MAGGIE MUNDIAL

the asteroid belt

2011-07-15T00:16:00.006-04:00

jungle batata

2011-07-06T12:34:00.004-04:00

been cultivating this pantry-found treasure for a few days..... looks like something out of a fantastic jungle, like it might coil or recoil if you were to touch it's aubergine leaves

2011-06-09T15:53:00.003-04:00

congratulations to sasha, who's exploitation and distortion of my body made the center spread of this latest threshold magazine.

meow meow

2011-04-22T21:09:00.002-04:00

caught these two tom-cats in the lower east side the other day, and then they caught me, too.

2011-04-12T15:17:00.002-04:00

It was very nice of Things Organized Neatly to publish this photo of my dissected oxfords yesterday!

2011-03-20T21:20:00.000-04:00

spent the first warm day of the year showing ry around the loop! i pride myself on my lengthy walking tours, but after wandering for hours we were both ready to duck into a pub for a cold one.

2010-12-26T12:52:00.001-05:00

winter blues have hit hard- trying to make a snuggley recovery- will be back soon

2010-11-17T11:22:00.009-05:00

chicago's funny: with blustery threats of winter on its way, i deemed summer finished back in september. now the leaves have fallen and the warmth is gone from everything, but every so often the sun comes wandering back for a few days, as if to hug the city one more time before the ominous winter settles in.
and so i'm still wearing skirts without tights, thin shirts without sweaters, and walking to work on friday afternoons. chicago, i don't understand you, but i love you

photos: sasha alekseyeva

2010-11-02T19:32:00.003-04:00

i was in new york city not so long ago and ry crafted me a tee-pee for shelter...

see how

2010-10-31T02:10:00.005-04:00

the happiest of halloweens to all! love, the little tramp

2010-10-28T21:34:00.005-04:00

where have i been? sasha and andrey know- they followed me all around my neighborhood not too long ago.

photos: sasha alekseyeva

2010-10-08T15:12:00.005-04:00

love my apartment on these autumn afternoons- the sun spills all over the place and the time is just right for spinning some vinyl... dug up two gems at the resale store last weekend and spent my sunday reading the sleeves.

2010-09-17T13:43:00.007-04:00

not quite ready to let the summer leave, i suppose- found the only patch of sun on my makeshift terrace this morning and tried to make the most of these fleeting warm moments...

photos: sasha alekseyeva

2010-09-09T00:35:00.008-04:00

how i spent my summer vacation: chicago edition

with days and days of feeling uprooted and disjointed, i spent my chicago august seeking peace in the sunlight and under the moonshine. beautiful summer, i will miss you and think of you fondly when i'm bundled and bound in blankets in my bed, watching the winter wind howl outside my window... (i'm not ready!!!)

2010-09-04T00:10:00.004-04:00

after everyone had left and things quieted down, i spent the first night in the painted lady playing my accordion and listening to it bounce off the big empty space of my vacant living room.

the painted lady is my new home, and the space has such an intriguing energy. my roommates are just as beautiful and rare as the place we inhabit, and i am so looking forward to the brilliant adventures we share in the year to come!
photos: sasha alekseyeva

2010-08-06T08:41:00.000-04:00

...i'm baa-aaack!

2010-08-05T00:16:00.002-04:00

how i spent my summer vacation on the east coast

on porches and rooftops, in classrooms and forests, with crazy little kids and some even crazier old ladies- i return to chicago exhausted, but i have greatly cherished these weeks in this place that will never fail to feel like home.

2010-08-02T01:56:00.001-04:00

spent the last weekend of my east coast summer romping around brooklyn with ry!

all the good flea bargaining, long walks, and supreme company were even enough to help me get over the death of my first and only car, tweety, whose engine finally blew en route to brooklyn at the old age of 16. tweety, rest in sweet peace- heaven knows you've earned it after so many years at my mercy.

2010-07-24T00:00:00.007-04:00

made hiking plans with dan the other day but left the destination up to him- he's from a different neck of the woods, you know, and i do like to cover new ground.
but when he led me through the forest to an old and rusty fire tower on top of a mountain, my stomach sank a bit. i am very afraid of heights!
however! as the incurable humanist that i am, i sort of tried to shove my silly phobia aside and began to climb. with a good deal of deep breathing and dan spotting me a few steps behind, i eventually made it to the top, 1,400 feet above sea level.
THIS is what i saw!

it started drizzling while we were up there, but the wind and the view and the butterflies in my stomach felt great. i'm not much one for intense thrills but this afternoon of conquering my fears ran at just my speed!

