Saving Elvis

On Friday I found myself walking amongst graves in Halandri graveyard. My oncle died after being in the hospital for 2 months where doctors kept him artificially alive. He has had a really bad life during the last ten years, but I must say that this was mainly his fault. When he was young he suffered from neumonia and generally had bad lungs but he has been smoking since he was 10 until two years ago where he could not. During the last 10 years he has been living due to an ogygen bottle that had become a body member. But he would still smoke!! Despite numerous warnings from doctors and beggings for his family
So on Friday he went to his final home. Not sure if they smoke in heaven. If not he is in for a really bad eternity.
But for another creature, my ocle's death meant that his life was spared. As I was walking to where my oncle's grave was, I saw a few kittens on the way. And one of them was too small, too skinny, too blind, nearly dead. Plus an older kitten - male - would kick his butt.
You can of course imagine what happened next. I took the kitten in. Got him to the doctor - by now I can tell whether they are boy or girl even if they are really small. The doctor did not think that the kitten had many chance of survival. His left eye had a serious infection, he was too skinny, full of flees, and possibly a nervous fatal disease as he could not stand still and kept falling. Nevertheless, I took him in. In a way I wanted to make up for a kitten I had found outside my house before I left for Paris - I called him Frankie due to his gorgous blue eyes - but holiday and all, did not take him to the doctor on time and poor Frankie did not make it. This time I had decided that Elvis - that's how I named him - was going to get the best treatment possible. The doctor told me that I would have great difficulty in feeding him as he was too weak and had to get special powder milk and kitten bottle to feed him etc etc. Guess what. The moment I took Elvis home, and sprayed with some anti-flee dreadful substance and cleaned his eye and put some eye cream and fixed his room (he is living in the cat carrying box) and gave him some baby food (kitten soft food) to eat, he just dived inside the box and he stopped only when his belly touched the floor.

So much for him not making it. Within two days, his eye is almost fixed, he is climbing around his box, and he is very lively, shows healthy signs of innate cat curiosity, has a great apetite and as you can see from the photo below a strong interest in ICT. Not to mention that I called him Elvis due to his strong vocal skills :-)

I have also found a home for him and once he gets really better he will go to his new mummy. I am really happy about saving Elvis, only very sad that couldn't keep Frankie alive as well.

beach books 2008

In a previous posting I mentioned the Magus, the first summer book I read this year. (by summer books I classify the books I read on the beach or boats/planes in general during holidays)
Two more books I have read on the beach are one of Kundera's first attempt to write and the first novel of a new author who can easily become my role model (an american NY laywer who retired and lives permanently in Myconos)
Kundera's 'Komikoi erwtes' (les amours comiques) is a collection of short stories about love affairs - or people thinking about love affairs - that in their majority ended up in breaking up but the entire approach is witty and contains Kundera's unparallel almost black humour.
The book was written between 1959 and 1968 and are published in 1970 and therefore are considered his second book. It contains seven stories through which Kundera describes seven different states of mind, seven different main personalities who are troubled by issues that he will later explore in his entire work. A must read and if the reading takes place on a chaise longue, cooled by the sea breeze, the experience becomes ever so enjoyable - rating: 5 out of 5
The second book I am mentioning here, Murder in Myconos, is as I said written by Jeffrey Siger, a NY famous lawer who has been coming to Myconos for the last 25 years and has decided to become a permanent resident. Needless to say that it was the title of the book that cought my attention. It is a police book, typical for summer reading - only for summer reading I must add - not the best literary pages I have read as it is extremely poor in giving personality profiles. It does give though a fantastic description of the island of Myconos and it is fun to read. The book is strong in the policy story script as the killer is not obvious until the last page. Publisher is Lalaouni editions (!) as Mr. Siger is a Myconian - hence an athenian - socialite by now. I think it could be an ideal summer movie, of the kind that they have fast police chase, good looking girls and insane killers whose motives are never really revealed as the author does not bother to get too deep. Having said all that, I did stay up reading until 3am to finish it as I wanted to find out who the bloody killer was. I believe that the main characters will return for follow up books (possibly murder in athens or something like that) - rating: 3 out of 5 (and that's mainly because of Myconos)

La recontre au bord de la Seine

After popular demand, I will very briefly describe an incindent during my strolls in Paris. As I was walking from l' Institut du Monde Arab up to Notre Dame for the photo shoot I came across the bookstands. As you probably know there are so many bookstands of used books and comics and all related items that people can buy or just have a look. There are people that make a living out of that and they are some of the most parisian figures. We don't pay much attention but we would probably wander where they went if they decided not to set their mobile shops there again
As I was approaching Notre Dame then, there were two gentlemen talking to each other and obviously each owned a 'shop'. So I walked up to them and asked them if I could take a picture of them in front of their stands for my photography class.
Then the dialogue was so hilarious and the approach of the older guy so strong that I had just had to go as quickly as possible, bursting into laughter, but not before I took his picture :-)

'Excusez-moi messieurs. Pourrais-je vous prendre une photo devans vos livres?'
'Ah, vous travailler pour quel journal mademoiselle?/
'Non, pas de journal les photos sont pour mon plaisir'
'Vous etes sure? Vous n'allez pas utiliser mon visage pour un film porno?'
'Ah non monsieur'
'En fete, on n'a pas jouer dans un film porno nous deux? vous ne souvenez pas?'
'Ah non. Je vous assure'
'Mais si, comme meme, on a bien jouer ensemble'
'Et mais non. Je vous remercie, messieur, bonne journee'
'Attendez...'

Needless to say the other guy, could not stand a straight face and was laughing. So was I, all the way to Notre Dame

I am sure this guy will live a long time. No stress and a day full of joking around. I know a few people that he could become their role model. Lol!! It definitely was my funniest encounter in Paris though