Today's weather was unusually nice considering we are in the middle of winter. The last severals days, in fact for almost over a week now, had been nothing but heavy rains, strong winds and occasional hale. The strong winds affected my internet connections intermittently and the satellite tv was freezing midframes. The heavy pour soaked my laundered clothes from Tuesday hanging in the clothesline and as we speak, are still a bit damp. Yesterday, when I went to school, I walked through the heavy rains, with my shoes and socks soaked, my pants and feet wet. It wasn't the rainy weather I used to love back in Seattle, WA. Seattle rain is gentler, like misty drizzles. It feels good when it hits your face. It gets you wet eventually but you wouldn't mind. In fact, you look forward to it and welcome it. Seattlelites hardly use umbrellas or raincoats. They go about their usual business mindless of the rain, and sometimes in shorts and regular shirts. I used to do the same thing just in my flipflops to get my hot cocoa from Vivace, a local coffee shop, or hit the local farmers' markets for fresh organic produce.
Seattle is my adopted home city. I've lived and worked the longest in Washington State, almost 10 years. It's one place I would always love to go back to. If I wasn't in Greece, I would be nowhere but in Washington State, specifically on Whidbey Island♥. In fact, if my application for permanent residency in Greece fails, I will be Washington State-bound, no questions asked. I am a huge fan of the Pacific Northwest, which stretches along Interstate 5 (which becomes Hway 99 in British Columbia), from Portland OR to Seattle WA to Vancouver BC. One common denominator among these cities is their culture. They have a way of life distinctly their own, the local ambience, their character, their personality. The people are very diverse and very liberal, friendly and courteous, relaxed and laidback. Portland is like a smaller Seattle, and Vancouver is the Seattle across the border.
California, on the other hand...well, let's just say it is everything that is not the Pacific Northwest, and I am not and never was a big fan of either San Diego, or Los Angeles, or the whole State of California in general. I lived and worked there for two years and all I can say is that I am glad it was never longer than that!
Anyway, back to my unusual spring-like day here in Rhodes, Greece. The weather was so nice that I was able to convince myself to go for a short drive to Afantou Beach before going to school and the gym. Afantou Beach is one of the better known beaches in Greece and in Europe, having awarded the Blue Flag every year. (The Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label awarded to over 3200 beaches and marinas in 37 countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Canada and the Caribbean). I apologize if the movie clip/slideshow is a little blurry. The pictures turned out sharp and crisp but when I created the clip and uploaded it, the program automatically resized the pictures thus affecting the normal pixels of the photos.
Oh, the Greek school went well, and I worked out for 3 hours, including a 30 minute 5KM run on the treadmill. It was a very productive work out.
WORTHLESS RAMBLING OF THE DAY: It ticks me off to the bones when locals come to the gym and not work out like they're supposed to do. They, male, female and in between, show up fully made up, dressed up like going to a sport fashion photo shoot , only to either sit and stare, stand and gossip, or hoard an equipment for hours. Bad enough they spent, literally, too long hours on cafe bars chatting, gossiping, chain-smoking and drinking a single glass of sugary Nescafe frappe. They might as well just camp out in the cafe bars, order another frappe and continue their socializing and leave the gym to very few people who actually go to the gym to work out. Malakes!
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