I am aliveeeee

Wow, more than a month has passed. Sorry about that. Here are some random photos to make up for my little disappearing act. All but the adorable dachsunds (French!) are snapshots from life recently. Enjoy!

My Friends Know Me Very Well

In the last three days I have received these photos via email from two friends of mine. Let's just say that they know me pretty well (although I don't do a very good job at hiding my obvious interest in DOGS!)

The yoga-posing Frenchie reminds me of Fran's Yoda and the doxie looks like he's about to throw himself out of a plane! Love.

Weekend Update

Yikes! It's been a week since my last post - Sorry Charlie. I was a little blah, feeling less than inspired last week so I neglected the bloglet a little too much.

Happy Halloween! Oh how I wish I were in America, with 3 costumes (you obviously need different outfits for each night of the weekend due to all the festivities). BA has gotten on the Halloween train but it's not a full 100% yet. There were quite a few parties on Saturday but not everyone in attendance was in costume. Sorry people but it's actually uncool to go to a Halloween party and not dress up. At least in my world that's how things are done. I drank some orange punch that had fake bugs in it and got bizarre stares from most about my costume. I went as gum under a shoe - wore all hot pink and had my running sneaker on my head. One girl came up to me and was like "I love it! Gum under a shoe!" - I wanted to hug her. The rest of the bar gave me weird stares from afar because I kind of looked semi-normal except for the big Nike sneak tied to my face.

Emily and I got into a fight with two of the dumbest men on the face of the Earth, however. Em dressed up as an Occupy Wall Street protester - both pertinent and easy to do at the last minute. In Spanish they're known as the "Indignados" (from the movement that actually started in Spain but is also used to describe OWS on the news), but Emily's sign was in English. These guys looked at her and asked what she was. After her description - and my "help" of saying that she was an "Indignada" - we were greeted with blank faces and remarks like "You're making that up. That doesn't exist. No one is currently occupying Wall Street" or "You're lying." For some reason I started to give this guy a lesson in current affairs and was feeling pretty good until they said to us "You both are really pretty but damn you're ignorant." OK BUDDY. We bitched them out so fast I almost had a heart attack. It kind of felt good, but not really because I know that there are probably many other stupid jerks like them out there. Sigh.

Sunday we enjoyed the amazing weather and went for a long run up to Palermo. We even managed to sneak into a Doggy Halloween party at the Planetarium! There were so many dachshunds I almost had a seizure. So. Cute. My favorite dog though was the fat English Bulldog named Rufio who snored louder than my Dad and was the most low key, lazy animal of life. God he was ugly but I just wanted to take him home !!

I can't believe it's just a little more than 2 weeks until I'm home for Thanksgiving. Time flies! It's going to be great - Just wish Josey could come with me. I plan on doing lots of Forever21-ing and eating of chipotle hummus. And cuddling with Bella. And going to Patisserie Poupon with Deb.

Dogs Galore

My favorite part of Buenos Aires .... The dogs ! And the dog walkers, usually commanding groups of over 20 at a time. The Argentina Independent posted this video story following one man on his 16km route with 23 pups. Enjoy!

Snaps of Juancito

  Here he is! Juancito, the most spoiled dog on the planet (and he deserves it). What other dog do you know gets carried around the house on a bed of blankets, pillows and toys? Seriously, that's how he gest around. We do this several times daily because if you leave him in the other room he gets bored and begs for your company. But beware, if you put on the wrong movie (like one with Sean Connery), he'll complain that he doesn't like the actor's voice. Not. A. Joke. We had to put on another movie just to keep this pup happy. I know he looks sad in all of the photos - He had a hard life at the beginning, and I think because he doesn't do any exercise (on account of the not walking), he doesn't pant/"smile" ... But he's getting lots of love here at Basavilbaso.

He got a ribbon after his day in the pool at PT

Dog vs. Cat Diary

Once again Will sent me the most hilarious thing of all time. How does he do that? I have no idea. But this one is a real keeper. A day in a dog's life vs. a day in a cat's life.

