Kitties and a pup, all up for adoption

The three kittens, temporarily named 3 Socks, Blackie O'Neill and Smokey, are in urgent need of adoption due to one of the adoptive parent's allergy, coupled with serious lung trouble in the past. So it's a health issue, worth choosing these kittens over any other out there, plus they're cute! Call Shelly at 49 28 13.

The dog, a male, is in La Barra, is 8 months old, sweet, although no doubt will grow into a fierce guardian, and can be had by calling Patricia at 099668518.

Gaging the season, or reading the tea-leaves

Guessing or estimating "how good" --or bad, for that matter-- a season is becomes an all consuming activity for residents, home-owners, business-owners and even the very tourists whose dollars we´re trying to count.

Thus, it´s not surprising to find that one man´s half full glass is another woman´s half empty. The comments I heard in late November from several home-owners about properties for rent having an excellent season, for example, turned into "rentals have been a complete flop," uttered by many realtors, and echoed by the press on a seemingly hourly basis.

There is an explanation for these diverging comments: since the enactment of an income tax applied to rental income (10.5% after some deductions) last year, the entire rental market seems to have gone underground, that is, to have by-passed the official real-estate brokers who are easily audited and thus under pressure to do everything by the book.

Threats by our revenue authorities to unleash a pack of inspectors on the town to check whether rented properties have been properly declared sound laughable, more so when considering their promise to do so "without inconveniencing the vacationing tenants."

But I digress. Beyond the rental market and its still unclear results, the hotel industry posted an apparently record year-end season in terms of occupancy, and griped profusely about lost profitability due to the dollar devaluation that prevented it from transferring higher costs to guests.

On the street, for a couple of weeks the crowds appeared to be at record highs, while the display of fancy, really fancy cars, seemed to be endless and shocked even the most jaded of residents. Some days trying to have lunch in the Peninsula was a futile endeavor, and walking up Gorlero, with its wide sidewalks, required serious dribbling skills to avoid the Portuguese speaking crowds.

Then the Brazilians were gone and a more subdued Argentine and Uruguayan contingent took over. Tienda Inglesa still requires a strategy for successful grocery shopping with no injury (if a sunny beach day, 5 pm, with bad weather, early in the morning).

Altogether, things continue very busy and crowded, despite the multiple interpretations on who is and who is not in town. The number of social events also appears to have grown by an order of magnitude, testing everyone's endurance and actually making us welcome some bad weather cancellations here and there. And let me ask, How many Peruvian restaurant openings can there be in a single week?

Cruise ships, four at a time on some days, have become a usual fixture by now, as have the tour vans by the dozens.

Officially, we're slightly up in terms of tourist arrivals (3% to 5% depending on the day and the official quoted) and slightly up in dollar spending (28%, against 23% USD depreciation vs the UYU ) so not a bad outcome at all for the year the world collapsed.

And as usual, the high season continues to reward us with fantastic, free spectacles such as the departure of yesterday's regatta in the late afternoon, on a gorgeous, crisp day, a sight that brings a smile to anyone's face.

Membership has its privileges... and all that brouhaha

Last Saturday as we surveyed the incredible setting of Carmen and Kurt´s home at the back end of the Laguna del Diario, overlooking the marsh with its incredible birdlife, the lake, and further away, the buildings on the far shore bathed in a few rays of golden light that broke through the storm, we felt lucky just to be standing there.

This feeling only grew after we were treated to an amazing short recital by our star pianist, Carmen Alvarez, for a couple dozen guests assembled in her living-room. We couldn´t stop saying "What a privilege".

Our acquaintance with her and Kurt was made through the English Speakers Club, brought along by Silvia Haas at the insistencec of her gardener, of all people. That´s how things happen around here. Another thing we keep saying over and over again, is that the number of hidden and gorgeous places one gets to discover is seemingly endless. All this as a way to remind us that even in high season, as the place is maybe too busy for our taste, we find new reasons to love living in Punta del Este.

