Wed 2237 At flat. Just sent e-mail asking if can attend a language exchange just round corner tomorrow; the one I originally picked out is an hour's walk away and runs from 9-11pm and charges ARS250 (though you get a free drink), I will go to that one if I must but prefer this other one - it's local, prob free and it's 630-8ish so I can feel freer to hang around after if want and if not can go out on own after if want.
Didn't sleep super well, woke up feeling a bit un-rested and uneasy, not really hungover but weird. Hot water wouldn't work when turned gas on and relit pilot light; sent message to host and got home late-ish tonight to some instructions on knob twiddling, which is fair enough and no one's had a go but not sure how I was supposed to know this. No sign of my 20% discount yet, given time is running out to spend any cash I may politely ask about this tomorrow morning but tho far from drunk won't do it tonight as it's late-ish and I have had a few beers and may be accidentally rude.
Walked down to Bar Polo leaving flat maybe 12-1ish, had decent steak and chips and then went to nearby modern art museum. (Incidentally when I went on Sun the beef was a bit rarer and possibly related was slightly tougher; Fri and today it was fairly well done though slightly pinkish and seemed tender.) No sign of ABTE (maybe it was never there, not checked old blog - may web search for it tomorrow tho not *that* bothered). Wasn't initially sure if taking photos allowed tho inferred it was after a while and seeing other ppl do it without staff objecting. However, partly due to being unsure and partly to avoid getting caught up photographing I mostly resisted temptation except in rather good exhibition in basement of quirky stuff by Max Gómez Canle. Rest of exhibits had some good stuff too though a lot of the accompanying text by the curator(s) (I mostly read the English versions out of laziness/speed) had a really wanky political pseudo-left-wing redefining-reality-with-words quality which reminded me of a bad Twitter binge. But I did enjoy some of the art, on my plebeian "I like looking at this" kind of level.
Didn't go to Lezama park; a smidge worried about getting mugged/phone stolen (super unlikely but did cross my mind) and also by time I left art museum (in there from maybe 3pm-5pm; oh, by sheer chance/good luck I went on the day of the week it's free, tho only ARS50 normally) I didn't really feel like going. So went to Bar Federal and tho originally only planned to have two beers I had three, fairly slowly, and finished off with a (not huge, as seems usual in Argentina - maybe 2-3 times volume of an espresso) black americano. I got given 2 free chicken wings with last two beers and also free peanuts in shell with first two beers. Expected to pay 100/110 for the beers as shown outside/on menu but figured I'd splurge a bit (it's not a huge splurge) as sort of like place and was there in Jan etc, but when got bill beers were only 80 each, maybe it was happy hour. Bill 305 all in, made it 360 with tip and made sure waiter took money and seemed happy before I left (tho was sitting inside so less risk of theft, but still). Did read on phone in there quite a bit plus write up the phoneless period over weekend but did a bit of meditative staring, quite a nice bar and strange to think I'd been there three months ago which sort of feels like forever. Prob got in there bit after 5pm and left maybe 8-830, was dark as left but obviously loads of ppl on street and not really drunk and walk home quite pleasant. Got some water and crackers at supermarket on way back and had some crackers while watching bit of YT.
Oh, there's an insect-control company roughly opposite modern art museum and a) I read the cockroach information sheet shown in window b) I have quite vivid (though possibly illusory) recollection of their window on my prev visit to modern art museum, maybe in 2014.
I also (think I) remember the huge wooden helix in the art museum from before.
After feeling a bit rough on waking up I had pretty much decided not to go out tonight, and of course I haven't. I don't regret this. Drinking late-afternoon as I did isn't ideal but it actually seems to have worked out quite well today, by time I got home it was 9ish and it's not like I'm pissed or have hours to sit around drunkenly until it's time for bed. A few other people in BF but not very busy, but it was quite nice really.
*Quick* Google for ABTE (spelled out in full) shows article about exhibition at modern art museum in 2014 which is presumably what I saw and a Facebook page which seems to have recent activity but it's not immediately obvious there is any kind of permanent exhibition associated with this. Haven't really tried to look into this in any detail.
Looking over photos for today, am reminded the art museum has a staircase which is labelled "this does not go to the second level sub-basement" . Given a woman who might have been a staff member (but prob wasn't) was initially stood halfway up it as I read this on ground floor, I found myself wondering a) if I was allowed to use it at all b) if it was in fact some Terry Pratchett anti-auditor trick/"this is not a pipe" kind of modern arty philosophical joke (like, don't tell me where it *doesn't* go, tell me where it *does* go - and it *also* doesn't go to London/hell/the end of the rainbow, among an infinity of non-destinations). I *did* use it once the woman went away and in hindsight a) this labelling appears on all three "public" floors above ground (0, 1, 2) and the warning makes a bit more sense on floors 1 and 2 where the stairs go up+down on floor 1 and down on floor 2 and you might think "aha, stairs with a down direction, if I take these I can get to second sub-basement (where there is also an exhibit - the Canle one mentioned above - floor -1 seems to be private and off limits)" and be disappointed on stopping at ground floor, but on the ground floor where the stairs head only up the warning is almost confusingly superfluous, because the stairs *clearly* only go up, and why would anyone expect them to access the sub-basement, and therefore (to me anyway, remembering I hadn't seen the higher floors yet) the warning seems instead to be hinting at something strange. I did photograph the stairs because of this whole business.
Just to be clear all this was *before* I went and had those beers. :-)
Thu 0049 Minor detail, but did observe a veritable stream of #126 buses go past El Federal; three in a row at one point, then a couple more a minute or two later. I assume that's not the normal frequency and they'd got bunched up, but it was a bit freaky.
0101 Bed soonish. Forgot to say earlier that the lift (or one of them; building seems to have a slightly confusingly large assortment of lifts and stairs) down from ground floor to -2 in modern art museum was super slow and super smooth and I actually felt a tiny shudder of panic after having got in (alone), pressed -2, had door shut and *nothing* seemed to have happened for what felt like ages - no movement, no doors opening. Then eventually I felt a barely perceptible shudder and the doors opened. I don't think this was entirely my imagination but hard to be sure of course.
0111 Sudden surge of slightly raucous crowd from street outside (I am on 5th floor and the way windows set back from edge of building and no balcony means I hadn't actually realised there was a street down there, I thought it was an enclosed yard or something, but I now infer the presence of a street) which seems a bit odd - has some sporting event or the like just finished? It seems an odd time for so many people to suddenly be leaving a bar or whatever. Not a problem, just curious.
A few car horns going too. Best guess is something sport-related. Presumably involving a local/national team, but not taking place here given the time.
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