Just the Highlights

I want so badly to tell you about our day in a witty and charming way, but it's after midnight here, and after a full, fun and somewhat frustrating day, I just don't have it in me. So, here are the highlights:

• Received a supicious certified letter in the mail, which turned out to be a warning and fairly hefty fine for a violation of the laundry rules. No, I'm not kidding.
• Had the power turned off in our apartment for several hours because of an outstanding bill. Not our outstanding bill, mind you. But that didn't seem to matter. So, we had to figure out how to get the bill paid, get our power turned back on and contact the condo owner to try to get it all straightened out--all in Portuguese. (Thank goodness for our friends who helped us out so much)!
• Had a lovely playgroup meeting at the beach.
• Attended our first Portuguese tutoring session at the home of a kind and generous family, and stayed to have a "snack" with them afterward. Full-blown meal is more like it--with cake, rolls, sweet bread, meat, cheese, yogurt, coffee, soft drinks, chocolate milk, etc. This afternoon "snack" seems to be the Brazilian norm.
• Received our new phone. We now have two--a "home" phone and a cell phone. They are actually both cell phones, but one works better for local calls and the other better for international calls. Jeff has literally been working on our phone situation since the first day we got here, so we are hoping this is the end of that on-going saga.
• Hosted our first dinner party in our new home, showing off Jeff's now-incredible churrasco skills.
• Recevied notice that the water will be off in our building all day tomorrow.
• Looked at the ocean and listened to the waves crash long after the beach lights had been turned off, meaning it is now way, way past bedtime.