unbelievable chef to cook all the food and make some local cocktails for the guests. Everything went off without a hitch. We had a lot of girls (which obviously is important), all of my friends, and even the hippie hoppie DJ from El Divino. What else do you need? It was quite a shock when we woke up to a clean house the next day thanks to the early arrival of my maid. Brazil really is the best....

Campeche Island

2008-04-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

I finally found the time (haha) to make it to Campeche Island. It's a small, beautiful island that is about 20 minutes away by car and 20 minutes by boat. I went over there with Alessandra and we spent a few hours playing volleyball, soccer, and just lounging around. I'll keep it short because with Campeche, pictures speak louder than words....

If you look very closely at the last picture, you can actually see an island in the distance.