I Have Arrived

I made it to Boston and am all moved in now. The move brought with it few casualties, but most notably some dishes and martini glasses. The wine glasses miraculously survived.

I am excited to announce the imminent return of the pull up bar to my dwellings. In my apartment in grad school and in my first apartment in LA, I had a pull up bar. I would do a few here and there and it provided some good exercise for my puny guns. In my second home in LA, however, there was no good spot for it. This is no longer an issue. Call the zoo, because the pythons are about to escape.....

My first day I immediately rolled up to the closest Indian restaurant for a buffet lunch. As soon as I entered the chosen locale, I heard booming bhangra tunes coming from the bar area. They weren't just playing bhangra music, but they had a DVD of bhangra videos. Yes, those really cheesy ones. I had even seen a few of the Pure Punjabi Golden Hits Collection they were screening. I immediately knew this place was special. The food was good too.

Cambridge (the part of Boston where I am living) is a lot like LA, except without the need to drive. The population is very diverse and there is a slight left wing bend to the whole atmosphere, not unlike the feel of Venice or Santa Monica. Drivers also stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk, which is not always the case across the river in Boston. The key is to look the driver in the eye and stare them down to make them stop. This worked all the time in Santa Monica. I don't recommend this practice to the uninitiated, though, as it takes more courage than staring skills.

Minny

Well, I have left Los Angeles and am in Minnesota hanging out at home with the 'rents for a week. I got my top two wisdom teeth out while here. Painful, but Vicadin, made famous my Eminem in his musings, helped get me through.

We have a lot of Indian people in St. Cloud now. I actually saw people playing cricket in a park one day. At that moment, the ethnic breakdown in that park was 83% Indian (me, my mom, and the cricket team), 17% white (a couple taking a stroll). What country was I in?

Moving Sucks

Now that I am back in LA I need to get my shit together and move out of here by Sunday. I am at the point where I have some stuff I think I might need (during my week at home in Minnesota before I head to Boston), but am not so sure about. So this means I have most of my stuff in boxes and a lot of crap still laying around. I am frustrated to the point of yelling

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!

I guess there is only one thing to do - crack open a beer and watch the episodes of Entourage I TiVoed while gone.

Uma Cidade Muita Linda

Well, I am back in the US. And I am having my standard return from abroad hangover.
People are cutting me off in traffic............I am missing having a driver.

People in the airport around me are talking about the dumbest things just to make small talk.............I am missing having background noise in a language I am only intermediately proficient in.

Well, at least there is McDonald's. I stopped there on the way home.

Oh man, I just realized my last meal prior to departure (thanks to Ravi) and my first meal upon arrival was at the arches. A sad, yet introspective look into my true self.

The few days I had in Rio were awesome! This was my second visit to this great city and it was much more fun. I mostly knew where I was going, I knew more Portuguese, and had some local contacts (mad props to Steve) and friends who were staying there (Rob and Vikas) to help show me around and meet people.

I went to my first professional futebol match, hung out at the nightly street party in Lapa, rolled to house parties and clubs while avoiding sleep for almost three days, caught great views of the city from almost everywhere, and explored the historic neighborhood of Santa Tereza during a local art festival (obrigado, amiga).

I can totally see myself heading back to Rio soon. There is a special feeling you get when you establish connections with locals, find yourself able to speak the language, and get around without too much trouble. And, I have more of this large country to see.