payday my ass

Mε το μισθό του μηνός Aυγούστου που εισέπραξα χθες…

* Πλήρωσα τα κοινόχρηστα δύο μηνών
* Πλήρωσα την πρώτη δόση από το laptop που πήρα πρόσφατα
* Έδωσα 200 ευρώ που χρωστούσα στο φίλο μου yk
* Πλήρωσα το ενοίκιο
* Πλήρωσα την ασφάλεια του αυτοκινήτου μου
* Πλήρωσα εκπρόθεσμα τη δόση μου στην ασφαλιστική μου εταιρεία
* Ξόφλησα λογαριασμούς ΟΤΕ & ΔΕΗ
* Πλήρωσα το μίνιμουμ ποσό που απαιτούσε η κάρτα μου

Βάζω το χέρι στην τσέπη. Έχω τέσσερα ευρώ και ενενήντα πέντα λεπτά. Και ο Σεπτέμβριος δεν έχει ξεκινήσει καν… Άντε, βρε, καλό χειμώνα να έχουμε…

brother, you should spare a dimmer

They're called The Zincs. They're from Chicago but expatriated and British based [bonus points for that alone]. Their singer has another band as well, Sophia. I've been listening constantly to their second album, "Dimmer" on the infamous label Thrill Jockey, and, for the last month or so, I thought that it was excellent BUT... there was something missing.

Since mid day, it's raining non stop... Now, I am listening to it again. I take a look out of the window. Raindrops keep falling all over the place... I think I just found out the missing element!

Do yourself a favour, if you are into Spain, Tindersticks, Leonard Cohen, Freakwater or even Chris Isaak [...], get your copy now!!!

ditto

I just read again
my previous post
and I only have
one thing to say:
couldn't agree more...

it's official

After almost seven hours talking over the phone, surfing on the net, reading stupid and not so stupid blogs, searching for useless info, answering to business calls only if it were a matter of life and death, sending funny mails to friends, numerous times explaining to our secretary "I'll be out for a while - If anyone asks for me, well, tell them I am not available" in order to get 1. a cup of coffe, 2. sth 2 eat, 3. my music magazines etc, I have the duty, as a grown up man, to admit the truth: there is no fucking way I can work today...

είσαι…

i. Ανόητος;
ii. Σπάταλος;
iii. Ασυναίσθητος;
iv. Νεόπλουτος;
v. Απελπισμένος;
vi. Υπεράνω;
vii. Όλα τα παραπάνω;
viii. ή απλά μαλάκας…

...όταν πληρώνεις 1.700 δραχμές για έναν καφέ και λες και ευχαριστώ;

knocking on hell's door

I saw lots of terrible movies in the last weeks: Fantastic Four, Wedding Date and… Edison. What they all had in common was at least one positive element. F4 had Jessica Alba [sweet smile & sexy curves], Wedding Date had some British scenery, Edison had… Dylan McDermott!

That guy had his 15 minutes of fame almost a decade ago, when People magazine declared he was the sexiest man on earth etc but he never quite made it big. He’s mainly a TV star now [seek for the mini series “The Grid”] and he will star on the new Pang Bros horror movie.

Till then, however, he’s the only reason worth paying to see Edison: no, Justin Timberlake is not worth a single penny as an actor [not that he’s worth it as a singer…], Morgan Freeman is bored to death with his own performance, Kevin Spacey has only one good line [Morgan: “God, I think I desperately need a woman!!!” – Kevin: “Well, don’t look at me…”], LL Cool J plays it low & safe as usual but McDermott… well he’s ace.

Because our guy Dylan is supposed to be a cocaine addicted, hard cop, named Lazerov, who belongs in the Special Forces so he doesn’t need to obey to anyone’s rules or any dress codes whatsoever. He never wears his bulletproof jacket, he has his right thumbnail polished, he’s beating the hell out of anyone, he smokes even under unusual circumstances [let’s say when his world is falling apart, but then again, I guess that’s when you need a fag the most] and he cracks from time to time, because of the cocaine addiction, the insomnia and the guilt [in a manner of speaking] for his dirty methods and his selling out… He’s also getting killed at some point and that’s the point of no return for the rest of the movie…

Actually, I’d say Edison has to be avoided at all costs, but at the same time it’s a proof that, sometimes, a good performance comes as a surprise from where [and whom] you’d expect it the least.

