몇 달 전부터 망설이다가, 금요일 아침, 결심을 하고 prueba de clasificacion을 보러 갔다.

한 시간 동안 63개의 객관식과 12개의 짧은 주관식과 한 개의 에세이를 작성하고, 선생님과 채점 결과를 옆에 두고 면담을 했다. 참 차분하고 조용하게, 그리고 봐주는 것 없이 빠르게 얘기하더라.

예상은 했지만 intermedio로 배정, 그나마 여러 intermedio 중에서도 중간 레벨로 "판정" 받아 다행이다. 한국에서는 매번 avanzado로 배정 받았는데, 확실히 여기의 기준점은 더 높은 것 같다. 그리고 한 2년 넘게 언어를 쓰지 않았더니 많이 까먹은 것도 사실이고.

12월부터 시작이다. 남은 기간 동안 avanzado로 "등업" 하는게 목표다. 주변에 중남미/스페인 친구들이 있어 다행이다.

(이상)

요즘 듣는 앨범들. 하루종일 듣고 있어도 질리지 않는다.

chasing pirates, man of the hour, "i can't choose between a vegan and a pothead, so i chose you."

waking up in vegas and thinking of you - still good unplugged. two new songs, hackensack and brick by brick.

I used to work in a record store 
Now I work for my dad 
Scraping the paint off of hard wood floors 
The hours are pretty bad 
Sometimes I wonder where you are 
Probably in L.A. 
That seems to be where everybody else ends up these days 

But I will wait for you 
As long as I need to 
And if you ever get back to Hackensack 
I'll be here for you 


telephone with beyonce is my favorite. i like gaga.

(end)

어쩌다보니 그레이즈아나토미를 요즘 다시 보고 있다. 지금 시즌 6을 하고 있으니 5년 전에 첫 시즌을 보면서 여러모로 감탄을 한 드라마였는데, 재미도 있었지만 무엇 보다도 당시 보면서 교훈을 많이 얻었달까. 왠지 보고 나면 오늘의 key takeaway 한 줄 정도는 일기장에 적을 수 있는 내용이 에피소드마다 촘촘하게 박혀있었다. 음악도 참 좋았다.

근데 시즌 2가 되면서, 내용이 값 싸지기 시작하고 메디컬드라마가 아닌 청춘드라마인 양 복잡한 연애사가 주 내용이 되었고, 내가 얻을 수 있는 건 리얼리티쇼보다 적어졌다. 이내 흥미를 잃고 그만 보게 되었다.

얼마 전 어떤 일을 하다가 잠시 시간이 비어 시즌 6 중간의 어떤 에피소드를 보게 됐는데 참 마음에 들었다. 시즌 1을 처음 보던 그 때의 느낌이었다. 잘 짜여진 구성과 매력적인 캐릭터들, 무리 없는 전개와, 물론, 배울 점. (Ep. 6 i saw what i saw 였다.) 얼마 후 좀 시간을 내서 첫 에피소드부터 쭉 봤는데, 아직까지는 매우 괜찮다. 연애의 비중이 많이 줄어든게 가장 마음에 들고, mercy와 merge된 상황에서 chief가 겪는 management로서의 고충, 눈치 빠르게 기회를 이용하려는 자와 제자리에 머무는 자, 기존 직원들의 mercy 새 직원들과의 갈등과 새 조직에의 적응 등의 전개를 보는게 흥미롭다. 음악도 여전히 괜찮다.

근데 최근 9번째 에피소드를 보니 다시 연애로 비중을 옮겨가는 것 같아 걱정이 된다. izzy가 돌아오는 것 같고 (없어지길 바랬다), 새 여의사가 와서 삼각관계가 시작될 기미가 보이고 (예상치도 못한 전개다), 그리고 여기저기 연애의 싹이 트는 복선이 깔리기 시작한다.

또 이러는 걸 보면 결국 연애가 시장에서 잘 팔리고 돈이 되나 보다.

(이상)

2009년이 한 달 반 남은 요즘, 생각하지 못 했던 사람들이 아주 짧은 notice를 주고 시카고에 온다.

저번 주에 한 명. (하루 전 연락 받음)
이번 주에 두 명. (사 일 전 확정 연락 받음)
다음 달에 한 명. (한 달 반 전 연락 받음 - 예의 바르군.)

mba 울타리 밖의 사람들을 만나면 배우거나 느끼는게 많다.

