I worked on Monday then stayed home the rest of the week – Thursday and Friday were holidays, and I wasn’t feeling well Tuesday and Wednesday. I got a lot of reading in: “Thank you for your Servitude,” “Strength to Strength,” Gail Sheehy’s memoir, “Daring: My Passages,” “Midlife: A Philosophical Guide,” and a humorous one, “There are no Grown-ups: A Midlife Coming-of-Age Story.” They were all good reads, but I especially enjoyed Sheehy’s memoir, as I knew little about her or her writing previously.
I also had great video chats with Joan in San Antonio and Nomi in DC – so good to catch up! John and I also watched Argentina win a nail-biter against the Netherlands on Saturday!
John was a fabulous Santa at yesterday’s embassy holiday party at the Ambassador’s residence – he sure looked the part and the families loved him!
This little girl was my favorite – she was just giddy when she saw Santa:
Work was busy this week – we had a team of four computer folks in from DC to help us with some debugging and training, which we sorely needed. Argentina won two World Cup matches – one Wednesday and one yesterday – so the whole country is going nuts. Lea and I met for coffee yesterday afternoon in Palermo; the restaurant kicked us out at 4:00 when the game started and it looked like the whole city shut down – my drive home was super fast, as there were hardly any cars on the road!
Things are looking up for Flavia! The vet came again Wednesday night and gave her a steroid and vitamins, along with some fluids. Almost immediately she started eating and hasn’t stopped! I’m sticking with canned chicken, as she seems to like it. We are thrilled and cautiously optimistic.
We had a lovely Thanksgiving with Lea and Jose at their house, along with Josey, another co-worker. The turkey was delicious and Lea made a great apple crumb pie for dessert. We really like them so much and are glad they are here. Lea and I also went to lunch on Monday (a local holiday) at a neat place called Mooie in Belgrano. I even drove and parked – getting my courage up to drive here.
Friday night we met Phil, a friend of Mike and Wayne’s, for dinner at Hierro. We didn’t know him, but he was just delightful and we had a great time visiting with him over a steak and wine while he is in Buenos Aires for vacation. Nice guy!
With Phil, a new friend
We stayed home this weekend and watched the Argentina – Mexico soccer match yesterday. Argentina redeemed themselves after a loss earlier in the week – the office was not a happy place to be on Tuesday after they lost their 7AM game. Across the street from the embassy, the city set up a huge Jumbotron TV and there were huge crowds of people there. I’m sure they were a lot happier yesterday after their win!
Last weekend I finished ”Jane Eyre” – I suppose I read it years ago (who knows), but it was fun to read. Today I finished “Bravo Company” by Ben Kesling, the nephew of our Hot Springs friend PeeWee. It’s gotten a lot of good press and it was good — and highlighted the need for better care for our veterans. TV-wise, Pamela got us hooked on “Dead to Me,” a potty-mouthed but fun dark comedy (Christina Applegate reminds me of a mash-up of Jennifer Aniston and Tanya Harding), and we have continued to watch “The Law According to Barbara” and the Swedish “The Hunters.” We also started the clever “Wednesday” last night.
The week started well last Sunday when we met our DHS colleagues for a fun lunch at Roldan’s – the outdoor restaurant abuts a horse ring and we got to watch riders practice their riding and jumping while we enjoyed huge steaks!
We shared!
On Thursday I was thrilled to be invited to the unveiling of a mural at the Ambassador’s tennis court and got to meet Gabriela Sabatini, someone who I watched play in the 80s and 90s – a tennis icon. I also had a photo opp with Diego Schwartmann, a top-tier player – both he and Gabby were featured on the mural. My selfies looked terrible, so I’m not posting them but it was fun!
The week took a turn when Flavia stopped eating suddenly. We’ve had a couple of home visits by the vet and have taken her for fluids and meds at the nearest emergency hospital for three days now. She isn’t in visible distress, but her appetite comes and goes, and she is having digestive issues. We love this little booger and hope she makes a recovery. She’s been all around the world with us, starting in Little Rock when we found her as a kitten.
John and I attended the Marine Ball last night at the Ambassador’s residence, Palacio Bosch. It was fun to see everyone dressed up. Instead of a sit-down dinner, we had the presentation of the colors and a few speakers, then drinks and hors d’oeuvres both inside and on the lawn outside. We ducked out before the dancing started.
Thursday night we had our first dinner guest, a woman who will be going to orientation in January to become a member of the Foreign Service as an office management specialist. She’s a friend of a friend of a friend and in Buenos Aires to brush up on Spanish. We had a nice time chatting with her.
Friday was a holiday and it was nice to spend the day at home reading. I finished a Liane Moriarty book, “Apples Never Fall,” a fun fiction. We enjoyed a good movie last week, “Loving Adults” – lots of twists and turns! I caught up with John and watched “The Inside Man” while he was out to dinner with the Canadians. We also watch a fun French crime drama and started the latest season of “The Crown.”
