Got any spare change???

So I moved into a new apartment down the block from my old one and it's a realllyyy great space! The kitchen is huge and so is the living room. We have gorgeous parquet floors (which are everywhere in this city) and big windows. Jay and I have been cooking quite a bit and we're getting damn good at it. Actually Jay is really getting great at it. Glad I'm the recipient of such delectable delights.

So as we all know my fave holiday Halloween just passed, and as I'm quite upset I was not able to be Austin Powers in the set of sexy FemBots, Dr. Evil and Minime (GIRLS I LOVEDDD YOUR COSTUMES!), I made do and attended a Halloween soiree out here. They have costume shops (actually they're where all the Jews live--go figure!) but they all sell the same crap. So I unfortunately was not as creative as I probably could have been...I kind of think I looked like a bootleg/wannabe Egyptian woman or bellydancer (Exhibit A shown). Jay was beer for halloween. I made his shirt identical to Quilmes beer, which is one of the main brews in this country. Quilems pretty much tastes like Bud Light--mild and urine-like (okay that's a little harsh but you get my drift)...serious sacrilege to states or countries known for their delicious microbrews like Oregon, Colorado or BELGIUM! I guess Argentina redeems itself with damn good cheap wine. 10 or 15 pesos (USD $3-5) will get you a nice bottle of Malbec (the wine of Argentina) or what have you...

Today's installment of quasi asinine Argentine wonderments relates to Argentina's monedas (coins). Ask anyone here and they will all say that one moneda (1 peso) is more valuable than a 2 peso dollar bill (the lowest denomination of a paper peso bill). They are super valuable because the colectivos (buses) here only allow you to pay with monedas! (There's no such thing as a metrocard for the buses; only for subways). And everyone takes the bus here. Your typical bus ride costs only 90 centavos. One would naturally think on their first bus trip (having not been forewarned) they could easily pay with a 2 peso bill. Very wrong assumption. You must have coins! Here's the breakdown as to why monedas are so valuable: Apparently, the private owners of these bus companies hoard all of the coins and keep them, so they don't even go back into regular commerce. Or as I hear through the grapevine, they even possibly sell them on the black market for a nice commission. How grimy is that?! If you were to get robbed or pick-pocketed, you'd probably be more pissed about losing the modenas you've saved than bills. Haha ok well I guess it depends on how much was stolen but you get my point. They are so valuable that some vendors at kioszkos get pissed if you pay with 10 or 20 peso bill for something that costs 3 pesos, since they would have to give you change with monedas, or at the worst, they might not sell the item for lack of having change. It's so weird to think that there might be (is) a black market for selling change!!! Our friend Gabe jokes around saying that the strippers must give lap dances for change only...haha who knows, don't quote me on that, but it's a funny though. This definitely wins the award for moronism of the week.

Recommended album of the week: "The Reminder," by Feist...I'm only a year and a half late on really listening to this album, but it is realllyyyy good! I was sleeping on this one for sure. Feist has such a sweet, soothing voice with great melodies to match. Check it out!

---

---