let the beauty you love, be what you do.: October 2008

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Located in the southwest barrio of Mataderos, this Argentine fair is held every Sunday where local and foreign alike gather to celebrate all things Argentina. I've hit this feria up twice now, and each time has proven to be a sensory "wow". This past Sunday on the 50 minute bus ride over, I asked my neighbor if she knew how close we were...she wasn't sure, but 2 minutes later, she sniffed the air and said, "Ah, we shouldn't be too far off. You smell that?" I wasn't quite sure what she meant, and she went on to explain how the air in the area of Mataderos carries a unique scent, "It smells of dead animals- from all of the livestock killing that goes on in these parts...." Although I was unable to smell the bloodshed (thankfully,) my senses were on overload as I reentered that bustling market...I saw a colorfully clad llama, came real close to devouring a salchicha sandwich (total regret,) did about ten rounds of dulce de leche testers, and purchased three wooden spoons, a dream catcher and some mate. A divine day it was.

un shoutout pa mi sposita.

Interesting how many "homes" one can acquire over time...and bundled up with each of these experiences of home are those smells, tastes, and feelings that can only and will ever only be associated with that one unique place, and in many cases, in that one unique time in your life-- something you can never quite translate to someone who wasn't living it right then and there. Having Colleen on my side these past 9 months was the greatest blessing...from the hard knocked days in the favela to the swanky nights out in Buenos Aires...we've lived a few South American realities and I'm gonna have to say, "We done good." Last Wednesday my "sposa" (short for esposa meaning "wife" in Spanish) bussed it across the Andes to Valparaiso, Chile, where she is now living with those inspiring godparents of hers, Rob and Jude, for a few months while working at their restaurant. As for mua, I've got one week left here in Buenos Aires, and then I am off to Patagonia for a few weeks, to breathe a fresher air and cleanse 6 months of city from my system :) And then? Well, it seems that I will be back in Brazil sooner than I had planned...her coastline is calling me. But more on that later...

Me & my sposita.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

merrymaking

Let me share with you some of the swell times recently had prior to my wife's departure...

Birthday dinner with the girls at Miranda.

My sposita & I.

Colleen & buddy Mateo.

James, Col's family friend of many years, stopped over in B.A. on business and we were lucky enough to meet up with him for dinner at Osaka and a rooftop party in San Telmo...

Dinner at Osaka (Japanese-Peruvian fusion.) Perhaps some of the best food I have ever eaten in all my life. This round of tapas came out up in flames...

No hay palabras...

The lovely Yessica.

Becca, Grego, Mariuxy, Johanna & I at Sugar.

Becca, Col, & I with new Aussie friends at Il Ballo de Mattone- a favorite spot here in P.Hollywood.

Adrian, Col & I.

Me, Romuald, Mathieu, & Adrian at Conga.

Yessica, Julieta, & the Spositas at rooftop terraza party.

Una noche lindaaaaa.

cumple + despedida

The festivities have been in full force these past few weeks...my personal favorite gathering being the shindig we threw at the apartment- a feliz cumple to me and a goodbye to Coller :( All of our bestest friends were in attendance and spirits were on high. Makes it hard to think about leaving these people I have grown so close to these past six months...

Julie, Colls, & Juliets do their thang.

Robin, Becca, Durban & HB.

La profesora Julieta & her students :)

Jenni, Mathieu, Juancher & I.

I met/gave Don & Marie massages the night before- fabulous couple just recently relocated to B.A. for a while (I knew I liked these guys when Don asked me post-session, "You wanna stay and have a caiparinha w/us?!") Marie and HB (Becca & Durban's friend from Portland) really hit it off- "He's my brotha from anotha motha!" she kept shouting...