So About Those Posts...

They're coming; I promise. If you've been reading from the start, I will note that you were forwarned that I'm far from accustomed to this habit of blogkeeping. Okay, enough with the excuses.

When I first went away to college, I would jokingly call mom and dad on the phone, asking them if life was actually continuing at home without me. Clearly it was a joke, but it was funny sometimes to think about reality continuing on even when I wasn't there, kind of like that classic rhetorical question of if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Ok, kinda...in any event the relevance of this weird anecdote is that perhaps for some of you, out of site means out of mind, or perhaps you were wondering if I fell off the face of the earth after December 17th. Perhaps...

I just want to let everyone know that I'm alive, doing well and have not fallen over the edge of the earth.

The past month has been very interesting and if I had to give it a name (yea, I know, who gives personalized names to month-long periods of time?), I would this period "Peace of Mind." Thanks to everyone who remembered my birthday; it hasn't quite sunk in that I'm 23 yet, though it probably won't until I'm nearly 24 (as is the case usually for me). I was truly blessed to have the opportunity to return home for a couple of days (2) over Christmas, though in all honesty the circumstances were not ideal. That said, the love from family and friends both in the U.S. as well as Brazil meant a tremendous amount, making this holiday season one of the most special of my life. On top of all of that, I was privileged enough to spend a bit of time with my wonderful/incredible girlfriend during the first couple of weeks of January here in Brazil.

I am currently in the international airport in Rio de Janeiro (it seems my best writing is done in the airport) awaiting my flight to Buenos Aires, where I will be spending the next 8 days of my journey. These past two months have been incredible, and thus this departure is bitter-sweet, though something tells me I will be back here before too long. I realize I didn't do too good of a job with Brazil (in terms of updates) though I will be remedying that in the coming days (I have continued writing, just not for the public form that is this blog), as well as giving you all a look at Argentina, a country I'm excited to get to know, even if it's only for a few days. Yes, I know that with my track record, I have laid out an abitious feat; but there's nothing wrong with aiming for the stars, cuz if you miss, you may hit a mountain or a tree, which is something, right?

Anyway, for those that will be on the egde of their seats over the course of the next month as I write another poor excuse for why I'm not blogging, here is a look at what's in store in the upcoming Brazil Review:

Primary Education Observations and Interviews
A Galera/Familia Baiana
Jiu-Jitsu Culture in Brazil
Brazil's Middle Class
Art on Salvador's Walls
A Brasileira/Baiana (this will be interesting...)
Is Kaka o melhor jogador do mundo?
A Little Drama in Salvador
Northeast Ground Travel
Tudo Bem's List of Things You Must Do While in Brazil (this will be the start of my career as a professional guidebook writer)

I'm on the case :-).