July 29, 2005, 6:46 p.m.
And then there were three.
After weeks of what can only be described as radical fun, Beth departed yesterday. :( We were sad to see her go; the house feels quieter now. I know I will certainly miss her comedy routines, unabashed enthusiasm and endless generosity. My most vivid memories of her from this trip are: walking in the rain while she let me use her umbrella because I was cold; twirling around the dance floor at the salsa club we went to, making fun faces at me while she was dipped by the older gentlemen she was dancing with; and sinking down on the make-shift futon at Jeanette's place while laughing uproariously at her stories the very first day I arrived. It was fun, Beth. THANKS FOR COMING!
On an entirely different note, I would like to mention at this juncture two things which have been on my mind: first, a recognition of and a moment of silence for the victims of the recent terror attacks in London - both of the London bombings, as well as the explosion in the resort in Egypt. I don't know how to express it any better, but I feel for the families of those people. In one day, one instant, their entire lives were changed. I'm sorry for them. I want also to tell you about ICE numbers. Worldwide, police are requesting people to enter an ICE number (ICE stands for In Case of Emergency) into their cell phones, so that they can easily contact someone in case you are the victim of an attack. This is easy, and a good idea, especially for those who live in target cities (NY, Paris, London, Rome, etc.).
Secondly, there is currently a movement in the U.S. to fire Karl Rove. I am sure most of you have heard of him, but I just wanted to clarify in case you haven't: Karl Rove is a bad, bad man. He outed a female undercover CIA operative, just to get back at her husband, who had written an article about the war on Iraq. At least one agent has been killed in the aftermath, because this agent's entire operation has been compromised. Besides just being a low-down, rotten, despicable thing to do - outing a spy on your own side - it is also totally and completely ILLEGAL. It is actually on the books as treason. It is actual, real, unequivocal treason and he should NOT get away with it. Just to put it in perspective, if they wanted to empeach Clinton for getting head, then Rove should go down for indirectly ASSASSINATING at least one member of the CIA. Anyway, regardless, I think this is an important story to follow, and I just wanted to mention it. We have a chance here to put public pressure on this administration to fire one of its most slimy, underhanded, shameless, two-faced, lying, cowardly, mean-spirited, evil conspirators, and we should take that chance and run with it. Karl Rove is the wizard behind the curtain in many ways, and getting rid of him would be a big step. MoveOn.org is putting together a slogan contest, to see what should be the catch-phrase we can all use to insist that Rove goes down. My current favorites are: "Treason is not a family value. Fire Karl Rove." and "Getting rid of Rove: It's not just a good idea, it's the law." After deciding on a slogan, MoveOn will hire professional graphic designers to come up with a poster that members can print out and put up all over the country. MoveOn is grassroots, motivated, determined, and effective. It has brand recognition (people know it by name), money (from MEMBERS so it is not compromised), organization, and creativity. It is currently 3.5 million members strong, and growing. You should all join.
OK, enough politics, back to things that really matter: cheap shopping and good restaurants - Buenos Aires! We've been having lovely days of sleeping in, doing something for the afternoon, coming home and taking a nap and/or watching a movie, and going out. Highlights include:
• Walking OUT of a cheesy, expensive tango show at Bar Sur (never go there if you come here - the "charming" checkered floor doesn't make up for the ridiculously-priced drinks, less-than-thrilling dance moves, and out-of-tune guitar-playing) and INTO a fantastic, free one at El Balcón, where not only did we get treated to a couple of real dancers with creative choreography, but I was even invited (ok, cajoled) into dancing on the stage myself. (They invited like two or three people from the audience to come up and try). I don't think the man I was dancing with was expecting me to know how to do anything, because he kept making very surprised noises and turning me like crazy.
• Dinner at ølsen, that fusion scandinavian-argentinan restaurant I mentioned. It was very, very fancy - I think I spent a whopping 50 pesos, roughly $17.50 for a glass of fancy mineral water, wine, an entrée of filet of breaded trout with wasabi mashed potatoes, and chocolate soufflée for dessert.
• Getting very, very happy at a happy hour where the drinks were 2 for 1, where, as Emily pointed out, "If we spent $10 here that would be six drinks!" We had mostly caipriñas after I argued with the bartender over my mojito (apparently they make them differently here, so when I told them I didn't like it, they were offended - until I mentioned that I'm from Spain (that was easier than explaining the whole thing) - and they taste different there. I was amused to note that their explanation was "Claro, porque la menta esta distinto allá" (Clearly, beacause the mint is different there). I was like, whatever, just give me a caipiriña. Caipiriña, btw, is the national drink in Brasil, and is essentially a mojito sans the mint and with lemon instead of lime.
