Look for me in the kitchen.

It's no secret that I'm not outstandingly domestic. I finally admitted to myself in college that I'm a bit messy, I hate doing dishes, and if you were reading this circa 2006 and the four Dutch kids, you know that I had as many bad days as good. But lately, I am cooking like a champ.

We are not without the expected hiccups, at least the hiccups Joel would expect after the bus cake fiasco of 1999, but in the last few weeks we have eaten pad thai, curry, split pea soup, hummus and guacamole by the bowlful, pecan pie, and accidentally fantastic squash with stir fry vegetables. Yes, once the hummus was too thick and yes, once the pad thai noodles were like rocks, but overall I'd consider my latest cooking adventures successful.

I suppose some day I will get a job, which seems to have its benefits, and then maybe I won't cook as often, but for now we are eating like kings.

Get out the vote.

The Argentine presidential election is this Sunday. I knew it was happening this year, as there are a lot of billboards and posters around the city, and the televisions ads have started, but I didn´t know it was on Sunday until someone in Spanish class asked the teacher. Maybe it´s because the campaigning feels rather mild here as compared to the US -- the TV commercials, for example, seem to be largely positive, each candidate just has one or two, and they´re not shown that often. There are a handful of candidates, maybe six or so, at least who have commercials.

The front runner is Cristina (yep, just like Madonna, she goes by one name), who is the current president. Our teacher rolled her eyes and said she wasn´t even going to vote, she´s so sure Cristina will win. From what I could understand, it seems that Cristina is heavily supported by the poorer areas of the country, as she backs a welfare program that makes getting a job seem like a poor decision. This sounds harsh, but I´m translating to you from what I heard in Spanish. I might have just made all that up, I don´t know.

It is illegal for any store or restaurant to sell alcohol this Saturday and Sunday, because we don´t want drunk people deciding the future.

A Happy Birthday

Yesterday was a very special birthday, perhaps more special even than my own and the 25 Days we take to celebrate it (I REALLY need you people to get behind that...): Brent´s.

A very happy birthday to you, my love.

P.S. We went out for sushi, Brent´s favorite, and I didn´t hate it.

High fashion, or maybe they were just high when they got dressed.

You can't say that the Argentines don't have a sense of fashion. It's hard to determine where that sense comes from.

Before we got here, I had read that Argentines are very concerned about their appearance. There is more plastic surgery here per capita than in any other country in the world. It's not unusual to see women walking down the street with bandaged noses. There is a plastic surgery information kiosk in the mall. On the four-block walk to school I pass more beauty salons than I can count.

I haven't gone shopping here yet because, at the moment, there are more important things to spend money on than new dresses (weird, right?). But I've looked in plenty a window, and not only am I disappointed that it seems impossible to buy a pair of shoes for less than US$50, I'm disappointed in the so-called ''inspiration'' that the window mannequins are providing.

Not to generalize. This is a HUGE city, and I've seen many beautifully dressed, perfectly put-together men and women. Many stores sell shoes and purses side-by-side, so you will see many women with a handbag that exactly matches their shoes. However, there is also a trend toward boots, some goofy and some classy, that may or may not match the rest of your outfit, and tights with weird floral patterns. Worn with off-color boots, of course.

Not that I have room to be judgmental, me of the two-suitcase closet and minimal fashion sense of my own, but come on. Floral tights are always a no, as far as I'm concerned.