Actually, It Came as Four

The bad luck yesterday, I mean.

After my difficult day, Rico managed to add a #4 to the list: his cell phone was run over by a car!

It was on his lap when we got out of the car, apparently, and it tumbled to the street without him noticing. Once in our flat, he couldn't find his phone, so eventually went back downstairs to see if he'd dropped it somewhere.

Rico found his phone a few feet from our car, its silicone cover full of dust and tire treads. The screen is completely shot - it looks like a black and gray work of abstract art - but miraculously the phone still works! Rico can't see anything on the screen, so no SMS's or making calls, but he can still receive calls without a problem.

Last night he said "o telefone tá que nem pai de santo: só recebe."

I tried to translate for our friend Lindsey, and realized this is one of the most difficult phrases to make meaningful for an American I've ever encountered. You have to go over a) what is a "pai de santo"; b) what does a "pai de santo" receive; and c) the fact that this is common knowledge in Brazil and therefore is a funny, easily understood comment.

Enfim...