I should update once in a while.
Things in Athens are calmer than in years past. The economy's still in trouble, things are still a mess if one looks at the books, but it's not all spilling out into the streets like it was a few years ago. There are still protest gatherings every now and then, but it's not a several-times-a-week thing, and the feel of the gatherings has apparently transformed from "don't ignore us!" to "don't forget us!"
If that makes any sense.
My half-informed suspicion is that the crowds have accepted that their arguments, concerns, and fears aren't being ignored at the government level, but are being brought up the line when the Greek representatives in the international communities have to negotiate with other nations. That can have a calming influence.
One visible sign of the change: a few years back, the steps in front of the hotels at Syntagma Square were constantly being smashed, marble being shattered to be used as ammunition to throw at riot police. There was a period of over a year where those steps had only two stages of being: smashed, or repairs in progress.
Throughout 2015, the steps remained intact. In fact, they're showing signs of staining from the weather.
Personal life keeps chugging along, but on balance, it's better than it's been in years. Work goes crazy at times, and at other times it goes stupid, but that's probably true anywhere.
Saw the new Star Wars, sadly not before being spoiled for the big shock of the movie by a self-centered troll, and was relieved when I could finally talk about it. Got a bunch of spoilery thoughts about it, but I'll save those for another post.
Winter, or what passes for it here, has arrived, and a lot of people are suffering due to the cold, while I'm in that weird state where the temperature's too warm for my winter coat when I go to work, but I sort of need the winter coat to go home. I guess I've got a bit more antifreeze in my blood than most of the people around here. Got used to New York winters. However, I'm a little bummed that I missed out on snow when I went back to the US over Christmas and New Year's.
More as it happens ... eventually.
This entry is cross-posted from http://bktheirregular.dreamwidth.org/592866.html. Feel free to comment here, or on Dreamwidth using OpenID (
comments).
If that makes any sense.
My half-informed suspicion is that the crowds have accepted that their arguments, concerns, and fears aren't being ignored at the government level, but are being brought up the line when the Greek representatives in the international communities have to negotiate with other nations. That can have a calming influence.
One visible sign of the change: a few years back, the steps in front of the hotels at Syntagma Square were constantly being smashed, marble being shattered to be used as ammunition to throw at riot police. There was a period of over a year where those steps had only two stages of being: smashed, or repairs in progress.
Throughout 2015, the steps remained intact. In fact, they're showing signs of staining from the weather.
Personal life keeps chugging along, but on balance, it's better than it's been in years. Work goes crazy at times, and at other times it goes stupid, but that's probably true anywhere.
Saw the new Star Wars, sadly not before being spoiled for the big shock of the movie by a self-centered troll, and was relieved when I could finally talk about it. Got a bunch of spoilery thoughts about it, but I'll save those for another post.
Winter, or what passes for it here, has arrived, and a lot of people are suffering due to the cold, while I'm in that weird state where the temperature's too warm for my winter coat when I go to work, but I sort of need the winter coat to go home. I guess I've got a bit more antifreeze in my blood than most of the people around here. Got used to New York winters. However, I'm a little bummed that I missed out on snow when I went back to the US over Christmas and New Year's.
More as it happens ... eventually.
This entry is cross-posted from http://bktheirregular.dreamwidth.org/592866.html. Feel free to comment here, or on Dreamwidth using OpenID (
comments).