Greetings from Brazil -- Where the Nuts Come From (Days 1 & 2)

 Day 1

Greetings from Brasil (as it is spelled down here). It is wonderful to be where it is summer (and tropical), especially knowing that it is snowing on Monday in NJ. Here's a brief look at what we've been doing our first two days in Brasil, along with some photos.

Good flight Friday night, I even slept on the plane (unusual for me). We landed in Sao Paulo, Brasil around 11 am on Saturday. After making it through customs, our friends Fred and Cris met us and took us out to their car (parked on a grassy spot as there isn't enough parking). After getting to their apartment, and meeting Noelle and Tasha (Cris & Fred's furry little dogs), it was off to Churrascaria Noviiho de Prata (a rotisserie restaurant for lunch). Even more amazing than the versions in the US!

Fred & Cris had a surprise for us -- on Sunday we were going to a football match (soccer for those of you in the US), Corinthians (home team) vs. Santos. So after lunch we went for a pre-visit to the football stadium to see the football museum. It is only about a year old and very impressive -- lots of digital media, photos, etc. And they insisted my husband Mike had to get a Corinthians shirt, with his name on the back. Next stop was the office building where Fred has his office and runs the little coffee shop in the lobby. We were treated to hot chocolate and then went up on the roof of the building (there are some great "aerial" photos of Sao Paulo. Then back to the apartment for some quiet time (and watching our Big Bang Theory DVD). Although I wasn't hungry, around 8 pm we went to a local pizzeria (Vila Milagro) where I had a salad and a small taste of the pizza.

photos from Day 1

Day 2

Cris was out early as she sings in their church's choir. We woke up later and went across the street with Fred to the pateria (sort of a bakery/deli/convenience shop). Breakfast was buttered rolls, coffee for the men, and some tasty tropical juice for me (Fred has promised to show me a photo of the fruit on the Internet). Then we took a taxi to the church, arriving near the end of the service so we got to see and hear Cris.

Next stop was lunch at a beautiful restaurant that had been converted from an old mansion. The specialty is paella (which we got to see them preparing). But of course there were three big buffet tables -- salads, hot dishes, and dessert.Another delicious meal.Many of the patrons had very upscale cars (see photos). And there was an artist and a pond with koi. Across the street was a gas station -- cars here can run on just ethanol, which is subsidized by the government (and made from sugar cane), so it's cheaper.

We drove to an upscale neighborhood near the stadium, paying a security guard (from the neighborhood) to park in front of one of the houses. Football in Brasil is unlike football in the US. And this game in particular was between two major rivals. The armed police (bullet-proof vests, riot shields, helmets) was my first indication this might be a little different. The fans have huge banners that they unroll during the game and then roll up again (you'll see photos). Also, one of the star players for Corinthians, Ronaldo, just retired and he had his official farewell before the game. The Santos fans were in one small corner of the stadium with their own police guard. Corinthians scored first, only to have Santos tie it up. Just before the second half, the thunder storm that had been threatening hit -- a true tropical deluge. Fred, Cris, & I went above the seats where there was a roof, Mike stood on the last row of seats just under the overhang. Corinthians scored on a penalty shot and then, close to the end, scored again to make the final score 3x1 (the way they show scores here).

Back at the apartment we watched more Big Bang Theory and had a very light dinner.As Fred has Vonage, we were able to make some calls home.

Photos from Day 2

You Can Go Home Again (Sort of)

For a few hours this past Saturday night, I was a teenager again. My daughter and I went to a Chad & Jeremy concert. For those who don't know Chad & Jeremy, they are a '60s folk-rock duo -- Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde. Although I was an ardent fan as a teenager, this was the first time I saw them in person.

Chad & Jeremy
(photo by N. Passow)

The concert was wonderful -- they've aged well, their voices are still strong and lovely, and they were very entertaining. Prior to singing one song, Jeremy told about hanging out with the song writer, someone who wrote "brilliant" songs and was so excited that Chad & Jeremy were going to record one of his songs. And then, just before the album was released, the song writer got a call telling him to come home to the U.S. as one of his other songs had just broken big. At which point C&J sang "Homeward Bound". Yes, it was Paul Simon, who had gone to England when it didn't look like he and Art Garfunkel would be successful, only to have "Sounds of Silence" become a hit. (If it's any consolation, Chad and Jeremy are still singing together, Paul and Art aren't.)

One of the last songs they sang that evening was their biggest hit, "Summer Song". It sounded as good to me as it did all those years ago:

They say that all good things must end, someday, Autumn leaves must fall.
But don't you know, that it hurts me so to say good-bye to you.
Wish you didn't have to go, oh no, no, no.
And when the rain beats against my window pane,
I'll think of summer days again, and dream of you.

I can remember singing that song as I grappled with the typical teenage relationships. And I suppose that part of what draws me back to it are the memories. It's hard to separate the nostalgia from the actual song.

So, what song brings back memories for you?

My Three Words for the New Year

The start of the New Year is a good time to take stock and think about who you are and what you stand for. I am reminded of this by our daily newspaper, The Record (northern NJ), which publishes their Editorial Credo every year on January 1. Continuing that theme, one of the people I have started following on Twitter is Chris Brogan. In his January 1, 2011, blog he presents his "3 Words for 2011".  Chris has been doing this for several years and inspiring others to also choose their three words. After reading his blog, I thought it was a great idea, but couldn't think of three words. Then this morning, as I was driving to Sunday morning minyan and bagel breakfast at my temple, my words came to me: Caring, Integrity, and Joy.

