WordPress gets personal at times. The support guys, for example, are soo fast and nice. But this is too much!
“HELLO DOLY-This is not just a plugin, it symbolizes the hope and enthusiasm of an entire generation summed up in two words sung most famously by Louis Armstrong: Hello, Dolly. When activated you will randomly see a lyric from Hello, Dolly in the upper right of your admin screen on every page. By Matt Mullenweg.”
I have just installed this. Corny, though cute. Huh?
ps. it is virtually impossible to find any free photos of Barbra Streisand on the internet

these are photos from the last, very small calamari dinner in the old house Santa Marina Spa. Andronikos and Inam have been getting them – i think. And this cute little balcony-sofa? It is in my balcony now
I spent August immersed in dazzling laziness. More or less along the suggestions of luxlotus. “The last ten days of summer are for… watching Wong Kar-Wai movies, seeing friends in person, prepping for a dazzling fall, running errands, falling behind, swimming if lucky, sleeping late, eating well, laughing loud, and not… blogging.”
I excelled in falling behind. I woke up at 4 in the evening today, after having gone to bed in the morning, again. My August has been sentimental. I spent it with friends, none of which are still here. The guests left, naturally. But the non-guests also left. They left for good. They went back to the cities they had originally come from. Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras. In the same week, i found myself at the port for the fourth time, looking at people who were waving at me from the deck of a large ship. I had taken them there along with their oversized suitcases. I seem to be in some kind of Goodbye Committee this summer. And it is exhausting.
We did have a lot of goodbye parties though.
(Now excuse me, while i go to the sea, for i am one of the lucky ones who swimm)

I haven’t eaten in my own flat for ages. Today is gonna be the day, unless something extreme happens. An exciting phonecall for example. But i am not expecting one.
This is the place i have been spending a lot of time in lately, the SANTA MARINA SPA. Why is it a SPA? Because we eat, relax, get a massage and look at the marvelous view WHILE LYING ON THE BALCONY BED. Everyone should have a balcony bed, if you ask me. Everyone should also have friends who cook, dance, give a massage and own a balcony bed.
Guru Andoniko was a guru before the place became a SPA – in fact it became a spa 2 weeks ago, when i called it so. He was a guru with only one disciple, and he only became a guru because this disciple wanted him to. Therefore, the disciple makes a Greek salad everyday, and if the guru does not throw the plate away, he becomes very happy.
Last night we had a very last, very small party at the balcony. Augustina made the salad. The lady of the house fried perfect calamari. Maria danced like an angel, some people lay on the balcony bed smoking, and everyone was sooo relaxed.
i hope that someone i know gets the Marina Spa, so that i can keep visiting. Fat change.
The guru is going away for good, and the perfect balcony will not be available any more.
(the good news: i am getting the balcony bed!)

photograph-Nate “igor” Smith
I am loving the top photograph, plus this guy looks exactly like my ex, if you change the colors and the nose. The ex was blond with blue eyes. Better nose though. And a loser too. In a nice way though. But he didn’t love lesbians. So maybe he was not really a loser. (“losers love lesbians”, is the title of the photograph). I am tempted to post a photo of my ex now. Later, my taste in people got even more delicate, so i switched to the photo at the bottom. But not really.
Nate Smith’s other photos remind me of the campaigns for Diesel and Sisley a bit, which is not a bad thing.
I found out about this thing from incredibly up to date luxlotus.There is a competition going on, you might like to vote here. i voted for him, and for LEO ZACHARIAS who sounds totally Greek – but i didn’t vote for him because of this. He is tremendously stylish.

Blankets, by Craig Thomson
I loved this.
While it is clearly a comics book, it describes itself as an illustrated novel -and while it isn’t, it somehow is. This is perhaps because WHEN YOU HAVE READ IT, the intensity of the experience is enormous, you feel as if everything has been explained and analysed clearly. Its a full treat. The drawings are marvellous, very expressive and delicate. The whole thing is so personal too.
Just go buy it, especially if you are a guy.

I read NOT THE LIFE FOR ME, by Jammie Attenberg, at Huffington post, about her IRISH-Dublin experience. i always enjoy Jammie’s stuff, be it photographs or text. i take it she didn’t kiss anyone in Dublin then, as is expected when one swaps apartments. She is one talented girl.
i am still working like a maniac. there is a major heat wave here and my flat is like a steam room. in this steamroom, however, i wrote a novella in 3 days, (6.500 words in 2 days and 9.500 words in seven days). i wrote a short story in another 3 days, and i am beginning another short story today. as i have never written so much in so little time, i am very proud of this.
then, in August, i have to work on my other novella, ALL THE APPLES, that is to be published in October. This needs so much work. i am getting really late with my literary reviews, i suspect that the newspaper people are already pissed at me for missing deadlines, but i am writing so much literature and am so happy and enthusiastic about it.
my review on Andy Warhol’s philosophy was published on Saturday- i so loved this book. (if you follow the link it will all be greek to you!)
here are some quotations i love
“”people often have sex out of nostalgia for sex that has been had in the past.”"
“”other people take up a lot of space in bed”"
“”some people gain energy by having sex, but some people lose it. If you are one of the former, you ‘d better not do it at all”

Most of all i love his counter-misery perspective to life. Warhol is a bit of a punk if you ask me.
“”my mom doesn’t love me”" So what?
“”my husband doesn’t fuck me”". So what?
see what i mean? the punks said, “deal with it”‘. Warhol says, “”so what?”"
[i love Andy Warhol.]
i have translated the quotations by memory from the greek translation, so please, just put up with this, and accept my apologies.

