Sundays are Dead

Current Time: 10:45am

Everything is closed on Sunday, save for bakeries, some restaurants, Starbucks, and the movie theaters. Need milk from the grocery store? Forget it-- you'd be better off finding a cow and milking it yourself.

But because everything is dead my Sundays have been quiet boring these past three weeks. I mean, I usually take a book and head to Starbucks for a couple of hours but that gets old fast. Besides, this is the one Sunday where I have plenty to do but don't want to do it.

I am incredibly behind on my seminar assignments. Even though I can't physically go I'm still to read and write papers while here and turn them in via webct. But have I? Oh no, definitely not. And now I'm paying for it. I'm going to have to bust my ass to catch up with everyone.

Yesterday I met a man who grew up in Athens. This 40 year old guy made me draw a map of downtown Athens and show him where everything is. Then he proceeded to cross out most of the shops and move The Grill where Taco Stand is, and 40 watt was over by Tasty World (or was it Ka-Bob's?). Highly entertaining and I know I will see him again. I like this hole-in-the-wall bar very much and the regulars are a strange breed indeed. Young, old, queer (literally) and straight. The owner is a woman from California who looks like my Aunt Marla.

Ate at a pretty good Indian restaurant with Mr. and Mrs. W and a friend of theirs. Very good food, if not a bit expensive. They then took me to an American Country-Music bar, which looked like some dump that would have been in Alabama. American flags with Native American Indians on them, Confederate flags, huge sections of the wall dedicated to country music singers...it was hysterical. I think I might have offended an old man by taking a pictures of the place, but I couldn't help it. Things like this need to be documented. I think the music was even worse than the cigar smell eminating from aforementioned crazy old man. God, I hate country music.

This week is going to be pretty hectic at the school, but Thursday is a half day due to Karneval (and school is off until Wednesday). I can actually feel the energy level of the town increasing day by day. Bleachers on the side of the road for the parade, more older people dressed in costumes than I have ever seen...people are constantly talking about it. I am extremely excited, though I fear I might die during the five-day ordeal.