Having a great time here in Rio de Janeiro. There is something very special about a city that my name is embedded into, makes me feel connected with rio de JANeiro. Also if you say it fast it sounds like dinero, and who doesn’t like the sound of money?

Yesterday, I took my motorcycle out for a long ride it was a lot of fun. Went to Barra Shopping in Barra Tijuca. I love it down here. Much better quantity of fun and friends. Never bored always have something to do as the beach is only a block from my apartment. Have tons of friends and all of them are either on vacation or retired, so for the most part, I always have someone, but usually a group of friends do do things with.

The other thing that I like is that here in Rio, I am living an urban life, where is in Vegas, I am living a suburban one. Here, when I want to go out and do something, I walk out of my door, into the elevator which actually adjoins my door (there are only 2 apartments per floor to share the elevator) and I am on the streets of Copacabana, which is a bustling city.

Next door to my building, is a 24/7 quality luncheonette and on the other is my gym. On my street alone there is 3 places to exchange money & travel agencies, A Havaianas Footwear, 5 restaurants (Japanese, French, Brazilian (2), and the luncheonette, a laundry, Betto’s tattoos, a tailor, a jewelry store and a lingerie store, and that is just what I can remember.

When I walk out of the door in Vegas, there are other houses. If I want to do anything, I have to drive to get there. Here I can walk, take a bus, taxi or subway to get where I want to go.

I look at it this way in Rio: Flip-flops and tank tops. Vegas: Shoes and shirts

But even with all of that going on there is even more that I like about being in Rio and that is the time difference between Las Vegas. I love the night. I have always been and always will be more of a night person than a day person. There is something about the night that brings out my creativity and imagination. And here is the best part, when it is winter in Vegas, there is a 6 hour time difference and when vegas goes into daylight savings time there is a 4 hour one. That means that no matter how late I go to sleep, I am going to be up in plenty of time to start my day when my office opens in Las Vegas at 7:30 am.

Oh by the way, did I mention that the US dollar buys you 1.75 of the Brazilian Reals?

I went to my dermatologist for a follow up appointment. This was my third visit in less than 3 months. This time was only for the doctor to look at me to determine that I was cured. No tests, just a physical inspection of my skin to insure in her mind and to confirm in mine that I had healed completely.

I debated if I really needed to go back there, but the doctor staff when they called me insisted that the doctor needed to to confirm that I was healed. It appears that if the doctor doesn’t sign off that you are healed and you have a relapse, the insurance company will not cover your treatment again for that issue. Far be it for me to take that chance. The cost of medical treatment is expensive unless your are really rich, then it is just costly. To me it is expensive.

I personally believe that my particular doctor is really good at her specialty and is in the business of getting as much money out of you as possible and because of that she will do whatever it takes to keep you alive. It seems that a dead patient doesn’t generate any money for her and beside it is very hard to get a dead patent to keep their appointments.

It was with that money grabbing philosophy that I have my problem! This particular doctor charges $150.00 per visit if you don’t have insurance and just the copay if you do. Every time!!! Even though this is a follow up just to say “you are fine.” I that was all it was, it would still annoy me, but this particular doctor’s staff makes you pay in advance of seeing the doctor! Not only that, every time you have an office visit they hand you the same form to fill out. It is a questionnaire of sorts that asks you questions like, “Have you ever thought of getting Plastic Surgery? “What part of your anatomy would you change if you could?”.

But with out a doubt, the worst part of the whole ordeal is the wait! My question is why make an appointment for 9:10 in the morning if the doctor doesn’t see you until 10:10. And then it still isn’t that simple. First you wait in the waiting room until you feel you can’t wait another minute. The only part of that wait that makes it tolerable is that there are others that are waiting there too. And everyone has that stupid look on their face that shows their frustration as if to say “what am I doing here?” Of course it only makes matters worse if this is the first time you are there to see the doctor and your are not sure if whats bothering you is life threatening. Finally after you have thought about leaving twenty times, the nurse comes and gets you and brings you back to an exam room, where you wait even longer. That to me is the worst as you are in solitary confinement and as the time passes you start to feel that everyone including the doctor has forgotten you.

