Author: Trish

LIVEBLOGGING: The Moon-Spinners

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When I was a kid, we had the VHS version of The Moon-Spinners that I absolutely loved.  I watched it multiple times, and when it was released on DVD I got it for nostalgia’s sake.  But I haven’t watched it yet!  I brought it with me to Greece (because it’s set here), and I had two very important questions I needed answered:

  1.  Is the guy still as hot as I remember?
  2. Is the cheetah still as awesome?

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  • Yuck, I hate how movies used to put loads of credits before the film without even a cool James Bond montage of psychedelic symbolism. 
  • Crete is on my destination wish list, but not the public transit there…in the 60s, at least. 50s?  70s?  I have no sense of the recent past. 
  • Hayley Mills is British? Huh, I didn’t remember that.

Fran:  I say, I wonder if you’d be so kind as to put that (dead fish swinging in her face) somewhere else?
Man: *stares uncomprehendingly*
Nikki:  THE FISH. COULD YOU PUT IT SOMEWHERE?  IT’S A BIT STRONG. COULD YOU PUT IT SOMEWHERE ELSE?
Man: *continues to stare uncomprehendingly*
Fran: I don’t know why one always thinks foreigners will understand English if one shouts.

Film and Television
No Merchandising. Editorial Use Only. No Book Cover Usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by REX/Moviestore Collection (1659596a) The Moon-spinners, Joan Greenwood, Hayley Mills Film and Television
  • I understand the Greek!! It’s like, the simplest words, but still!
  • Of course they enter town on donkeys while a fancy wedding is taking place. That has not been my experience…maybe I need to tour island villages until it happens. 
  • Telegram? Is this the 40s??? When did telegrams happen?
  • Musicologist? That sounds like a cool job, traveling around to find and record folk songs. 
  • You can tell they’re the female protagonists because instead of getting upset by some truly rude behavior, they put their hands to their foreheads and chuckle about it. 
  • “I bet the Englishman is super old and boring,” she says, not realizing he is a dreamboat. I HOPE HE’S AS MUCH OF A DREAMBOAT AS I REMEMBER. 
  • Those short shorts and THAT ACCENT as he vaguely threatens his stalker!  

Continue reading →

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

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Aristotle-and-Dante-Discover-the-Secrets-of-the-Universe.jpgI’ve already reviewed this book on my old blog, but it is one of my very favorites, so a reread was inevitable.  Even more so when I found out that the audiobook was read by Lin-Manuel Miranda.  The second time around did not disappoint; in fact, I think my love for this story grew.

Saenz is phenomenal at conveying incredibly complex thoughts and emotions through very simplistic language.  Aristotle (Ari) is a teenager, full of contradictions and self-doubt and chafing under the roles imposed upon him by others.  He does his namesake proud (not his grandfather, but the ancient Greek guy) by philosophizing about absolutely everything.  It’s beautiful, and so true, even if you’re not currently a teenager.  Although his confusions are age-specific, like all great truths, they carry weight for anyone listening.

I love Aristotle’s relationship with his parents.  Their conversations are honest and loving and difficult.  His family is not perfect (most clearly seen in their erasure of his older brother after he winds up in prison), but they are beautiful.  Beautiful.  That’s my word for everything related to this book.

As for Aristotle and Dante?  *swoon*  Not in, like, a dramatic sexy swoony-way.  Just in a melting swoon because of…yeah, the beauty.  This reread enabled me to see all the ways they say “I love you” to each other before either of them has a clue what they feel.  The number of times Aristotle says, “My dog is so affectionate, like Dante.  I really love my dog” or “Dante is clingy like my mom, but I still love her.”  Their relationship is the exact opposite of insta-love, and I prefer it that way.  More stories about people realizing they’ve unknowingly been in love for a year, please!

This book is everything: deep, meaningful, easy to read, and BEAUTIFUL.

GREAT NEWS:  Benjamin Alire Saenz is writing a sequel!!  Continue reading →

Workout Week #12

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Workout Notes

A couple weeks ago, I pressed pause on my workout goals because I had two weeks of friends visiting and vacations.  There wasn’t much time to work out, and I didn’t want to keep myself from eating delicious meals and snacks with them!  But now they’re gone, life has returned to normal, and I am slowly edging back into a routine.

This week started out strong, and I was actually looking forward to focusing on my health again.  This is in large part because when Jenna visited, one of the first things she said was, “You’ve lost weight!”  It was really encouraging to know that other people were noticing results, and I was eager to keep after that (especially since I’m sure I put on a couple pounds from all the food I ate with my visitors).

