Frustration Observation

Over the course of two months, several items and issues have found their way onto my don't-make-me-punch-another-wall list. It's personal . I'm sure many of the list's articles would invoke similar emotional responses across the board, but I am also fairly certain that some are peculiar to myself and a handful of others. Here are a few:

-Change: For a country with such a history of economic turmoil, and which is currently undergoing forced inflation, there seems a massive shortage of small bills. Being a visitor with a foreign bank account, it is highly impractical for me to visit the ATM and pull out 80 pesos at a time (fees). Therefore, I'm in possession of more 100 peso bills than I'd like at any given moment. Deciding when to pull these bad boys out is far more strategic than any spending I've ever been involved in. Being turned away for attempting to pay with too large a bill is something I have never experienced at all, let alone at this frequency. It is nerve-racking to say the least, and whether or not they accept the bill is a coin flip in itself. On the other hand, paying with exact change is an act deserving of some award in their eyes, and they don't hesitate to show it. I have received more praise for handing over the perfect amount than I have for giving up my subway seats to the elderly and opening doors for women with strollers combined.

-Sidewalks: Its hard enough for me to walk down a sidewalk as it is. Throw a few obstacles and people in the mix and it becomes close to impossible. I know I'm living in a bustling metropolis with well above a few million inhabitants. I'm well trained in side-stepping and shooting gaps, but I'm also 6'2" (188 cm) and 240 lbs (109 kg). I'm a freak (not really, there are definitely bigger people here) in this city, and people look at me like a freak (most likely due to the blond hair covering my scalp and the better half of my face). These streetwalkers spend so much time looking at me with their jaws agape that they unknowingly position themselves right in my path. It takes a lot of energy getting to my top walking speed, altering my course and pace is a wear and tear I've had about enough of. On the point of wear and tear, the conditions of these sidewalks is another major concern. Not only am I navigating an above average frame, but I also have two below average ankles leading the way. Although usually a burden, constantly looking at my feet to avoid injury has helped immensely in also avoiding the sporadically placed planters, more-than-occasional missing tiles/uneven surfaces, and over-abundance of carelessly forgotten canine fecal matter (dog shit). If I ever did walk anywhere back home, I undoubtedly would run into some of the same issues I have faced here, but nobody walks in California. Upside: no gas expense.

-The Post System: I have briefly discussed the ordeal that was obtaining my computer from airport customs. The quick rundown is this: the international airport holds any item that is valued at over a specific amount. When this happens, the recipient must go to the airport (good 30+ minute trip south of the city depending) to be shuffled in and out of 3 or 4 different offices for 1 to 2 hours until that magical time when they give you your item and you can book it. This process also generates some 20 odd pages of purposeless paperwork that would make the most lackadaisical of tree huggers shed a tear. It is in one word, painful. This was my first taste of the system here, and after a second taste, an understandable process given the circumstances. Sending a postcard in this city was by far the most frustrating post-related experience I have ever had. A 5x7 postcard, stamp it, correct address it, mail box drop it. Nothing to it, right? Wrong. After two weeks of being told this and that about where to procure a stamp, I finally found the post office, where to no surprise an hour long line awaited me. I came back to the post office two more times to find the same time-consuming mess. Finally, on the third visit, there was no line and I sent out my postcard to my loving and very deserving grandparents for a minor 5 peso fee. All said and done it wasn't too tough to get it in the mail, just a much more contorted and convoluted process than necessary. Could be a language thing. Could easily be me. We'll see if it makes the trip north.

