All roads lead to Rio

well hi everybody! Bet you thought you'd heard the last of sambakat - and I kind of thought I had, too, at least for this year. I'm locked down this year, working as hard as I've ever worked in my life, at a new university teaching job in Portland, Oregon. Saving money for my next big year off... and working so desperately hard there isn't a spare second in the day or night to practice anything at all. I've even had to miss Lions rehearsals and shows. Bummer.

But my wonderful London friends, the wild-hearted sambistas of Verde Vai, had persuaded me that I really, really ought to zip to Rio this year, even if just for a short trip. Because they're going too.

Today's the last day of fall break. I'd hauled my 132 midterm exams and 84 papers and 84 essay questions clear out to Montana so I could at least get a little travelling in while I did all my fall-break grading. Montana was SPECTACULARLY BEAUTIFUL... and I re-remembered how much I adore travelling. So while in a wi-fi cafe halfway back to Oregon today, just before the crush of teaching starts again tomorrow, I bought a ticket to Rio!!!

It's just for two weeks - I have to be back in Portland by Jan 14th, so tragically I have to miss Carnaval. But I'll get a good solid two weeks of Rio sun and samba. Can't wait. I'll even be there for New Year's; the best New Year's party in the world. YAY. It's a terrifically expensive ticket this time. High season, and including New Year's. The most I've ever paid. It'll cost me two weeks' wages. I didn't hesitate for even a second.

Then ... some kind of cosmic alignment ... (1) the moment I'd bought the ticket today, I got an email out of the blue from Katrina of Rio Surf Tour. (2) a few hours later, a phone call out of the blue from Jason da Festa, my brilliant drummer friend from Ohio who I hung out with for weeks & weeks in Rio last year. (Hadn't heard from him, nor from Katrina, for months; what are the odds that 2 of my main Rio buddies from last year would contact me on the very day I bought my ticket back to Rio?) So of course we spent most of the phone call discussing how Jason could get back to Rio too. He and Seven-String Eric are both saving their pennies for a return trip - COOL.

So it's for real. The countdown starts!

I gotta get caught up on all the escola gossip. More details to come....