There was a bat in our apartment building last night. It was walking up and down the stairs and wanted to give me rabies.
It didn't.

WHAT'S EATING ERIN GRAPE?

I can deal with mosquitoes even though I suffer allergic reactions to their bites. My arms and legs are spotted with red dots the size of (US) quarters which are swollen and itchy. I can deal with the random cockroach that finds its way into our house and chases me throughout the rooms until Chico can dispose of it. I can deal with houseflies that are just a nuisance and nothing more. What I cannot deal with, are whatever species of insect that bites me hard and deep enough to leave puncture wounds which scab over almost immediately and leave the area numb for a few days. What are these things???

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR FLOORS IN BSAS

First you are going to need to sweep the floor. This is done with the same broom that is used to rid your balconies of bird poop, cigarette butts, dirt, and random pieces of trash that are blown onto it. Then fill a bucket full of water. Add pink liquid soap and mix. Dump entire bucket of water onto the floor (don't worry about moving furniture out of the room). Use a squeegee to push water out of room and preferably onto pedestrians below.

JAZZ in BUENOS AIRES

The reason why I love Jazz is pretty simple. It is so diverse. You can listen to it at a Friday night cocktail party. You can listen to it Sunday morning in bed. It fits the mood if you are happy and full of energy and also fits the mood if your sad and want to mope around the house. Chico and I found a Jazz club on Boliva in San Telmo last night and loved it. For 6 pesos, you get entry into the club plus a drink. The club itself was small and intimate with all the tables set up with candles and the walls decorated with pictures of the jazz greats. We ordered tapas of brouchetta and milenesa de mozarella which were quite good. The band, Tercer Ojo Quinteto (www.tercerojoquinteto.com.ar), was excellent. I definitely see myself going back. Possibly tonight... and tomorrow...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

It's definitely been awhile since my last post. I didn't realize how long it had been. I guess with the holiday season I have some excuse. Christmas was wonderful here. Very quiet and non commercialized (unlike the states). We had a nice dinner at our friends house, exchanged secret santa gifts (I came home with a "make your own bead key chains" set which I cannot figure out despite the fact it is geared towards 5 year olds), and took a walk through the neighborhood. We spotted several dead pigeons which I suppose died of heart attacks from the firework display the night before. No severed fingers and arms which I did expect to see from watching the neighborhood kids play with fireworks the night before.
New Years Eve was also quiet. Question: How can you tell a gringo on New Years Eve? Answer: They are the only ones to show up at parties before midnight.
It's been WARM here! Yesterday it reached 40 degrees! Chico and I tried to escape the uncomfortable weather by seeing a movie. Unfortunately all the theaters were closed, so we ended up at the Alamo instead. It is a beautiful day when you have breakfast, lunch, and dinner in 1 sports bar. At least they have air conditioning.
And other than that, it is visa renewal time. We have friends traveling to San Juan, so we are going to try to meet them for a bit and then head into Santiago, Chile.
Best wishes to all in 2007!