a quarterly update

in an effort to maintain the minimalist qualities of my blog, i’ve refrained from actually blogging for three months.  However, it’s time to actually post something now so that “minimalist” doesn’t slip into the dreaded “non-existent” category.

Actually, a part of me wishes i posted much more often.  It’s just that I don’t feel that I have, of late, had much to say.  Now, my sister posts nearly every 34.5 minutes on her blog.  She has a lot to say.  She and her family are smack in the middle of an exciting journey to south america that is rife with all of the humorous/frustrating juxtapositions between what was once familiar and what is now reality.  In short, their vision is fresh and full of surprising moments.

But the “newness” of any trip, when it is held to basically one smallish geographic area (sedentary, that’s the word)  has a distinct shelf life.  I’ve felt that mine expired here in buenos aires a while ago.

“newness” is relative, though.  (here’s where I contradict and castigate myself)  It IS possible to find “newness” in even the most familiar places.  It just takes effort.   I’m lazy.

So the honest reason behind the minimalism of my blog is just that.  laziness.   sigh.

that and the fact that I lost my camera in cordoba, argentina.  Lost…well, no…left behind.  I left it on the luggage rack of a bus.  When I called the bus company to see if they’d maybe found it there was a pause that filled the empty airspace with a “kid, are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me?  you really thought there’d be a camera waiting here for you if you were stupid enough to leave it on the bus?  What’re you, brain-damaged?”

Part of me thinks the guy paused so he could wave his buddy over to use MY camera to take a picture of him being all regretful that no such camera was found on the bus.  Ah the laughter.  Ah the paranoia.

I think that was the beginning of argentina slowly purging me from its system.  When I got back to buenos aires after a great vacation with my sis and her family, i quickly proceeded to have my credit and debit cards swept up with the trash and thrown away (sure, they were in a little homemade duct and masking tape card holder that I will admit looked like something that very much deserved to be thrown away.) and my awesome blue beach bike got stolen from outside of a friend’s house (only a couple plastic bits lying on the sidewalk from the lock stood as proof that my bike had even existed) and the city is shutting down my favorite weekly concert because the usual 3000-ish strong crowd was just a titch over the 1500 person maximum capacity afforded by the venue.  sigh.  again.

yes, buenos aires has reached on in and tickled its gag reflex.

consider me purged.

bring on portland!