Pre-Carnaval

I've really not had luck with my transportation today. Bus drivers that won't let me off the bus, traffic snarls, taxi drivers that don't know where they're going and won't take directions...but I'm getting more Brazilian, I guess, because I no longer bite my nails when I'm a half-hour late for an appointment.

I'm glad that I did make that appointment, though, as I'm currently stuffed beyond belief with wonderful food, courtesy of a cooking group we've just started with a few other expats. Today, British food has been solidly rescued from an unfair stereotype as bland and boring, as our cooking lesson not only included a hair dryer, but also marinating maraschino cherries in Worcestershire sauce for some divinely bacon-wrapped nibbles. Not boring. I was given my first taste of Yorkshire pudding and we simply devoured a lovely, lovely pork roast (that took some wrangling at the supermarket to purchase with skin on)...

Now I'm holed up at home, smelling like bacon and trying to work up the energy to head out again for my doctor's appointment. It's been a busy week, full of meetings, writer's critique groups, etc. Tomorrow begins our unofficial staycation for Carnaval, which I'm really excited about. It seems that there are two groups of people who stay in the city for Carnaval. The first group doesn't leave their homes for the duration, avoiding crowds, pee-soaked streets and the miserable traffic. The second group doesn't make it home at all, as they're too busy staying awake and partying for days...you can guess which group we're going to be a part of, can't you?

Besides having some uninterrupted time for writing, a little beach time and middle-of-the-day naps planned for this looooong weekend, I have a big crafts project to finish over Carnaval--a papier maché elephant head to hang in my office. It's been on my to-do list for quite some time, but I've only recently gotten up the gumption to
attempt it. I'll be posting pictures and a how-to once it's finished. At the moment, I only have the frame done and will need to rip up a lot of old newspapers and buy copious amounts of glue in order to start the papier maché process. (Flour glue won't work in this humidity and with the number of bugs we have!)

If you don't hear from me before Ash Wednesday, have a great, safe, fun Carnaval. Samba a little. Don't forget to sleep, and eat real food (if you're going to the blocos). Paz!