Log book day 4

Day 4 and so far the most difficult. Had a huge fight at the office with my manager and despite the need to light up remained calm, went to the pre-scheduled meeting where we both had to attend and then went home, snoozed for an hour, took the dog for a looooooooong walk and now back to take all of three of them for a shorter walk. The urge went away and a feeling of pride filled my chest.
Still not off the hook, I know, but I feel a big step was done. good stuff

Log book day 3

I only thought about smoking once today and dismissed the thought very quickly. Have refused 2 invitations to go drinking and one to go clubbing tomorrow. Have organized dinner plans instead. Must avoid all smoking-focusing related activities for at least a couple of weeks. I am determined, but it is harder as night approaches. Last night I was cleaning the house until 2am to make sure that I would not relax and ask for a cigarette. I keep a pack at home to make sure that I will resist when I go out and people smoke. I feel strong, but it is still to early to tell.

Nights are really bad. Friday will be a nightmare. Usually it is the first 5 days to get rid of the addiction from the body and about 5 weeks for the phychological. The truth is that the days are easier not even to think about it. The nights are getting harder and harder. You see the longer one stays without smoking the weaker the memories of how awful it felt and the less compelling the reasons that propelled the need to stop. I should know. After so many times I 've quit I have been through these stages frequently. 72 hours now. Day 4 is only a few hours away. Must stay longer on the treadmill. At least I am not constantly chewing on the endless amount of chocolate I would stored in previous attempts. Not even one bit :-)

Where does matter come from?

Today is a huge day in science. Definitely its brightest, and that's not a metaphore. Switzerland's CERN (centre europeene de recherce nuclaire) launched an experiment that had 0.01% chance of creating a black hole which would swallow the earth in a nano-second. The probability was too low and the success of this experiment would replicate the creation of the universe a billionth of a second after the bing bang and will eventually answer a lot of questions about matter and its origin; perhaps its destination as well.


Hence, scientists were happy to take the bet. Hopefully, the experiment was successful and we are still here.


I will follow up wiht how the experiment is going.
It is of course the top story of bbc.co.uk website and of course cern's website with live webcam (greek newspapers are mainly concerned with Thessaloniki exhibition and which party leads in the new polls...as if we really care!!!)

Log book day 2

Now I am in second day without smoking. Impressed with myself last night as the small voice kept asking me to light up. But I didnt. Not impressed about today yet as I never smoke in the morning. Strange thing is that I still have that foul sense in the mouth as if I had smoked last night.
What is different already is that after only 24hours of not smoking I can get out of bed in a second no headaches not heavy arms and legs and start my day.
Must definitely put that in the reasons why I must keep off

Quitting smoking

I've been recently entertaining the idea that I have been smoking for just over a year since I had last quit for a few months. I have been again reading about ways and tips to help stop. Things that I have read and re-read. To be honnest of all the things I have tried a combination of hypnosis and increase in cardio-vascular activity helps the most.
Cold turkey I think is for people with a more stable - and stubborn - personality than mine. I am too prone to just forget anything, spill the milk container and 'just let the good times roll'. Too immature, I know, but it helps to come to terms with it rather than be deceited. Guilty! I do like a good glass (if not bottle) of wine, and lots of vodka when I go clubbing. This goes hand in hand with cigarette smoking...
One way that has helped me in the past is become obsessed with it. Instead of not thinking about it, thinking about it ALL the time helps. It helps in quiting but obsession is known to elevate depression levels... The good thing is that after so many guilts and quit attempts, my body rejects smoking, even the smell of smoke before 2pm. Of course last time I quit I had not gone out for about a year. Ok perhaps the weddings and christenings I could not avoid, but not clubbing, not bar hopping, nothing really fun. Fun in that sense.
Everytime I try to quit, I almost succeed until I go out partying - an activity which involves drinking (the reason I can not quit during holidays).
So I think the only thing I have not tried is to entirely stop drinking alcohol. This I have not tried in the past. Every expert in smoking cessation claims that we should not change the way we leave. BS if you ask me. It does not work that way. The moment the first drop of alcohol comes into the body the resistence threshold takes a free fall. Spending saturday nights without any alcohol or tobacco, that sounds like a bigger challenge than running/walking the marathon under 5 hours. And hooking up with people that don't smoke means that I have to make new friends as all my friends smoke. Or at least the friends I would like to go out with.
The truth is that I am feeling too weak - biologically I mean - lately and given the amount of workload both from the office but also from personal stuff, I think I have no other way to go. On the other hand, the reason why I have been feeling good is because I have been going out much more during the summer than last winter.
The reason why I am writing on this blog about it is because I think it will help to kind of keep a public journal about my smoking curve. We shall see.
At this moment, I am still obsessed by it, still unjustifiably too tired, but determined to step on that treadmill and determined not to light up today. Oh, BTW, I have an almost entire pack by the side of this laptop at this very moment as I type. I figure instead of trying to avoid any sight of it or being in places that people smoke, come to terms with the fact that I will always be surrounded by cigarettes, I just have to decide not to take the first puff.
For the moment it works. Let's see how it goes later in the week...I shall take every day at a time and I know that there will be better days and not so good days. Every day will be a separate effort. Every hour if you ask me...
Okidoki, off to the treadmill

