Day 9 – Delos, Mykonos

Today a group of us headed to Chora to go to the island of Delos. I am so exicted to see the island after learning about the Delian League in Dr. Taber’s Ancient World. The entire island is an archaeological site with only 10% fully excavated. It is fascinating. We paid for a guide that showed us the ruins and what we were looking at. We saw the theatre, the house of Cleopatra (not the Egyptian princess), and the maison of Dionysus. We also saw the colonnade built by Philip V of Macedon. You can still read the inscription if you can read Ελλινικά (Greek). I’m totally getting a hang of this language, especially the script. We saw the Colossus of Naxos site and the remnants of it after pirates attempted to steal it. The guide was very knowledgeable and well worth it. He told us of the birth of Artemis and Apollo on Delos and of the purifications that no one may be born or die on the island. We saw the Lions of the Naxians and the Temple of Dionysus. I went up the hill of Synthos with the Kansas people to see the Temple of Zeus. We then headed back to the boats and to Mykonos. I found a stain on my new shirt that seems to be some sort of lichen so Delos has left its mark on me. I wanted something sweet to eat so I ordered a nutella, chocolate, banana, and walnut crepe. I also tried the hummus which was good even with the seafood in it. The San Francisco girls started shopping and the stores began to close for siesta at around 3. We took a taxi back to the hotel until we went down for cocktails served by the ugliest bartender ever. It was fun, though. Later I separated to find a gyro stand and found the others anyway. I hung out with Jared who needed a pain killer for his sunburn and I wanted something for my many mosquito bites I got on Ios. We wandered back to taxi square where I bought some sour cherry juice. When we got back there was a group outside of our rooms having a good time. It was nice to see some of them come and go and chat to them. I talked for a long time with Megan from Tennessee who was really nice.

Day 8 – Ios, Ferry to Mykonos, Mykonos

On Ios we headed down to the port and had some time so I went with the Kansas people to check out the nearby port church. It was gated closed but we snuck around the fence to get some photos. We only needed to waste a few minutes so we didn’t trespass long. We got on the Flying Cat 4 again to go to Mykonos. On the ferry there was half of an engaged French couple in my seat and they asked me to take one of their seats and, of course, I did. They must’ve got off at Paros because a woman said she had my seat after stopping and my seat was free again. We arrived on Mykonos and it was hot. We got to the Hotel Petinaros and got another very nice room with a second bedroom, a bar, a stove, and a full fridge. We then headed down to a restaurant where I had another gyro and a frappe. It was good but very, very strong. I love gyros. It’s all the tzatziki sauce! Later we headed into Chora to check out the town. They city is a maze designed to confuse raiding pirates. The city is so cosmopolitan. We checked out where the ship to Delos leave and saw the famous five windmills. John suggested that we get some lightweight long-sleeved white shirts if we were going out to Delos as there is no shade. So when we separated I went with the San Francisco girls to find these shirts. We found a shop owned by a nice Greek lady. She was very helpful in finding a nice Greek style for me. We then took a taxi back to the hotel.

Day 7 – Ios

Today we planned on taking a boat trip to reach some of the beaches that were inaccessible by road. However, the captain told our director that he was apprehensive about the weather and urged us to cancel. So instead we went by bus to Mylopotas beach just south of Chora. I didn’t think I’d like sitting on a beach relaxing and doing nothing but it was just what I needed. I’ve had a lot of stress at times and this is awesome to just not have a care in the world. I chilled on the beautiful beach listening to my iPod. I even played some sand volleyball which was fun. We played with a Greek basketball player who would sometime kick the ball like a football (soccer) player. I then shared a lunch with Shana and Tamara. I then relaxed with them on the beach. After a while we took a bus back to the hotel. I met up with Lance and Jared who were heading with Sarah and Chari to see Homer’s Grave. The taxi would be expensive so we looked into renting a car or an ATV. But they weren’t too excited about have as much of us in one car or renting multiple vehicles so we called the cabs. It cost €50 to get there and unfortunately most of the group did not have the money for the second cab so I went with Lance and the girls. The ride was long and well worth the €50. The views are amazing from the roads and the site is amazing coming from a social science major. On the way back, the taxi driver lets us stop for photos of the cities of the island from the distant road. We stopped off in Chora and found an Italian pizza place which was delicious and different, obviously, from the Hut. I think I got some sand in my feet from the beach because it is hurting and irritated so I headed toward the hotel. I stopped by a boutique on the way and found a neat Greek t-shirt. The owner was British and very helpful and friendly. I was wearing a Hollister tee and she had not heard of the brand and complemented me on my shirt. That made me happy, especially when I was playfully teased the other day for mixing styles while wearing another Hollister shirt with a “punk” bag. I found the San Francisco girls again and talked for a while before heading back down the mountain.

