At the last minute, I decided to host a Christmas Eve wingfest and I had some very pretty ladies show up.  There were three in particular that made the evening … er, chaotic, but everyone survived.  Below are pictures of Ava and Anna sitting with several of us at a nearby restaurant before the wingfest.  They were sitting on a bench and waving at the vehicles on the street.Then during the actual wingfest, I caught the two sisters at various places in my apartment looking guilty of something or another.And the third pretty girl is Kwynn who I often have the pleasure of visiting with.  She the little one in the middle.  You’ve seen her before squealing at the  irritating mechanical furry animals in the previous post.Additionally, there were two other couples, one who were the parents of the two previous ornery girls and a little one that is new to Brazil.And some of the food prep :I always enjoy hosting these and have several other people who I need to invite.

And before I leave you again, I wanted to show you a gift a “friend” gave me for Christmas.  She said it reminded her of me.  Seriously, I never saw myself as a John Wayne type of guy.

I see many strange things that can be bought on the Internet these days, and recently purchased several of these furry devices that repeat anything you say, and jump like fools when doing so.  Here is what they look like at rest:

I asked one of them its name and got this:

Then I sat both of them together for an intelligent conversation:

I gave one to the beautiful daughter of a friend of mine and she sent me videos of her reaction to this crazy furry thing.

Another interesting story:  When I first came to Sao Paulo, a neighbor who also works at the Consulate took me to the nearby store and showed me how to get food.  She said, at the check out they will always ask you two questions, (something about a tax receipt) and your answer will always be No.  Sounded simple.

But occasionally, I noticed they would ask me three questions, and I would always give them the safest answer of No, especially if you don’t know the question.

As I started learning more and more phases, I realized one day, that sometimes when I went to the checkout the first question would be boa tarde?

… and it hit me.  boa tarde simply means, Good Afternoon.  Which explains why they gave me a funny look when I resolutely stated, No.

An old friend of mine once told me, Life is pretty damn tragic if we don’t learn to laugh at ourselves.

I tend to laugh at myself quite often.

I was graciously invited to hang out with a good man I work with and his family.  Instead of the usual Thanksgiving feast, it was a very comfortable BBQ.  I found it relaxing and I will repay the favor with a wingfest for them.  Here are some pictures taken for my 99-year-old mother.  (That excuse always works) I love these types of BBQs because they are more a social event then just chowing down.

And then Yesterday, Saturday, a good man who I usually eat lunch with, Ricardo Rios had a birthday party celebrating his 60th year.  I was the only American from the Consulate he invited, but there was another good American, (actually a fellow Texan) who knew Ricardo from years past, and lives in Sao Paulo with his lovely Brazilian wife.  I enjoyed just sitting and watching everyone as I realized it was actually a family reunion for them.  Brazilian hugging and kissing.  Very nice.  Right before I left, I had a picture taken of me with him, his wife and daughter.

One of the many things interesting about foreign countries, is the taxi rides.  Sometimes in a taxi, the driver will ask me some question.  Usually I can decipher what he (or sometimes she) is saying, but when I can’t, I will say Desculpas. Eu não entendo português  (I apologize. I do not understand Portuguese).

What happens then is either of two things.  Either the driver will say nothing else, or he/she will start practicing their English on me, which is always enjoyable.  So on the way home from Ricardo’s party Saturday, the young man was glad to have me in his vehicle.  At one point, while trying to think of something nice to say, he gave me a belated holiday greeting.  He told me (in so many words) Happy Black Friday.

I could have spent time telling him that Black Friday was in no way a holiday, but it just wasn’t worth it.  I simply replied, Thank you.

So, until next time, Kick butt, seize the next adventure and I hope you had a happy Black Friday.

Occasionally, one of the good guys from the Facilities Department will come to me asking for donations for a BBQ.  I never turn them down.  Underline Never.

Here are a few pictures from tonight’s BBQ: These Brazilians know how to cook meat, and I know how to eat it …

Just something sitting in the bottom of my belly to make me sleep good tonight.  And I watch them play a card game that made no sense.  Here is a video of them playing it.  Click the pretty red Game.

It actually got a lot more livelier than that with hands slapping on the table and cards whirling in different directions.

D.

After posting the Marine Ball pictures, I realized I forgot the most important one, where I had my picture taken with the Marines.  Here it is below.  I am the one in the middle smiling on the inside:The good Marine on the far left in white trousers, was the guest speaker.  Extraordinary gentleman.  Within the first few minutes of hearing him speak, I had a great respect for him.

A week earlier, we had our first Churchill Gathering of cigar smokers and hard drink drinkers.  There were about twelve of us which included three members of the feminine gender, two of which partook.  I took a picture of the group as we sat under a covering while Mother Nature poured rain down on us, probably trying to put out our cigars.  You will notice one good man whose face was covered by smoke.  He is one of my many bosses and even though you cannot see his face, trust me when I say he is a good man and I am proud to have him as one of my many bosses.So much for that.  Kick butt, look for the next adventure in Life and remember to always take time to breathe.

D.

The Marine Ball was last night and it is always fun to witness, but very thought provoking.  The presentation of the “Colors” (the flag) with the National Anthem always leaves tears in my eyes.   Every year they have a video message from the Commandant of the Marine Corps telling about the birth of the Corp on November 10, 1775 and all it has gone through.  I hear it every year and I still love the story.  For those who don’t know, the Corp was born in Tun Tavern and Brewery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania promising free rum to those who joined.  As with ever year, there is also a guest speaker, and this year’s was one of the best I have seen.  Very active in his speech and vibrant deep inside.  His love for the Marine Corp was such that he literally could not stand still as he spoke.

When I told MotherDear about the upcoming gala, she wanted me to take many pictures of pretty women.  I think she was hoping I would end up with a wife if I did; but there was a nice supply of such, so I did as I was told.  I start off with this one.  She is a Brazilian friend of mine who speaks fluent Australian English.  Yes.  She learned her English while a student in Australia.  I love listening to her accent, and evidently someone else did too, because she was the MC for the Ball.Below are three young girls who attended.  Their parents were sitting at a nearby table, so they behaved themselves.  I kept trying to offer them wine, but they chose not to fall into a life of debauchery so early in life.   … that and they are too young to drink.So, I’m going to post several more before returning to the Ball itself. I found it fascinating how easy it was to take these pictures after telling them my 99-year-old mother wanted pictures of pretty women.  All except one did not question it and gladly posed.  The lone questioner asked me if these were for my 99-year-old mother or myself.  … Duh!

Okay.  After catching our breath, we move on to the good people who provide protection for us during the event.  I work closely with these men and have great respect for them.  Several you have already met in a previous post.  The first one is Lucas with the orneriness just waiting to escape, and the very serious Antonio who hurts my hand when we greet each other.  And the good Marcelo who is another supervisor.They may not be pretty, but they are incredible to work with.  And below are some of the Guard Force Coordinators.  On my right is a gentleman I call “Little Santos” and on the left is Fabio.  Again, very good men.The ceremony has a cake cutting which is symbolic in many ways.  I recorded the video for it, but my phone says it’s too big to send to my computer.  But believe me when I say it is amazing to witness.  Below are more pictures of the evening. And lastly, I post one of the most poignant images of the evening, which is the table set aside for those who gave the Ultimate Sacrifice and did not return.Every year I look forward to this event.  Knowing my son is a former Marine, and me working with scores of the men and women who chose this life, my respect for them is deep.  I thank them and I look up to them.

D.