2010-07-21T21:59:00.007-04:00

went down to williamsburg for a great party at ben's on friday night- too bad i was so worn out from teaching young jedis all week (...i'll explain later...) that i literally fell asleep in my pretty dress smack in the middle of the fiesta (in terms of time and space). woke up on saturday, however, feeling quite refreshed! and proceeded to explore the outer-workings of ben's home.

2010-07-17T15:00:00.008-04:00

ryan rose a tiny city of ruins up from the ashes of my bonfire pit the other day.

i always feel so privileged to watch my talented friends create, to see through their eyes and hands what mine might never know to look for...

2010-07-05T11:09:00.001-04:00

artist everett raymond kinstler lives a town over from me, but no one sees his house tucked back in the forest. buried behind the trees he's got a private studio too, where he creates masterful portraits- that is, of course, when he's not painting the president in the oval office, or katherine hepburn from her barn.
i tease my stepdad for never leaving town, but i was quite astounded with his knowledge of local treasures when he brought me along to visit his old friend ev last week.

incidentally, ev is so charming! and when i asked him if dali had posed for him live, he laughed and told me that a portrait copied from another portrait isn't a portrait at all- that he always painted his subjects in person. dali? drew him in art school when he was 23.

2010-06-30T07:18:00.011-04:00

this sunday i went into manhattan for a very high-energy day.

it started here:

but THEN headed here:

you can imagine that each event involved a very distinct kind of high energy. while the gays were shaking their proverbial groove thangs to lady gaga, the chicos at the bar were having shouting matches and throwing back beers. the gay pride community and the world cup community (especially eses machos latinos!) may not share too much common ground, but i gotta wonder what would happen if these two subcultures crashed into each other.

...oh wait!...

...i know!

...is that... yep!... maradona pegandole un beso a tevez!

P.S. VAAAAMOS ARGENTINA!!!! QUE LLEGUEN AL FINAL!!!!

2010-06-25T19:16:00.002-04:00

check out this awesome video that some kids from my old high school made to support the american cancer society and the purple glove project! it's worth it, if for nothing more than seeing the band director booty drop and my baby brother get low!

2010-06-21T17:43:00.009-04:00

i love those chicago beaches, but it's great to be home on the sound with my sisters!

so where would YOU rather be? basking on lake michigan or long island sound?

2010-06-20T17:19:00.004-04:00

does anyone read this?

the photo has nothing to do with anything, but my sister took it yesterday and i just wanted to share it- new england cemeteries have a cool kind of magic

2010-06-19T07:15:00.008-04:00

last november my home community lost a legend. ginny lathrop and was the founder of the lathrop school of dance here in connecticut, a company that has taught thousands of students (including myself) the arts of ballet, tap and jazz.
during the 1930s vaudeville days of new york, ginny and her husband mack danced alongside showbiz classics such as fred astaire and were featured on the national programs like the ed sullivan show and the zigfield follies. they opened up the school in 1951, and back then kids came to the town hall and paid a dollar (a whole dollar!) for a dance class with the stars.
when i started dancing, mrs. lathrop was already 83. i know it was years ago, but as a child it seemed to me like she had hit an eternal stride, and would forever be seated in front of the stage in a huge rhinestone belt, shouting every opinion she had ("you stiiink!!!") at students of all ages; it seemed obvious that every year for the next hundred years the stardust review would reach the end of the finale and that cheesy announcer would say "and mrs. lathrop!" she would come out crying each time, every year would be the best recital she'd ever seen.

this weekend they held an estate sale at her home. i was in buenos aires last november during her memorial services, but wandering through her home, sifting through her outlandish costume jewelry, and seeing old familiar faces from the dance company was a really special way for me to remember mrs. lathrop.

2010-06-18T01:26:00.004-04:00

it's nice to be home for the summer, where just some forties and conversation suffice for a grand night with old friends!

that's my homegirl chelce, she fucking rocks!

2010-06-16T14:42:00.005-04:00

matt taught me how to make unit origami the other day. first you must fold many many "units" out of tiny pieces of paper, and then very steadily put them together, corners into slots, sets of five, careful pressure. at first it seems random, you know- you put any piece anywhere it can fit. but by the end, when it's almost complete, it takes form and becomes quite clear where the missing links lie. in the end, if your chaos comes together just right, you successfully make a tiny masterpiece (mine is the lovely yellow one in front)!

matt explained this to me as we made them together (incidentally he's a very good teacher) and you know what i thought? i bet you know...

how like life!

