Well, I finished two parts of what is to be an epic 20-part story to Greece and back. Half-fiction, half-reality. Then I realized I don't have much time to write a part every day (it takes me about 2 hours per entry plus brainstorming and forming a story). So I'm gonna take a break, write about other things and occasionally release another part. It's easier to write about more recent things, so that's what I'll be doing.
Quick update:
- I've finally set a date when I'll be arriving in England: September 17.
- I highly recommend reading "The Rum Diary" by Hunter S. Thompson.
- I want to get a Doctor's degree in the future. Hopefully before I'm 30.
- I went to see the new Harry Potter movie. Cinematography was amazing, and as a standalone movie it was great, but overall it was just average. Probably as good as the Harry Potter series can get.
- Cherry cider is pretty good but as far as alcohol is concerned, beer is the way to go.
- Pizza Americana is one of the greatest pizza restaurats in the world. It's in Tallinn and you can order by calling 1337.
That's it for now. Check back for more stuff in the future.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Trip to Greece: Dawning Closer to the Heart of Darkness (Part 2)
Love strikes at unexpected times and I'm at the Latvian airport having coffee with one of the cutest girls I've seen in months. We met about 5 minutes ago. I think about how time is a funny thing...
23 minutes and 39 seconds ago...
My plane just landed and the masses are squeezing out of the tube with all their luggage. As I wait for my turn to make a run for it, I realize it's such an orderly chaos. You'd think it was D-Day, people lining up before the door, the strange silence, quiet shuffle and witty comments before the door is opened and everyone, one by one, jump out of the darn thing about to face some unknown enemy the press has described as the biggest monster the free world has faced.
The flight itself was pretty boring. For most of it, I read the magazine I brought with me, but when I got another idea and realized I'd put away my backpack with my notebooks in the locker, I started scribbling on the sick bag (I was fortunate to have kept the black pen I used before in my pocket). The person next to me looked at me with curiosity, which distracted me to no end. Suddenly I sneezed, then took advantage of the situation, looked up at her, gave her an encouraging smile and told her that the swine flu is no laughing matter. She became uneasy and decided to take a short nap, allowing me to finish my writing in peace.
As I walk out of the gate, I think of ways I could waste time before my flight onward. Not being the shopping type, I decide I'll start my stay by getting rid of the coffee I drank before and replacing it with a new one and so I set out to find a bathroom.
The first one is a couple of steps away, but there's one hell of a queue. I readjust my goal to "find a bathroom without a long queue" and continue walking down the long road. 30 meters later, I find one that's got a more manageable queue and I take the title as last. Until another man arrives, takes it from me, and then returns it to me as he hurries off. As I'm standing right in front of the door, a girl approaches me and asks me if there's someone inside.
"No, I just enjoy standing in front of bathrooms. I find the view quite nice, don't you?"
She realizes it was quite the silly question and stands next to me a little ashamed. She's a brunette, long, beautiful hair, according to my estimation, some Asian blood in her, 18-20, and eyes to kill for. The guy who used to be last until I kicked him off his throne exits the bathroom and I gesture inside.
"After you."
She lightens up.
"Thanks."
As I wait longer, the guy who just left returns. He probably forgot something. You don't return here unless you forgot something.
The girls exits and immediately the guy asks me if he can go in for a second and get his sunglasses. "Yeah, go ahead."
The girl thanks me again and starts walking off.
"Hey, how about coffee or something?"
She stops, thinks for a moment and then says "Sure."
"Great, I'll be right back."
I make room for more coffee and wash my hands.
I get together with her again, and we walk off to some random airport cafe. We sit down and I think about how time is a funny thing - you manage to finish a thought and it's already become part of the past. We drink, we talk. She tells me her name is Elisabeth.
"Oh, I know one of those. She lives in Spain."
As if that wasn't enough of a coincidence, she tells me that's where she's heading; Jerez de la Frontera to meet up with a couple of friends and then drive to some beach in Cadiz. When she explains her plans in further detail, I feel like immediately just buying a ticket to Spain instead. A sense of desperation - I'd do anything to go with her, meet her friends, go party at the beach, perhaps a romantic evening alone...Ah, snap out of it! I start telling her about my plans, exaggerating a few minor details to sound more impressive. We then move on to talk about future plans. She's not sure whether she wants to become a lawyer or fashion designer. I tell her my usual advice - do what you like - and then explain how I want to do writing and potentially try journalism. Minutes add up to an hour and soon a voice announces that Elisabeth's plane is boarding. She quickly gathers her things, thanks me for the coffee, and runs off. It takes me a moment to realize that she never gave me her contact information. Was it me or did she just forget? I will never find out. I walk to my gate, sit down, scribble down a couple of notes in my notebook and then read my magazine.