-Ketchup: You knew it was coming, and if you didn't, you don't know me well enough. Not saying that its a less-than-satisfactory ketchup situation down here. I have found Heinz, as well as an assortment of other marginally acceptable combinations of flavors and spices labeled "ketchup" that do the trick. My real frustration lies in the presentation and availability of this "ketchup". Heinz, as far as I can tell, does not exist in restaurants and is only available for purchase in select few markets. No biggie, I like this other "ketchup" enough. Well in actuality, it has nothing to do with liking it as much as needing it. I have been addicted to ketchup since infancy (if not infancy, then immediately post-infancy). If you are unaware, I need ketchup like words need letters, like monkeys need bananas, like albinos need sunscreen--you get the picture. So, when you ask for ketchup at a restaurant here, they don't bring you a nice, full, or even half full bottle. They bring you a basket of packets (a packet basket if you will). This basket usually includes packets of mostaza (mustard) and mayonesa (mayonnaise) as well. At best there are usually 3 to 4 packets of ketchup in these baskets. A severely insufficient amount for such connoisseurs (or consumers?) as myself. I generally have to request additional packets, which more often than not has been acceptable. Now for the packets themselves. These aren't your common, jagged-edged U.S. standard packets with the pilot tear. No. These are of the highest-durable plastic that is still of the "tearable" variety. The conditions must be perfect in order to bust one of these guys open on the first go. No sweat, grease, or other enemy-of-friction can be present on the fingertips. The angle and force must be perfect. Avoid mild to moderate winds. Included in these packets are multi-language instruction booklets. In fact, these are the ketchup packets Satan refuses to serve in hell... and yet, I am a slave to them. My slavery has brought me to the verge of insurmountable rage and/or tears on more occasions in the past 2 months than I care to reminisce about. Its my plight.

That's the short list. I really have nothing to complain about, but complaining is fun, I do it often, and these things have gotten the best of me so far. No worry, I'll show them.

Open House

The internet here has been a pretty big pain. I've spent the last few days (since Saturday to be exact) attempting to upload a video for your viewing pleasure. Anytime any of us utilize more than our fair share of bandwidth, the internet won't work for anyone else. Without much more explanation, I tried several times to upload it straight to here with no success. I did, however, create a YouTube account and the attempt was successful.

Here, ladies and gentlemen, is the video tour of our casa taken Saturday morning after a night of cards and roommate bonding. I apologize in advance for the disheveled appearance of myself and the abode. We are living in this apartment for another week and then we move here until the 1st of December. After that...?

(Note: This post was actually published on Wednesday, October 28th and not whatever it says above and below. It took me 5 days to get this to work, so don't believe what you read.)

Smile Like You Mean It

This week has been odd in that I haven't been eager to do much, but at the same time feel as though I've become more rooted in this place over a few days than I have over the past however many. Not to say my plans are changing on a daily basis or that I haven't made the most of my time. More so, I made a point to get the "plan" thing out of my head and try to enjoy myself without worrying so much about anything. It proved successful. This week, I finally made it to La Bamba (as previously noted), made a couple of friends, attended a low-key dinner gathering with new people, and played basketball for the first time in 3 months without injury. Feel inclined to mention I happened to play marginally well for a big white boy with a diminishing concept of athletic grace (after years of sports that are unfriendly to the body and oftentimes involved picking myself up off the ground every 30 seconds). It must come naturally.

So then I got thinking, and realized I've spent most of the last 2 or 3 weeks wasting time worrying about time. I'm convinced the natural world is composed through logic, and our human nature is the one element fighting against it. I know I'm amongst the most fortunate souls on the planet. Never worried about where I will rest my head at night, or how I'm going to get my next meal. I actually have the opportunity to spend time in thought and doing activities as the one I'm involved with in this very moment. A comfort (and curse? does it matter?) known to few. In my case, a discomfort was born from this comfort. Seemingly a balance in the natural order, yet imbalances everywhere. Lonely in company, content in solitude. Contradiction after contradiction. Nothing and everything making sense all at once. In the end, it all makes me smile (or smirk).

Hi

Rain today. Not very motivated. Listened to some music. Drew a little on paper. Let's hope for supreme weather tomorrow.

¡Batería!

Drums, drums, drums, drums, and more drums! Finally made it to La Bomba de Tiempo last night. It was definitely worth the wait. Here is a video to give you the basic idea (think finely-tuned drum circle).

La Bomba de Tiempo is a group that plays this specific venue (Konex Center) every Monday night. They also play various other venues and occasions throughout South America, with home base being Buenos Aires.

The show did not help in filling the void this drumless existence has created, but it was an all around awesome night spent wanting nothing more than a drum and the opportunity to add my own flavor to the mix.

I would love to see something like this happen back home.

Pan-American Pondering

The brainstorming continues. Tentative plans turn into altered tentative plans. I had somewhat of an epiphany last night in regard to the allocation and organization of my time down here. The gut feeling that came along with this realization is something I haven't felt in a long time. My prior idea to travel in November felt somewhat rushed when I began to undertake the planning of a 1-2 month trip in 2 weeks time. Made me somewhat uneasy about the whole thing.

