thanksgiving ala ex-pat, and the day after...

thanksgiving, and the rest of the world marches on, yankees!

we took class in the morning, talked with other US ex-pats about where to score some pavo, and ate pizza for lunch, napped and then had some salad, watched 2 episodes of BIG LOVE and went to bed. we had class yesterday am, and needed to be shiny to remember how to conjugate. try saying, 'i had been/i have been' en espanol, i dare you. last night, however, some kiwis and some frenchies came over and we wined and then dined on the square where they were doing flamenco (not tango - we now know the difference). amazing. there was a guitarista there that shana was convinced i was going to leave her for, and a dude slapping a box that im convinced shes gonna leave me for. incredible dancing and music and kids and cucarachas the size of rats running around on the ground. this is on a square, so its not in a restaurant and you just accept that theres bugs on the ground.

and the worst, im not kidding when i say the worst service i have ever experienced. europe, mexico, asia, england, NZ... the worst. no shit, 30 minutes between every interaction. asked for the bill and the 6 of us sat there, no shit, for a half an hour before i said, 'lets just go'. at which point we 'promptly' got the bill and left, no shit, a 33 cent tip. now tipping aint what it is in the US, but i have never, even after years of living in england, not left at least 5%. this was a meal that totaled close to $100. 33 cents for you, fuckstick. later. wonderful music, terrible service.
(disclaimer: lest i sound like an over privileged american, i waited tables for 5+ years. and i am one of the most forgiving, and, dare i say, generous tippers in the world. i also understand that this is NOT the US, and that i shouldnt expect things to be the same. i dont, and every other customer service experience in this fine country has been great...this was an isolated incident. and if the young man had spent as much time waiting tables as he had doing his fauxhawk hairdo, i would not be even mentioning it.)
then we teetered around, looking for a bar that TIME OUT said was a take on 1930's shanghai. we found it, it was closed. dammit! then back to our place for more booze and conversations about the state of the world, that fact that the US is not, in fact, that bad, and the conclusion that its best not to live anywhere. we are all going to hell in a handcart. it was late, after all, and the 4 hour 'meal' and the long walk in the heat to nowhere left us all a bit despondent. we threw the 2 couples into taxis and crashed hard. so nice to sleep in on a saturday and have naught to do, like normal, non theater people.

we also figured out why you cant get juice in a carton. youre supposed to squeeze it yourself. so this am (pm), we had fresh juice. now thats some liquid sunshine for ya. actually, theres some sunshine for ya. sorry to bore yall with pictures of the sunset from our balcony, but COMON!