Charrette

Today the realization hit Professor Wescoat hard -- we're leaving Monday! So tonight, the architects will have a charrette. This apparently means a workaholic all-nighter to get drawings done. Mr. McCredie explained that the term comes from the French word for cart -- because architects at the École des Beaux-Arts used to rush to complete their drawings before the cart came to take the drawings away. So, it seems we will be working until the wee hours. I'm not sure what this means for us non-architects. I think I will be scanning all night. With good music, maybe some pizza, and the whole gang, though, I'm sure it won't be so bad.

However, the prospect of a night on the computer made me delay work on my thesis yet again. It was a GREAT beach day. I even have a minor TAN!!! For me, anyway.

Don't worry, pretty soon I won't be able to rub it in anymore!

Hump Day

As you may have noticed, today is Wednesday. This is not usually a big deal here, since our weekend doesn't start on Friday night. But this week, we have only a few days left on the island. Today everyone starting talking about winding down the work, picking up boat tickets, and otherwise getting ready to go. My response? Skipping out on the thesis and spending our break on the beach! There is really nothing quite like finishing a lunch that someone else made (and will clean up, too!) throwing on your suit and walking to the shore.

This is the life.

That said, I'm really happy to come home next week! DC folks, please mark your calendars for drinks on Thursday at 8 or 8:30. Anand suggested Chi-Cha lounge. Yay!

Lightening and Games

Last night we had lightening without the torrential storms. It was beautiful to see the flashes over the ocean while we ate dessert and drank too much retsina. Retsina is a white wine with pine pitch in it -- it's much better than that sounds. As a date exclaimed on my last trip, horrified when I ordered a glass, "you know that's the stuff that's too bad to sell abroad, right? That's why we stick pine pitch in it -- to cover the smell!" Whatever, we think it's fine.


After dinner, we played the Weather Game. This is where you pick a few categories and then describe one of your companions. Then everyone has to guess. I thought this had hurt feelings written all over it, but everyone has been nice about their descriptions. Last time it was harder, but now that we've spent 24/7 with each other for five weeks, everyone guessed on the first try. Here's mine, courtesy of Genevieve:
Person: Reese Witherspoon. Place: Midtown. Verb: Enterprising. Mixed Drink: Gin Fizz. Shoe: Open toed strappy sandal.

What would you be?

Lights out for Samothrace

Yesterday was another glorious 26-hour weekend -- a great meal on Saturday (I have learned to actually enjoy fish), drinks at a seaside club, and then a full day at Chipos on Sunday. I am turning into a stronger, albeit ungainly, swimmer. I even managed to swim to the private beach at Chipos without a flotation device! Olympic team, here I come. Ha.

Since it was such a beautiful day at the beach, about 20 kilometers from the hotel, we were very surprised to return to an overcast gray sky and a beach that looked more like the steely shores of Brighton than our usual pretty Greek beach. By dinner, a veritable monsoon hit, forcing us to eat in the museum and drenching our hallway, laundry and rooms. Actually, I liked it -- 6 weeks without rain seems so odd. Too bad there wasn't a lightening storm to watch.

The down side of the storm is that it knocked out power from the mainland, and by extension, for us. Everything is back to normal now, though. Just another sunny, cool day in paradise.

Wonderful and not so Wonderful

Last night we rented a car early. As you may recall, our weekend starts Saturday night at 6, but this week we decided to pick up the car on Friday. After dinner, we all headed out to the beach at Chipos, on the edge of the island closest to Turkey. It was amazing -- the water is full of phosphorescent algae, like little shining stars around your arms and legs when you swim. Before the moon rose, the stars were so clear that you could see the cloudiness of the Milky Way. Stunning. Genevieve made up constellation stories for us and I successfully drove our car around a herd of goats sleeping in the road -- it was a great night.

This morning, however, my computer power cord died. I feel bereft! That computer is my phone, my TV, my workday tool, the repository of my papers... I will stop short of saying my best friend. But I do love my little Toshiba. Hopefully a new power cord next week will do the trick. Wish me luck!

I love mail

Here's a shout-out to Sarah Heaton, world's best postcard-sender, and my parents, who sent me a box of goodies this week. We opened it up yesterday as soon as it arrived -- 4 waterguns, two blow-up sea animals (a dolphin and a killer whale, we think) 2 bags of Doritos, and 4 pairs of children's sunglasses. So fun! We took the blow-up dolphins out in the water yesterday -- they make wavejumping a blast, and they double as bolster pillows when doing the IHT crossword. We certainly got a lot of attention carrying them across the street to and from the beach! When I got back, Evangelia's husband and son, Nasos and Lucas, discovered the water guns... Lucas is in the army, so it wasn't really a fair fight.



Here's a photo of Eliza, Genevieve and me about to crack into the yummy Doritos at ouzo hour. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Greece is trying to kill me

Okay, so i spent yesterday morning in the clinic again treating an allergic reaction to raw eggs. I have succcessfully avoided my personal kryptonite for 22 years, and then in Greece I have two awful encounters within four weeks! What is going on here? I ate a piece of spanikopita, something I indulge in frequently in the States -- heck, I even make it at home a few times a month! It is a BAKED snack! So what was the problem? The Greek doctor and our hotel manager say that they don't bake it very long here in order to keep it 'moist.' Huh.

I'm pretty sure this was cooked, though, so now I'm a little concerned that I may be allergic to something unknown -- how can you avoid the unknown?

Grrrr. I feel gross and my dig-mates are pretty disgusted at the amount of raw egg we consume every day. For the first time this trip, I REALLY want to go home.