Barbara Bush Bag Battalion

Despite the US secret services best attempts, and while under heavy Argentine guard and escort, Barbara Bush, age 24 and daughter of US President George Bush, had her handbag snatched from under several watchful eyes while eating with her twin sister Jenna in San Telmo's Plaza Dorrego. Read all about it in the London Guardian.

That's funny, my buddy Jeff visiting from San Francisco, was in the plaza that same afternoon writing. "I didn't see anything either," he simply replied.

Other random happenings and events in the past week or so.

• Edesur, the main electric company for Buenos Aires (I'm guessing, somehow related to the old man Edison himself if nothing other than in name only) came yesterday morning to rudely awaken me, notifying me that they were going to cut off my power. Then the technician then actually opened the circuit breaker box and literally cut the power wires to my apartment. There was an outstanding bill of a whopping $16AR ($5USD) that had gone unpaid and that was that. No more power.
  
• Paid the debt of $16AR and got a stamp on my bill saying as much
• After several attempts on my laptop, emailing the electric company while thinking the whole while how futile my efforts must be, without the ability to actually call them because my cordless telephone also needs electricity, I begin to realize how much I actually rely on toma corriente.
• Today at 8:45am there's a loud knock on the door and the bug spray guy is standing there. "Absolutely NOT!" was my simple answer. "OK, we'll catch you the next time. But it was posted outside the door."
• Then my doorbell rings at 9:30am and its Edesur - "We're here to turn your power back on," says the technician. And just like that, the power goes back on and all is well. Didn't even have anything in the fridge (besides Jeff's leftovers that he ate anyway first thing this morning while I was frantically getting the house in order for the new maid.
• 11am this morning and the doorbell rings again - its Gladys - my new Peruvian maid. THANKS GLADYS!! (And she's pretty beyond just being pretty handy with the broom and plumero.)
• 1:30 - meet the graphic designer at the Obelisco
• 2pm - pick up tiny rental car and head for the gaucho town of San Antonio del Areco and then on to Rosario for another night.
• Met up with Miss Tango in Her Eyes and Tango Speak for the first time - very cool.
• Massive karting outing with several rib injuries, none of them sustained by me.
  
• Happy Thanksgiving - a day of remembering the thankful Pilgrims and their new native American friends that we later slaughter, just like the buffalo on the open plains of the western United States.
  

Hope Barbara Bush had tons of money in that purse. Wonder if the robbers even know who she was in hindsight? Probably a couple of pibes from the street that have no idea they are now famous.