Celebrating Katie, we went out with Maura and a couple of friends from CYA. Katie chose a birthday restaurant: Applebee's. ... It was her birthday and she could chose whatever she wanted! I ordered the chicken fingers, which were very different from the ones in the States. Oh, and they don't have ranch dressing over here (Sorry Robert). Restaurants in Greece have service charges so you don't have to tip the waiter. Our waiter seemed very interested in Maura and looked a little dejected when she told him she'd married a Greek.
Katie opened her presents from Maura and I and couldn't contain her giddiness. There is an olive wood store in Monastiraki that sells cooking utensils. The wood is non-pourous and doesn't retain the taste and color of the food it handles. It's virtually indestructible, but must never go in the dishwasher. Katie now has a serving spoon, spatula, and small cutting board from that store. Next to the knives Matt Lafave gave her, I've never seen her so thrilled with presents.
Next, we walked over to Mike's Irish Pub for a pint. Katie had her first pint of Guiness! But before she could drink, we had to toast. I had printed out some Irish toasts and we all took turns toasting Katie.
May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head be always strong.
And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.
May those who love us love us.
And those that don’t love us, may God turn their hearts.
And if He doesn’t turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles,
So we’ll know them by their limping.
St. Patrick was a gentleman
Who through strategy and stealth
Drove all the snakes from Ireland.
Here’s toasting to his health.
But not too many toastings
Lest you lose yourself and then
Forget the good St. Patrick
And see all those snakes again.
Who is a friend but someone to toast,
Someone to gibe, someone to roast.
My friends are the best friends
Loyal, willing and able.
Now let’s get to drinking!
Glasses off the table!
Finally, I toasted with the Irishman's Philosophy:
There are only two things to worry about:
Either you are well or you are sick.
If you are well, then there is nothing to worry about.
But if you are sick, there are two things to worry about:
Either you will get well or you will die.
If you get well, then there is nothing to worry about.
But if you die, there are two things to worry about:
Either you will go to heaven or you will go to hell.
If you go to heaven, then you have nothing to worry about.
But if you go to hell, you'll be so damn busy shaking hands with all your friends, then you won't have time to worry!
Katie thoroughly enjoyed her "roasting" and called for a shot of Bailey's. I had a Woodpecker which is an awesome, sweet cider/beer, but refrained from ordering another because it was 7 Euro a bottle. I went into the bar hoping for a live Irish band, but it wasn't to be. Instead, a Greek cover band sang U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Nancy Sinatra songs. The lead singer sounded a whole lot like Cher, but was indeed not a robot. Imitation is never as good as the original, we learned, because the bar actually RAN OUT of Guiness. Shocking! There were quite a few Americans there, but we did happen to see some Brits and couple of Irishmen. The rest of the place was full of Greeks with mullets and stiletto space boots.
Last, we took a cab to the Psiri area of the city and went to a place called Club Spirit. The club had no cover charge, but we had to order something in order to stay-Heineckens all around! There was a dance floor that was deserted to begin with but very quickly was filled up with a variety of people. It was fascinating to watch those people dance. You could tell who were Greeks and who weren't. You could also tell that it is SO much more acceptable for people to dance however the hell they want to here. What I mean is that no one was self-conscious about their lack of rhythm or eccentric moves. There was a man (about 30) dancing the robot during 50cent and what looked like a banker playing air guitar during Prince. One man in particular was so in the moment that at times looked like that famous internet video kid who swung around a stick like Darth Maul. To top the night off, Cake's version of "I Will Survive" blasted through the speakers. THAT was pretty awesome.
When our celebration had been fulfilled, Katie and I walked home and promptly went to bed.
I leave you now with an Irish joke:
An Irishman, Englishman and Scottsman go into a pub and each order a pint of Guinness. Just as the bartender hands them over, three flies buzz down and one lands in eachof the pints. The Englishman looks disgusted, pushes his pint away and demands another pint. The Scottsman picks out the fly, shrugs, and takes a long swallow. The Irishman reaches in to the glass, pinches the fly between his fingers and shakes him while yelling, "Spit it out, ya bastard! Spit it out!"
