ihpguy

I had to go into the city yesterday. I dropped my cell phone into a bucket of water yesterday. Needed a new one on top of other stuff. There is an incredible building on the Rua do Carmo that they are doing a total, gut rehab on. Some beautiful tiles, seemingly-great restoration. At one corner is what I like to call "Suck Alley", The Beco Dos Cancelas, I walked both ways down it yesterday. Interesting as to how my moral/directional compass directs me? In any event it was much too early. "they only come out at night." But I'm sorry/proud to say that I have experienced dirty knees in that very narrow passageway. One block west from the old post office on the Rua Primeiro de Marco. If you go and meet someone, better than a motel and if they are worth more than just a quick suck, on the weekend, take a taxi to the non-rent Sauna Catete on Rua Correa Dutra. Safer than going to a motel with a total stranger. Even if you have already had a sample/taste of their Brasilian sausage.

More than adorable. Having increasingly frequent senior moments, but I seem to remember him being in some film, very bad drug dealer or user maybe, only wearing a bathrobe? Anyone have a clue?

I don't even care if 23 years ago, down south in swampy Nachitoches, LA, he was dipping his stick into that mess of a swamp that is known as Julia Roberts. Slap on a scumbag and take me, hot stuff!

5 things that I think are problems which need consideration: The Stairs Frequent Lack of Hot Water Oops, The Stairs No bars of soap anywhere and frequently empty liquid dispensers Yes, The S _ _ _ _ s No suites with facilities ...And Did I Mention The Stairs? For me the stairs aren't a problem. Since I live up a hill, no problem with these legs. Lack of hot water is a big problem for me. A friend of mine doesn't care as he prefers to shower when he gets back home. Me, not. The current boyfriend showers in "agua morna" what we would consider cold and they consider comfortable. I like that waterfall of heat to warm and soothe a body hopefully pleasantly pummeled. On the other side, all of the employees there are very nice. Even Vinicius, once you get to know him. And the nightly shows are almost always great. One reason I like it as well has to be the fun way they decorate the stairwell, lounge area and the bar/showroom.

I was reading something that mentioned a "rusty trombone" and not a clue as to what this referred. So I went over to the Urban Dictionary. Am I the only one so uninformed. An Abe Lincoln? I had known years ago about the "dirty sanchez" due to the SBTB - Skeech porn vid. But what about an Alabama Key Lime Pie? And why Alabama? Are they especially into Pooh down there in the very deep south? Or an especially tasty "Space Dock Fondue?" Who knew? Yum! Yum! And how about a Boston Pancake? Quite a difference from from Bakers Square's "Boston Cream Pie" and at a bit of an acquired taste. And I do not even want to think about estimating the difference in calories between one and the other.

Thanks for the most kind words. As I told you when I offered to help, that it was no problem. I was facing a long period of inactivity and then recovery with little movement. Even now, I can move my body with no pain, but the shoulder and arm are basically frozen to my chest. Six weeks after the surgery. I had to jog a bit to catch the boat last Monday. But you can be sure that I kept my head down examining every square inch of pavement. I sure as heck didn't want to fall and go through this again. Ditto slipping when it rained Wednesday and the pavement was a mess. My pleasure to be able to contribute in whatever manner from another perspective. I do enjoy the life here, although most definitely not a "Zona Sul-style" existence. Peace.

Thanks. Only one more week until I see the surgeon and hopefully get cleared for rehab. Two of the por quilo places that I like have even raised their prices by ten percent. I walked by Graca Da Vila in Catete two days ago and they are up to just under R47,00/kg. My fav, Fronteira in Ipa, is a bit less for the all-you-can-eat option. And Benkay in Ipa has weekday sushi for just under R40,00 for all-you-can-eat which is still a nice price for good quality, so options exist. And I passed a galeto in Catete where you get a half + the sides for 10Reais. So option exist. Howver, it might be another 3 or 4 years until I go back to Dom Camilo. I can which up a super risotto at home along with salmon or tuna with teriyaki. As far as the homemade limoncello, I'll be SOOL. As the the birthday boy, he's off to Duque De Caxias after work for a churrasco with the family. Big days Saturday and Sunday with the National(ENEM)Qualifying Scholarship Exams.