Day 6 – Ferry to Ios, Ios

I was afraid of waking people up coming in late but it seems those who stayed in Fira came back at about 5:00am. I mailed some more postcards after breakfast before we left for port. We took a quicker ferry, the Flying Cat 4, to a shorter destination so the trip was under an hour long. It was raining when we arrived on Ios so that sucked. However, our room is awesome. It’s the four of us and we have two rooms and a large veranda. We went down to port to eat where I had a couple chicken gyros. They are so amazing. We chilled at the hotel until about 8 when we went into town. Some wanted a group dinner but I wasn’t that hungry. The island is relatively calm because it is Holy Spirit Day, a government holiday. A guy I was walking with, Kyle, was trying to find gyros and asked some children where he could find some. He offered some of his beer and they declined. That is so different than America. I’m guessing it’s because there is no drinking age and the kids are around it all the time. There’s no forbidden vibe to it so they have little interest in it. We found the gyros and explored the town with Shana and Tamara, the girls from San Francisco. It is such a neat town. We headed back down to the hotel and the girls booked a massage for €70. I then chilled in the hotel watching a movie on the English-language movie channel that looks similar to NBC until me roommates returned.

Day 5 – Santorini

After I woke up I had a small breakfast of bread, jelly, and juice with Dan and Holly. After that I headed down to the beachfront to see it by day. I bought a souvenir ouzo bottle and filled it with black sand. While we waited we watched Greek morning TV which our tour guide described as a cleavage festival. Then we headed to Fira, the main city situated on the edge of the massive volcanic caldera for our walking tour. The caldera is amazing! After touring the city Steph, Lucy, Zaira, and I visited the museums. Then I found Heather and had a lamb gyro. I picked up some postcards and we visited some shops. I then visited the main church in town which is so fantastic inside. Heather visited the main museum as I filled out postcards. I mailed them and stopped at an Internet café to check in on the world. We then took a taxi back to Kamari with Shea and two girls from San Francisco. I went off to find a theatre because I saw one was playing Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End but I couldn’t find the one mentioned in the poster before we left on our bus tour. We traveled to the southern tip of the caldera for some photos. Then we went to Santo Wines for a tasting. I hate alcohol so I just hung on to the glass smelling the horrid beverage. John showed us where the cruise ship Sea Diamond sunk in April that he was on. He believes it was purposely sunk rather than salvaged so the company could collect €50,000,000 in insurance. Then we went to Oia at the other tip of the island for the famous sunset. It was phenomenal but we were rushed to return to the bus to leave before everyone else crowed the only road out of town. I went back to Kamari rather than remain at Fira and roamed the beachfront looking for the theatre again. As I was walking back I found the bus stop where we left this morning which I was trying to locate and not too far from there I found the theatre. By then it was 10:15 and the showing was at 10:30 so I opted not to return to hotel to see if anyone else wanted to go. The theatre was small, yet very neat. The film was in the English language, but had Greek subtitles. There was a girl sitting next to me who was text messaging through most of the movie which was very annoying, but ignorable. Halfway through and rather unexpectedly, there was an intermission. It was odd and it confused some Americans sitting in front of me. But I guess it was a long movie and a good way to sell more concessions. I was a little surprised to see them bring wine glasses into the showing. The movie got out at 1:30 and I walked back to the hotel. I know going to a movie is something that I could do in America but the differences in how they are shown are very intriguing to me.

