Alone at a Bar

We were at the mall and I was spying on this guy and girl, and she left, and he was alone. I like how people act when they are alone...everyone is different, some awkward, some busy, some nonchalant.

...from a cafe on calle uriburo.

France, 03

This is in the Loire Valley in France, near Tours. Lots of castles, lots of wine. This was my first official stop on my travels in Europe. I had been in Iceland for a week on a layover, and then in London visiting friends, but I broke out on my own here. Castles. So hot right now.

Frutateria

I had this on a different blog, but I like it, so I re-used it.

Sunset...i'm not feeling creative

this was taken a while ago from a moving vehicle, south of buenos aires. if you ever go to church and take a sunday bulletin from the ushers, you'll see this kind of picture on the outside. I'm thinking of exploiting the church market and getting advertising that way. Perhaps Krista can help me out with that!!!!!! ingenious.

Top Three Things I'd Never Seen Before Sunday...

ExhibitA: strange Chinese Juice that the little bald guy loves, but to me, it's a little ambiguous...also to Ana.
ExhibitB: Assault rifles cocked and at the ready at the ballot boxes for the elections. We did the ol' 'here, you stand there and I'll fake taking your picture' routine.
ExhibitC: The biggest bag of MSG EVER!!!!!! I still can't believe we bought it...

These are not the best quality photos, I know, but I'm still improving my Action Shots.

Saturday Night's Alright...

As a couple, it's important to have couple friends. I don't know why, but it is. These are our couple friends also living here. They are from Canada also. Paul and Kelly. Refreshing English conversation and wine...so nice. I was able to confess my foot claustrophobia and my arm fetish. Now, they think I'm weird, but, they stayed, and I have their phone number, so there.
I liked this picture of Kelly...and it shows the obvious gift my parents gave my girlfriend for Christmas last year...

Dog Days of Spring

He's not dead, he just looks that way.
Using mind over matter to escape the heat, I sought this cool reprieve in the center of the city...it worked, but not as well as when I jumped in.

Iguazu Falls

This was taken around Easter this year, about 5 days after I got to Argentina. You don't see them here, but there were hordes of Argentines not unlike the locusts of the bible, only smoking more cigarettes than said locusts. Not one to consider myself a baby, I sometimes wonder if that will change in the heat and humidity of Arg. This was in Autumn here, and 40 degrees with a lot of humidity. I whined like a kid wearing ski boots for the first time. Luckily for my girlfriend, spring just started, and it's already 35...she's got a long 6 months in front of her. To put it into perspective, I'm from Canada. Not only that, I'm from Alberta, armpit Alberta if you will: Hanna, where it's mostly desert all year, and dry. I've reconciled with myself that I'll likely die here, sputtering what words I can in Spanish, my last sight of earth being from the ground, viewing the tops of apartment buildings between the confused faces of the Argentines surrounding me and trying to revive me. (was that dramatic enough?)

Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires

A look inside during one of the performances at the opera house here in Buenos Aires.

Moon and Clouds

I took these two tonight, one with the inside white balance, to give cooler colours, and one with outdoor white balance, for a warmer feeling. I think I prefer the bottom picture. ps. i've found out they look better without a lot of extra light in the room...with light, only moon, without light, moon and clouds etc...down with mint chocolate chip combo...

From Our Balcony to Yours...

One of the few flowers that we've managed to bloom so far this spring. It stands out in the otherwise desert-like state that is our balcony.

Once Upon a Dia de la Madre

As it does every year, Mother's Day rolled around here in La Argentina, who celebrates her mothers like no other place in all the world, as it is known to have particularly caring mothers.
This year, in order the celebrate, the Family Bianchi had an idea:

They were to have a feast, and not just any ordinary feast, either. The type of feast that makes you feel woozy and swollen, not at all unlike a hot air balloon. And, as this feeling is particualarly prized as a sign of contentment here in La Argentina, word was quickly sent that on this particular afternoon, a bountiful feast was to be had by all who were so inclined. And so, word spread. Quickly. It spread to the princes,
... and to the princesses;
to the young,
...and to the elderly;
to the wise,
...and the not so wise.
And people readied themselves hastily for such an event, taking particular care in their appearances, dressing lavishly, so as not to arrive at the Bianchi Castle underdressed for such an occasion.
And, they arrived.
The guests, dressed in their Mother's Day best, poured in from all over Good Air Land, smiling, nervous with excitement, the first -timer's eyes wide open at the expectation of food, the veterans confident in the meal they were about to receive.
(some guests were naughty, but they were welcomed anyway,
and some brought gifts of the finest quality...)
Compliments were doled out to each and every person , with the Mothers receiving special attention.
And the people were happy.
Soon, they were all ushered to their seats,
and food, prepared all day by the kitchen staff, was brought out with large quantities of wine and Coke(Copyright © 2002 The Coca-Cola Company, all rights reserved)
And, the people ate and ate and were generally merry in the Land of Good Air.
And, the people were happy.
All, except for one poor fellow, who was not allowed into the party because of awfully rude, and indignant behavior at such occasions in the past.
And, soon after the meal, when they had finished playing,
and the sky threatened with heavy clouds,
the people, now satisfied and thoroughly lazy, retired to their homes for the night.
And the barred guest, learning his lesson for next time, was left to devour the scraps left over from the hearty Argentines on their Dia de la Madre, knowing that next time, he would have to be on his best behaviour.
(now, I know there is no real moral, no real action, no real climax in this fable, but come on, it was a huge feast of meat to celebrate mothers. What more can you ask for???)

En Fuego

The last eclipse here in Bs. As. as seen from our porthole.

Saharan Dunes

This was in the south of Morocco, 2003, near an old berber village. We spent the day sand boarding and climbing...I found a Dallas Cowboys lighter buried in the sand, with the inscription 'God Loves Cowboys' on it.

We here at dbuc.blogspot.com recommend...pt.V

LOST IN TRANSLATION, by Sofia Coppola, captures perfectly the loneliness that can be felt in a metropolis such as Tokyo. As usual, Bill is great in his deadpan, melancholic role that he has perfected. As an actor, he is completely under-rated, and I think that he will be recognized more after his career is over. Bright lights vs. loneliness.