But on Monday, my foot was hurting again…I assume this is because I’m jumping around barefoot on linoleum.  I am supposed to go shoe shopping with a friend tomorrow, so hopefully this will no longer be a problem.  But it definitely took away some of my drive, as is obvious by how I stopped doing anything after Wednesday!

Food Notes

Much like working out, I’m slowly getting back in the habit of keeping track of what I’m eating.  Friday was my birthday, so I indulged quite a bit.  But even then, the mentality of healthiness is setting back in.  Normally I would eat something sweet for breakfast, and then get something sweet mid-afternoon, and then definitely eat something sweet at my birthday celebration.  This time, I just ate good healthy food all day and indulged in the birthday sweet (chocolate mousse – yum!) at night.

This is exactly the kind of balance I want to strike!  While my secondary goal is weight loss, my primary goal is to eat smarter and healthier.  I want to enjoy food, which means not eating snacks mindlessly.  I also want to eat real food (aka not packaged food) which, fantastically, is much easier in Greece.

Anyway, this week was not super exciting on the health front, but I’m slowly shifting my brain back to exercise and healthy eating!

NEXT WEEK’S GOAL:
Workout 20 minutes at least 4 times this week.

Sunday Summary #21: What’s on the Internet

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Articles

1|  Reading Between the Texts are conversations between Katie and her friends as they try to decipher texts with guys…and the results are shockingly accurate and painfully hilarious.  (p.s. it’s a series!)

K: Why don’t you just keep his number so that you can choose not to respond when you see that the text is from him?
B: Impossible. If I have his number in my phone, I WILL do something terrible. Like, for instance, text him at 2 a.m. to ask him if he thinks I’m pretty.
K: … Maybe it’s just better if you don’t have a phone. Maybe we could get you a carrier pigeon.
B: I feel like I’d probably just end up training it to go coo outside his window when I’m drunk.

Videos

1|  Emma Watson beat-boxes while Lin-Manuel Miranda freestyles about gender quality.  What a gift from God.

A Week in Greece #10: New Friends, Clean Monday, and My 28th Birthday!

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My Greek classes downtown are over, the friends I made there have scattered to other cities and countries, and my visitors are all gone.  This week has felt a little like starting over again, settling into a life in Pikermi.  I’m making friends, but (especially at the beginning of the week) I was kind of mad about it?  Mad that I have to start over, even though everyone I’m hanging out with is lovely.  I could go into a lot of detail about the emotional side of all this, but…that would take up an entire blog post, and that’s not what A Week in Greece is for!

Last Saturday at 8:30 p.m., Argyris called and said, “This is not a drill!  I will pick you up in fifty minutes!”

“Okay??” I said, glancing down at the pajamas I had already changed into.  I hurried to look like a human being again, then met Argyris, Dina, and Mark in the parking lot.  We picked up Erik along the way, but Argyris refused to tell us where we were going, only that it was a late birthday present for Dina.  We wound up going to an old Oriental Express train that’s been converted into a restaurant.  A live band played jazz versions of old movie songs, and it was really lovely.

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On Sunday, Dina and Argyris went away, so Mark took me to church with some other girls from the school.  It was nice to get to know them a little better, and then we all went out for burgers after the service.  I shouldn’t have eaten one, because at 2:00 I went to Anthi’s house to meet her friends and eat a feast prepared by her chef mother.  Next weekend I’m going to a conference retreat with all these girls, so Anthi thought it’d be good for me to meet them before we go.

On Monday, Continue reading →

I’m 28 Today!

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I was talking to Dina the other day about marriage and singleness.  She said that in Greece girls are encouraged to get married when they graduate from school – from HIGH SCHOOL, and that there is this underlying belief that a girl’s purpose is to get married and have babies.  I said the same thing existed in the States, although the pressure happened when graduating from college.  And then I said, “I wanted that really badly when I was in college.  But if I’d gotten married, I would probably be living in a suburban house in Illinois or Tennessee with a husband and kids.  I wouldn’t be here now.  I doubt I’d have a Master’s in Counseling….I’m so glad I didn’t get what I thought I wanted!”

All of which is to say:  my 27th year was a CRAZY one, and a great one!

While 27, I:

  • graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with a Master’s in Counseling
  • lived with my grandparents and parents for three months each
  • raised $27,000 in fundraising to move to Greece
  • went on a month-long roadtrip to 17 states
  • worked as a nanny, secretary, and librarian
  • saw Hamilton the Musical
  • moved to Greece
  • learned basic Greek
  • visited New Orleans, Disney World, Seattle, New York City, and Berlin

Putting everything in list form, I don’t know how being 28 could possibly top last year.  BUT, well.  I’m in Greece!  A stone’s throw away from weekend trips all over Europe.  And House Damaris is about to begin, and I’ll get to work as a counselor/teacher/secretary/fundraiser!  And I get to figure out if and how I will stay here after my visa expires…

Life is wonderful!  I mean, it’s also scary and overwhelming, but that’s a pretty good indicator that I have chosen a life of adventure.  I can’t wait to see what good and beautiful and heartbreaking and exciting things happen now that I’m 28!