난 한 달 반 동안 시카고 밖으로 3번의 짧은 여행을 계획 중이다. definitely 2번, maybe 3번.
의외로 방문객들의 스케줄과 내 스케줄을 90일 타임프레임에 조화롭게 맞추기가 어렵다.

(이상)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704013004574517482853134624.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_RIGHTTopCarousel#
조만간에 긴요하게 쓰일 것 같은 자료.

Wandering New Orleans in the Heart of Oyster Season

By ANDREW HARPER


Swizzle Stick Bar
Swizzle Stick Bar, New Orleans
November in New Orleans brings pleasantly cool temperatures and the heart of oyster season. The city's classic restaurants are doing brisk business, and several new places of note have opened in the business district. With its intriguing collection of one　-off shops specializing in everything from toy soldiers to out-of-print cookbooks, the French Quarter has long dominated the city's shopping scene, but Magazine Street, particularly the stretch between Jackson and Louisiana, has emerged as a pleasant thoroughfare of boutiques and cafés.

Restaurants
Cochon: Chef Donald Link's latest effort is a proud celebration of the pig. Set in the business district, it is an airy space with rust-colored walls and plenty of wood accents. The menu has many small plates — the wood-fired oyster roast is superb, and a "boucherie" section is devoted to pork dishes that include excellent ribs with a tart watermelon pickle. Main courses include a tender smoked beef brisket with a zippy horseradish potato salad. Groups of six or more can order a whole roast pig, which comes magnificently dressed on a platter before it is whisked away for carving. Average meal per person, excluding beverages, is about $55.
930 Tchoupitoulas Street, Tel. (504) 588-2123; cochonrestaurant.com

Cuvée: Another outpost in the business district, Cuvée is a charming, low-key space with brick walls, soft lights and a menu full of inventive Creole dishes. A starter billed as a spiced shrimp Napoleon arrives as a layered construction of shrimp, crisp mirliton (a vegetable also known as chayote) and a remoulade filling. We also enjoyed the beautifully prepared redfish stuffed with jambalaya risotto accompanied by green tomatoes and sauced with a tasty barbecue butter. A wine list of more than 650 bottles features intriguing sections of "alternative" reds and whites, such as an Elk Cove Pinot Noir from Oregon's Willamette Valley. Average meal per person, excluding beverages, is $65.
322 Magazine Street, Tel. (504) 587-9001

View Slideshow

Commander's Palace
Mandina's Restaurant: Easily reached by the Canal Street streetcar, this beloved neighborhood spot has made a comeback over the past several years. It's a family-friendly, cash-only establishment with a lively bar up front and a generous side dining room. The menu includes one　 of the best turtle soups in town (boosted with a splash of sherry), a luscious trout amandine and, when in season, impeccably fried soft-shell crab. If you visit on a Saturday, do not miss the special — shrimp Creole. Average meal per person, excluding beverages, is $40.
3800 Canal Street, Tel. (504) 482-9179; mandinasrestaurant.com

Casamento's. Casamento's on Magazine Street, opened in 1919, is a no-nonsense period piece (the interior is all glazed tiles, small tables and fluorescent lights) that celebrates the monarch of mollusks, the oyster. Whether raw, fried, stewed, or stuffed into po' boy sandwiches, the oysters here are superb. It's not a fancy place, but a memorable Uptown institution. It's closed during the summer months, when the oysters aren't so good. Average meal per person, excluding beverages, is $30.
4330 Magazine Street, Tel. (504) 895-9761; casamentosrestaurant.com

Bars
Hermes Bar: The stalwart restaurant Antoine's recently opened this room on St. Louis Street, and it appears to have achieved instant classic status. With a checkered tile floor and dark wood paneling, it is a congenial spot for a drink or for a bite to eat. For the first time in its 169-year history, Antoine's kitchen is serving po' boys, having created one　 just for the Hermes Bar. The Oyster Foch is a feast of fried oysters combined with pâté and Colbert sauce (a meat-based sauce made with wine, butter, shallots, tarragon and lemon juice) on toasted French bread.
725 St. Louis Street, Tel. (504) 581-4422; antoines.com

About Andrew Harper


Andrew Harper publishes the Hideaway Report newsletter, now in its 30th year, which offers frank and timely touring suggestions for sophisticated travelers. Its editors travel anonymously and at their own expense to provide candid advice to members of the Andrew Harper private travel club. Their decades of combined experience provide a uniquely valuable perspective on the world's most interesting and important destinations.

