The Brazil Post!

Here it is. The longest Blog I will probably ever blog. Below is a picture from the top of our hotel room in Rio. Thats the statue of Christ on the top of the hill.

But that was at the end of our trip. So let me take you to the beginning of our trip. We flew into Rio from Atlanta and had to wait 8 hours for our flight to Floripa. And there was nothing to do in the terminal but sit.

On our way home we learned that above the terminal is a large number of shops, restaurants, places to shower, and nap. Awesome.

We did however, finally make it to Floripa. The next morning we went to the center of the city and did some sight seeing and shopping.

On Christmas Eve, we had dinner on the roof of our Host's apartment complex. It was awesome. We ate lots and played some games, including the elephant sign game.

On Christmas day we went to a beach about an hour away. Don't remember the name of the cities of beaches but does it really matter?

Bellow is a good example of what cities in Brazil look like. All of the tall buildings are apartment complexes and not office building.

This was one of the most crowded beaches we went to. The sun was blazing hot and the water was warm but still so much cooler than the sand.

Wow. White.

This is a view from the top of the apartment complex, were we had dinner.

The second beach we went to was a little more secluded but still crowded. Here we did some snorkeling with the fishes. Its was great. We also burnt on top of our burns that day.

With a view like that, how could you not strike a pose?

That night we had a pizza buffet. Not like an american buffet though. This one was actually good. We had pizza with eggs, corn, and chocolate. Good stuff.

Oh, and this little guy is a Ford KA. Its the tiny little car we pilled in when we were not using the busses. An interesting note, many of the cars in brazil do not have ac or radios. Every car we were in during that trip was also a manual transmission.

On the hottest day of the trip we took a hike to a beach. It was beautiful but unbelievably hot.

This was a great beach because there was almost no one there. It was nice being able to jump around in the water and not have to worry about our stuff.

Another great thing about this beach was that instead of hiking, you can take a boat instead for about 6 bucks a person. Not bad for a 10 minute boat tour.

In effort to mix things up a little, we took a break from the beaches, and went to a waterfall.

I love the superman pose.

That night we drove to a spot where you can see the entire island.

Behind linda is a foot bridge that connects the island to the continent. It was closed 5 years ago when linda served her mission there and is still closed. They say its famous. I didn't ask what for, I just figured it was for being a foot bridge that no one can walk on.

I know. Sand boarding is sexy right?

This was back in the center. I loved this building.

"I am waiting for a bus."

Some cool graphite we saw while waiting for the big new years party.

Our white outfits for ringing in the new year.

We took a bus to this beach. Well actually we wanted to go to another beach. The traffic was so bad that we bailed out of the bus and walked a few miles and stopped at the first beach we came to. And yes, we got there way before the bus ever did. An interesting thing about this beach was that it was a gay beach. I felt violated from a few of the eyes in that group but I couldn't help but laugh as I heard the music from the bar, "this is what we do, this is how we do it."

No this is not the gay beach. Its a different one.

Stuck in beach night traffic. It took us 3 hours to go about 10 miles.

Adult playground. I seriously think they need these in the states.

Heading of to Rio. Funny that it rained on both the day we got off, and on the plane.

Its so humid and hot that the planes AC acts like a fog machine. At least I hope thats what it was.

The view from our hotel room in Rio

This is from a view point on the way to the statue of Christ. Thats only about a fourth of Rio.

In summary, Brazil was awesome. It was hot, humid, smelly, exhausting, and all together amazing. If you have the means, or even if you don't (we sure didn't), I highly recommend it.

Back in the country

Hey everyone. Just got back from Brazil. The trip was great, aside from the collective 30 hours in the air plus layovers. I am wicked tired and the screen looks like it is melting so I'll post some pictures tomorrow or saturday. Peace.

New widget

Just wanted to share my new favorite Widget. When you click on him, he says "Do It! Do It!"

I think I am going to have to watch that movie tonight. (Starsky and Hutch)

World Domination

Right before I started my job, they updated all of the computers in the marketing department. All of the designers have bran-spankin-new G5 macs. However, when they got these computers they forgot to figure in the cost for my position, so I did not get one. To make up for it they gave me a new macbook pro to use. Which is nice but the screen is a little small and I don't really like working on a laptop. I do however have a second monitor thought which is great because it really does make me feel like an evil genius plotting a devious plan to rule the world in my secret lair.

Here is a picture of my diabolical dual monitor setup. Impressive I know.

And what you don't see in this picture is even more impressive. Like the second keyboard, telephone, stuffed Gonzo action figure and tape dispenser!

The Art of Shaving

So the other day I went into the retail store for The Art of Shaving. I know, you wouldn't think I would be interested in that, seeing how I have been sporting a beard for 3 years, but none-the-less, I when in for a gander. While I was looking at a $75 shaving kit, The store clerk walked behind me and said "That kit will last you about 6 months of daily shaving . . ." then as I tured around and he continued "or at least 2 years."

Some people ask me how I can stand to have a beard. "I can't stand the itchiness" some of them say. I'm reminded of a line that I think is applicable here. Having a beard is "like a new pair of underwear. At first it's constrictive, but after a while, it becomes a part of you."

I truly feel that the beard has become a part of me. Its a part of my personality, and image. It also helps me make decisions and tells me to burn things.

I have been thinking about shaving the beard though. For one, we are going to brazil soon and I just think its going to be way to hot to have a beard. On the other hand, when we get back from brazil its going to be way to cold to not have a beard. so, catch 22.

Seeing how I am unable to make this decision myself (as my beard is telling me that shaving it would be killing a part of myself and to go out and torch the city) I am going to get some feedback from my peeps. What do you think? Should keep the beard or send it to the grave?

This morning I woke up dreading the day. I woke up just minutes before my alarm went off and just laid their waiting. You see, today I am going to be working from 8:00 am till at least 9 pm. After my alarm finally went off, I stood their debating wether or not getting back into bed and hiding my self in my sheets would make the day go away. Then I remembered something. "Its Tie Tuesday! Today is going to rock! So today, I'm rock starting it.

A word to the wise

2 cups hot chocolate with french vanilla creamer, a mountain dew, and chips and salsa, although all quite tasty and delicious, do not mix very well at 10 in the morning. I thought about posting a picture of how this feels but I figured I would spare you that detail.