I've been in Brazil long enough now so that when I'm driving to or from work, and there are lots of slow drivers, I think to myself, "When will all the damn tourists go home!?!?" It's hard to believe that only a half year ago, I was still more tourist than anything else. I still can't speak Portuguese fluently. So now I'm thinking that it could ...

I know I know...it's been a long time again. In my defense, except for this past weekend, I've been working 7 days a week and average over 12 hours a day. But we're getting to the end of the job now and we've got to constantly supervise the contractor. We should be leaving Brazil around the first of July. Well, Jacqui may have to leave earlier b...

From Curitiba, went back to Porto Seguro. I'd forgotten how much warmer it was in Bahia. Been working waaaay too much and haven't had time to write. I'll update more from Ipatinga

We ran into a snag yesterday...a rather large one. Two large parts (I'll call them UBC and LBC) of the equipment we're rebuilding were to be fabricated down here in Brazil to an oversized dimension, then machined down to the final exacting dimensions. To save some time and money, we were using a recommended shop to do the oversize fabrication, a...

I know, it's been one month, and the last entry kinda sucked....but it's been one very very busy month if you'll take that as an excuse. Let's see...where to start (start dream sequence) Jacqui and I arrived back in the states at about the same time that Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan start doing their first shots of vodka -2:30 in the morning...

I've now finished all of the work that I set out to do on this trip. I've still got to come back to Brazil to finish the project. But that'll be next month. Jacqui and me are packing, figuring out what to keep and throw away. Figuring out how to fit everything back into the suitcases. Jacqui made the comment earlier that this is like moving. It ...

I would like to write more in this blog. I have so many thoughts that bounce through my head during the day. But not the chance to write anything down. I'm usually outside all day supervising the rebuild of the equipment, or making phone calls or planning details and don't get to fully hash out my thoughts. I think I need a little digital voice ...

So on the way to work today, I'm blasting down the dirt road, driving that poor 1.4L like it was a rally car. And one of the few classical songs I have on my iPod comes on. So now I'm sliding sideways through the dirt listening to Pachebal. And I think I could concentrate better with it. I was hitting the apexes better than before. So when I get...

I've been in this place for too long now. Jacqui and I left to go to Vitoria for a couple of days to visit a supplier. We arrived back at the Brisa da Praia at the height of their tourist season, the weekend before Carnaval. Parked in the parking lot without getting hassled by the parking attendants (you're only allowed to park in their parking ...