My Blogs: Rapid Fire Pulso

 Difference Gear
(my designs)

Monterey, September 2004

Maui, September 2002

Yosemite, September 2000

September 2000

November 2001

Cool Links

The Onion Mapquest
Poesia.com Poesia Argentina
La Nacion Online SF Gate 
Urban Legends Guidelive (Dallas guide)
Internet Movie DB Vindigo
OutinDallas Craigslist
Blogger Weblogs
My name is Marcelo and I live near San Francisco. I am 34 years old (I'm a Virgo), 6' tall, weigh 185 pounds and have brown hair (with some gray mixed in...) and eyes. I am originally from Argentina, of French and German descent. I work as a Consultant in the Computer Systems field, which takes me around the US on a weekly basis (although not so much as of late). I have a partner, Keith, and we own a condo in South San Francisco - 7.5 years and counting!

I grew up in Argentina, so I also speak spanish... I still go back about once or twice a year (last time was in December for about a month!), so if you need any info on Buenos Aires just drop me a line!

What I like

I care for and try to make time for a lot of things - I love to travel (which I do for business more than enough, but for pleasure it's OK), having a good dinner at a nice restaurant, hiking and biking, play tennis once in a while or when the weather is not so great (which in the Bay Area in winter is A LOT) just watch some video or read a good novel.

Also our dog Klondike takes a lot of my time - he's a German Shepherd / Basenji mix that we picked at the SPCA a couple of years back and helps drive me crazy...

Some of my favorites

Here is a sample of some of my favorites:

Music

Very varied tastes really: anything by The Smiths, The Cure, Radiohead, The London Suede, Bruce Springsteen, Prince (and his subsequent incarnations), Tori Amos, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall, Gorillaz, Blur, Elvis Costello, etc. etc.. Love most british pop and rock, not into rap, very little hip hop.

Rediscovered CDs of the week

One thing I have too many of: CDs (at a substance addiction level, I would say - over 600 at this time, though slowing down). I've actually reorganized my entire collection in these really great portable sleeves and now I can bring them with me on the road (since I am always on the road as I mentioned above), so wanted to share some of the great stuff am rediscovering while going through the collection:

 Rachael Yamagata - Happenstance (2004)

A great first album if I've ever heard one - I found this at Tower on their listening station, and I haven't stopped playing it on my car ever since. From the starting salvo of "Be Your Love", through "Letter Read" and "Worn me Down" to the heartbreaking trio of songs at the end ("Reason Why", "Quiet", and the hidden track "Ode to...") Yamagata explores the permutations of love and loss in an endearing smoky voice that will have you swooning. I haven't been this excited about a new artist since I first heard "Tidal" by Fiona Apple. Highly recommended.

Books

Now reading...

 Pattern Recognition

Just started this. I've never read anything by William Gibson before (bad geek!) and I am having a little bit of trouble getting through the language in the first few pages - some lines just sound so affected - but as always I will give it a chance. The story sounds compelling enough

I find mouth-to-mouth to be the most reliable recommendation mechanism (especially when bookstores are only interested in pushing the latest releases... what happened to books being read 10 years after being written?). 

Below is what's currently in my nightstand (or my bag) for starting next. I've included links to either BN.com or Amazon.com (whichever one is cheapest) in case you are interested in any of these books. All prices mentioned are from when I last updated this page on the sites linked (i.e., they may have changed since, and only being helpful here....!)

Madame Bovary
Gustave Flaubert
(Francis Steegmuller translation, 1991)

 $12.00, BN.com

 

The Autograph Man
Zadie Smith, 2002

$14.00, BN.com

 

 

Recently finished

The Nanny Diaries
Emma McLaughlin / Nicola Kraus (2002)

Funny from beginning to end, this is one of those books that will have you racing through the pages trying to shake Mr. and Mrs. X (and Nanny, their enabler) into reality. Some of the anecdotes in this novelized trove of anecdotes that smack of too much reality are hilarious. More than a laugh.
 
Dry
Augusten Burroughs (2003)

Harrowing at times when describing the author's descent into alcoholism, but always funny and very touching towards the last few pages, this books reads so quickly you will be surprised you've digested it's 300 or so pages in no time.

 
Sputnik Sweeteart
Haruki Murakami (1997)

Early on, the simplicity of the language gets to convey the feeling of a haunted man. And that feeling continues throughout this slim novel, in which the depths of longing for an unattainable love are explored again and again. A great book, leaves you stunned.

 

All-time favorites

Bargain Books

I must admit I love finding good books on sale (I mean, why pay 30 bucks for the latest book when after 6 months you can find fine books on sale). If you like checking some interesting books on the cheap, check my Book bargains on the web page


Movies & TV

If you are looking at this section for new movies you may be disappointed. I'm in movie recess it seems. Something about the bf being away in Germany and going alone to movies being a bummer. Last thing I saw on a theater was "Producing Adults", a finnish film at the SF Gay and lesbian Film Festival, which was very cute and actually well written (if you've caught gay films in the past, you know why I have to highlight this fact...)

Which leaves TV, and with 3 Tivos in the house I definitely get my share of that. Right now I am indulging in summer dreck: that means regular doses of "I wanna be a Hilton" (which is getting old fast), "Kept" (Go Jerry!) and today i started watching "Hooking Up" about single women in New York who go online dating (which reaffirms why I don't do women - nutcases all of them, I tell you)