Delivery...they deliver everything here in Buenos Aires

I like to go out and eat. I find the whole exercise of getting ready and dressing up to out to eat as a nice activity to do with people you love and care about...and then there is delivery.

Here in Buenos Aires, they deliver everything. I mean McDonalds, pizza, empanadas, ice cream, laundry, everything. They deliver the regular stuff like furniture, mattresses, beds all that kind of stuff but chinese food even groceries, they deliver. I mean you go to a store like Norte, COTO and if you are within the block radius they service - BAM! - they deliver it for you. There is long wait to get it, but by golly - they deliver your grocery to your house. Just do not buy anything that will melt (ice cream and such).

I sit here at home wondering what is there to eat and with a few dollars - they deliver whatever you want. Isn't that great? I do not have a tv set here in BsAs so it takes the pleasure of calling my self a couch potato, I am not for I do not have a couch either - as I wait for the delivery. What a great deal. Just do not forget to tip the delivery guy, coz if you tip, next time you order, they deliver yours -fast and first!

They do not have this service - SIN CARGO in the US. It is great here. Love that service. The delivery guys are nice and after awhile if you are a good tipper, even just a peso and a half, with lots of smile - they do better than their counter part MUZO or MUZA at the restaurant. In fairness not all servers are bad it is just majority of them seem so sad and not enjoying what they do. The delivery guys I guess are more happy go lucky because they work outside.

I just love this entrega a domicillo idea - what a deal!

Well it is that time of the night again and I have someone craving for a burger - better order that soon.

Ciao for now.

Hairlines...

I am stepping away from business topics for awhile. I have a horrendous headache today so I wanted to post something - light.

OK, so there we were at Siga la Vaca last Sunday..(I will not name the location to protect the identity of people to be mentioned) and we got there relatively early, we were early in BsAs standards because though there were people there - we still had our choice of seats. There were 4 of us in our party. So we sat in the middle of the whole place. I do not like heavy traffic area so we off to the side of the median of the restaurant.

So we ordered our drinks and we got our salads - buffet style you know. And then we all got talking and saw some people that were familiar to "R" and "T". So they said their hello's and did their besos, I guess, I really did not see because I was stunned by a phenomenon that caught my attention. OK, see, I have been complaining about how long the guys hair are in here in BsAs - I mean mullet haircuts - excuse me but that was like soooo long ago! And then as I stood in the middle of Siga la Vaca, I was in the midst of not plumes of asado smoke but I was in a sea of men with receding hairlines?

And then I got obsessed. I looked at men to my right, in my left, behind me, in front of me and then all around me - it was all the same. The men have either no hair, very little hair, have long hair but receding hairline and then those that have pronounced loss of hair --either recent or just still trying to cope with the reality that their hair are falling out.

I see the receding hairline in men phenomenon across the board in age level, except the 3 to early 20's guys. I even saw a guy in his mid-20's with a shaven head but you can make out the hairline that has apparently receded very recently. It was the most interesting thing I had ever seen. I did not mention anthing to anyone, especially since I was in the company of boys since I know how guys also feel so strongly about any criticism about their hair, these are not taken lightly. I know that about men's facial hair as well, guys with mustaches , beard and side burns feel so attached to them - do not really know why and I am scared to ask. I might understand their reasoning and for a woman that scares me - to begin to understand the men psyche. (shivers!)

So for the last 2 days, I have been observing the same about men that I see all around me, the men I meet at the store, the guard at COTO, the cobbler, every male I see I eye his head and see what level of hair he has. And sadly there are a lot of balding men in Buenos Aires. Just look around you. There are some guys who look so freakin' hot without hair and shaven head but somebody in between hair growth or just no hair is an oddity for me. There are men of course that can carry this hair loss fairly well, and others, well - do not have a choice.

I am not talking about you, should you be on the balding phase of your life. If you are offended by this article, then I am not talking about you.

I was just wondering what the cause is of this phenomenon. I do not think this is hereditary - since almost every is undergoing it - that they are all related - nah! What could it be - just curious. Bad hair care? Bad diet? Bad hygiene? From long hair to no hair - pretty extreme, no?