• Watching Old School and Down With Love, and drinking tea with my girls. And being warm. Being warm is great. The apartment is warm now.
• Going to the artisan market in San Telmo on Sunday afternoon. We got beautiful art photographs, hand-knit scarves and shawls, and hand-made jewelry for not very much money at all. I can't tell you how good it feels to buy something from the actual person who made it - how good it feels to put money into the very hands of the skilled craftsman who has created something beautiful for you. You are supporting people, not corporations, and I love it.
• Getting sushi and drinks while listening to jazz at Mundo Bizarro, one of the trendiest resto-bars in the city. Although to be honest, we couldn't really figure out why it's such a chic, happenin' spot: the venue felt cramped, the service was slow, the sushi was small, and the jazz was recorded. Maybe the red velvet walls makes up for it, but we remained under-impressed.
• Going shopping and finding a store which all stuff that fits me - I got 4 skirts and 2 tops for $25 - all really nice, fancy stuff. Actually, I'm rounding out my wardrobe quite nicely - I found a pair of jeans which fit me, Beth gave me a new scarf, and I've bought lots of fun new lingerie.
• Going to tango again and admitting that I do, in fact, have somewhat of a crush on one of the instructors, and admiring the sheer HOT-ness of that dance. At the beginning of the "lesson" the six couples who then become instructors dance at least two songs while everyone gathers around. It's like a show-off period, and God knows these people have something to show off about: they are all young, beautiful, make-you-catch-your-breath, hot dancers. OK not all of them but there are at least two couples that are truly extraordinary.
Other observations on Bs.As.:
• You have to weigh your fruits and veggies here the same way you do in Geneva. This is annoying if you get all the way up to the front and they send you back with your lone red pepper. Head bowed, you scurry back to the produce section to have the lady tappity-tap on her machine, affixing the necessary sticker while you admit that yes, you were that lame foreigner who didn't even know how the bananas work.
• For a city in an economic crisis, there sure is a lot of construction going on here. DAMN, it's like every other block there is scaffolding to renovate the side of a building or new sidewalks being built or potholes being filled in. This, let me just tell you, also means that there are constantly construction workers to give me crap when I go jogging. Welcome to Latin America.
• You never, ever have to wait for a taxi here. And apparently, as we found out from talking to one of them, the drivers don't actually own the cabs. Someone else owns them, and the driver has to pay that owner a certain amount to drive it for the night. So if he pays him 50 pesos, whatever fare he receives over 50 pesos is how much he actually receives. And tipping is, apparently, not really a custom here. If a taxi ride is 5.40, we always leave 6 pesos, and people tend to be very appreciative. In general, we've been tipping well here. Share the wealth, I say.
In honor of Beth's departure, and courtesy of Emily's e-mail, I submit the following in lieu of a language spot:
All too rarely, airline attendants make an effort to make the in
flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining.
Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:
1. On a Southwest flight (SW has no assigned seating, you just sit
where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time
choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not
picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"
2. On a Continental Flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew,
the said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and
will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to
enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."
3. On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your
belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's
something we'd like to have."
4. "There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways
out of this airplane."
5. "Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed
giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."
6. As the plane land ed and was coming to a stop at Ronald Reagan, a
lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"
7. After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis,
a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced, "Please take care
when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, I'm sure as hell everything has shifted."
8. From a Southwest Airlines employee: "Welcome aboard Southwest Flight 245 to Tampa to operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the
buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you
don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public
unsupervised."
9. "In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend
from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your
face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask
before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite."
10. "Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds,
but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Southwest Airlines."
11! "Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and, in the event of
an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."
14. Heard on Southwest Airlines just after a very hard landing in Salt
Lake City the flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was
quite a bump, and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it
wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight
attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."
16. Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing:
"We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."
17. An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had
hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the Passengers
exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline." He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the
passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart
comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?" "Why, no, Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"
18. After a real crusher of a landing in Phoenix, the attendant came on
with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain
Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt
against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we'll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal."
19. Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to
thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the
insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of US Airways."
20. Heard on a Southwest Airline flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you
wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing and if you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."
21. A plane was taking off from Kennedy Airport. After it reached a
comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over
the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, nonstop from New York to Los Angeles. The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight. Now sit back and relax... OH , MY GOD!" Silence followed, and after a few , the captain came back on the intercom and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier. While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!" A passenger in Coach yelled, "That's nothing. You should see the back of mine!"