Friday, March 18, 2005
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Carnival Festivities (Part 2)
The parade:
I went to the biggest, most famous parade in all of Athens. This was a culturally fascinating experience. First of all, parades are quite different than their American counterparts. American parades are typically centered around floats. Although this Athenian parade lasted about three hours, there were only 3 "floats" throughout the entire thing. They were all pulled by worn-out pickups from the 80s, covered by tarps to conceal their ugliness. The floats themselves were...I'm trying to think of a word that doesn't put a value judgement on it...well, they were not the scale and complexity that American floats are. One was a bull, another a castle, the third a platform for Miss Athens to stand on and wave from.
You must be asking yourself, "If there were only three floats, what else was in the parade?"
Well, there were people...dressed up in silly costumes...dancing with no sense of shame.
Basically, groups of people dressed up as other "ethnicities" and danced down the street while throwing confetti and spraying foam from cans. The costumes were completely stereotypical and reminded me of costumes-in-a-bag that you can pick up at grocery stores back home. Some examples of "ethnicities" participating were: Chinese (including a dragon), Japanese, Mexican, Spanish, Viking, Egyptian, Arabian, Brazilian, Cowboy, and Indian (Native American). It was interesting to see different stereotypical impressions from the perspective of another culture. For example, it was VERY difficult for me to watch these people parade around as "Indians," closely followed by the cowboys. At one point, the "Indians" started dancing around their "Chief." They were apparently raising him from the dead by circling him with their spears and making the "Indian" noise by hitting their mouths repeatedly with their hands. Every inch of me cringed. Greeks are not known for their political correctness, so this obvious public display of stereotypes was relatively not surprising.
What I found endearing was the fact that all ages joined in the madness. Middle-aged adults were shaking their groove thing just as much as the pre-teens. All were enjoying themselves, and no one took themself seriously. That would never happen in the States.
The whole construction of the parade itself was typically Greek: tons of people, LOUD music, with little sense of personal space. The music was not Greek. Instead, it was a strange collection of Ricky Martin techno remixes, and everyone seemed to know the words. Shakira was another popular song selection and I recall singing along in English to the Greek version of "I Will Survive."
I went to the biggest, most famous parade in all of Athens. This was a culturally fascinating experience. First of all, parades are quite different than their American counterparts. American parades are typically centered around floats. Although this Athenian parade lasted about three hours, there were only 3 "floats" throughout the entire thing. They were all pulled by worn-out pickups from the 80s, covered by tarps to conceal their ugliness. The floats themselves were...I'm trying to think of a word that doesn't put a value judgement on it...well, they were not the scale and complexity that American floats are. One was a bull, another a castle, the third a platform for Miss Athens to stand on and wave from.
You must be asking yourself, "If there were only three floats, what else was in the parade?"
Well, there were people...dressed up in silly costumes...dancing with no sense of shame.
Basically, groups of people dressed up as other "ethnicities" and danced down the street while throwing confetti and spraying foam from cans. The costumes were completely stereotypical and reminded me of costumes-in-a-bag that you can pick up at grocery stores back home. Some examples of "ethnicities" participating were: Chinese (including a dragon), Japanese, Mexican, Spanish, Viking, Egyptian, Arabian, Brazilian, Cowboy, and Indian (Native American). It was interesting to see different stereotypical impressions from the perspective of another culture. For example, it was VERY difficult for me to watch these people parade around as "Indians," closely followed by the cowboys. At one point, the "Indians" started dancing around their "Chief." They were apparently raising him from the dead by circling him with their spears and making the "Indian" noise by hitting their mouths repeatedly with their hands. Every inch of me cringed. Greeks are not known for their political correctness, so this obvious public display of stereotypes was relatively not surprising.