2010-06-10T12:48:00.002-04:00

well, after fifty years, they've done it! the blackhawks won the stanley cup last night in the sixth game, and i was lucky enough to be right in the thick of the excitement down in the gold coast. i won't pretend to be a lifelong hawks fan, but it was sweet to be part of such a long-awaited, hard-earned community event. check out some of the more serious fans i saw partying out by the sports bars on division street!

2010-06-02T10:01:00.003-04:00

I planted these precious plantitas (zinneas in the clay pot, basil in the boot) the day I moved to Chicago, and with the help of the tiny shepherds, look how much they've grown in just two months! In just two months, look how much I've grown...

2010-05-28T15:36:00.001-04:00

here in chicago the old rules of spring just didn't seem to apply this year: march came in like a lion and went out like a tiger, april showers brought may torrential downpours, you know.

but chicagoans, we've made it! SUMMER is finally here and i kicked off the weekend shaking my tambourine and my arms and my booty etc. with dear friends at foster beach at the full moon fire jam. best vibes in the city and the most liberating way to get over my long week of studying.

and p.s. i'm totally going to learn to spin poi, it's not even a question. oh, and to play the didgeridoo. obviously.

2010-05-14T08:19:00.003-04:00

in honor of mother's day (albeit a little late! i know) i wanted to show you some old photos of my mom that i found digging around my grandma's house, which happens to be the same house my mom lived in when she was my age.

it's strange to think of her studying at the same kitchen table, laying out to read in the same backyard, making her morning tea on the same old stove.

it's strange to think of her before the weight of maternal responsibility dropped on her shoulders, to see her a little wild and free and with friends who were out of her life before even the idea of me came into the picture.

it's strange to see that she looks just like me! and that she once spent her time musing over music and sat on the floor and probably even sang just like me (these days, we love harmonizing to the radio on car trips).

makes me want to leave a great legacy of coolness for my unborn daughter, makes me want to dig through the old wardrobes next!

2010-05-09T09:34:00.002-04:00

was reminded of the crazy porteña nights thanks to stephy and these videos she took when she came to stay in the san telmo loft back in november.
enjoy! but be forewarned: i am an ANIMAL on the dance floor.

2010-05-06T00:16:00.004-04:00

these days, on any afternoon that it's even remotely sunny enough, you can find me lazing about at my favorite place in chi: oak street beach!

i've been told that soon the chicago beaches will be crowded and spoiled, but on these beautiful spring weekdays there's hardly anyone there to disrupt a perfect afternoon in the sun. this week luke joined me after class :D

2010-04-29T00:29:00.005-04:00

came across this magic corner on my daily romp around lincoln park, and it reminded me of some of my favorite nooks around san telmo. in fact, i'm starting to get the feeling that buenos aires and chicago are enchanted under similar charms...

2010-04-22T20:51:00.008-04:00

finished my school week off right...
by the way, it's TEA shisha! contains no tobacco- who knew? tea, why aren't all plants as miraculous as you?

2010-04-17T18:46:00.005-04:00

AGLOW CONFERENCE: MY FIELD NOTES
make of this exactly what you will. i just want to share with you this crazy-ass saturday

10:30: in the car
-"you know, a woman at aglow was legally blind her whole adult life and with our prayers, jesus cured her. four years later, she died of cancer, but you know, jesus had done her such a huge favor."
-"here at aglow we pray especially for israel, and the muslims."
-the hotel, located in a jewish neighborhood, has recently fallen under management by pakistanis
-"ok god, show us where to park the car."

11:00: the holiday inn, pre-aglow conference
-"those democrats get away with everything, but they will be judged under the jurisdiction of the lord."
-very international group- filipinos, jamaicans, colombians, polish
-aglow regional chapters are called "lighthouses"
-everyone knows exactly who i am. "you're the one who's been all around the world, right? oh, i do hope you'll testify to the group and to the lord about your experiences!"
-"i can see the pure light in you, child, i can see you follwing your grandma's good path"

11:30: the conference begins
-promoting campaign "save christian america"
-"god is not uplifted in the u.s.a. as he deserves, and we are a christian nation! and the end is near us, people! the lord told me in '95 that the end is so near, that people will be saved or not, but we will be one nation under god! so make sure your family and freinds are all saved, because if they're not, they're going to hell. and i'm telling you, jesus is coming back soon."
-"we need to stand up for what we believe, for the kids who are going to hell! they don't want us to talk in the schools or in the market, but we have freedom of speech too and if i want to spread the word of jesus, i will. at football games they scream and act like idiots for their teams. we are on god's team, and we need to shout it to the heavens."
-"walk in fear of god, not of man"

