Everydayness

I was shaken in the shot and I have four eyes in the photo.

# Sometimes we have to stand still.

Her first tooth came out before she was 5. Now, still before 5, she has two more wiggly teeth. Isn’t it a bit early? Oh, Athena, what is that rush to grow up? Don’t you know? Growing up is inevitable!

Today’s day is like a tongue twister. Trying to untangle the words, they tangle more. A duck but what a duck, a duck with ducklings (Greek tongue twister). Again … Faster….

As if I knew it yesterday. I posted it before it happened. And it did. Are two hours of sleep enough? No. Maybe I caused it. Surely I did.

Another urban walk in the cool but bright plain. Throughout the miserable situation we live in, I met many shiny, happy people. And that’s comforting, though temporary. I remembered my teacher in writing who was saying that happiness is small moments to be measured. At that time I did not understand what it meant. Now I believe I do.

Lately, there have been different types of people every time I open the sketchbook to design. I do not know who they are or what they have to say. This one has gone weirdly mad. I will keep distances. I might…

How much more meat to eat? Christmas, New Year. Christos’s, Stefanos’s, Vasilis’s name days …
Our muscles have grown from protein, we do not eat any lentils and if we do we are hungry within an hour.
Yesterday I opened the fridge, I took the turkey with potatoes out to eat and everything smelled meaty. Disgust.
And the radishes I ended up eating looked like caviar.

Salvador Dali once said:
What is important is to spread confusion, not to eliminate it.

And continued:
Since I don’t smoke, I decided to grow a mustache -it is better for the health. However, I always carried a jewel-studded cigarette case in which, instead of tobacco, were carefully placed several mustaches, Adolphe Menjou style. I offered them politely to my friends. “Mustache? Mustache? Mustache?” Nobody dared to touch them. This was my test regarding the sacred aspect of mustaches.

Two hours at the water supply company, another couple of hours at the bank, one hour at the telecommunications store, all of these to pay bills. Hundreds of people everywhere, arguing, fighting. Two times in the same row then bank system goes down, everybody complains, no transaction then the chaos. Back to the office, site and office are being renewed, everything in its wrong place, a mess. For some reason, my intuition protected me all this crazy day. So, I kept laughing and muttering “whatever” no matter the mess.

#Everydayness

I was observing a bunch of grapes (I can be a creepy weirdo) and I did the parallelism. Each one of us is different, other happy and exuberant, other miserable and pessimistic, other rotten and completely elusive. But we all hang under the same bunch, staffed all together, disparately similar.
Everydayness is my graphic diary.

Father and mother, waiting in the rain for Codot (pronounced konto, means short in Greek) to parade. All went well, but I just lost the video. Fucking technology !@#$%^**

S H I T!

Today, Everydayness becomes 3 months old. Like 3 months old children it took a lot of effort, care, and attention but it also gave me a lot of joy. Life goes on (fortunately) and Everydayness grows. Us too. Everydayness is my graphic diary.

Cheers!

There are many days that a thought comes and sticks in the mind (of course there are also days when no thought comes). And this has nothing to do with what you experience or think or feel. I simply wore a blouse with swans this morning. My mind took me to the swan lake which I associated verbally (in Greek) with the expression “circle lake” and then I visualized the expression. And that`s it. Void thinking, void drawing. No reason.
“Everydayness” is my graphic diary.

Hello, I am Gina. I can see, hear, think and talk as much as I can. Today I got another pair of eyes. Something like “big brother”…

New product! Eyewear for 4 dimensions. You see the past, the present, the future, and afterlife. So you do not need anything else. You save time and money. Do you want to go for a coffee with your friends to talk about new, stunning facts in their lives? No need! Put on the 4D glasses and know them all. Futurologists, psychics, even the cinema are over. Put your glasses and you know from the trailer the end of the movie! With the new 4D glasses you’re far beyond!

When I was young together with my friends we had built our own hiding place. There are many occasions that I go back to it. It is small, peaceful and secure. There is enough light and is difficult to find. It offers some kind of carefreeness.

