Archive for November, 2008

Bags O’ Milk

“Hey, how many bags of milk do we have left?” is a question you commonly hear in our apartment.
Milk in Buenos Aires comes in two types of containers: milk in a box, or milk in a bag. Tom and I used to buy the milk in a box. It is pasteurized regularly [...]

Amaranta — Above and Beyond

You want proof that people in Buenos Aires are insanely fabulous? Well read on…
Amaranta, the restaurant where we broke bread for “El Dia de la Accion de Gracias,” or Thanksgiving, is a weekly brunch haunt for Tom, Ian and me.
While perusing the Thanksgiving menu during one such brunch visit, we mentioned that our kids [...]

Thanksgiving in BA…Better than Canada

Last year, we were in Victoria, BC for Thanksgiving and had a traditional meal at the Empress hotel. Sad to say, it was a subpar meal, as this homage to turkey excess goes.
This year, we were joined by Ian in Buenos Aires for Thanksgiving, and we had a great meal at a nearby local [...]

Tales from the Tiki Lounge

Unfortunately, “we gotta get outta this place” has become a frequent refrain from the three adults living in this apartment. (The girls love it here — there is no accounting for taste.)
HIGHLIGHTS:

The refrigerator has two settings: “not cold enough” and “freeze everything in your refrigerator.” I can’t find a spot in between, though [...]

That Was Hard — No Really!

Tonight we had our entire meal delivered.
First, we called a local hole-in-the-wall takeout joint called La Rotiseria. They brought us a rotisserie chicken with lemon wedges, mashed potatoes, mashed squash, and a salad (shredded carrots, lettuce, rice, thinly sliced onion and tomatoes). We put some of our homemade salad dressing on the latter [...]

Marco…Polo

We rubbed elbows with the elite and attended a polo match! Okay, we bought seats in the cheap, sun beaten bleachers, so I don’t know how much elbow rubbing we did…but we had fun!
The girls enjoyed it, but in truth, it was so hot, they spent most of their time playing under the bleachers [...]

It’s Time for a Knee Update!

Don’t worry, I won’t be flashing pictures of my pasty white gams!
Prior to our arrival, my knee had been improving steadily since surgery, but it hadn’t received the day in and day out punishment I was going to be dishing out in Baires. When I first got here, the huge amount of [...]

February 2009 Apartment Update

Good news, we have a home when we return to Baires in February…a home for two months anyway!
There is a reason for the two month rental: furnished apartment rents are through the roof here — crazy expensive — and, I believe that travel is going to be way down next year due to a worsening [...]

Paradigm Shift — Together!

With neither of us working, our sabbatical is supposed to be an opportunity for Tom and I to do more together.
That sounds easy, right?
Well, it’s not as simple as I thought. It really requires a phase shift in thinking — surprisingly. You see, once you have kids, everything is planned for time maximization, [...]

Where Appliances Go to Die…

…and other evolutionary dead ends in the home.
This place is a wonder of old fashioned technology. Pictured to the left is the light switch/maid switch combo that is located in the bathrooms. One switch turns on the light, the other buzzes the maid in the kitchen. (I’m not sure why you would [...]