12:00: i am introduced
-"we have a very special young lady, a world-traveling missionary here with us today" (?!?!?!)
-i am asked to speak but i simply can't. i am clearly the only one here faking faith and the risk of losing face in front of my grandma is too daunting

12:30: music and prayer
-one jamaican woman leads the whole group in prayer. it starts structured, with only her speaking, though soon everyone begins calling out
-music fades in, all structure is lost and people continue to pray and plead and shout individually
-one filipino woman kneels and cries over and over "forgive us lord! forgive us!"
-i am the only person in the room not speaking or singing

1:00: the prophet speaks
-her name is mary phillips
-nursing major from u. illinois, lated ordained as a prophet by.......??? god i guess??
-she is tight-lipped, small-eyed, wearing a pink suit
-"god has been in pursuit of you, has had plans for you since before he laid down the ground of the earth"
-everyone turns their chairs toward the prophet
-he is a "relational" god (real word?)
-"if a prophecy is negative, it's not a true prophecy" grandma
-"he knew the end since the beginning, and he plans according to the council of his will and wisdom"
-now several others are taking notes just like me

1:30: personal prophecies
-everyone gets a personal prophecy
-prophecies are recorded live so that each person can take home a cassette tape of their's
-"i have my last one at home but i don't even know where it is! ha!"
-"i keep all my prophecies in one place. i have like ten since 1952."
-there are different schools for the prophetic
-"i went to see a mexican prophet in new mexico, and now, i don't talk spanish or anything, but i swear i could understand the prophecy, that god led it to my ears in english. when i was working with the navajos, too."
-during the personal prophecies, an elderly filipino woman kneels between my grandma and i, takes our hands, and begins to talk lowly. she tells us that her married son has begun dating his boss's married daughter, and is terrified that he will lose his job. she begins crying quietly, asking my grandmother what to do. grandma says to give the problem to jesus, and begins to pray for her. the woman sobs. she asks, "what about fasting? should i fast?" "absolutely." my grandma proceeds to heal her pain with her hands and lift her up to the lord.
-before leaving, the daughter of the elderly filipino woman approaches us and thanks my grandma, that she was the only one who her mother would trust to help her heal.
-and i receive my prophecy. this is my business.

.......................................................

so yeaaaaaaaa.................

i think i need a nap and a drink

2010-04-17T10:39:00.004-04:00

this morning i'm going with my grandma to an event for her christian women's group, aglow.

i am not religiously affiliated with anything and so going to christian events with grandma (who affiliates everything with religion) can be rather eye-opening for me, like taking a tiny trip to another world and experiencing a foreign culture.

truthfully, i tried to get out of going (don't tell jesus), but my grandmother is quite good at reeling people into occasions like this and once she's got you in her clutches, all bets are off. plus, these women have apparently been praying for me for years, guiding god's hand to carry me safely through my travels, which is really bizarre but appreciated, i suppose!

and so i've decided to take this as an anthropological opportunity to experience and observe this branch of society that is, at least for a new englander, unnervingly prevalent in midwestern american life (plus i heard that the guest speaker is a real live prophet, so that oughtta be good)... i'll post my field notes later!

2010-04-11T18:17:00.004-04:00

yo i was just wondering:

HOW is brazilian music SO good?!?!

i'm digging so hard on a couple different grupos brasileiros, each with a distinct sound but all with these common threads of sexy other-worldiness... makes me want to learn portuguese stat, just so i can make such lush sounds with my mouth.

anyway, i wanted to share some favorite songs from beautiful brazil! some of the videos are kind of bogus, esp. the one with the spanish flag...?

2010-04-10T10:30:00.003-04:00

averaging like 500 pages of reading per week for these classes, may as well multitask and get a little brown!!