28 minutes later, there's an announcement and people line up to board the plane. I keep on reading, waiting for the line to get shorter before I hop in. It never seems to get shorter, so I just join the crowd. As I wait, I notice that the two people in front of me are athletes. And they...They're from Mexico? MEXICO! Oh damn it. Didn't the reports say that the first cases of swine flu were from there? Deaths, even. Oh, fuck. It's over. I knew that my swine flu joking would catch up with me eventually. I'm dead. We're all dead. I should have stayed home!
23 minutes and 39 seconds ago...
My plane just landed and the masses are squeezing out of the tube with all their luggage. As I wait for my turn to make a run for it, I realize it's such an orderly chaos. You'd think it was D-Day, people lining up before the door, the strange silence, quiet shuffle and witty comments before the door is opened and everyone, one by one, jump out of the darn thing about to face some unknown enemy the press has described as the biggest monster the free world has faced.
The flight itself was pretty boring. For most of it, I read the magazine I brought with me, but when I got another idea and realized I'd put away my backpack with my notebooks in the locker, I started scribbling on the sick bag (I was fortunate to have kept the black pen I used before in my pocket). The person next to me looked at me with curiosity, which distracted me to no end. Suddenly I sneezed, then took advantage of the situation, looked up at her, gave her an encouraging smile and told her that the swine flu is no laughing matter. She became uneasy and decided to take a short nap, allowing me to finish my writing in peace.
As I walk out of the gate, I think of ways I could waste time before my flight onward. Not being the shopping type, I decide I'll start my stay by getting rid of the coffee I drank before and replacing it with a new one and so I set out to find a bathroom.
The first one is a couple of steps away, but there's one hell of a queue. I readjust my goal to "find a bathroom without a long queue" and continue walking down the long road. 30 meters later, I find one that's got a more manageable queue and I take the title as last. Until another man arrives, takes it from me, and then returns it to me as he hurries off. As I'm standing right in front of the door, a girl approaches me and asks me if there's someone inside.
"No, I just enjoy standing in front of bathrooms. I find the view quite nice, don't you?"
She realizes it was quite the silly question and stands next to me a little ashamed. She's a brunette, long, beautiful hair, according to my estimation, some Asian blood in her, 18-20, and eyes to kill for. The guy who used to be last until I kicked him off his throne exits the bathroom and I gesture inside.
"After you."
She lightens up.
"Thanks."
As I wait longer, the guy who just left returns. He probably forgot something. You don't return here unless you forgot something.
The girls exits and immediately the guy asks me if he can go in for a second and get his sunglasses. "Yeah, go ahead."
The girl thanks me again and starts walking off.
"Hey, how about coffee or something?"
She stops, thinks for a moment and then says "Sure."
"Great, I'll be right back."
I make room for more coffee and wash my hands.
I get together with her again, and we walk off to some random airport cafe. We sit down and I think about how time is a funny thing - you manage to finish a thought and it's already become part of the past. We drink, we talk. She tells me her name is Elisabeth.
"Oh, I know one of those. She lives in Spain."
As if that wasn't enough of a coincidence, she tells me that's where she's heading; Jerez de la Frontera to meet up with a couple of friends and then drive to some beach in Cadiz. When she explains her plans in further detail, I feel like immediately just buying a ticket to Spain instead. A sense of desperation - I'd do anything to go with her, meet her friends, go party at the beach, perhaps a romantic evening alone...Ah, snap out of it! I start telling her about my plans, exaggerating a few minor details to sound more impressive. We then move on to talk about future plans. She's not sure whether she wants to become a lawyer or fashion designer. I tell her my usual advice - do what you like - and then explain how I want to do writing and potentially try journalism. Minutes add up to an hour and soon a voice announces that Elisabeth's plane is boarding. She quickly gathers her things, thanks me for the coffee, and runs off. It takes me a moment to realize that she never gave me her contact information. Was it me or did she just forget? I will never find out. I walk to my gate, sit down, scribble down a couple of notes in my notebook and then read my magazine.
