the rain, like my laundry, is unceasing.
my tea, like my dog, is comforting.
this blanket, like your arms, in encompassing.
my happiness, like this poem, is complete.

What's in a name? That which we call a burrito by any other name would taste as delicious.

Being new to Asheville, my new roommate is always trying to show me the spots in town that "I have to know about!" Today for lunch we went to this "healthy" semi-fast food burrito shop. Someone stop me when you hear something that doesn't sound quite right. 

Upon entering this establishment I start searching the paper menu that has been shoved into my hand...Carribean jerk, thai, curry, greek (isn't that a gyro???)...sooooo you're telling me that you don't make any Mexican style burritos? Just because it's in a tortilla with rice, beans and cheese and comes with a side of salsa doesn't make you a burrito!!!! Wait...does it?

The definition of a burrito that pops up on my dashboard (I'm a Mac!) is "a Mexican dish consisting of a tortilla rolled around a filling, typically of beans or ground or shredded beef." Huh, well paint me orange and call me Cheddar, they are burritos!!! Thank you, Lucky Otter for opening my eyes. Also thank you for making that cheese that doesn't even solidify when you take it home and put it in the refrigerator. 

Ladybugs: Not just a movie about cross dressing soccer players anymore...

So as it happens, ladybugs have always been considered a symbol of luck. It is most commonly believed to have been due to their eating pests that destroyed crops. I myself, have no crops to speak of except the pumpkin on my front porch and that has a face so I am not sure it really counts. The other day while cleaning my room I noticed a little ladybug wander in and smiled to myself as I thought of my impending good luck. It wasn't long before I noticed my bug had brought a few friends. Cute! and I shall have such good luck! Aren't I the lucky one?! Indeed I shall be!

I now have the most adorable infestation in my house. Apparently ladybugs seek lightly colored, older houses to stay hydrated and protected in the winter. I live in one of these exact cozy shelters. Ladybugs are also apparently really hard to encourage to vacate their shelter after they've found one and are particularly warm hosts that give off scents that attract their buddies from all around. While ladybugs aren't particularly harmful (they don't eat fabrics or bite you) they are still bugs and enough is enough! Immediate action has become necessary!

Today I sprayed the outside of my doors and windows with spider poison. I would like to point out that I did not aim said poison at any of my little ladies, I was merely trying to deter their attempts to enter my home. A little later I walked out my back door and found several bugs on their backs...shit. I began immediately to be short of breath and have pain in my chest. The bad luck begins and I'm having a panic attack! Or I am still inhaling poisonous fumes and should get out of the alcove? Removing myself from the alcove seems to have done the trick. 

While my intentions were good, I sit here in my room wondering if my actions were too rash...can human, mutt and bug not live together in peaceful companionship through the rough winter? Have I just cursed the beginning of my 27th year and new life in Asheville?! Will my dog and I suffer long term affects of those poisonous fumes just like the innocent creatures I've just murdered in cold bug?!?! Am I overreacting!?!?!?!  I suppose that's a possibility...

Not being sure quite what to do, I linger on my back porch at sunset, hope a small prayer for my newly deceased friends and ponder if infestation can really be counted as good luck in the first place. Either way, I've made my peace with my new housemates and have already begun to look forward to spring.

Expert Advice: Thoughts on trail running in colorado

My uncle Sam is this great runner. I mean, that's what he does for fun. Tonight I asked him what it is that he thinks about when he's running. I've had a lot of problems with boredom as well as intense hatred of said action so I was looking for a new direction. He told me that he likes to number the things that he is worried about and he goes down the list, doing what he can to either solve or come to terms with each worry. I decided to give this approach a try so Lambert and I suited up and set off, ipodless, to find a trail to run. 

While we were driving to a trail that we particularly like, I started thinking about what I really needed to dig into and work out for myself. What was I really going to accomplish tonight? A few things started to pop into my mind, a shower gift for Christy's engagement party, if Lambert and I could find an amazing little cottage with a fenced in yard when we got to Asheville, etc.. Nothing earth shattering or even really remarkable for that matter. I wanted to take it easy with my "worries" on the first go-round. 

