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

Log book day 17

NO SMOKING, OF COURSE

A tradition that went sour

In a shocking afternoon, chaos was spread all over a country that so far was not known for massive killings. Killings that reminded of Columbine in the US - if you have not seen Michael Moore's documentary do so.
Finnland was known for Santa Claus, Nokia, its fishermen, some turkish sounding villages, its high suicide rate, its quiet people and in general all the cliches that apply to a nordic country.
What was not known for is that it is the third country in the world with the highest civilian gun ownership (1.6m guns, first two are the USA and Yemen). A 15 year old can buy and own a gun provided there is parental concern.
All guns must be accompanied by a license. The answer is simple you might say: Stop giving kids guns. Well, yes agreed. But I am Greek and with the same nobrainer attitude I could also ask a Brit why do they need royalty? "Tradition" would the answer be. So would be for gun ownership in Finland. The hunting lobby in the country is among the strongest, and there is strong tradition in family bonding hunting excursions in the dark cold north Finnish woods.
However the killing yesterday, second to an equally appauling high-school massacre by an 18-year old last year, makes country population to start reconsidering.
Now, the question is whether the government will afford to take the huge political cost of abolishing this liberal attitude in gun ownership or whether they will just send condolences to the victim families. Remains to be seen.
There is also another issue that arises from the latest unfortunate massive killing statistics. Finland was one of the top countries in suicide. Mainly due to depression. Mainly during winter months, for semi-obvious reasons. The winter is just starting and Finland has at least another 8 months to go.
Tradition is good only when it serves the community. It would be stupid to stick to it while people die. Fullstop.

LOG BOOK DAY 16

NO SMOKING

Post mortem regulation is not enough

The two remaining ultra mega financial institutions Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, are now protected by the government. Tougher restrictions on the type and nature of transactions and they will now be engaging in more traditional and safe funding sources: deposits from ordinary people and businesses. It will be much more expensive for them now to borrow large sums of money for further financing and there will be more due dilligence when borrowing is to take place. They will now have to behave more like banks rather than free standing investment institutions. Now they will have to play a different ball game and compete more with banks and have less opportunity to grow via corporate lending
Question, if the banking and financial institutions are now planning to be financed more on individual and private business deposits, these individual and businesses should be able to have some money to deposit.
Perhaps saving the goliaths is not enough. Perhaps the government should start thinking to have better unemployement benefits. With so many large corporations going bankrupt, there will be hundreds of thousands of former big spenders with no income to spend nor save. Perhaps the biggest aid that the US government could provide to its economy in crisis is the stability of ensuring money flow. Over the last few ten years, america was going out of its mini-recessions because of consumer spending. Perhaps if consumers had money they could help this time once again

cavo video

Myconos clubbing snapshot. In this video, Danny, Vicky, Zeta, Fanis, Yiannis. Nice. Zeta might need to say farewell