Well if you have an answer or would like to take a guess as to why this is happening - send me an note; would love to hear your take on this hair-y story.

Ciao.

asthma could be the pits in here...

On the lighter side of things, I have noticed that since I got to Buenos Aires I have not stopped coughing. My throat is always itching and feels like it is dry. I drink loads of water, and I take them in sips but to no relief. I have brought my asthma pump medicine with me and BOY OH BOY - what a lifesaver!

I have noticed that the sudden change in temperature, I start to hack. I mean really cough, hard and deep. Then when the rain stops and the seeds from trees fill the air - I hack like a smoker and I am not! When I smell mildew and stagnant humid rooms like rooms without ventilation and air circulation from outside - I feel like my lungs are going to collapse. I take this very deep breath - short and then cough so distinctively like an asthmatic. I know how that sounds - really! I know because I have been an asthmatic since I was a little girl and then it stopped when I went to the the lower southern coast of California. I still had my asthma when I lived in Santa Monica CA.

Now that I am in BA, I must take my pump medicine again - or else I think I am dying. I cannot sleep because of the non-stop coughing. And it is just tough on my back, all that all day coughing. I am looking forward to finding a doctor who can prescribe this pump for me when I am here. I know I will not have this coughing when I go back to SD, and that would be a relief.

Springtime is bad, but so is winter when it is cold and then there is the chilly fall weather that also begins the cycle all over again.

The pollution and humid damp streets with mildewy building can cause and attack and these are everywhere. The bus, taxi and cars polluting exhaust is what is making me cough worst than when I used to smoke. I am not sure when I inhale that smell of smoke in the condo hallways if it is second hand smoke. For a person that quit smoking years ago, I cannot stand the smell of smoke being blown next to me. I am an asthmatic and I have to learn to deal with it when I am in BsAs. I am thankful that part of the year I will have some relief when I am travelling outside of BsAs.

People who never had asthma cannot begin to understand the difficulty of breathing when your lungs and bronchial tubes are clogged. Sometimes at night I am in agony and it pesters me that I do not get to sleep until hours after I've laid my head on my pillow.

I do not like mildew. I hate molds. Dampness and humidity on walls is my enemy. Spores, seeds and pollen allergens are not my friends. Bus pollutions and secondhand smoke is killing me, gently. So here I am with my asthma and it could be the pits when you have it here in BsAs.
And what I am saying here is the truth. People might have some problem with that but hey, they are not the one coughing, hacking and heaving all day long. So I am entitled to say what I am going through as an asthmatic, and it just so happens that my asthma was triggered again when I got to Buenos Aires. It is not BsAs fault, it is my own. I am not healthy enough to fight these elements when they are bombarding me. There it is said. Now excuse me while I cough some more.

www.gracee-creations.com

The upcoming bijoux shop that will open in BsAs is www.gracee-creations.com

A very nice small place where customer service will exceed your expectations and the native (using natural materials) products of bags and accessories are unique in this corner of the world.

I am full of excitement to launch my website. It is nothing grand or anything but THE ULTIMATE DIVA gave it everything from the heart. The service and the products we carry will more than speak of our dedication to make this bijoux a part of our and hopefully your lives.

I have bags that are made with various fibers and palm leaves that are indeginous to SouthEast Asia. The handwoven fibers are labors of love. The people who put the bags together really love their work and since most of the bags have patchwork design made out of the fibers, no two bags will ever be alike.

What a wonderful feeling it would be to walk the streets of Recoleta, Belgrano or Palermo and have a bag that no one else in this part of the world has. Priceless feeling - that is what one would feel.

Our accessories are varied as it is limited. Most of the shell necklaces, earring and wooden bangles are made by hand. Nature is the main source of material for our accessories. Shells and wood are the major components to the jewelries, with accents made of glass and coco heishi beads. There are a few items that we only have one or two in inventory and they are limited because they are primarily handmade and we only can make as many as the materials allow us to make, and sometimes that is just one or two pieces.

