I know it's been a while since my last post, but I'm still alive, and blogging, albeit with less regularity than normal. I'd been hoping to stay current on this thing, but that has been easier said than done.
Okay, here's a catch up what's been going on:
Work has been incredibly busy, and has been keeping me fully booked M-F and occassionally on weekends, mainly because I'm really the only guy that does what I do, which means I'm doing a lot what I do... but it's okay though, because I do feel that I'm making an impact now.
One bummer is that I still don't have Cable or Internet here in the apartment, and the HR guy is taking forever to get it done. I'm a bit disappointed to say the least. It just makes it aggravating, because sometimes you really do need the internet to provide information and not just for watching videos on YouTube.
Spanish - I'm getting a bit better at it, although my coworkers keep telling me I need to acquire a horizontal dictionary (a chick) to coach me through some of it.
The Gym - I tried to join this one reasonably nice gym, nothing spectacular, and they said it would be $400 US per month (1300 pesos) and that there's a two month waiting list. So I said forget it.
What's next? It's hard to say what lies next for me. At the moment, I'm leaning away from staying down here past the 6 months, as I just don't think this is my thing... at least not doing what I'm doing now. But, who knows, I still have 15 weeks left down here, which is enough time for a lot of decisions to be made.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Emapanada loving
I don't know what it is, but those crusty little hot pocket-esque creations are just the perfect lunch time snack for days you're in the mood for something quick and easy. Yes, they are lovely, and you can get nearly as many different styles. So far I've had
Ham, Ham & Cheese, Cheese, Cheese & Egg, Egg & Beef, Beef, Chicken, and Vegetable... and I've found a place that advertises over 30 different types... like a freakin' Baskin Robbins of Emapanadas!
On a different note, I'm thinking about starting my Nanowrimo a little early this year and actually finishing a novel. Unsurprisingly I'm going to title it "BA - Doing the Dogshit Tango" And I want you, my loyal readers to help me decide on the start! Let me know which choice you want:
- I couldn't remember why I had ordered the liter of cheap Argentine swill that my subtly attractive waitress sat down infront of me... I was too distracted by the rent-a-cop scratching himself while standing guard at the overpriced apartment complex across the street.
- Once again I found myself in a cab that smelled of some combination of gasoline, smoke, puke, booze, and pine fresh - no wait, that's the cabbie that smells of booze. Thank God. It means I won't have to worry about sitting in a wet spot.
- I've never been a good dancer, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I mis-stepped and planted my foot squarely on top of a giant pile of freshly deposited poodle poop. Once again I'd failed at the doing the Dogshit Tango.
So, let me know if you like choice 1, 2, or 3!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Paraguayan hookers, Liberally Drinking, and High Security
So, this is a triple-combo blog... Maybe I should have labelled it "Sex, Drugs, and Guns"... Nah, this is fine as is.
SEX: No I didn't have any, and not with a Paraguayan hooker... but, I did meet a Paraguayan hooker, named Maria who works over at a bar in Recoleta. She was definitely cute and was trying her best to get me to subscribe to her services, but as we all know, I'm not that sleezy! I had the most interesting conversation with her though. I basically got her talking about what it's like to be a prostitute, why she came to Argentina, and the business model she uses. She only spoke Castellano, so here is my best attempt to have understood her.
Why a prostitute in Argentina? She has a kid, and was working as a secretary in Ascuncion for almost nothing, and didn't really see a way to better her life. She decided that she needed to move to a more prosperous country (Argentina) and to learn English. So, she moved here, took a job as a waitress, and started taking classes. Unfortunately she didn't feel she could make ends meet this way for her and the kid. So, she did what she thought was best, and started pimping herself out. She says she can make about $50-100 on most nights, and still have the day time to play with her kid and take English classes. It's a tough way to make a living, but it's a Mother's love.
The Business Model: This was the most amazing part for me. She doesn't have a pimp and generally works out of the same bar. She pays the bar a small amount each night for using them as the store front, and gets a drink or two in return. She does have to agree to try and get her customers to have a drink or two before they leave. That sounds easy enough right? Nope, there are over 100 other girls working that same bar every night... the competition is intense, and she has to rely on her extraordinary good looks, aggression, and modest English skills to win her customers... sometimes, she admitted, she even has to lower her prices and bargain to find a customer. One way the girls save money is that 15-20 of them will share a group of hotel rooms or an apartment that they can take customers to. This allows them to cut the overhead of using rent by the hour hotels... often though, they apparently tell customers they have to pay for the room. This is a bit of double dipping, but it's good they are taking advantage of the Gringos.
I felt really bad for this girl, and gave her 50 pesos for the conversation. At that point she offered me a favor... I declined saying it was for conversation only. It looked like her competitors wantd to kill her... I hope they didn't.
