FINALLY

I went to a DC United tailgate today organized by NAKID. And by tailgate I mean I did not leave the parking lot for the entire game. Why would I, when there was free food and beer? Who needs a soccer game when you've got that?

The highlight, though, was not the five kegs of Coors Light. Two tents down from us, someone had hung the flag of Cordoba province with the words, YO AMO RIO IV. I quickly spotted someone in an Argentine national team jersey, and kept my eye on him. About an hour later, I got a chance to talk to him, and, sure enough, he was from Cordoba. He complimented my Spanish (a bit generous of him) and, surprised that I knew of the town from which he came, gave me a free t-shirt. It's an XL, but who cares? FREE.

After the game ended, and Rob finished cooking burgers, we headed to H Street and hung out at The Pug, where I got free cheeseballs and saw a homeless man passed out in the men's room. It's an up-and-coming neighborhood.

Yawwwn

I got home at 1 this afternoon, after leaving the hostel at 5 PM EDT yesterday. I took the subte to the shuttle office, took their bus to the airport, stood in line after line at Ezeiza, got into Atlanta at 6:30, went through customs, landed at BWI at 11, took the shuttle to the train station, got on the MARC at 12, switched to the metro at Union Station, and then walked to my apartment. Then I slept.

I forgot how much Ezeiza sucks. I stood in line to check in, then moved to another line to pay the departure tax, then went on to passport control, then through security, then lined up to go through a more invasive security to enter the gate, and then finally lined up to board.

Luckily, I had an entire middle aisle to myself to stretch out. I managed a couple of hours of sleep, which is amazing for me on a plane. I had enough energy to go through the customs process, which: what is the point of being a US citizen if I can't breeze through passport control? That line was ridiculous.

Damn height-related discrimination!

Proof that St. Patrick's Day is getting more popular in Buenos Aires...bar owners and party organizers are getting more serious about their plans:

Need a midget and/or dwarf type person for acting role. Role is to be a Leprechaun for St. Patricks Day party. Future work possible during Christmas.

Location: Palermo
Compensation: 1 peso per cm
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

And I got an hour back!

I walked down to Palermo viejo yesterday to do some shopping. It was another day of God-awful humidity, when it can't decide if it is humid enough to rain or not. I walked down calle Armenia, where the trendy shops suddenly stop and a huge Armenian church appears. Across the street from the church is a cultural center that houses a restaurant and tango classes for the public. Looking in a guidebook here in the hostel, it says the neighborhood is populated with "Buenos Aires' large Armenian Jewish community." I had to read that sentence a few times to make sure I hadn't missed a key word between "Armenian" and "Jewish", since, well, I don't think all of the Armenian Jews in the world would be enough to be considered a "large" community. (Wikipedia tells me there are 750 Jewish people in Armenia. Frankly, that's more than I would have thought). Anyway, I suppose the author of that section missed the huge church that takes up one side of the block.

For dinner, I went to a cheap parrilla in San Telmo, and then walked back to the hostel with a few people. We stopped to listen to some live music at a bar on 9 de Julio, and had a few beers while there. Eventually, I, as is customary on this trip, ended up back in Palermo Viejo where people were lining up down the block for some bars. Absolutely ridiculous.

Anyway, a good night, and now I'm off to walk around some more.

Sabor clasico!

I was a typical American today. Faced with a need for coffee and lunch, I happened upon a Starbucks and went in. I wanted something fast and cheap, and this had the additional benefit of providing strong coffee to go. I bought a sandwich of chicken salad made with hearts of palm and salsa golf.

Later, I was in the mood for ice cream, since it was about 88 degrees and humid out. I went into Galerias Pacifico to see if my favorite heladeria was still there. It was not. In its place, horrifyingly, was a Freddo, the Ben and Jerry's of Argentina. Figuring I may as well go to McDonalds, I walked down Florida and bought a dulce de leche McFlurry with Cadbury milk chocolate pieces. Amazing. I chatted with an older gentleman who appeared to have come to the McDonalds to watch the news, and listened as he ranted against the president and her husband. I am not a fan of either, so that was cool.

We just had a BBQ on the upstairs patio, so I had lots of meat :) AMAZING!

Ojo de bife!

Just got back from a night out, at the early hour of 4:30 (yes, that is early). Had a good steak with fries for dinner, and then some beer and a drink called crisis de identidad, with Gancia, Cachaça, orange juice, and sugar. Good stuff.

I learned some things about my companions tonight. One of them, a gentleman on spring break from college, took an extra-long break by taking his exams early. How did he manage that? He told his professors that he was coming down here to do volunteer work. Since he gave two pesos to a kid today, he thinks that fulfills his obligations.

I also learned, from someone who works for the company, that no alcohol is permitted on Exxon ships, as a result of the Exxon Valdez. When asked if drinking was a factor in that incident, he said, "it was part of it." From now on, whenever I do something sort of dumb while under the influence, I plan on yelling, WELL, AT LEAST I HAVEN´T CAUSED A HUGE ECOLOGICAL DISASTER TONIGHT. I advise you all to do the same. Unless, of course, your evenings often end with you dumping oil on baby seals, in which case, search for another man-made disaster that was probably caused by drunken folk. I´m sure there are many.

Ahhhh

I arrived safe and sound this morning, and, after a nap, went out to enjoy the city. I'd forgotten that I ate more salad when living here than I have at any other point. My study abroad semester was when I learned to love beets and hearts of palm, and both are more often included in salads here than at home. I also had an empanada, which, I must say, puts Julia´s to shame (and I like Julia's). I don't pretend to be able to only eat from local restaurants, as the Starbucks has already gotten my attention (five years ago, the only way to get a coffee to go was from one of those machines like they have in offices) and McDonald's is advertising what appears to be a McFlurry with Cadbury. I'll be trying that.