And now on to the brouhaha. Apparently Doris, the organizer of the Carnaval party, took my comments about the venue literally, and chose to share them with our friend Diego, the owner of Pizza Sing. She also chose to address most members of the club in a long email. Needless to say, the cultural gap that prevents Doris from understanding that my comments about Pizza Sing were tongue-in-cheek, not to be taken literally, are amplified in the case of Diego who has not, to my knowledge, ever lived in English and who was led to believe that I was accusing his business of being a den of perdition.

In our last email exchange, Doris even went on to say I had incurred in defamation of my friend´s establishment and that she thought her professional reputation was tarnished by the implications of my comments.

So let me clarify that nothing would be further from my intention that to imply anything IMPROPER about Pizza Sing. Hell, my mother has been there several times, and I cannot fathom my mother doing anything improper or frequenting a place where anything improper goes on.

So for those who did not read my comments with the intention I wrote them, that is, trying to equate it to the "indignities" (IRONY ALERT! IRONY ALERT!) of a Christmas party at the office where people get carried away partying only to regret it the day after, for example, let me say that yes, Pizza Sing is all about clean fun.

Let me describe it again. If you take one of those all inclusive vacation resorts where they have "entertainment" in the form of an MC, who encourages people to put on a wig, dance in a conga line and participate in an organized game, and if you cross that with a Karaoke establishment and add some pizza, that´s more or less what Pizza Sing is like.

If this is indeed something you would enjoy, then you would love Pizza Sing, I´m sure. Otherwise you may not. I hope this puts this subject to rest.

Next Monday at Miró

The crazy busy summer season has made me neglect my organizational activities this month of January, so here´s a late notice for Monday´s meeting.

I thought that continuing with our roving “waterfront venues” and again as suggested by Teacher Judith, we could try out Bar Miró, across the street from El Emir beach, on 27th street. The view is very nice, and I´m thinking of taking over the back room, which is cooler than the other areas of the restaurant and has superb views and enough tables for all of us.

My personal suggestion is to keep the tables as they are and allow for a bit mingling, rather than setting up long, banquet-type tables that prevent circulation. In the end, you can only talk to the 4 people sitting closest to you anyway, so it´s good to be able to get up and switch tables or just chit-chat while standing up.

On another note, Doris has been clamoring to organize a Carnaval costume-party-cum-karaoke event at Pizza Sing, in February, naturally. Frankly, it´s not my cup of tea (you have to abandon any trace of dignity at the door and submit to things you would not want to see on video circulating on Facebook later on) but I understand that there are many who are attracted to the idea and find it loads of fun. After all, Pizza Sing has been in business for at least a decade…

So please, if you do want to go, SEND A REPLY INDICATING YOU WILL ATTEND, so we can plan accordingly. In order to close down the place for our group, they need at least 40 reservations, so hurry up and email Doris (dorisher@gmail.com)

For our regular February meeting I’m hoping to finally make it to Nonno Antonio, the cheese factory located in the old Country Cook farm, on Camino Lussich. This will be a “forest” environment with cheese, wines, etc. I have to get in touch to negotiate details, and will let you know later on.

Otherwise, I hope you are enjoying the summer.

Fewer degrees of separation

Yes, I now have just what, three degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon? It turns out that he and wife Kyra Sedgwick who are spending the holidays in Punta del Este decided to stop by my brother´s shop in La Barra and bought a hat. So can I claim 2 degrees then?

Thing is we are being flooded with celebrities. Well, it´s just a trickle actually, but we´re all very excited. "Bruce Willis is coming?!?!?!?!? I will go to see him!!!!!!" That´s my mom speaking. On the babe-front there´s Uma, Naomi, a couple with Russian names, and of course, Miss Shakeyourbooty Shakira. And on the camp front, Siegfried from Sigfried and Roy!

Not to mention the entire constellations of Argentine celebrities, most of whom I have no idea who they are.

Three cheers for Judge Graziuso

As every year around this time, Punta del Este receives an influx of undesireables who flock here with ill intention. I used to go to the cops on Gorlero or the Rambla and tell them "Lookie there, a thief" only to be told that as long as they weren´t committing a crime and being caught in the act, we could do nothing about it.

