If I'm lucky, it won't Rain tonight

Ok, I know I've made it sound like the constant rain here is not a problem because it's such a fantastic city, but....it is a problem. I'm really sick of it. Yesterday, coming home at about 1, I caught what in Trinidad is called a maxi (just a little taxi-van on a fixed route) to get from Lapa to Copacabana. As I waited on Rua da Gloria with the transvestite prostitutes, it started to mist. A van came, I jumped in, and it started to pour. The windows fogged up and I couldn't even see where we were. Luckily, someone knew that I wanted to get off at Siquiera Campos, so they dumped me out on that street into a puddle/river, and I "ran" (did I mention that I've decided to throw caution and anonymity to the wind and augment my already monsterous frame with heels?) under the tent of one of these sidewalk resturaunts that line the praia here in my new bairro. There, I spent time with an assortment of other rain-refugees, watching the new river get bigger and faster. The sidewalk merged with the street. The cars appeared to lose their wheels. The water comming out of the sky accelerated downward as the water in the street accelerated horizontally towards my feet. I remember last year seeing photographs of Rio under 8 feet of water, so I got scared and decided mete o pé despite the flood. This was uncomfortable. At times during the 5 block walk, the dirty sewer water reached above my knees. At one point I fell, because I was wearing heels and the curb was completely submerged and the sidewalks here are made of impracticle mosaics! Grrrr. Soooooo disgusting. Meanwhile, men were actually hitting on me, more than one! I am not especially friendly when alone and soaking wet in the streets, up to my waist in sewer water at 2 in the morning. Only Ricardo, who works at the Chopp kiosk at posto 5 on Copacabana was able to get a nice word out of me, because he tried to cover the 3 foot deluge with a piece of cardboard for me to walk over. It's the thought that counts!