The Dog Days of Summer

It's Summer here. And hot. The temperatures this week are all 80s and 90s. My face has been blotchy and ridiculous looking.

There's no air conditioning here. You can find it only in malls or large stores. It makes me take back complaints I've had about heat in the past, when Summer was just the feeling of passing from one temperature-controlled building to the next. Here, it's an inescapable blanket.

That being said, the heat here doesn't pack the humidity-filled punch of the US south. It's just a slight annoyance that's corrected with even the faintest breeze.

Dani and her family picked me up from the airport Sunday morning. We spent the day at their house before Dani and me came home to our "cozy" (aka small) apartment. We opened the balcony door and every window, and promptly skipped the thawing of Winter, the rebirth of Spring and went straight into the relaxed quiet of a Summer's night.

We've got no tv to idle us, nor any internet to stream in shows as a proxy (the internet company says they'll get to us in about 10 days). The only entertainment comes from a $30 set of computer speakers I decided to pack at the last minute. Sunday night, I plugged them into my laptop and filled the house with the sounds of America (Taylor Swift, Cocorosie, Kacey Musgraves, Future f/ Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino), cut some limes and popped open the seal on a fifth of cachaça that we purchased for US $2.50 (TWO DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS!), shook up some caipirinhas and talked about our future in broad, romantic strokes. By midnight we had damn near drank a dollar fifty's worth, and so we called it a day.

My environment, diet and acquaintances have changed so suddenly and inescapably that I can only imagine this must be what going to rehab feels like (sans the presence of the aforementioned booze). It's a cleansing, I hope, and an opportunity for improvement. There's no point in me finding a tv to watch. And burying myself online would be just as useful as flying around the border of the US and leering. My only choice is to navigate this new world and get the most out of it I can.

Our apartment, as I mentioned, is small, but it's a total win. We're on the same block as one of the city's most important metro stops. On our balcony are up-close views of the city skyline rooted by purple-blooming trees, plus our building's swimming pool below us. We have a charming kitchen, living room and a master bedroom big enough for just a bed. The best views are from the extra room that will become both an office as soon as we put a chair at its desk and a guest bedroom as soon as we get a futon. The place is clean, modern and has a lighting setup that instantly bumps the place up a few notches. We love it.

The next few days will be filled with errands around town at various government buildings we're required to stop by to be all legal. We're in a bit of a rush since I start back with work on Monday. And also because this weekend the city shuts down for Carnaval.