Amazing how a few chiropractic adjustments and some localized injections -- plus your prayers! -- have made such a HUGE difference. My back still aches but the shooting pains are history and I am once again able to stand and sit in [relative] comfort. Hallelujah!
Thought I'd share another little difference in how medicine is practiced here. We had to first buy the vials of medicine and syringes at the pharmacy (with a prescription, of course) and then take them each time we went to get the injections. While this country has socialized medicine, anyone who possibly can pays for auxiliary insurance with a secondary health care provider. We are members of a local company that offers a 24 hour emergency room. And I mean "room". It's nothing like a hospital ER, but rather a small-house-turned-into-a-clinic. I admit to being a little put off by the shabbiness and rather unkempt appearance so just prayed for an infection-free experience :) On the plus side, we never had to wait and were always ushered right in.
Also learned on our first visit that we should have come prepared with more than the medicine and syringe. When we got home I had to change clothes and wash the blood out of the ones I'd been wearing since no band-aid was provided. Made sure we threw in some band-aids after that! Overall it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...although my hips do feel a bit like a pincushion :)
Now we'll work on strengthening my back so this doesn't happen again. Took a nice walk this afternoon and will continue with those until I'm well enough to add other exercises. I'm SOOOO thankful to live by the costanera, where we have lovely walks all around us.
Speaking of costaneras, there's progress with the lot near the currently-under-construction-river-side-costanera across town. Facing some complications like the title still being in a previous owner's name, unpaid property taxes and the need to get the plans approved for the casita already on site (which should have been done before it was built). Ivan has been meeting with different people involved and talking to an escribano who would handle the paperwork. But it actually looks like it might go through! Not holding our breath, as we are well aware anything could happen to upset the apple cart.
Meanwhile I can't help but daydream just a little :) I've sketched floorplans, downloaded inspiration photos from the internet, and jotted down pages of ideas for a future house. Budgetary concerns being paramount, I'm trying to figure out how we can do things well but inexpensively. On our walk today we were particularly noticing fences since that will be the number one priority if we get the lot. For sure the sides and back will be a cheaper, temporary fix that simply addresses the security issue but we want to do a really nice, permanent front fence and gate right away. Down the road when we have more time and money we'd change out the back and sides to something more aesthetically pleasing.
Sarah (from Dream in Domestic) mentioned her photobucket "album" of inspiration photos and I totally copied the idea and am having a great time organizing all the pretty pictures I've found on blogs from around the world. In the process I've found some new sites I need to add to my blogroll. It's been a fun pasttime while being incapacitated.
Looking forward to getting away for a few days to Sta. Rosa -- this time just to REST. No projects, can you believe it?! At least for me. I think Ivan wants to do some more work on the new tank but he said it's a minor thing. This trip will actually be a belated getaway for our anniversary which was two months ago, back when we had the retreat in Sta. Rosa -- followed by the Nasty-Head-Cold-of-2010 which was certainly not conducive to celebrating anything.
The kids are on winter holiday this week and next so the schedule is a little different. That's worked out well for our co-workers to get away this week and us next week. Instead of having English yesterday, Ivan spent time with a group of the guys, watching them play soccer and then providing refreshments. This afternoon he's helping one of the boys repair the water tank on their house -- he's had a little experience with those of late :) I'm having a quiet afternoon catching up with laundry and starting on some paperwork. Regarding both: WILL THEY NEVER END?!?!
Mmmm, felt good to get that off my chest.
I had two major fails in the kitchen recently. One was trying a new recipe for cold sesame noodles with chicken. Too peanutty for our tastes. I think I want to try again, but alter the amounts of the sauce to minimize the peanuts and kick up the sesame and soy. The other OOPS! involved leaving roasting red peppers in the oven too long so they collapsed and leaked all over. Guess what I'll be doing once my back is in better shape?
On the plus side, I rescued enough of the red peppers to add to some yummy dishes. Last night I made a risotto with mushrooms and roasted red peppers and this morning I threw red peppers into the potato and cheese omelet we had for breakfast. Both = DELICIOUSNESS. Roasting red peppers really brings out their sweetness and adds a hint of smokey that's just irresistible.