Living here and loving to cook, costs aren't to bad. Today is the boyfriend's birthday. So last night he requested supper in an Italian restaurant. Haven't been to my favorite in quite some time - Dom Camilo in Copacabana, corner of Atlantica and Bolivar. Food was great, the bottle of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo even better and the bill - enormous WOW! We had a wonderful time. A very special occasion. It was fun hearing American-accented English from many tables for the first time in quite a while, but I can now understand why you all are saying how expensive a Rio/SP vacation can be. The cab back to Praca XV was almost 30Reais. Definitely a bit more than the current 2,50Reais for the bus. But we spent so much time at the table, had to rush back to catch the boat. Romantic ride outside in the back, hugging, etc. looking at the lights on the bay, beautiful brisk night after a spectacular meal. But a supper for 2 = Half the current minimum salary. Quite a step up from splitting a Frango a Passarinho with extra garlic and a couple latoes(tall cans)of Antarctica. Or a pound of por quilo sushi for 20Reais.

Like this? Rio de Janeiro, maybe?

Chicken Basil, or Gai Pad Gapow, is one of the classics of Thai food and is surprisingly easy to make. It is popular among the Thais and known as a no-brainer dish. In Thailand, when you are in a strange town and a strange restaurant, you know that you can always order Gai Pad Gapow and it will probably be decent. It's a simple dish that any restaurants know how to make it right. You know you've made Chicken Basil right when the heat from the chili peppers plays just under the flavor of the gapow and the fish sauce. Don't be afraid to use what seems like an excessive amount of gapow leaves - they make the dish. 2 Servings, Prep Time: 20 minutes, Total Time:20 minutes 3 tablespoons fish sauce 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1/2 lb ground chicken 1-2 packages holy basil 4-7 minced Thai chili pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Tips and Techniques You can substitute ground turkey for ground chicken. Some people like the meat cut up in bite size pieces rather than ground. I find that ground breast meat is dry and not as flavorful as dark meats. But then there is less fat. I also add dried kaffir lime leaves as the fresh are not available here. I also add into the sauce rice vinegar and low-salt soy. I like my food like my man - juicy, I suppose. If you like, ground pork or ground beef is a good substitution as well. In Thai restaurants in the US, unfortunately, sweet basil or Thai basil is usually used for this dish. It is not quite the same. Many farmers markets now have holy basil. It doesn’t stay fresh (or green) long in the refrigerator. So use the basil as soon as you can. However, if it starts to get freezer burn, it can still be used. Mince garlic and chili pepper together. Clean and pick gra- pow leaves from their stem. It may appear like a lot of leaves, but the leaves will shrink when cooked and this dish's flavor comes from the leaves. Fry the garlic and chili pepper in oil over high heat. When garlic starts to turn brown, drop the ground chicken in. Stir constantly. The juice will start to come out. Keep stirring until all the juice is gone. It might take a couple of minutes. Add fish sauce. Then add Thai basil. Quickly turn it over a few times to mix the leaves with the meat and then remove from the fire and put the gai pad gra pow in the serving plate or dishes. Serve hot with rice. In Thailand, gai pad gapow is served with a small bowl of chili pepper in fish sauce (recipe below), sliced cucumber and a wedge of lime.

Forget about your cares, it is time to relax at the junction. And that's Uncle Joe, he's a movin' kind of slow at the junction...

Anyone know if the rumors of teeny-tiny peen are true? Him and Bradley Cooper?

Only quick way is with the I-20 student Visa. The other way is for him to enter the Green Card lottery and W-A-I-T. I know more than a bit about this from which I speak. Over the last couple of years, I have had many occasions to have to enter the US consulate here in Rio. The caliber of people that the US treats so crappy cannot be believed. The need to show income statements from their jobs, bank statements, verification of real estate holdings or other property, some form of proof of family to come back to. The US of A does not want to people coming into the coming and staying, working illegally, etc. As of about three years ago, I read something about 3 million Brasilians in the US. A nice ring to that. A few years ago, one of the big telenovelas here was "AMERICA" . Covered the stories of legal and illegal residents in the US.

