Busy, busy, busy…

The Greek summer holiday is upon us and Paroikia is mobbed with tourists from Athens and beyond.   The roads are crammed, the cafes are overrun and anyone with any sense stays away from town unless they really need to do something vitally important, like go to the hospital or something.  This will all end, for the most part, in about 5 days, but for now…

I went to Naoussa last night with some friends to see the opening of another artist’s work.   He is very technical, very intellectual and, I feel, on the cusp of something.  What I felt when I walked into the room was a sense of change, a shift and alteration of shape in his thinking and raison.  It was a transitional vibe.  Others did not feel that way, but so what.  He would say that too.  I am quite sure he is not particularly worried about whether or not people like his work, or even understand it in the same way as he does.  I, for one, was happy to go and see the event.  In regards to the holiday crowds, Naoussa is very different than Paroikia.  It is not stretched along the seafront but rather all crammed in together, like a white-washed, sun-burned and idiotic fist.  This made for dense crowds and the ‘wall-to-wall-people’ effect.  I am not a huge fan of that.  It was a relief to return to Paroikia, sit at a table with friends and have a late supper.

My own show is on the near horizon.  The 22 photographs are matted, framed and behind glass.  They look wonderful.  The space will be free on Saturday morning and, I hope, I can begin hanging my pieces that afternoon.   The posters start going up tomorrow and I have been handing out cards.  More cards to go out this weekend.  I have designed and put in place a new website specifically for this show and will send out an email blast to the mailing list this Sunday.  I don’t want anyone to see the show in it’s entirety until then.

I am pretty nervous about this show.  It is a big deal for me, perhaps bigger than I realize.  The future will tell…

I have decided to save some money this year and have bought a bike–a used mountain bike from a local bike shop.  I like it a lot.  I have been cycling to a local beach every day, jumping in the sea to cool off and then cycling back.  The weight I gained while I was in the USA will drop off and I save money and gas to boot.  In the off-season, it cost me 320 euros per month to rent a car.  This is extravagant.  The bike cost 375 euros and with the added helmet, pump, spare tube, etc…the bill came to 515 euros.  There are still a few items to pick up but they are not necessities.  If I can work my way back down to 82 kilos from the 88 I now currently weigh, then I will be happy.

One thing I have noticed is the obvious disregard the tourists have for bikes on the road.  Just an observation.  Perhaps I will start a movement based on the idea of banning all non-essential motor vehicles from the island of Paros, or at least Paroikia and the surrounding environs.  It would be a safer, quieter and more interesting place to live, that is for sure.  Imagine all the car rental companies renting bicycles instead?  Cheaper, less insurance, less maintenance…For now, I stick to the backroads.

JDCM

My new bike…