Tag Archives: a list

15 tidbits about argentina

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[as i stall for more time to edit and post pictures...]

1.  buenos aires is a HUGE city.  like, we knew it was big, but it’s gigantic.

2.  the food and wine are excellent and very reasonably priced.  it’s a perfect place for foodies!

3.  buenos aires drivers are CRAZY.  the general rule is to keep your front bumper a few inches away from the person in front of you’s back bumper.  stop signs are considered a soft yield if you’re lucky.  in the case of a four-way stop, whoever is the most aggressive gets to go.  lanes are a joke.

4.  people eat breakfast around 10 am, lunch around 2pm, and dinner at 9 or 10pm.  the streets are fairly dead between the hours of 3ish to 8pm [except in big shopping areas], and many restaurants are closed during that time.

5.  the people are super nice, even to americans who speak very little spanish.  [except the cab drivers.  we ran into a few cranky ones, but i would be too if i had to drive in that city.]

6.  argentinians love their dogs!  they also give them a lot more freedom, even in the city – we noticed a lot of dogs with collars roaming around freely.

7.  in buenos aires, shopping. was. awesome.  [especially in palermo, where we stayed.]

8.  coffee comes in tiny espresso cups, so don’t expect your usual venti unless you plan on paying for 6 cups.

9.  we decided that argentinians look a lot more similar to americans than europeans in the way they dress.  many also seem to have more similar physical features.  it was often difficult to tell an american from an argentinian in buenos aires, and this surprised us a bit.

10.  leather a big commodity in argentina, and in august [the end of winter for them], every woman that walks by will have the cutest boots you’ve ever seen, and you will have boot envy a thousand times a day.  just go buy yourself a pair of boots and get over it.

11.  there isn’t a huge difference between the high and low temperatures of the day.  nights don’t cool down very much [which is great when you're there in the winter].

12.  argentinians love their sweets and pastries.  and for a good reason – they are superb.

13.  so many of the shops had very creative and cute store windows and decor.  it was refreshing and inspiring, and the window displays became one of my favorite things to photograph in ba.

14.  there is a large european influence on buenos aires, especially in the architecture.  the  italian influence is very evident in the people.

15.  overall it’s a pretty safe country. [as long as you don't wander into the jungle or a jaguar or puma or other wild animal might eat you.  seriously.]  we never felt unsafe during the week that we were there.

argentina wasn’t initially “plan a” or even “plan b” as one of our potential vacation destinations; however, we ended up there and fell completely fell in love with it.  that trip now ranks as one of our top vacations that we’ve taken as a family, and i highly recommend it to others!  if you’re considering a vacation there, feel free to ask me any questions you have. :)

randoms.

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1. i can sleep anywhere, in any condition, at any time of day.

2. that being said, i don’t actually take a lot of naps.  i usually can’t get myself to get in bed or even to lay on a couch during the day, but if i do get in a horizontal position, i’m out the second my head hits the pillow.

3. if i really like a movie, i want to watch it again and again like every week until i know all the lines in my sleep and still don’t tire of it.

4. i’m not a picky eater.  in fact, i’d try just about anything edible that was placed in front of me, and i’d probably take a picture of it too.

5. i’m kiiiiinda messy.

6. i write lists for EVERYTHING.

7. my favorite time of day is late afternoon to early evening [depending on the time of year], starting when the sun is still a little bright but moves a lower in the sky and everything looks kind of golden, up until it begins to set.

8. i’m terrible at mental math.

9. i eat “like a bird,” as my mom has always said – little bits [and sometime big bits] all day long.  if i don’t eat every couple hours, my stomach doesn’t just growl.  it screams.  and i get very hangry, which no one likes.  [hungry + angry = hangry, if you don't know the lingo.  one definitely tends to lead to the other, in my case.]  so you will always find a little snacky or two in my purse!

10. i hate sneezing in public.

11. i’m usually pretty good about remembering my dreams, and they’re often quite humorous.

12. my gallbladder is heart-shaped.  weird but true.

13. i didn’t like hamburgers until last year.