2010-04-09T10:36:00.006-04:00

so about chicago!

i have two weeks of class under my belt, and i'm exhausted!! every day i leave my house at 7:50 am with a whole day in my bag and usually return around 11 pm, burnt out with a back ache.

i don't mean to sound dramatic- i am loving my time here! my classes are fascinating, my teachers are inspiring, and my classmates are (generally) impressively well-spoken and informed. to be honest, it took me a few days to brush off the cobwebs of my academically critical mind, but the 500 pages that i'm averaging per week of enthographical readings have certainly pushed me along.

not to mention, the city is ridiculously gorgeous. i can't get over the hazy morning skyline when i'm driving in on the expressway,

my mouth hangs open when i stare out the window on the L (here in chi, the metro runs above ground, so you whiz and weave through the buildings- it's like a rollercoaster.... except very very slow),

and when i'm at my friend matthew's apartment, i practically drool on his window while admiring the view from 32 stories up.

so busy as i may be, the metropolitan eye candy is so abundant that somehow even my early morning commute is a treat to me!

2010-04-04T12:29:00.002-04:00

happy easter from my new chicago abode! my first week in the windy city has been quite a whirlwind, but more on that later. my cousins are here and grandma just turned on the polka- duty calls!

2010-03-22T21:19:00.010-04:00

This Saturday night, I am hitting the road headed for Chicago, where I will be stationed semi-permanently for the next few years studying and working.
I've been living this way for some time now: venturing from city to city, staying long enough to learn and grow and hurt and love, and then I try (though never quite succeed) to box it all up, leaving much behind but always bringing away a suitcase and a heart too full of things I can't let go.
I wanted this lifestyle for myself. It is romantic and there is so much to be learned and it can really push you as a human being. But it is also lonely sometimes, knowing that the only constant thing (person, relationship) in my adult life has been me, myself. I have met and shared great relationships with people of the highest caliber, but in the end I always have to go. And the end: If starting a new life is one of the most thrilling sensations there is, having to leave it behind is, in itself, a tiny death.
I wonder how things will be in Chicago? I'll be living with my Grandma for these first three months, and I literally cannot imagine what it will be like. I will tell you about her later.
All that's for sure is that I will be very busy, because I am compulsively intent on perfecting my art of living (it is quite time consuming!).
I hope to be writing more and sharing with you the more quiet and exciting nuggets of wisdom I find on my journey.

from my first week living in seoul, july 2007. this little girl had no idea what she was in for

2010-03-08T00:37:00.015-05:00

walked out the door this morning and finally felt the warm embrace of spring! it will take some days to defrost from this very harsh winter but this music should be just right for the wait.

p.d. yes i know my taste in music is neither new nor cool but i think if you give the songs a chance you'll find they are quite fitting for the occasion
p.p.d. i did not mean to include THAT paul simon song. it's not right at all. do replace with "under african skies" instead.
p.p.p.d. here is a photo from exactly one year ago today! taken at the feria de la calle defensa, these were my first steps ever in san telmo. crazy to think about how those streets meant nothing to me then, but now...

2010-03-01T07:52:00.006-05:00

called lany at 8:00 am on friday, blizzard approaching, heading out the door, and invited her to come along to boston with me... and she said yes!!! this is one of my favorite things about lany.
for the record, we made it up to boston without a hitch, and serendipity even led us to this photo booth at the rest stop where we waited out the storm for a while.

2010-02-21T08:37:00.007-05:00

my friend ben has said that books have answers that we should really pay more attention to. if this is true (which i assume it to be- i find few voices of truth more compelling than those of ben and of literature) then...
i swear that, if a sea of strife and carpenter ants start devouring my home, i'm going to leave my silver mirror behind and get the hell out.
if i am in need of warmth and understanding, i'm not going to look past the transgender football star.
when the only clue i have is a key, i'm going to try every lock in new york city.
as i become a linguist, i'll keep in mind that i'll never be able to connect two people as gently as a song can.
and if i shoot a man on in the bright daylight of the beach in southern france, i'm going to suck it up and plead guilty.

can you tell which books i love the most?

photos by sam rutkin

2010-02-19T18:04:00.003-05:00

wide-eyed and wonderful~ my little heart just melted

2010-02-14T01:07:00.004-05:00

i may be lovesick this winter, but nothing can jade me about valentine's day! tomorrow i am leaving for vermont, fully equipped with red velvet cupcakes, chocolate lace, and a bottle of malbec. i am on my way to a ladies' ski weekend in vermont with my mom and little sister!
though i am so far from my second half, it seems that i am so lucky to have such a warm and caring family of friends right here with me, and all around the world. i am sending you all a big kiss today!

2010-02-05T19:38:00.003-05:00

i used to love making mix cd's for my friends, but these days it seems so impractical... here's what i'm listening to lately~ if you're feeling the same i hope you'll enjoy!

