Militant shoppers and other forms of civil disobedience

This morning I stumbled upon this video from the bbc. It shows Greek 'militant shoppers' pleading with super market managers to lower their prices so that they can do their shopping. In the second part of the video, a driver refuses to pay the tolls and asks (calmly and politely) for the person who works there to get his vehicle number and have the company to sue him, if they so wish.

Various things came to mind when seeing this.

Firstly, needless to say that no greek media, to my knowledge, has discussed this phenomenon. But this is nothing new, that Greek media are corrupt and cheap.

Secondly, it makes me think that there is another way in that stupid country, there must be another way. Ever since the 'austerity measures' came to play, Greeks have done what they know best: they complain with no end, they become passive aggressive to people that are innocent, they moan, and ultimately they do nothing. They keep buying what they bought (especially for their children) and then say they have no money.

I am not sure Greeks can do civil disobedience very well, they are too hot-headed for that. But these people in the video proved me wrong. And I am sure I am not alone. In two old posts, one from me and one from youkali, we discuss what it means to be political and/or an activist in this day and age. It is important to remember that we are not sheep. It is important to remember that, if we live in a western country and are writing/reading this blog, we most probably are well-educated, fairly well off members of society. This, at once, makes us fairly privileged and at this day and age, one cannot take privileges lightly, one has to earn them.

Please vote!

Watch this video carefully.

And then tell me: what is the sluttiest thing about it?

a) Beyonce chewing gum
b) The transparent bra
c) The plastic guns (a classic phallic symbol...)
d) A certain ass movement
e) The lyrics (and their implications)

f) Surprise me...

The return of le freak

If you're reading this blog then you must know I have an affinity to freaks. I love Antony and the Johnsons and his starfish, i love Björk and Pagan Poetry and I adore, I adore anything by Tim Burton. Apart from his movies, i also love Oyster boy and the pin cushion queen. But most of all I adore staring girl, who found an unlikely friend in Florence and the Machine's song 'girl with one eye'.

Long live the freaks...




She told me not to step on the cracks
I told her not to fuss and relax
Well, her pretty little face stopped me in my tracks
But now she sleeps with one eye open
That's the price she paid

I took a knife and cut out her eye
I took it home and watched it wither and die
Well, she's lucky that I didn't slip her a smile
That's why she sleeps with one eye open
That's the price she paid

I said, hey, girl with one eye
Get your filthy fingers out of my pie
I said, hey, girl with one eye
I'll cut your little heart out cause you made me cry

I slipped my hand under her skirt
I said don't worry, it's not gonna hurt
Oh, my reputation's kinda clouded with dirt
That's why you sleep with one eye open
That's the price you paid

I said, hey, girl with one eye
Get your filthy fingers out of my pie
I said, hey, girl with one eye
I'll cut your little heart out cause you made me cry

You made me cry
You made me cry
You made me cry

I said, hey, girl with one eye
Get your filthy fingers out of my pie
I said, hey, girl with one eye
Get your filthy fingers out my pie

I said, hey, girl with one eye
Get your filthy fingers out of my pie
I said, hey, girl with one eye
I'll cut your little heart out cause you made me cry

advice

When you are trying to finish something do not take big breaks: they fuck up your concentration and you end up dancing in your office instead of writing things that need written.

But, on a different note, isn't this a cool song to dance to?

Lucidity

I wake up in the middle of the night and I have these lucid thoughts. Every night almost, I wake up for some reason and then i start thinking of something: an idea for work, an idea about the blog or just an idea. I think about it in amazing clarity and in amazing simplicity. All the lack of concentration that I have during the day, all the toing and froing of my mind, gives its place to the clear lucidity of the night. I think of beautiful sentences and I want to get up, turn on the computer and write them down but I never do. I am always too tired, too certain that I will remember them in the morning. But, sadly, I never do.

Preparing for the winter

Until some years ago, if someone told me that I would be writing a post on preparing for the winter on the 4th of August, I would laugh. But this is not some years ago, and i am not laughing.

The skin is still dark and shiny but it's getting white fast. The feet are dry and the legs need cream all the time. The eyelids are shiny and the hair is light. But the dresses that needlessly travelled back with me will not be worn. The excessive collection of flip flops will be used only for the shower. The sunscreens will expire and smell funny. The ankle bracelets will live in a box. The coral toe nail polish will be forgotten (how silly it looks on the white skin).

But it's not death, it's hibernation. Until the next summer, where i will be frantically looking for my summer gear, my sarongs and my cheap plastic earrings.

Summer, the season of democracy, where plastic jewellery looks good.

And speaking of sunscreen:

New life 705

Like the old song by StereoNova that i love so much, i am back and celebrating starting over, for one more time. Every year, coming back from holiday, i feel new, I feel that nothing phases me, i feel that i can deal with everything. Even belfast's grey sky.

But this year it's different, I have things i always wanted, i have happiness. And even if goodbyes are always hard, and even if nothing is perfect, i am happy.