What I found endearing was the fact that all ages joined in the madness. Middle-aged adults were shaking their groove thing just as much as the pre-teens. All were enjoying themselves, and no one took themself seriously. That would never happen in the States.
The whole construction of the parade itself was typically Greek: tons of people, LOUD music, with little sense of personal space. The music was not Greek. Instead, it was a strange collection of Ricky Martin techno remixes, and everyone seemed to know the words. Shakira was another popular song selection and I recall singing along in English to the Greek version of "I Will Survive."
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Top o' the mornin to ye! Today is very much St. Patrick's Day, but it is also Katie Hogan's 21st birthday. Isn't it ironic that one of the most Irish/Catholic families in Kansas had their first-born on St. Patrick's Day? For those of you who don't know much about the Hogan household here's a list of the kids' names:
Kathleen
Patrick
Bridget
James
Maureen
Brenna
Michael
Sound Irish to you?
So, today we are celebrating TWO holidays at Mike's Irish Pub, which happens to be the only known Irish establishment in this city of 6 million. We've made reservations...sort of. Christina called and the owner said he'd kick somebody out of a table when we arrived.
Katie's bedecked in green today. She's even got the shamrock temporary tattoo on her face. Perhaps I'll follow suit.
I hope everyone's leprechaun traps were finished in time, but sincerely doubt that those clever little creatures have fallen for our silly little plots against them.
Eat some soda bread and raise a Guiness!
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm on your face,
The rain fall softly on your fields;
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Kathleen
Patrick
Bridget
James
Maureen
Brenna
Michael
Sound Irish to you?
So, today we are celebrating TWO holidays at Mike's Irish Pub, which happens to be the only known Irish establishment in this city of 6 million. We've made reservations...sort of. Christina called and the owner said he'd kick somebody out of a table when we arrived.
Katie's bedecked in green today. She's even got the shamrock temporary tattoo on her face. Perhaps I'll follow suit.
I hope everyone's leprechaun traps were finished in time, but sincerely doubt that those clever little creatures have fallen for our silly little plots against them.
Eat some soda bread and raise a Guiness!
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm on your face,
The rain fall softly on your fields;
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Happy Birthday Tyler!
A very special Happy Birthday goes out to Tyler Davis, who happens to turn 21 today!
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Carnival Festivities (Part 1)
In Greece, Carnival is three weeks of festivities leading up to "Clean Monday" and the beginning of Lent. Last weekend I experienced the Greek culture is multiple ways. First of all, in the main hall at CYA there was a poster that listed various Carnival events. There were events scheduled on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Feeling adventurous, and wanted to get a better taste of Greek life, Katie and I hopped on the metro to "Moschato" where all these events were supposed to take place.
Friday was a "huge outdoor concert featuring: HIP-HOP WITH ZN, NGC, DREAM PROSPECTORS, NEKRIKISIGI, INSANES IN THE POOL. HEAVY METAL WITH CRIMSON FIRE, STRIKELIGHT, WHIPANGEL, SELFRAGE". I was dying to witness what a Greek metalband sounded and looked like, but I never got to. It rained earlier that evening, and the Greeks being total wusses with rain decided to just not show up. That area of town was completely deserted when we stepped off the metro. Had tumbleweeds been indigenous flora to Athens, I believe one would have rolled by.
