Happy Halloween!

I figured I'd get in one last post for October. Lately at work, I've been helping in the interview process. Itau will have new gringos come January. It's been a lot of fun. The planning and making sure everything works out with the interview schedule has been fun. I think I get my scheduling abilities from my mom. She can schedule like nobodies business.

Also at lunch today I had a Halloween moment. I wanted to run away because I was scared of some of the self-realization that was going on and the giant spot-light that was focused on me. The conversation was centered around my criteria for women. This conversation was with my main boss,  my direct supervisor, and the other intern.

It turns out I might have a little too specific of standards. Basically, I've got it structured into 3 main categories: religiousness, personality and looks. If that was all there was too it I'd be set. However, I've thought about each of those sub-groups for quite sometime, I pretty much have it down to a science. In these sub-groups there are sub-groups. My thought process is a little bit like some of the operational flows I see at work. I know what I'm looking at, but if I gave the flow to anyone else, they'd be clueless.

It's also a moving and switching rating system. I willing to give up somethings if other things are there. For instance, if the personality is really awesome, I'm willing to not care about looks as much. It's a little bit of a Laffer-curve. I'll give up one thing in exchange for another, to a certain limit. I'll admit, it's kind of confusing.

Now it's time to get back to lunch. At lunch I went over what my main looks components were. I'd never really done it before, and it really makes you feel kind of shallow. However, it did clarify somethings. I'm not going to repeat much of what was directly said, because it was weird when I said it at lunch, and I don't think it'll be any better to post it. I might later. Once I have time to make a proper flow diagram. You know properly map it out. Nothing like concrete, visually appealing, presentation material when you're making your point.

Will it Hold

I remember growing up a doctor once called me scrawny. This adjectives still applies to myself. I'm pretty sure it's a mix of the words skinny and brawny. I kind of like to think of myself in this way.

However, this isn't about me. During lunch today I was wondering what it would be like to worry about breaking a chair because you sat on it. Do really overweight individuals think about this often? I don't know. It seems to me like that would be a primary concern for me. The constant apprehension of wondering, "Will it hold?" I couldn't take it.

I might even want to see some sort of measurement on the chairs I sat on, just so I could have the confidence to know it should hold. Yep, those are pretty much the kind of deep thoughts that fill my head. Will it hold?, How much Diet Coke could I drink?, etc.

I think I for my next post I'll explain corporate cafeteria behavior, as I see it.

Economics in Real Life

What happens when Economics touches our daily lives? It's usually going to be something good or bad. Unfortunately, we can't pick the outcomes. We have to take the good with the bad. In my case I've seen some of this first hand. Especially with today's exchange rate.

There are a couple things that will happen when an exchange rate changes rapidly, like what has happened recently. Primarily, the exporters of Brazil will be happy in the long term, if the rate holds. You'd also expect that more tourist from other countries with higher valued currencies will be visiting Brazil, eventually. However, in my case, it isn't great news. I get paid in Reals. This means, I'm not going to come home with much money. I'm not complaining, because the non-monetary value of this internship has been amazing. I would like to note, however, that I've never really seen anything like this happen before, and it's kind of interesting.

The Man with the Stick.

Like every Sunday I have church at 9:30 a.m. Usually, I end up taking a taxi. However, I decided I'd try to get there by bus. I knew the name of the bus and where to wait for it, but I never saw the bus. At this point it was about 9:40 so I decided I'd have to take a taxi.

This meant I'd have to go to an ATM and grab some cash. I went to a grocery store really close to where I live, but their ATM machine didn't seem to want to work. "Okay," I thought, "I know where some other ATM machines are located. I know they work." 

Much like the zebra that stays too long at the watering hole, I had a surprise in store for me. Half way to the ATM some guy, Mr. Crazy we'll call him, asked me for some money. "Unfortunately", I told him "I don't have any." Next thing I know Mr. Crazy starts following me. Weird. The chase was on.

