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