crawlin' to the USA

A few lingering thoughts about Argentina, from which I returned a few days ago:

(1) The toothpaste sure is weird. The most promising variety I found at a corner store in Rosario was Red Berry flavor- some kind of cherry/strawberry/raspberry concoction. But my high hopes were quickly dashed. In addition to tasting horrible, its deep red hue left me wondering whether my gums have been bleeding more, less, or just as much.

(2) The music in Argentina was surprisingly tolerable. Predictably, radio was dominated by indistinguisable Spanish gibberish (great drinking game: drink every time someone says "corazón"). But the bars played a comforting mix of old and new American pop, by which I mean Nirvana and Gnarls Barkley, pretty much all the time. And TV, for whatever reason, demonstrated an admirable respect for semi-obscure rock. Certain channels would play music videos in between their regular broadcasts, and I caught songs by Belle and Sebastian ("Step Into My Office, Baby") and The Flaming Lips ("The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song"). Another Lips song ("It Overtakes Me/...") featured prominently in a commercial for stain remover.

That said, I suppose it's possible these songs were only selected because they appeal to young, wannabe hipster Gringos, for whom traveling entails sitting around watching TV as much as it does visiting museums, monuments, and mountain ranges. Dammit.

3) Now that I'm back, you can look forward to fewer tedious travelogues and more old-fashioned self-deprecation. I suck!