Now that was by far the most useless post of this blog’s career…

JELLYFISH - Baby's coming back

Thank God,











I only encountered one jellyfish during my swimming hours this summer. Even this one was killed on the spot by fearless yk...
:-)

However, Jellyfish was one of my favourite bands of the early [as in TOO early] nineties, and Baby's Coming Back was their second, and most poppy single of their short career. For no obvious reason, my mind has been stuck on its hooky melody since Saturday...

The moment that I saw her,
I knew that my life would soon move over from the fast lane
gone would be the days of all by drinkin and my carrying on
but when I settled down
the party king uncrowned
this stubborn memory hadn't faded
too many dumb mistakes
and all the grief it makes
left nothing else to be debated

and if you say that you understand then you're lyin'
but if you figure that I'm alright now I can't deny it

Baby's coming back
baby's coming back
and I'm on my best behavior
I can't take it anymore
I just woke up on the floor today
I've long run out of my last chances but she's on her way

If I had a dollar for every single time I fought her
I'd buy a handgun
but that couldn't shoot away
the bull's eye that she made on my heart

and if I sound like a beaten man well I guess so
but on her way is the sweetest prize and I can't let go

What I told her on the telephone was that I'd been so bad
I wouldn't blame her if she mowed down these wild oats I'd sown
but when she said she'd give me one more chance
I said knock three times when you arrive

will you?

here she comes again

Yesterday, I left the office early, at about 17.30 or so. I had parked just across the street, so I popped in and within an hour I was at the beach. I swam for about 45’ minutes and then I drove back home. Not my home, as the heat is unbearable these days, so I prefer to spend the nights at my parent’s house, up the mountain.

So I took the road from the seaside to Penteli. The ride is marvellous. Every time I do it, I don’t want the journey to end, especially if the radio plays some good songs [and I am lucky, as both Athens’ “alternative” stations play non stop music these days, due to their producer’s summer holidays]. But this time, it was magical. Because, while still at sea level, I spotted lots of clouds moving near the top of the mountain. So, when I was actually up there, I was driving in the midst of the clouds. It was, erm, cloudy…

I turned on my fog lights and started slowing my speed. Then I saw a couple of cars moving the opposite direction. They had slowed down as well. The drivers had their heads out of the window, smelling the mountain air and feeling the fog’s invisible touch. We exchanged a quick glance. We smiled at each other. It was like sharing something our friends would not believe. For a single moment, we experienced a miracle of nature. We were there, witnessing the clouds embracing the top of the mountain. And then I wished for some rain… I guess that was too much, wouldn’t you say?

It didn’t rain. But when I turned right and took the final, long and winding road to my parents’ house, the radio tried to console me for my failed wish… Some guy obviously remembered that radio friendly, hooky and so catchy Alarm track. God, it’s been 18 years since the first time I listened to it… And still Mike Peters’ welsh accent when he sings those kinda nonsense lyrics… well… it still appeals to me. It was a hell of a summer - but nothing’s the same without you…

Under the anvil of the sun
Sweat, like a train
I come, I come,
My body to dust
Scorched by the might of the sun

Burning light, burning white heat
Like wildfire
I sweat a fever
My body screams
Disintegrates in the heat

Our love is the faith that keeps on burning

I love to feel the rain in the summertime
I love to feel the rain on my face

Burnt at the stake, on a bed of fire
My body rises
Taking me higher
My loves desire
Is pure ascension fire

And then I run ’til the breath tears my throat
’til the pain hits my side
As if I run fast enough
I can leave all the pain and the sadness behind

I love to feel the rain on my face
(in the summertime)

off on holiday

Yup... Closed 4 business. And there's no business like show business but... I mean, who cares? I am off - and that's the business I am qualified to do perfectly!!! See ya in a couple of days!!!

does he...