After parking my car we hopped out (some of us more excited than others about the task at hand) and walked through the gate to the trailhead sign. I looked quickly at the map to determine our route and then my eyes wandered all around the other postings. "Bears and Mountain Lions are Active!" and ways to try to not die. "You are in Rattlesnake Territory!"Again, followed by suggestions on staying alive. "Keep Your Dogs Away from Prairie Dogs!" They carry plague. Sure, you may not die but it's certainly not ideal. 

With my new information Lambert and I set off merrily down the trail to see what we may see. As I started my run, I began plucking gingerly through the issues I'd selected for the evening (I mean, she's registered at Bed, Bath, and Beyond...) but instead found myself glancing all around and not giving my "worries" the attention they demanded. Unfortunately, it was not  the picturesque view of the sun setting behind the mountains or the horses grazing pleasantly in the pasture while nonchalantly swatting flies with their tails that was stealing my thoughts. I was fearing for my safety and for the safety of my mutt. Lions and rattlers and bears. Oh my.

I've come to the conclusion that the Boulder Park Service likely runs with the same mindset as my uncle. They too, are imparting this bit of running wisdom and thoughtfully started with the most dangerous and worked their way down to the lamest way to die for easy prioritizing as you sweat. Now even the most calm, sane, happy person has several things to worry about while running after reading the helpful, posted signs. Suddenly, exercising is not for the faint of heart. No friends, it is the most terrifying thing you're going to do today. Good looking out Boulder Park Service. Good looking out indeed.

❤

South America recap if yall werent there the first time...

Sent via email Feb. 22, 2010

hi all!

First, as a disclaimer, this keyboard is teerrrrrrible and the spacebar barely works so just work with me. Also, some of the punctuation is just downright crazy. Secondly, I have been keeping detailed records that I had planned to email to you of our adventures but at this late hour you will have to just go with the cliffnotes version.

Travel to Ecuador went pretty smoothly...especially for Evan (Marv- we have decided to travel under our alter-egos) who got to sit business class. I did ask about an upgrade and was told that for the low, low price of $3,000 I too, could sit business class.  To economy I went! When we arrived in Guayaquil we were picked up by our driver and taken to a lovely, clean little Ho-Jo. In the morning, after staring disgustedly at our continental breakfast options and finally opting for pineapple chunks we sat in the lobby waiting to be fetched by surf school. We guessed at each car that pulled up and each person that walked in trying to find them before they found us. Finallly, a rundown little car with something written about Jesus in Espanol pulled up and we giggled that at least we wouldn’t have to ride in that! Then in walked Jeff the owner of our hostel and surf school. It took almost three hours to get from Guayaquil to Montanita but it was an easy trip. We loved our little hostel there right on the beach, great view, A/C, breakfast and dinner included. The staff was mostly a bunch of young ex-pats with whom we became fast friends. There were also a bunch of great people staying there so we were able to make friends to surf, dine, and drink with during out stay.

I would like to point out at this time that Marv and I feel a little sheepish that we were not able to achieve tans after spending a week in the ocean at the equator. They took one look at us and put us in SPF 70 and long sleeve rash guards. Oh well. We had a blast. The waves were too large for us and we both suffered severe ocean beatings but nothing we couldn’t handle. I did receive a large goose egg to the head after getting rocked by a wave (they come in sets, you know.) I finally breached the surface just in time to be pummeled twice more and while I was clinging desperately to my board, it was finally able to slip out of my death grip on the last wave and as I struggled upwards for air my board came back down right on my head. Our surf instructor was from Ecuador and he tried for some time to push the bump back into my head...it felt wonderful. Evan, excuse me, Marv too, received a gash to the ear from his boards’ fins but we are basically quite healthy.

