Commenting on Pictures is a Pain

commenting on the pictures in my blog is a pain because i cannot see the actual picture, i just see the code for the picture; so, i will comment on them here. From top to bottom:
1: Petrini under the moonlight. i went on my first big trip, 2 hours, to petropigi to climb. it was pretty fun if not a little nerve racking. the bike ran well and handled the dirt road approach very well.
2: baby scorpion. i did not know that we had those here; crazy cool and non-lethal.
3: it is very small. that is a snail shell for comparison
4: paper beats rock: a large portion of rock fell at the climbing area because a tree root was growing in a crevice. this bolt plus the anchors of the climb were among the casualties
5: i love clouds
6: leaf veins are interesting, i like to think that if my skin vanished i would look something like this.
7: how many species of snails can you identify?

Cool Pics and Lack of News

hey all, no real good news just the normal. i have had a very nice long weekend, flu day + thanksgiving; there is also a chance we may have an extra week at christmas due to the flu as well. it is crazy how hard the flew has hit here, a bit scary i might add. well at any rate things are well with my students and my classroom; they are busy, i am busy, and we are all working very hard. the whole MUN thing is moving forward, and, if everything goes well, we will have two more conferences this year, plenty for me.

The Dakar's First Day of School

i know that these are not the most interesting shots but it gives you an idea of what my new transportation. as i go more interesting places, i will take a few more beauty shots. i'll post more over the weekend and hopefully i'll be able to get in touch with everybody. happy thanksgiving

Quiet Tuesday

well, tuesday was a quiet day. no big issues; a little bit of excitement in athens, but overall no issues. no news really just the usual.

You Know You Are Somewhere Cool When . . .

you receive an e-mail like this.

WARDEN MESSAGE
U.S. Embassy Athens, Greece

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 16, 2009

U.S. Embassy Athens and U.S. Consulate General Thessaloniki wish to alert American
citizens in Greece of the potential for large demonstrations throughout Greece on
Tuesday, November 17. Demonstrations are expected to take place in Athens in the
afternoon and evening in the vicinity of the U.S. Embassy, and in Thessaloniki in
the area of the U.S. Consulate General, as well as in and near university campuses.


We wish to remind American citizens that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful
can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. November 17 is the
anniversary date of 1973 protests against the then-ruling junta, and is often marked
by demonstration activity. In the past, some demonstrations on November 17 have
included violence and destruction of property. Americans are therefore urged to
avoid the areas of demonstrations, and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of
any demonstrations. The Embassy recommends that Americans in the Athens
neighborhoods of Kolonaki and Ampelokipi avoid leaving their residences between 4 pm
November 17, 2009 and 6 am November 18, 2009.

Traffic and public transportation in the vicinity of demonstrations are likely to be
adversely affected. American citizens seeking Embassy or Consulate General services
on November 17 should be aware that the Consulate General in Thessaloniki is
planning to close at 2 pm and the Embassy in Athens may do so as well. Many offices
may close earlier should circumstances warrant.

For up-to-date information regarding Embassy or Consulate General closures, please
visit http://athens.usembassy.gov/ or http://thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov/. In case
of an emergency when the Embassy or Consulate General is closed, an American in
Greece can call (210) 729-4444 or (210) 729-4301, and ask to speak to a consular
officer.

American citizens in Greece should also monitor the local news, and for the latest
security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor
the Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs website at http://www.travel.state.gov,
where the current Worldwide Cautions, Travel Alerts, and Travel Warnings can be
found. American citizens may also obtain up-to-date information on security
conditions overseas by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States or
Canada, and 1-202-501-4444 from overseas. These numbers are available from 8:00
a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal
holidays). American citizens living or traveling abroad are encouraged to register
with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department's travel
registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/.

For up-to-date information on current security conditions, Americans may also
contact the U.S. Embassy in Athens or Consulate General in Thessaloniki at the
numbers below. Please pass this information on to other Americans.

U.S. Embassy in Athens U.S. Consulate General in
Thessaloniki

91 Queen Sophias Avenue 43 Tsimiski Street

Tel. 210-721-2951 Tel.
2310-242905





This email is UNCLASSIFIED.


I'll let you know how everything goes. Hope it is not overrated.