I think that's enough randomness for one afternoon. While writing this post I've had the TV on, tuned into the casa.tv channel. The first program I watched was in Spanish but it just dawned on me that the show that just came on is in English! I can suddenly understand EVERYTHING rather than just random words and phrases :)
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Una Poesia en Spanglish
An Ode to Dolores
(una poesia en Spanglish)
I bent over. I said ouch.
Ever since I’m on the couch.
Dolor intenso,
Incómodo inmenso,
(una poesia en Spanglish)
I bent over. I said ouch.
Ever since I’m on the couch.
Dolor intenso,
Incómodo inmenso,
Turning me into a grouch.
Over a week. WAY too long,
For this pain to be so strong.
Espero sanar,
Salud ganar,
“Back” to where I belong.
Over a week. WAY too long,
For this pain to be so strong.
Espero sanar,
Salud ganar,
“Back” to where I belong.
In the process I'm gathering quite a collection of band-aids from localized injections of anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxant medication. SOOOOOO thankful we found a really great chiropractor in town (chiropractors are very unusual here). Praying for a much lower level of pain so sleep is possible (none last night).
I think maybe trying to keep up with the regular schedule this past week wasn't the best idea. Too many two-or-more-hours-sitting-in-very-uncomfortable-chairs for different classes and church activities plus a 5-hour-sit-down-session yesterday with our co-workers and a couple in the church = EXTREME PAIN. I'm trying to be good and remain prone; not too hard since sitting in any position isn't really an option, and standing is only comfortable for about, oh, maybe five seconds.
A lifetime of back problems due to scoliosis didn't really prepare me for such intense and prolonged pain. Definitely going to find out how to strengthen my back (after it's better, of course) because I NEVER, EVER, EVER want to go through anything like this again. I sure appreciate all those who have been praying for me! Keep it up, por favor!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Project 365, Week 27 -- HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!
I'm afraid my 365 mojo is gone -- sooooo far behind with daily photos. I can't seem to get back into the groove of remembering to get the camera out and use it. Of course it helps if you go somewhere or do something, and I haven't been doing much of either lately.
However, I'm going to try and hang in there and this week we bring you Two Weeks In Only Six Pictures!
So, up first is a photo from Santa Rosa. The neighbor's horses kept coming over and leaning over to eat the bark off the limbs of fallen trees they could reach.
Monday, June 21st our co-workers brought out a group to help us stack wood and clean up the yard. What a fantastic job they did! "Charley" is one of my English students too. Don't you just love his smile?!
The guy who keeps an eye on the place for us called this morning to say the horses had gotten into the yard and knocked over all the wood the group had painstakingly stacked along the back of the house and eaten most of the bark from it. Is bark especially tasty?
Here's a final photo of the house from the corner of the lot, so you can see the nice new tank on top. Ivan will be building a wall around it, but that's a project for the future. We were just happy to get it installed this last time -- what a job!
No photos until the end of the week when we took a group to a concert in Cordoba.
A large church in Tampa has a youth orchestra, choir and drama team that travels and we got to see one of their performances in Cordoba.
Another group photo, this time from when Argentina played Greece and won! Wearing the colors proudly -- how do you like that fun hat one of the guys is wearing? Those were everywhere!
Obviously I don't have any similar photos from this weekend's game with Germany and subsequent exit from the World Cup. ¡Qué triste!
Friday we were in Cordoba and I snapped this shot of a pizza place.
I've been up and down this street numerous times and had never noticed the tall man on the side of the building. Not sure if that says more about the poor execution of advertising on their part (since he's the same color as the building, he just blends in) or my lack of observation skills.
