Dennis Rodman
My being risk-averse, as my sports-car-racing friend Surya already knows, has thoroughly quashed any desire to go sky diving, bungee jumping, high-speed horseback riding, running with the bulls in Pamplona...apparently Dennis Rodman does not share such sentiments. The ex-Bull ran in conjunction with an online casino´s efforts to raise funds for multiple sclerosis research. ($12,000 not bad, huh mamacita?!)
Today I had my first tryst with the bittersweet goodbye that I must bid to my dear Buenos Aires: I terminated my cell phone contract. I spent the day packing and trying desperately to speed read so that I can leave
White Teeth behind and make room for
East of Eden in my baggage. Tonight is my second-to-last class with Sergio...too bad this cold has left a bone-numbing ache in my right knee. I refuse to skip class!
"More than kisses, letters mingle souls." John DonneHappy weekend to all...
Trippin
A weathered, young Bolivian walking down a seemingly endless dusty road in the desert, on his quest to discover the sea for the first time; a tiny hippy adorned with hot pink leg-warmers and big funky sunglasses; an adorable blonde whose country upbringing allowed her to drive ferociously on the unpaved, curvacious roads; a castle at the foothills of the Andes purchased by an eccentric American and transformed into a hotel and restaurant.
There’s not much I can say to do this trip justice. We ate pate and rabbit empanadas, met a slew of interesting souls, discovered ancient ruins and saw larger-than-life cacti. My skin was thirsty the entire time, but we all returned to Buenos Aires with a sun-kissed glow. The trip was well worth it, but photos are the only way to depict this enchanting region in the north of Argentina. (I also posted some pics from this last weekend, spent celebrating the end of the semester. Sergio, the kickboxing instructor I rave about, has finally made the blog!)
And now, some pearls of wisdom that had me laughing:
From the glossary section of Hemp Masters: Ancient Hippie Secrets for Knotting Hip Hemp Jewelry (A volume owned by Dana, it supplied much entertainment in our radioless car).
Bunk: bad, not worthy, a section of cord.
Hip: the portion of a square knot created when a vertical cord passes over 2 horizontal cords OR a body part. Also someone loved by all.
Heavy: a reference to the weight/size of cords used in hemp jewelry, OR of one’s ex-mother-in-law. Profitable. Something that blows your mind.
Style: type of jewelry OR a haircut. A hip line of clothing- to be in or out of style (who cares?)
Dig: to understand or like something (I did it). What the boss tells you if you are “dirt pilot.” (Kelly’s comment: what in the world???)
Freak out: when in trouble, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout. A bunk expression of human emotion.
Funky: a style of music, a haircut, something unusual, a verbal description of anything that makes you go hmmmm.
Hippie: a human being.
Man: a slang word for the human species
Om: a mantric, Hindi word. Om is where the heart is, there’s no place like Om.
Stash: a special supply of material, a special place.
Trip: to go somewhere, to think (trip on this), not understanding how something works (Wow that’s trippy!)
Truck on down: walk, run or ride to a desired destination.
AND- for those of you who are interesting in some of the other titles published by Eagle View:
“The Technique of Porcupine Quill Decoration.”
“Shinnin’ Trails: A Possible Bag of Fur Trade Trivia.”
“Making Indian Bows and Arrows…The Old Way.”
“Hair of a Bear: Campfire Yarns and Stories.”
“How to Tan Skins the Indian Way.”
My own personal title, to be released around December of 2007, inspired by our Salta adventure and many picnics along the roadside-
“New Adventures in Cutting Hard Cheeses, Fruits and Vegetables Using a Butter Knife.”
GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU WHO ARE TAKING THE BAR!
she's hungover
Our last day and Dana was in pain thanks to the American castle owner's hospitality...
fahpretty
This is in the actual city of Salta...
con rene
His travel companion was "Jaguar," a cute dog that he found on the road about 3-4 years ago. They've been together ever since.
ruinas
Our guide, santiago, was about 77 and he was one of the only people living in the village. He showed us the way to the ruins.
interweaved
This landscape makes me want to see U-Turn again...
baby lambs
This photo is dedicated to my mama and the baby lamb she had when she was a girl...
sergio, pero sergio
Speaks for itself.
our fruit stand friend
Our saturday ritual: yoga, fruit stand, pearl smoothie...
con george
George is our waiter and friend at the Peruvian place we frequent. (The fish brochettes are OUT of this world).
