Journalled on Friday, 23 August 2024 | Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 35 degrees, very hot, sunny and clear blue sky.
It is Friday. I am tired, and Yasmin and I’m in solitude.
Nalva have gone to Nova Iguaçu, a neighbouring town about 1 1/2 hours by car, where Nalva’s sisters now live.
I am a little worried that I have not met with Alex this week. We had decided to have at least two meetings a week in the middle of the month, but the opposite has happened this week.
I dislike it when this kind of thing occurs. You plan something positive and proactive for your work, and the opposite happens. For me, it indicates that something may be amiss.
I responded to Alex and messaged him back after he told me he wouldn’t be able to meet on Thursday evening. Since then, I haven’t heard anything from him, which I find odd and somewhat unprofessional. I won’t message him again until I know what’s happening, how things are progressing, and the reason why.
I’m not too worried. It’s just strange. This isn’t the first time; it’s the second. In the worst case, I have lost 5000 Reais on the investment for ‘Teahogui’.
In the early afternoon, Nalva and Yasmin went to Nova Iguaçu. Sinha, one of Nalva’s sisters, is having a graduation party. She’s graduating as a nurse, and I was left to look after Perola, which suits me just fine.
Since our relationship is not good, to say the least, it is fortunate that she can leave the flat, spend time with her sisters, and that I can enjoy some solitude for at least a couple of days.
Nalva has now returned to some of her old ways. When we were married, she behaved like this. It happened after I told her I wouldn’t put down a deposit on a flat for her until I had more money saved. I also told her she would need to save money to pay the instalments for the finance.
Since she has never saved in her life, it was quite a shock for her.
As a result of her disappointment, she has reverted to being very aggressive verbally and psychologically. Because of this, I need to find a place as soon as possible.
It doesn’t matter how long I have been supporting her and her actions. The moment I disagree, she turns toxic. Just like a light switch, she completely changes when she is contradicted or when a person disagrees with her.
Having some quality alone time feels like a mini holiday. I do not have to worry about others, and I can say and do whatever I want, whenever I want.
In the late afternoon, I finished the last classes and spent a bit of time on the computer learning to use Descript, an AI platform for video transcription. It is fairly simple to operate, but I want to explore more advanced tools to start creating my first faceless YouTube videos.
I also uploaded my first blog of the long gringo, had it transcribed, cloned my voice, and set up the scenes. Until then, it was relatively straightforward. Let’s see about the rest. Over the weekend, I want to learn more about Descript and its more advanced tools.
I was not going out, but I thought, since I am alone, when will there be another chance? So I changed my clothes and went out for a walk.
I intended to make a round trip of all the points in Flamingo.
However, when I arrived at a small group of restaurants, both bustling with people inside and out, the smallest was an open-air restaurant specialising in craft beers. I thought it was a good opportunity to take a break.
There were some tables and chairs outside on the pavement and on this side street, facing the bar. Inside the bar, it was tastefully decorated, with a guy singing in the corner, sitting on a high stool with a microphone, playing an electric guitar.
It was hard to hear him singing over the chatter of the crowd, although it was clear I wasn’t missing much, as he wasn’t very good and few people paid attention to his performance.
I wanted a glass of wine, but they only had beer and IPAs, which automatically reminded me of my son-in-law, Mario. I ordered a pint. It was good, so I ordered another. Seeing the food they were serving to two other tables, I decided to order a burger and fries.
This immediately brought to mind my time with Julie in England, when we used to go to pubs for a meal. I would usually order a burger and fries.
I don’t know why I have never been a big fan of the traditional American burger and fries, but while I was in England with Julie, I nearly always ordered them. I think it was because they were easy and straightforward, and you can’t go wrong with a good burger and fries.
The old Wharf Inn, which we loved, was where we ate three times. On two occasions, I ordered a burger and roast potatoes. The chef there refuses to cook either chips or fries for any dish. The dishes there were much more sophisticated.
The food arrived quickly here, and it was nice. It wasn’t poor, obviously, and it wasn’t quite the same as the food I had in England, but it was still good, even though it was cold.
I ordered a half pint of Odin IPA to go with my meal, and I was thinking about my pleasant night alone, not having to please anyone all the time. It felt like being self-conscious with your boss at work, but instead of being alone and relaxing, watching the bar and the people, I was enjoying a nice evening on my own.
I paid the bill, which was quite steep for Brazil. For England, it was reasonable. I walked home and was in bed by 11 p.m.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Richard
