get together

just a quick photo from Alan's get together last Thursday night...

freezing cold, mosquitos and Japanese gardens...

So last Friday morning when I arrived at La Guardia, I was hit with the harsh reality of the NY winter. Wind chill factor 20 degrees. COLD!!!!. Thankfully I remembered where my car was, it was totally snow free and started like a charm. I spent my Friday freezing around the streets of NY. I finally bought a new digital camera, sent off some packages (it was snowing at this point), paid the rent and went out to for Indian food with Peter and Abby.

On Saturday, after brunch with Meliza, I headed out to JFK for my trip to Amsterdam. Of course my first trip back after two months would not be disaster free. We landed in Amsterdam with two blocked off toilets, one due to extreme flooding and one that had been puked all over. The glamour of it all. I spent my layover at my mom's place and was spoiled with home cooked dinner, tea, cookies and lots of Dutch goodies to take back down to Buenos Aires with me. Now that is glamorous.

Luckily, my second trip to AMS was uneventful (no pukers- although I did jam the wrong key into my friend's Annette's car in Rotterdam and had the whole neighborhood out on the street trying to get it out) and I jumped on a flight back down to Atlanta and then to Buenos Aires immediately upon returning to NY.

So let me tell you about this phenomenom. So somehow in the seven days that I was gone, Buenos Aires has been invaded and taken over by swarms of mosquitos. But these aren't regular mosquitos, they're kamikazi mosquitos- with one goal only, my blood. And by the looks of it, it's only my blood they're after. These mosquitos are fearless- they swoop in at 80mph and land on you by the dozens and swatting is futile. Alan and I actually ran for our lives through Palermo park on Sunday afternoon- laughing all the way of course- but damn, I was seriously afraid!! So my new daily morning ritual will be switching my Nivea cream for OFF and lathering up in the wonderful fragrance of DEET.

I finally got around to visiting the Japanese gardens here in Buenos Aires on Sunday. It was pretty cool, with carp ponds and lots of little bridges and paths. Of course I'll use any excuse to eat sushi and the Philadelphia roll at the sushi house was really awesome.

Anna arrived on Monday and I've been continuing my Spanish classes every day for two hours in the morning and spending my afternoons lazying around. I feel justified doing nothing now because I'm working again.. ha ha, although I have to say there was not that much guilt before either.

It's back up to New York on Sunday night for 4 back to back trips. I heard the weather is mellowing out up there. Oh yeah, and Abby just e-mailed me today to tell me there was a shooting down the street from our place in NY...great.

Alan is having a get together at his apartment tonight so I need to go get ready for that. besos

Bryan Adams

So I have officially been sucked into the 80's craze dowm here and went to a Bryan Adams concert last night. It was great!!!!! The stadium "Luna Park" is quite small for a concert hall and it was very cozy. We had seats in the 20th row right on the middle aisle so of course we rushed the stage. We were sooooooo close to Bryan I swear he gazed deeply into my eyes ; ) ha ha... just kidding. But we were THAT close. And I was so surprised at how many songs I knew, I think there were only two that I didn't know. Am I really a Bryan Adams fan and I just didn't know it?

It's been raining all day and so I am staying in, cleaning up and packing for tonight. I go back to work on Saturday and so am catching a flight up to NY tonight. I hope the temperature change doesn't kill me. It was 102 degrees here last weekend. And I hope I can find my car at the airport parking lot hidden under all that snow. I am excited to get back to work, go to Holland, and see my mom. And I'll only be gone for one week. That's the best part.

Rosario

Daniela (one of my best girlfriends) and her entire family were down in Argentina to celebrate her grandmother's 90th birthday. Her parents are originally from Argentina and left for the United States after her oldest brother was born. Alan and I drove out to Rosario (about 300 km away and the city where they are from) and spent the weekend there with them. How weird it was to see someone I know from California out here at the bottom of the earth in Argentina. And so much fun. They had rented out the large ballroom of a restaurant along the water and there was dining, dancing and even a mariache band. It was great to see her family again, her husband and daughter, all her brothers, their wives and kids, her parents and then meet all of her family that still lived in Rosario. Of course in true Argentinian style the party didn't end until 4:30 in the morning and even Ya-ya ( her grandmother) was up until then while most of the kids were passed out on chairs underneath suit coats.

The next day we all met for lunch and then went to a professional soccer game. The crowd was wild!!! The fans were going nuts and people were balancing on top of balconies waving flags and chanting local cheers. I have to say that the soccer itself was mediocre-and of course Alan reminded me that a Boca game (his team from Buenos Aires) would be a much better game. I think I prefer Ajax (ha ha), but don't tell any of the Argentines that.

On Sunday Alan and I explored the city a little and then hit the road heading back to Buenos Aires. I'm always happy when I'm heading back to BA.