Gracee-creations.com is an e-store. We do not have a physical store but a pick up location.

In a day or so, I will launch the website and I hope you will take a moment to e-browse around our bijoux. And recommend us to a friend who lives in Buenos Aires and can visit our pick up location to pick up and pay for their purchase.

We look forward to hearing from you. www.gracee-creations.com , the new experience in the world of e-shopping.

We hope to welcome you as a member to our family of happy customers.

The upcoming bijouterie...

These last few weeks (and months, really) I have trying to get the concept of my very simple website going. I am not in any way cyberspace savvy. I do not know the computer language, I have a very short attention span and for cryin' out loud - I am not used to following instructions!

So here I am trying to learn how to work a Pentax digital camera, set up lights to avoid drastic shadows and angles. I had to read a manual take lots of "test" photos with all the variables considered ( huh!) and then I started imagining what my website would look like ( I am very good at that ..imagining..) OK..so there I was with a working idea for the website, what photos to take.

I tell you this did not happen overnight..no way sireee. Well, at first the task was daunting. I mean a digital camera, I can take really good pictures ( really!) with SLR manual NIKON that was 20 plus years old, but this digital thing is so complicated. The manual was used friendly, but I wasn't. So I struggled abit in the beginning and then I said...let me pretend I do not know anything at all about picture taking and that I got myself a PENTAX, so how do I work it. There!

I acknowledged what I needed to say and I moved on...I emptied my memory of any ideas I might have of how this gizmo was going to work and I read the manual - boy did that thing work. I was able to turn the Pentax to a working, picture taking, wow your momma shots!

Then I worked the pictures with PHOTOSHOP, hey, a girl needs help so I turn to my every so able friend PHOTOSHOP and the pixs were good for the files for my website.

I read the website again and looked at what I needed to change - my website is very straightforward no nonsense, no bells or whistles or anything fancy like that - it will do what it needs to do. With alot of heart and sleepless nights, I am 99.98% readly to launch it to cyperspace. It just needs a couple of days to brew over and then I should be set.

I have never thought I could even do something remotely similar to what I had just accomplished. But it sure tastes really sweet as I sit back and think that a few months back I did not see this day and yet here I am basking in my small accomplishment.

One day when the store (thus the website) picks up I can have a professional spruce my website a tad bit ( or a whole lot) but for today and the next few months, I think I should be fine.

I love working and I love working for myself. I learned new things everyday as I worked on my website and one of the major accomplishments I acquired for this undertaking is ...patience.

The store is a bijouterie I will place a link from this blog to my website, so should you drop by in Buenos Aires, call me to make an appointment and I will show you what I have in inventory but better hurry because I only have a few of each item.

Ciao for now. Tomorrow will be...another day...what a nice day it was today.

A funny thing happened on my way...

I did not even notice it that is alreadt Sunday and my last posting was Thursday - WOW this week went by so fast. I am actually working on my website and taking pictures for the website, so I am in a virtual cyberworld and nobody tells me what time it is..anyhoo.

So several days ago, I had to take a brand new pair of black, 2 3/4 inch heels with antique looking metal studs on it, shoes are pointy - of course, to my cobbler downstairs, Samy. I have told you about him - he is the guy I want every woman in Buenos Aires to meet so he can fix their tok, tok tok I no longer have heels but nails are protruding now heels - (roll my eyes here!)
Well, I took these brand new black...ok..ok...moving on...I had just lost my voice due to a bad cold...and so I was trying to tell Samy that the right shoe was making a noise every time I would take a step - in spanish. Well....that was the wrong thing to say, because shoes do make a noise when you walk on them. BUT no, the noise is coming from inside the shoe...like in the heel..inside..or something.

So for 2 minutes I was trying to have him hear this noise but to my dismay the store next door was doing some serious cement pounding more like excavation pounding so Samy cannot hear anything. By this time the line outside the cobbler's have started to get longer ( 3 people!).

