The bathroom escape

This last week something funny happened. By "funny" I probably mean weird. But it had the purpose of showing me what I already knew, it confirmed it.

I went to the bank during my work lunch hour and stopped at Target for a quick meal with Chris. I am a proud germaphobe and since, while at the bank, I touched money, I had to wash my hands before eating (I would've washed them, no matter what.) So I entered the restroom and headed to the first sink. Freezing water came out, so I turned to warm but the water was coming out very slow. With all my germ/dirt psychosis, I soap up more than the average person, but the recommended time by doctors (at least 20s) - and while the slow but warm water is washing away that ton of soap, this newly-mom enters with a very cute and very diaper-filled toddler. I pictured what was to follow before I would eat my hot dog: young mom + cute toddler + full diaper = nasty view + awful smell + my hot dog.

Are you cold?

Coming from Recife, Northeast Brazil, and landing in Minnesota has presented me with some great and utterly funny moments, specially regarding the difference in climate. Some other ones involve my transition to living in English: I have studied it, spoken it, "thunk" it and even dreamed in it. But, until I moved here, I had never lived it. Now I do.

But back to when I didn't, it kind of worked this way: You hear it, you read it and most likely you can even spell it, but when it's your turn to pronounce it, that's something different. So, one cold winter, years ago, I was freezing. To what Chris says:

- Are you cold?
- Yeah, I even have goo spumps!

Embarassing my parents since the 1980's

My mom was sick and my dad and I took her to the doctor. I have no idea what was wrong with her, since I was so small, but after hearing the story be recounted several times over the years, I learned she was taking a very slow yet very painful shot right on her butt cheek.

We were in the room with her, watching, and the shot was taking really long. My dad says I was so little, my legs didn't even touch the floor, from sitting on the bench, and there was a cockroach in front of us. I know, really gross, specially at a doctor's clinic! But if it's any consolation, it was dying. On its back, moving the legs nonstop, the cockroach was being watched by 3-4yo Laine.

Asking to be kidnapped and other nonsenses

The first year I was living here, about 5 years ago, Hugo came to visit me for the first time. You know how family is like: it doesn't matter how well you say you're doing, they want proof. So big bro came to witness my well-being.