Motherhood

Understatement of the year: taking care of a puppy is exhausting. It's even harder when you have to carry him around the house because he can't bear to be left alone in another room. I feel like I have a squirmy and uncoordinated barnacle in my care.

I haven't gotten a full night's sleep since Thursday and I'm starting to go batty. I have become an expert in changing pee pads. Unless I vacuum every 3 minutes there will inevitably be hair EVERYWHERE. I scared the crap out of Juanci when I tried to dry/warm him with the hair dryer after giving him a little bath. We had a romantic dinner together last night though - rice with green onion, sprouts, carrots, ginger, cilantro, soy sauce and jalapeño for me, regular old white rice and dog food for him. He loves "Gossip Girl" almost as much as I do, something I consider a personal victory.

We miss Josey and are excited for his return tonight. If you happen to run into me on the street today, excuse my face. Sleep deprivation is unbecoming.

Forget Halloween for Humans

I have been feeling less than inspired since a) moving to a country where Halloween is not sacred as in the US, and b) graduating from college and leaving my insanely fun/creative roommates. One year we went as Lawn Ornaments (I was the reindeer made of Christmas lights, another girl was a flamingo, and we also had a lawn gnome, a bird bath...) and the next we went as Celebrities Who've Been to Rehab. I love group costumes! They're so much more fun than "slutty policewoman." What? That isn't even a real thing.

Anyway, part of my obsession with dogs also has to deal with dogs in costume. Refinery 29 just posted this slideshow of DOGS IN HALLOWEEN COSTUMES !!!! Enjoy my favorites:

New Member of the Family

Juancito came to stay with us on Friday afternoon. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I started to get involved with the NGO "Proyecto 4 Patas" a few months ago and have been itching to volunteer my time and TLC ever since. Unfortunately their shelter is way out of town, so I can't go help out there. Another option is to be an "hogar de tránsito" (foster home) for a dog that is still in recovery and not ready to be placed in adoption yet. You can donate the time that you have - a few weeks to a few months or more - and the volunteers from P4P are willing to help supplement anything that you'll need during that time.

Andrea was the woman who had been taking care of Juancito for the past several months. She wanted to adopt him permanently - she does Reiki healing with animals and sounds like a really special person - but recently had to downsize her home. She has other dogs that don't accept little Juanci and having them all in the same space isn't a possibility. So he was brought to our door this past rainy Friday and has spent the weekend settling in!!

He's just about 10 months old and had distemper - a virus that can lead to death if untreated - which has left him without the use of his hind legs. Since he's young, and still has feeling in his legs, the doctors believe that with therapy he will be able to learn to walk again! That would be amazing. Given his disability he's quite creative in moving around and maneuvering himself to get what he needs. It's really amazing to witness! I love dogs.

It was definitely a shock at first, I can't lie. I've never had my own dog to take care of, let alone one that is disabled. The first two nights no one got much sleep around here ... and when I don't get sleep, watch out! Thankfully we're all settled in now and getting the hang of the routine. He's such a sweet little dog, with such suffering in his eyes. All he wants is love and to give you some smooches in return!

José has been an amazing "dog dad" and it's been such a help having him be so supportive. I think both Juanci and I are going to be pretty sad when he goes out of town Tuesday & Wednesday of this week!!

I will post some pictures soon. Please check out P4P's website - especially if you live in BA - to see the amazing things that they do and how you can help.

Belated Birthday Snaps

From Casa Mun. Mimi the GoldenDoodle makes her debut. Pure joy.

José Knows Me

These are the kinds of photos that José emails me when he's out and about getting things done in the city. They're usually sent without any text, maybe just the subject line "DOGS."

Dinner at Casa Mun

On Saturday night we dined at Casa Mun for the second time. Closed door restaurants are picking up a lot of steam here in Buenos Aires, and while Casa Mun has only been in business since March, they're booked way in advance and are already outgrowing their space. Not only does it make me so happy to see expats doing well (and doing what they love), but also to able to enjoy such incredible Asian food is a real treat!

