01.04.25 - Nem com tanta fome ao prato, nem com tanta sede ao pote

Halloooo,

Hope all well, and that Silas had a very merry birthday! Work is unusually hectic so we essentially booked the weekend off to recuperate, but were summoned to a wake first thing on Saturday, then out to a bar in the evening because some acquaintances were in town, followed by plenty of getting our literal house in order on Sunday. 

In other news I've made another compilation, and my phrase of the day translates as "not too hungry to the plate, not too thirsty to the pot [of water]", which seems like an unnecessarily long way of saying "don't do things too hastily" (and is usually shortened to "thirsty to the pot", to refer to over-eager people). 

And that's about it! Speak soon!

Fredge Magnet

25.03.25 - Não é o bicho de sete cabeças

Halloooo,

Hope all well! 

I've just come from a brunch in a central SP cinema, which I was invited to by the UK Embassy as they launched a new campaign for "Visit Britain", based on classic film locations in the UK. One of those weird happenings which life as a microinfluencer throws at you sometimes; I got out with a goody bag and an invite for tea at the Embassy if I'm ever in Brasilia, which is nice. 

Elsewhere we went up into the mountains on Saturday for a birthday party, which was very idyllic and had us contemplating moving up there ourselves until we drove back and realised how far removed it is from everywhere... and then we showed Zila and folks our new flat, while juggling building work quotes and general flat admin. 

I've also made a new compilation, and I was delighted to learn my phrase of the day, which means "it's not the seven-headed beast" (presumably a reference to the Hydra of Greek mythology), and is the Brazilian equivalent of "it's not rocket science".

That's all for now - speak soon!

Seven-Fredded Beast

18.03.25 - Oppe og ikke gråter

Hallooooo,

Hope all well. 

I'm finally over my lurgee and we picked up the keys to our flat on Friday, so we're figuring out how best to do it up at the moment. We also had a birthday party at a fancy bar on Saturday and a baby shower at another, less fancy bar on Sunday, so we're exhausted and back to work now. 

I've made another compilation, and my phrase of the day comes from Norway for a change - when people ask how you're doing there, a common answer is "oppe og ikke gråter", which means "up and not crying!". That's the spirit...

Speak soon,

Frederal Worker

11.03.25 - Quem canta, seus males espanta

Hallooooo,

Hope all well. Unfortunately I am not, I've been struck down with the lurgee which put me out of action all weekend (missing another Carnaval bloco in the process, which Gabi went to with Zila and Luisa) and am currently in the sneezing and spluttering phase, so I shall be brief. 

We did, however, make headway on our April itinerary, plus apparently we can pick up the keys to the house on Friday, which is good because it's been so long since I last visited that I can't remember what it looks like. 

No compilation this week but I have a phrase, one that basically translates to "singing makes all your troubles go away". Please enjoy all phrases equally. 

Speak soon,

Distrito Frederal

04.03.25 - Ainda Estou Aqui

Hallooooo,

Hope all well. Carnival is upon us, and this year we actually went to one of the block parties in the centre of town, to recapture our youth and see what we've been missing. It was fun and relatively chilled out considering all the horror stories we'd heard previously, but the best bit was ducking into a nearby sidestreet for a nice burger. 

Then we went to Aldeia for a BBQ at Bruna's, and on to Aldeia where we've been lounging by the pool ever since. We also got caught up in the awards buzz and went to see "Ainda Estou Aqui" at the pictures, which was fantastic and brought home Brazil's first ever Oscar on Sunday, which only added to the ongoing festivities. And I made a new compilation.

Think that's about it - speak soon!

Fred & Circuses

25.02.25 - Pensando na morte da bezerra

Hallooo,

Hope all well and that you had a nice time in your villa! 

It's been relentlessly hot all week but on Saturday we went to a miniature Carnaval block party down the road, to catch the end of the brass band doing their thing, and have otherwise been making use of the air con in my and Gabi's respective offices. 

Carnaval kicks off in earnest this weekend, for what it's worth, with a prospective Brazilian Oscar win also in the mix - we'll probably head to Indaiatuba to get away from it all...

Elsewhere I've made another compilation, and my phrase of the day - "thinking of the death of the calf" - means to be lost in thought. Not sure where it comes from, but I thought it was rather evocative...

And that's about it! Speak soon,

Fredache

18.02.25 - O caldo está entornado

Hallooooo,

Hope all well!

After a hectic few weeks we drove off to Extrema on the SP-Minas border, for a very relaxing weekend in a spa/hotel which mainly involved floating in a series of pools, followed by a slap-up lunch in a nearby restaurant someone had recommended to us. 

In other news, I've made a new compilation, and my phrase of the day ("the broth is spilled") means that things have gotten very complicated, perhaps irreparably so. And that's about it for now...

Speak soon,

Fred or foe

11.02.25 - Dar com a língua nos dentes

Halloooo,

Hope all well. Last week was Sherlock Week, and was even more full-on than previous editions, with some sort of training session or party scheduled for every day of the week bar Thursday (technically an off-the-books karaoke sesh was organized, but downtown São Paulo flooded and I was frankly too exhausted to go anyway). 

