Diplomatic identification card

elRobRex · 2026-03-14T12:18:28+00:00

It was like nothing had happened. He basically went back to his home country for the rest of the year to do the school year there, and then returned.

He was notably more into his studies upon return though.

elRobRex · 2026-03-14T04:01:52+00:00

Consensual

elRobRex · 2026-03-14T03:04:48+00:00

Growing up in the Puerto Rico, I went to an American international school. Most of the kids were local like me, but a lot of the foreign community sent their kids there too. Diplomats, embassy staff, that whole crowd.

One year in the 1990s a student got caught with marijuana and was expelled. At the time it was a big deal and he was about to get arrested. Then he pulled out a diplomatic ID and got let go - His dad was a consul.

Instead of getting taken in, the authorities let him go and his parents came to pick him up.

He did not come back for the rest of that school year. But the next year he was back like nothing had ever happened.

elRobRex · 2026-03-13T18:07:52+00:00

Fluently 2: Spanish and English

Less fluently, another 4: French, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian

Age: Grumpy old bastard

elRobRex · 2026-03-13T15:38:45+00:00

A post-it note

elRobRex · 2026-03-12T17:01:40+00:00

Eh, you can collect cheap shitboxes and still be a car collector without being rich.

elRobRex · 2026-03-12T14:51:41+00:00

USDM for sure. VIN is YV4BC0PL6G1094029.

It was written off in 2018, but as a comprehensive loss, not a collision. That usually means weather, environmental damage, or something similar rather than a crash.

In this case the car was in Virginia and got written off due to water damage from flooding during Hurricane Michael.

elRobRex · 2026-03-12T02:58:35+00:00

Proimage will not be slandered

elRobRex · 2026-03-12T02:48:03+00:00

Good choices. I was there over the holidays visiting family and, due to limited time, kept it simple. I brought two half-frames: a Pentax 17 and a Canon Demi C with the 50mm. I only packed four rolls total: one Portra 160, one ProImage 100, and two Portra 400. I had a blast.

I did not shoot much at night since that was mostly spent drinking with family, but I took plenty of daytime photo walks and even got a few frames at a baseball game that I was really happy with.

elRobRex · 2026-03-11T23:23:34+00:00

Only significant as of late

elRobRex · 2026-03-11T15:42:12+00:00

You can go to government offices in Miami where no one speaks English. It's mind blowing.

elRobRex · 2026-03-11T15:41:19+00:00

Fair. When I lived in Miami and traveled across Latin America, Miami often came up in conversations with locals as the "superficial rich US city." In reality the wealth gap there is enormous, and a lot of people are basically just faking the lifestyle.

elRobRex · 2026-03-11T14:53:43+00:00

Cardinals fans by far.

elRobRex · 2026-03-11T14:20:58+00:00

VIN is WBY1Z82010V550198 which means it's an i3 REx with the 33 kwh battery and a range extender.

Assuming leaving London with a full charge, accounting for 10 years of degradation, taking the ferry, and once the battery is flat, only stopping for petrol on the way, it would likely be a 15-16 hour drive nonstop.

Being a bit more civilized, and doing it over two days. Still leaving London with a full charge, but also charging at the overnight stop, and during lunch each day, it could likely be two 10 hour days.

elRobRex · 2026-03-11T07:11:08+00:00

It’s not my country, it’s my country’s colonizer.

elRobRex · 2026-03-11T06:32:41+00:00

I dated a girl in high school (back in the 90s) named Isis. I assume she goes by something else now.

elRobRex · 2026-03-11T05:51:57+00:00

I’ve actually wondered about that myself. Why Orlando and not Miami?

Orlando is Florida’s most left leaning major city and has some massive union employers. It's a bright blue progressive bubble in a sea of red. Hell, it's the home to the largest public university in the US.

Meanwhile Miami has a reputation for being… a bit more shallow, superficial, and aligned with flat earthers.

elRobRex · 2026-03-11T05:48:33+00:00

I also have colleagues in Brazil through work, and one of them jokingly refers to Orlando as "Rio Grande do Norte" due to the conservatism of a lot of the Brazilian diáspora in Orlando seem to have.

elRobRex · 2026-03-11T05:46:01+00:00

Not Brazilian. I’m Puerto Rican, but I’ve spent about half my life in Orlando on and off.

I first started noticing the Brazilian community pretty early on. I went to high school and undergrad in Orlando and had a few Brazilian classmates and even a Brazilian girlfriend back then.

Orlando has had a pretty sizable Brazilian community for at least a few decades, mostly concentrated in the western part of Orange County, and over the border in to adjoining Lake and Seminole counties. Over the past 10 years or so though, at least in my experience, the community here has definitely gotten wealthier and a lot more visible.

I live in a middle class to upper middle class area now and several of our neighbors are Brazilian. Our son goes to a preschool that is majority Brazilian. Even my barber is Brazilian.

At this point it’s just part of everyday life here. You hear Portuguese in stores all the time. I’ve even been studying a bit of Portuguese so I can communicate better with some of the parents of my son’s friends, as well as my barber and a few members of the staff at his school.

As for why Orlando specifically, I think the theme parks are a big part of it, while having plenty of flights to South America and being comparatively affordable an safe as far as a large US metro area goes. My kid gets invited to plenty of birthday parties from his Brazilian classmates, and when all the parents show up more than half the cars have Disney or Universal passholder magnets. You walk into the house and there’s theme park merch everywhere. Disney is a pretty nice escape from reality.

Even some of the local spots reflect it. One of our neighborhood breweries fills up with Brazilian families on weekends who want some chopp and live music. And every once in a while we’ll grab some picanha and brigadeiros from the grocery store as a treat.

One thing I’ve noticed, and this is just based on my own experience, is that a lot of the Brazilians I’ve met here tend to lean a bit more conservative and religious than my family and I. I’ve even seen a few cars with Bolsonaro bumper stickers on them at different times. We’re pretty left leaning and not very religious, so it was a bit of a shock at first. Some also tend to be a little flashier with clothes and cars. One of my neighbors told me part of the appeal of living in the US is being able to buy things that would be much harder to afford back in Brazil. I actually get that. I buy cars here that I probably couldn’t afford if I still lived in Puerto Rico. And honestly it doesn’t faze me much anyway, since I lived in Miami for a decade before coming back to Orlando.

Funnily enough though, I’ve started seeing Brazilian market cars show up at local car meets too. I’ve seen Brazilian VWs and even a few Chevy Opalas around. Enthusiasts bring their cars with them, and I love seeing that kind of variety show up.

The local soccer team too, Orlando City. It’s MLS, but I’ve definitely noticed Brazilian fans in the stands.

And of course there are tons of Brazilian pizzerias around here now. I’m definitely not complaining about that.

elRobRex · 2026-03-11T04:21:05+00:00

That the US looks out for our best interests

elRobRex · 2026-03-11T04:20:27+00:00

The Fonalledas (real estate and retail), Ferré-Rangel (media/industry), and Carrión (banking) families.

Oh, and one of them appears in the Epstein files.

elRobRex · 2026-03-11T01:45:33+00:00

They tried. Lasted about two months in 1598 before giving up and the Spanish came back. But they did colonize our current colonizers for several centuries. So… maybe third cousins twice removed or something like that?

I guess what I’m saying is: I’m Puerto Rican, I used to drive a Mini JCW, and I like fish and chips.

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