criplomats

I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time daydreaming about going back to Antarctica next season – it’s amazing how much time you can spend going down internet rabbit holes! I was messaging this morning with a couple of friends from last December’s trip and it brought back so many good memories! Stay tuned to see if we can pull off a repeat trip!

Last Sunday I had a great chat with my friend Cathy in DC, plus I met Lea for coffee at Patio Bullrich. We had special visitors in this week from Washington, the special advisor for children’s issues and her team. It was good to reconnect with her over a yummy Italian dinner with consular managers. Lea and I came to our apartment for a glass of bubbly before we walked over to Recoleta to meet them.

John just read “Bleak House,” and got us watching the TV series version of it (also done by Andrew Davies who did “War and Peace,” etc.). It’s so good! I finished reading “The Two-Headed Whale: Life, Loss, and the Tangled Legacy of Whaling in the Antarctic,” by Sandy Winterbottom. Like my friend Morten’s book on polar bears, this was a hard book to stomach but I’m glad I did. It’s difficult to read the descriptions of killing over two million whales — not to mention realizing they were being slaughtered up through the 1960s (are you kidding me?).

While I was driving to a hair appointment yesterday, I saw this wonderful group of women dancing the park – I wanted to stop and join in!

We topped off a very low key week by driving up to the suburbs for a parilla at our friends’ Rachel and Ray’s house last night. The upside of living in the ‘burbs is having a backyard, small pool, and a big grill – nice! We had a fun evening visiting with our hosts and also Lea and Jose, Josie, and Ray’s mom Nita. The food was delish, and as you can see, there was a lot of it!

At work, we are starting the summer transition season and welcomed one of the two new deputies in my section. We had visitors from the Educational and Cultural Exchange branch of the State Department in this week, and I learned a lot about the au pair and summer work/travel programs – very interesting.

Last Sunday I chatted with Ann and Pam, then with Nomi a little later – so good to catch up! John and I have enjoyed the second seasons of “Hacks” and also started I think the third season of “Cobra,” a British political show (I’m enjoying seeing Jane “Little Voice” Horrocks in it). And we watched a very early Albert Brooks’ movie, “Real Life,” which was oddly prescient with its take on reality TV. I finished my book club book, “Someone Else’s Shoes” and started “The Two Headed Whale” this morning (thanks for the rec, Joan!).

We saw the Monument of the Spanish lit up in Argentine blue last night on our drive home:

Happy to have another year of a luckily wonderful life! Pilar surprised me with a poached pear crumble after work – so sweet.

We were happy that Scott and Julie enjoyed their time in Argentina! They treated us to a delicious dinner with good wine at Verdot the night before they left. So nice to see them and get to spend time with them!

Yesterday morning I went to Silvia y Mario’s shop and picked out a couple of leather jackets to be made – I hope I like them (I think I will). A co-worker was there at the same time – it’s always fun to have a buddy to weigh in!

My favorite expedition guide on our Antártica cruise, Morten, sent me copy of his book on polar bears (Polar Bears Beloved and Betrayed) and I finished it this weekend. It’s beautifully done with the most amazing photos of polar bears I’ve ever seen. The crux of the book is that while everyone assumes climate change is the biggest threat to the bears, Morten focuses on the legalized hunting of these beloved creatures – over 1,000 legally killed each year, out of a population of around 20,000. It’s outrageous (thanks, Canada, Denmark, and United States). Reading it was difficult, but Morten’s excellent writing and stunning photos make it possible.

I’m on a bit of an Albert Brooks kick – I watched a documentary about him not too long ago (done by his bestie Rob Reiner), then read an interesting article about him in the Atlantic. John and I watched “Defending Your Life” this weekend, and started “Mother” last night. He’s just so darned funny and Debby Reynolds is just perfect.

The fall/winter light in Buenos Aires was lovely this week.

Cousin Julie and her husband Scott arrived last Sunday morning, so we’ve been enjoying visiting with them this week. We’ve had a lot of good food: Corte Comedor, Mishiguene, La Alacena – not to mention good conversations and a bottle or two of wine. John took them on a tour of the Ambassador’s residence Friday, as well as a walk-through of the embassy.

I went for drinks and a show with Lea, Rachel, and Rachel last night – we went downtown to see the Spanish version of “Rent.” It was a fun, energetic cast, and even though I couldn’t really follow the Spanish, it was still a lot of fun.

John and I finished the “Pride and Prejudice” series, then watched the Keira Knightly movie version. Next up is “Sense and Sensibility.” I finally finished Anne Patchett’s “Bel Canto” – I enjoyed it a lot but it took me a while to get through it. It’s good, but just one of those books that was hard for me to pick up again once I had put it down. Next up is a light book club book.

Happy birthday to Joan today!