It seems that every day another sushi place pops up, or perhaps some Asian/Latin fusion restaurant promising unique and distinct flavors. Most of the time, with very few exceptions, these places fall flat. They're missing something.

Casa Mun has all of that taken care of. You really do feel at home the minute you walk in the door, greeted by Agustina and Cary while Chef Mun is working his magic in the kitchen. The champagne starts to flow, you meet your dinnermates (no more than 16 people total), and the excitement surrounding the meal to come builds.

Crispy Rice ... mmmmmm

Albacore Sashimi - Crispy Onions were a real treat

Sushi Course -No cream cheese here

The Crown Jewel - Fiery Fish Tacos - Yes, please!

This month Casa Mun offered a totally pescatarian menu - Japanese Soba Noodle Soup (with homemade shiitake broth), Albacore Sashimi topped with Crispy Onions, Sushi Course: Chilean Salmon & Ecuadorian Shrimp Maki Sushi and Spicy Tuna on Pan Fried Crispy Rice (Crispy Rice = Paradise). The final course were the Fiery Fish Tacos - topped with an insane wasabi-jalapeño guacamole. My mouth is watering as I write this. Dessert was a perfect porteño touch - brownie with merengue and fresh fruit. (All photos taken from the Casa Mun website)

Each course is paired with wines chosen by Cary - the wine guru - and are served generously while you dine away. More wine is for sale, "If you get thirsty," which is basically the story of my life. 

Casa Mun has been written up all over the place now, and on Trip Advisor they're one of the highest ranking restaurants in the city! What I love the most is how welcome they make you feel: The first time we ate there, Cary and I got to talking about dogs and then suddenly Mimi the Goldendoodle (so beautiful - she reminded me of Bella!!!) came bounding down the stairs and we ended up rolling around together, fighting over her tennis ball. This was obviously repeated last Saturday night. I almost put Mimi in the car. No, really.

Chef Mun and Cary are really special people. They love what they do and that is reflected in every element of the Casa Mun experience. This past time, we were a large group celebrating our birthdays, so I didn't get a chance to meet lots of new people .... But next time I'd almost be tempted to go just with José and to sit at different tables. There's always an eclectic and interesting crowd gathered around the table at Casa Mun, and it's guaranteed to be an experience that you won't soon forget.

The Furry Faces of Proyecto 4 Patas

Here are some contenders ... Please check out Proyecto 4 Patas - especially if you are in Argentina. Hopefully by next week we'll have our furry friend here keeping us company! I AM SO EXCITED.

Weekend Update

We had a really lovely, if not low key, weekend here at Basavilbaso. I've been on a design kick lately and have been itching to make some serious changes to our apartment. Jose's been living here for more than 10 years and I just feel like it needs a little update! At least to mix it up and keep things feeling fresh. Living on the 14th floor of an apartment building (with tiny Argentine elevators) makes it difficult to move in/out big pieces of furniture, but you just have to be a little more creative.

A friend of mine who just moved here about 6 months ago passed on an amazing contact that has me too excited for my own good. She and her fiance stumbled upon this carpenter's collective/workshop in the Chacarita neighborhood - It's this space full of rescued and found wood, with lots of men buzzing about and working like mad. They can make pretty much anything you want (anything!), totally custom, or you can pick about and find something they already have. You can also bring in an old piece of furniture and they will restore or update it for you. Pretty cool. We're about to order a huge table for our terrace - the one we've got is old, rickety and probably rotten - so we can start enjoying summer nights up there a little more easily. Next step will be seating, and I'm dreaming of an old park bench, so we'll have to see where things go from here ...