SDST?

As I'm heading off to the Southern Hemisphere, I'm going to have the opportunity to go through four time changes in two weeks, while only being in two time zones! Of course, we switched to DST on Sunday, and then I switch to Argentine time (currently 2 hours ahead of EDT), THEN, I go BACK to standard time in Buenos Aires THIS Sunday, and, finally, back to EDT when I return to DC.

Daylight Saving Time has a spotty history in Argentina. The country didn't observe it the last time I was there, and, in fact, hasn't on a regular basis since 1972. The last time the clocks were turned forward in that era, they were never turned back, so the nation was on DST from then on, with occasional periods observing Super DST (+2 hours ahead of standard time). On Sunday, they'll be moving from SDST back to DST.

Yeesh

I'm headed to Argentina on Wednesday, and so was doing some preparatory reading today. I think this guide may be a little out of date:

Currency
"The official Argentine currency is the Peso which is on a par with the US dollar and fluctuates with it. There are notes of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 pesos and coins of 1, 2 and 5 pesos, and 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 centavos.

$1US = 1.00 PESO"

Please note:

"After much deliberation, Duhalde abandoned in January 2002 the fixed 1-to-1 peso-dollar parity that had been in place for ten years. In a matter of days, the peso lost a large part of its value in the unregulated market. A provisional "official" exchange rate was set at 1.4 pesos per dollar."

I cannot wait to see how President de la Rua is doing.

21 days!

Well, I've found one must-see place for my return to Argentina! From Frommer's:

Best Restaurant for Kids: Garbis, Scalabrini Ortiz, at Cervio (tel. 11/4511-6600), is an Armenian restaurant chain, with what one British expat friend of mine loves to call a "jumpee castle" where she can bring her kids. The best one is in Palermo Soho, and adults can eat in peace while the kids entertain themselves on the indoor playground.

Seriously, if they had this in the US, I probably would have eaten some Armenian food besides pilaf as a child.

On an unrelated note, I've realized that Georgetown's collapse this season is not due to talent, coaching, or luck, but rather to my return to the University. You see, I was part of the lucky class of 2005, whose 4 year career at Gtown was sandwiched between two Sweet Sixteen appearances. What occurred in between? Well, my freshman year, the then-coach declined an invitation to the NIT. The next year, he accepted it, and they lost in the finals. My junior year saw the Hoyas make the impressive achievement of not making the Big East tournament. Nothing of interest happened my senior year, but there was no NCAA appearance.

Hoya Saxa, everyone!

Yayyyyy!

After debating with myself for some time, I purchased plane tickets to Buenos Aires today! I'm leaving in March for a week, and am very excited. It's been five years since I was last there, and this'll be my third time in Argentina. It'll also be the first time going strictly as a tourist, as my first trip was for a six-week high school exchange program in the middle of nowhere, and my second was a semester in Buenos Aires with a study abroad program in college. I cannot wait!

I have a bed!

No longer must I treat my one-bedroom like a studio! I can now use ALL rooms!

I took today off for the box spring delivery (and, of course, to celebrate Peronist Loyalty Day). Now I'm off to do some shopping. And demand the release of any jailed politicians.

¿Dónde Están? UPDATE

Once again, the Argentines are making their presence known in the neighborhood. They are using the sidewalks to announce their arrival to those of us in the know. At least, they're hoping we'll think they're Argentine.
Check out this picture of the sidewalk near the Chico's:

Someone has clearly carved out part of the concrete in the shape of the Argentine Republic. He must be very proud of his Argentine heritage, correct? NO, SIR, HE IS NOT.
Why?
Take a close look at the image above, compare it to this map below, and see if you can find what's missing.
That's right. Whoever did this "tribute" did not include the Malvinas. Why not just burn a few hundred Argentine flags while you're at it, buddy?
Because I hold such a strong love for this wonderful nation, I have made my own version:

¿Dónde Están?

Each of the past three mornings, I've walked by a small group of men sitting outside drinking mate. Now, I loves me some mate, but sipping a hot drink through a metal straw on a 90 degree day oddly doesn't sound appealing. I was curious as to where these gentlemen were from, since this is the first time I've seen outdoor mate drinking outside of South America.
Well.
On the way home tonight, while walking a scant few hundred feet from where these men had been sitting this morning, I noticed that someone had carved BOCA into the sidewalk. Clearly, our neighborhood has been infiltrated by the Argentines. I have but one complaint:
WHY HAVEN'T I BEEN INVITED TO ANY ASADOS?
Must I parade around with my Argentine flag? My soccer scarf? My Quilmes shirt? My camiseta de la selección? Should I drive around, blasting Los Fabulosos Cadillacs? Should I take my own mate and thermos to the streets? What does it take?

DISAPPROVE

A little quiz:
How many oceans are there? If you're, oh, 22 and over, I'm guessing you said 4, meaning the 4 that God intended there to be: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic. Well, that, apparently, is wrong. It has come to my attention, via my smartass cousin, that there is a FIFTH ocean, the "Southern." It's meant to be the southern version of the Arctic Ocean, but I guess the powers-that-be didn't see that the water in said "ocean" is already in a SEPARATE ocean. The Arctic is an entity unto itself!
How was this decided, you ask? According to that bastion of truth, Wikipedia, 68 nations were polled, 28 responded, and 27 of those approved. NOT ENOUGH.
I am quite upset about this. The whole Pluto thing didn't much bother me, but this does. I'd just like to give a shout-out to Argentina, the one nation to stand up for the natural order of things. ¡Aguante Argentina!