Saturday was a "Festive Street Fair and Dance Party with DJ Niko "Nino" Vourliotis". Once again, we took the metro, got off, and were confronted with a ghost town. We wandered the streets a bit, found another group of CYA students doing the same, and decided to eat some crepes. I had a chocolate and banana crepe...yummm. While walking back, we passed a video rental place that had movies playing the window display. To our chagrin, the video of choice that night was "Lord of the Dance featuring Michael Flatley." Of course we all immediately stopped and gawked. (Both Katie and Lucianna are Irish dancers at ND.) It was both absolute hilarity and utter horror. Now, I'm all for Irish Dance, but that specific production reminded me more of WWF Smackdown than Riverdance. Flatley himself is already a creepy individual, what with his tight pants, poofy shirts, and curly mullet. However, add to that an incredulous story: Flatley is obviously the Billy Elliot/MC Hammer of the galaxy (at least, the stage looked like a set from Star Trek: The Original Series). This other guy who wears a shimmery tank top with glittered gauntlets and a villain's mask obviously doesn't like being one-upped by "the Mullet" (as I like to call him). So, the bad guy (who I'll call Hans because he'd be comfortable in a German disco) orders his Irish dancing thugs to dance the Mullet into submission. There is a very dramatic scene where Hans rips away the flashy belt the Mullet had picked out in order to accentuate his ensemble. The belt is HUGE and could easily be mistaken for one of Hulk Hogan's, except for the "Lord of the Dance" etched into the front. Apparently, the Mullet is really Lord Mullet. Anyway, somehow Lord Mullet escapes and comes back as an even better dancer because this time he's got a glittered headband and black leather pants. We didn't stay for the ending, but I'm pretty sure Lord Mullet and Hans joined forces to launch their new clothing line.
Sunday we went to the "Big, Big Carnival Parade!" because it is "the best and most famous in Athens!!" It was FASCINATING! (More to come later, must rest fingers.)
Friday was a "huge outdoor concert featuring: HIP-HOP WITH ZN, NGC, DREAM PROSPECTORS, NEKRIKISIGI, INSANES IN THE POOL. HEAVY METAL WITH CRIMSON FIRE, STRIKELIGHT, WHIPANGEL, SELFRAGE". I was dying to witness what a Greek metalband sounded and looked like, but I never got to. It rained earlier that evening, and the Greeks being total wusses with rain decided to just not show up. That area of town was completely deserted when we stepped off the metro. Had tumbleweeds been indigenous flora to Athens, I believe one would have rolled by.
Saturday was a "Festive Street Fair and Dance Party with DJ Niko "Nino" Vourliotis". Once again, we took the metro, got off, and were confronted with a ghost town. We wandered the streets a bit, found another group of CYA students doing the same, and decided to eat some crepes. I had a chocolate and banana crepe...yummm. While walking back, we passed a video rental place that had movies playing the window display. To our chagrin, the video of choice that night was "Lord of the Dance featuring Michael Flatley." Of course we all immediately stopped and gawked. (Both Katie and Lucianna are Irish dancers at ND.) It was both absolute hilarity and utter horror. Now, I'm all for Irish Dance, but that specific production reminded me more of WWF Smackdown than Riverdance. Flatley himself is already a creepy individual, what with his tight pants, poofy shirts, and curly mullet. However, add to that an incredulous story: Flatley is obviously the Billy Elliot/MC Hammer of the galaxy (at least, the stage looked like a set from Star Trek: The Original Series). This other guy who wears a shimmery tank top with glittered gauntlets and a villain's mask obviously doesn't like being one-upped by "the Mullet" (as I like to call him). So, the bad guy (who I'll call Hans because he'd be comfortable in a German disco) orders his Irish dancing thugs to dance the Mullet into submission. There is a very dramatic scene where Hans rips away the flashy belt the Mullet had picked out in order to accentuate his ensemble. The belt is HUGE and could easily be mistaken for one of Hulk Hogan's, except for the "Lord of the Dance" etched into the front. Apparently, the Mullet is really Lord Mullet. Anyway, somehow Lord Mullet escapes and comes back as an even better dancer because this time he's got a glittered headband and black leather pants. We didn't stay for the ending, but I'm pretty sure Lord Mullet and Hans joined forces to launch their new clothing line.
Sunday we went to the "Big, Big Carnival Parade!" because it is "the best and most famous in Athens!!" It was FASCINATING! (More to come later, must rest fingers.)
