Admiring Argentina

Outdoor steam bath...at 6:30am no less! Ugh. Welcome to summer in Florida. It's not yet at its zenith either. We still have to get through August and September...

Before I left for work, I was able to catch an e-mail from my Canadian friend Romy. She did an incredible thing by arranging pictures from her recent Argentinian vacation into a PowerPoint presentation complete with introduction and captions not to mention an overall theme, Argentinian flag and map. It was the most creative photo album I have ever received. (It is usually my job to create them for others.) To be fair, her husband Toby took the gorgeous shots and she supplied the words.

I have always wanted to go to Argentina, but I have never had the opportunity so I resorted to begging her for pictures before her trip. What I received today was more than expected. I am sharing just a small part of the whole thing with her permission. Romy's lovely descriptions are in italics:

Their first week was in Mendoza (near the Chilean border) where they toured surrounding mountains and wine estates.

The ruins of a hot spring partially destroyed by a landslide.


One of a few "Sprinkles" shots. The AGOL sphere of influence knows no bounds!: One restaurant had a huge wood burning oven where they prepared all the meat. A specialty dessert was “burnt” fruit also prepared in the oven and topped with vanilla ice cream.


Second Week: View from living room window in their apartment rental in Palermo in Buenos Aires.


A beautiful apartment building.


AGOL Favorite: An angel at Recoleta Cemetery where Argentina’s elite are buried. Eva Peron is buried there but her burial was considered controversial because she was viewed as “common” by the riches.


Colourful fisherman's houses in the working class section of Buenos Aires called Boca where Maradona grew up and where the tango was born.


I made sure to thank her after my second viewing at work. Maybe I've peeked at it more times than I should during the day. I can't help it -- I just love it! Thank you Romy and Toby. xo

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Reality occurred in the very mundane way of things at work in between album viewings. Eh, it was Monday. I drove through monsoons on the way home. At this rate, most everyone will be cutting their lawn twice a week. No drought here... I spent most of my evening talking to my old chum John who was driving from Louisiana to Texas. What do they say about preacher's kids? It is true... Oddly enough as I type, Evita's theme is running through my head. Don't yawn for me Argentina...Ah, right.


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Admiring Argentina

Running Down the List

There was a time where I could appreciate quiet starts to work. It would be hard pressed to welcome quiet in these economic climes influencing employment decisions. People who were getting back from vacation were coming back to losing their jobs or individuals who were spared last week were being walked out today. I just didn't understand and I don't think I want to understand. What will be, will be.

Tawny and Jeff held an early morning vigil at the hospital where Jeff's father was poised to have heart surgery. Five valves need to be replaced. They would have been replaced had it not been for another emergency that bumped his operation tomorrow. I haven't talked about this but this may be the fifth or sixth postponement of the surgery due to one thing or another.

My friend Kristey is having a biopsy done on her breast this week. She seems quite calm. Her husband Danny has taken time off to care for her. In true Kristey fashion, she's been taunting him about it and reminding him that he has to do everything for her...as she does most things for him everyday. She runs a tight ship at home.

You remember my favorite q-tip? Well, Nan, had to go to the hospital a couple of weeks ago for breathing difficulty. She will be moved from the rehabilitation wing of the hospital to the long term care. My aunt and uncle have conceded that it is too much for them to care for Nan now that she is unable to do many things. Aunt Maria was devastated and has felt that she had failed her mother-in-law because she cannot care for her, but she needs a reminding of the enormous amount of love she has shown her already. When you're in your mid to late 60's, you need to take care of yourself, too. Running yourself ragged does no one any good.

This post is not all glum, but just more of a reality listing of the people around me. As a named Asian Goddess of Love, it is my duty to also tell things that may not always be pleasant. When we experience the things that are less than loving, we receive the opportunities to grow love out of those times. Love is sweeter. Love is treasured. Love is more abundant.

I did have two bright spots in during my day. The first is that I received a note from my new friend in Canada that she and her husband got back from a wonderful Argentinian trip. I was giddy to get her note which brightened my morning and brought me big smiles. She's going to send me pics later that I've been salivating to see. I've never been to that country and would enjoy it from her view. She's quite the world traveller!

The other was a funny thing at lunch. I was an Asian mafia of one today; my girls were too busy to join me. Just as well for the solitary moments gave me time to write in my notebook. One of the ladies in the office came in and asked me what I had been scribbling furiously. My response, I am building my empire. I was working out something for my future cooking videos that will help illustrate something I want to include in them...

Another blog may be on the way just for cooking. I already have the address reserved in Blogger...I teased you about this in April, but I bought SarahSprinkles.com and four other domain extensions different from .com with SarahSprinkles as the sitename.

All these are parts of the bigger picture I am slowly coloring in. We can all look forward to more within the next 6-8 months. Some of my dollars may be going to the same talent that designed this blog. I already have an idea for a logo, but will have her render a few different versions. In the same vein of the sci-fi and fantasy movies I love, I say to you Some people dream of having empires, I build them. (Erm...well..I have recently started building them. Ha!) That about covers the list for today.
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Running Down the List