#12 Making Excuses

So, I realize that I haven’t posted in….yup that’s about 9 months now. BUT I have my reasons. Here they are in a neatly made little list:

1. I was working at an overnight summer camp in New Hampshire for six weeks in the summer (and we all know that the internet there can’t be good).
2. I left for Italy for the year (which is where I am as I’m typing this now)
3. I’m learning a foreign language (Italian obviously)
4. It turns out doing all of my work in my second language is really hard!
5. I was busy having a real life

So you see folks, I think my lack of posting is completely excusable.  And with that, I’ve just demonstrated exactly what I’m posting about today. EXCUSES!

I can’t tell you how many I’ve heard from friends, family members and other miscellaneous Greek-Americans.  For instance, how many times have I uttered, “I really have tried learning Greek, but it’s really hard to do without a teacher and I don’t have time and I really need to learn this other language first and I can’t learn Greek until I’m fluent in this language because I’ll get too confused and….”

You get the picture.

Sure everybody makes excuses, but Greeks use excuses no just to pardon themselves. Oh no, that’s far too straight-forward.  We like to mix it up.  We can use excuses as ways to get sympathy, as a tool of rhetoric, as rationalization to ourselves as well as other, and basically any other way that you can think of.

Now, when I first started drafting this post in…January (don’t judge), I vaguely recall having some brilliantly related video or picture or anecdote or something to go along with this…but I’ve forgotten.

For that I apologize, but could you really blame me?  I’m living in Italy after all.  I mean, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I have to enjoy every second.  Surely I can’t preoccupy myself with a blog if it means sacrificing my free time!

#11 Nia Vardalos

Sorry for the delay in posts! I’ve been job searching (unsuccessfully) and traveling so that’s taken up a lot of my time.

However, since Nia Vardalos’ new movie premiered last week, I thought it fitting to send a nod in her direction. I was also inspired by Mr. Panos, of course.

There is simply no getting past it: Nia Vardalos is, more or less, responsible for the popularity and status that Greeks have gained in the US. We really didn’t have that much exposure before My Big Fat Greek Wedding became a surprise box office hit.

Sure, the consequential follow-up TV show My Big Fat Greek Life was nowhere near as successful as its parent film (I still watched it of course), but how many spin-offs are? Has any one seen the previews for the 10 Things I Hate About You TV series? Do you really think that’s going to be good? Of course not.

Anyways, I have yet to se My Life in Ruins (hoping to see it this Monday) but I will be seeing it…and I will laugh. And you better too. Because Nia Vardalos can do no wrong.

Here’s to you Nia Vardalos. Thank you for your work in the advancement of Greeks in American society.

#10 Being Nocturnal

Who doesn’t love sleep, right? 

Well, Greeks love sleep too, but we prefer daytime sleeping. As an insomniac Greek-American, I can tell you that nighttime is the best time to do things. There is seldom a time when I want to start doing something until about 7pm if not later.

This is a major problem in America (with the exception of NYC) because pretty much everything closes after 9pm except for shitty take-out restaurants like Wendy’s or whatever. In Greece, however, the real fun begins around 9 or 10.

When I visited family in Greece, my cousin George would stay out at the club until past 3am, even on the day that he had to drive me and my grandparents to the airport. Maybe not the smartest idea, but certainly the Greekest.

My Greek-American friends (that are really more Greek than American) live in households where the whole family doesn’t go to sleep until past midnight.

It isn’t that daytime isn’t great, it’s just that nighttime is better. Greeks recognize this and thus have claimed it.

That’s right, Greeks are cooler than you.