Day 4 – Ferry to Santorini

Today the day was spent mostly on the ferry/cruise to Santorini. Because we booked somewhat late, Zaira and I had to take a later ferry apart from the group. Everyone else woke up at 5 and after they had gone, I could not get back to sleep because of anxiety. So I mailed my postcards at Larissa Station and watched th e Greek music channel, MAD. Their music is a combination of hits from around the world. I never expected to hear some of our current hits in Greece. The taxi to Pireaus, the port city, took us by 2 modern stadiums built for the 2004 Olympics. Our ferry, the Diagoras, is huge. Our ship did not seem as packed as the others said there’s would be. It was a nine-hour trip but at least we could move around, unlike the flights. I am amazed by how close the Greek Isles are to each other. There was never a clear horizon on that cruise. Our ferry stopped by Paros and Naxos before Santorini. By the time we got in it was 11:00 pm and we were somewhat tired. We found our taxi and headed up the winding roads of the port to get to Kamari. When we arrived, we headed back with John to the group down at the black sand beachfront. I expected them to have done the walking tour already but they were going to wait for us. That was nice. I didn’t stay too long and headed back to the hotel to get more sleep. Our shower had no curtain because of drunk tourists continually ripping them down so that was a little odd but I managed.

Day 3 – Athens

Breakfast wasn’t very good in my opinion. We had bread, cereal, and eggs and the eggs didn’t seem completely cooked. Plus, I am on a weird hungry-but-can’t-eat feeling right now. We took a bus to tour the city. We passed a neat statue of Icarus in one of the many squares of Athens. Greek script is getting easier to understand and interpret. Once you get around the few altered glyphs it’s very easy to pronounce. The Acropolis is amazing! I was so exicted to see the Parthenon after writing a 20-page paper on Pericles, the leader of Athens during its construction for Dr. Taber’s Ancient World class. I took so many pictures of it and the other buildings of the Acropolis. It is so neat to see all of Athens from atop the fortress. Then, the group went to a nearby gift shop that we suspect our Athens guide has some sort of agreement with. We then got back on the bus and toured the city again. The Greeks have erected a statue of Harry S. Truman for the Marshall Plan that protected Greece following World War II. I don’t thing we even have a statue of Truman in our national capital. It was very neat for me to see the first modern Olympic stadium. I am a big fan of the Olympics and the Olympic spirit so that was a nice stop to take. We drove by the ex-royal presidential palace and ended back at Syntagma. We then broke off into groups and the Wayne people basically stayed together. We explored the ATMs and Hellenic Post before trying to find some gyros. We looked around as best as we could but we couldn’t find any so we had sandwiches. We tried to get into the National Historical Museum but it was closed when we got there. So we walked down to Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Steph and I were able to figure out the Roman baths before we found the sign. We rock. There’s not much of the temple but it is still fascinating. We then tried to find the Acropolis museum but basically wasted time. We explored the plaka more before heading toward the National Archaeological Museum which was also closed, so we walked back to the hotel. At night, I wanted to head back into the city but I wasn’t sure where to go so I just chilled on the hotel roof. I am excited to return to Athens after the islands.

Days 1 & 2 – Transatlantic Flight, Athens

Transatlantic flights can be very confusing and disorienting. Zaira and I left Denver at around 2:00 pm and arrive in Munich at 8:00 am. There was an 8 hour time difference so I basically lost a night of sleep. It is very hard for me to sleep on moving vehicles so I really lost that night. And because of the ear-popping fun I was pseudo-deaf upon landing in Europe. I usually enjoy flying but after hours of it, I am sick of it. Athens is very nice and surprising. There were no customs for us, unlike in Munich, and they use Mercedes as taxis. It’s quite strange because when you think about coming to Europe, you fear that you will get lost in a language but in reality, Europe is very multilingual in most aspects. Everything pertinent is written first in the native language followed by English. Primarily everything in Greece is Greek, naturally, but English is well known here. It makes me wonder about those English-only programs in the United States. It seems so backwards as Europe deals with multilinguism on a constant basis. When we arrived we checked into the hotel and I met my roommates. I am with Shea from WSC and Lance and Jared from Kansas. As a group we took the metro to Syntagma Square where we saw the shops of the plaka. The metro is very nice because of the Olympics in 2004. The tour director, John, told us about the evil eye charm that keeps away evil spirits and worry bead that Greek men use to pass boredom. We then checked out the Roman Forum before splitting for free time. I picked up some postcards but mainly window shopped. Greeks are very friendly. We had a three-course Greek meal as a group which was very good. I am surprised by the number of stray dogs throughout the city. It’s also strange to see the streets paved in marble. The footsteps continually polish the stone and it is so common. It is so expensive to have a marble bathroom in the states but here, it is pavement. Our weather was unusual in the fact that it was raining which is very uncommon but welcome in Greece. After the introductory tour we returned to hotel allowing me to catch up on 32 hours of lost sleep.

