On Thursday, having gone shopping for football boots with Ridaut (and actually found a pair that fit!) we went to pick up the the oft-spoken-about Doug, an affable Texan and avid Corinthians fan down from Dallas for an airliner conference and staying at the same hotel I went to when I first visited, for the weekly kickabout followed by steak, beer and much revelry in the local tavern.
I passed up a trip to the Corinthians training ground the next day, citing exhaustion after a hard week's toil, but rallied in the evening for dinner with Taynah and Rafa, followed by a bone fide gig in the centre of town. The event in question was an album launch by whimsical wordsmith woman Clarice Falcão, in the fetching setting of Ciné Joia (a refurbished former cinema with rather wild AV facilities) and while we didn't know any of the new songs, there were a few that stood out on first listen - including a "duet" with an empty mic stand meant for the guy who stood her up - a pirate-shanty Destiny's Child cover, and some golden oldies off the first album.
On Saturday we were on the road out of town bright and early to show Doug around the now-legendary Dr. Costela house of meat, which provided the wall-to-wall smorgasbord of slow-cooked ribs and good cheer I've come to expect, capped by a complimentary round or two of chimarrão tea for the road. Sadly there was no time to wander around nearby Embu das Artes as planned, but there's no point trying to top Dr. Costela anyway.
Finally on Sunday we went for a lad's day out to the Itaquerão Stadium, for my first ever Corinthians game - a functional 3-0 home win in a Campeonato Paulista dead rubber against Novorizontino, featuring two "golazos" by the marauding and unfortunately-named right-back Fagner. Very cool stadium - reminded me of the Emirates but with more atmosphere - and an awesome way to bring the weekend to a close (as opposed to the actual way I brought the weekend to a close, editing a document for work for four hours upon returning home).
It's still unnervingly hot at the moment, but when it cools down Ridaut and I have vowed to go cycling, since the council spends untold millions setting up temporary bike lanes every Sunday anyway; meanwhile I see cone-swerving driving lessons and back-stretching sessions in my near future; and this week should see some movement on the political front as deputies vote on Dilma's impeachment, to decide whether or not the matter goes to the Supreme Court.
In the meantime, I've only gone and done another compilation (ft. the Steve Vai-tastic new single from M83 - they're from Antibes, don't you know); and my Portuguese phrase of the day is about people going back to tried-and-tested ways, or "the good son returning home" as someone (the Bible, probably) once put it.
Let's speak soon - I only got your Skype messages from last week when I logged on yesterday, alas...
Hope alles gut.
Frut
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