UberNoggin

I’ve been reading too much David Sedaris lately. He makes me want to write. I guess it’s not a bad thing.

After getting married last week, giving two talks, and nearly being flooded out of our house, Mark and I left for Sao Paulo last night. A second round of severe thunderstorms pushed our flight from Indianapolis to Newark back by about 90 minutes but we still got there in time to make our overnight flight to Sao Paulo. No matter how much I fly, which is a lot, I never really get used to the “OMG! Get me out of this suffocating flying metal tube!” feeling and long flights make it worse. Mark, who knows me well and has been the unfortunate person sitting next to me during a couple of these knew-bouncing, willing the plane to go faster, pacing in the aisles, freak-outs ensured that we were well prepared for the ten hour flight from Newark to south of the equator. In my carry-on I had snacks (I’m hypoglycemic), new Nintendo DSs with games to play, socks to knit, a book to read, and my ipod with books and music. More than enough to keep me busy. I placed my bets on sleeping meds that did the trick. Turns out that I slept eight of the ten hours while poor Mark, who didn’t take a sleeping pill, coulnd’t sleep and is now napping in our hotel room.

When we got to Sao Paulo we were supposed to meet a grad student from the university for a ride to the hotel. We looked for a while but didn’t see anyone with a “Bell” sign so we got a taxi. Wow! I’ve experienced some crazy cab rides but this one took the cake. Even the amazing off-roading-taxi in Jamaica a couple of years ago had nothing on Fabio, today’s driver. Driving in Sao Paulo is kind of a mix between a well-choreographed ballet and a demolition derby. Thousands of tiny cars and even more motorcycles all sharing a few lanes of highway without ever using a turn signal. I thought I was going to break Mark’s hand I was holding on so tight. What really amazed me though was the city. It sprawls on for what seems like fifty or sixty miles. Bigger than L.A. Bigger than NYC. Every other block switched from high rise apartments and shack-filled ghettos. One on block there were Gucci-suit clad businessmen and on the next block barefoot kids played in dirt-paved alleys. Even more suprising was the way the neighborhoods meet the highway. They aren’t just visible from the 60 mile an hour traffic, these alleys end on the highway’s shoulder. Kids playing just feet away from fast moving traffic.

When we finally got to the hotel I resisted the impulse to bow down and kiss the pavement. It’s a beautiful hotel with really kind English-speaking staff who only stared at my hair for a few minutes. I forget that pink hair might shock people, I guess because most of the folks I meet know about my hair before-hand.

Meanwhile, the only SD memory card I packed for my digital camera seems to be permanently locked, our iPhones don’t work here, and I forgot my swim suit. Ah well. So I’ll be blogging when I can, uploading pics from my phone, and using my little video camera to do a few interviews that I’ll post here over the next few days. Tomorrow Mark will be speaking at the conference and participating in a debate. Thursday we’re going to be a bit crazy and actually head out on our own to do a bit of shopping and see an art museum. On Friday we’re doing a half-day workshop on Second Life and Web 2.0. Stay tuned!

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