Tuesday, March 24, 2009

On the eve of my departure...

...from the former colony to the former empire, I compose a list for the reader (myself) and myself.

Things I will miss about Buenos Aires: My hosts - Leo, Dani, and Piolín; todas las chicas lindas (all the pretty girls); mate; fernet and coca cola; the 15 peso lunch around the corner that includes steak or chicken, side, bread, drink, and coffee; the pizza at Pizzería Güerrin; Fernando and all the nice, helpful people at the Librería Norte; the national libray; nights out in Palermo; the accent; Leo and Dani's artwork and watching them create it; walking up and down Avenida Callao (aka Babe Avenue) on the way to and from the library; the buses; the obelisk; various conversations w/ taxi drivers late at night about cell phones, grammar, girls, fishing, Miami, megapixels, etc.; afternoons spent watching the Mexican telenovela, Tormenta en el paraíso, with Leo and Dani from 2-3pm local time; having a supermarket directly in front of my house; being in Latin America...

Things I will not miss about Buenos Aires: the cats; the dinners alone; the dog shit - EVERYWHERE; the humidity; the national library; my bed; waking up with big bug bites; the accent; my cell phone - I never figured out how to 1) access my voice messages, 2) have, let alone turn up, the ringer volume, 3) include periods in my text messages...

Saturday, March 21, 2009

The hipster represents the end of Western civilization...


Interesting cultural critique here from Adbusters from July 2008 re: the role of the "hipster" in the decline of the West. Though it could be said that the Chicken Little-like critique itself is every bit as smug and self-important as its object of critique - to wit, the "hipster" - it also makes some convincing points about the vapid and vacuous nature of the cool industry today.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

An afternoon at the National Library, as told in a series of brief conversations (translated from the Spanish by the author)



(On the phone, in the park, just outside of the library, with all the cats, including the one with one eye.)
R - Yes, hello. Could I please speak with the Señora Hilda regarding the status of my library card?
? - Hilda? No one named Hilda works here.
R - I think she works on Floor H, in the offices near the Hemeroteca.
? - Oh, right. Well, you've dialed the wrong floor. This is the 6th floor, and you need to call down to Floor H. Here's the number...
R - OK. Thank you.

R - Yes, hello. Could I please speak with the Señora Hilda?
H - Speaking.
R - Hello. I was just calling with respect to the status of my library card. We talked last week about all this, and I filled out the application last week--
H - Yes, OK, but you have to call up to the 6th floor. They'll know what your status is.
R - The 6th floor? But I thought--
H - Yes, THE 6TH FLOOR! You need to speak to Susana Nuñez. Here is the number...
R - OK.
H - Do you understand what I'm saying to you?
R - Uh, yes, I do.
H - Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you? You have to call up to the 6th floor!
R - Right. OK. Thanks. Bye.

R - Hello. I think I talked to you earlier, but I'm wanting to know about the status of the library card that I applied for a few weeks ago.
SN - Yes. Hello. OK, what is your name?
R - Robert Wells
SN - OK, let's see, let's see... Yes, here it is! Come up to the 6th floor - we'll have it here waiting for you.
R - Great! Thank you. Bye.

(Inside the library, speaking to one of the employees at the front check-in desk, where I have to fill out a form detailing where I'm from and what I will be doing at the library, because I do not have a library card.)
Check In - Your document, please? What floor will you be going to?
R - I'll be going first to the 6th and then to H.
CI - To the 6th and then to H?
R - Yes.
CI - Hmmm. OK.

(On the 6th floor, but on the wrong side of some glass doors, so I can't get to where I need to go, so, naturally, I ask the midget wearing a leather jacket that's standing next to me if he knows what to do, because it seems like he knows what to do.)
R - Hey. Excuse me. How do I get over there, on the other side of those doors? I'm trying to get my library card.
M - Well, you have to go back down to the 5th floor and then either take the stairs or the ramp (rampa) back up here to the 6th floor.
R - Ah. OK.
M - Yeah. Either take the stairs or the ramp.
R - Right. It's so easy!
M - What?
R - Nothing

(On the 5th floor, going to take the ramp, should be fun, but the lady at the desk stops me first.)
Lady at the Desk - Excuse me? Where are you going? You have to leave your bag in one of the lockers first, please.
R - Oh. OK.

(On the way up the ramp I pass a guard at his post, but we say nothing to each other, and only acknowledge each others' existence with a slight, masculine nod.)

(On the 6th floor, on the proper side of the glass doors now, speaking to someone sitting at a desk.)
R - Hello. My name is Robert Wells and I'm here to get my library card.
? - One moment, please. Have a seat.
(Out walks Susana Nuñez.)
SN - Hello, Robert Snider?
R - Yes, that's me, Robert Snider Wells.
SN - Ah, OK, hello. You just need to sign here and here, please.
R - Sure.
SN - I'll be right back with your card and then you can be on your way.
R - Great, thanks.
(In the meantime a male desk employee missing two of his four front teeth keeps staring at me, and he doesn't seem to realize that we've talked before, down on Floor H, where he told me that he thought the rest of the world should go to war with the USA and that with Barack Obama as President the only real difference is more "dunga dunga" (seemingly a reference made to Africa, the jungle, monkeys) in the White House.)
SN - Here it is!
R - OK! Thanks! It's official!