So I said...try to diagnose it and I will be back. Well, my cold got worse and I was not able to see Samy bach until last Monday..and then he said - NO HAY PROBLEMA. What does he mean no problem - I still hear the freakin' noise. So I asked him to peel the cover of the shoes where the heel meets the body of the shoes and LO AND BEHOLD there was a screw in there - I asked him if the screw is tight. IT WASN"T. He turned the screw a few times and them gave the shoe back to me to try on..this time the line has gotten longer (4 people - and one of them my neighbor). So the noise is gone - PHEW! I thought another lovely pair of shoes to waste if the noise did not go away. I was not going to put on a pair of OH SO LOVELY shoes that squeek. NO WAY JOSE.

So before he put the glue on the back of the shoes and put everything back together, it occured to me that next to my laundry place is another Samy place - another cobbler. Could my Samy be moonlighting somewhere else? He cannot possibly be in 2 places at one time!

So there I stood asking "Samy" what his name was...with a grin worth a million bucks this sweet man says "RAUL". I knew I must have turned all shades of red ( a good tint for actually) but I was so embarrassed for all these years, months and days, I kept saying good morning, good day and all that to "SAMY", and the man's name is RAUL.

So there I was....standing in front of 4 people and RAUL paying him and thanking him at the same time. I was so glad my spanish is limited for I would have made a total ass of myself by apologizing profusely for my calling him Samy all this time.

So a funny thing happened on my wau to the cobbler...I finally found out his real name.

Raul...but he will deep down always be a "Samy" to me.

The luxury of sleep

Last night as I curl up in bed I thought..what a diva I really am (BIG smile here!)

Yesterday afternoon, I turned my bed over, changed sheets and fluffed the pillows and all that. My bed is, remember I am in Buenos Aires, is from the US. I have a box spring and then the mattress itself. The top mattress has a pillow mattress atop it. Both of these firm but luciously heaven-like sleeping luxury are on top of a black fourpost bedframe, also from the USA. And of course nothing but the best US sheets to cover all that sinfully indulgent luxury. Colors I like for sheets are white, lemon and turqoise.

Call me The Ultimate Diva because I am.

And if this mile high bed (I need a footstool to get in bed) is not enough I also have a goosedown 2 1/2 plazas of cloudlike blanket (white) and then to make it even more opulent, this goosedown feather blanket is encased in a white on limegreen duvet cover with 3 large buttons. Sweet heavens, as I curled up in bed I thought, this is so fablously good. I should bottle this feeling and feed on it on my bad days.

This is something I thank for every single night before I close my eyes, I have a nice warm home and a divinely comfortable and relaxing bed. It is such an indulgence that I get nothing but very good sleeps on it. Being in a cloud of fluffy and warm blanket each night as I dose off to never-never land and rest. Ahhhh...my little piece of heaven on earth.

Each morning as I wake up, my two pillows are always askew - no hay importa - I cuddle and curl up and moan and groan as I hesistantly leave the warm comfort of my bed - my diva bed.

I look forward to morning everyday but believe me I look forward to nights as well.

Ciao for now....

Monday Blues...

Today is the first day of October and in Buenos Aires it is raining.

I had a goodnight's sleep and so today, I proceed to work some more on my store. But rats! it is so gloomy and so monday-isque that I can not help but feel sleepy all day. In between flashes of lightning and roars of thunder, I have to make sure I keep my eyes open and keep checking the time since it feels like 5 in the afternoon since 7 this morning.

Oh well, since I have a bad case of cold I cannot go out anyways. No lunches out or anything. Rats!

I had a delicious cup of coffee at 8am and then a couple of toast at 10am. Then I had lunch at 1pm and later, I will have my siesta and in the mean time I will have to work on the pricing list for the store. I am not sure I want to work on cost in a gloomy day like today. I will try...

Mondays...I used to like Monday's ..I looked forward to them...days to go to the office, get ready, speak with customers and friends, lunches out in a nice California day...those were the days...

I am in Buenos Aires at this time, so I will need to deal with the Monday Blues here - sometime next week I should be fine - "R" would be coming back from a business trip and hopefully will have some goodies for me - now that will cure me of my Monday Blues anytime.

Ciao for now and keep yourself dry from the rain.