I love this freaky photo! I think the fever fried my brain a little.Here I am modeling my new reading glasses. They are tre chic if I do say so myself.
I've been looking in shop windows trying to find a pair of reading glasses that are affordable and not too geeky. Finally, I stopped by an optometrist next to my dry cleaners and down the street from my Disco.
The woman who worked there was so nice I want to go back and get another pair. She complemented me on my Spanish, but also she was really easy to talk to. She said she is from the interior of the country and her Spanish is easier than the people of Baires (I've learned that is how some people abbreviate Buenos Aires) - it was true - but not only was she easy to understand, she was also pleasant to talk with.
When I went back to pick up my glasses on Tuesday, I was still weak from the flu. She asked me if I'd had many tango classes yet. That was so nice of her to remember that we had discussed that. She was so much nicer than the cashiers at the Disco who are now scaring me so much I go to the chino when I can (I'm over-exaggerating a bit).
Anyway, I told this nice lady that I was looking for a pair of reading glasses that were small and not too expensive. I showed her the ones in the window I liked and she proceeded to go around the store and pick up pairs of glasses and put them down in front of me. She must have given me 15 different pairs to look at. When I saw this pair, I thought, "ew", but when I tried them on they were really comfortable. I've also learned that different kinds of glasses don't work for me, certain types pinch my nose, certain types have a tendency to have the lense pop out if I am not careful, and certain types leave a mark on my nose if I wear them too long. The best ones are those that are made from one piece of plastic. These also have flexi-frames, so if my head grows, they will too. I chose them right after I tried them on, and she said "so fast", so I tried on a few others, but each time I put these back on I was convinced they are the ones. I know they are uber stylish, maybe a bit too much, but they work for me.
Well, today was my "avoid Norma" day. I didn't want to have to sit on the sofa and talk to her, I mean, listen to her, feeling as weak as I was. So I left here around 2:30, expecting her to arrive sometime after 3.
First I went and changed some money and got a bit of a reality check. I know what the exchange rate is, but my mind is playing tricks on me with the money and convincing me that things are cheaper than they are. Today I only changed $100 and I only got $300 pesos and some change. It was a shock to see $100 dollars come back to me as these three bills that I kind of treat like dollar bills (again, over-exaggerating a bit).
From there, I went to Ataneo, which is a former opera house converted into a bookstore. It is quite fabulous. I was looking for a survival guide for expats, which I did not find.
I went to Musimundo, to see if I could find a CD for Hernan's birthday. I know it is kind of silly to buy Mr. Music a CD, but I know he likes music and I know he likes Portuguese, so I thought I'd get him a copy of a fado singer from Portugal called Mariza that I really like. They didn't have any.
Down the street I went to Un Altra Volta, which I just call Volta. It is a chocolatier and ice cream shop and they have a nice cafe in the back. I had my new reading glasses (which are very comfortable and did I say, chic?), and found a newspaper on the counter. Here was my opportunity to begin practicing the art of sitting with the same cup of coffee for three hours in a cafe.
I ordered a pot of fruit tea.
I also got a little desert made with strawberry ice cream, vanilla mouse and a little cookie on the bottom.
Now I am realizing why I am still up at almost 1 a.m. - it was that pot of fruit tea, which was caffeinated.
Anyway, I found myself doing the usual, starting to read an article, getting the gist of it, and then impatiently moving on. I knew I was not going to come anywhere near 3 hours if I did that, as the newspaper was not that big. So I went back and tried to read the whole article, thinking it was at least good for my Spanish, even if I wasn't interested.
I kept getting fidgety and wanting to leave, but the thought of running into Norma made me calm down and relax until finally I found plenty in the newspaper to keep me there for an hour.
Volta is a very pleasant place. It's quite elegant, and like most cafes here, it is very quiet. People speak in a very low volume, which I like. At about 4:00, it started to get crowded and the volume increased. I'd had enough, so I left.
It was a nice day and I was feeling ok, so I decided to try to find the supermarket I found last year that had coconut milk. I thought I knew where it was. I also thought it was a Coto, but every supermarket I found that was located between Santa Fe and Marcelo T. Alvear was a Disco. I went into all of them, but found them all to be the same. No coconut milk. I still have a project.
I headed back towards home, picking up a bunch of small white flowers for 5 pesos.
I bought some shrimp (small, cooked and frozen, not what I really wanted), oregano and crushed red pepper and proceeded to make a shrimp narinara sauce for some fresh pasta I bought yesterday. The sauce came out good, in spite of the shrimp, but the pasta was not really that good. I think it will be better next time with big, fresh shrimp, and bought, imported Italian pasta.
I've spent the evening watching some TV, and then browsing online, reading some online guides for expats, other blogs, etc., that I found, and updating my own blog. I've added pictures, changed the templates, etc.
I think I have wasted enough time and am feeling pretty tired now. My stomach is still sore, and I feel like I am running a slight fever. I canceled my Spanish class for tomorrow, but Juliana understood what I was asking for an has agreed to tailor the classes to my needs. She told me to forget about the assignment she gave me last week. Ah, that's a relief!
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