AthensBios

Back in Athens, at my parents place for what is supposed to be Easter holiday but for the time being is not exactly developing like one. At least, running tests on genes to propose a definitive set for experiments to Nacho back in Barcelona,while preparing an abstract for a conference with a close deadline don't exactly suggest holiday.

But all well that ends well they say and it seems that I can enjoy at least three days of complete un-distracted, flesh-eating feast, among family members and that I believe to be the most accurate definition of greek-orthodox Easter. I won't complain though, -even if it occurs to me that I always say that immediatelly after having done exactly that-.

During the last week I met beloved persons, hanged out with old friends, tried to make amends with old ones for having neglected them -due to my absence mostly-, have laughed with my sister, talked to my mother and quarreled with my father more than adequately, thus giving everybody exactly what they have yearned for, including myself of course.

Spring is the best time to see Athens at its real best, as in this photo, distributed along three different layers, set by its ancient classical beauty, its byzantine grandeur and its rather ugly, modern dynamism.My birth city, looks as beautiful, as dis-orientated, frenetic and self-unaware of the fake metropolitan magnificence as it has ever been. And I still love it for that, although I find it more and more difficult to bear. Thinking twice, love is like this, the more you understand you can bear someone the more you realize you can still stand it, therefore the more time you have spent with it, quod erat demonstratum...as some wise would say. I have not had the chance to walk around my old neighborhood that much, at least not as much as I wanted, but it proved enough to make me appreciate some things once more, make sure the Acropolis still stand on solid ground, remember primary school excursions in little hills that looked like mountains back then and to notice how, although we have all grown considerably, the streets where we used to chase the trolley buses have only slightly changed.

Saddest thing of all is that some are not with us anymore and instead of having changed, their absense is the same as ever, once you take the usual walk around their old place...

...But such are the ambushes that memory unwillingly sets in our way.

The whole working frenzy and memory lane strolling notwithstanding, I still had the chance to update my "custom tracks", some of which have been given the benefit to host really interesting things.

sound-track (top 5 in my mp3 player)
1. Horace Silver - Song for my father (accidentally bumped into it at a friends place, a precious jewel of hard-bop)
2. Thelonious Monk with the Jazz Messengers (found it back at home where I hoped it still existed and was happy to prove so)
3. Jesus Christ Superstar (well, it goes with the season...)
4. Camera Obscura - Eighties lover
5. Krzystof Komeda - Astigmatic (likewise 2)

word-track (books I have read or am still reading...) 1. Gerhardt, Kirschner - The plausibility of life. I had significant trouble finishing it and was quite disappointed. The whole idea about revisiting Darwin's theories is quite interesting but they have published a paper with all there is to say. To curious readers with biological background I would strongly recommend to stick to that only.
2. Marguerite Yourcenar - Nouvelles Orientales. I have stated my admiration for this great writer before and this book can not change my opinion. My french are far of the level that would allow me full appreciation but it remains a collection of beautiful stories, mostly dealing with the Balkans, which for a Greek is an additional plus. The dedication of the book to Andreas Empeirikos stimulates a bit of research as well.

film-track (films I saw lately)
1. All the King's men. A remake of an older film with a fantastic cast, an amazing Sean Penn and an even better Anthony Hopkins. A great storyline which makes you doubt a lot with characters that leave you with the bitter aftertaste of pure reality. Directed by Steven Zaillian who has also wrote the screenplay as he did for the Interpreter, Schindler's List and Awakening...I am waiting.
2. Pride and Prejudice. Absolutely brilliant! I regret not having seen it before. Makes you think how little is needed for a great film apart from a witty screenplay based on a novel by a good writer, a line-up of devoted and low-profile actors (well OK, including the cutest Keira Nightley...) and a director with some perspective. Come to think of it, maybe it's too much to ask, at least for Hollywood

waiting-for-track
1. Demetra to come back from her parents home-town
2. Demetra to take her out to dinner
3. To see how I 'll cope with missing the Champions League games for a second consecutive week for fulfilling the above tracks.