· try to sing?
· show off his new dance move?
· finish a great joke?
· announce his early retirement from the show biz?
· admire himself on the video wall?
· believe he is not being photographed?
· think “that would be a great shot for my blog”?
· consider this night to be his breakthrough?
· impersonate some famous politician?

...Or is he under the impression that those other guys really give a flying fuck about whatever he may be saying?

Q & A

Q: How come you never say to any woman that she’s beautiful or something?

A: Because no woman I know is actually beautiful. It takes to see one to know one. And I have seen all right…

Q: You have seen what?

A: One…

Q: And what did you say to her?

A: I only said what I saw…

Q: How many times?

A: You ask too much...

dead reckoning

Zombies, man. They creep me out.

Looks like God left the phone off the hook…

happy birthday

Dear Angelina,

I know you turned thirty this June, but to me it’s like you are 32. Don’t get me wrong, you look way younger and, though I was born a couple of months after you, you have to admit that when we were together… I was the older one. And I liked that part.

I also happen to like you. A lot. With respect to your private life, I am not going to get into more details about our time together, our sex action, our habits and our small fights. With respect to my personal life, I am not going to get into more details about how I missed you and how sorry I am for all the problems my behavior caused us. I understand that you are a celebrity, and the spotlight is always on you. Ι also know it’s very hard for you to express your feelings but your eyes couldn’t help but showing how much you adored me, body and soul.

And thing is… you still do. Even after all these movies. And that’s the one thing I am mostly proud of. That I inspire you…

So, dear Angelina, it’s Tuesday noon, August the 2nd… and I honestly don’t know if I will ever see you again. I am not going to write down, let alone in this blog, all the things that are in my head, let alone in my heart – after all, you already know, don’t you?

But, I want to wish you a very happy birthday.

I think you are a great person. Gifted, charismatic, charming, positive. You can do miracles. You can do wonderful things. You can achieve any goal you want to. You can succeed in any field. You can be happy as happy one can get.

Beautiful, that’s what you are.

Happy birthday my dearest. You are the one.

Love,
Hector

P.S. I will try to reach your agent again next Monday. It will be August the 8th.

la patata list

TEN SONGS IT’S JUST IMPOSSIBLE TO LISTEN TO AGAIN

1. Deep Purple Smoke on the water [that riff makes me wanna smash a guitar. Not my guitar, though, Ritchie Blackmore’s]
2. The Doors Light my fire [When Ray Manzarek starts playing that circus-ish melody on keyboards, I think the world would be a better place without electric power]
3. The Beach Boys Surfin’ Safari [I mean, how shiny & happy can one be? Have mercy!]
4. Rainbow The temple of the king [“One day in the year of the fox/Came a time remembered well/When the strong young man of the rising sun/Heard the tolling of the great black bell” – ok, nonsense lyrics may be charming sometimes but… Pllllllllllllllllease!!!]
5. No Doubt Don’t speak [Problem is… it’s not that I have listened to it one too many times. Problem is I couldn’t stand it in the first place!!! Urghhhhhhh]
6. The Dandy Warhols Bohemian like you [ok, almost any Dandies song would do, but because of the Vodafone ad, this pretentious indie-trying-to-become-stadium-rock song just gets on my nerves!!!]
7. Tiesto Adagio for strings [The Americans use Samuel Barber’s “original” version everytime a President of the US dies and the Nation’s in mourning. Every single time I listen to it, I feel like a President of the US. Dead…]
8. U2 I still haven’t found what I'm looking for [Let’s say you’re a man, and 18 years after your declaration, you STILL cannot seem to find what the fuck you have been looking for all this time. Wouldn’t you say it’s high time you stopped moaning??? Bono Vox my ass!!!]
9. The Rolling Stones Angie [“…With no loving in our souls and no money in our coats…” There is nothing worse than a cocaine addicted millionaire impersonating a blues singer in no-way-I-am-having-a-mid-life-crisis-as-I-am-on-top-of-the-world crisis. But I could live with that. It’s the song itself that makes even other Stones’ dreadful song sound almost good by comparison]
10. The Kelly Family Fell in love with an alien [for once, words actually fail me]

