Put that ciggie out

Glenn, a friend from Cisco USA, has quit smoking. He is coming next week to Athens, he read on my blog that I quit (he is reading my blog daily but never leaves a message :-(
AND HE DECIDED TO QUIT!!!
So we had a deal for him to have quit by the time he comes over. Another incentive for me to keep going despite my occasional cravings (occasional but very strong) so that I can be a good role model for Glenn.
Thanks Glenn for making me feel slightly important in this world.

:-))))

Palin had a bad week.

One of my favorite persons in the world, Brigitte Bardot, she wrote Palin a letter wishing that she loses the election since, as she put it, the world would win! Good for BB. Great looks can go with high intellect, she can prove that.

"I hope you lose these elections because that would be a victory for the world," her exact words were. "By denying the responsibility of man in global warming, by advocating gun rights and making statements that are disconcertingly stupid, you are a disgrace to women and you alone represent a terrible threat, a true environmental catastrophe," wrote Bardot.
The main reason for why the 60s screen icon attacked Palin is her support of Arctic oil exploration that could jeopardize delicate animal habitats and for dismissing measures to protect polar bears.
"This shows your total lack of responsibility, your inability to protect or simply respect animal life," Bardot wrote. In a final salvo against Palin, the 74-year-old ex-star picked up on Palin's depiction of herself as a pitbull wearing lipstick and said she "implored" her not to compare herself to dogs.
"I know them well and I can assure you that no pitbull, no dog, nor any other animal for that matter is as dangerous as you are," Bardot wrote.
...And paraphrasing Madonna..."GIVE IT TO HER. YEAH!!!'

Speaking of Madge, she also asked in her Madisson square garden concert to 'kick f((*&ng Palin out of her show as she freaks her out'. Luvly.

She also compared McCain to Hitler on Get Stupid, but she did that in all her shows. And what an amazing song it is.

Following a fitness tip can be most fun

Yesterday on my blog, the fitness tip of the day said: 'Engage in physical activity with friends'. So I did. Yesterday, a group of four, Ioanna, Vicky, Stamatia and myself, got enrolled in a health club in our hometown and had our first group tennis lesson. The coach was very good and patient and even though the first lesson was mainly consumed on learning how to hold the racket, we had so much fun. Being friends with these girls since we were 10 or 11, it is fantastic that we find ways to continue to have fun and keep fit. I can tell you that if you can do something with friends, don't hesitate.
Of course I do more exercise the other days of the week, but learning how to play tennis with my best friends is so much more enjoyable.
Just do it :-)

Pou pas re Karamitro?

None of the two karamitroi above have understood which team they serve. Incomprehensible apathy from the bench from one side (Donis) and from indside the pitch from the other (Basinas)
The best player of the game, Peletieri made one mistake and Olympiakos celebrates the first goal. Yet, Basinas was the worst player of the entire game and AEK played with 10 since the begining. Juanfran's suspention left her with 9.
Donis is learning how to be a coach and Basinas is now finishing his 'ensyma'
I appreciate and totally understand Demis' position not to go to Karaiskaki (Olympiakos did not give AEK fans tickets and Demis stayed away like the rest of us - plus I would have trouble to go to Karaiskaki even if Madonna would perform) but I am only hoping he watched the game. I understand that Basinas WAS a good player and of paramount importance in gaining the Euro, but why do we have to become an elephant graveyard?
Not to mention that in the entire game Olympiakos had 2 shots and 2 headers and scored two goals. The game sucked.
Aisxos! What was worst, I missed the REM concert to stay in and watch the game. AISXOS!!!!

Favorite pictures

At my photography course, we are at the stage of creating our portfolio. That is first of all we have to select a few out of the thousand pictures we took and try to classify them into categories and create an adobe portfolio, a professional software by adobe. Which means in general more computer empowered manhours
I love taking pictures. I love going to school and learn about how to take better pictures and how to view the world differently.
But the hours in the laptop are not my cup of tea. Yet, the beauty is again in the process. There is always something elevating when a process is coming to an end.
Anyhow, selecting pictures is hard, especially when you have four or five approximately the same. But there are some pictures that are both appealing to me for emotional reasons and to the very demanding eye of professional photographers and photo teachers. I don't know what is their opinion of this one, but it is one of my fave pictures of this summer.

He shall be missed

Nevada - Arizona

Last year's cisco sales meeting took place in Las Vegas. For various reasons, that I am not going to bother you with. Las Vegas in August is not only boring, but torturing. After you spend 2-3 days dazzled by the sizzling neon lights and thinking: wow@! amazing, how could they make them so big, and in the middle of the desert..you start thinking: right, yes, let's move on to something real.

Now, there are people that adore Las Vegas. Truth is that had I gone any other season I might like it myself. But in the middle of august with 50C outdoors and the only thing you can do is hang around blackjack tables, well it was getting into me.
What is good about Vegas is that you can still see Tom Jones (yes, that was the highlight of my week there), and have fun with friends.


Most americans go to vegas to drink, smoke and have unsafe sex as 'whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas'
Whatever. Most people admired the themed hotels, which were an architectural miracle but I was really appauled that there were some cheap imitations of Venice and Paris.
In any case, it is worth going to Vegas just to see what money can do - a lot of money - if poured into the desert.

Well, the good thing was that after teh sales meeting a friend from the office, Mary, and myself had organized to stay a bit longer to go to the Grand Canyon, only five hours drive away.



