Breakfast for lunch and other happy things - an introductory post

I'm into having breakfast for lunch. Eggs, potatoes and bacon belong to the second part of the day, almost like beer (according to Kats' book, beer before noon is against the rules, but champagne is ok). Entering a restaurant at 1pm, after a long morning in the office, and ordering breakfast food can really make my day.

I also like beer, by the way, as long as it's a Lager or an Ale. With a good italian salami or with simple american fries. And, of course, I love wine, with cheese, apples, crackers and a good book, by the fireplace, in a cold cold day. But that's usually in the third part of the day, or I will need a nap before bedtime.

I like Havaianas, Caipirinhas, mandioca, Bossa Nova and everything else Brazil. I wasn't born there and I don't live there now, but it's where I grew up and where my heart still resides. Going for a walk in Ipanema, sitting by a window over Lagoa or eating appetizers at a typical bar (a.k.a. boteco) with friends are amongst my favorite things in the whole wide world. I'm also really, really into cariocas. In the good way, if you know what I mean.

Being home after a work trip also makes me very happy. Ive been traveling more than I expected, but this means I'm coming back home even more times and that feels great. I do, however, take a long time to unpack, every time, and I hate to see the mess. So I leave the unpacked suitcase in the guest room and I close the door. Having a guest room to be able to do that makes me very happy. When I come back home, I like to climb on the couch in my PJs and watch silly shows on TV with that wine from the first paragraph on hand.

Colorful charts (with lines that go up and above) and cool presentations have a way of putting a smile on my face. I'm very proud of my accomplishments and I have to confess that I do like to work. I like to complain about work too, but who doesn't? Numbers (specially high ones) got recently upgraded from the list of things I don't understand to the list of things I really enjoy playing with.

I like art, mostly in two ways: beautiful photography art and tasty culinary art. I'm not a pro in any of those, but thankfully I don't get tired of trying (people say that Brazilians are very persistent and never, never give up). Both are better when friends get involved. Photos of smiles generated by good meals are priceless.

In simple lines, this is who I am. There is more to me, I guess, but this is pretty much enough to start. Congratulations, you just graduated from Kats 101.

Holiday spirit

The commute feels much better. I know it's still far (I'm 71 miles away from work) but it is bearable. We've been getting home to a mess of boxes all over, but we decided to put the Christmas decoration up anyway. Feels nice and homey.

I had the ambitious plan of making cookies for the neighbors, but I'm coming to realize that I should be thankful if I manage to unpack before Christmas, so I gave it up. Maybe next year...

Thanksgiving at McDonalds

We had our Thanksgiving dinner at Mc Donalds. I know it sounds depressing, but it was not. Really. As much as I like Thanksgiving dinner, I was happy to give it up today. We are moving our last personal things before the movers come tomorrow to take the furniture. Mc Donalds was the only open restaurant tonight and we ate our burgers and fries with the packed jeep outside, being thankful for a good year.

This is the view from our new bedroom (we missed the sunset, but who cares?) and tonight will be our last in the old condo.

Cheers, to another step.

Moving

After many weekends (and weeknights) looking, we found a new home. It's in Oceanside, the most northern part of San Diego that we could find, by the freeway and - the best part - has an ocean view. We are packing and should move during the Thanksgiving holiday. Ripley doesn't seem to like all this packing and is protecting her toy.

My brother is in town this week, but will be gone when the movers come (very smart boy). He's been helping us to take some things up there already (we're moving glasses and some personal things ourselves).

The commute will still be long, but probably around 25% better than from Pacific Beach, which is where we live now.

Quick trip to México

I just came back from my first work trip, to México, and apparently there are many more to come. Good thing México is close, but it takes me a couple of flights to get there...

In a little break from visiting stores, Sergio (our operations guy down there) took me to see the Basílica de la Virgen de Guadalupe and I loved it. I guess I still owe her many more visits... That was the one thing I wanted to do while in México and I'm very glad I could.

Great friends is in town

I started my new job and I like it. A little scary at first (my first job in the US, speaking English full time) but apparently it's all about what I do best - and in the markets I'm familiar with - so I should be ok. The commute to LA is huge (two hours each way, if I'don't get much traffic) but I'll handle until we find a new place (which will still be far, but not thaaaat much). We hope to get this done by Thanksgiving.

Roberta and Dinho spent some days with us (and brought another couple of friends). It was their first trip since they had Marcella so Roberta was a little worried, but we had a lot of fun. The picture is from our wine tasting night. They are gone now, so it's time to get familiarized with the job - and with the commute.

Good things

It was Scott's birthday and I splurged a little, to give him a new computer (his old one already had a long life and is showing signs of old age). I think he figured it out before opening but, anyway, it was great to see his smile. We had dinner at Flemings (a great steakhouse and winebar) and went to bed relatively early because of the other good thing I want to tell.

The other good thing is that I got that job and will start tomorrow. It's not the money I wanted, but the job itself is a great fit (marketing for the cosmetics industry in Latin America) and I believe the money will come with results. So, apparently there is a new phase of my life starting right now. Yeee!