14. when my dog was fixed, i was the one who, er, …snipped off his balls.  no, i’m not going to leave you without an explanation on this one.  i used to want to be a vet and observe surgeries at a local pet hospital, and so when we got luckydog…they let me do the honors.  thankfully, he wasn’t conscious, so i’m still his favorite sister. :)

15. from what i can find, there is no one else with my same first and last name in the world.  if there is someone out there, holla atcha girl!!

today.

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today, i…

…woke up at 9:45 am, organized my room for about 15 minutes, then decided that i was still tired and fell back into a delightful slumber until 11:30 (i know, what a lazy bum!).

…tried out the fitness center at the village, my new neighborhood, for the first time.  it was nice, and i love my new neighborhood!

{the village}

…laid by the pool for a half hour to soak up a little vitamin d.

{the pool at the green apartments}

…drove to work to make sure i knew the way before my first day tomorrow!

…hung a few pictures on the wall, plus my garlands from milwaukee.  decorating the walls is a work-in-progress kind of job, but i’m hoping to get everything up there soon.

{garlands}

…talked to my friend angela, both my grandmothers, and both my parents on the phone.  love them!

…tried out a new church with my roommate katlyn. it was a beautiful church, but it did make us miss our church back in college station, st. mary’s (best church ever!)

…went to aw shucks oyster bar with katlyn after mass and shared some crawfish! have to enjoy it while we can; crawfish season is almost over!

{3 lbs. of delicious crawfish!}

…and as if that crawfish wasn’t enough, went home and had a little bit of leftover turtle trifle that i had made for mom’s book club.

{turtle trifle}

it was very tasty, even if i am ten pounds heavier than i was yesterday!!  i’d still say this sunday was a SUCCESS!

:)

three things

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three things that made my hump day a little happier:

1.  this issue of Food Network magazine

(too good to be true… a whole issue of chocolate.)

2.  these Kashi® granola bars

(this is the best flavor.  soft and chewy + whole salted roasted almonds + flax seeds for lots of heart-healthy omega-3s = awesomeness.)

3.  this video

Seven Henrietta Street

(sorry it’s just the link…i’m still learning about embedding videos and such.  i watched it this morning via The Rockstar Diaries, one of my favorite blogs, and fell in love.  adorable.)

happy wednesday!

happy weekend.

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for a little [random] friday cheer, today i leave you with…

1. a few pictures that i had taken awhile back for photography project 1 (saturation shooting):

2. food science fact of the day:

did you know that honey doesn’t spoil? (given that it’s stored properly.)

edible honey was found in ancient egyptian pharaoh king tut’s tomb!  the texture may change a bit, but as long as water isn’t added to the honey, the natural antibacterial qualities of honey will keep microorganisms from growing.

3. one of my favorite quotes which pertains quite well to my life right now, said once upon a time by none other than Carrie Bradshaw of Sex and the City:

“So just love, make mistakes, and have wonderful times, but never second guess who you are, where you have been, and most importantly, where it is you are going.”

xo.

A Bit of My Weekend…

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despite a few blips on the screen early on, i’d say my weekend turned out quite fabulous.

: : i cooked on friday.

: : friday was also my friend lauren’s birthday, so we had a little party at her apartment that night and then went to northgate.

{With my friend Becca at the bday party}

: : on saturday, i drove to the woodlands with my friend kyle to shop.

: : we discovered sactionals®, modular furniture pieces by lovesac that can be rearranged, added onto, and changed into pretty much anything you can imagine.  and i’m in love.  here’s what they can look like:

{pretty cool, huh?}

: : after spending some time at the apple store and a few other places, went to panera bread, always a good choice, for soup and paninis.  i of course had to get one of each of my favorite bagels to take home – cinnamon crunch and asiago cheese.  i meant to take some photos of them, but they’re already in my tummy.  oops.

: : went to anthropologie and bought an issue of anthology (remember when i talked about how awesome this magazine is?) anddd this French Cade Lavender Voluspa candle which smells oh so delightful:

(I had gotten this lovely little card for 15% off in the mail from anthro -

- and was worried about making it to one of their stores in the month of february, just because it’s such a busy time and the closest one is an hour and a half away…but then i go and spend it on a candle and a magazine!  i blame it on the fact that we didn’t have much time to look/try stuff on, but i really do love the things i got so i guess that’s the important thing!)