My pleasure. Went into Rio today. The bank tellers strike has ended. They are apart by 5% on the wage increase. 7.9 to 12.9. Then their is the claim that they deserve better fringes as the banks are right now earning billions. Grupo Itau Santander earned $5.4 billionUS in the first 8 months of the year. Each director on their board is being compensated to the tune of 7.9million Reais for this year. They are noe back in negotiations. I'm just happy that the ATM I normally use has been repaired and shot me money today. Still no mail. It seems like forever and a day. But with e-mail, PDF files and a printer, it's easy enough to have bills to pay. The part I don't understand, and I live here after all, and no one can really explain, the mail carriers are still delivering SEDEX( Brasil's version of FEDEX)daily. No regular mail. Strange. BRASIL!

For the salad with blue cheese and balsamico, it would be even better with ripe pears and quartered or halved walnuts.

Meat loaf is a double-batch. Refrigerate, then slice and freeze for later.

Meat Loaf, Au Gratin Potatoes and Creamed Spinach with Mushrooms 4 1/2 pounds ground round 8 cloves garlic(or more) 1 1/2 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion 1 tbsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 egg beaten 1/2 cup barbecue sauce 2/3 cup ketchup 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 tbsp brown mustard Mix all ingredients, except barbecue sauce, in osterizer. Then mix with meat. Place meatloaf in loaf pan, Bake at 350°F for 1 hour. Add barbecue sauce to meatloaf during the last 15 minutes of cooking. 2 big boxes au gratin potato mix slices of cheddar cheese extra butter dried romano cheese from the can Follow the instructions, 20 minutes before serving, add extra cheddar cheese slices and sprinkle with Kraft romano and a bit more butter if it looks too dry. 4 boxes of frozen spinach 2 cans lower-far cream of celery soup 2 packages sliced fresh mushrooms = washed and drained 2 tsp nutmeg Follow instructions on the box, 10 minutes before serving, throw in the mushrooms and sprinkle with nutmeg.

(My translation from yesterday's newspaper) The number of official blocos that have applied to march on during Carnaval on the streets of Rio de Janeiro is larger than during the festivities this year(2100.) RIOTUR has also agreed that 476 blocos were registered for 2012, 11 more applicants than this past year. The organization still needs to evaluate each application. There were few new applications from the Zona Sul neighborhoods and Tijuca, where there are already alot of parades. This year's increase occurred in the areas of Centro, the Governor's Island/Ilha do Governador and (the vast)Zona Norte. A PUBLIC RECORD RIOTUR is limiting the size and strength of the sound trucks that will be used during the parades along the shoreline of Ipanema and of Leblon. This year, Rio de Janeiro had 4.87 million marchers that enjoyed the 424 blocos/street parades. The quantity was 83% larger than the metropolitan government had expected.

As an example - exhibit #1: Shoulder and bicep of Hugh Jackman

Tuesday - Time for another week's Glee and a shot of Costa Rica's finest export this side of bananas and coffee.

What is it with this bitch? First, the awful brow lift makes her look like the evil stepmom from The Omen. Or else Cruella DeVille/Glenn Close with a forehead higher than Mr. Clean's. Two weeks ago, she has the nip slip. Last week, the fart heard round the world. And last night, she is combing the chesticles of my man, Tristan MacManus. She better not be thinking of swiping that cheap piece of plastic down through his treasure trail. That territory is reserved and def off-limits!

Traveling this past year on Webjet, GOL and TAM, none of them will accept an international VISA or MC on-line. Of course, at the counter they will take your US card and also will be most-happily charged their counter service fee. A friend from Italy has no problem using his MC/VISA on-line. This I do not understand. The only way around this is to print a "BOLETO BANCARIO" and pay with cash at the numerous LOTERICA's that are all over the Metro Region.

So, does anyone think it is time to get the HPV vaccine?

Info from a friend who lives in Studio City CA, amidst many, many of them: 1)Personal trainers 2)Personal chefs 3)Human Growth Hormone 4)Steroids