(In the elevator on the way down to Floor H, and in walks the missing teeth man.)
MTM - What floor are you going to?
R - H.
MTM - Are you Brazilian?
R - No. I'm from the United States.
MTM - Oh, really? I lived in California for a few years.
R - Ah, nice.
MTM - Yeah, I went to the University of Southern California...This is where I get off. We'll talk later.
R - Bye.

(Floor H, in the special reading room, I have my camera and my small notebook with me, and I can see that one of the female employees who I've come to know is there at a desk in a side room.)
R - Hello!
(She doesn't respond to my greeting, nor does she come to the main desk in the room to help me, and thus my uncertainty as to whether or not this woman and I are friends increases. In walks another employee I now know. We are friends.)
R - Hey. Here is my library card!
Friend - Wow! Looks good.
R - Yeah, thanks! I'm an officially licensed investigator now.
F - Indeed you are.
R - OK, I have a few things I put on hold right over there.
F - Of course.

(After looking at these books (really, collections of old cultural/literary/philosophical/political journals from Argentina from the 1920s and 30s) at a table in the back of the room and taking pictures (some more legible than others)







of certain articles that would seem to be of interest to my project, I take them back to my friend at the front desk and ask for a few more. The process goes something like this: 1) I fill out a small sheet of paper w/ the day's date, the name of the periodical I'm looking for, the specific month and/or volume number, the year, the book code (if I don't know the code, and I never do, I have to take the slip of paper to another desk located in another room on Floor H where they look it up for me), and then sign the sheet; 2) I hand this slip to the employee who then signs and dates it; 3) The employee puts the sheet in a sort of small elevator/dumb waiter and it travels down, I think, to some other group of employees in the special collections department; 4) If I'm smart, I didn't turn in all of my materials in at once and still have something to look at and take pictures of while I wait - you're not allowed to bring books into this part of the library; 5) My name is called and I go back to the desk to retrieve what I asked for.)

F - Hey, we don't have this one, but they do have it at the Library of Congress.
R - Oh, really? That's right by where I live here, only about five or six blocks away from my house.
F - Yeah, they have a much better collection of old magazines and journals and the kind of stuff you're looking for there.
R - Oh.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Piolín and Me

Like "Marley and Me," but better.


Our favorite song!
(From the "Lost Tapes")


Our favorite movie!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

El arte


As I believe I've mentioned before, I live with an artist couple here in BsAs: Leo Chiachio and Daniel Giannone. They have a big show coming up on March 18th at what is perhaps the most important gallery in town, Ruth Benzacar, and I'm very happy that I'll be able to be there to support them. Recently, their work comes mostly in the form of highly-detailed embroideries (as seen above), along with highly-detailed paintings on porcelain plates and jars. Almost everything they do is self-portrait-style as well, and many works also include their weiner dog, Piolín. In fact, they had a whole show a couple years back where they got all their artist friends to create pieces that featured Piolín and, accordingly, called the show Museo Piolín. In all, what impresses me the most about what Leo and Dani make is how they're able to balance incredible craftsmanship with a wonderful sense of humor.

The blog they created for Museo Piolín can be seen here. Their general blog can be seen here, and here's an interview they did (again, in Spanish) that features photos of their most recent work as well. (If you don't read Spanish, just browse the artwork and follow the links and I think you'll definitely get a sense of what Leo and Dani are and have been up to.


Also, if you can't see the entirety of any of the pieces I've posted here, above or below, just click on them and you will be able to do so.





Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Uruguay... And beyond!

Now back in Bs As and in library mode, I spent a couple wonderful days last weekend in Colonia, Uruguay. Despite being a hotbed for tourists from around the world, Colonia was a real treat, and I took lots of photos, which can all be seen here. I have also included a few highlights below.


The view looking back towards Bs As from the ferry headed towards Colonia.



I was very happy about the possibility of going to Uruguay!! YAY! :-)



The house where I stayed with my friend's dad (and now my friend), Jorge, which Jorge and his wife built themselves back in the early 80's.



The view from Jorge's house down to the Río de la Plata.



The beach. (It looked better than this, but I think this shot would make a great breakup album cover.)



Downtown colonial Colonia, Calle de los Suspiros.



The lighthouse.



The view out from the top of the lighthouse. Being the escala escaleras that I am, I had know problem climbing the stairs up to the top.



Colonia's coast.




Colonia's old Bull fighting ring, originally built by the Portuguese. It was only briefly in use from 1910-1912. I think they should fix it up and invite Led Zeppelin to play. That would be epic.




A final desolate beach shot.
 
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