Great Tennis match won't let me leave my apartment!
Rafael Nadal is the top young clay court tennis player on the ATP circuit.

Guillermo Coria is the Argentinian player having a break out season due to his improved play.

They were expected to meet in the finals after breezing their way through the tourney in Rome.

Loosing along the way were American favorites Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick.

So far the match score is 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 3-3... after nearly 4 hours and 25 minutes of play...

To watch the game played on clay is to watch the best tennis. Ralley's last longer, players look for anles, work the point, use different spins, and dig deep.

Personally I think hard court offer this same type of tennis if only the players didn't hit the ball so fast!

The increased velocity in tennis is due to two things: better athletes and better equipment. The problem is that tennis was designed for a slower pace of play. As a result, the game has lost it's nuances at the pro-level and unfortunately at the amatuere level. The problem at the amature level is equipment. Manufacturers market power and novice players buy it.

What I would like to see is the return to wood rackets. This change could add nuance and intelligence back into the game of tennis. While I'm sure a lot of commentators would agree with me there are strong economic forces working against such a change. Equipment manufactuers lose a big money making source and would lobby hard against it.

It will be interesting to see if tennis's governing bodies are able to act independently and do something postive for the game.

Meanwhile, 4 hours and 40 minutes through the match; 4-4, 5th set, advantage Nadal

why some men greet each other with a kiss in Argentina
After some speculation on male greetings I found the real reason. From a website on Argentine Culture...very interesting

"Although it is not uncommon to see men kiss on the cheek, this form of greeting is somewhat new to the country and is used primarily between close friends, not acquaintances or business associates. It is said that the former president of Argentina, Carlos Menem, inadvertently introduced kissing between men at the beginning of his presidency. Menem converted to Catholicism from his Muslim religion in order to run for president and to kiss as a greeting among Muslim men is very common. The Argentine men copied this and introduced it into their culture, but you will probably notice that is it much more common among the younger generation of males than those who are older."

short clarification

Yesterday I told Carolina that she should check out my latest blog entry; the preceding one. Her response, "Oh, no! Why are you making fun of Argentina? Do you not like it here? If people read this no one is going to want to come to Argentina!

In response I first vigorously defended myself and explained that I am not making fun of Argentina, but rather making observations and pointing out differences. The differences I note with humor but ther remain honest observations. Then, after settling down a bit, I admitted that I probably was making fun of Argentina...but not to worry. I pointed out that I make fun of my own country quite a bit.

However, I do understand how someone reading the blog could logicaly deduce that underlying my writing was a deep detest for Argentine culture in general. This is simply not the case. Truthfully, I like greeting people with a kiss or a hug instead of a handshake. And I've mentioned how impressed I was with the level of intelligence and cultural sensitivity of the people here. I do have to admit that a rat-tail or mullet hair style makes a man look ridiculous. But this is just my personal taste, which could change after a few more months here.

As for people not wanting to go to Argentina after reading my blog...well, this may turn out to be a blessing for Argentina depending upon who decides not to come.

So, to the people of Argentina: te amo y le amo al pais con todos sus defectos.

long awaited update...assorted flavors
Observations by Topic

The most beautiful 70 year-old I have ever seen

While walking back from the school late one night i saw an sophisticated looking couple assuredly on their way to some odd social event. Both were dressed elegantly. The man with classic pants, leather shoes, good fitting shirt w- open collar, tanned face and silver combed hair. I can't really remember what his wife was wearing but it was probably a dress of some sort. For her age, she had excellent posture and was very tall, perhaps 5'9?. So if you closed your eyes and just imagined her athletic silloutte an woman of her age would certainly not come to mind. Her hair, silver to her companion, was thick, silky, and radiant. She must have had other adornments that I can't recall. The bottom-line is that this woman was ?striking?. the kind of striking breaks your train of thought.

Male greetings

You may have heard that there are some cultures where men great each other with kisses. Argentina is definately on this list. The kissing does take a little getting used to. I think I'm a pretty liberal guy, but I still felt uncomfortable enough to laugh to myself the first couple times I was compelled to introduced myself in this way.

To clarify, this greeting is not the dramatic kisses I imagine the Italians do. You know...the kind where they loudly shout what great a friend your are.?amigo, tanto tiempo!?, shake your shoulders, slap your back, and tear up a little.

This Argentine kiss is frequently a casual everyday greeting. kind of a ?hey, what's up? my name is.... This is probably which why it caught me a litte off-guard.

I asked my young female optometrist where this tradition came from. I expected her to say it came from Europe and was a traditional greeting given Argentina's spanish and italian heritage. Surprisingly, again, she explained to me that men never used to kiss until about 20 years ago...1985. hmmm. What was going on in 1985? my guess is that during the political change of the time, as Argentina alternated between authoritarian regimes, the younger generation developed their own greeting as a expression of solidarity. This is complete speculation however...

Male Hair styles

The mullet for the 21st century is here! Argentine men generally wear their hair long. Chin length is common. However, the new thing is to leave it a little long in the back, even if cropped short on top. Sometimes you can see a hint of a mohawk,combined with mini-mullet. otherwise, you'll get the usually rat-tail consisting of an otherwise normal haircut but with a small bit of long hair in the back. (The only other equivalent to this look I can think of is when men/women leave one finternail longer than the others).

Needless to say this is not my style. I had to convince my barber to take a little more off the sides and back than he was probably comfortable with. He relunctantly obliged...