Through the Harper Alliance, members of this private travel club are entitled to reduced rates, privileges and upgrades at select Harper-recommended properties. If an Alliance property fails to maintain standards, it no longer receives Harper's endorsement, and is dropped from all consideration. Many properties choose not to participate in the Alliance program; this does not in any way affect Andrew Harper's recommendation.

The Swizzle Stick Bar: Part of Café Adelaide in the Loews Hotel, this smart, contemporary bar is the domain of Lu Brow, a knowledgeable and effervescent woman who delights in showing patrons how her cocktails are crafted. A fine brandy milk punch was followed by our favorite New Orleans potion, a Sazerac, a bracing mix of sugar, Sazerac rye, Herbsaint (a pastis), Peychaud's Bitters and lemon. Put yourself in her good hands.
300 Poydras Street, Tel. (504) 595-3305; cafeadelaide.com

Magazine Street Shops
Magazine Antique Mall is a warren of dealers offering a wide array of jewelry, watches, antiques, books, prints, china — the list is almost endless. It's an engaging spot with a lot of funk and junk. (We walked out with a charming teapot from the renowned Belleek pottery works in Ireland, for which we paid $75 — a very good price.)
3017 Magazine Street. Tel. (504) 896-9994; magazineantiquemall.com

Sucré: As its name suggests, this stylish place is devoted to sweets. Aside from the assortment of individual chocolates (absinthe, Port, gianduja crunch, coconut truffles — the list goes on), you will find luscious French-style macaroons in a rainbow of colors and flavors, from the mint-green pistachio to the bright pink strawberry. All are made in the shop's 4,100-square-foot "Confection Studio" four miles away and delivered fresh daily. They can be packed for shipping (the striped hatbox is particularly fetching), and if you just want a coffee or a gelato, that is also an option.
3025 Magazine Street, Tel. (504) 520-8311; shopsucre.com

As You Like It Silver Shop: Here you'll find an impressive collection of silver objects of every description: decorative pieces, frames, tableware, jewelry and more. Makers include Tiffany, Towle, Reed & Barton and Gorham. All of the pieces are handsomely displayed in wood-and-glass cases. We walked out with a beautiful tea strainer that we certainly didn't need. If you are missing pieces from a cherished pattern, the staff can offer excellent assistance.
3033 Magazine Street, Tel. (504) 897-6915 or (800) 828-2311; asyoulikeitsilvershop.com

Wilkerson Row: Artisan Shaun Wilkerson features his own furniture in this handsome shop. It is all handmade, with cypress being his favored wood, and ranges from tables to hutches to bookcases. The overall style is elegant and spare, suggestive of Shaker but with some ornamental moldings. Strolling through the shop is almost like spending time in a museum; the workmanship is remarkable. Prices range from $295 for night tables to $1,495 for queen headboards to $2,250 for consoles. Mr. Wilkerson counts Jude Law, Ron Howard and Anne Rice among his clients.
3137 Magazine Street, Tel. (504) 899-3311; wilkersonrow.com


Valorie Hart for perch
Interiors both quirky and modern at perch, a Magazine Street boutique.
perch: Inside this bright house dating to the 1860s you'll find an eclectic mix of antiques, furniture, decorative objects, lighting fixtures, pillows and fabrics. You will find items as varied as an antique sewing table, a Venetian mirror tray and mercury lamps. In short, all things that would add an eye-catching element or accent to almost any style of interior. Perch also offers a selection of custom furniture.
2844 Magazine Street, Tel. (504) 899-2122; perch-home.com

Classics
Commander's Palace Restaurant: The Commander's Palace remains in a category of its own. Its luminous Garden Room is one　 of the prettiest dining venues in the country, and the service is always clockwork efficient and friendly. On our last visit, we enjoyed chef Tory McPhail's wild shrimp, pan-seared with local Abita beer, followed by a rich bread pudding soufflé. If you are in town on Sunday, the Jazz Brunch is a favorite local tradition. Start with the classic New Orleans eye-opener, a brandy milk punch. Reservations are highly recommended; those in high season should be made several weeks in advance. Average meal per person, excluding beverages, is $60.
1403 Washington Avenue, Tel. (504) 899-8221; commanderspalace.com