A. The point to which someone is pointing the missile, the shot to strike.
B. For someone or something to which an aggressive, hostile behavior is directed.
At any time and where you are not expecting it, you may become the target. So, be aware!

My daughter realized I was tired today, so she gave me this gift. Today’s “Everydayness”. It is Greece as she senses it.
Thank you, Athena!

Today I bought a newspaper with an inset on Egyptian mythology. I remembered how much I like Egyptian art and I said to do some drawings these days …

I am not much of a reader. I would even say that I am quite queer with books. But one thing I’ve noticed and loved is that wherever there are books (library, reading cafe, home or office library) it is quiet. And quietness comforts me. Plus the feeling that time does not exist.

One of the characteristics I’ve gained while getting older is filtering. That is good.

Every day I see more and more clearly what they say that humans have characteristic of some animals. Many times we realize we belong to more than one species. I have not cleared yet. For ourselves, it is harder to say. For some people around us, it’s easier to say.

I heard that expression from a relative of mine (Pamela) about 20 years ago. I don’t know if it is being used anymore, or if it is old-fashioned. But it amuses me because I visualize it every time I use it.

Just this. Excuse me, but it is Sunday. Shiny and calm.

Dedicated to all girls (older or younger) who are kind of dramatic.
I was too a drama queen in the long past. It worked, especially with my father. My mother would catch it due to her personal experience. And me, as an ex-drama queen, I can easily tell when my daughter uses drama tricks. I don’t need these stuff anymore. It is quite dramatic from times to times, so I’d better lighten it rather than let it drag me down.

It is those times that you have to decide yes or no knowing that neither will have devastating consequences. And it is your guts that say “yes” and the logic or the boredom that says “no”. Well, I always believed why not? And either I won or lost it does not matter. Because what’s finally left is that at least I did not say no, I always chose yes.

Today’s “Everydayness” is the combination of 2 thoughts. One is Chara’s Orfanidou thought (whom I don’t know personally, but I saw that post of hers on Instagram that went like that: “Smile! Tomorrow you may lose your front tooth”). The other was my own thought where I remembered that perfect, dark, folk song that says, “Eat and drink and have fun, those who pass on the other side never come back.” For some reason, the combination entertained me a lot!

These days my feet have grown wings. I don’t have timeeeeeeeeeeeeee….

“Looseness is half nobility”, my partner at work said once. So I said to draw it, then print it on post-its and stick it everywhere just not to forget. Especially this period.

Today was full of work. Among all those things that I did was to try out a color palette. Finally, a patchwork came out. You got it… patch & Work… (bad joke :))

Here in the plain, when the north wind blows and has a sunshine (as it is today), I see the most beautiful colors of the world. The north wind probably pushes this moisture veil away and the atmosphere clears so much that you think last night there was a thorough cleaning. The color that dominates is green. In all shades. A wonderful, advertising Sunday!

Step 1: Κnowledge (From Wikipedia)
Physiological or biological stress is an organism’s response to a stressor such as an environmental condition. Stress is the body’s method of reacting to a challenge. Stimuli that alter an organism’s environment are responded to by multiple systems in the body.
Step 2: know in
Ok, It’s been worse, but I can say that this is also a stressed period and I feel like a cubist painting. My name could be Picatsu.

Several years ago I had designed this innovative product. It is called “Odontodeker” (compound word: odonto/dental & deker/word termination for mechanical devices). Eventually, someone got there first and the electric toothbrushes were slowly released (Isn’t the name “Odontodeker” much more creative that “electric toothbrush”?). My plan was to the unclaimed because no one ever saw it. But even though it would have been seen, it may have ended up to the unclaimed… Anyway, the reasons why I present my “Odontodeker” today are: not to forget that ιt is better for someone else to reject your plan than yourself, that you should not be ashamed of things you like to do and that if you combine the two above, there will inevitably be some sort of evolution.

OMG, how on earth will I translate that! Sorry in advance…
First of all, I must say that this translation is really funny for a Greek.
So, “I took them to the skull” is an expression we use in Greece to say that we are terribly pissed off.