So anyway, we were sad to leave our beach and our new friends but excited to head out to Peru. We had different flights and did a lot of waiting for each other. Our first hostel was pretty nice and easy to get to. We ultimately decided the next night to move to a bed and breakfast that my Peru book suggested at $10 a night we thought it sounded like a steal...well...kind of. No cab driver could find it, our room was fine but there was no chance of meeting young people there and our breakfast consisted of coffee and a giant piece of bread. No worries though, this left us with no desire to be in our hostel so while in Lima we were constantly on the go exploring the city. We went to some really pretty squares, saw the President’s house, some churches, blah, blah. There are also a lot of people selling things in the squares. When we first arrived we were attacked by two adorable little monsters of children who trying to get us to buy something. They were very difficult to shake but we made it! We also saw a...midget, dwarf, small person, whatever you prefer, pushing a tiny cart of lollipops. Now I know it was wrong but I couldn’t help but turning to Marv and singing “We represent the lollipop guild!!!”

That evening we decided to dine at a restaurant on the beach that our Aussie friends from surf camp had recommended. Yikes. So we get out of the taxi and walk down this beautiful boardwalk to a huge gazebo-esk, twinkly light, fine dining establishment. From there we burst into laughter. We walked in and asked for a table. It was fairly full and the hostess evaulated our appearance and took us directly to the bar. More laughter. When we were finally seated, we proceeded to have the most romantic dinner that two cousins can have. The food was delicious though.

The next night we went out again and this time decided to try our hand at the bar scene. Again, it did not go well.  We ended up in the Pub Latino where everyone was dancing in couples. A gutsy, balding stranger asked me to dance and I did and then thanked him and drug Marv as quickly as possible from the bar back to our little hostel.

Now we are in Cuzco! Which we love. Again, we have a very nice hostel that comes with breakfast. It claimed to be two blocks from the center square which was a gross exaggeration. It really is not too bad of a walk to town. It’s really only the walk back that is difficult as it is up, gosh, i dunno, a million steps. We went exploring this afternoon and came back when it began to rain. It is the rainiest of the rainy seasons here right now and most of our clothes are already soaked. The streets and steps have little violent rivers flowing down them at all times so we occasionally have to find alternate routes to our desired destinations, but who doesn’t like a little extra adventure? This afternoon we found a really lovely restaurant not too far from our hostel where we decided we would have dinner...yikes again! After trudging through the rain we arrived and opened the doors to find a live Inca style dance performance happening on a stage in the back of the place. We were whisked in a seated amongst the herd of elderly tourists. It gets worse of course. The dancers started pulling people up on stage so Marv and I stared at our feet waiting for the audience participation part of the show to end. Our waiter arrived and tried to offer us the buffett which had obviously been sitting out for many hours (as to be expected I suppose.) I mean, the guinea pig was completely shriveled. We ordered from the menu instead. While the food was delicious, our waiter stood nervously (for all of us) behind us the entire time and the ambiance was set by classic American songs covered by pan flute. I mean, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, The Beatles (ok, maybe not all American songs) and who said the theme song from “Ghost” couldn’t get more romantic??? Try it with a pan flute, friends...and your cousin.

Side note: a very cute dog followed us home (foaming at the mouth...just kidding) and I was so heartbroken that he couldn’t come in out of the rain with us...I miss my dog(s). 

We are about to turn in for the night because although we cannot see Machu Picchu, we are leaving at 8:30 tomorrow for a ten hour Sacred Valley ruins tour. Should be a good time. The price is right here so we thought a little education and exercise would be nice. Let you know how it goes! We love you and hope all is well at home, we are having a great time, not overindulging and being very careful!

love, love, love

Marv and Freddie

sorry for all the typos!

Sent March 6 via email:

Sorry it has been such a long time since I have written! It can be difficult to get internet access for any significant amount of time. 

When we left off we were in Cuzco, having a wonderful, if not quite rainy time. It continued that way until the end of our stay. Cuzco is quite the charming little town with tiny, windy, cobbled streets and a beautiful backdrop. At one point I was forced off the very narrow sidewalk into a tiny, windy, cobbled street because Marv and I were engrossed in a conversation and as I turned a corner, I was shocked to find myself nose to nose with an alpaca which sent me flying (and shrieking) into said street! Think about it, you would be startled, too!  