2010-02-01T08:41:00.005-05:00

the truth is that, of all of the seasons, winter is certainly my least favorite. my toes are always freezing and i just want to hide under a sea of blankets where only my eyes peek out to see if spring has come yet. but when it comes down to it, i hate being cooped up inside all day even more, and so the time does come when i must emerge from my plush nest and face the world! and so, went on another windy//wintery beach adventure in westport last friday... what people don't know is that the beach is just as good in the winter as in the summer. the sun reflects off of every tiny crystal of ice, the wind blows so hard you have to crack up, and parking is free! just make sure to layer layer layer up, and don't forget your shades!

photos by sam rutkin

2010-01-16T22:21:00.003-05:00

we got a little relief from the winter winds this weekend so i was finally motivated enough to take off my HUGE fluffy robe and spend some time in my yard with my best friend jan. if only spring was coming soon... but if i know new england winters (and i do quite well), there will be another blizzard on the way any day now... better bundle back up!

2010-01-09T09:49:00.003-05:00

brian's been trying to take me to this beach for ages, and finally we found each other in the same place for long enough to spend a night climbing beach clubhouses and finding where the low tide finally crept onto the shore, everything so quiet and steady at night. all it took was a little flask of whiskey (for the boys) and some big old blankets to keep me happy and enjoying our perfect night on the the sandy shore.

2010-01-07T09:40:00.000-05:00

i've had many homes throughout my small, seperate lives, but grand old house on grand street is the one i'll always come back to. in a house that's seen more than a century, it's the perfect place for a dreamer like me to feign a life of decadence, right down to our golden apples.

2010-01-06T08:55:00.000-05:00

by some coincidence i happened to be in chicago at the same time as trey, so on my last afternoon in town we met up for to share a sublime cheese platter (!!) and to shoot the sunset on the sears tower! i hope that in a few months i'll feel as on top of the world in chicago as i did this evening...

2010-01-03T08:49:00.000-05:00

the biggest downer of my time in argentina was the complete scarcity of breakfast! a coffee and a mini croissant just haven't been cutting it for me, so i was THRILLED to go to breakfast at grandma's, complete with pancakes, ham, bagels, eggs, coffee cake, and fruit... THIS is the way breakfast is meant to be eaten!

2010-01-01T08:38:00.001-05:00

well, it was sort of horrible, but i have finished my life in the summer san telmo loft and traded it for the DEAD OF WINTER here in chicago... and i know you are thinking: is this girl crazy?
but i find that the time does always naturally come to close a chapter and continue on to a new one. i will miss my little loft family and my jogging route through san telmo, i'll miss my cooking lessons and even the sleepless madrugadas. i will mostly miss mauri.
at least my family is here to celebrate the new year with me! it truly takes seeing the people who know me best to realize how i've changed in my absence. and anyway, better get used to this windy city: i will be starting a new life here in chicago in march!

2009-12-20T03:06:00.000-05:00

these duckies were on parade at the bosques de palermo today! cuak cuak~

2009-12-18T02:55:00.000-05:00

the sun is hot and heavy but nonetheless, it is christmas time in buenos aires too! and even though decorated trees and hanging wreaths seems a little out of place with no snow, summer christmas is lovely as can be! maybe papa noel's gonna come with shorts and a tan?

2009-12-05T10:45:00.000-05:00

thought i'd experiment with posting some videos today...
when i travel i love to take dance classes~ dance can define a culture and argentina is definitely no exception. tango, the national dance, is sultry and passionate and proud, just like the argentinos.
the first video is from my salsa class that i've been attending for a few months, and the second is from my first tango class (many more to come!!).

the colony on the river

2009-11-23T13:06:00.000-05:00

went to colonia, uruguay for the day and this is what i found:

la selva:

el rio de la plata:

y la costa:

pa-pa-paparazzi

2009-11-21T12:55:00.000-05:00

it's good to be a friend of the staff at lost/shake, the boliche here in bs as where my roommate leo works as a publicist. can you say vip, every week?

the most dangerous discovery:

2009-11-19T12:49:00.000-05:00

they've been fixing our roof basically since we moved in, and today woke mauri and me up at 5:30 AM (whaaaat?). cranky and hungry, we stumbled upon the most dangerous discovery for anyone trying to stick to a diet (which i am) (kind of). facturas are argentine pastries, baked fresh every morning at the hundreds of bakeries in the city. and they DELIVER!!! good-byyyye diet!

out of that orange-colored view

2009-11-18T12:28:00.000-05:00

didn't edit any of these photos at all. convinced that this city is magic

splish splash!