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Midterms
This week is midterms at CYA. I believe the best way to express my day can be taken from that friendly ole chap Dickens: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
Byzantine Art & Architecture exam: TERRIBLE! I studied all day yesterday and I left feeling like a gutted fish. It was like a chapter from Faulkner's AS I LAY DYING. I am a fish. Katie shared the same sentiment saying she felt "eviscerated." Damn her descriptive journalism mumbo-jumbo. The test was really difficult partly because the amount of information we had to know (~800 years of information) and because I am convinced I don't think like an art historian. I cannot connect the dots that others can in a seemingly easy logic. I am also convinced that I will NEVER be an architect, nor study classical architecture. There are simply too many terms.
The midterm consisted of three parts: comparing slides, a short answer, and an essay. There were 6 sets of two slides. We had five minutes per pair to write down what, when, where, why, and why they are important. The short answer question is as follows:
Draw a plan of a "typical" mid-Byzantine (10-11 cent.) church and label it with the appropriate terms from the list below. Define briefly the function of each area you label.
Terms: ambo, apse, arcade, arcosolia, cubicula, diakonikon, diptych, dodekaorton, enkolpion, iconoclast, nave, naos, narthex, orangs, paten, prothesis, psalter, solea, stylite, synthrono, tablion, templon, transept, typikon.
Yeah...
ambo-I'm pretty sure this was a mid 70s dance craze
apse-a term used when one drops something, "Apse!"
arcade-a place where males go to pump the money their mother gave them into a machine that inhibits any kind of "interaction" with other humans save the scary janitor.
arcosolia-this medieval/goth band had a number one hit ("We wish we lived a thousand years ago, but without the unpleasantness of no access to black nail polish.") in Germany where anyone can make "music."
cubicula-yet another bastardization of vampire mythology. This vampire worked for a box company and had to file TPS reports.
diakonikon-coming to an amusement park near you!
diptych-something my dad used to call us when we screwed up royally
dodekaorton-collective name for the 12 sons of a NASCAR driver
enkolpion-who invents a word like this?
iconoclast-phrase shouted by a late student in middle-school
nave-isn't this a body part?
naos-a colony founded by MENSA members
narthex-a colony visited by the Star Ship Enterprise
orans-not appropriate for children
paten-makes me think of a famous piccolo tune
prothesis-supporter of theses
psalter-usually placed in the middle of the table, next to the spepperer
solea-yet another emaciated model that goes by only her first name
stylite-Paris Hilton?
synthronon-a new comic book hero's hideout
tablion-fancy name for a fancy table setting
templon-place where one can handpick a temp with a nice selection of styles, sizes, and prices
transept-polite term for "hobo"
typikon-new annual convention for stenographers
I'm not positive what she was aiming at, but I'm pretty sure my definitions probably missed the mark.
The essay question was as follows: Citing specific examples, discuss the importance of Imperial patronage from Constantine the Great through Theodora (843) in determining the appearance and the role of art in Byzantine society. This question was worth 55 points. Usually I can bullshit my way to earn half the points, but there was NO WAY I even reached that in this case.
In a way I feel cheated because I actually studied really hard for this test. There should be a reciprocal relationship between studying and exams! If I study, I should know what to say on the exam. I SHAKE MY FIST AT YOU! (Well, not YOU, at the test...)
Attic Tragedy exam: PIECE OF CAKE! Before the teacher got there, Caleb announced that the challenge was to fit four specific words into the essay. These words were: hogwash, ragtag, ..., and buttery. It is my pleasure to inform you that no less than 5 people completed the task. I would have, except I didn't want to spend the time when I could have been studying for Greek.
Byzantine Art & Architecture exam: TERRIBLE! I studied all day yesterday and I left feeling like a gutted fish. It was like a chapter from Faulkner's AS I LAY DYING. I am a fish. Katie shared the same sentiment saying she felt "eviscerated." Damn her descriptive journalism mumbo-jumbo. The test was really difficult partly because the amount of information we had to know (~800 years of information) and because I am convinced I don't think like an art historian. I cannot connect the dots that others can in a seemingly easy logic. I am also convinced that I will NEVER be an architect, nor study classical architecture. There are simply too many terms.