Yesterday we ventured over to the Rose Garden in Palermo after having lunch with Raquel and Lele. An NGO that I really feel close to - Proyecto 4 Patas - was having a dog adoption and awareness day. Of course we were going to check it out! I can't say no to things like that. It was so amazing to be surrounded by loving puppies and older dogs who are just looking for loving homes. The people who run it do it out of the goodness of their hearts, taking in dogs that are literally left for dead on the side of the highway, neglected by abusive owners, or just found roaming the streets. Many suffer from medical issues and require extreme intervention by a vet. Once they are healed and treated, they are put up for adoption. Dog rescue isn't as big of a "thing" in Argentina as it is in the States, at least from what my experience shows. Most people will just get a puppy because it's cute, often from a breeder who isn't reputable, and that's that. (Of course there are exceptions to this). What I love about Proyecto 4 Patas is that they promote awareness about not only adoption but also about spaying/neutering animals as the only humane way to control the population. No one neuters their dog here - something I have never managed to understand - and that leads to lots of unplanned street puppies.

José and I are most likely going be like "foster parents" for a dog that is recovering from medical treatment while waiting to be adopted. It's a perfect option for us because it's not a "forever" commitment, but it allows us to help out (aka have my heart explode with love) and also test-drive what it will be like for us to have a dog in the apartment. They are just so grateful that anyone will open their doors to the animals, so there is no minimum time commitment. Right now I'm waiting to hear about a job interview and (hopefully!) offer so it would not be reasonable to get a puppy! Taking in an older dog who just needs love and attention is a perfect way to make a difference  and have some canine companionship!

I also spent a lot of the weekend watching September 11th coverage on tv. I have never felt so far away from home. Ten years. I was able to look at the events through different eyes now that I'm much older than I was that incredibly beautiful day in 2001. It was moving, heart-wrenching, and cathartic to watch it all again.

Ok, time for Pilates ... More life updates, with pictures! coming soon.

"I would rather train a striped zebra to balance an Indian club than induce a dachshund to heed my slightest command." E.B. White

I need this dog, FYI. 

Dogs Prepared for Extreme Weather

Thanks to both Katie B and Will for sending along photos that they knew would make me squeal with delight - DOGS IN MINI RAINCOATS! (You both know me so well)

House Hunting

Source

Because what else can you do with your time when it's cold, wet and gray outside?

Troll the Real Estate section of the newspaper looking for posh apartments and homes in Buenos Aires.

I did find what promises to be the apartment of my dreams, so we're going to check it out tomorrow. Don't ask me why. But we are. It's in my most favoooorite part of town, where Belgrano begins and edges up against Las Cañitas (but without the parking nightmare and narrow streets).

Imagine cobblestones, lots of green, embassies, beautiful Belle Epoque mansions and charming shops and cafes. Done!

I've also started emailing breeders about dachshunds ... I'm kind of nervous though because things here seem to be done very differently from how they do it in the US. For example, most breeders offer up puppies as young as 45 days old! Most of the "warning signs" you read about (24/7/365 puppy availability, delivering them before they're totally weaned, etc) seem to be common practice in Argentina. Beautiful, well-bred dogs seem to be omnipresent here in BA but I can't help but feel like it's not OK to waiver on those standards. Maybe we'll just get a little pup and bring it on my lap on the plane from America ... ? That would be amazing.

Sienna the Urban Gardener

Sienna loves to help out in her mom's herb garden. She even enjoys taking little nibbles of basil and mint! I think she needs a miniature watering can.

Monday Poodledom

This was not planned. I apologize if you don't find standard poodles as incredible as I do. Not all of us can be enlightened! Anyway, thanks (again!) to Will for sending me the work of photographer Carli Davidson. Her photos of dogs and cats (and parrots ...) has totally brightened up my Monday. And look at this lovely black standard doing what Bella does all the time.

Pet owners, animal lovers, and people who love watching dogs be really weird (and fun) need to check out her website. It's a great way to start the week!

Sunday Poodledom

My sis went on an out of town adventure this weekend, leaving London behind for some fresh sea air and of course, canine amazingness. Here are Doug and Molly. They need no further introduction. Just know that they are fabulous.