But much fun was had, culminating in a marathon of a party on Friday, which I had to turn up to at 10am to set up my drums and soundcheck. The Sherlock Band set went down a storm, and there was much well-behaved revelry which went on into the night. 

I was pretty much spent at this point but due to hectic February scheduling we had another 3 parties to attend over the next two days, which I did through gritted teeth while also returning the drumkit and making plans for the future. Then it was straight back to work and all the stuff I put off last week on Monday, so I could do with another weekend soon. 

No compilation this week, and my phrase of the day is "to give with one's tongue in one's teeth", which means to babble on until you say more than you should, reveal hidden secrets, etc. And that's about it for now!

Speak soon,

Are you my Fred? Are we locked in?

04.02.25 - Cortar o barato

Halloooo,

Hope all well. We're in the midst of Sherlock Week, a very hectic time of the year in which we try to get all our regular work done while socializing with teams from around the continent, rehearsing for concerts, etc, so I shall be brief. 

This weekend we went to Indaiatuba to see the cats and lounge around, and yesterday I was whisked off to a conference room in the centre of town for an introductory pep talk, the main takeaway of which was "don't do anything that'll get you fired". More training and events to follow, I'm carting around an electronic drumkit for a rehearsal this evening, and then the big party/gig on Friday!

I've also made a new compilation, and my phrase of the day (literally "to cut the cheap") means to kill someone's vibe. And that's all for now - speak soon!

Shrimp Fred Rice

28.01.25 - Amigo da onça

Halloooo,

Hope all well! Not to be outdone by Storm Eowyn, we had the biggest tropical storm in São Paulo since the 80s on Friday night - we were safe indoors at the time but there were plenty of reports of cars getting washed away, tube stations flooding etc... And more to come until March at least!

Not much else to report - we had another rehearsal for Sherlock Week and I'll be going into the office more than usual as people fly in from around the continent, and Gaby officially unveiled her new office over the weekend (with some of mum's artwork!).

I've also made another compilation, and my phrase of the day means "friend of the jaguar", i.e. someone who'll pretend to be your friend but ultimately stab you in the back. It comes from an old hunter's tale, which loses a lot in translation!

And that's about it - speak sooooon.

Here Comes the Fred

21.01.25 - Fazer das tripas coração

Halloooo,

Hope all well! It's officially summer here, with blistering heat broken up by the odd tropical storm. 

Luckily the latter held off over the weekend, and we went to Parque Ibirapuera for Taynah's kid's first birthday party-slash-picnic, followed by another birthday on a swanky rooftop. This was far too much socializing for Gaby and I to handle so we stayed in all day Sunday and are, regrettably, back to work again now. 

In other news, I've made another compilation, and my phrase of the day means to go to great lengths, to bend over backwards, to "make one's intestines the heart", if you will.

And that's about it for noo, speak soon!

Eraserfred

14.01.25 - Contar com os ovos no rabo da galinha

Halloooo,

Hope all well and you had a jolly good time in the pirate city of Arrrrles. 

We're still getting our legs back under the proverbial table, so to speak, with our most significant excursion this week being to a Museum of Illusions, which led to some excellent photo ops. We also convened the Sherlock house band for the first time in a while, to rehearse a new repertoire of songs ahead of our staff party next month. 

Elsewhere I've made the first new compilation of the New Year, and my phrase of the week comes from my resourceful Instagram commenters, and means "to count on the eggs in the chicken's arse" - a delightful spin on "to count your chickens before they've hatched".

And that's about it - speak soon!

A-Fred of Heights

07.01.25 - Borogodó

Halloooo,

Hope all well, and a Happy New Year to all! We had a nice, relaxing festive season including a whole 2 weeks off, the first of which was spent hosting a Christmas Eve do, then following up with various family members on Christmas Day, then spending some time in Indaiatuba doing as little as possible.

Then we hit the road for Ilhabela, where we pulled off quite a coup with our Airbnb, which had not only a private jacuzzi but a beach of its own, accessible only to guests and the occasional boatload of tourists who were carted in from the mainland. So we basically spent the entire week there lounging about on our blow-up sofa, popping out only to eat lovely food and gorge on ice cream in the town centre.

Now we're back to work and figuring out how to finance a house - so far so good though! No compilation yet, although I did put together my Best of 2024 and Rest Of 2024 mixes which should tide you over, and my phrase of the day ("borogodó") is one of those untranslatable Brazilian words that applies to someone who is effortlessly attractive and has excellent vibes (not to be confused with "borocoxô").

Finally, I also recommend checking out this surprisingly insightful longform video which my pal Seth put together about the gringofluencer phenomenon in Brazil, in which I make a fleeting appearance; and, as always, the new Bobby Fingers diorama video. 

And that's about it - speak soon!

Fred Lang Syne