Stranger in My Blood

“But here, absolutely everything conspires to keep me staring into the dark.”
–Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun

This was my feeling when I first arrived—learning the subtle movements and navigations of Buenos Aires I needed to see me through. Not only did I need to learn the literal language, I needed to learn the other [...]

I Can Read Your Mind

I am the maker of rules, dealing with fools; I could cheat you blind.
A glimpse back to my childhood thanks to Jonatha Brooke.

Cacerolazos and Campo Protests

Tuesday found me starting into the ink black space outside our apartment. The sky was turning from purple black to obsidian. A few homes were lit from within, but for the most part it was quiet. People were slowly returning from beach vacations during the Semana Santa and “Pascua” Easter vacation.
Begrudgingly [...]

F.F. Coppola and “Tetro”

I’ve started reading the Argentine news, which is a promising sign. I can gather about 75% of what the reports say in writing. (Still having difficulty listening–especially to dialects from the rest of South America.)
Today the news reports that Francis Ford Coppola will start filming his current film endeavor entitled, “Tetro,” about two Italian brothers who [...]

Secret Lives of Dogwalkers

 

This is a statue from the Recoleta cemetary. The girl and her dog would be apropos for my gravestone. That is…when I get a dog. It’s also apropos since this city loves dogs so much. I think we must live next to the premier dog lovers’ park. The dog walkers bring their herds of dogs [...]

Salvation and Skyscraper Beacons

I got a little lost yesterday. I decided to take a long walk to a neighboring village called “Las Canitas.” It is a smaller, more quaint area from the city center. I hesitate to call it a suburb, but it seems like a quieter place to raise a family. There is much more hustle in [...]

Shameless Agouti

To give you an impression of scale, here is a photo of me and the agouti. I haven’t seen any agoutis on the street, but I’m sure they live in the wooded areas of the city.
The past week I’ve been trying to study Spanish, but I have found that what I know on paper does [...]

Green Parrots in the Trees

I mentioned green parrots when I first arrived. I kept hearing them squawk to one another in the lean pines outside the apartment, but I wasn’t completely convinced I was right.
I’m a novice bird watcher, so I don’t have complete faith in my bird hunches. My happiest ornithological moment was stalking the elusive kiwi at [...]

San Telmo and the Street Fair

On Sunday, E. and I visited the street fair in the San Telmo neighborhood. San Telmo is closer to the city center than Palermo is. It’s a little grittier than our area, and the buildings are more quaint and short. The architecture hearkens back to the 19th and early 20th centuries. Supposedly, the city’s rich lived here [...]

Red Pandas at the Coming of Fall

I used to have a children’s book that had pictures of red pandas. I have had a fondness for them ever since, but I never get to see them since they are nocturnal. Lucky for E. and me, this one woke up just as we came by to visit. (Photo courtesy of E.)
We visited the [...]