Daqui para Lá

Just checking in to say:

1. I am off to Salvador for the next week and a half.

2. I will basically be incommunicado until I am back, but may try to post an update or two.

ciao!

Air Canada versus The Cat: Round Two

Today was a Very Bad Day when it came to the Air Canada versus The Cat saga. It was so bad that I cannot even write about. But all is not lost, the kind woman who was the third person that I spoke to thought that I could possibly, just possibly get Felix all the way to Ottawa from Brazil. The first trick, unbeknowst to me however, is to get him to Toronto. AC only lets ONE pet per plane between Sao Paulo and Toronto, and yes, as lady luck would have it, that one spot was already booked for the day that I had chosen....

Stay tuned for tomorrow's installment. It's better than a telenovela!

Air Canada versus The Cat

It pays to blog! Ever since I wrote this blog lamenting Air Canada's upcoming pet policy, I have been the happy recipient of a flurry of emails from People Who Can Not be Named to Protect the Innocent But Nevertheless Have Ins trying to help out with my cat travel predicament. The advice has been appreciated. Thank you! Here is the latest:

I measured Felix's cage, weighed them both and then ran to the office to fully book and confirm my ticket home, cat fully in tow. That was yesterday. Today since we had no answer or confirmation from Air Canada, we called back and learned that "it takes seven days to confirm whether the pet can travel or not". This seems like a local rule to me.... When we moved to Brazil, I called Air Canada, told them that I had a cat, and bingo!, he was officially on the fly list. So technically, we are in limbo until next Monday, but I am going to try to use the good 'ol Brazilian jeitinho if I don't have a confirmation by Thursday.

WHAT?????

I am going into shock. This evening, just one mere day after reserving, but not purchasing, my ticket back to Canada, I innocently stumbled across this article in the Globe & Mail. Unfortunately since my reservation was preliminary I hadn't yet mentioned Felix....

Air Canada puts pets on no-fly list

Canadian Press
June 21, 2007 at 6:43 PM EDT

TORONTO — There's bad news for Air Canada travellers who want to bring their cherished pets along with them on the plane for their summer vacation. The airline says today that as of July 15th, Bowser and Muffy won't be allowed on its domestic passenger flights. And pending approval from the Canadian Transportation Agency, pets won't be accepted for flights to the U.S. or other international destinations. Dogs, cats and other pets will have to be shipped on cargo planes.

Peter Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for Air Canada, says the airline is so full with bookings, it needs more room to carry baggage, so pets will have to go cargo. Last September 18th, there were howls of outrage from pet owners when Air Canada sent pets packing from the cabin to the cargo hold, but allergy sufferers were breathing sighs of relief.

Mr. Fitzpatrick says the new policy will not apply to guide dogs for the blind, and people who have already bought tickets will be allowed to bring along their pets. He says Air Canada can make the change to its domestic flights without the agency's approval, but needs approval from the agency to make the change for international flights.

Please recall that shock can be a life-threatening emergency. Happy Anniversary indeed.

Happy Anniversary, Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary
Haaaaaaaaapy Anniversary
Happy happy happpy happy
Happy Anniversary
Happy happy happy happy
Haaaaaaaaapy Anniversary

Today I reached the milestone of 2922 days¹ with my current employer. Yes, it was June 21st, late last century when I first stepped through the door of the continued source of my biweekly pay cheque. Who would have thunk? Frankly, I don't think that I've ever stayed anywhere for 2922 days let alone a single employer! In honour of my loyalty, I am now the proud recipient of five extra days of holiday a year. Perhaps a trip to Fernando in celebration....?

¹ Eight years

Glee

I have two reasons for glee today!

Reason for Glee #1. First, the newest version of Veja's The Best of Recife was launched this week. I bought it on my way home and could hardly contain myself as I jumped and bumped down the beach wondering which restaurants were in, which were out. Where's hot, and sadly, where's not. Who has closed and who has opened (the bar and restaurant scene in Recife is very fluid). I gave it a cursory read as soon as I got home, just to make sure that I continue to agree with the rankings. I'll unfortunately have to leave the profound analysis until the weekend. My mom suggestions that I should mention that I do not just eat well and visit exotic locations here in Brazil. Turns out I also work! Which incidently is why there are not so many blog entries these days.... Muito trabalho!

Reason for Glee #2: Second, I took Fitchee in to get his one year tuning at the Honda dealer. With Fitchee being a standard and all, and I, basically learning to drive standard on the way home from the dealer a year ago, I had all kinds of nightmares that Fitchee's transmission and the likes would be in complete disarry due to my lax driving habits. Turns out the Fitchee is in top notch shape. Hurray for Fitchee and by extension, his incredibly skillful driver!

I Knew It!

