I stopped by the Guimas Bar on the way home to have a drink and to watch the local fauna.  Luciano talked me into drinking a caipirinha, which is a Brazilian drink that has much more alcohol than I like.  Foolishly I had two.

After awhile, a young lady came to my table and said, “They told me you are from Texas and I want to practice my English with you.”

Now, in Texas, she would be referred to as a young thang.

She said her name is Karen and told me she is not shy.  Then pointing to a young man sitting inside, told me her friend is Eduardo and he is shy, and he teaches English.  We talked a few minutes about her life and she asking things about the US, and eventually she rejoined her friend.  Later as they got up to leave, she dragged him over to meet me.  We spoke a few minutes and enjoyed the conversation.

When I meet new people like this I think of my incredible Mother who loves everyone, so I asked them if I can take a picture for her.  No one has ever refused.  So, here is a picture of me, Karen and Eduardo :

Then Karen asked if she can make a movie for my mother and I responded with a very big smile.  Check it out :    Kisses from Brazil

Someone be sure and help MotherDear view it.

I find these to be very good people and have decided to meet and visit from time to time.   Another adventure on the road of Life.

 

One of the nice things about living in a large city, is the variety of “ready to eat” food.  Sao Paulo is like New York City, where you walk along any downtown sidewalk and see/smell food vendors.

I came home the other day tired and wore out.  The weather was wet and chilly and I just felt rundown.  Landed on the couch for about an hour, then woke up to a phone call.  I had to go back to the Consulate to make a repair.

As I was heading home for the second time, it was dark and wet.  I passed by a small restaurant that was grilling meat outside, and just decided to get something to take home.

The sausage and frango (chicken) cost about a dollar each.  I thought I was going to have to warm them up when I got home, but they were so well wrapped, I actually had to let them cool down before eating.  The sausage thrown on a slice of bread with mustard was perfect!  The three chicken wingettes were eaten the next day.

A few weeks ago, I went to my favorite restaurant/bar for lunch and I told Luciano I just wanted something small.  He said in his broken English, “I have!”  Since there being the most interesting language barrier between us, the outcome was unexpected.  He brought me this.

Three porkchops, rice, fries and beans.  Much more than I wanted, but I grew up not saying “no” to food and ate every bit of it.

Years ago after a big Thanksgiving dinner, I de-boned the bird’s carcass for Terese like I always did.  She took the meat and placed it in a blender with mayonnaise and spices and made sandwich spread.  It is the perfect solution to leftover turkey.  When you want, just slap some on a slice of bread, roll it over and gobble it down.  … notice the word gobble.

It was such a successful idea, that Terese would make a pork roast and turn the whole thing into sandwich spread.  I was always elated!  So, the other day, I bought something in the frozen food section of the supermarket I shop at, and decided to make the Terese Sandwich Spread.  (TSS)  Luckily, it was a pork thing I was hoping for.

So, I dug out the blender that Terese used, chopped up the cooked pork roast into blender size pieces, and placed in the carafe.  Added a whop of mayonnaise, heavy sprinkling of garlic powder and decided to add some cheese I needed to get rid of.

I pushed the button to churn the ingredients, the machine came alive and the contents just sat there.  Didn’t even try to move.  I checked it out and found the lower section had broken internally.  Not a pretty picture.

So ….  since the blender is also a juicer, I changed out the components and transferred the ingredients over to the juicing carafe.  The whirling worked, but I had to keep stabbing the mixture to keep the chopping going.  What I had when I finished, was not so much as a spread, but a goo with large chunks of cheese embedded in it.   * Note to self, next time shred the cheese.

The goo will not be wasted, and I have already ordered a replacement blender.

Now the Damn Dogs …

I just wanted to let you know, that my accuracy has gone from 10% to 80%.  And I can now fire the marbles out of my bedroom, instead of my balcony when I can be seen.  Just this morning, the DD’s started barking at some poor innocent little widow woman hobbling by.  I eagerly opened my bedroom window, and sent a marble near the speed of light to the pet shop garage below.  The two dogs took off to the back area to see it if was something to eat.  Bottom line is:  They quit barking and left the old woman alone.

There are times in life when you realize the hero within yourself.

For those of you who are unaware of this thought provoking story, I lead you to this:  http://www.dknolte.com/2018/04/05/damn-dogs/

The State Department has realized that I need an assistant.  If you remember in Turkey, I had two RSTs.  (Regional Security Technicians).  In Ethiopia, I had four of them.

I interviewed two gentlemen last week for the position. One was over qualified, but had no experience in the equipment I work with, and the other had less experience, but did have the experience needed.  So, I chose him.  His name is Wilson.  He was nervous at the interview, because I am a scary looking fellow.

So, in a month or more, I will have a helper that will make my job easier.  He still has to go through the medical and security checks.

And on a heavier note, I helped the Marines on a WingFest.  Do you want to see what 50 kilos (110 lbs) of wings look like?

And after they were cooked, plain, hot and BBQ.

Okay.  More later as the world moves on.  Kick butt and grab the next adventure.  … just remember to stop and breathe.