The new idea entails staying in Buenos Aires through November, most likely staying with the group through mid to late December. Then comes the exciting part. I'll start off in Argentina, seeing areas in the north before heading into Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and on up into Central America. Not quite sure where I'll end my travels, could be Costa Rica, could be Mexico. One way flights are dirt cheap ($100-200) from Central America to CA. As it stands, I have a flight scheduled from Buenos Aires to LAX on May 19, 2010. After looking into it, the cost to change my flight from May back to March would be about the same as what I paid for the round trip ticket in the first place. Figured I'll cut my losses, hold onto that cash, and use it in order to see all that I can. This go around, I'll have 2 months to plan a 2-3 month trip. Another positive is the fact that I will be able to spend more time in this city. Not so sure this would've happened under my prior plan. All in all, I get the sense that this is the right way to go. I'm not presented with this feeling very often, so I'm just going to run with it.

Happenings of the week:

Monday, October 12- Columbus Day is alive and well in Buenos Aires. Sean and I contemplated visiting the zoo, but after strolling past the packed ticket office, opted for a visit to Parque Tres de Febrero instead (best people watching in the city and its only a 15-20 minute walk away). Vast assortment of amateur bicyclists, rollerbladers (most amusing by far), hockey players, walkers, joggers, and loungers just like us. Stopped by a street vendor and enjoyed a nice chorizo (pork sausage) sandwich. Parked on a nice patch of grass, got some reading, drawing, and music listening in. Good day.

Tuesday the 13th- We knew the Oktoberfesters were coming back at some point. Chone and I decided to hit up a handful of bookstores in our neighborhood. Ended up being a solid walk, saw some parts of the neighborhood we hadn't seen yet. The boys never showed, so we went to sleep.

Wednesday the 14th- The missing caballeros strolled in about 5, 6, or 7 am. I really don't remember due to the fact that I was sleeping with my ear plugs. Woke up feeling a harsh hit from this lingering cold. Spent most of the day lying low, making it out for a meal.

Thursday the 15th- Took a trip down to San Telmo with Matt to visit a bookstore we had both read about. Cool little place called Walrus Books (incorporation of intriguing animals always sparks my interest). Mostly contained used books, all in English. Large selection of literary works from well known authors. No clue what I was looking for, probably passed up on a handful of great books, ended up with a book entitled God's Grace by Bernard Malamud. I read his book The Fixer in my Philosophy of Literature course back a couple of years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed his style. We'll see if this one turns out to be any good. Still need to get through another 300 or so pages of Moby Dick first. Went to dinner with Alex and Stephen (buddy from LMU living here for 6 weeks). Met up with one of Alex's friends from Nebraska who happened to be in Buenos Aires, and also happens to own a bar in Costa Rica. I got talking to him, and thats about when the pieces in my head clicked together.

Today, Friday the 16th- Was so excited last night about my pseudo-epiphany that I had trouble getting to sleep (sure the beers didn't help). Strolled down the street to Jardín Botánico (coined "the cat park" due to the lazy feline infestation) this afternoon to draw and write for a while amidst the trees. Then went to a little cafe around the corner from the apartment for a hot chocolate and sandwich while I did some reading. Worked out and composed what you've been wasting your time with for the past couple of minutes. Heading to the all-you-can-eat parrilla in a bit. This place is the best deal in town (17 pesos or 4.50 US). Not the best quality meat, but the price includes ice cream! I scream, you scream, we all scream for all-you-can-eat ice cream! This will be our 5th or 6th time there in the 6 weeks we have now been here. Enough said.

Have a grand weekend.

Grab Bag!

Many things have been coming and going in my mind the past few days, but it seems as though a solidification of these ideas is well on its way. Further development of a plan for my time down here is following suit as well. Starting a loop of travel in the first week of November. Going to make my way through the north of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and Chile (this list is tentative, just like most things in this life at the moment) for the better half of 2 months.