Talk about amazingness. There is nothing that can describe what one feels when in the edge of the canyon. We arrived there at about 5.30-6pm. The sky was darkening and the Indian that was in charge of the tickets told us that usually in the early evenings there are thundrestorms so we best not set off for the night. We had the choice of either going down the canyon that same night or waiting for the morning, only that if we would go in the mornig we would not be able to go all the way down, as it was not allowed to go down and come up the same day. And we had to leave the following night to get back in Vegas to catch the plane home
We did not toss a coin as we were both too tender feet (if you ever read

Lucky Luke you know what that means) so we decided to go to a town nearby, sleep and set off really early to go down as much as possible.
We drove for about 10-15klm in the midst of a forrest, the Grand Canyon National Park. During the ride we noticed several trees shot down by thunders but the fires were not spreading due to the Rangers that were looking after the forrest (hallo???, Greek Government????)
We arrived in a small indian town, run by indians. Actually the whole Grand Canyon business is run by Indians. They have arrived in some sort of arrangement/agreement with the US government where they dont have to pay taxes as long as they stay within the Canyon area. (HALLO...they used to live there a looooooooooooong time ago)...Anyways.
We dined at the restaurant of the hotel where there was a shop before the restaurant with wonderful indian artifacts. Dinner was simple and they served no alcohol. We had some chicken nachos and some salad with coke. I asked for a beer (without thinking) and the young boy who was serving us was really surprised by my request and answered to me in a very polite manner what I should have known: We don't serve alcohol ma'am. I bit my tongue. I knew, but forgot. Well, no alcohol would not do me any harm
Next morning I wake up at 5.30am. I get up, take a few shots at the sunset and hurry Mary up to go to the canyon as fast as possible. We are there at about 8am - after breakfast, shower, phone calls, etc etc
So we are in the South Rim, the most touristy but also safer area (the path is the wider and less steep)

Whatever people might tell you about the Grand Canyon it is true. What I had not realized is that the feeling is completely different from looking at it at above and going down. Not unless you decide to go down these rocks, do you understand its size. Really. The further down we went, colors changed. Not only that, but the more we went toward Colorado River, the more we understood how big it was and the more we understood that the Canyon is full of life. It is not a set of rocks, but it has its own ecosystem that it is completely autonomous! No wonder so many Indian tribes had gathered around it. Also, if you have seen Indian shapes like the Greek meandros in their garments, they represent the various shapes of the canyon rocks.
The Canyon was formed over the last 250million years if not more, due to the flow of Colorado River. Actually the one thing I would like to do again in my life is to spend a week or so in the Canyon, were you leave by canoe from the South Rim - once you go all the way down - to the North Rim which is more beautiful, wild and steeper.
The further down we go, the rocks change color in geometric symmertry to represent the various geological layers.
Trully amazing, spectacular, unbelievably gorgeous and inviting!
We spend about six hours hiking down and up, going down took us longer because I was taking pictures all the way. We only managed to get to the second reststation and then head up again. That was only because of the time constraints. One thing for sure, is that I am going back to the canyon. Las Vegas maybe never - besides I've already seen Tom Jones now - but the Canyon, definitely


The only other time that man can realize how small we really are is in the middle of the vastness of the ocean. The Grand Canyon also has that effect on you, but also imagine if we could look at the depths of the ocean, how small would that make us feel. And how powerful to be able to explore it. Of course for the Indians, the Canyon was more than their home. It was the home of their Gods, their Olympus.

LOG BOOK Day 21

Over the last weekend, the Great Fear, became really small. I was afraid that my non smoking would not last in a clubbing atmosphere. It did. The truth is that clubbing did not last long as Mamacas on a saturday night is packed and leaves little room for breathing. So I did not stay long. Yet, I had two drinks and did not even think of lighting up
So far so good

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN

She was named the queen of pop. After what I experienced last Saturday at Athens Olympic Stadium, I thought that this title does not give her justice. She is the Queen of Music. Without any doubt in my mind, not any iota of hesitation, I vote for Madonna as the top specimen of human perfection - in any area she chooses (bar acting, of course)

Madonna, at her 50s, she has a better body than most top models today, more toned triceps than any female athlete that has participated in the recent olympics, a face that would make a lot of 28-year olds rush to their dermatologist's for their first botox, a stamina that most marathon runners would envy, a voice that keeps getting better as years go by, dance moves and choreography that made you think you are part of an MTV video clip as there were a lot of physical laws defyied.
All in all, it was worth the wait since May to see her. I would love to see her again and again
She played - she performed rather as this is the better term - songs that date since my highschool years to this year's grooviest tune. She paid her respects to some of the great music trends that she subliminaly served on and off during her career: she had a romanian gupsy band playing wonderful music; she let her band perform on Eurythmics' sweet dreams transforming their infamous electronica beginning to what can become the most-time enduring dance anthem; she danced duets with Justin Timberlake and her good friend Britney Spears who appeard on the giant screens behind her. She hip-hopped most of her old pop songs, she folked her dancier tunes, and she rocked the place up during the last half hour where she appeared with her electric guitar, in a Slash-hat (only pnk-white insted of Guns'n'Roses guitarist fave black) to what I am hoping pre-announces the Queen's next transformation to a rock Goddess. And behind all these, there was this ever so uplifting sound of an electronic baseline that absolutely kept serotonine levels sky high

She has made me, in one night, reconsider my beliefs about royalty and worship Her Grace. Ave Madonna!

Quote of the month

"Give me $700 billion, or I'd hate to see anything bad happen to that nice economy of yours"

US Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson