Friday, May 25, 2007

Hi Ho Hi Ho It's Off to Brazil We Go!

(Translation of title into Portuguese: "Eu vou, eu vou, pro Brasil agora eu vou!" - this song in Brazil begins "I go, I go...")

So... yesterday was another productive day, I guess Thursdays are mean to be productive around here, at least one day every week! :) Of course I'm kidding, since Fridays are generally productive too. In order to continue being productive today, though, I have to write this post quickly, so it's not going to be a very good one, sorry!

Activities from yesterday (boring old list, skip if you want!):
Got out of the house early (9 a.m. -- early for me), bought flowers for my garden (photos in another post), planted them. Cooked lunch (brown rice and lentils). Did two loads of laundry and changed my bedsheets in the process. Unloaded dishwasher with son's help, loaded it again. Weeded garden and lawns while sons rode their bikes outside (I've been doing that everyday, weeding is very very therapeutic). Started sorting through old clothes in boxes in the basement while sons played with trainset there and clothes were in the washer/dryer. Selected many clothes that don't fit anymore to give away. At night, while we finished watching The Queen (I really liked it) I folded laundry, sorted through the box of the boys' summer clothes taking out those that didn't fit and emptied their drawers of winter clothes while sorting those too. Now the "spare bedroom/ playroom" floor is piled with clothes that I need to put away in the drawers and I have several boxes of clothes to bring up to the attic.

Today I already: mulched my flowers, vacuumed the car and its rugs (which I removed and sprayed with carpet cleaner), washed the mats with a hose, washed the car with Kelvin (Linton just hates to be sprayed with water and only looked from the porch) and I'm getting ready to put away those clothes. I also have to practice piano and the flute extra hard for Sunday (ai ai ai...).

One of yesterday's greatest "accomplishments" was the purchase of our (mine and the boys') air tickets to Brazil -- my husband did it, though, calling me every five minutes while I was trying to plant the flowers and had to take of my muddy gloves (useless detail, right? I warned you it wasn't going to be a good post :) to get the phone. I've been just dying to go to Brazil for a few months now. It's always like that -- I get to a point where I just can't take it anymore, I miss my country too much and I want to go back. Good thing it'll be a "useful" trip as well since I had papers accepted for presentation at two conferences (you already knew that). However, after the tickets were bought I immediately started stressing out a bit over several things. Some "silly," other more serious.

Silly reason to be apprehensive:
- scheduling trip so I could attend a wedding that I don't know if I'll be invited to. What if I'm not invited? That's an easy one -- I will be disappointed, but I just won't go ;).

Medium reason:
- Getting sick again either on the flight there, on the flight back or both like last time. (I don't think it'll happen, at least I hope so).

Serious reason:
- Not having my appointment at the American Consulate scheduled yet -- I can't do it because I need my passport number in order to fill the forms and schedule it online (something that needs to be done 3 months ahead of time and I'm traveling just a month and a half from now). However, my passport is going to expire in 6 months and I renewed it last Thursday (it'll take a month to be mailed back). I'm going to have to try to schedule an "emergency" kind of appointment and those are never guaranteed and they're the greatest hassle in the world to schedule. More stress added to what's always very stressful -- getting my visa every time I go back to Brazil. :(

I know I should be just thrilled that we'll be going, but I can't help but worry...

Let's hope I'll get sometime this weekend for the "Dangerous" post and other things. If not, you'll know I'm busy because of that wedding I'm helping with.

Have a Great Weekend Everyone!!

6 comments:

Alice said...

Great that you get to go home again!! How much time has to pass before you NEED to go home again? Like once a year minimum or every couple of years? My poor dh hasn't been home in 4 years. I think it's time for us to visit Ecuador as well, if only it weren't so expensive ... :(

Vera said...

Saudade, saudade ...

Aliki2006 said...

I'm so glad you get to make a trip home again! How wonderful...and yes, weeding IS very therapeutic!

Andromeda Jazmon said...

That is great that you get to go to Brazil! I hope everything goes smoothly. And YAY for you presenting at two conferences! I hope you will give us a garden post with pictures soon. Join in my Sunday Garden Stroll meme by sending me a link!

zabrina said...

We are thinking about cancelling our trip. Our passports never came back, I wrote to them 3 times, I try to call and nothing. They just ignore me. I don't know anything about our passports. We can't buy our tickets without them. Plus, husband doesn't wanna go because the huge amount of taxes he has to pay this year. Can you believe. We are pushing this trip foward since one year ago...I am so mad...

Keiko said...

Ai que delícia!!!! Tomara que dê tudo certo, vai dar tudo certo!

Beijinho,
Keiko