Following are a few recommendations for your consideration:

Dinner/Lunch/Snack you should prepare for yourself right now: Grilled cheese with hot dogs in the middle (should've taken a picture). Another fine addition to my culinary arsenal, which also includes, but is not limited to, PB&J with chocolate chip cookie crumbles in the middle (its a theme), bowl of honey nut cheerios with milk including a scoop of peanut butter, chocolate sauce, and honey, anything microwavable with ketchup, and most memorably, day-old, refrigerated fast-food cheeseburgers rejuvenated by a little love from my best friend, the broiler. The grilled-cheese-hot-dog-combo was born out of the realization that all I had to eat were hot dogs, cheese, butter, and, you guessed it, bread (at least the only combinable items, as I also prepared a sliced apple and some broccoli). Either way, it is an absolutely delectable dish and slightly more mainstream than the majority of my various other original recipes.

Another artist/album I've been listening to for the past few days: Heart of the Congos by The Congos. My favorite song off the record is The Wrong Thing. Experts (whatever their qualifications) peg this album up with the best of the best of classic reggae albums. I would say I have to agree. It was released in 1977, and was largely out of print only until the past decade. Good listening, even greater accomplice in recent contemplation. Give it a go.

A film EVERYONE needs to see, except children under 13: I saw Let the Right One In for the first time at some point in the spring of 2008. It blew me away then and every other viewing afterwards. Here is a trailer (subtitles area must). It's a Swedish film, pretty dark, but with one of the most beautiful (albeit mildly disturbing) stories I have ever encountered. No need to go into too detail for this one, just watch it for yourself.

Quiet Weekend

This weekend, I had planned on attending Oktoberfest with the boys somewhere entailing a 14 hour bus journey away, but due to my health concerns, and overall lack of luster, I opted out. This left me here in the city with Chone (Sean). On Friday, we done gone to another Museo. This one being the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. For those of you who don't habla (I try), it is the fine arts museum, which houses countless works from periods ranging from the late renaissance until present day. The biggest museo I've visited here yet, we spent at least a couple of hours wandering the halls stopping to view many works, but walking past many more.

Came across a few artists I had never heard of or seen before, whose presented works I found to be intriguing. The first was Santiago Rusiñol, whose Jardin de Aranjuez I stood in front of for a handful of minutes. When I look at the image now online, I'm uncertain what drew me in, but I remember it being somewhat dark and daunting. It is most often the contrast between what is being depicted (for this painting a garden) and how it is being depicted (slightly ominous, yet inviting) that sucks me into appreciating any artistic expression I am presented with. Joaquin Sorolla was another artist that caught my eye. The museum had three different paintings of his, all of which were scenes of ships, some landing on shore, others with people and livestock. I'm uncertain that I've ever seen such a brilliant white as in the sails of his ships. That is what really sold them to me, just the sails. The last artist I'm going to mention is Salvador Sanchez Barbudo. His painting Recepción de un Cardenal (not a very good image) was probably my favorite of the day. On first view, it seemed blurry and uninteresting... then I noticed the detail. Some of the objects are so intricately painted that they aren't immediately noticeable amongst the vague shadows, faces, and bleak background. The work possesses a near perfect contrast of elements, and immediately made me think of life as a beautiful vortex of cares and discards. Anytime this thought is associated with anything, I know it will be remembered.

Saturday, we did jack. Went to a bar in the night and discussed all types of topics

Today, we went to to the bars that play USA sports. Watched the Vikings and Angles win (sweep in Fenway, 9th inning magic). It was great.

Other then that, nothing too exciting, which is exactly what I planned and wished for.

Hope all is well.

(Un)Inspired

I've felt a bit under the weather over the past week since my return from Patagonia. Not sure if it's because of this that I have felt a total lack of inspiration in all things, but nevertheless, this void has been driving me a bit nuts. Watched the Vikings on Monday Night Football and it was great. Probably the peak of my week. Went to Chinatown again on Tuesday for some food and to walk about for a while. On Wednesday, the crew and I visited a weapons museum. Nothing too special, lots of miniature figurines, regular sized swords, knives, spears, guns, and even bigger guns. Interesting to point out that the visit to the museum did invoke some inspiration to play video games (probably only because I'm running out of ideas). It's not that I've gotten to the point of stagnation being here for over a month now, but I really believe that my trip to Patagonia triggered in my mind the need to be on the road.