We went on our ruins tour which was extremely...tour-like. For starters we were put on a bus and they couldn’t find a tour guide to take us. Oops. Half an hour later we were on our way and our tour guide was, to my dismay, going to be lecturing in Spanish and then English. Which would have been fine had we been able to understand any of tour guide Jenny’s English. At one point I realized that I had most likely horrified many people with my burst of hysterical laughter after Jenny pointed out a city that had been destroyed by a sacred river...now that makes me sound like a jerk but they way Jenny said it, I was almost certain that it was destroyed by sacred zebras which is quite a different visual. We also took pictures in front of a giant, sacred hill that was apparently were they juiced cats...as you can see, I got absolutely no useful information out of our tour. You will also never see the cat-juicing hill because my camera went missing- it has been replaced with a much less cool model...but they did give me a free cooler backpack with it. Our last night was spent dancing with friends until the wee hours and then back to Lima where we imagined we would be for a couple more days. 

We found a much more social hostel in Lima this time that was right in the center of everything. That said, our hostel was designed to entice you not to want and/or need to leave. We instantly made friends with a bunch of kids from Minnesota that we spent the majority of our time with. Many wee hours were seen. Several romantic cousin dinners were also had. We bought new reading material and were dismayed to learn that English novels are significantly more expensive in a Spanish speaking country. I was also shocked to find that one of the books I had chosen by Gabriel Garcia Marquez was a real book! Marv then informed me that those were generally referred to as non-fiction. He keeps me in check when my head starts floating above the clouds as it has a tendency to do. Our second stay in Lima was supposed to end last Sunday but with the earthquake in Chile- which was to be our next destination- we found ourselves trapped in Lima for no certain amount of time. We were not immediately too concerned about our travel plans, which was stupid, and spent a final blissful night with our new friends, and then said our goodbyes to them when they departed the next day. Then Marv and I were on mission to make new plans. We called, we visited offices, we bought bus tickets for a three day trip to Santiago. Fail. fail. fail. Finally, we decided that we couldn’t stay any longer in Lima so we paid a fee to change our flights to Uruguay! One all night flight later, we arrive!

So far we love Uruguay. We did not stay in the main city of Montevideo but decided to hop immediately on a three hour bus to Punta del Este. Everything about it, well almost, reminds me of being on Bald Head Island. There are cars, high-rise condos and bazillions of restaurants and shopping, but other than that, it’s right on. Lots of lush forests that make you feel as though you are completely invading and then open coastline with nice, uncrowded, well-kept beaches. In the spirit of Bald Head, Marv and I went straight to the market to buy gin and tonic materials. 

Our hostel had a BBQ last night with all the members- think 10 to 15- which was pretty neat. It was byob and the hosts got tons of meats, cheese and bread which was cooked it in a large pit and served in pieces on a tray, one at a time. Everyone had a fork and just grabbed off the cutting board. Lots of fun. I'm really into the family style atmosphere here.

Today Marv and I woke, almost at a reasonable hour, had our breakfast, which is included in our lodging, and trotted off to rent bikes, again in true Bald Head form. We got our beach cruisers and blindly struck off.  I let Marv lead because I am my mother’s daughter after all. We had no trouble finding the beach and the little city area. Also true to Bald Head form, and the only real downside that we have found so far about our beach village is the mosquitoes. Woa. They ride along with you on your bikes and bite you as you ride...if you stop you are toast! These are the most vicious little hunters I’ve seen. Strangely enough they let up a bit at night and our fiends during the day. 

Tonight Marv and I were ready to go out for a romantic cousin dinner but were intercepted by our host and invited to partake in a little homemade pizza party with some other hostel guests. We plan on being here until the tenth and then braving a very long bus ride to Mendoza in Argentina. We have heard amazing things about Mendoza, specifically about Mr. Hugo’s bicycle wine tour. From there we will bus over to Cordoba and then back down to Buenos Aires where I will depart and Marv  will carry on without me. On that note, that pizza materials have arrived and I must leave you! Miss you all, see you soon.

much love,

Marv and Freddy

Tune in next time to see if Marv and Freddy can maintain upright bicycles while touring through the Argentina wine country!

