Yeah, you wish !

Shameless confession, I did plan on leaving without leaving a note, but since I happened to get hold of a computer and, ahmmm…” borrow” an internet connection where I currently reside I thought I’d drop just a line or two or three or...whatever and tell you what we’re up to. Truth is the past couple of weeks have been a bit frantic, trying to tie up all lose ends before I left my home base and take my xmas time off work. Best part was that *KirlianCamera decided that this was the best time of year to come down with the flu Actually I’m not being sarcastic, better now than during our vacation and better while he’s with me and I can take care of him (I think I have the “happy nurse syndrome” if such thing does exist). After all he is the best patient I ever had, so quiet and obedient, I wish he were that way when he is not sick… no, I take that back…

Anyway, we got everything under control just in time (only thing I couldn’t get under control is my message center but you know I’ll get back to you eventually ), I’m in Athens right now for just a short stay and the day after tomorrow we hit the roads heading for Peloponnesus (that's Southern Greece). The itinerary of the tour is still vague at least to me but I trust my guide completely, just wish us luck and good weather conditions and lots of good photographic opportunities.

And since this year is rapidly coming to its end and as usual I feel compelled to review it and reach a verdict about it, I can definitely and without a doubt say that it was the most fully lived and best year I've had so far. Photography has a lot to do with it since it opened up my eyes to the real beauty all around me and to what is important and constant and real and timeless. YOU dear friends have a lot to do with it since most of you were always here to support and encourage me all along the way and I know that even after all the silly thank you messages I constantly leave you I still can’t thank you enough. *KirlianCamera has EVERYTHING to do with it since he started all this wonderful trip and thanks is such a poor word particularly in his case. I just wish 2010 follows along this line, can’t imagine how it could be better, the same is more than enough for me. Just another year that I can live, really and fully LIVE it. And that’s my wish to you, a year that you really live and enjoy and remember for the rest of your lives. Thank you for everything, all of you, really.

PS Dear Santa, if you read this, I’ve been a really good girl this year so I wanted to ask you for… Wait a sec… Have I _{been a good girl}…??? Oh, forget it, just HAVE THE HAPPIEST CHRISTMAS SO FAR!!!

PS2 Sorry for the lack of features this time, I did find some amazing deviants since the last journal but I happen to be without my notes and without much internet time, next time the feature will be a double treat, promise



COMMUNITIES

It’s been a long while since my last journal. The fact is I spent most of my summer moving back and forth from Chios to Athens so often that I didn’t want to issue a series of “Hello, I’m back… Goodbye, I’m leaving” journals.

As anyone who was brave enough to ask about my summer holidays knows, I had a real long and really relaxing summer, its highlight being our visit to Milos Island. Yes, the skies were cloudless and the winds were infuriatingly playful, serving us generous amounts of waterspray and dust and sand and shaking our tripods (or so it seemed to my anxious eyes) but I enjoyed every minute of it. And fortunately, after countless wipings of the filters and countless prayers to the photography god that the tripod would bravely stand its ground we managed to come back with some pictures we’re quite pleased with.

In other news, a Greek photography site we’re members of organizes a photography exhibition and me and *KirlianCamera are taking part in it. The exhibition is from 24 to 28 September and if anyone of our local DA friends is interested in coming we’ll be so happy to meet you in person! The details are here [link] AND THEY ARE ALL IN GREEK, so if you’re not Greek don’t click on the link unless you want to go blind! So, basically I’ll be away (once again) for the following week, but I’ll be back to hunt you… haunt you… whatever, you know me by now

Signing off here, have a great week, be ridiculously happy, be stubbornly positive no matter what and BE NICE!


PS Once again instead of the usual individual features I’m featuring some wonderful deviants. Go and explore their galleries, they definitely deserve your attention!

FEATURED ARTISTS


COMMUNITIES

… So sorry about the pompous title, but I really needed to get your attention because I owe you a massive THANKS for something more than just the faves, wonderful comments, priceless support and love.

About a month ago I took part in a competition organized by the Greek edition of “Wildlife Photographer” and since the rules stated that you had to be in the top 20% of the votes in order to go to the second round where your photo would be judged by a committee of photographers and since I was way too late in entering the contest, I asked for your help to make it possible for me to pass to the second round of the contest. I was really afraid of that professional judgment but I guess I wanted it even more Your response was instant, surprising, moving and overwhelming for sure! Not only most of you tried to overcome the “it’s all Greek to me” obstacle but there were some of you that made a task of it and voted almost every day! I guess no amount of thanks is enough for this and this journal would definitely be written regardless of the result of the competition…

Well, the committee reached their verdict and as it happens Underneath the Veil got second prize!!! It was the first time I entered a competition outside DA and I am really honored as you can imagine. Just… with absolutely no intention of being bitchy, what came as a blow to my judgment was the fact that *KirlianCamera’s The loud music of the dawn wasn’t in the finalists. In my mind the most probable scenario had him on top of me ( ooops , oh, come on, you know what I mean)…

Anyways, the final results can be found here [link] , still greek to you, I know, the category we were in was “landscapes” (the right column), feel free to give me your opinion on them even if it’s the “what-second-place-with-this-monstrosity” type of message! You WILL be ed but, trust me, virtual slaps don’t hurt at all!

