A beautiful day in the neighborhood.

If this is winter, Buenos Aires, I'm in love with you already. I have been wandering around coat-free today, as has been possible on most of the days since we've been here. On the other days, I've felt totally comfortable in my winter coat or light jacket. Finally, the kind of winter I've been dreaming of my whole life.

It occurs to me that I've never lived in the city. Denver is as close at it comes, and I lived in the suburbs, not the city itself. I've visited many, but with just a few days in each one they were novelties to be enjoyed, not jungles to be survived. It's madness, really. So much traffic, most of which has no concern for the pedestrian in the crosswalk. I wanted to go running the other day, but realized that I would have to walk to the park to run, since it's impossible to run down the street when there are so many people out and about.

Nonetheless, it's pretty awesome. Within a two-block radius you can find several gyms, countless restaurants, a store that sells dried melon (among other fruits, but melon quickly became the most important), a couple of convenience stores (perfect for picking up a beer or alfajores), several specialty stores where we buy meat and quinoa in bulk to avoid the grocery store, and a grocery store.

Ah, the Disco. The other day, Brent went to meet up with a chiropractor friend of his and I went off to run errands and do some housework. I needed four things at the grocery store. Quick trip, right?

An hour or more later, I emerged and beelined for my apartment, not to emerge again for the rest of the day. It was impossible to compare prices, not only because the aisles are narrow and I spent most of my time getting out of the way of the millions of other people, but because the price tags are never under the appropriate product, if they exist at all. Exhausted, I got in line to checkout, where I stayed for the better part of the day as it backed up behind me. This was the middle of a weekday!

So I will try to survive on dried melon. I don't want to go back to the Disco again for a long, long time.