I thought for awhile that I might read a book a day during my three months in Brazil… I’ve done it before with academic books, no less, while getting ready for my Comprehensive exams in my PhD. But it’s actually not *fun*, it’s work. And if I did it with fun books now, I wouldn’t have time for the gym (hopefully starting next week!) or learning Portuguese.
Still, I’m reading. I’ve been exploring new blogs, which has been REALLY fun, I <3 my Kindle, which has let me read two Jane Austens (Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility—will have read all Jane Austen by the end of my trip), and I’ve been reading historical fiction. So far, Alan Furst’s Dark Voyage: A Novel (so-so… disappointing after all I’d heard about Furst, really), and I’ve started Dorothy Dunnett’s King Hereafter. I’ll let you know… (source) I actually entered into a bet / dare last summer with an old friend to see who would write a work of historical fiction and get it published first… and then he went and got engaged. And I got 3 months off—seriously: I’m SO gonna win this! My mission right now is to read the good, the bad, and the ugly of historical fiction as research. More precisely, I’ll be writing creative non-fiction, since I’m going to write a creative story about an actual era based on good research, but I plan to make it fun so that more than 4 people read it. 😀 So I’m reading a lot. I’m also sleeping whenever the need arises… which means I stay up late (and have thus learned that the Brazilian noise laws prohibit having, say, a DJ into the middle of the night, but if your neighbours want to have a VERY LOUD CONVERSATION OR FIGHT WITH HIS/HER LOVER, THAT’S A-OK. LOUD AS YOU LIKE, LATE AS YOU LIKE.), get up around 10am, and nap. Which feels A-MA-ZING. I’m usually too much of a stressy kid to nap, and now that I can… it’s like candy! AND: I’m happy to report on my achievements: I accomplished goals 1 and 3 yesterday—showered (with no ill effects, other than WTF is *this* all about?!? Behold: the shower head: (are those *electrical* cords sticking out the top?!?!?) And then there’s this: And… that’s the shower. So something is clearly missing, eh? Like a means for changing the *temperature* of the water? There just isn’t one. True story. As a result, this puppy was NUCLEAR, and I’m a girl who likes a hot shower! No permanent damage was done, nevertheless…) 🙂 I also cracked my Portuguese book… … only to discover this: Do you see it? the puckering? The discolouration? Freaking water damage on my book. 🙁 That actually makes me want to use it less, for no good reason at all. I’m still in Chapter 1, and I’ve learned to beware false cognates, but thanks to the fact that I’ve learned a language or two in my time, I’m already aware of the danger… it’s time to be all Nike about it, and then I’ll be fine. Watching TV and just listening to people talk… I’m gettin’ my groove on. (source) Amen, brotha. I’ve eaten out every day so far because Jessica doesn’t *cook*. Well, *I* do, and once we get a few more kitchen implements (and groceries), I’m in like Flynn. A lack of a baking sheet means the cookies haven’t happened yet, either… just give it time. 😀 What’s Brazilian food like? It’s distinct. And I’ve not been brave enough to photograph my food in the restos yet, but I’m working on it. I’ll bore you senseless with food talk later. For now, I’m excited that today I *finally* got money out of a bank machine (took 4 freaking tries to find a bank supporting Cirrus), I had a mini-workout at home with bands and the stairs, and… TOMORROW IS A HOLIDAY! That means, I’ll be able to go outside in daylight, and Jessica and Mark are going to take me on a walking tour of all the places to go. SP isn’t exactly scenic, but I’ll bring back pics, nonetheless. It’s starting to sink in… I’m in *Brazil*. Wow. 😀