sealed with a kiss

Love making is marvelous of course, no doubt about that…
However, I believe that some things are underrated: kissing and sleeping together [as actually waking up together, instead of lying in bed for a couple of hours due to the intercourse].
A kiss may be much more than just a lip touching, fluid exchanging experience. Depending on one’s technique and passion it may mean almost everything, the ultimate commitment, if u like… The pleasure can last for countless hours, and the variations are too many to mention – in a nutshell, the list is endless. And the perfect kiss should be endless as well.
Now, as far as sleeping together, it’s no wonder why fans of the old fashioned one night stand usually try to avoid spending the entire night at their new acquaintance’s residence… Because, when you share the same bed with someone, that’s something way more than just a silent compromise or a mutual agreement to try to do whatever. It’s the safety that the male inspires to his lover. The tenderness they have for one another. Her gentle touch during the night. The moaning. The hugs. Even the snoring [in a way and up to a certain level, of course, hahaha].
Most of all, what matters is who's the first person you see right the minute you open your eyes [unless you are into threesome's, it's, most propably, the same person, you saw last, before closing them], first thing in the morning. Messy hair, saliva on the pillow, strange positioning, talking in one’s sleep, morning erection… all that. The intimacy can kill every romantic aspect or can grow it even stronger…
So, I don’t wanna underestimate the value of good old shagging – nope!!! On the contrary, a penetration symbolizes much more than meets the eye [unless the eye watches only porn…hahaha].
BUT, sometimes, a kiss can haunt you forever and a night you've spent holding your lover tight can actually be the best night of your life. May you will be able and worthy to repeat it every night. Till death do you apart…