The midterm consisted of three parts: comparing slides, a short answer, and an essay. There were 6 sets of two slides. We had five minutes per pair to write down what, when, where, why, and why they are important. The short answer question is as follows:
Draw a plan of a "typical" mid-Byzantine (10-11 cent.) church and label it with the appropriate terms from the list below. Define briefly the function of each area you label.
Terms: ambo, apse, arcade, arcosolia, cubicula, diakonikon, diptych, dodekaorton, enkolpion, iconoclast, nave, naos, narthex, orangs, paten, prothesis, psalter, solea, stylite, synthrono, tablion, templon, transept, typikon.
Yeah...
ambo-I'm pretty sure this was a mid 70s dance craze
apse-a term used when one drops something, "Apse!"
arcade-a place where males go to pump the money their mother gave them into a machine that inhibits any kind of "interaction" with other humans save the scary janitor.
arcosolia-this medieval/goth band had a number one hit ("We wish we lived a thousand years ago, but without the unpleasantness of no access to black nail polish.") in Germany where anyone can make "music."
cubicula-yet another bastardization of vampire mythology. This vampire worked for a box company and had to file TPS reports.
diakonikon-coming to an amusement park near you!
diptych-something my dad used to call us when we screwed up royally
dodekaorton-collective name for the 12 sons of a NASCAR driver
enkolpion-who invents a word like this?
iconoclast-phrase shouted by a late student in middle-school
nave-isn't this a body part?
naos-a colony founded by MENSA members
narthex-a colony visited by the Star Ship Enterprise
orans-not appropriate for children
paten-makes me think of a famous piccolo tune
prothesis-supporter of theses
psalter-usually placed in the middle of the table, next to the spepperer
solea-yet another emaciated model that goes by only her first name
stylite-Paris Hilton?
synthronon-a new comic book hero's hideout
tablion-fancy name for a fancy table setting
templon-place where one can handpick a temp with a nice selection of styles, sizes, and prices
transept-polite term for "hobo"
typikon-new annual convention for stenographers
I'm not positive what she was aiming at, but I'm pretty sure my definitions probably missed the mark.
The essay question was as follows: Citing specific examples, discuss the importance of Imperial patronage from Constantine the Great through Theodora (843) in determining the appearance and the role of art in Byzantine society. This question was worth 55 points. Usually I can bullshit my way to earn half the points, but there was NO WAY I even reached that in this case.
In a way I feel cheated because I actually studied really hard for this test. There should be a reciprocal relationship between studying and exams! If I study, I should know what to say on the exam. I SHAKE MY FIST AT YOU! (Well, not YOU, at the test...)
Attic Tragedy exam: PIECE OF CAKE! Before the teacher got there, Caleb announced that the challenge was to fit four specific words into the essay. These words were: hogwash, ragtag, ..., and buttery. It is my pleasure to inform you that no less than 5 people completed the task. I would have, except I didn't want to spend the time when I could have been studying for Greek.
Greek exam: LONG! Too...many...Greek...words...in my...head. The sad part is that my basic knowledge of this language is extremely remedial, even with over 500 words on flashcards.
Aegean & Ancient Greek Art & Archaeology paper: I FINALLY got it back. Prof. Diamant had lost it and I was afraid he was going to need another copy, thereby grading it separately, thereby knowing the specific author of the paper, thereby being very disappointed with my lack of intelligence. To my utter amazement, I GOT AN A-! There are very few paper grades that I've been surprised by, this probably tops them all. This guy is notoriously nitpicky and a little bit of an asshole. I think my grade was helped by the fact that my thesis agreed with his opinion on the matter. (Is Mycenae a city?-No.) Whatever, I'm still proud of it and may even send it back to ND to be put up on the fridge.
So, to sum up: I am not and will never be an art historian. My lit. test was buttery. Καταλαβαινω λιγο Ελληνικα. Finally, according to Prof. Diamant's atrocious handwriting, my paper was "mostly good thow more Myce evideure wuld be uide. A-"
Enkolpion, anyone?
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