Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to Me

We went to our friends' apartment and watched the Christmas fireworks go off all over the city at the stroke of midnight Christmas Eve.

I don't have any pics documenting Christmas, but we slept in, had lunch with other friends and relaxed.

The day after Christmas, aka my birthday, we took the dog for a long walk around our neighborhood.

We snapped lots of pics, which I hope to eventually post, of the beautiful houses here, and enjoyed the summer weather. I do not miss NoVa's cold weather or all the snow they got. I realize now that there's no need to be bitter about a Dec. birthday -- I was just born in the wrong hemisphere!

Springtime in Buenos Aires

Some pictures of the jacaranda trees after a spring rain. These are the parks that border the Embassy.







We recently met some friends for lunch at this cute little restaurant.

We ate outside, beside this beautiful fountain.

Incredible Dancing Diplomat

A group of us went to one of the Diplomatic Happy Hour parties that are periodically hosted for the diplomatic community here in Buenos Aires. This one had a Brazil theme and was being held on a boat docked in the harbor, so we thought it would be cool but it kind of lived up to the reputation that the Diplomatic Happy Hours here have earned -- sort of lame parties; meet markets of dressed-to-the-nines diplomats from obscure embassies, drinking cheap champagne.

The party was pretty much as anticipated, so we just made our own fun, which included laughing hysterically at the dance stylings of this totally random guy with a bandaged hand, who jumped up on the stage and danced solo to every song as if he were performing in his own show. And perform he did. ENJOY.