There are some people who are permanently brash. Everybody, more or less, becomes brash occasionally. But what I am talking about is that particular category of permanently spoiled (shall I say?), audacious (shall I say?) or simply selfish little humans, who with mathematical precision make you become an “ITOOKTHEMTOTHESKULL” person. On the other hand, fortunately, they exist so we don’t have to vent at home.

“Oh no, no! Don’t swear in front of the children!” “It’s not appropriate to swear in front of the customers.” “He is just an employee, don’t swear at him!” “Girls shouldn’t swear like that, shame on you!”
So, there you are, a hieroglyphics swear, with love! Posh.

I don’t remember, have I mentioned it before… I am a Sagittarius. So, as you understand, it is up to when I lock the target.
And yes, understandable, this may not matter you at all (apart from a few Sagittariuses), but hey, you are here in “Everydayness”, my graphic diary.

The Egg: Symbol of creation, health, prosperity, rebirth, and for the Jews a symbol of promise. All right here and I’m fine with that.
But, how to solve all these practical issues that lead to rebirth is a puzzler.
Luckily, there are the experts.

Today is the storyteller, who, as our beloved storyteller Maria Katsanouli says: he is lying, but tells the truth!
And especially the last week of September for me was full of -not by coincidence, I believe- myths and fairy tales that were true.

As Konstantinos Vita (composer) says: “Because it’s Saturday night, Saturday night, Saturday night…”

Today, along with many other big heroes, I became a petite one. Mission accomplished this Friday too: 660klm driving in 7 hours.
But, it is Friday and everything is fine!!!

I once again realized I don’t have an umbrella. Every year the same situation. They either brake or enter into another dimension and disappear. That’s a mystery…
Bollocks, I’ll go buy another one. 

I have been carrying a large load for quite some time. I just managed to stabilize it and lift it up a little higher. Luckily, my friends and family help me. A little more and I’ll be able to push it even further. Not that it won’t ground me once it gets heavier again… Does fighting ever end?

“Everydayness” today is 2 months old!

People come to you for a reason. So Ralph came to me today, with his magic hands and his sparkling eyes, and taught me this: To be aware not to be absent while being present in my own ship, to meet myself sometime – somewhere, to accept immortality and most of all not to become a silly Hollander.

Today it is grey. I like it though, as it is the first of the plenty grey days that will come, in this corner of the plain. So, our mood has not faded yet.

We all need to pause sometimes. If that button wasn’t necessary, it wouldn’t have existed. We need to freeze the picture and until we get back, not to miss the scene, the song, the plot. But…. just a minute…. I’ll be back s o o n …..         c   o   m   i   n   g  !….         i   n            a            w     h      i      l       e           -e        e           e

There are some situations that change every 10 seconds. Developments are staggering, the suspense grows even if you know that there will be a happy end. But will it be? Or the director will change his mind to make an overturning? Cliche, but life is like a movie. And we never know what will happen on the next tone.

Today, at work I was a bit down. “I see…” said my friend, colleague, brother, Thanasis who knows me inside out. He opens youtube, hits the play button and says: “I thought I should play Depeche Mode because I see you are in a Depressed Mode.” LOL! I LOVE that person!

The anniversary is when we looked at each other. But I do not remember exactly when was our first day, I guess it always has been… I know you remember everything, I am the goldfish in this relationship. However, the day we celebrated with friends and beloved ones -and a priest- was exactly 9 years ago. Whenever we think about it, we wonder: 9 years? No way! Maximum 2-3 years. Isn`t it fun that it seems so short? Or is it that I am a goldfish?

Nothing to say, the picture says it all.

Old age is another planet, especially for those who feel young at heart.

I saw a medusa today in the sea. It was not a simple jellyfish, but a big Medusa.
Curious creatures, they are… But, at least I was lucky enough to go to the sea, late September, on a Monday, with 40 degrees heat!

The reason I love Athens is probably that I have it in my mind as an old Greek movie.
On my walks in Athens, I am searching little things left from the old days.
It is a big city. Big enough to find remains.

Note: Yes, today’s Everydayness can also be considered a political positioning.

Small-elder hit and make bumps, only for 2 reasons. Either because of our own fault or by someone else`s.
The treatment in the bump is ice, and in the fault, the change.
And not to forget, Everydayness is our graphic diary.

(on the drawing: What`s that -all of a sudden- mess?)
It’s some days that start perfectly and then, all of a sudden and tragically cinematically they become confused. I have this book at my office, it’s called “good fairies and bad fairies. Today I think I was visited by the elf that brings confusion. I have to find his name.

May money rest in peace… It is dead for all of us and alive only for the least minority. Amen.

There are people who are like trees. Stable, rooted -granted I would say-, generous. The trees live out and endure all the conditions in all seasons. One would say (from another perspective) that they chose to be self-punished. But, that is their nature.
I have a tree in my house that grows hearts. She is called “Eftichia” (means Felicity) and she is my mother.
“I am a tree that grows hearts” is my favorite verse, of my beloved artist Bjork, from my beloved Bachelorette.

Finally, I’m a “twisted” person. My mother was right about that. In the 1st Primary school seemed very small, I was not afraid, but I had a passion. I felt like a giant, like Alice in Wonderland, which is a favorite reading. Day after day I was getting smaller. By the 3rd Lyceum, I had become an ant and the school swallowed me.

In Greek, we often call Mondays “Shoemaker-Monday”. We mean that it is a heavy duty day and thus, we feel stressed hearing that word.
But most of us do not know this: The “Shoemaker-Monday” was a holiday of the shoemakers after Sunday! Ultimately, it is good to know all the angles before deciding which way to look.

I dedicate today’s Everydayness to my father who loves nature, land, and growers. I believe that if he wasn’t a lawyer, he would surely be a farmer of choice.
With my father, we have been making a trip for the past 3 years. Once in 21 days, I get in the driver’s seat, we cross the plain, we change counties and reach the capital. Again back in the afternoon. During the whole trip, my father observes and describes changes in nature, plants, and farmers doing various jobs. And every time he sends a tear of love. It seems that nature appreciated it and has been pretty fair to him …

In September, on the plain, you see the farmers vine harvesting, gathering cotton, corn, tobacco, fruit, and vegetables…
September is nice for a car ride on the plain. It is still hot and very-very “active”.

It is not just that today is my favorite day, Friday. It is also a feast for me! It is another happy Friday of the year.

“What shall I do? Go this way or that way?”
Dilemmas exist in our everydayness. Some days dilemmas are harsh. So what should I do today?

“Upside down day today. I deserve an ice cream” OR “Upside down day today. I deserve a Lawenbrau”
We all deserve something of these upside-down days. So, I’ll have an ice cream and my friend and colleague, Giannis Bekos, a Lawenbrau (the old ones will remember the advertisement’s slogan).

Is today full moon? Or tomorrow? I do not know. However, we have a gathering tonight at Mary’s house and we are eating pizza. Outside, thick drops fall from the sky and the full moon is tangled with the clouds, it shows and disappears, perfectly round and tasty like the pizza.

“Upside down day today. I deserve an ice cream” OR “Upside down day today. I deserve a Lawenbrau”
We all deserve something of these upside-down days. So, I’ll have an ice cream and my friend and colleague, Giannis Bekos, a Lawenbrau (the old ones will remember the advertisement’s slogan).

Last night, I opened my sketchbook to make an “Everydayness”. This guy appeared. He was telling me something, but I didn’t understand a word.
Everydayness” is a personal project where I visualize a mood, a thought, an experience for every day.

“A double espresso, sweet, brown sugar, milk, and ice please”
I have read somewhere that if your coffee order is more than four words, then you are a problem.
Ok, I admit it…

Boys, watch what may happen in your girl’s mind (even in her body) when you ask, “What’s the matter?” and they answer: “… Nothing.”
The truth is that we are a little complicated, but I think the secret is the experience. We see it as we grow older and mature, we find our ways of co-existing the two sexes.
Until then … Courage boys!

• Hello, I am work
• Hello, work, what are you doing?
• I am eating the master!”

Insomnia strikes red some days. That’s when the mind makes a lot of trees and you think the whole world will become rooted.
Only a book, a plan, and an airplane (or even better rocket) will save me.
To get away.

