Argentina!

Two weeks from today I fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina! I made the arrangements so long ago, I still have a sense of surprise that the trip is, in fact, going to happen. It's a long flight; the first leg is three hours to Houston and then 10 1/2 hours to BsAs. A friend who I will meet there is flying tonight. She says, "It's a journey."

I have three goals in Buenos Aires: tango lessons, tango clothes, tango shoes. Of course, I am also interested in sightseeing and possible excursions. Recoleta Cemetary; MALBA (art museum); Iguazu Falls; Mendoza; Montevideo, Uruguay. Speaking of Uruguay, I read that the song, "La Cumparsita", which is traditionally the last song at a milonga (tango venue), was composed by a young man in Uruguay and it was originally a carnival march. You can listen to the song through this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_cumparsita

I've rented an apartment in the neighborhood of Recoleta, which has avenues similar to Park Avenue and Madison Avenue in New York. The apartment is quite small, but clean and in a good location. I'm near the subway and bus, and just about everything else I might need! Today I began to organize which clothes to pack. It's a bit of a challenge since it's late winter/early spring there and the temperature range has been between 40 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. With our recent triple digit weather, it's difficult to imagine feeling chilly enough to wear a sweater or jacket.

The Immortal Life...

 Due to a nasty headcold, I stayed home today and finished reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. 

Here are some startling numbers in the Afterword (p. 315)

"Today most Americans have their tissue on file somewhere. When you go to the doctor for a routine blood test or have a move removed, when you have an appendectomy, tonsillectomy, or any other kind of ectomy, the stuff you leave behind doesn't always get thrown out. Doctors, hospitals, and laboratories keep it. Often indefinitely. In 1999 the RAND Corporation published a report with a 'conservative estimate' that more than 307 million tissue samples from more than 178 million people were stored in the United States alone. This number, the report said, was increasing by more than 20 million samples each year. ... They sit in lab freezers, on shelves, or in industrial vats of liquid nitrogen. They're stored at military facilities, the FBI, the National Institutes of Health..."

The question remains whether the use of human cells without consent is ethical or not. That is one of the central questions asked in this book. Cancer cells were scraped from the cervix of Henrietta Lacks without her knowledge. The cells were labeled "HeLa" and her name was not attached. These cancer cells reproduced profusely, when normal cells did not. It was decades before the family knew that Henrietta's cells were in labs around the world and being used for major breakthroughs in science, such as a vaccine against polio.

The cells are still used today. In fact, a friend of mine who is a high school Biology teacher told me she has HeLa cells in her lab refrigerator at school.

Greyhounds

In the early afternoon, I took a long walk through the park near my house. My path crossed with a man who was walking two beautiful greyhounds. They were both rescue dogs, one light brown male and one light gray female, ages 6 and 4 respectively. The eyes on the dogs looked human-like. The male walked with a limp, due to an injured foot pad. The owner told me the dog already had five surgeries and one broken ankle. We got to talking about the basic inhumanity of dog racing. He commented that even though the racing itself doesn't generate much revenue, the tracks have other forms of gambling that are profitable. The dogs have short lives as race dogs, and if not adopted they are killed. Thousands die each year.

To me, the dogs look fragile with their long, spindly legs. However, they are quite strong and can live 10-13 years with reasonable care. Interestingly, while I often see people running with other breeds of dogs, I've yet to see an owner and a greyhound out for a jog together.

How many tracks exist in each state?

Alabama—3 tracks
Arkansas—1 track
Arizona—2 tracks
Rhode Island—1 track
Texas—2 tracks
Florida—13 tracks
West Virginia—2 tracks
Iowa—2 tracks
Wisconsin—1 track

http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/greyhound_racing/facts/greyhound_racing_facts.html

http://www.greyhoundfriendsnj.org/info/index

Winter Running

This morning at 9am in Brookdale Park, there was a lovefest of runners and walkers even though the temperature was registering 22 on my thermometer! It seemed everyone had the same idea at the same time: the sun is out, the roads are dry, there's no wind- let's go for a run! Those conditions are about as good as it gets for winter running.

When I got home, I thought about the book by Haruki Murakami entitled, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. The book is a combination of memoir, training log, and travelogue as Murakami, who lives near Tokyo, prepares for the 2005 NYC Marathon.

"Muscles are like work animals that are quick on the uptake. If you carefully increase the load, step by step, they learn to take it... as long as you take your time... they won't complain- aside from the occasional long face- and they'll very patiently and obediently grow stronger." (p. 71)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/books/review/Dyer-t.html

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico

The Travel section in today's New York Times features an article entitled, "The 41 Best Places to Go in 2011." After I read the list, I asked myself, "Where is the first place I want to go in 2011?" My response was quick- Mexico.

As soon as I got home from Mexico last summer, I wanted to return. I wanted more of the food, the light, the quiet beauty of San Miguel, the noise and bustle of Mexico City. However, since I often feel that way after a trip, I knew my inclination at that moment was not an accurate measure. But, here I am six months later thinking about an extended visit to Mexico, most specifically to San Miguel.

The Lonely Planet Guide to Mexico states, "Many people say that San Miguel is a bit like a Mexican Disneyland for foreign (mainly American) retirees." I hate to think of San Miguel in that way, but it is partly true. Out of the 62,000 residents of San Miguel, more than 10,000 homes are owned by foreigners. There is a large American ex-pat community; many people in San Miguel speak English. The city is small, welcoming, safe and incredibly beautiful.

While I was there, I stayed at the Casa Quetzal Hotel. I'd recommend it 100 percent, as would many others according to TripAdvisor. The owner is Cynthia Price, who is from Vermont. Along with a prime location and wonderful hospitality, the hotel also has pancakes with real maple syrup for breakfast.
http://www.casaquetzalhotel.com/

My days in San Miguel consisted of a cooking class and market tour; walking and browsing; Bellas Artes art school; fabulous, fabulous food ; sunshine; Talavera pottery from the Mexican Connexion; a side trip to the city of Guanajuato; music at the plaza in the evening. My only difficulty was finding a place to run. I tried one day, but the roads are steep and cobblestone, so I was very cautious. Also, the streets are not in a grid, so it wasn't easy to create a mental map. There is a Starbucks near the main square (much to the displeasure of the locals) and I used that as a handy landmark.
http://www.casadesierranevada.com/web/omig/sazon.jsp
http://www.experience-san-miguel-de-allende.com/bellas-artes-el-nigromante.html

Soon I will have to decide what to do in the new year. My study of Spanish has fallen by the wayside, so resuming my practice is also one of my resolutions. While a return to Mexico is at the top of the list, there's also Barcelona and Argentina- where I can combine Spanish and tango. They all sound good to me!