Also, the 8th place is =pestilence, if you want to go and give him a
Once again, major and massive thanks and s, you are the bestest… Really…

Signing off here, have a roaringly awesome weekend, have an explosively wonderful 4th of July (for my American friends), be ridiculously happy and BE NICE!


PS Once again instead of the usual individual features I’m featuring some wonderful deviants. Go and explore their galleries, they DEFINITELY deserve your attention!

FEATURED ARTISTS


COMMUNITIES

<edit> Still away from my base but since I got hold of a computer with internet connection I thought I'll give you a small update and ask for your support. I'm actually copying/pasting from *KirlianCamera's journal here, so if you read his and already taken action you may as well ignore this:

There is a competition going on outside dA that me and *KirlianCamera are taking part. The theme is about Greece and we are competing in the Greek landscape section. Out of all the entries only the 20 most popular will go through the next round to be judged by a committee and since we found out about this competition quite late you can imagine we are a bit behind. The first price will be a camera, a Sony A300 and even though none of us are in need of one we have a common friend who is expecting a baby and we thought it will be a nice present for them should we win it.


So we are asking of you to visit the following links of our entries and give us a vote. It might appear all Greek to you but all you have to do is click on the stars. You can vote more than once but only once every day. We need about 1500 each to make it to the second round so all the help we can get is very much appreciated.The deadline is Saturday the 13th of June


My entry is: Underneath the veil

*KirlianCamera is taking part in the competition with The loud music of the dawn


Thank you again for your time and help and spread the word!

In other news I'm returning in exactly one week with a huge appetite for glomps and hugs, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE

Take care all of you </edit>
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Silence is Easy

… but I guess I should leave a quick note concerning my immediate future devious plans. Not because I worry that you worry ( ) but because I want to prevent demonstrations of relief from those that miraculously find their pages and message centers hugs/smooches/glomps free! I’LL BE BACK Enjoy it while it lasts!

Seems that a very convenient two weeks’ period during which my presence at school is not needed has been created. Or it just may be that the nice people there created this period so that they can conveniently do some serious work without me totally messing things up with my constant, honest mistakes! Either way, suits me just fine so I’m almost already gonne! It’s not going to be a real vacation mind you, this time of the year whoever needs a vacation leaves the place I’m going to and comes to the place I’m leaving! But since fun is where the heart is… I thought it would be greater fun to make a certain deviant’s life miserable instead of just staying here being miserable myself while sunbathing and swimming all alone Makes any sense?

Not gonna be a photography trip either, although I’m taking my camera with me and although part of my devious plans includes blackmailing small trips out the aforementioned unfortunate deviant.

Anyway, I’ll probably be popping in and out of DA whenever I find a computer available to terrorize some of you until I have the time to get back to everyone who dared to leave a message or fav something ... And show you something new…or old… Till then, massive group glomps, hugs, smooches, hearts and love, have a great time whatever you do, be happy, be creative and be nice.

PS Once again instead of the usual individual features I’m featuring some wonderful deviants. Go and explore their galleries, this will be your homework and beware, I’ll give you a test on them once I’m back (after I have glomped you to pulp)!


FEATURED ARTISTS


COMMUNITIES

Honey, I’m hoooome!

Bet you didn’t miss my ranting, guess I should warn you: full blown report of last month’s adventures is following. Anytime you feel dizzy, nauseous or bored to tears stop reading!

My vacations as I’ve already told you consisted of two parts. First week me and my one and only 3rd grader joined forces with another school on a trip to Thessaloniki and Ioannina. As I had predicted there were no opportunities for serious photography since we visited the best places in the worst hours possible (that’s noon). I did manage to sneak out of the hotel at some point though and witness a pretty nice sunset and I did manage to become something of a joke among the students of the other school who didn’t know me (“the psycho with the tripod”! ) Well, at least in the beginning cause pretty soon I noticed that I had a steady little crowd of kids following me around, asking what each piece of equipment does, bending over my shoulder to see what came out of my “magic box” and wowing no matter what came out!

For the second part we joined forces with *KirlianCamera, used Ioannina as our base and explored the western part of Greece. And that’s where everything becomes a bit hazy. Developing a tonsils infection during vacation is definitely a very bad idea, especially if it happens to you when there’s no way you can find anything open to get some painkillers! Have you ever noticed how often we swallow during the day? Of course you haven’t, it’s just a reflex. Well, I have and believe me it’s way too often and it was way too painful each and every damn time! I think that after this I’m fully qualified to work in a circus swallowing pins and needles and swords and fire!

The result is that looking through mine and Kozy’s photos I realize we visited some really wonderful places which somehow didn’t fully register, I didn’t fully enjoy and I didn’t take full advantage of them. Most of the times I was shooting half heartedly to keep my mind off the pain or just to pass the time till Kozy finished shooting. Surprisingly enough I did manage to come back with a satisfactory number of shots I’m pleased with! And, to be perfectly honest, in spite of the pain this was absolutely and by far the best Easter vacation I’ve ever had!

As for the weeks after… I’m enjoying my post-vacational depression once again! I haven’t been able to conjure enough enthusiasm to do anything besides watch House MD for hours at an end, left my messages pile up, sleep way too much and have been totally and uncharacteristically restless when I’m not sleeping!

Still I’m back and very glad to see you again, hugs all around, enough with the chattering, enjoy the features, have a great weekend , be creative and be happy!


FEATURES: