Electricity + Showers = ???

Is it just me, or should the term "electric shower" just not exist? I mean, I don't know how many times my parents told me when I was a kid to stear clear of radios, hairdryers, anything with a wire while I was in the bath.

So you can imagine my surprise when I realized that my showerhead in Rio has two wires coming out of the top that lead to the electrical box. I decided that maybe things in Brazil were different and for some reason and electricity and water just magically get along here....NOPE!

I think I almost died yesterday. And no, i'm not exaggerating like I was with the mini-bombing. This one is serious. I was taking a shower, and just as I turned off the water and started to step out I heard a CRACK and saw a huge flash of light, followed by a bunch of smoke and burning rubber. I threw a towel on and ran to the other side of my apartment (yeah, a whole five feet away).

I called my Namo about it, super shooken up and we called an electrician this morning. After closer inspection, the entire wire was burnt, including the tube connecting to the shower head and the wall where the two connect! If the water had still been on, I would have fried!

The electrician came today and I got a stern speech about how I can't overindulge in 10 minute showers. Wait. How does one overindulge in a 10 minute shower. If by overindulge you mean putting shampoo in my hair and shaving my left armpit, okay....but how do you expect a girl to wash and condition her hair and shave everything that's got to be shaved in under 8 minutes. (yes, he told me I have 8 minutes tops unless I want to get fried like an egg).

Maybe it's time I invest in a gas shower. Personally I'd rather get blown up in a gas leak than fried in a shower.

Bus Drivers' Death Wish

I am terrified of public transit in Rio. Hell, I am terrified of ALL transit in Rio. I have always preferred to be a driver over being a passenger, but I don't even think I could stomach driving in this city.

The worst has to be the buses. And the later you get on a bus, the crazier the driving is. It's a safe bet that if you board a bus at 2am in Zona Norte, you can make it to Copacabana by 2:30am at the latest...that is, if you don't fly off a cliff on the way. I get that the driving style is different here, kind of like a video game. That being said, I don't want to die on a bus full of strangers.

So what can be done? Well, in China, some bus drivers have to drive with a bowl of water suspended from the top of the bus. If they drive Carioca style, that water is going to be all over the ground at the end of their shift and someone is going to be unemployed. To top it off they are filmed, so no cheating allowed!

I can see how Rio bus driving can be a positive thing, like when I'm really late and need to be somewhere...but let's face it, even when you're late in Rio, you're on time.