DRUGS: Well, not really, but booze none the less... Turns out that every Thursday at Sir Will's Pub on 678 San Martin ther is a group of like minded liberals that drink a few and enjoy the conversation. It's really fun and I've met some great people. Including one who has a website that is really great: http://yanquimike.blogspot.com. I recommend any Democrats (or anyone really) to check out his site, and to stop by if they are in BA.
GUNS: Here at the BA Sheraton, there must be a major VIP in our midst. Security has been high, and there have been heavily armed men (full combat gear, M-15 assault rifles, masked faces) all over the place, an ambluance on call, and several police cars all over the place. Today, while walking down the side walk I noticed 5 policemen on motorcycles pulled out, followed by aobut 7-8 black sedans with blacked out windows, each with a military looking escort... when they left, they performed a scrambling pattern, each heading out in different directions. I assume this was to make sure no one could definitively follow them. I'm clueless as to who it could be. But here's my guess: Alvaro Uribe (or another Columbian higher up). Why? The guards were all much darker skinned and definitely did not have an Argentine accent - it sounded vaguely like those I heard in northern South America though. They were extranejeros as well. They also had US firearms, and we all know Colombia is a huge buyer. Finally, I could only see a Colombian official needing that much protection - Uribe has really cracked down on FARC and the drug cartels during his time as presidency. That's my bet, anyone know any better?
SEX: No I didn't have any, and not with a Paraguayan hooker... but, I did meet a Paraguayan hooker, named Maria who works over at a bar in Recoleta. She was definitely cute and was trying her best to get me to subscribe to her services, but as we all know, I'm not that sleezy! I had the most interesting conversation with her though. I basically got her talking about what it's like to be a prostitute, why she came to Argentina, and the business model she uses. She only spoke Castellano, so here is my best attempt to have understood her.
Why a prostitute in Argentina? She has a kid, and was working as a secretary in Ascuncion for almost nothing, and didn't really see a way to better her life. She decided that she needed to move to a more prosperous country (Argentina) and to learn English. So, she moved here, took a job as a waitress, and started taking classes. Unfortunately she didn't feel she could make ends meet this way for her and the kid. So, she did what she thought was best, and started pimping herself out. She says she can make about $50-100 on most nights, and still have the day time to play with her kid and take English classes. It's a tough way to make a living, but it's a Mother's love.
The Business Model: This was the most amazing part for me. She doesn't have a pimp and generally works out of the same bar. She pays the bar a small amount each night for using them as the store front, and gets a drink or two in return. She does have to agree to try and get her customers to have a drink or two before they leave. That sounds easy enough right? Nope, there are over 100 other girls working that same bar every night... the competition is intense, and she has to rely on her extraordinary good looks, aggression, and modest English skills to win her customers... sometimes, she admitted, she even has to lower her prices and bargain to find a customer. One way the girls save money is that 15-20 of them will share a group of hotel rooms or an apartment that they can take customers to. This allows them to cut the overhead of using rent by the hour hotels... often though, they apparently tell customers they have to pay for the room. This is a bit of double dipping, but it's good they are taking advantage of the Gringos.
I felt really bad for this girl, and gave her 50 pesos for the conversation. At that point she offered me a favor... I declined saying it was for conversation only. It looked like her competitors wantd to kill her... I hope they didn't.
DRUGS: Well, not really, but booze none the less... Turns out that every Thursday at Sir Will's Pub on 678 San Martin ther is a group of like minded liberals that drink a few and enjoy the conversation. It's really fun and I've met some great people. Including one who has a website that is really great: http://yanquimike.blogspot.com. I recommend any Democrats (or anyone really) to check out his site, and to stop by if they are in BA.
GUNS: Here at the BA Sheraton, there must be a major VIP in our midst. Security has been high, and there have been heavily armed men (full combat gear, M-15 assault rifles, masked faces) all over the place, an ambluance on call, and several police cars all over the place. Today, while walking down the side walk I noticed 5 policemen on motorcycles pulled out, followed by aobut 7-8 black sedans with blacked out windows, each with a military looking escort... when they left, they performed a scrambling pattern, each heading out in different directions. I assume this was to make sure no one could definitively follow them. I'm clueless as to who it could be. But here's my guess: Alvaro Uribe (or another Columbian higher up). Why? The guards were all much darker skinned and definitely did not have an Argentine accent - it sounded vaguely like those I heard in northern South America though. They were extranejeros as well. They also had US firearms, and we all know Colombia is a huge buyer. Finally, I could only see a Colombian official needing that much protection - Uribe has really cracked down on FARC and the drug cartels during his time as presidency. That's my bet, anyone know any better?
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