Caring:  part of what makes me who I am is that I care -- about people, about ideas, about the world around me, about what other people think about me. Sometimes though I forget how important other people are. The other day, while trying to clear up my desk, an old fortune cookie fortune appeared "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting their battle too." So, in 2011 I will remember to care about me and about others. (As a start, no more snarky comments, at least not in public). And there will be another blog on this, our Rabbi spoke about "you don't know what you don't know" about other people; always give them the benefit of the doubt.

Integrity:  just as The Record reiterates who they are and what they stand for, I too must stand for something. Integrity is being truthful, being loyal, doing the right thing, for yourself and for others. These past few years I have been drifting away from who I am, which is why I'm in the midst of a journey to find myself again. Partially it is spiritual (one of the reasons I went to temple this morning, I am making a real effort to be more involved on a regular basis). And it's also physical. After being a gym junkie for several years and being in the best physical shape I'd ever been in, I didn't just slide, I fell hard. So, I am starting to reclaim my body. Shoveling two feet of snow last week reminded me of how good it feels to use your muscles (as well as reminding me of how bad you feel when you're out-of-shape). In 2011, I will work on re-centering myself, because you can't be true to others if you're not true to yourself.

Joy: the world has become a very scary place, but if you always dwell on that it can overwhelm you. I know that life isn't always fun. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy what you're doing. I have become better at letting things go, not always having to fight the good fight. But I need to do that more, to look for the good in things and people. And I can help bring more joy to other people, particularly my family. In 2011, I will remember to enjoy what I'm doing, to look for the silver linings, and to try to bring joy to others.

Having taken these three words on as my guide for 2011 and, just as importantly, putting them out there, I have made a commitment. I will follow-up throughout the year and let you know how I'm doing. In the meantime, have you chosen your three words?

Making Gratitude a Habit

As we approach Thanksgiving, it's time to think about, besides turkey, giving thanks. Although this is a special time for thanks, gratitude is something that should be a part of our everyday life. During the Friday night service last week, our Rabbi, Debra Orenstein, spoke about how to make gratitude a habit. One way that she suggested was to break your routine, which allows you to look at things in a different way. One example was traveling to another country -- it's so wonderful to be there, but once you get home how very wonderful your own bed, and familiar food, and familiar language is (check my blogs on visiting Japan to see how that works!) A closer to home example was to take a different route to work, giving you the opportunity to notice what is around you.

I work from my home office, which makes it hard to take a different route to work. However, most mornings, as I finish breakfast and go up to my second floor office, Charley, my two-year old rescue cat, follows me. He sits at the bottom of the stairs leading to my third floor bedroom and waits for me to notice (if I don't, he'll let out a small meow). At that point I'm expected to follow him upstairs, with him stopping to turn and look to make sure I'm behind him. Several head skritches and tummy rubs later, Charley's ready for his morning nap and I'm ready to go back to my computer. A chance to think about gratitude? Absolutely!

So, how are you going to make gratitude a habit?

R E S P E C T -- It's Not Just a Song

"R E S P E C T -- find out what it means to me," sang Aretha Franklin. The dictionary definition of respect is: to hold in high or special regard. Respect isn't something you just get, it's something you have to earn. And it is one of the most important aspects of your business. While it can be very hard to earn respect, it is very easy to lose it.

In Hebrew, gossip is called Lashon Hara, which is translated as "the evil tongue". A story tells about a Rabbi chiding a woman for spreading a tale about someone. He tells her to get a feather pillow, bring it to the town square, and then rip it open. Of course the wind blows the feathers all over. The Rabbi then tells the woman to gather up the feathers and remake the pillow. She tells him she can't, as the feathers have scattered and are impossible to collect. The Rabbi explains that is what happened with the tale she told, she can never "undo" what she said because the story scattered like the feathers. The same thing is true regarding respect -- once you do something that hurts your reputation, you can't easily undo it.

Recently a Washington Post sports columnist found out how easy it is to lose credibility and respect. The full story is here, in a column by the Post's ombudsman, Andrew Alexander. Here's a quick summary. Columnist Mike Wise discussed on his radio show that he was going to post a tweet with false news to see if it would be picked up without being fact-checked. He did and it was. The management at the Post was horrified and suspended Wise for a month. He apologized profusely and accepted the punishment. Some of his readers and listeners felt the punishment was too severe, after all this was just social media, not the newspaper. The end of the article explains it all. Alexander wrote, "But at its core, what Wise did isn't about social media. It's about fabrication, which is indefensible, even if done in jest. Our business is truth. A journalist's falsehood on Twitter is the same as a falsehood in the paper. . . . In his radio apology announcing his own suspension, Wise said 'Integrity, being right before being first, is the only thing genuine journalists have left in this world.' He correctly added that his own 'stupid, irresponsible experiment' had 'cost me a chunk of my own credibility.' And The Post's."

So remember, RESPECT is not just a song, it's a word to live by. Make sure you earn it and then don't do anything to lose it. Our methods of communications may be modern, but old-fashioned values like respect and credibility never go out of style.

[Yes, it's been a while since I've blogged, long story. In short, I thought I was switching to Word Press. It didn't happen. It's good to be back.]