chebwoy

So apparently, one must be a member of Facebook to read the speech that I linked in the previous entry. For those interested in reading, here it is: Commencement Speech given by Paul Hawken to the University of Portland When I was invited to give this speech, I was asked if I could give a simple short talk that was “direct, naked, taut, honest, passionate, lean, shivering, startling, and graceful.” No pressure there. Let’s begin with the startling part. Class of 2009: you are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on earth at a time when every living system is declining, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Kind of a mind-boggling situation... but not one peer-reviewed paper published in the last thirty years can refute that statement. ... read more

I sit here writing this after shooting jets of spicy hot gastronomical liquid out of my fanny (gross…? Whatever, just deal with it; it’s the natural way of things). Two Sunday’s ago, I made a trip to “shopping,” which is basically the mall here in Argentina. I ate in a mall’s food court for the first time in countless years. I got lasagna. Lasagna with meat sauce. Hives broke out. Fecal matter became less solid. Doctors came and put a needle in my butt. This last week I have spent recovering from this allergic reaction (the first I’ve ever had in my life) and trying to figure out what caused it. Apparently, meat sauce (carne molida) is the culprit, as I found out with a surprise wake-up call from my intestines early this morning. Last ... read more

The last few days have been a whirlwind of activity, traveling, adjustment, and epic failures when it comes to speaking Spanish. Let’s start from the (pseudo) beginning: somehow, I was convinced to partake in a “Bar Crawl” in Buenos Aires on my last night (Thursday). This involved meeting up with a bunch of other foreign exchange students (All Americans if you can imagine that) in a plaza very, very far from my hotel with all-one-can-eat pizza and all-one-can-handle beer. Following dinner, we were escorted by some Argentine-Americans (such entrepreneurs) to three different bars where free drinks were to be had by all. Although not my scene normally, I still managed to have quite the epic time courtesy of American cover bands, good friends, and fancy (bright colors!!!!!!!) bars. As luck would have it, about 7 or ... read more

Hola a todos You have found my blog! And its first entry, which (to the disappointment of all I'm sure) is merely a test. So please, don't expect any exquisitely-structured descriptions of fine Argentine beef and whatever else might be considered FINE down there (not down under). So, if you hate to read a lot of parenthetical side thoughts, then my blog probably isn't for you (ha sucker). At this point, the only things I want to know are: is this a reputable blog site? And can my writing be selected for a Pulitzer? Stay tuned for a possible late night entry tonight when my neurons are firing at far different frequencies. Hope everyone out there in the world is fantastic! ciao ... read more