Well, it turns out something can indeed be done. Since yesterday there are reports in the press of Judge Adriana Graziuso refloating the old vagrancy laws to request identification from sketchy-looking fellows or from those asking for money or playing fake "car attetndant" on the streets of Punta del Este. Upon confirmation that the individuals in question are not residents and don´t hold a job in the area, law enforcement is authorized to buy them a ticket, literally, back to their place of official domicile.

Further, when noticing that the crooks are on parole and violating the terms of their releases by being away from their stated domicile, the respective judges are informed. Likewise if there are arrest warrants pending.

Just a few days ago I noticed a very scary individual loitering in front of our store. I crossed the street to ask the attendants of the gas station whether they knew him and was told he had shown up that day, pretending to be a car attendant. I was relieved to read in the paper that he had been shipped back to Montevideo. And I am happier still to know that if any other such person bothers me by "aggressive begging" he can be reported to the cops who now have the tools to send him away.

A note on the legal system in Uruguay. Law enforcement is driven by judges, not by district attorneys or prosecutors. A judge receives complaints and initiates prosecutions or investigations at his or her discretion, and therefore sets the tone for enforcement. Maldonado recently lost Judge Alvarez Petraglia, who is focused on white collar crime. But Graziuso´s actions go to the essence of quality of life for everyone living, traveling or working in our area. So kudos to her.

A high-season bonanza of events

OK, for Punta del Este year-rounders the added traffic, the crazy crowds and having "our" beach and "our Tienda Inglesa" run over by tourists has few compensations beyond the monetary benefits of renting out our homes. So we need to acknowledge the one clear plus, the wealth of events of every color and stripe that comes with "them tourists."

Sports-wise, a January classic is the Rugby Seven-a-Side, a tournament that is on its 21st edition. The matches will be played at the Maldonado Municipal Stadium and the dates appear differently in every media report, somewhere between January 3 and 5.

For motor-sports fans, there´s the F1 Power Boat race, apparently on January 1st, although again, it´s hard to pin down a date from press reports, which speak only of "the initial hours of the new year".

If you're a sail-sports fan, Jan. 3 is the date of the ADES regatta, a multiclass race with more than 80 competitors, from respectable yachts to windsurf boards.

On January 6 there´s polo at the Estancia Vik, with the Polo Art Tournament sponsored by Estancia Vik and Godiva Polo Management, which seem to have wrestled the sport from the traditional Medellin venue. There will be an exhibition and auction of works of art, polo paraphernalia, etc. to benefit public schools in Maldonado and Rocha.

Also on Jan. 6 you can gather along the road to cheer the thousands of runners on the Corrida de San Fernando, a marathon growing in number of competitors year after year. Don't try to drive on the waterfront on that day in the afternoon, you might end up who knows where with the traffic diverted ever farther from your destination...

For those who consider real-estate a sport, the Salon Inmobiliario de Punta del Este (SIPE) is held at the Conrad Hotel starting from January 7 through 10. That's where developers showcase their ongoing or planned projects, a good way to do comparison shopping without having to drive miles and miles from one place to the next.

In the cultural arena, the International Jazz Festival at Tambo El Sosiego (Lapataia behind Punta Ballena) is on its 14th edition, and will run from Jan. 7 through 10, with local, regional and international performers, and featuring with Paquito D'Rivera as music director.

In the visual arts field there are sooooo many art-show openings that it's impossible to keep track. In addition to individual events at the dozens of galleries, there's the by now traditional "Gallery Nights" when all the galleries in La Barra open up their doors on weekend evenings, and offer some bubbly and hors d'oeuvres if you're lucky.

There are classical music concerts in the gardens of Hotel L'Auberge, ballet at the Conrad, and also the more popular fare of international star and Punta del Este fan Julio Iglesias, who will sing at the Conrad three nights in a row, Jan. 13, 14 and 16.

I'm sure there's many more things going on, but this is plenty for now...