Joey´s Arrival
Joey arrived today just in time to help me clear up my clogged toilet...bienvenidos a la Argentina! He came bearing gifts from Michelle: a slew of trashy magazines (by "trashy" I mean Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson, and Tom Cruise with Katie Holmes, what what?) and an adorable bohemian top. I really miss my partner in crime! Tonight we will celebrate
his birthday and await Hassan´s arrival...
Some recommended reading for today:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/23/AR2005052300599.htmlA fun one...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/22/AR2005052200963.htmlWhat will they think of next?
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/05/22/news/depress.phpThis could be good for those of us who don´t have health insurance!
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1116860646937_6/?hub=CanadaA funny site, my favorite is "Toxic Texan"...
http://www.bushbumperstickers.com/
Rosario
The people in Mendoza, the wine region, are so nice it's almost scary. I found another place where the previously mentioned statement is also true. Rosario is a city four hours from Buenos Aires and it sits right along the sleepy Parana river. I went with Caitlin on a one-night getaway and discovered this adorable little city, which is birthplace to the Argentine flag. We also discovered a modern art museum where some creative soul had made soap using human fat. The project required her to undergo liposuction. I suppose there would be no beauty in the world, hence no art, without pain.
(Pictures to be posted shortly when I regain some energy and when I recover from the embarassment of having realized that a complete stranger who happened to understand English had listened in on our scandalous story hour on the bus ride home...)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLIE (aka "Eshie") CLARK!
Pictures
I managed to post a few pics from Brazil. They are of the pousada that we stayed at in Buzios, a little resort town about 2 hours from Rio. It was amazing, but we forgot our tennis racquets so we couldn´t enjoy the courts. There was plenty of time for the sauna though! I like the picture of the doorway very much, Aurelien´s masterpiece. The entire place was full of interesting artifacts of all types. Even the immense front door was something to be seen. It served as a gateway to the beach, which was nicely secluded during this time of year.
Addendum
This entry serves as an addendum to the last one...at this point I was supposed to have finished my mid-terms, but a girl can`t be so lucky. Apparently the class had decided to change the date of the exam. Where was I when this democratic decision was made?
a) drinking coffee during the habitual "pausa" the class takes (even the professors step out for a cig)
b) skipping class (hey, can you blame me- it´s a three hour seminar, so far covering U.S. supreme court cases)
c) daydreaming about Brazil and how sunny it was there (a HUGE change from this rainy autumn that has overtaken the bustling city)
Fortunately for the ditzy foreign girl, the test was changed to next Monday. At least I didn`t miss it, but now I´ll have to take the test on the day that Joey Neugart arrives, the day that also happens to be his birthday, and the day before Hassan`s arrival.
I had a quiet weekend, made tapioca for our Saturday post-yoga, avocado-pearl smoothies. The highlight was on Saturday when our friend Bruno showed us how to water our house plant with the bidet. Caitlin and I don´t use it, so it became home to a little house plant. I suppose I was blinded to how simple it could be to water this plant just by leaving it in the porcelain structure. (Did that make sense to anyone besides me and Cait? Guess you had to be there...)
This week I am attempting Argentine feats of cooking- the first one being homeade empanadas. Tonight I will go to yoga- I need to create a reservoir of energy for when the boys get here next week. It´s gonna be crazay.
How did I live life without the show
Arrested Development (Hassan, I blame you for that blunder) and
Jurassic 5 (WHERE have a been? )??? I guess you can never cast that music net wide enough, there´s ALWAYS more to discover. How about Serge Gainsbourg´s
Bonnie and Clyde? (What, what Carlos and Peter?)
That`s all for now, from the south side...
Whose words are these?"The Problem with Humor is that no one takes it seriously."-Mark Twain
Test Time
After a brief hiatus, during which I ventured to Brazil to study for midterms on the beach and to see Aurelien, I have returned to Buenos Aires ready, mas or menos, to tackle these exams. I won`t be able to post the brilliant pictures I took in the land of samba, bossa nova, caipirinhias (i butchered that), and the best fruit you ever tasted because my computer is still under lock and key at Sony...waiting for a part to come all the way from Kansas, ughh.
We changed beds this past week. I moved from a tiny single to a queen with a down comforter. Feels like I`ve changed worlds. It`s nice to stretch out and sleep Aly-style ;) Too bad I finished
The Namesake (Thanks to Surya!)...I highly recommend it for those who like Indian lit, it`s one of those books that you deliberately read slowly because you don`t want to finish it without savouring every word. This weekend I will curl up in the new bed with more Abe George-recs (Just started
A Bend in the River, good stuff).
Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Argentina decided that not all acts of terrorism are considered "crimes against humanity." The jurists (I like that word) then went on to throw out Spain`s extradition request regarding an ETA member, accused of a car bombing in the 80s, currently residing in La Argentina. My friend Greg shared two interesting Argentina-related links that some of you might be interested in (you`ll have to do it copy and paste style because my eyes hurt far too much for me to battle with the blogger site right now!)
Foreign Debt Museum recently opened in BsAs:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050429/80/fhnl5.htmlRoots to Africa found...this from the lovely
Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/04/AR2005050402125_2.htmlColdplay has a new cd coming out very soon...anyone sure on the date? I guess I could look that up online, but see above, way to tired for that. A good sweaty vinyasa session will help me to relieve tension after my test today...my headstand is REALLY improving, but my muscles are crying out in protest!
Happy belated birthday to: MY DAD! and Amanda Rivers