All the time I prepared for the excursion to this hemisphere, I was driven by a desire to attain some sense of consistency in my lifestyle through a development of routine and/or occupation. I assumed this would be a simple enough undertaking, given the fact that the last year of my life was fairly hectic and disjointed apart from the job thing. However, I have become aware of the probability that this is just the way that I am. I need to wander, I need to see all that I can, I need to be free of commitments (for a while). As eager as I am to establish a life somewhere (it can wait), through all of my ruminations, it is clear to me that nothing is concrete. There is no formula, no success, no failure, only the pursuit of whatever it is we as a species pursue. Some believe its happiness, some believe its comfort. I have no intuition of what it is (I would hope it encompasses both of the aforementioned items, although I have no way of defining what either happiness or comfort really is), I just know that I'm after it. At this moment, I plan to continue walking the streets of this city for some time to come, and if after a period, I'm no longer feeling it, I will take the time to explore all of the things on this continent I have always wanted to (surely experiencing things unexpected in the process).

How does that sound? Sounds like somewhat of a plan to me.

Couple Doods

Here are 2 drawings from the trip so far.

Pace Cooling

Very nice getting out of the city for a handful of days. I'm finding it difficult to put my experience into words, so I'll do a play-by-play and hopefully it will seep through a bit.

9/28- Caught a flight to El Calafate with Mr. Chew and Mr. Kyle in the early afternoon. Landed in what looked to be a deserted wasteland surrounded by peaks and lakes at around 6pm. Hopped into a bus for a 3 hour transport to the small town of El Chaltén where we stayed 3 nights. Arrived after dark, ate a little dinner, and crashed.

El Chaltén is a tiny town in the northern sector of the Los Glaciares Nat'l Park. Over the past 15 years, the town has become the launching pad for trekking and excursions in the region. There are 2 basic trails leading from the town to the 2 most popular sights in the area; one being Cerro Torre, and the other being Monte Fitz Roy (both pictured below).

9/29- Took a hike to Laguna Torre at the foot of Cerro Torre. The trail left conveniently from the back door of our hostel. The trail was 22 km (14 mi) and took about 6 hours in total. The terrain surrounding the trail was wind worn and fairly uninviting, but the horizon and sky were particularly spectacular. We took our time getting to the destination, took a few minutes to soak it up, plugged in ipods, and booked it on the way home, making the "3 hour" trip in just over 2. We were destroyed.

The clouds were unlike anything I've ever seen before, and caused a significant contrast between patches of sky.

Laguna Torre, complete with its own glacier and Cerro Torre in the background, was the destination on our first outing.

9/30- Took my favorite hike at altitude of all time. We took another conveniently located trail (this time out the front door) and took a more leisurely 17 km round trip to Laguna Capri and adjacent viewpoint of Mount Fitz Roy (below). The trail passed through more scenic areas than the previous day's, and kept the gem hidden the entire way. Made for an enjoyable hike filled with anticipation for Fitz Roy. Easily, the most breathtaking natural wonder I have ever been in the presence of, Fitz Roy is an assembly of massive sheer rock walls violently protruding from equally jagged surroundings. It is something out of a fairy tale and resembles a powdered portrait even in person. To think that attempts are made at ascending its most lowliest of levels ignites speculation as to the mental health of these individuals. We spent a good chunk of time at the lookout and then ventured to the lake, where we ate lunch and lounged about some more. The scenery changed fairly abruptly as massive cloud groups swept over the peaks of the mountains. Fearing tumultuous weather, we made our descent. On our way down, we spotted a couple of condor, whose wingspans easily reached a couple of meters. Just had to endure a little rain and sleet. Eventually made it back. Again, we were destroyed.

Cerro Fitz Roy and surroundings

10/1- Lounged around all day waiting for our bus to El Calafate on the southern end of the Nat'l Park.

10/2- Woke up early and made our way to Perito Moreno Glacier (big draw of El Calafate). Unfortunately, we met nasty weather and were only able to view the glacier for 3 or so minutes. We spent the rest of the time huddled in the lodge, witnessing the wind, rain, and snow inhibit our glacier experience. We were, however, fortunate enough to see and hear a few chunks of glacier collapse. It was definitely a sight to see, but I guess I'm more of a mountain man than a glacier guy.

10/3- Walked around the town of El Calafate, bought a book, ate lunch (the food was some of the best I've had since being in the country), took a nap, and flew back to Buenos Aires.