Why is the dog howling?
Here, on the top of the hill, there is echo. This is a bit creepy… In the old days people said that when a dog is howling, he senses death. Oh, shit! Has my time come?

These days my dog is howling all night.
Probably needs contact …?

The project “Everydayness” is one month old today, so I decided to give it a “present”. Namely, a visual identity. So, I designed the logo. The project I have loved a lot, makes me commit myself, so I decided to give it a form, a character. As autumn approaches, the responsibilities are multiplied. And the project itself demands quite a lot of my daily time. So let’s see how long I can keep it. I will continue heading for the second month.

Yesterday we were having a beer and Athena (my 4y.o. daughter) was eating chips.
At some point, she said to me holding a half chip: Mom, look, a moon-chip!
Oh, I love that imagination!

The tufted hair is due to her horoscope, leon.
The tufted minds are Gemini. Stay as you are, my friend!

If I wake up early, I will be more sleepy during the day.
So, what more is left than to wake up late?

Some days are pop. Music, movies, pop mood and many pop memories …
It’s not my fault, blame my mother giving birth to me then.

There are days that are retro. Something about the office soundtrack, some movie you saw recently or a conversation you had with someone about the old days… These retro days, as tedious as they are, offer me a relief in the end.

Yesterday we returned home after a week and we did not even have bread.
I said to make, but it was a disaster… Wrong recipe
So, I contributed to nature by feeding the birds.

Yesterday’s question is succeeding today’s answer. Again I am, we are, perhaps only in a slightly different (I would like to believe) framework.

Wheather the bubble breaks or not, the question is one:
“And then, what`s left?”

The emptiness eventually led to anxiety crisis. That night I went out to the balcony. I was chewing a gum. I made a bubble and my eye caught the growing shadow. I said, at some point, it will burst… Won`t it?

This gap will run its course of some time. Meanwhile… boredom is priceless.

Under the persistent gap … A girl’s mood.

There are days where the absolute void dominates. I do not know about others, but I need it to restart.
But I’m committed to a drawing a day, so I said to fill that gap.

I thought I should draw a couple of flamingos before they pass…

Undo, &, Return. Put these words in a sentence in Greek and you`ll get the meaning “killing / disposing of and be coming back”.

It is when your beautiful reality, with its infinite “boxes”, exhausts you.
Thanks to Evi Kyriakou for allowing me to remix her inspiring photo.
Technique: Drawing based on photography, ink, collage, processing on a PC.

Fierce invalids home from hot climates.
Literally…
or better…
Fierce invalid in hot climates.

Sorry, honey. I know I am unbearable sometimes…
Not to forget our female nature, the next conversation would be: “I saw a dress, MURDLE!”

Here, on the plain of central Greece, when it is hot and humid we say “zaesta”…

Give some love. To everything. I think love is missing today. Let`s open up a bit, it smells musty – Damn!

Wall. We use that word for someone who won`t listen…

We use the word “bomba” to say that something is great! Like the way that tool sharpens my mechanical pencil.

User. Vitamin B complex. Not to forget.
Following the previous post…

My mind, THEN >>>>> My mind NOW.

My daughter told me this when she was 3yo:
“Mom, have a great magic heart and climb the sky to catch a star and a cloud“.

When you plan your weekend from Tuesday, Murphy rubs his hands…

Hey! What are you doing here on your own? Where is your paper?

Bank alarm clock
Sound: Eurobank
Time: 8:00 am
Days: Mon. – Fri.
Snooze

Can I tell you something? You are so naive!
(Basically, you are an arsehole but we are online…)

Oups! Sorry, I didn`t mean to…

Dracula with proboscis… you f****ed me!

Translating the message of the artwork & the post:
“Greek coffee, in vintage cup, on the house! Preorder…tel no OR come by – because otherwise, you won`t be able to drink it. Limited number of vintage cups.”
No kidding… I am making you the best Greek coffee ever! This is an invitation and an everyday practice for my eyes and hands. Meet me (Gina) and my everyday-ness from a series of sketches.