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!

WINE for the WINO

Chico and I went to a little pizza/empanada restaurant last night for a bite. We ordered vino tinto de la casa and the waiter actually opened it, poured it into a glass for Chico, and had him taste it first. This is a 3 pesos bottle of wine! I am so impressed (while slightly amused)!
I am going to miss wine the most when I eventually leave Argentina. No where in the states would you be able to buy a 3 pesos bottle of GREAT malbec. That's right... good wine is actually cheaper than a bottle of aqua sin gas. This is the one thing I don't feel guilty about purchasing when I'm low on pesos in my pocket. So I'm off to buy another bottle. And for those of you who will notice what time I'm posting this... so what?

MOVIE UPDATE

We can't find the DVD we rented. So now I am going to have to pay 30 pesos for a movie that never worked in the 1st place.

OH DEAR GOD, THERE IS FLAVOR (and Jesus) HERE!

Cancun Mexican Restaurant in San Telmo (on Defensa near Chile). Sweet mother of Jesus. They actually use spices in the food. This is heaven... absolute heaven!

On another note, I finally made it to Tierra Santa. This is something that shouldn't be passed up by any tourist/expat. I understand that it is supposed to be taken seriously, and I sincerely apologize for offending anyone, but come on! This is brilliant (I'm acting British again). I still am under the impression that the man who designed this theme park was taking LSD for a week straight. The giant (18 meters high) Jesus that rises every 30 minutes is magnificent! The people who sit on benches and applaud this are magnificent. Something like this would be a complete flop in the US or the UK. It says something about the different cultures for sure. On our way out though, we saw a couple coming in on a very obvious (and nervous) first date. I don't know if I would have proposed to Chico, or never talked to him again, had he suggested this to me on our first date.

I'M REALLY TRYING HERE.

Yesterday was a long work day. All I wanted to do last night was rent a movie, put on my pj's, and have a glass of wine before bed. We walked down to the movie rental store after dinner. I really need to describe this for those of you back in the states who only have had the "Blockbuster experience".
There is a little, tiny video rental place down the street. They keep it looked at all times (apparently had a little bit of bad history there), so you knock and if you look nice enough they buzz you in. They have DVD and VHS movie covers lining the wall in no particular order. So you go through them, pick one out, and ask the guy at the front desk (who I must emphasize is the nicest man) for the movie serial number. They go into the drawer behind the counter and pull out your selection. Then you pay the 4 pesos charge when you return the movie. Great deal. Easy enough.
We rented the DaVinci Code. A complete knock-off, blatantly pirated version, of the DaVinci Code. There was no sound until the 3rd scene and even then it skipped so many times we finally turned it off.
If this had only happened once, or even twice I would just chuck it up to bad luck. But this is the third time. All I wanted was to watch a movie!

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT, MATE!

How is it that I moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina and most of my friends are English? So instead of picking up Spanish, most of my vocabulary now consists of British slang. Last night I found myself describing someone as being a total legend although it seemed this person had been on a quite a bender. Bloody hell, it just gets worse. We happened to be at a rather dodgy bar but the chopps and monkey nuts were good. So good that I was rather pissed when we called for a cab.
Chico, on the other hand, told the cab driver "Bueno" when he stopped the car in front of our door. Chico paid him, was thanked, and then responded with, "No, por favor". He is doing SO much better than I.

Summertime and the livin' is easy

God, I love summer! Having lived in San Diego for 4 years, I got used to it being 73 degrees, day after day, no matter what season you were in. But the nights would get chilly and I would always have to bring a sweater out. Last night Chico and I strolled down to Plaza Dorrego for a chopp of Quilmes and to listen to some Tango. It was so warm I was able to wear shorts and a tank top (I have to forgo the flip flops... too many cockroaches scurrying around). The weather was perfect! I haven't seen any signs that Christmas is around the corner though, except the Christmas tree in front of Jumbo. This will be my first Christmas away from home. I guess as long as I don't see reminders of what I'm missing, I won't be as homesick...

Took a walk down Chile in San Telmo the other night, and on the door of Chile 672 was a movie poster for the film (appropriately titled) Chile 672. Has anyone heard of this? Where is it playing other than the film festivals that I've already missed?

And finally for the big news...
I got a job. The wonderful thing is that it involves working with utilities/energy which is something I have done previously. I'm enjoying it- especially the part that I work from home and can make my own schedule. Also having done this before makes it a little easier to get (and stay) motivated.