Finally, Some Progression

Are we gearing up for hopefully a final season? It looks that way on Smallville. Note: If you haven't seen the finale don't yell at me if I spoil things. Big News! They killed Lana! 6 years in the making. We knew Lois was the one to hook up with Superman and for the show to stagnate this relationship with Lana for so long was an exercise of futility. There's a nice bit of nihilism when Lana finds out everything and actually shows integrity for once, just to die. This may make Clark even more cautious about his secret now. Also, Chloe's power seems to be the ability to transfer life essence via tears?! How strangely odd and specific is that? That's almost as bad as the ability to see through glass. But it possibly gets rid of continuity-wrecking Chloe from the story. Who knows though because I like her character. Lionel finally stopped being a Snape and picked a side. Or at least, his side became apparent. Lex is finally in trouble with the law for once. And Bizarro makes an interesting appearance. I also explains why the Kryptonite didn't work on him. So are they going to invent Blue Kryptonite now? I love this show's finales. They make up for all the angst and crap throughout the year.

Now, let's get Clark in some glasses so that people won't put two and two together and get him on track toward his destiny. "No flights, no tights" may be the rule but it's time to move on before it becomes ridiculous and monotonous. I know it's supposed to be it's own continuity with its own outcomes but if they don't move toward Superman, it almost seems pointless.

Omaha and Rain

On Saturday it was Free Comic Book Day. After I got done with work I went into Krypton Comics. The stormtroopers, Spider-Man, and Venom were gone but Margot Kidder was still there. I got an autographed picture and a photo of her. She's looking really good. She was very friendly and I'm glad I went in. While waiting in line, Matt, Jen, and Will were there and we chatted. They invited me to see Spider-Man 3 again and I was hesitant as I had already seen it but I went along as I had nothing else to do. I grabbed a nice stack of Free Comics and went over to PhantaC and McDonald's before going to Matt and Jen's. We watched Venture Bros. until Will arrived. That wasn't too bad. We then watched Night of the Museum which was OK, but I'm not if I'd want to see it again. After that was over Mandy and Cory stopped by and Jodie came and we went to get our tickets. We met up with some of their Kung Fu friends at Barnes and Noble as I read up on the latest Diamond and Spider-Man 3 game guides.

The movie the second time was great. I noticed more things the second time. I didn't see Willem Dafoe in the audience at the Jazz Club. Go now, look for him! And if it isn't him it sure does really look like him. After we got out there is a downpour. Now, on Thursday night I went into Omaha without a coat and it rained on me then. It was hot all day Saturday and now there's a thunderstorm. I got home and then went to church in Omaha the next day. We got to Westroads to eat and left our coats in the car because it was hot and as we left, downpour! We went to my brother's house last night for dinner and as we left, downpour! What is up with Nebraska? Oh well, love life because it doesn't last long.

Midnight Review of "Spider-Man 3"

On Thursday, I went into Omaha for the midnight show of the next installment of the Spider-Man films. This one had a lot more to go in on. Spider-Man 2 had to perform as Spider-Man did and it did wonderfully. This one had to preform as Spider-Man 2 did and I believe it is on par with the other two. Instead of doing one villain at a time, this film tried 3 enemies: New Goblin, Sandman, and Venom. OK, enough of the intro on to the movie. I'll try not to spoil too much so If you want full surprise, just stop it.

