Stuff the world has taught me. . .

So I've been looking back on the year an I decided to throw up a few of the lessons learned since I've been on the road. No order really. . .just random things that come to mind:

-only way to learn how to fly is to jump
-it's a small world after all
-Elton john, 50 cent, the devil, and god all got there before you
-life is long, but living is short
-George W. Bush sucks more than we think
-music really is a universal language
-don't believe the hype
-all kids really want is to be loved
-the grass is always greener on the other side
-the sky may always be blue, but it looks different depending where you are
-Mangos and Bananas are fruits that you can eat in heaven
-Fela, John, Jesus, and Buddha all get mad love everywhere in the world
-All we need is love
-All booties will shake when a Samba track is played
-Money talks and bullshit walks
-cassava grows everywhere
-The best food is found in the dirtiest places
-Things aren't always what they seem. . .but sometimes they are
-It takes 622 hits to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a break

Eu Queiro Sambar. . .

Selda and I came across this Roda de Samba under a bridge one sunny afternoon while walking through Centro.. . .selda is for the kids
. . .I generally am freaked out by the thought of children, but if I end up with one as cute as this-I can live with it.

Minha Villa ta Legal. . .

I haven't posted any pictures of where I live or the people I live with. So I decided to do it now. Here they are. . .

this is my villa. . .it's "legal". . .autumn doing what she does best. . .me at the office. . .selda doing what she does best

. . .nicholas at work. . .autumn and nicholas looking cool
. . .guine doing what she does best

Dear New York Times,

How can I take anything you report on the Middle East seriously, when you have huge webpage advertisements like this?

Yours Truly,
Seriously Suspicious

dreaming the impossible dream

these days I've been feeling a lot like Don Quixote fighting windmills and chasing after impossible dreams. It's the curse and the blessing of this wicked epic quest. Thing is, now it's all over-and I'm scheming ways to try and drag it out. Slowly it dawns on me that once August 1st comes around, I'm no longer an extraordinary world traveler. I'm just an ordinary dude with a story.

It's a funny feeling when life smacks you in the face. In this case it punched me-real hard. I suppose sooner or later it was going to have to happen. Whether it was today or the day I got on the plane to go back to NYC or whether it was two weeks after being back home. I guess it would be something else if my dream wasn't my own. . .I might not feel so bad if I had a Sancho Panza around-someone to tell me I'm not so crazy or at least go along with it and make me feel less crazy. But this time Quixote is rocking windmills solo and the people around him are convinced he's a nut.

So after a healthy dose of reality tonight I've finally decided to suck it up and wrap this adventure up. As I pack up and get ready to come back to the mess that is gringolandia, deep in my heart this adventure will stay. Armed with these memories and my mantra that I lived by the last year, live what you love and love what you live, I step into the real world with hopes that I quickly find my way. This one is for the days lost, starting life too late and to the history of what might have been. Thank you world-it was one big trip.

-The Man de La Mancha

Sarajevo, São Paulo

So I rocked another set the other night in São Paulo at a club on Rua Augusta called Sarajevo. I'd been there before, so I was a little skeptical if people would dance to Afro-Beat, Latin Funk, and all of those other tasty tropical beats I love-but my boy Tahira insisted it would be proper.

. . .the club is on some real underground feel-although the people who showed up were mostly college kids and hipsters.

if you rock it. . .. . .they will comeI guess every where in the world there is a drunk and high college kid who worships dub music-he came up an begged for dub after every song.

me and tahira. . .working hard and harldy working. At the end of the night it was in fact proper. Brazilians will dance to anything with a sick beat-As a DJ I have no choice but to love this country. Beleza.

It was fun. . .

. . .but now it's done. See you in 2012.

game face

So Ghana stuck it to the man and Brazil moves closer to a sixth World Cup title. Am I happy. . .ohh yeah. Only problem-Ghana faces Brazil on Tuesday. Either way I come out winning, but I would have really liked to see Ghana go far. Who knows, maybe Ghana will upset the world and take Brazil. Either way, today was a good day.