Chau!

TIERRA SANTA? THANKS, I THINK I'LL GOLF INSTEAD

Awhile back, while I was still living in beautiful San Diego and Chico was already in Buenos Aires, he phoned me to tell me he was going to Tierra Santa, a religious theme park. I cannot fully express how great I thought this was, and how badly I wanted to go the second I arrived. I had Chico describe the entire park in great detail on numerous occasions which only quantified my want and need for Tierra Santa. So time went by, I moved to Buenos Aires, and the perfect day fell upon us. We convinced our friend, Mark that this was going to be fun and dragged him out of bed early one Tuesday for the cab ride across town. The cab dropped us off in front of the Pearly Gates that separated us from the giant statue of Jesus rising out of a plastic mountain every 45 minutes.

It was closed.

We swallowed our tears and went golfing.

Golfing Argentina style:

1 broken golf club (club literally fell off mid-swing)

2 finger wags ("No-no, Chico")

and

4 attempts at collecting bar tab ("La cuenta? Si, si").

We'll try Tierra Santa next week.

WEEK 2 OF NO INTERNET

There are a couple things that I've wanted to write about all week. Unfortunately until now, I haven't had a chance. I came down with a horrible sinus infection last night and feel like I got ran over by a bus. I'm home alone, not a darn thing on TV, no couch to lay on, and I'm almost out of Kleenex (which, by the way, has anyone heard of Kleenex con aroma??? This is the most brilliant invention EVER and until I came to AR, I had never seen it). So please excuse this post if it seems a bit all over the place...

Last Friday we went to a new Cuban Cigar bar called Gran Vega. This is a beautiful spot in Palermo... a bit on the pricey side, but worth it. I strongly suggest ordering a Ron Collins, a Montecristo cigar, sitting back on the leather couch, listening to some Cuban music, and snacking on fried plantains and olives.

Chico and I had Thanksgiving at our apartment for a few friends. We ordered a turkey at our local poultry shop, and went to Jumbo for everything else. This was our menu: turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, rolls, cranberry sauce (we found cranberry sauce!!), creamed corn, and apple strudel for dessert. Despite getting the turkey frozen solid the day of, not having a temperature gage on the oven, and never cooking Thanksgiving dinner before, I think it went pretty well.

And to top off a pretty good week... my best friend just booked her ticket to come visit us in January.

And now I really need to watch TV.

Buenos noche- chau!

3 TIMES A WEEK= ONCE A WEEK

No... I really have so much to write about, it's just that my laptop decided to stop connecting to the Internet. I have no idea why and no idea how to fix it, so until I can find a computer repair shop (preferably one that speaks English and won't cost me millions of pesos), I am forced to beg Chico for use of his. So... my Argentine readers... if you have anyone you can recommend, I'd be eternally grateful!!

Well, it was bound to happen. Chico has decided to join the blogging. I'll include his link on my list of favorites, but just out of obligation.
No... actually, I'm interested to read what he views the challenges and joys of living in Argentina are.

We just stopped by Jorge's and decided to try something new. Mil hojas. It is a dark brown pastry which seemed molasses or cocoa flavored, a little dulce de leche, and covered with meringue (picture above). When Chico asked him what it was called, he explained it to us and said that while the dessert is called "a thousand layers", his doesn't have quite that many. Maybe 800 or so.

The man never ceases to amaze me!!

STENCIL GRAFFITI

This is one of the largest stencils I've seen yet at roughly 1 and a half feet long and 1 foot high (located in San Telmo). I have walked by this particular building every day for the past 2 months and noticed it for the first time the other night. And while I'm not quite sure what it means, I could take a couple good guesses.
These stencils are used by artists, advertisers, and activists rather than the 15 year old street punk that many people would seem to think. I have seen all different kinds, from advertising a local newspaper to promoting safe sex to a comparison of GWB to Mickey Mouse.
I have heard that stenciling emerged in BsAs around the time of the economic collapse of 2001. It probably has been around much longer, just not to the extent that it is now.
I should note that this practice is illegal in Buenos Aires. Most stenciling is done either at night or during one of the protests/demonstrations taking place elsewhere in the city.
I happen to really enjoy the wall stencils. I find some funny, some sad, and all thought provoking...

