I had to go to the Brazilian Consulate and submit a visa application, but when I arrived, I discovered I had somehow somewhere lost my official 2×2 passport photos. But an enterprising photographer has a shop just across the street, so across I go, up three flights of stairs, and smile for the camera.
While we are waiting for the photos to develop, the cheesy photographer chats me up about where I’m going and he says “Be careful in Brazil” (everyone says this) “I had a seven thousand dollar camera stolen in Rio.”
“Wow” says I, “That’s terrible.”
He continues, “I only put it down on the beach for four or five minutes, and it was gone. The insurance company only paid $5,000. I lost $2,000.”
And I thought “You left a seven thousand dollar camera on the beach? In Rio? What did you expect?” I didn’t say these things, but I thought them.
I suck.
