31.03.20 - Suave na nave

Ahoy hoy,

Great to Zoom with y'all at the weekend, hope all well and that the wee bairn is delivered in hale health and fine fetlock, etc.  

Here it's self-isolated business as usual, juggling several remote jobs and courses, running up and down stairs, furiously baking, and otherwise taking it very easy with a plethora of mixed media to keep us occupied (to whit: "Sombrero Fallout" by Richard Brautigan, "Blindness" by José Saramago, "The Man in the High Castle" seasons 1-4, "Better Call Saul", "Midsommar" - all good, cheerful stuff). And on Sunday we risked letting Ridaut and Adny in for a BBQ, always nice to see new faces, etc.

Although the economy is going down the pan, the compilation business is booming - I've made not one but two new ones for your listening delight (CONTENT WARNING: 17-minute Bob Dylan song, and mild bagpipes). And my phrase of the day ("smooth on the ship") is a nice, rhyming way of stating that everything is fine, and indeed ship-shape (see also: "boa na lagoa" / "all good in the lagoon", and "tranquilo como um grilo" / "calm like a cricket").

Speak sooooon,

Feet on the ground, Fred in the sky

24.03.20 - Bater perna

Halloooo,

Hope all well! Bit late today, but this past week I've been getting to grips with my new job, which involves lots of training and shadowing, a bit like the scene in The Matrix where Neo learns martial arts through a SCART cable but with useful skills like SEO optimization and project management  instead. It's fine, I guess, and I get my mornings off to flop about in self-isolation.

Otherwise we've been trying to make the best of lockdown lyf by cooking tasty meals, vlogging and running up and down the emergency staircase - the cat is taking it far worse than Gaby and I, since we're never out and he can't get on with his important cat business in peace.

Elsewhere I've made not one but two quarantine compilations, and my phrase of the day - literally "to beat ones legs" - means to go for a walk, which seems but a distant dream at the moment.

Speak soon!

Running Fred Lights

17.03.20 - Não dar sorte pro azar

Hallooo,

Hope all well in these troubled times - as I mentioned I've somehow managed to snag a job at a translation agency starting today which, while not the best in the grand scheme of things, should at least see us through the impending global pandemic and recession, and crucially involves working from home (plus I can carry on freelancing for Sherlock Comms!).  

That being said, Pierre's postponed his wedding next month and advised us to stay as far away from Europe as possible, so our trip over has been put on ice too. Not now... but soon!  And everything's gone into lockdown here now, from museums and public gatherings to Gaby's sessions and courses, which have moved online.  The perfect time to launch my social media presence in all the major verticals - watch this space...

To see us through, I've made one regular compilation and another, coronavirus-themed one; and my phrase of the day means "to not give good luck to misfortune", or not take any chances, basically. 

Speak soon, and remember to wash your hands folks!

CoFred-19

10.03.20 - Pagar pau

Halloooo,

Hope all well in la belle France - over here we're broadening our horizons, expanding our portfolios, fingers in lots of pies, etc, and I've been doing some work for a local PR firm in the hope of something more permanent in due time.  We also had some folk over from Minas Gerais at the weekend, and went up into the mountains for a scenic lunch, which was rather nice.

I've made a new compilation, and my phrase of the day literally translates as "to pay wood" ("pau" here can mean wood, money and other more outrageous things depending on context), meaning to suck up to someone, or admire them from afar. So there's that.

Speak soon! 

Car Seat Fredrest

03.03.20 - Mais louco do que o Batman

Halloooo,

Hope all well frog-side. I am officially unemployed as of Sunday, and have had to hand in my badge, gun and laptop via Fedex, but am already up and running (albeit on a part-time basis, writing articles and other English-language related stuff) with a different PR company run by a different man named Patrick, so here's to that carrying on. 

Otherwise we've been holed up at home planning our next moves, budgets, etc; I've made a new compilation, and my phrase of the day means "crazier than Batman", i.e. "mad as a bicycle". 

Will keep you posted!

Fred at Last, Fred at Last, Thank Frod Almighty we are Fred at Last