Heat Stroke

happy Friday everyone. It's so hot. I know, I sound like every other porteño in BA complaining about the heat. But it's true. Suddenly after Christmas the temps just shot up and now we're all in a literal oven (often times you'll see on the news "La ciudad es un horno!!" - the city is an oven. Thank you, newscasters).

This is pretty standard for January, and most people are chilling out on the beach anyway, so those of us left here to work and melt are the only ones who suffer. It's doable if you can manage to avoid having to get anything done between the hours of 11am and 4 pm when it's usually hottest. Not going to lie, I haven't even gone to the post office because the 4 block walk will leave me dripping. Sad and pathetic, but true. (Most people tend to cancel their plans when it's pouring rain here, so it's on par with local culture. Let's go with that)

It doesn't help that the air conditioning DOES NOT WORK in my office. Sure, the section next to ours has nice cold air blowing, and so does everyone else in the entire building. But does the little section belonging to the Buenos Aires Herald have functioning a/c? NO. That is why I am in a horrible mood. In the past couple of weeks the heat has been bearable since there are tons of fans blowing around to keep their air from becoming completely stagnant. But yesterday was another story. I couldn't concentrate, I felt miserable, and I could barely get through an hour without going downstairs to the bar to bask in their frozen paradise. Truth. I can't imagine what it must be like to work in one of those crazy Chinese sweatshop factories where it's over 100 degrees and you can't take a break (dramatic association but hey, when you think your brain is frying that is what you start to do).

We were actually allowed to leave work early because of the heat. 9:30 PM and "ok, it's too hot, you can go home" - music to my ears since I'm still adjusting to getting home at 10:30 every night. You can bet I was out of there before Martín had finished his sentence.

What else? Well, I'm officially a total thyroid cancer expert, at least when it pertains to Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. All I have been doing for the past week has been covering her "illness" and the media frenzy that is set up outside the hospital. It's annoying. There are literally HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE CAMPED OUT - and have been for the past 3 days - waving their stupid political flags, images of CFK with her dead husband Néstor and baby Jesus statues praying for her recovery. News flash kiddos - she has recovered! The surgery went off without a hitch and now she's just hanging out in a hospital gown before she gets flown in her helicopter to her house. Then she's off to her family estate in El Calafate until her leave of absence ends. Boring! Also, who pays these people to camp out?

Tonight we're going to El Almacén de los Milagros for dinner and I am crazy excited. It's supposed to be a lovely little bistro experience, and I love that it's close by in Recoleta. Driving to Palermo gets repetitive and annoying sometimes, so I am happy when cool new spots pop up in the neighborhood.

Today was the 12th day of Christmas so it's time to take the Christmas tree down. I think I might make José do that - I'm bound to end up in a puddle on the floor.