You know we have opposite seasons, but I have to tell you that today feels like summer. It's been in the 70s for several days running. We're sitting on the patio without even a sweater! Lovin' it! And yes, we are grilling :D Not hamburgers or hotdogs, or even steaks, but we are grilling. Our lunch menu includes:
Gourmet potatoes are a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. I simply add some chopped onion, shredded sharp cheese, sour cream, melted butter (quantities depend on amount of potatoes -- I'm going for a seasoned but not overpowering side dish) and bake until hot, bubbly and brown. A very yummy potato dish!
However, I'm going to try and hang in there and this week we bring you Two Weeks In Only Six Pictures!
[If we pretend there's cool background music, will it seem like there's more?]
So, up first is a photo from Santa Rosa. The neighbor's horses kept coming over and leaning over to eat the bark off the limbs of fallen trees they could reach.
Here's a final photo of the house from the corner of the lot, so you can see the nice new tank on top. Ivan will be building a wall around it, but that's a project for the future. We were just happy to get it installed this last time -- what a job!
Another group photo, this time from when Argentina played Greece and won! Wearing the colors proudly -- how do you like that fun hat one of the guys is wearing? Those were everywhere!
Friday we were in Cordoba and I snapped this shot of a pizza place.
You know we have opposite seasons, but I have to tell you that today feels like summer. It's been in the 70s for several days running. We're sitting on the patio without even a sweater! Lovin' it! And yes, we are grilling :D Not hamburgers or hotdogs, or even steaks, but we are grilling. Our lunch menu includes:
grilled bondiola (a cut of pork)
grilled Basque morzilla (blood sausage flavored with nuts and raisins)
grilled red peppers
gourmet potatoes
Gourmet potatoes are a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. I simply add some chopped onion, shredded sharp cheese, sour cream, melted butter (quantities depend on amount of potatoes -- I'm going for a seasoned but not overpowering side dish) and bake until hot, bubbly and brown. A very yummy potato dish!
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Rambling thoughts on everything from telephone calls to accent tiles
I have been a bad blogger lately! If only we could pack a few more hours onto each day.
Because it's been so long since I've posted anything of substance, I figure why start now so you'll get even more insubstantial information today. Just the thoughts rambling around in my brain, rather like the silver marble in a pin ball machine.
In other words, read at your own risk for blogging whiplash.
I have mentioned that we've been looking at houses and property. In the U.S. I liked nothing better than house hunting, attending the annual Parade of Homes, and checking out the realty magazines that you can pick up at newstands. But here... the process is just different and I was tired of being trotted around to properties I had no desire to see when we'd ask to see something we were interested in. No blowing in and out of a house to check it out quickly; the realtor always had a few more to show us and we never finished a session in under two hours. Never.
So this southern girl bailed on her husband. Yes, yes I did. I'm not proud of it, but it was just more than I could handle. I told Ivan he could screen places and if he saw something he really liked, then show it to me. Otherwise, I was overwhelmed at home and needed to stay focused on catching up.
Overwhelmed because lately I've been feeling like a CLUNKER, always breaking down, spending more time "in the shop" than "on the road". In the past five weeks I've had a nasty cold, arguably the worst migraine in my life, and managed to put my back out by doing nothing more than bending over.
Just call me Granny.
With so much time "in the shop", when I did feel good I've wanted to catch up on laundry, sweep floors, pick up clutter... I'm not good about handling dirt and clutter. A few days, no big deal. More than that and I get antsy. After two weeks down with the head cold, this place was a WRECK. Did a quick, superficial clean-up before Sta. Rosa but haven't really been able to do a good housecleaning since.
Which makes me slightly crazy.
It has been necessary to cancel a few Spanish classes and a couple English get-togethers along the way but overall I've done a pretty good job of keeping up with the regular schedule.
Back to houses and property...
We found a house we liked (the one with the bathtub in the yard ;) which is basically move-in ready but we would have to build a garage/shop first because all our stuff (i.e., Ivan's tools) wouldn't fit into the house. We also came across an almost empty lot with a small casita. The casita isn't finished and would not be sufficient for us to live in even when it is (two small rooms and a bath) but we loved the location (just 50 yards from the river that feeds into the lake that we live by now) and think that if we can get it for a decent price, then we'd like to build.