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

Sea Lebrities family at Pier 39

Fisherman's warf in San Francisco is listed in my San Francisco Rough Guide as the top tourist destination of the city, one of the top attractions in the entire country despite the fact that is probably the cheesiest part of the city. I agree
Yet, there is a reason for it. It is the home of a few hundreds sea lions, or "Sea Lebrities" as they are endearly coined by the marina staff. The boisterous barking pinnipeds started arriving in droves, taking over the docks in January 1990 shortly after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. At first they numbered from 10-50, but due to a plentiful herring supply, available dock space and the marina’s protected environment, the population grew to more than 300 within a few months. Each winter, the population can increase up to 900 sea lions, most of which are male. During the summer months, the sea lions migrate south to the Channel Islands for breeding season, but in recent years a small group stays year-round at PIER 39's K-Dock. Staff from The Marine Mammal Center’s Kiosk, located next to the sea lions, are happy to inform visitors about these fun, flippered animals. Each weekend, weather permitting, the Center provides volunteer docents at K-Dock who explain sea lion behaviors and answer visitors’ questions.
I 've spent a beautiful hour watching these sweethearts and I can tell you that they are grouped in families, the babies are always close to the mother and the dad is not far away.

Young adults are engaging in courtous activity and it is indeed so captivating to watch.



They are clearly accustomed to the attention and photographic clicks as they sunbathe on the docks without seeming to be bothered by the hundreds of tourists and amateur photographers flooding the area at any given time.
I was lucky enough as the weather was beautiful and I had the chance to stay for a long time to observe them. They are extremely playful, even if at the begining one might think that they just lay under the sun being lazy (like me in Naxos). But they are not. They keep jumping in and out of the water and it is remarkable how high they can jump! They bite, caress, talk, even kiss each other and of course protect their kin from strangers. How lovely!
Next time in San Francisco I am definitely spending more time there and if I can try to get some more info from the marine mammal's center kiosk and perhaps do some volunteer Saturday work in caring for them.

The happy animal lover/photographer


How sweet!!!


PS: I would like to thank Marc, my friend from Cisco France, for coming with me, being patient for the hundreds of pictures I took along our stroll, and that he took a picture of me as well :-). Marc, j'espere que tu as bien aimer aussi.

James Blunt at the Fillmore

One of the best things in SF this time is that I got to go to a concert. The upside was that it was unexpectedly good. I suggested to hubby Dominic (a very good friend from Cisco UK), to go and attend a concert while there. So he found great tix for James Blunt at half price.
Blunt's band although known for slow and lounge songs, really rocked the place up.
He really enjoyed it as he got his own camera out at the end, thanking us for being there as it was his first major gig in the US. He had previously played at the Fillmore but as a support to Sheryl Crow.
It was a great night out, not to mention that the Fillmore is a historical SF venue where all the major names of the music history now and then (60s love period) have played.

I wish James and his band a great long career and definitely buying their albums