So now your waiting and the time is dragging and you start to wonder what is in the drawers and cabinets. Is there anything in there worth taking as to compensate you for the time you have waited? Unfortunately for me either I’m too honest, don’t have a need for medical supplies or I’m afraid to get busted by the doctor. Anyway in this case the just the thought is enough. Besides the jar of tongue despressers is inviting enough. Wouldn’t it have been funny if I tried them all and put them back in jar that I took then from? I didn’t. The doctor gave in just in time.

On Tuesday September 13, 2011 at ten minutes to 6, I was on my way to the gym to work out traveling on the 215 Las Vegas Beltway and the rain was coming down in typical dessert rainstorm fashion. I was in the middle lane doing 60 mph, when I looked to the right and there was driver in a car talking on cell his phone held up to his left ear that was not paying enough attention to the road and without looking, turned into my lane. Had I not been looking right at him thinking to myself what an idiot, when he turned into my lane I would not have seen him and for sure he would have hit my car and caused a serious accident. However, I was paying attention at that moment and I honked my horn as I swerved to my left to avoid him hitting me.

Because the rain was so intense and the highway was wet, as I swerved to the left, my car started to skid and my two left wheels felt as if they were lifting off the ground. Fortunately, I am a good driver and having been brought up in New York, had enough practice to handle my car in bad weather, this incident ended with nothing more than anger from me towards the unknown driver in the other car that could have ended in a much more profound outcome, such as death, dismemberment or combination of the two, plus an insurance filing.

The incident made me relate to something I had just read about a test pilot that when interviewed expressed his view that fate is a hunter. So true.

My thoughts afterward, made me realize how fortunate I am and that I am living my life in such a manner as that when the final curtain call does come for me, I am not going to have too many regrets. It was an interesting experience in that I was not in fear of losing my life nor did I experience an adrenaline rush nor did a movie of my life flash before my eyes. There was a calm that came over me as if that if this was my time, then I was ready to accept it. Perhaps that it all happened so fast or even though it look and felt precarious, my senses told me that I was in control of the car and I was going to maneuver out of danger.

It has been a couple of days now since my brush with near death and I look back at the experience with distant emotions and feel the urge to live my life to the fullest one more time.

I originally planned my trip to New York’s JFK to coincide directly into the path of hurricane Irene. Well not quite exactly, my trip was already planned, but the day before I was supposed to leave, I called the airline only to find that all flights were cancelled. That worked out okay in the long run. Today is September 2nd and I am 35,000 feet above the planet 2 hours away from landing at JFK, listening to My favorite tunes on Spotify and typing this on my iPad.

I can really use a vacation, unfortunately this is not going to be one. True I might be out of my office, but I will be hard at works on Tuesday. For those reading this that are not living in the US, this weekend is a national holiday called Labor Day. In the past Labor Day used to be the holiday that separated summer from fall. The end of summer holiday and the beginning of the school season. But it it is not like that any more. School started two weeks ago. I known this because thats when the lights started to flash as I was driving by the public school and I had to slow down to 15 MPH. How in convenient. Driving 15 miles per hour is equivalent to being stuck in a time warp. Having said that brings the joke to mind “the only good thing about about a pedophile is they drive slow in a school district” (bad!!!! I know, but you’ll be tell that joke tomorrow).

But I diverse, the reason I am going to New York is to be with my best childhood friends who are celebrating their 60th birthday and there is a big party at my friend Lonny’s house. I like hanging out with these people, after all these years I am finally the best looking one amongst them. Amazing what daily exercise, hair dye, and plastic surgery can do for you. I will report back from the flight home next Friday. I bet you can’t wait to hear all about it????

The question is, how can I take a trip to New York and not set up meetings with people I do business with that I like? I can’t. More to follow…….