Sent via email:  March 10, 2010

Our last couple nights in Uruguay wrapped up nicely. After my last email, our hosts took us to this really awesome outdoor rock concert (of which I understood zero) and then we went out on the town, dancing and drinking with our hostelmates! I met a very nice young man who told me that I was very pretty but couldn’t understand why on earth I wouldn’t get a tan. After I tried in vain to explain that it just doesn’t happen for some people he told me that was simply not true and if I would like he would teach me the next day. I smiled, politely thanked him, muttered some expletives under my breathe and went to refresh my drink. The next night we went out to dinner with a couple guys from Switzerland that were staying in our hostel. We didn’t have too much to talk about with them but it was a good time. I was really fascinated by their excellent manners. It made me feel like I should eat and perch on my chair like a little bird (rather than my customary “yes I can get this entire roll in my mouth at once!") When we got home we all watched the Oscars, which went on here until 3am. Apparently I have some movies to watch when I get back...

The next morning Marv and I boarded a 4 1/2 hour bus and then got on a boat, which crossed into Argentina. We settled in for this boat ride and I assumed it would be a lot like the many boats I have been on. Absolutely not. It was quite a pitchy ride and in the dark as well.  I couldn’t read my book because I happened to be reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s (real book!!!) "The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor" and it didn’t feel right to read on the voyage. Our ride was mostly uneventful, however, there was a brief hilarious moment when Marv and I ventured to the great glass duty free shop positioned right in the middle of the ship. So there I am, standing beside Marv, holding a bottle of grey goose the size of my thigh, being tossed back and forth in this glass case. Had we imbibed at all I would have feared for the rest of the contents of that shop. Fascinating side note: Argentina doesn’t really care if you have a passport or not when entering their country by boat…

We had planned to meet cousin Ali in Mendoza which is approximately a 12 hour bus ride away. Marv and I depart this evening around 9 and arrive tomorrow morning. Ali is a little hard to pin down and her plans change very frequently so it is up in the air right now as to whether or not we will see her at all. Ali or no Ali, to Mendoza we go!

Section 2: (Marv andFreddy eat ham and cheese sandwiches...again, and again...)

We spent last night on our suite (sweet!) style bus. We rode on the top level because they could obviously see that we are an especially classy breed. Our bus ride began with our flamboyant little sprite of a bus attendant hopping up the stairs to serve us appetizers. These consisted of a small glass of apple juice and a tiny ham and cheese sandwich. Another side note: South Americans share my passion for ham and cheese sandwiches and it is seriously the only thing that you can always rely on being served night and day. Trouble is, that garbage was not apple juice which I found out only after taking what I believed would be a refreshingly huge swig. The next few moments consisted of feeling my throat constrict and the blood vessels in my eyes stand out cartoonishly. I had flashbacks from the first time Alexis and I “borrowed” some of her parent’s vodka thinking it must be no big deal, everyone drinks vodka, right? Don’t worry Mom and Dad, I was probably ummmmm, 19 when this happened...maybe. Wrong. Marv and I  decided it was likely some kind of chilled port...or vinegar. Yuck either way. Just as I suspected our dinner also came with a ham and cheese sandwich (you really never can have too many) and was accompanied by the replaying over and over of a little known Shakira video and some terrible red wine that burned the throat on the way down. Special. After that our trip was relatively uneventful apart from our nutjob, curmudgeon of a bus neighbor who hacked through the night as though he were dying from the black lung.

We didn’t bother to set up lodging before arriving to Mendoza so we kind of closed our eyes and picked a hostel out of the book. It worked out well for us and we are in a small dorm, in what appears to be a very youthful, exciting hostel near downtown. Tonight we are attending the “pizza party” followed by “everyone goes to the club together.” We are in hopes of making friends with whom we can do Mr. Hugo’s wine bike tour! It is to meet people that Marv and I have resigned ourselves to attending these hostel sponsored events. At first we weren’t sure if perhaps our age and the fact that we did not have to sell a single magazine or read any certain amount of books disqualified us for the pizza party. After a couple of drinks we decided that we may as well swallow that false pride we’d been carrying around and participate in hostel-sponsored events.