Almost everyone in urban Brazil drinks bottled water, the standard being 20L garrafões that a legion of boys and men deliver on dilapidated bikes. The bottles range in price from R$1 - R$5. Yes folks, some of these 20L bottles of water cost CAN$0.50 and, at that price, I have to admit, I've always been slightly suspicious of their provenance. And now, I know that it is true: the other day as I was driving down Avenida Recife, I saw it with my own two eyes: a vendor was filling a garrafão straight from a common garden hose. Didn't even have the decency to do it behind his store!

A Night at the Beach

Taking in Porto de Galinhas when Allison and Kevin were visiting. Rain. Wind. Meteors?

You Can Take the Girl Out of Québec...

I'm back from another four-day stint in Salvador. As tends to happen after several trips in quick succession, I am beginning to develop my favourites there, including scrumptious Maria Mata Mouro in Pelourinho. Now, back at home, I find myself sorting through my wallet as I tend to do on occasion. One of the receipts made me laugh. It was from a home outfitting type store around the time that I had an onslaught of guests. Not quite having enough linens to accommodate seven people, I made an emergency trip to the mall to pick up a few extra bath and hand towels. Although I had meant it to be a quick trip, I ended up anguishing about which towels to buy based on the store's erratic and somewhat eclectic selection. I finally settled on some fluffy white towels with a nice leafy pattern on the border. Just today while cleaning out my wallet did I notice their official name as printed on the receipt: Toalha Banheiro Quebec.

You can take the girl out of Québec....

What Does it Mean?

Okay, so a while back, I posted my What I Would Like to Accomplish in the Next Nine Months List. To recap, the list consisted of:

The A List

☺ Trekking to Serra da Capivara, an archeological site waaaaay in the interior of the state of Piaui;

☺ Relaxing at Praia da Pipa, a fabled beach in the state of Rio Grande do Norte;

☺ Snorkling in the waters of Fernando de Noronha again;

☺ Sipping one more espresso under the ginormous fig tree at Figueira Rubaiyat in Sao Paulo;

☺ Finally learning how to dance Frevo;

☺ Eating ridiculous amounts of macaxeira frita - fried manioc;

The B List

☺ Trekking through the Chapada Diamantina in the State of Bahia;

☺ Visiting Salvador one more time; and

☺ Dancing with the bumbas of Maranhao one more time.

So that was back in February. Since then, I have been to Salvador not once, not twice, but soon to be three times and eaten lots of manioc. Everything else remains fairly elusive until now. It's time to get serious! My nine months are now down to two and a half due to natural progression as well as a bit of timewarping. Ack!

Ark Building 101

I am seriously considering signing up for Ark Building 101 down at the local technical college. I'm sure that it exists. With the amounts of torrential rains that are falling here, no doubt someone has already thought to put together a syllabus. If I don't post for a while, it's likely because I have floated away. Um, either that, or gone to Salvador [again!] for a few days where hopefully the precipitation situation isn't quite as extreme. Até!

Enough Already!

Sometimes, just sometimes, when I don't poke around in my house very much, I tend to forget that I have mould problems. But then, sometimes, other times, most times, when I do poke around in the cupboards, closets, and back rooms, I discover things like this

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These hats were perfectly fine three months ago....

And just to add to today's mouldy woes, I also discovered the nascent proliferation of mould spots on one of my framed prints - of Rue des Septs Voies in Paris - and am greatly disturbed. I keep trying remember what my mother said when she gave it to me, "Remember, the print is only worth about $8, the frame ... on the other hand ... is worth a small fortune. So if you ever tire of the print, keep the frame and change the print." Sadly, depending on how things advance, this may have to become the case. The challenge, of course, is to find something in the exact same hues so that it matches the mat as well.

Five Signs that You've Adapted to Nordestina Life a Little Too Well

5. Urban cows do not make you blink.
4. You've started calling everyone querida and amor.
3. You are not surprised that there are forty-two different ways of cooking manioc¹ and you love every single one of them.
2. You take road signalisation Very Liberally.

... and the number one sign that you've adapted to Nordestina life a little too well is ...

1. You tend to find 25°C "a little chilly".


¹ fried; boiled; puréed; floured, toasted and on its own (farofa); as tapioca pudding; as tapioca pancakes; as ice cream; baked into cakes, cookies, and breads; as meringues and no doubt thirty-one additional ways.

Nos. 31 and 32

Possibly last, but DEFINITELY not least!


It was a sad day today as I packed off visitors no. 31 and 32 back to their home on the West Coast. Cousin Al and beau Kevin arrived last Monday for an action packed week of visiting, shopping, eating and ... well, more eating ... a big surprise to all who follow the blog! Particularly fun food moments included the Churrascaria (Meat Coma into the next morning was enjoyed by all), Olinda and the Oficina do Sabor (Shrimp in a Pumpkin), Queijo na Brasa (any country that specialises in fried cheese, must be all right), and manioc in its many many many forms (fifteen forms and counting). Safe flight guys. Thanks for visiting and see you soon!