From Bmore to BA

Six months have passed since my last post, so I’m not sure if even the site programmer will be reading this. But if I’ve long ago won you over with my acerbic wit and pithy observations of life far south of the border, perhaps on rare occasion you still breeze by here for a peek, longing deep down for my triumphant return to blogdom. (Clearly the offense of time has not extinguished any familiarity with the one universal truth of blogging: Thou shalt traffick in wildly excessive self-indulgence/self-importance /self-reference/self-anything)

I could make excuses for my hiatus…so I will. I’ve been busy and boring. I haven’t gone anywhere exotic (though a prevalence of snakes and bottom-feeders renders Washington, D.C. fairly jungle-esque). But I have been writing. Which brings me to the main purpose of this post - to explain that while the medium may have changed, the message remains the same. Though no longer blogging, I’m now a contributing writer to an online magazine. The magazine started off as a side project, largely for shits’n'giggles, for a guy from the Wall Street Journal and his friend at Wired. Two years later, it’s evolved into a full-time job for one of them, and hopefully soon (inshallah), the other.

Really though, I’m quite grateful for anyone who’s been kind enough to waste 10 minutes at work peering into my trials and tribulations since that fateful day - Sept. 8, 2005 - I arrived in Buenos Aires (note above truth), with the exception of my mother, who would choose to do so even after work. So if the bone-dry soul of your work-evading being needs a-drenching, look no further.

Thanks.

My articles at Gelf Magazine (the magazine I work for)

My fake-news article at Flak Mag

For those of you who couldn’t care less and just want to know the goods on Argentina, here’s a list of my Blogging Greatest Hits

Moving to Buenos Aires: Illusion vs. Reality

Buenos Aires on 30 Pesos a Day

Craig’s List: A Treasure Trove of all Things Good and Indecent

Droppin’ Some Knowledge Vol. 1: The Madres of the Plaza de Mayo

Droppin’ Some Knowledge Vol. 2: Argentina vs. Uruguay

Droppin’ Some Knowledge Vol. 3: Musicology (by far the most read of the series)

In [this country], red lights come in many varieties. A rare few actually mean stop. Others, to the driver, suggest different interpretations. At a pedestrian crossing at 7 a.m., with no pedestrians around, it is a “negotiable red,” more like a weak orange. At a traffic intersection, red could mean…full red, but it might, with no cars coming, be more of a suggestion than a command. It all depends.

“Obedience is boring. We want to think about it. We want to decide whether a particular law applies to our specific case. In that place, at that time.” This principle applies to traffic regulations, taxes, solemn laws and personal behavior. Everything is personal and open to discussion.

“Controllers and controlled have an unspoken agreement,” Mr. Severgnini writes. “You don’t change, we don’t change, and [the country] doesn’t change, but we all complain that we can’t go on like this.”

The above passages were taken from a recent book review in the New York Times. In this book, “La Bella Figura,” a local journalist tackles some of the idiosyncracies that he feels are most emblematic of his country. Do the descriptions remind you of anywhere?

[read on]

Editor's note: As I write this I'm sipping on a glass of Fernet Branca, Argentina's most popular liquor (nevermind that it's Italian - the only other factory in the world lies in the Buenos Aires province) I arrived back ... [Continue reading this entry]

I leave Buenos Aires tommorow night. Aside from running around day and night finishing up the interminable last minute errands, this past week saw a lot of positive developments unfold, resulting in one of the most enjoyable weekends of all my ... [Continue reading this entry]

No, really.  A friend of mine (another blogger in BA, what’s more) introduced me to the spot and I must say – Dios Mio can this place cook up a chicken. Having lived here almost a year now ... [Continue reading this entry]

    ¨When I Die I Want you to Play Cumbia¨ - by journalist Cristian Alarcón There are lots of unpleasant ways to have your ... [Continue reading this entry]

For those who haven't been keeping up with the World Cup and Americans, Argentina beat Mexico 2-1 yesterday with a dramatic goal in overtime, advancing to ... [Continue reading this entry]

"ME HUNGRY...heeheeheehee"

In Argentine Spanish, the Italian modifier "issimo" is often added to ordinary Spanish adjectives for exaggeration or emphasis. Add it to ... [Continue reading this entry]

Morning. I´m going to completely and utterly abuse my blog privileges by directing you towards these websites where I´ve just been published: What´s Up BA http://www.whatsupbuenosaires.com/news/news.php?ln=e  Road Junky  www.roadjunky.com Scroll down a bit on the main page and my article is on the ... [Continue reading this entry]

They´ll be no Corona and nachos at this May celebration in Latin America - well, at least not intentionally.

 

 

¨People of Zamunda...¨

photo from www.lanacion.com.ar

Today is the ... [Continue reading this entry]