Now he demanded that I take him to an ATM machine. My wheels started to turn faster. He told me he wanted R$ 200. This, I thought was a rather steep demand. It was at this point that I started thinking what I was going to do. I'll be honest, I really wanted to deck the guy. However; it was Sunday, he had a pretty large pointed stick, and he wouldn't take one of his hands out of his pocket. I decided against attacking him.

As Mr. Crazy escorted me to the closest ATM I thought about running, but decided if I ran he'd always be looking for me, and since I live close to that location I probably shouldn't bolt. Mr. Crazy told me about how much his life had sucked and the reasons he needed R$ 200. Some of his reasons were pretty compelling. However, I wasn't exactly in agreement with his manner of achieving his goal.

Once at the ATM we entered into negotiations again. I used my best negotiation skills and little bit of anger and told him he was only getting R$ 20. He shuffled around a little bit and fiddled with  his poking stick. After I gave Mr. Crazy the R$ 20 I parted ways with Mr. Crazy to let him try to get the other R$ 180 from someone else. While I walked away the hilarity and awkwardness of the situation dawned on me. 

Like most things in life you get to laugh and learn from your experiences. I'm just glad Mr. Crazy didn't try to use his stick on me, or whatever else he had in his pocket. Next time I think I just might start running. 

Greve!

It finally happened, the bankers went on strike. There had been talk for quite some time that it would happen, and it finally did. Basically, because I'm an intern, I won't go into work until the strike is over. That means I get a half day off work, at least, not bad.

The fact that I'm going home in about 2 months is also starting to hit me. I have so much I need to do. I need to register for classes, find a place to live, and find a job. I return from Brazil on the 20th, so I won't be able to do a whole lot when I get home. I guess I'll really start thinking about it when November comes around.

Nothing else is new. Yesterday, I discussed with Bia about how I think that something can be 100% true. The best example I could come up with was a color and that she was a woman and I was a man. It was pretty funny. She usually wins, or at least she thinks she's won. It reminds me of some of the discussions I have had with my sisters on certain subjects, I never really win, but I enjoy the moments.

Titles

This has been bugging me for awhile, I can never come up with a good title for my posts. Having an immediate test of ones creativity is unfair, I think. It takes awhile to come up with something good. Sometimes coming up with a title is my biggest deterrent to writing new posts.

Life is good. I've been reflecting on what brought me to where I am today: fate, divine intervention, determination, etc. In all sincerity, I don't know. I'm fairly sure it's a combination of multiple factors.

 

I've never been supper set on one path. I seem to roll with the punches pretty well. I think that as long as your original path is good there is no problem changing direction if a better opportunity is there. Because of this, I think, I'm more prone to get into the type of situation I'm in now.

Yesterday, as I was listening to conference at the chapel, I was amazed, I understand Portuguese. It was a weird experience. If someone would have told me I'd be in Brazil a year ago I'd have thought them a little crazy. I guess that's how life is, you never really know.

I'd also like to discuss some of the things I miss from the good old US of A. These are in no particular order. I miss Wal-Mart/large shopping centers. Shopping here in Brazil is a stressful event, and for a guy that doesn't like shopping anyway, even more so. The isles here are small and so is the selection. Wal-mart is huge and if you can't find what you need there, well, you've got something wrong with you.

I also miss full sized Snickers. The chocolate in Brazil is great but nothing really compares to a snickers. It is, perhaps, one of man's greatest inventions.

I also miss my family. They're great. I miss their support and advice. I miss how my sisters worry that I'm going to keel over from a massive coronary any time they see me eat fast food. I miss playing racquetball with Dennen. I miss hearing about my mom's teaching adventures at BYU. I miss my dad's advice. I miss my grandparents. I miss large family gatherings with uncles, aunts, and cousins. This might sound like homesickness to you, it isn't. It's reality. If you don't miss something, how can you be grateful for it?

Other things I miss are: friends, going to school, riding the bus to campus, paintball, fall, mountains, super fast internet connection, the logan house, living somewhere with more than one room, American money, etc. I'm sure I'll miss a lot of things in Brazil when I leave Brazil as well. I also need to figure out a way to keep improving Portuguese when I get home.