Currently Reading Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal By J. K. Rowling, Alicia Dellepiane see related

Hola de Buenos Aires!

Well, I´m finally in Argentina! After a lot of drama at the dallas airport (the flight was delayed from Thursday night to Friday morning), I can´t believe I´m finally here. And I also can´t believe that I was able to convince my parents to let me go by myself.

So those reasons plus the fact that I only decided two days ago to come definitely lend to the surrrealism I´m feeling about this city. The air really is just...good. I almost commented on it when I stepped out of the airport, but I thought that would be sort of lame.  I met a lady from Puerto Rico (Michelle) on the plane and we bonded over shared ipods, books and language. She let me read The Little Prince, which made me cry.  It could´ve been really awkward, but we just ended up laughing about it.  We planned a walking itinerary for today: San Telmo(they have great antiques), Plaza de Mayo, Microcentro, Puerto Madero, Retiro, Recolet (city of the dead- Evita´s grave is here), Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, and then to Palermo Viejo (eat at a Norwegian restaurant called Olsen).

I think it´s going to be a lot more walking than we´re expecting.

It´s super easy to make friends when you´re staying in a youth hostel. Once I arrived at El Firulete Downtown, not a half hour passed before I had talked to at least 10 other people who were travelling. I picked up three more people for our walking tour! 

I will have more stories and pictures to share later! Chau!

Excerpt from the article “Much ado about pumping” in the June 3^rd-9^th edition of The Economist:

“In the film 'Zoolander', some male models stop to refuel their car and, just for fun, spray each other with petrol. One then lights a cigarette. They all die in a vast fireball. The film-makers appear to believe that male models, though beautiful, are stupid. When it comes to crafting policies to deal with the price of petrol, American politicians appear to believe the same thing about voters. Except that they do not think voters are beautiful.”

The article then goes on to give a timely and informative analysis of the petrol situation in the United States. Also of note- The Economist is catering to readers in their early 20s if they are referencing “Zoolander”. I feel better about my generation. J

So it’s day three in NYC with Eric. We’ve pretty much just been bumming around, doing a little shopping at H&M, eating a little (or a lot) in Little Italy, taking part in some performance art, hanging out with Anna Keith, sleeping through church this morning.

Behold! I come bearing pictures…

Looking at a Jackson Pollack at the MoMA (looks a lot better than my Halloween costume, right?)

stealing some of eric's ben & jerry's ice cream cone (oatmeal chocolate chunk- my favorite!)

Uh, it's a long story. go to improveverywhere.com for details.

little italy!

that's a lot of cheesecake (stage diner is the best...yummm)

more pics to come!

Currently Reading Me Talk Pretty One Day By David Sedaris see related

it is so nice to read books in english. especially when the english isn't convoluted academia-ese.

cherish it. CHERISH THIS.

Currently Reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Vintage Contemporaries) By Mark Haddon see related

At work today, I was consulting the Chicago Manual of Style in order to impugn an author
on her careless use of quotations.  Instead, I stumbled an excerpt of this poetic gem I 
studied in AP Lit…
 
The Collar
I struck the board, and cried "No more!
I will abroad.
What, shall I ever sigh and pine?
My lines and life are free; free as the road,
Loose as the wind, as large as store.
Shall I be still in suit?
Have I no harvest but a thorn
To let me blood, and not restore
What I have lost with cordial fruit?
Sure there was wine
Before my sighs did dry it; there was corn
Before my tears did drown it.
Is the year only lost to me?
Have I no bays to crown it?
No flowers, no garlands gay? all blasted?
All wasted?
Not so, my heart: but there is fruit,
And thou hast hands.
Recover all thy sigh-blown age
On double pleasures: leave thy cold dispute
Of what is fit, and not. Forsake thy cage,
Thy rope of sands,
Which petty thoughts have made, and made to thee
Good cable, to enforce and draw,
And be thy law,
While thou didst wink and wouldst not see.
Away; take heed:
I will abroad.
Call in thy death's head there: tie up thy fears.
He that forbears
To suit and serve his need,
Deserves his load."
But as I raved and grew more fierce and wild
At every word,
Methoughts I heard one calling "Child!"
And I replied "My Lord".
 
I thought it was odd that I came across this poem as I am applying to the Peace Corps. 
Not that I think God is trying to tell me that I shouldn’t go abroad (seriously, shall I ever 
sigh and pine?); also, the lessons he teaches one of his children cannot necessarily be applied 
to all. But I think the overarching theme of contentment, of joyous resignation to the will 
of God, is universal. God never gives us more than we can bear. None of us 
are outside of his power, whether we realize it or not. 
Let us each be content with the path he has set.