Danacita!
A going away party that got outta control
Dada
Girls night at our FAVORITE restaraunt... "Dada."
blog suspended
Note to all my avid readers (approximately all three of you), I am off to the north of Argentina tonight with Cait (the desert strewn Salta/Jujuy region, in the Northeast near Bolivia). The blog will be on hiatus for about a week, but I just had to share some fun photos and a hilarious passage out of the book I'm reading..."White Teeth" by Zadie Smith (A Caridad Clark rec).
Preface: a conversation between a Muslim and Christian, both English patriots who fought in the first world war:
"I'm a Muslim," said Samad, pushing a plate of pork away. "And my Rita Hayworth leaves me only with my own soul." "Why don't don't you eat it?" said Archie, guzzling his two chops down like a madman. "Strange business if you ask me." "I don't eat it for the same reason you as an Englishman will never truly satisfy a woman." "Why's that?" said Archie, pausing from his feast. "It's in our cultures, my friend...maybe deeper, maybe in our bones."
group shot
Big pimpin' J-a-y style...
ciudad
Nueve de Julio is one of the widest streets in the world.
with my girl annita and the handsome kevin
opera bay
believe it or not, this is a boliche (club), designed after the Sydney Opera House...
the hostess with the mostest
Amanda- thank you for sharing your incredible fam with us!
the day before exams start
This weekend brought better health, the ballet, and a delicious strawberry-coco smoothie with pearls. My mom has been vociferously complaining about the lack of variety in the pictures that I post, which have mostly consisted of posed portraits of nights out on the town. Even though I’m going to continue posting mementos of those alcohol sodden nights, I thought I’d finally post a pic of the stange building that houses my school.
Happy July 4th! I’ll be taking an exam and wearing a coat, what a travesty. The Verve, Remixed- Vol. 3 is DEFINITELY worth checking out.
(You'll notice my posting rate increases around finals. A girl will do anything to avoid studying. Fargo was a nice break yesterday, I forgot how crazy that movie is).
kelly at the fac
"fac" being, la facultad...the school
scaled to a peso, a bit smaller than a quarter
It's always like prom night
for our mamas
"she got it from her mama" (Does ANYONE rember that song?)
Our oh so generous visitors
Amanda, seated with her mom and uncle Jay.
At the ballet, 4th row
The breaking of a peppermint patty and ballet slippers tap, tap, tapping on a shiny stage are two of my favorite sounds.
loco for...peanut butter (told you so!)
I was not kidding around when I mentioned the discarded voices in this city...I'm not the only one desirous of "healthy" peanut butter (I'm talking about natural pb, basically crushed peanuts with no hydrogenated fats. If you haven't tried it go get a jar of Laura Scudder. Jiff will do nothing but clog those precious arteries!)
I'm a member of a listserv for American ex-pats living in Buenos Aires. Usually the emails are about new hot spots in the city, cultural events, English-Spanish language exchanges, tango lessons, apartments for rent, ultimate frisbee, places to spend (a fireworksless 4th), etc. This recent entry had me laughing out loud!
PEANUT BUTTERcategory: peanut butterYesBA discount: 7 pesos (imagine paying 7 DOLLARS pb)Contact person: Pheun DietContact Info: 4247-8438Details: There is Peanut Butter in Buenos Aires! Phew. I scoured the city for six months and found none, then I found a health-food company that sells amazingly delicious honey from Patagonia and I explained to them that they really need to make peanut butter if they don't want to torture foreigners. And now they do.-call the number above for delivery, locations, questions or email pheundiet@yahoo.com.arI like how the poster/postress took for granted that all foreigners want peanut butter. I hate to admit it, but Americans stand alone as pb fanatics. Most Europeans agree with the Argentines that the thick spread isn't as yummy as our mamas taught us...
For anyone in need of a peanut butter fix who happens to be reading this and is living in Buenos Aires: you can find peanut butter in China town (barrio Belgrano) and in the mega super-store, Jumbo (barrio Palermo).