pre-season cliché

Apologies to my beloved visitors from abroad, but this one has to be in greek

· H μεγάλη μεταγραφή της ομάδας θα είναι η επιστροφή του κόσμου στο γήπεδο και τα περσινά αποκτήματα, που έχουν πλέον ενσωματωθεί πλήρως.
· Ο βετεράνος αμυντικός παρουσιάζει ένα νέο πρόσωπο στις προπονήσεις: ευδιάθετος, όλο «πειράζει» τους νέους του συμπαίκτες και παρασέρνει με το πάθος του όλη την ομάδα.
· «Φέτος θα είναι η χρονιά μας», δήλωσε ο Ρουμάνος μεσοεπιθετικός της ομάδας, θέλοντας, με αυτό τον τρόπο, να ξορκίσει το κακό πρόσωπο της περσινής χρονιάς!
· «Σημασία σε αυτά τα φιλικά παιχνίδια δεν έχει το αποτέλεσμα, αλλά το “ροντάρισμα" της ομάδας”, δήλωσε ο προπονητής μετά την φιλική ήττα από την Γκρασχόπερς με 0-7.
· Δεν μας ενδιαφέρουν οι ηχηρές κινήσεις των άλλων ομάδων. Εμείς δουλεύουμε βάσει προγράμματος.
· Έφεση άσκησε ο Άρης, ελπίζοντας στη ΦΙΦΑ, για να παραμείνει στην Α’ Εθνική.
· Ο Αχιλλέας Μπέος δήλωσε απλός «φίλαθλος» του Πανιωνίου.
· Ο Σωκράτης Κόκκαλης δήλωσε ότι δεν έχει γνωρίσει ποτέ στη ζωή του τον Τάκη Τσουκαλά.
· Ολυμπιακός γεννιέσαι, δε γίνεσαι.
· Ο Φίγκο στο λιμάνι!
· Στόχος μας είναι η παραμονή. Από εκεί και πέρα, ό,τι παραπάνω καταφέρουμε θα είναι ευπρόσδεκτο!
· Ραντεβού Τζίγγερ-Υπουργού για το γηπεδικό!
· Έβγαλε μάτια ο Ανατολάκης στο φιλικό του Ολυμπιακού με την ομάδα επιλέκτων των επιζώντων από τις βομβιστικές επιθέσεις της 11ης Σεπτεμβρίου. Ο διεθνής αμυντικός φάνηκε ευδιάθετος μετά την μονοετή ανανέωση του συμβολαίου του.
· Καλές εντυπώσεις άφησε ο ομογενής επιθετικός από την Αυστραλία που πρότεινε στον ΠΑΟ ο Τζέισον Πόλακ. Σήμερα θα περάσει από ιατρικές εξετάσεις.
· Φέρτε μας τη Ρεάλ – αποκλειστικό ρεπορτάζ από την προετοιμασία του Απόλλωνα Καλαμαριάς!
· Προσφυγή έκανε ο Λάμπρος Χούτος για να μείνει ελεύθερος από την Τρίτη ομάδα της Ίντερ Μιλάνου!
· Έβγαλαν τυα κοστούμια τους οι Ίβιτς-Ντέμης και πήρνα μέρος στην απογευματινή προπόνηση.
· «Δεν έχω τίποτα να χωρίσω με τους άλλους τερματοφύλακες», δήλωσε ο 19χρονος αλβανός πορτιέρο που ήρθε με υποσχετική από τη Βερόνα και αναμένεται να γυαλίζει τον πάγκο της ομάδας.
· «Τα γκολ δεν τα βάζω μόνος μου – είναι όλα αποτέλεσμα συλλογικής δουλειάς», δήλωσε ο σούπερ σταρ της ομάδας, λίγο προτού τσακωθεί με τον προπονητή του, επειδή έγινε αλλαγή στο φιλικό αγώνα με τα Τρία Πηγάδια!
· Ο ΠΑΟΚ είναι η καλύτερη ομάδα στην Ελλάδα.
· Μαύρο ελάφι από την Αφρική εντόπισε ο Ληβαθηνός!
· Θησαυρούς στη Λεμεσό ψάχνει ο ΠΑΟΚ!
· Τη ναυαρχίδα της εθνικής Λουξεμβούργου απέκτησε ο ΟΦΗ!
· Επένδυση στο μέλλον για τον Ιωνικό με την απόκτηση δύο παικτών της εθνικής ελπίδων της Αρμενίας. Τα αδέρφια Μπαρδιζμπανιάν αναμένονται από αύριο στη χώρα μας – πρόβλημα η πλήρης άγνοια της αγγλικής γλώσσας!
· Ανιχνεύει τα Βαλκάνια ο Σέρβος προπονητής της Αθηναϊκού αανζητώντας φτηνές λύσεις για τα μετόπισθεν.
· Το Ζιντάν του Λιχτενστάιν φλερτάρει η Καλλιθέα!
· Λιοντάρι από το Καμερούν φέρνει ο Δώνης στη Λάρισα!
· Δεν τα βρήκαν στο οικονομικό Κυριάκος και ΠΑΕ.
· Λόρδος Μπασινάς – στην Premiership από του χρόνου [εδώ και 4 χρόνια] ο Άγγελος της Εθνικής!
· Τραυματίας ο Πατσατζόγλου – χάνει τη σαιζόν ο άτυχος παίκτης!
· Στόχος η Ευρώπη για Αιγάλεω, Ηρακλή, Χαλκηδόνα!
· «Λίγα λόγια, πολλή δουλειά», υποσχέθηκε ο Ντούσκο, στην επίσημη παρουσίασή του από την ΠΑΕ Ξάνθη!

Αναρωτιέμαι γιατί οι αθλητικές εφημερίδες δεν ανατυπώνουν απλώς τα περσινά ρεπορτάζ, αλλάζοντας τα ονόματα [όπου χρειάζεται…]