28 minutes later, there's an announcement and people line up to board the plane. I keep on reading, waiting for the line to get shorter before I hop in. It never seems to get shorter, so I just join the crowd. As I wait, I notice that the two people in front of me are athletes. And they...They're from Mexico? MEXICO! Oh damn it. Didn't the reports say that the first cases of swine flu were from there? Deaths, even. Oh, fuck. It's over. I knew that my swine flu joking would catch up with me eventually. I'm dead. We're all dead. I should have stayed home!
Trip to Greece: Journey Into The Heart of Darkness (Part 1)
I wake up at 5 in the morning, brush my teeth, and prepare to embark upon a journey on epic proportions. My suitcase packed, I check my backpack. Two notebooks, a magazine, plane ticket, passport, 4 black pens, and all kinds of assorted candies and souvenirs meant to be given as gifts. Nothing illegal - I make sure of that. Leave behind all matches, knives, and liquids. Push comes to shove, plenty of chances to stab someone with that metal knife they give on the plane, I think.
Satisfied with the contents of the backpack, I take one last look around the room, get keys off the table and exit the building. The cab I called last night is waiting for me patiently. I throw the suitcase in the trunk, get in, and tell the guy to take me to the airport.
"See the game last night?" he asks me.
"Sorry?"
"The football game."
"No."
"Ah, shame. ______ (some random name I forgot) scored quite a goal. The ball bounced off the post and closely missed the goalie. You follow any other sports?"
"Afraid I don't, sorry."
"Ah."
The rest of the ride passes in silence. I try to block out the awkwardness by staring outside the window and think my own thoughts. 23 minutes later, I'm at the entrance of the airport, about 120EEK poorer. I check in, get rid of my luggage, and go to a nearby cafe for the purpose of eating breakfast and wasting a couple of extra minutes.
"Good morning."
"Hey. Can I get a Coke and one of those ham sandwiches over there?"
"Of course."
She gets the sandwich and then approaches the coffee machine, making some of the blackest, darkest coffee I've ever seen.
"That'll be 75."
"Uhh...yeah. I...This doesn't look like Coke," I tell her, pointing at the coffee. "Unless you boil it."
She looks surprised and ashamed at the same time. "Oh my god, I'm sorry. It's early in the morning and I guess I confused you with the guy that came before you. He ordered coffee."
"It's ok. I'll just have this. Need to wake up anyway. Thanks."
I pay the woman and start eating my sandwich, drinking my coffee. Greece. After 2 years, I'm going back. It's kind of surreal, but most of all, it's exciting. Has the place changed? Have the people changed? How am I going to spend my week there? I sit there in silence for a while, then get out my little brown notebook and scribble down a couple of notes on potential future TV series. I scratch my non-existent beard for a moment, then check the time, finish my coffee, and move towards the security check.
Satisfied with the contents of the backpack, I take one last look around the room, get keys off the table and exit the building. The cab I called last night is waiting for me patiently. I throw the suitcase in the trunk, get in, and tell the guy to take me to the airport.
"See the game last night?" he asks me.
"Sorry?"
"The football game."
"No."
"Ah, shame. ______ (some random name I forgot) scored quite a goal. The ball bounced off the post and closely missed the goalie. You follow any other sports?"
"Afraid I don't, sorry."
"Ah."
The rest of the ride passes in silence. I try to block out the awkwardness by staring outside the window and think my own thoughts. 23 minutes later, I'm at the entrance of the airport, about 120EEK poorer. I check in, get rid of my luggage, and go to a nearby cafe for the purpose of eating breakfast and wasting a couple of extra minutes.
"Good morning."
"Hey. Can I get a Coke and one of those ham sandwiches over there?"
"Of course."
She gets the sandwich and then approaches the coffee machine, making some of the blackest, darkest coffee I've ever seen.
"That'll be 75."
"Uhh...yeah. I...This doesn't look like Coke," I tell her, pointing at the coffee. "Unless you boil it."
She looks surprised and ashamed at the same time. "Oh my god, I'm sorry. It's early in the morning and I guess I confused you with the guy that came before you. He ordered coffee."
"It's ok. I'll just have this. Need to wake up anyway. Thanks."
I pay the woman and start eating my sandwich, drinking my coffee. Greece. After 2 years, I'm going back. It's kind of surreal, but most of all, it's exciting. Has the place changed? Have the people changed? How am I going to spend my week there? I sit there in silence for a while, then get out my little brown notebook and scribble down a couple of notes on potential future TV series. I scratch my non-existent beard for a moment, then check the time, finish my coffee, and move towards the security check.
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