I stopped by the nursery today to buy some plants and saw my friend Lalou, who coincidentally works there. We hadn’t seen each other in a while and she looked at me and said: “You look SO good, what are you doing? You’re GLOWING!!!”
My answer: “Well, the glow ain’t from sex, so it must be the gym.”
GROAN. Must I always be the weirdo that takes it to the next, unnecessary level?
I had an awesome afternoon yesterday. In fact, I can confidently declare it was the most awesome afternoon of the summer. I realize it was September 18th, but hey, fall doesn’t technically commence until September 22nd, so my awesome day still falls within the summer parameters. And when the afternoon boasts a temperature of 90 degrees F your mind doesn’t stray far from summer mode.
The scene: an afternoon beach trip.
The partners-in-crime: Mom, sister, San Diego and Fak.
My afternoon started after my jail shift work shift with a fabulous dip in the nearby beach of Plaka. Plaka in Greek means “a large plate,” and so in Plaka the pebble-covered beach has these large rocky plates in the water – a geological aberration that is not really a hassle, but they is just enough of a deterrent to keep most of the tourists away – or at least the tourists that you don’t want to deal with.
Behold the beauty of the Argolid coastline:
A sloth invades the view!
Let’s try this one more time without the unwanted intruders…
Blue skies, blue sea, blue perfection.
Marvelous, fantastic, refreshing, gorgeous, perfection.
I can't really explain just how great this feels.
The sea water was so clear, you just wanted to drink it all in. Or simply stay in the water until your skin was as wrinkled as a raisin. It was simply marvelous. And after our swim it was time for sustenance.
“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather is one of those things that give value to survival.” – C. S. Lewis
I don’t make friends very easily. It’s not a recent development; I’ve just always been like that. Even as a young child in elementary school I recall being the “outsider”. Hanging out with the girls in my class during breaks I would lay low and just listen. Always the observer, rarely the participant. It makes it hard to create enduring friendships. I guess I’ve always appreciated having a few good friends that I know well rather than a big group of friends that I don’t know much about. Often times I get bored with people’s bullshit. I’d rather entertain myself than listen to their crap. Maybe there’s an anti-social gene in me, who knows…Then again if those people were actual friends then I wouldn’t get bored of them, would I?
Here in Greece I’ve found it really hard to make good friends. Outside of Athens people tend to get too involved in your business, gossip about you, bring out jealousies and envy and generally act like passive-aggressive biotches. It’s that small town mentality. The city, as ugly and hectic as it is, offers a layer of protection from the ugly side of the “acquaintance” – everybody is too busy and stressed to deal with inconsequential things. And I say acquaintances and not friendships because if it is a friendship then the jealousy, the gossip et al. shouldn’t even surface. Perhaps frenemies is the word I’m looking for. Yes – all I see here are frenemies, not friends. I haven’t met anyone save for a handful of people that are worth pursuing friendships with. We just don’t click. There’s no chemistry.
Living in Greece has made me appreciate my friends back in the States. I miss my friends that I’ve known since high school, people that know you so well they can finish your sentences (Hi Noms and Lou Lou!); and I miss the friends that I made through work, lovely people that are joyous and happy and are just nice, and you can have a normal conversation with them about Grey’s Anatomy or food or the movies and you don’t resort to shit talking (Hi TT gang!). It took a while to reconnect with them, I must admit. I moved and kind of disappeared for about a year. I got caught up in my new surroundings, the new people – it was not the most honorable behavior on my part, I must admit. Looking back now I really truly hate that I was incognito for so long. But my friends took me back with so much joy (as much as they could muster?) and really, I appreciate it more than anything.
So here are some pictures of some of my friends! (I hope said friends don’t mind!) It’s not all of them, because unfortunately a lot of my pics with them are currently living in my PC back in California. DRAT!
What I do know is that the friendships and connections that I have really do mean a lot to me. I may disappear into my own little shell at times, but at the end of the day, without those connections there really is not much to life, is there?
My little Lou-lou, aka Kate the Great
You can really only do this shit with friends - otherwise people think you're a weirdo.
Famous Raymond at his best - at a bar with a drink in his hand.
DB Sweeney and JL never looked so good...
Friends don't let friends party alone on the party bus. Manolicious and Byrony to the rescue!
Friends also are there to help you get through the stress of family weddings! Kate, Naomi and Noni out to keep us sane...
Sorry Yols, I love this picture of you too much not to post it!
I’m sitting here at my sister’s clothing shop browsing Facebook as some customers are taking their sweet ‘ole time trying on clothes. My FB browsing takes me across my friend Raymond’s page. As I gaze at his ever-smiling face my mind wanders to one of the special moments that define Raymond.
The scenario: Me, Raymond and my friend Kate are driving to the Castro for a night of bar-hopping. This is the first time Kate has ever met Raymond. All she’s heard are the notorious stories.
Me: “Kate, Raymond is in nursing school.”
Kate: “Oh wow, that’s great. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever experienced in nursing school.”
Raymond (without missing a single beat): “PUSSY.”
And that’s why I love Raymond.
Expat Uncensored 