: : when i got back in town saturday night, i went with my roommate katlyn to see the vow.  i enjoyed it – just a good, sweet, romantic girl movie.  now if only i could find my own channing tatum…

The Vow trailer

(even though everyone and their dog has seen the preview for this movie about a thousand times, i still posted it.  it’s that cute.)

: : woke up early on sunday (well, early for me on a weekend at least) to go take some pictures for my photography class.  wore this silly hat which i quite like in cold weather:

: : the photography session went okay… it was cold and i wasn’t feeling super inspired, but in the end there turned out to be several pictures that i liked.  the project was color, but it was really two-projects-in-one – warm colors and cool colors.  here’s a sneak peek of each:

: : had an amazing fuego taco (more on that later)

: : went to church with katlyn at noon

: : worked on school stuff for the rest of the day

: : got ready to begin another week!  happy monday!

happy things

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a few happy things about this week:

1. this yummy (and healthy!) corn, bacon, and potato chowder – recipe here.  it tasted even better on the second day because the flavors had a chance to meld.  i used frozen corn instead of fresh corn cut off the cob only because i needed something quick, but i know it would be soo tasty with fresh corn in summer.

2. the rain and storms i woke up to on wednesday.  it made walking to my classes a bit…interesting (there was a tornado warning before and during my 8am, but OF COURSE class was not cancelled), and wind blew my umbrella inside-out and broke it (i’ve owned four umbrellas since i’ve been in college and the crazy west campus wind has managed to break every one of them). but then my afternoon class was cancelled and i got to go home and be lazy and enjoy the rain in bed with a book and a cup of tea.  nothing gets better than that.

3. my glittery Sperry Top-Siders.  college has made me a Sperry addict, mostly because of how perfect they are for walking all over campus – they’re comfortable, and my feet don’t feel dirty when i get home like they do when i wear sandals to class.  the company has gotten a lot more creative with their boat shoes, which is especially nice for people like me who don’t do plain!  i own a metallic silver pair, a metallic gold pair, a hot pink patent leather pair, and these charcoal-gray ones, which might be my favorite!  they have a little patent leather, velvety laces, and lots of glitter.  obsessed.

4. the photography class that i’m taking!  i love my professor and i’m learning so much.  it’s like a whole new world i never knew about.  i also discovered www.cambridgeincolour.com, which gives info, tutorials, and tips on all different aspects of photography and is a really helpful reference.  i have my first project due monday, so this weekend i’ll be going on a photo “excursion” to downtown bryan with my friend kyle who’s also in my photography class, and then i have a photo shoot scheduled with another friend, thomas, who will be modeling in my photos.  i’m excited to get started and anxious to see how they turn out.

5. this plastic cup that my mom gave me for christmas.  she got it from a little place called Dixie’s in arlington, although this style of cup is so popular right now that you can find them almost anywhere.  i love it even more than i thought i would, because it works wonders at getting me to drink more water.  the straw makes it so easy to sip on and i empty the cup before i even know i’ve drank any water at all!  and the cupcakes and confetti make me feel like every day is a party. :)

hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! xoxo

Just a Stone’s Throw Away…

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I’m going to miss living within walking distance of…

 

Downtown.

A beach.

Saturday morning markets.

A Whole Foods.

A regular grocery store.

A little old Catholic church.

An Urban Outfitters.

A beautiful historic theater that shows indie films.

Alterra, the coolest coffeeshop ever.

Some great walking/running/cycling paths through the city and along the lake.

A dozen awesome little bars and pubs.

Beans & Barley (both the restaurant and the shop).

Several great vintage stores.

An American Apparel.

A quiet park on a hill with a spectacular view of the city.

A gorgeous historic water tower made of stone.

Lakefront Brewery.

So many dog-friendly places.

Sil’s, which is open at just about any time of day or night and serves the best fresh, hot, homemade donuts I’ve ever tasted.

The river which is pretty much in my backyard.

Several amazing and unique restaurants.

A cold storage brewhouse.

So many places with patios and outdoor seating.

…Sigh.