No hat yet...

Its almost 3 days from my birthday, and I haven´t made it to get my hat yet. Though, I must say folks here have been more than helpful. The problem has been that there has been a lot of things to do.

For some reason my cell phone chip doesn´t work, and of course I need to go to São Paulo to fix it, and my camera has developed some sort of glaucoma. M and Tata have been helpful in getting our new bankcard working from our joint account at Bradesco. And of course we must paky dominoe and I like to walk. So, we will search for the hat in a day or two, not to worry.

I am not complaining, in fact I am having a great time. We went to Festa de São João last nite (and won big!) and tonite, and won nothing, which is ok, as all they had was cakes… and gawd knows, no one in this motley crew needs any cakes. But at any rate, it is a good place, a lovely town, with great people, I love how M & I run into friends and former students, and teachers from when I was hanging out at the school 10 years ago!... We have no such memory in Sacramento.

Tomorrow night we are invited to a get together where everyone must recite a poem and talk about it… they all think it is “muito chic” to have me recite on in English (thank gawd again!). Mine is my favorite Rumi:

Contemplate:
BEWILDERMENT / Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks

There are many guises for intelligence.
one part of you is gliding in a high
windstream,
while your more ordinary notions
take little steps and peck at the
ground.

Conventional knowledge is death to
our souls,
and it is not really ours.

It is laid on. Yet we keep saying
that we find “rest” in these “beliefs.”

We must become ignorant of what we
have been taught
and instead be bewildered.

Run from what is profitable
and comfortable.

If you drink those liqueurs,
you will spill the springwater of your
real life.

Distrust anyone who praises you.
Give your investments money, and the interest
on the capital, to those who are
actually destitute.

Forget safety. Live where you fear
to live.
Destroy your reputation.
Be notorious.

I have tried prudent planning
long enough.
From now on, I'll be mad.
(translated by Coleman Barks) in Cosmo DooGood's Urban Almanac 2006, p. 168.

it could be my Favorite Emily Dickenson:

A BOOK
He ate and drank the precious Words —
Spirit grew robust —
He knew no more that he was poor,
Nor that his frame was Dust —
He danced along the dingy Days
And this Bequest of Wings
Was but a Book —
What Liberty
A loosened spirit brings —

At any rate, I have all day tomorrow to think about it, and enjoy how nice everyone is here…