We honestly have no idea what this will involve. We know the process is different here. You have to have a licensed architect do the preliminary paperwork and get the plans approved, but that's about all we know. We have no idea the cost of materials or the regulations for residential construction... So Ivan stopped by the municipality and they told him if he brought in a pendrive they'd copy the regulations for him, so he did and they did and now we just need to print it off. Not sure if we should get a ream of paper first; there seems to be rather a lot of them. *sigh*
Have had an interesting time trying to figure out how to get the cash into the country if the seller accepts our offer. We don't have an account at a local bank since those are not easy to open. So in the past week Ivan's been checking out the options -- which range from using ATM machines (most expensive) to using a monetary conversion business (next to highest) to opening an account with an international bank (cheapest). Huge differences in cost! From less than a couple hundred to over sixteen hundred dollars, depending on who charges which fees and at what percentage rate.
Obviously we'd prefer to go with the cheapest option BUT they'd only give us the money in pesos and we think the buyer really wants U.S. dollars. The absolute easiest method would have been to wire transfer the money directly to the seller's bank but apparently banks here don't really like to deal with those.
I'm still trying to figure out what banks do. They're open only in the mornings. They don't do home mortgages or loans for cars. I think they must make most of their money charging fees on the checking and savings accounts they do have. Most Argentines we know who have some money keep a little in an account here for living purposes but put most of their money elsewhere, either Europe or the U.S. because (1) they get more interest on deposits and (2) it's safer. I'm not sure how often this has happened over the years, but in 2001 a financial crisis caused people with money in banks here to lose all or most of their money. If they got any of it back, it was just a fraction.
I'm also trying to figure out why it costs more for people to call locally than overseas.
Yes, you read that right. It's more expensive to call our co-workers here than our kids in the U.S.This is not to say it's cheap to call the U.S., it's just REALLY expensive to make local calls.
I'd say there's a wee problem with the system here, wouldn't you?
We don't use the house phone to call our kids though. Our son set us up with a Vonage phone before we came so we can make unlimited calls to the U.S. at no charge to us (he takes care of the monthly fee). Or we skype when the Vonage phone isn't working well. At around two cents a minute, skype is a very cheap alternative!
Back once again to houses and property...
Between the work we're doing on the house in Sta. Rosa and dreaming about building our own place some day, I've been looking into construction and finish materials. I've got a notebook that's rapidly filling up with prices, ideas, and sketches. One of the things I came across is an accent tile that I love, love, love! We're going to use it in the kitchen in Sta. Rosa, just above the white wall ceramicos. This thin rope tile is PERFECT for that country cottage look I'm going for!
I've been putting some thought into what look I'd like for that future dream house of ours and have decided I'm drawn to a combination: modern industrial meets country cottage. Don't think it can be done?! Just wait...I think this is going to be a very interesting project! Which I will document right here on the blog, of course. With photos. Lots and lots of photos.
The pin ball is coming to a stop. I have to clean the kitchen and then go commiserate Argentina's loss at the hands of Germany :-(
Because it's been so long since I've posted anything of substance, I figure why start now so you'll get even more insubstantial information today. Just the thoughts rambling around in my brain, rather like the silver marble in a pin ball machine.
In other words, read at your own risk for blogging whiplash.
I have mentioned that we've been looking at houses and property. In the U.S. I liked nothing better than house hunting, attending the annual Parade of Homes, and checking out the realty magazines that you can pick up at newstands. But here... the process is just different and I was tired of being trotted around to properties I had no desire to see when we'd ask to see something we were interested in. No blowing in and out of a house to check it out quickly; the realtor always had a few more to show us and we never finished a session in under two hours. Never.
So this southern girl bailed on her husband. Yes, yes I did. I'm not proud of it, but it was just more than I could handle. I told Ivan he could screen places and if he saw something he really liked, then show it to me. Otherwise, I was overwhelmed at home and needed to stay focused on catching up.