Letters Between Friends: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DARLING

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LettersBtwnFriends

Dear Sweet and wonderful and ONE YEAR OLDER  (Tomorrow) Tricia!

Happy-Birthday-Darling

I want to fill this letter with so many wonderful things…that you would enjoy on your birthday (tomorrow)!  So here is my attempt…

PICTURE #1

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Photo creds to your mom.  She helped me with this one.  Your cat misses you, but because cats are so intelligent, he knows how important it is that you are there, so he completely understands.  He sits on the piano bench and only leaves to eat, drink, and use the litter box.  He’s doing great.

PICTURE #2   Continue reading →

The Bull from the Sea by Mary Renault

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51k61IaGEZL._SX321_BO1,204,203,200_Reading Greek mythology in Greece is such a cool experience.  The Bull from the Sea opens with Theseus returning to Attica from Crete without changing his sails from black to white, the result of which is his father, King Aigeus, leaping to his death from the cliff in Sounio.  I just went to Sounio!  It’s a real place!  With a real history!

That history bit is what makes Renault’s book so fascinating.  She does a remarkable job of interpreting myth as fact.  The supernatural elements of mythology are present in her stories, but with explanations that are easily interpreted as superstitions.  The people in this book believe in the gods and goddesses and fate, but is it real?  Or is that larger-than-normal boar simply exaggerated into mythic proportions?  And is that man the son of a god or simply extremely talented?  It’s such a fun balance, and perhaps ironically, it makes the myths seem more alive.  By setting them in a historical context and allowing for skepticism, Renault lets her readers see just how plausible the ancient stories are.

Theseus is a fascinating character.  He’s almost annoying perfect at everything…until his charmed life falls apart.  I should have expected the book to border on depressing, because all the Greek myths are fairly depressing.  They are lessons couched in stories, after all, and Theseus shows us that one can never escape one’s fate.  He knows, from the moment he sees Hippolyta (awesome Amazon warrior queen/king) that she will be his doom.  But knowing his fate, he embraces the good while it lasts, and does what he can to accept the fallout when it happens.  And wow, is the fallout depressing.  Murder and sacrifice and incest, oh my!  The Greek stories are never boring.

The one thing I found annoying was the way the narrative treated women.  To some extent, this is simply Renault being true to her source material.  And of course, Hippolyta is a force to be reckoned with.  But all the other women are stereotypes.  And Theseus himself is occasionally a hard man to idolize – he’s perfect, we’re supposed to believe, but he treats women as playthings or distractions.  They’re always around to serve HIS needs.  Basically, it’s super sexist, both because it was written in the 1960s and based on stories thousands of years old.  BUT.  Even though it’s problematic, this book is worth the read!

Mary Renault is a genius at breathing new life into old myths, and I’m definitely going to check out some of her other books!  I suggest you do the same.   Continue reading →

So…I Tried Tinder

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I’m (three days away from) 28 now, and still single.  I know that as a society, we’re moving past the idea of online dating as being “desperate” but…I’m desperate.  Not just to find a guy, but to prove to myself that I’m the sort of person who can take risks and step outside her comfort zone.

But why now?  Partly it’s because one of my super cool, super intelligent, super self-possessed friends started using online dating, and I figured I’d be in good company if I did the same.  Plus she shared some really funny conversations, and I’ll be honest – I thought it might make good blog post fodder.  But the second reason was my old boss’s visit.  Chrisette told me that I would be single forever until I was willing to fail.  That felt like a lesson I definitely needed to learn so…I looked into a bunch of different options.

Match, Hinge, and Coffee Meets Bagel were all unavailable in Greece, which is unfortunate because they are the most Relationship Oriented (as opposed to Hook Up Oriented).  Bumble works here, but not many are on it, and within three minutes I had run out of people to swipe left.  I signed up for How About We, an app designed to get people to go out on dates instead of sit around talking all the time.  But you get ZERO information about a person other than their idea of a date, and my hyper-sensitive trust issues were not okay with that.

Elizabeth told me to try Tinder.  I wrote back:

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And also: no, that’s what people use when all they want is sex.  She sent me this article that convinced me to give it a try.  And so, on the 14th of March in the year of our Lord 2016, I signed up for Tinder.   Continue reading →