2009-11-15T12:22:00.000-05:00

just had to share these ridiculously adorable photos of puflo's bath in the bidet!

2009-11-13T11:55:00.001-05:00

the best thing about the international travel community is that no goodbye is ever final, that you are bound to cross paths with dear friends somewhere down the road- the only questions are when and where!
steph and i met in seoul back in 2007, but she's been staying with us here in the loft for the past month! it has been such a joy spending time with her, a true kindred spirit and role model of mine. stephy, thank you for sharing your wisdom and buena onda with me- i can't wait to see where in the world we meet next!

is it wicked not to care?

2009-10-25T11:41:00.000-04:00

the best nights are those spent chilling on the patio with my boys, mauri and puflo

circus freaks!

2009-10-24T11:25:00.000-04:00

one of the things about buenos aires that has always seemed so strange for me is that so many people practice circus arts! walking through a plaza you can see people juggling (everything from bowling pins to fire), doing ribbon acrobatics, and walking on tightropes tied between trees. i know it makes me look like a total tourist, but every time i see it i immediately have my camera glued to my face like an idiot!

field trip!

2009-10-04T10:55:00.000-04:00

lu and i work in the day and leo and mauri work at night, so we're hardly ever all in the same place at the same time. it didn't seem possible, but somehow my roommates all woke up early enough to catch the morning train to tigre, a pretty city north of buenos aires where we spent the day by the river with a picnic lunch :)

..get out of the office and into the springtime!

2009-10-03T10:28:00.000-04:00

this time my roommate luisina joined me and mauri at the reserva ecologica for some more wandering... it's finally HOT in buenos aires and i'm loving it!! and even better now because while we were exploring today we discovered a shore! definitely planning on spending a lot of afternoons workin on my bronzzze

i get by with a little help from my friends, oh i get high with a little help from my friends

2009-09-27T10:15:00.000-04:00

loved having a little extra life in the loft this friday~~ the party: WILD ON PUFLITO

get out of the city and into the sunshine

2009-09-12T09:56:00.000-04:00

the loft is only about 12 blocks from the reserva ecologica costanera sur- the biggest park in buenos aires. now that spring has fully sprung, mauri and i went to explore and had a little fun in the sun (cliche overload much?? i couldn't help it)

on the walk to congreso

2009-09-09T09:39:00.000-04:00

capital federal is full of unexpected magic, from mammoth roots to a windmill in the sky... and that's the congress building there- it looks like it was left behind by europe and forgotten for three hundred years...

home haircutting

2009-09-08T09:30:00.000-04:00

today: breakfast in bed, mauri's first haircut in months, cleaning up puflo's crib, lounging, la loca de mierda, smores!!

asdfwesdlkj

2009-09-06T19:39:00.000-04:00

OMG i was at my salsa class and mauri came to pick me up and with him was THIS ANGEL FROM BUNNY HEAVEN!!!! his name is puflo and he's cuter than your bunny.

por las calles de san telmo ya se ha perdido el candombe...

2009-09-05T18:58:00.000-04:00

new apartment, new life here in buenos aires, where i'm now living in the barrio of san telmo. walking through san telmo is like being in a dream, or a circus, or back in time... with tango music playing in the street, you have to walk a little slower and take in the sultry, heavy air. for me, san telmo is the root of all of the sensuality of buenos aires... hopefully while i'm here a little can rub off on me~

PLUS+++ i'm back with mauri! my leading man :]

i don't know when i'll be back again

2009-08-29T16:06:00.000-04:00

flying back to buenos aires today... actually i really LOVE flying because it gives me a chance to just be still and think, plus, can you beat that view? i don't think so!

2009-08-20T17:36:00.000-04:00

no one's porch beats mine on a sunny summer morning~ oatmeal, tea, my neighbors and me

introducing ranger

2009-08-16T15:56:00.000-04:00

when i travel, ranger is what i miss the most :)

the little ladies can't sit still

2009-08-08T15:26:00.000-04:00

my sisters l.k. and tallulah on my aunt's trampoline at our family reunion last week

playing with my little sisters reminds me how blissfully fearless children are... my little sisters were born deaf and now wear a device attached to their cochlear implants. however, to jump on the trampoline, they had to take the device off, so they couldn't hear. i was SO nervous that they would get hurt, but they taught me that it's way more fun to fall, get up, and look cute doing it!

reel around the fountain

2009-08-04T15:00:00.000-04:00

some nights the heat from the city, the summer, and the wine can only be calmed by doing something a little crazy! i recently joined my big sister for the last leg of her east-coast road trip, and after dinner on Boston Harbor, the mood was perfect for a run through this fountain. thanks to my sister's roommate krista for joining me!

ladies' night in

2009-08-03T17:05:00.000-04:00

my big sister leanne came home for one night with her college roommates as a stop on their east-coast road trip. after some delicious wine on the porch, my little sis tracey challenged us all to some wii sports! and naturally a ridiculous photoshoot ensued...