Overwhelmed because lately I've been feeling like a CLUNKER, always breaking down, spending more time "in the shop" than "on the road". In the past five weeks I've had a nasty cold, arguably the worst migraine in my life, and managed to put my back out by doing nothing more than bending over.
Just call me Granny.
With so much time "in the shop", when I did feel good I've wanted to catch up on laundry, sweep floors, pick up clutter... I'm not good about handling dirt and clutter. A few days, no big deal. More than that and I get antsy. After two weeks down with the head cold, this place was a WRECK. Did a quick, superficial clean-up before Sta. Rosa but haven't really been able to do a good housecleaning since.
Which makes me slightly crazy.
It has been necessary to cancel a few Spanish classes and a couple English get-togethers along the way but overall I've done a pretty good job of keeping up with the regular schedule.
Back to houses and property...
We found a house we liked (the one with the bathtub in the yard ;) which is basically move-in ready but we would have to build a garage/shop first because all our stuff (i.e., Ivan's tools) wouldn't fit into the house. We also came across an almost empty lot with a small casita. The casita isn't finished and would not be sufficient for us to live in even when it is (two small rooms and a bath) but we loved the location (just 50 yards from the river that feeds into the lake that we live by now) and think that if we can get it for a decent price, then we'd like to build.
We honestly have no idea what this will involve. We know the process is different here. You have to have a licensed architect do the preliminary paperwork and get the plans approved, but that's about all we know. We have no idea the cost of materials or the regulations for residential construction... So Ivan stopped by the municipality and they told him if he brought in a pendrive they'd copy the regulations for him, so he did and they did and now we just need to print it off. Not sure if we should get a ream of paper first; there seems to be rather a lot of them. *sigh*
Have had an interesting time trying to figure out how to get the cash into the country if the seller accepts our offer. We don't have an account at a local bank since those are not easy to open. So in the past week Ivan's been checking out the options -- which range from using ATM machines (most expensive) to using a monetary conversion business (next to highest) to opening an account with an international bank (cheapest). Huge differences in cost! From less than a couple hundred to over sixteen hundred dollars, depending on who charges which fees and at what percentage rate.
Obviously we'd prefer to go with the cheapest option BUT they'd only give us the money in pesos and we think the buyer really wants U.S. dollars. The absolute easiest method would have been to wire transfer the money directly to the seller's bank but apparently banks here don't really like to deal with those.
I'm still trying to figure out what banks do. They're open only in the mornings. They don't do home mortgages or loans for cars. I think they must make most of their money charging fees on the checking and savings accounts they do have. Most Argentines we know who have some money keep a little in an account here for living purposes but put most of their money elsewhere, either Europe or the U.S. because (1) they get more interest on deposits and (2) it's safer. I'm not sure how often this has happened over the years, but in 2001 a financial crisis caused people with money in banks here to lose all or most of their money. If they got any of it back, it was just a fraction.
I'm also trying to figure out why it costs more for people to call locally than overseas.
Yes, you read that right. It's more expensive to call our co-workers here than our kids in the U.S.This is not to say it's cheap to call the U.S., it's just REALLY expensive to make local calls.
I'd say there's a wee problem with the system here, wouldn't you?
We don't use the house phone to call our kids though. Our son set us up with a Vonage phone before we came so we can make unlimited calls to the U.S. at no charge to us (he takes care of the monthly fee). Or we skype when the Vonage phone isn't working well. At around two cents a minute, skype is a very cheap alternative!
Back once again to houses and property...
Between the work we're doing on the house in Sta. Rosa and dreaming about building our own place some day, I've been looking into construction and finish materials. I've got a notebook that's rapidly filling up with prices, ideas, and sketches. One of the things I came across is an accent tile that I love, love, love! We're going to use it in the kitchen in Sta. Rosa, just above the white wall ceramicos. This thin rope tile is PERFECT for that country cottage look I'm going for!
The pin ball is coming to a stop. I have to clean the kitchen and then go commiserate Argentina's loss at the hands of Germany :-(
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