The first thing I was looking for was a consistent intro. The second one basically copied the style of the first and created a precedent. The third follows suit. Whew. I love consistency. I knew Danny Elfman would not be directly involved with the score but it seems they got everything he had done prior to the film. The new music for the most part, takes some getting used to. The "symbiote theme" at first listen sucks balls but it does grow on you like the X-Men: The Last Stand soundtrack. As much as you want to hate it, you realize it is good, and grow to like it, but not at first.

Three villains does affect the pacing, but not enough for me to realize that it was crowded. They did do something with MJ's character that made me mad, and if you've seen the movie, it's not quite what you think. When she gets canned (no spoiler here, it's at the very beginning), she never, ever tells Peter. She tells Harry for once, considering the theme of the first movie was "Don't tell Harry." It makes me have less sympathy for her if she's not being honest. It gives me creepy Lana Lang vibes I don't like. Also, symbiote-influenced Peter Parker looks a lot like Conor Oberst. Jodie agrees.

Venom was very well done. Sandman's CG was exquisite. New Goblin did at the end exactly what I hoped he would do since the second film was finished. There's also some poetic justice with the first film. The ending is very poignant and lost some consistency with no Spidey-swinging-happy scene to close, but I love the ending. It leaves room open for a potential, yet not-required sequel. If they do start talking about it, watch for news from Tobey Maguire. He's only doing it if the story is good and Kirsten Dunst and Sam Raimi are back. It's kinda the same way for the other two. My favorite scene has to be when Sandman first awakens after his transformation. The music is perfect and the scene itself is also very poignant. Cameos are fun, too. Stan Lee's is silly but so him. Bruce Campbell's steals the show.

My review: 9 out of 10, I still love Spider-Man 2, especially Doc Ock but it is totally on par with the other two.
DVD-worthy: Midnight run to pick it up.

Intolerance at its Extreme

These people are truly insane. The Westboro "Baptist" Church believe that everyone outside of their organization is doomed to hell. Their primary target is homosexuals. They are the people who picket funerals of fallen soldiers with signs that say "God Hates Fags." Why? Because those troops fought for America, a country of people who accept homosexuals and doomed to destruction, and the soldier's death is a celebration of God's judgement on this country. That makes total sense, doesn't it? Umm...no. I've never seen people so violently and idiotically intolerant of a certain group of people. It is funny when Shirley, the daughter of Fred Phelps, the near-corpse who leads the diatribes, goes on TV to "explain" her viewpoint. About a minute in, she stops answering questions and just spouts out her beliefs. The interviewers bring up new points against their church, she answers the same way every time. It's funny because she makes Fox News seem liberal. They don't want to convert you, they just want you to be aware that you're going to hell if you don't listen.

The six-part documentary has Louis Theroux, a BBC journalist spend three weeks with the insanity. We only see Fred twice during the whole film. The first time, Louis asks one question before Fred refused to answer any more. The question? "How many children do you have?" Fred says he's wasting oxygen and he missed his chance to ask a religious question. Louis just wanted to know what Fred considered to be his children. That was too risky. The second time he is allowed five minutes to ask religious questions based on his sermon. Fred answers with his hate speech and then Louis asks another. Fred answers "Asked and answered, next question," to every following question. He doesn't want to answer questions, he just wants a platform to rant his derogatory ideals.

These people are the epitome of illogic and failure to understand. Arguing with them is like arguing with a brick wall, no matter what you say, you just get slammed by a brick wall. The KKK believes that Westboro is a sick, ignorant group. How screwed up do you have to be to have the KKK believe you are depraved. To think that they believe in Christianity is a mockery to Christ. God doesn't hate anyone. God loves the world. They're very quick to ignore the parts of the Bible that contradict themselves. They love Lev. 19:17 where they shouldn't hate in secret but to tell others how they feel. They ignore Lev. 19:18 that says to love your neighbor as God does.

Videos:
Shirley on Fox News
Shirley on Fox News, again
Shirley and daughters on Tyra
Fred Phelps rants about Stewart/Colbert
Charles Firth talks, and flirts, with Phelps, Jr.
The Most Hated Family in America (1)
The Most Hated Family in America (2)
The Most Hated Family in America (3)
The Most Hated Family in America (4)
The Most Hated Family in America (5)
The Most Hated Family in America (6)