Mendoza is really beautiful. It has cool mountain air and plenty of cute outdoor cafes (where the ham and cheese sandwiches flow like the wine.)  There are also lots of opportunities for outdoor adventures so we are trying to plan a schedule for that. The only thing that has been a disappointment since we arrived in Argentina is that it is famed for have the most gorgeous inhabitants, possibly in the world. Where are they? Everyone we’ve met said that we would be blown away...well friends, we’re still here. Maybe they only come out at night. I’ll let you know.

Adventures to follow may include (but are not limited to) Mr. Hugo’s bike tour and a high mountain adventure (we are going to the base of the second highest mountain in the world...I think) we can’t climb higher than that because we simply don’t have it in us. Recent developments also include a Guns N’ Roses concert in Buenos Aires (amazing!) and a soccer match beteewn the two Buenos Aires rival teams. We have high expectations. Hopefully my next email will be about more than a bus! 

We love hearing from you guys, too! Miss you all dearly!

all our love,

Marv and Freddy

Sent via email March 20, 2010

Hello!

Okay, gosh, it gets really hard to remember all the things I’d been thinking that I needed to tell you! Its’ been a while so this will be fairly condensed (for me.)

As I was saying, Mendoza was really amazing. We went on a really romantic sunset horseback ride. Well, almost, there were about 20 of us and the bus broke down so we ended up having a really lovely view of the sunset from bus number 2 and then we sat on horses while they walked around for about an hour in the dark. It was still pretty amazing because we were up in the mountains a bit so you could see all the stars and the lights of Mendoza below. After our pitch black horse back ride we had another gaucho style BBQ. Loaves of bread, tomatoes, huge hunks of delicious meat cooked on an open pit and red wine around a fire. Good times were had by all.

We also went on Mr. Hugo’s wine bike tour as promised. Basically, we get out to wine country, rent a bike, they give you a map and off you go! We weren’t really expecting anything strenuous but in order to get to the end of the route (to work our way back) it was several miles, slightly up hill, on a fairly busy road (scary!!!) but we made it unscathed and proceeded to our first winery tour! We got to learn all about the process, how to make different kinds of wine, see all the tools and storage facilities, eat some grapes right off the vines and (drum roll, please!) taste several off the wines! Personally, I felt that this was quite the learning experience. We were gathered with other English speakers for our first tasting. Up first, Rose. I’ve never had a Rose because I always felt that pink wine was a bit trashy...I don’t know, it’s the most popular color of Franzia. That however, is White Zinfindel and Rose is heaven. Well, our first one was a bit sweet...I told Marv it reminded me exactly of a strawberry fruit roll-up and he informed me that my opinion would not be welcome. At another vineyard I did find a Malbec Rose that I loved so much I had to buy a bottle. It’s so refreshing! Perfect summer wine. So anyway, we rode, we drank, we rode, we drank. Things went very well on our bike tour. I only crashed once and it was before I had even started drinking. Apparently I misjudged my athletic ability and for future reference I cannot pop a wheelie. I cannot believe I almost left out the best part! So gathered around our first wine tasting, there are about 10 of us, we all cheers and one guy looks at his friend and in all seriousness and with complete sincerity he cheersed "to your mother." The rest of us almost died! Apparently it was his bud’s mom’s birthday so it was a valid cheers, but honestly, who says that? Naturally that was our cheers for the rest of the tours and Marv and I still usually cheers "to your mother." Guess you had to be there...

Another night bus to Cordoba. We booked late and could only get a semi-coma bus. No bueno. Nine hours of chairs that don’t recline, surrounded by babies!!! So many babies, so much baby smell. 

