Brazilian beer is light, refreshing, and cold—stored in the freezer just before serving time. If one is interested in procuring a fresh crisp glass, there are three choices. Pilsner, cold pilsner, or really well chilled cold pilsner. While there a number of major vendors – Antartica, Skol, Brahma, Nobel – they seem analogous in color and confection to my foreign tongue. Brazilians argue otherwise, claiming the superiority of one brand over the other. I am one to believe that this rather pleasant beverage comes from the same macro brewery, differentially labeled to placate consumerist tribal tendencies (i.e. to maintain the “my beer is better than your beer so shut up or I’m telling” reflex). Witness a video of my room mate and I making juice. Now that I have a fast internet connection, this should be the first of many. This blog will indeed be getting a video makeover.
Yeah, more surfing tropical weather pics.
So, in truth, surfing is very very hard. Yesterday, I got caught up in a wave that far surpassed my novice skill level. Basically, getting caught in a big wave is like getting tossed in a blendor. I tumbled for what seemed like minutes, and ending up hitting face first into the edge of my bored. It hurt, and now surfing scares me.
Acaraje stand. Afro-Brazilian fried dumplings cooked in dende oil, and served with hot pepper, vegetables, and shrimp. A Bahian street and beach favorite.
Hey remember when I said I would buy a guitar. Witness my Brazilian made electric/acoustic Giannini. Except for the nearly impossible guitar solo, I can already play Stairway to Heaven, booyaka. Feels good to spend money and get musical.
Yesterday was bonding day for me and my surfer house mate. We drank beer all day, philosophized about life and American politics, and played darts until red in the face. I fee I have properly demonstrated my likability to my Brazilian host.
Yeah I win at darts. Oh thank you Boulder house dart board for all you have taught me.
4 comments:
Getting hit hard does tend to make a normal person think twice about repeating the maneuver. Moving on planks at high speeds with minimal protective has always sounded sketchy to me. It also seems like a good way to pick up chicks. Just hang on to your teeth. You're too pretty for dentures.
I like when you sprinkle your narrative with your particular brand of humor. Your description of the beer phenomena reads smoothly, but also entertains and gives the reader pertinent travel info. Good for your target audience.
When you go into your poetic mode, I will attempt to impart the words of the couple of writing teachers that repeatedly smacked me upside the head with this: be careful of cliches... ie 'beaming smile,' 'locked hearts,' 'everlasting kiss.' I love the word 'honeyed' in describing grace, but you might examine the sentence structure itself for flow. 'She glided with honeyed grace past the...' The word 'lithe' is very descriptive, but when too many descriptives are strung together, it disrupts the narrative. There are ways to weave those words in, but in order to really lock the reader's attention, you want to combine your originality with flow. 'lithe grace' is somewhat cliche as well as somewhat repetitive, do you know what I mean? Anyways, that's just my two cents... ultimately you gotta feel out what works for you.
besos
Hmmmm. Well, well, Isabelle. Shall we form a writers club (or guild/coven, yes I prefer coven). We could people the world with writers, you and I (movie quote, Interview with a Vampire).
No but really, thanks for the review. I do tend to get rather ostentatious with my clichés at times.
actually, I thought we had agreed to critique each others' writing a while back. :) I really love what you write, and I really want to improve my own writing as well. The best way to improve is to workshop. A lot of times I disagree with what people say, and sometimes I end up agreeing and sometimes I don't. But I think it's always helpful. So heck yeah, let's work each other in the writing dept. I miss my fiction and poetry classes. (That was another of my unfinished majors...) I actually need to put out more writing, but I would love to have your critique as well.
And just fyi, I used to fight my teachers about the cliche thing for a long time. I was like- if it's cliched, then obviously there's something good about it order that people would consider it a cliche. However, over time I have come to realize that as artists, we do continue to broaden the spectrum of what beauty is defined as. By coming up with new ways to say old things, we continue the tradition of artistry as path.
LOVE the tatts by the way. They look really beautiful.
xo
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