Canandian influence in Argentina?

I love language(s). Language in the bridge to a culture. Hidden in any language is an assortment of cultural assumptions and touchpoints. The word for buffet in Buenos Aires is ?tenedor libre? or ?free fork?. the word for ?cool? in Brazil is ?legal? (legal) while in Buenos aires it can be ?barbaro?(barbarian-like).

Porte?os like to insert the interjection ?eh? into their sentences...usually after ?gracias?. The result is that after you buy something you'll get a "Thanks eh!" I suppose the "eh" makes the "thank you" more genuine. like saying "thanks...seriously". but the "eh" has lost that meaning in my mind due to over-use. I can't help but think of how pleased and accommodated the scattered Canadians must feel here...eh?

Another common saying here is ?mira vos?. Which basically means ?look at you?. or perhaps ?look at you go?. Actually ?you go girl!? captures the spirit of the phrase best. Example: I meet someone at school and begin to tell them a little bit about me...So I began studying spanish...travelled in South America...I came here alone to study law.. ?oh, mira vos!? Again...I have to smile.

Designer Clothes and Affordable Cinema
Yes, now is an excellent time to buy designer clothes in Buenos Aires for three reasons. First, the summer season ends soon and stores and liquidating their merchandise. Second, despite the dollars recent fall it still commands significant purchasing power against the Argentine Peso. Third, is the strong possibility of finding unique and well constructed designs unavailable in the US market. The Porte?os do have style, appreciate good art, and generally very cultured.

Librerias abound in buenos Aires. Nearly every street has at least one bookstore, some boast two or three. Perhaps even more impressive are the featured books should one venture inside. Politics, Art, Philosophy, literature, and general educational texts are everywhere.

Argentina has a rich political history (tragic perhaps) and the people know the workings and social institutions. I fear that most Americans take our institutions for granted and would have a hard time imagining life if these constructs were to collapse tomorrow. Likewise, Americans have a hard time concieving of change and thus find themselves rooted to the status quo.

So, In Buenos Aires, you can find normal men and women wearing orange pants. I'd guess the men wore purple or pink shirts before it was fashionable.

You may have heard that Porte?os are generally extremely attractive. This is true. Through diet or genes a majority of men and women are in excellent shape (not fat). Especially the women, and in almost reverse porportion to what you might see in the states.

The combination of Spanish, Italian, and German immigrants resulted in a population of light eyed, tan skinned inhabitants.

Also, a culture that encourages and rewards physical beauty doesn't hurt. Although I don't want to lump Argentina in with the other Latin Countries I know so I`ll have to wait on my anthropological insights until I have a clearer picture.

In case you were wondering I bought a white blazer and loose black sweater this afternoon. $40 and $25 respectively. And I almost forgot about the affordable Cinema! $1.25 for a midweek show and maybe $2-3 for a weekend evening show. Good variety of Hollywood hits along with European and Latin films.

Apartment search almost over...vacacion to begin.
After two days full of apartment searching,
my friend Maria and I have located three servicable apartments. Each will cost $350-400/month. Next up is a gym membership and cell phone.

Last night I realized that the owner of the hotel I am staying in has a twin brother who also works at the hotel. Both men must be around 70 years old. How strange? For the first three days I thought they were only one person. I questioned how (the owner) could work all day and all night...now I know. I asked (one of them) what the headlines were when heading out the door one day. His reply...(whoo...in argentina there's always news). He's right about that. Politics here are very unstable although considerably better than two years ago.

Osborn arrives safely in Buenos Aires
I finally arrived in Buenos Aires! After so much waiting and hassling and more waiting I'm here, and there is much to do.

Everyone seems very nice and bigcity-like. I found a hotel near the Congress building; a building which scares me a little because of how run-down it looks. There's hardly any security and much grafitti adorns the outside. It reminds me of those old videos of the military attacking the Chilean congress with fighter jets and gives me the feeling that the same could happen here.

The word on the street is positive however. People are optimistic following the economic crisis and are enjoying stability, stability, and the presence of a precocious foreigner...

Osborn to attend Husky game tonight
yes indeed, my 3rd Husky game of the season. What a fortunate soul!

Since it's been a while here's a quick update on what's been going on....

got visa in mail, i'm ready to go to Buenos Aires, recovering slowly but surely from Mono, fixed car battery and it runs just fine, bought Mp3 player over internet and it's great, spending decent amount of time at TJ Maxx, Ross, Marshalls, and the Bon looking at luggage among other things (cologne, clothes).

Return from Hood Canal
Well, back from a 24hr jaunt to Hood Canal. Very well put together trip. Meals organized well, with interludes of college basketball, Napolean Dynamite, and Spanish Study.

However, today was spontaneous, but not so satisfying. Probably due to lack of Spanish study...

Visa App in the mail
After a strenuous day at the mall and a challenging night of Scrabble I was ready to rest today. Not happening! Spent a good portion of the afternoon getting passport pictures taken, writing emails in Spanish to Argentinian beaurocrats, and cursing Federal Express for their unintuitive mailers.

Today I also came to the harsh conclusion that while I still may not be as good as my mother at laundry I'm sure as hell better than her at laundering my own clothes! One sweater came back with two holes in front as if Dracula had taken a chomp at it during the spin cycle. Another already tight-fitting sweater shrunk an additional 20%!