Cordoba is....Cordoba is like...Cordoba is a big city. That’s about it. We chose to spend St. Patrick’s day there and unfortunately no one else in that town celebrates it. You know it’s strange...I have this theory that the Irish are quietly taking over the world. It’s a move that nobody really expects but think about it. Have you ever been to a town that doesn’t have at least one Irish bar? I mean, even the wee Village of Pinehurst has Dugan’s! No matter where we have been on this trip there has been an Irish bar that we almost always end up in. Well, in Cordoba, Marv and I were the only people wearing green so they put hats on us and took our picture for the news paper. I’m sure the headline is something really impressive...

The only friend that we really like from Cordoba was this giant bear of a guy named Matt, or maybe Max...I couldn’t understand his accent a lot of times. One night we went out with a group of people and Marv, Matt and I decided to break away from the group. Matt really wanted to go to the Jim Morrison bar across town. We don’t know why. After that we ended up going to a night club where we drank fernet and watched Matt dance around head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd for a while before deciding that it was time to take the big bear home.

Night bus to Buenos Aires! And what do you know?!?! Our same hopping, spritely bus attendant was back in action serving up ham and cheese after ham and cheese with terribly wine!

Tonight was actually our second night here in BA. Last night we went to this really famous steak house where we once again enjoyed the first third of a steer and a bottle of red. Tonight we went to a tango show! I had a blast (Marv thought it was ok) but the dancing was fantastic! Before the dancing started we all had dinner there. Marv had a huge steak. I ordered the beef with pepper and potatoes...okay well, what I have discovered about South America is that you shouldn’t really plan on eating whatever you think you are getting because you will inevitably wind up with something completely different than you were expecting. I imagined a pepper encrusted steak. Wrong. Marv’s glorious meal arrived and then they handed me what appeared to be a salisbury steak and two twinkie sized tatertots. Hmmm. I felt very immature and embarrassed. Like I had just ordered off the kid’s menu. It was like mom going off the work at the theater when we were little and heating up our Kid Cuisines. A little red wine and it tasted fine. While we were eating the dancers invited about 15 couples on the stage, one at a time for a quick tango lesson. Obviously I forced Marv to come with me. We didn’t dance together though, we were both with other dancers. Mumsie, you would be so proud because everyone just went up and danced, thanked their instructor and sat back down. When I finished dancing the  entire room clapped! Naturally, I flushed bright red and curtsied. The woman beside me took some pictures that she said she would send to me. 

Besides the amazing dancing there were also very talented musicians. There were two main breaks, first was Batman’s "the Penguin" gyrating in a most nauseating way while playing the mandolin like he had three hands and 36 fingers. It was incredibly impressive and perhaps would have been slightly more enjoyable had I not been able to see him. Next came...PUSS N BOOTS!!!! And his drum. It was hard to not laugh. Again, exceptionally talented. After he set down his drum he got out these strings with taps on the end. I felt like I was watching Inigo Montoya try to shake off a fire ant attack while playing Skip-It with both hands. Highly entertaining to say the least.

There are a couple things that tonight’s tango has inspired me to do. First, I’ve already cut slits to the thigh in everything I own. I’m only kidding. Although I really feel like everyone should wear stilettos all the time. Why on Earth did I spend so much time in pointe shoes when I could wear amazing stilettos to dance in all the time!?!? Secondly, I think I should definitely take some ballroom classes when I get home. I’m too old for ballet now and in ballroom you get to wear pretty things and look pretty and strut when you walk. No more purple beehives or fluffy Barbie pink skirts or uni-tards or trying to run across the stage on your toes like that 100 pounds isn’t there. Lastly, I should play the accordian. What guy wouldn’t go for a girl with a squeeze box? mmmm???? Your minds are ticking...could be fun.

We are calling it an early night tonight because tomorrow we are going to the BA cross town rivals soccer game! The Boca Juniors VS the Rivers! Should be very exciting and very rowdy. Unfortunately, we could only get tickets to the visiting Rivers side so we are the under dogs. The next night we are going to Guns N’ Roses. Should be a pretty excited few days!

Trip is almost over for me and I can’t wait to see you all! Hope all is well!

much love,

Freddy and Marv