SIDEWALK ETIQUETTE - part 2

You might be on the 2nd or 3rd floor balcony of your home. But there are people who are on the sidewalk below you. This means you DO NOT toss dirty dishwater, or any other liquid, outside. This also means you DO NOT sweep garbage off of your balcony to fall on pedestrians below.

SIDEWALK ETIQUETTE

I live in the beautiful and historic neighborhood of San Telmo where the streets are cobblestone and the sidewalks narrow.
And by narrow, I mean NARROW.
And since the vast majority of people who walk on these sidewalks have never heard of the sidewalk etiquette, I am going to post a few highlights:
1) When in a group of 3 or more and stopped for whatever reason, please step aside from the middle of the sidewalk to allow others to pass by without themselves having to step into the street (as residents know, this is EXTREMELY dangerous to do with the buses from hell and the motorcycle mafia sharing the roads)
2) Pregnant, elderly, and disabled people should have the right of way.
3) When smoking on the sidewalk, it is not nice to flick your lit cigarette butt at passerbys.
4) When walking your dog, please carry a plastic baggy to pick up your dog's poo from the center of the sidewalk.
5) If walking with a friend(s), it is courteous to step aside and pause your conversation for a moment to allow others to also pass on the sidewalk.
6) If you like to walk with wide steps and arms spread out, please refrain from doing so if passing someone else.
7) Do NOT litter!! This just makes an already dirty city even dirtier!!

CORRECTION

I realized I posted something false. Actually, it could be true, but since I don't know for sure, I need to retract.
Des Nivel's meat man is Jorge. Not the singing waiter. The singing waiter could be named Jorge, but this piece of information has not been verified. In any case, I still love Jorge the meat man at Des Nivel and I still love the singing waiter who might be Jorge at Des Nivel.

RANDOM POSTS SINCE IT'S BEEN AWHILE

I'd like to say that the reason I haven't posted in so long is because I was travelling. Or found a job. But the truth is I got lazy this week. I was busy... in a way. My days did seem to fill up pretty quickly. So here are some of the things I've done and thought about doing for the past few days:

First of all... I went to my first Boca match. OH MY GOD. That is really all I am going to say until I try it one more time. Chico is trying to find out if he is a Boca or a River fan (and goes to both quite often) and this time he thought it would be fun to sit in the "absolutely insane" section. So after 6 elbow jabs to the skull, various bodily fluids flung onto me, and my post 12 hours of deafness, I think I'd like to check out River Plate.

Finally entertained some friends at our house... we have a beautiful patio that we need to use more. So the other night we had 6 guests for wine and hors devours before we went out for dinner. I had such a nice time... Oh- and we ate at Abril in San Telmo. Pretty good.

Spent a day in Palermo on Monday (combining work and play) and searched in vain for a coffee table. I never realized how important that piece of furniture is! I really want something cheap and nice... considering making on myself but with how busy my days have been I just don't know how I'll fit that in!! :) But anyway, Pompeya doesn't have anything close to what I'm looking for, so I thought I'd try those unfinished furniture shops. Nada.

Went to Chinatown the other day. And here is something for American Expats: Supermercada Casa China. Our shopping basket included 3 bottles of ranch dressing. And they have tomato juice. Oh yes, it is true!

Had my first solo (without the help of any friends) conversation in Spanish!! I stopped to get a choripan for lunch the other day. Jorge, our meat man recognized me and I actually surprised myself with how much I understood and was able to say. Which is still next to zero, of course. But it lasted about 10 minutes, which was pretty cool. Which reminds me of 2 subtopics:

... how much I love every single Jorge I meet. There is Jorge the meat man (Chico thinks he wears the only visor in the city. That is a somewhat strange observation to me, but he may be onto something here), Jorge the baker (who is open today after taking a vacation last week and us being in Uruguay the week before), and Jorge the waiter at Des Nivel. Who, by the way, is in the Lonely Planet guide. I need his autograph before I leave here!!
...how much I love choripan. How can something so relatively simple be so extraordinarily good?

Bue 2006!! Starts today and I have tickets for both days! I am so excited!! Mostly for the beastie boys, amadou et mariam, and dj shadow. I have no idea how I am going to stay awake for this- dj shadow doesn't go on until 2:30AM!! I'm really interested to see the venue. Not sure if it is inside or outside (guessing outside?) and whether or not they will sell drinks (water at least).

So that's my week summed up in a few paragraphs. I'll work on being more diligent in the weeks to come.
Chau for now!!