Another One Bites the Dust

Well, summer is in full force here. It's getting warm, the days are longer with sunlight until almost 9 pm, the  swimming pool opened, and, of course, I am fighting the never ending Battle of the Baratas. What is a barata you ask?? Well, it's a cockroach. Yup, a big, black, cockroach.

Because Horizontina is in the countryside and surrounded by a lot of forested area, you cannot avoid these buggers (no pun intended). They started showing up, uninvited, about 3 weeks ago. One here.....one there....so I got angry and put out these Roach Motels. They also have had some encounters with my Havaiana flip flop and let me tell you - I have a mean flip flop WHACK! So far, there has only been one that missed the flip flop flap. However, we had a re-match 2 nights later when I caught him ON TOP of the  Roach Motel. Let's just say, " he checked in, but never checked out".

Now, you might think that I have a dirty house, trash littered about, or something like that. NOPE! I have a nearly spotless house because I have someone who helps me take care of it three times per week. It is just something that you cannot avoid here and EVERY Brazilian has them in their homes in Horizontina. It's gross, but a fact of life here.

Last summer, I was SO freaked out by them and it would physically upset me when I saw them because I was so revolted by them. I found them in my bathroom, my bedroom, the kitchen, the living room. It's not like there are hundreds, but there are 1 to 2 at a time and THAT IS ENOUGH for me. I was fearful of them last year. What a difference a season makes! Now, I see them, RUN for the closest Havaiana and TAKE NO PRISONERS.

I just caught another one scurrying about the floor, a good 6 feet from the Roach Motel. I don't know how to advertise that this casa has NO VACANCIES! Oh well....WHACK! Another one bites the dust....

Um abraco,
Mollie

Tango, Mountains, Waterfalls and Beach Vacation - Argentina & Brazil

I recently enjoyed a visit/vacation with Jim and Diane, who are good friends of mine from the Quad Cities. They are very special people to me and I was so excited they want to come and check out South America. We had a great time touring Buenos Aires, Bariloche (Argentina Patagonia), Iguazu Falls, Rio de Janeiro and Angra dos Reis. I had such a great time goofing around, seeing some amazing sights, eating/drinking delicious food and wine, and spending time with special friends. Thank you Jim & Diane for your friendship and the WONDERFUL memories!! With love...Bejos and Abraco...(more pics to come!)

Tango Dancers @ El Querandi

Neighborhood of Caminito - very colorful!  

Statue in Buenos Aires. There is one on every corner!      

Tombstone in Recoleta cemetary. Guarded by one of many cats!

Beautiful tombstone. So powerful and expensive!

More Vacations...

I have been busy lately with some little get-a-ways! Last weekend, I went to Florianopolis with some friends (Americans). It was great!! Pics to come.

Next weekend I leave for 10 days in Buenos Aires, Bariloche, Iguazu Falls and Rio de Janeiro again! This will be my 3rd time in Iguazu Falls in 2 months and my 4th time in Rio this year!! I love those two places. Two good friends of mine are coming to visit and we are doing a South American tour!

So, if you don't see any posts from me for a bit, it's because I'm busy....seeing and enjoying Brazil & Argentina!

Um abraco,
Mollie

Feliz Aniversario para mim!! Happy Birthday to ME!

Happy Birthday to me! 32 years YOUNG today!!

I had a wonderful surprise at work yesterday when my sneaky mother sent me FLOWERS at work! I was extremely surprised. They called me out of a meeting to go get them from the security entrance. I was so surprised! The roses smell and look like roses from my mom's garden so I have my family very close to my heart today. Thank you Wolfpack!!!

So far, I woke up early, enjoyed my homemade faux Pumpkin Spice Latte and the morning sun streaming in onto my veranda. What a truly perfect day so far....

Thank you for all the birthday wishes, cards, phone calls and hugs I've gotten yesterday and today. I feel truly blessed and remembered by my dear family, friends and colleagues.

Advertising...Propaganda (portuguese word for advertising)

A popular form of advertising in Horizontina is hiring a guy on a motorcycle to drive up and down residential neighborhoods with a big speaker on the back BLARING some advertisement for a grocery store, party, or whatever else is going on. It is deafening how loud it is and quite annoying.

In the past, I didn't understand what was being advertised because my portuguese wasn't so good. Now, I can, unfortunately, understand every word! UGH!  There is so much truth in " Ignorance is bliss"!

It sounds like this..."Come to the new Zaleski where you can get sweetened condensed milk for R$1.50...." or "....SUPER promotion on mayonnaise R$2.59...." always followed by a "...don't miss out!"

I really wonder how effective this advertising is. I wonder if they do follow-up surveys or something to measure the effectiveness, in a quieter way?

Um abraco...Mollie

Saudades....Nostaliga

I really want a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte....I miss the smell of the coffee shop and the reminder that soon it will be Halloween and then Thanksgiving.

This morning I made a faux Pumpkin Spice Latte. I steamed milk in my microwave, then added about 1 tsp of Pumpkin Pie seasoning to it, then added some Starbucks brewed coffee. It tasted KIND OF pumpkin-ish, but I knew it was a fake.

I wish I could find a way to get the pumpkin spice flavoring....Oh well. Sei la!

I just found a link to make the syrup flavoring at home...looks like I have a project!!
http://sugarcrafter.net/2009/09/01/pumpkin-spice-latte/

Um abraco...Mollie

Not (yet) the next Venus Williams...Aulas do Tenis!

There's not much to do in Horizontina in terms of outdoor activities. You can walk, run, swim (November to March) and play tennis. That's really about all since the roads are so bad it makes biking very treacherous! (Be careful....those stairs are treacherous....)

For a long time I have wanted to take up tennis at the local " country club"  where I belong. Normally, a country club has tennis, a pool, golf and is quite expensive. It's normally where the "who's who"  of a city hang out, right? Well, in Horizontina, it's a club because you have to pay and it's in the country, but isn't quite a  "country club".  It does have a nice, nice pool so I cannot complain. But, it's only open November until February.  It has some nice tennis courts in clay as well. No golf and it's dirt cheap! They have these choppanas where you can make a barbeque and have a churrasco, a boce ball court and a small hall where people have parties. As a bonus, it is a 1 block walk from my house!

Anyway, I found out there is a tennis professor there and been afraid to call him for months! When I meet new people, sometimes I don't know how they will react to me being an American...usually the experience is good, but sometimes, it's treacherous! A colleague of mine was nice enough to call the professor and arranged an appointment for me for today at 10 am.

His name is Choco (like Shock-o) and a really nice, friendly and patient man! He started playing tennis when he was 35 years old (probably around 50 years old now)! He was so kind to me and even tried a few tennis terms in English! He gave me a 1 hour lesson and I learned the back hand, how to serve and the forward swing. I did this ALL in portuguese!! I was nervous ahead of time about all the new vocabulary, since most of my day is spent talking about forgados, fundidos, chapa and plataformas...technical terms for parts in portuguese!

I hit a lot of balls out of the court, close to his head, close to my head, but in the end, didn't break anything or sprain a single muscle in my body! My arms are sore and I'm tired, but it was great!!! I had a great time learning tennis and new words in portuguese!! We agreed to have another lesson next Saturday...

So, maybe in a few years, I'll be rocking the tennis courts at the US Open alongside Venus or Serena...until then, I'll keep taking my aulas do tenis!

Um abraco.....Mollie