I read DAVID MITCHELL’S cinematic number9dream four years ago, cause of its marvelous cover, and the promise of Tokyo descriptions on the back cover. Plus it was on sale (in amazon.co.uk)
I loved the sweet guy with the cat, the fast anxious story, the Yakuza encounters, the whole Tokyo angst. I even bought it as a present. This guy, Mitchell, actually spent 8 years in Hiroshima.
I was given Ghostwritten later, with the promise, “”you are gonna envy this book, you are gonna wish you had written it”". I loved it – however, number9dream, which i read in the original language, is still my favorite. Cloud Atlas that has also been translated in Greek is on my bedside. It got some bad reviews in Greece, but i am gonna read it anyway.
Number9dream got its title from John Lennon’s song Number9dream, like Haruki Murakami’s book Norwegian Wood, that got its name from another Beatles’ song. I liked that one too, by the way. It only got translated in greek a couple of months ago.
conclusion: books that have been named after a Beatles’ song are good.

Kostas, the coordinator, is by my side “”How come nothing happened to you?”‘ i asked him.

My Kavala reading was a total mess, however it was the best reading of my life, and i have had five of those. All the others run smoothly, but this was the messiest and funkiest and full of good lovin. I recomend to any writer to do a reading in their hometown. The whole incriminating report is here at luxlotus
The funniest indiscreet question was asked by a girl in the end. Naturally, i thought she was going to ask about my age. But then she said, “”where did you get your shoes from?”"

I SPEND 5 DAYS IN CHIOS ISLAND LATELY. IT WAS GREAT. THIS IS NOT A TOURISTIC ISLAND, ITS VERY LAID BACK AND THEREFORE HAS TO OFFER SEVERAL EMPTY BEACHES, WITHOUT PLASTIC CHAIRS AND UMBRELLAS, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT I HATE IN A BEACH.
HERE ARE 5 THINGS TO DO IN CHIOS

- COVER YOURSELF WITH PEBBLES, IN BEACH MAVRA VOLIA. IT IS A PERFECT SPA IN A PERFECT BEACH. 2 MAVRA VOLIA BEACHES EXIST ACTUALLY. ONE FOR THE CROWD AND ANOTHER MORE PRIVATE ONE FOR GAY AND ALTERNATIVE PEOPLE, AKA NO SWIM SUIT. I SWAM IN BOTHY, GREEDY ME. AND OH, YOU CAN”T REALLY COVER YOURSELF WITH PEBBLES, SOMEONE HAS TO DO IT FOR YOU.
- EAT AT APOMERO TAVERN. AMAZING FATTENING FOOD AT MARVELOUS PRICES. AMAZING VIEW TOO. SOME ITALIANS HAD ALREADY EATEN ALL THE DOLMADAKIA WHEN WE ARRIVED.
- VISIT SANTA MARKELA BEACH. THERE IS A SPOOKY MYTH ABOUT THIS PLACE, AND A MONASTERY JUST ABOVE THE BEACH, SO A HAUNTING ATMOSPHERE PREVAILS, BUT MAYBE THAT IS ONLY ME THINKING THAT.
-EAT MASTIC FROM CHIOS. THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE IN THE WORLD WHERE MASTIC GROWS. MARVELOUS, THE JAPANESE HAVE ALREADY DISCOVERED IT AND ARE BANANAS ABOUT IT.
- VISIT THE AMAZING VILLAGES MESTA, PYRGI, ANAVATOS, AVGONYMA, THEY ARE UNIQUE IN THE WORLD

Where is that perfect peble now, i have to find it!
(PHOTO CREDIT- BABIS)

I AM A JERK. JAMIE SAYS NO, BUT I AM.
See, I turned down the most amazing business deal. Something involving a verry small book, and a Sunday newspaper. oh yes, and mmmmoney. I am banging my head on the wall right now. Dok dok.

I have acted stupidly in more than one ways. Why was that? Because i love parties. Because i have been drinking my arse lately (does this expression even exist in English? Its a new slang expression in greek). Because i am not a serious person, as my mother would say. My mother is right.

There was a heat wave here but now it is over. no more excuses then. its cool and nice at night and we can sleep again. i have guests -again. It is amazing how popular i suddenly become in the summer. lesvos is fantastic. i have to go to another island on a payed for holiday tonight. For ten days. but i don ”t want to. Chios island is boring. Lesvos is not. Ask me if you need any boredom level information on greek islands. I am an expert. Plus, i must write 8000 words soon. i really have to sit on my arse and work. Let’s use it for a different purpose than drinking, shall i?
[I am a jerk.]