"aliens are attacking"

"socialized medicine"

"rock star"

"cold"

and my pretty sisters (we're SO crazy about each other!!) (kind of)

2009-07-30T13:14:00.000-04:00

my friends manuel and kenji were visiting the city this week from mexico, so of course i was happy to show them around manhattan... i just don't think they realized how much walking would be involved. i can walk for blocks and blocks and blocks, but after hiking from the upper west side down to the financial district in the hot summer sun, m&k were pretty toast...

excuse me miss señorita disculpa

2009-07-15T17:26:00.000-04:00

this july i'm the spanish teacher at an enrichment program in bethel. me dicen señorita maggie, estoy para contestar cualquier pregunta chee (definitely teaching them all castellano argentino)

2009-07-05T17:42:00.000-04:00

it's pretty good to be back in bethel again~ i missed my big tea mugs and my baby sisters and my big old bed... missing my familia argentina but i know i'll be back there soon :]

2009-06-15T13:06:00.000-04:00

my very dear friend ben left the usa for his first time to come visit me!!! unfortunately my camera got stolen during his stay and all that remains are these random, drunken photos from a boliche...
in any case, it's so lovely to have a visitor from home... it's like seeing two separate parts of my life combined and it reminds me of where i come from and what i've become...

2009-03-31T13:24:00.001-04:00

nothing better to do post-final exams then spend the sunny afternoon in the plaza~ music, excellent ladies (here are eliza from colorado & raquel from sao paolo), about a billion pigeons, and a little herbal refreshment... the perfect afternoon in the plaza de congreso

2009-03-30T13:28:00.000-04:00

on the way to the park, we stopped to take pictures at the facultad de derecho.
leandro, my big brother, te quiero un monton~

2009-03-18T13:32:00.000-04:00

st. patty's day celebrated the argentine way! like anywhere else, it's just a perfect night to do a bar crawl and look great in green~ but maybe i partied a little too hard? :P

2009-03-07T13:39:00.000-05:00

party at martin's this weekend~ my first night out with my roomie anabela (in turquoise) and the rest of my friends from my residence.

2009-03-05T14:32:00.000-05:00

soo i just moved to buenos aires, argentina! more on the how and the way later~ the school hosted a welcome party for the new exchange students with an open bar this weekend and it was the perfect way to start a free new life in south america!

2009-02-20T14:37:00.000-05:00

nothing like a winter walk in the woods with lanu...

2009-02-03T14:43:00.000-05:00

the morning shift on a snowy day at the bethel cafe... no customers, just the coffee, the tea, the huuuge brownies and me :D

2009-01-31T15:23:00.000-05:00

my touristy day alone in d.c.... i got to stand on the pool!!

2009-01-30T15:12:00.000-05:00

went out on u street to get some chili and share in the excitement of the evening, but finished it at home with some wine and some knitting!

2009-01-30T14:56:00.000-05:00

so after waiting for NINE HOURS in the middle of an ENORMOUS crowd to squeeze through a tiny little gate, m.c. and i finally got through and got a spot right in front of the archives to watch mr. prez march his way down to the white house. EPIC!!!!

2009-01-29T14:48:00.000-05:00

it's inauguration weekend and i'm here in d.c. for the first time! i'm staying with maricarmen and that means the next few days will be guaranteed excellence. we're gonna try to go to the parade tomorrow (in the 20 degree weather) so i'm gonna go set out my layers and go to beddd

2009-01-15T15:58:00.000-05:00

took a short road trip to the beach after it snowed the other day... SO COLD but so so very worth it~ had the place to ourselves and the sun is so bright on the snow!

2009-01-12T19:20:00.000-05:00

my secret: when i work a split shift at the restaurant, i take my break at this park, reading in my car

2009-01-01T19:23:00.000-05:00

so we were gonna go to a fabulous costume party in brooklyn, but we got snowed in at chelce's parents' house instead. totally worth it for the quality time i got to spend with chelce's grandma jean!!!!