non-lucas news

i'm starting to feel like the only thing i ever have to talk about is my son. i sometimes wonder if i'm losing touch with reality to a certain extent.,,, but oh well = it's my reality right now, and probably for the next few years. so i'm sorry if i sound a bit single minded. i vaguely realize that whenever anyone asks me how i am doing, or how is philippe.. i give an account of lucas. it's not that i dont have thoughts or feelings.. it's just that i dont have any that are unrelated to lucas. if lucas is doing good, then i am too.

but here's some non-lucas news. we finally got a dvd player, so now we're not stuck with dumb-ol steven segal movies on television. and we found a very nice big park for sunday afternoon strolling nearby. there's lots of walking trails and benches and three playgrounds, also a big church where we chanced upon some 20 people doing some traditional greek dancing in front of it. one of the neatest things about this park is this enormous climbing structure, made out of ropes and metal - presumably for adults - if you climb to the top you get some fair views.

this week is the beginning of "apokria" which is the greek version of mardi gras, so hopefully we;ll find some interesting things to see and do... especially since my dad and mimi will be here. hopefully the weather will be nice.

not too long ago we took a big walk around town starting with some sales shopping in monastiraki and ended up walking around inside the very beautiful athens cemetery. i like old european cemeteries. i think americans got it all wrong on this subject. in the states you got one square per one body, and one headstone with one name on it. in greece, each square is the family plot with a long line listing of names preceding you in death. here's what happens when you die here: they bury you (above ground, encased in marble, name engraved at the bottom of the list) and then they OPEN it up after 3 years and give the bones to the family.. i guess eventually to an ossuary.. and then they re-use the grave! isnt it strange? i love this idea.. the only thing i dont like is the fact that it's against the law to cremate remains, or have a non-greek-orthodox funeral.

i'll end this post with a list of notable things i (we) did this week:

watched lucas test the squeaky hinges on my dresser mirror.
stood by the back door so lucas can jangle the miniblind cord.
walked around the house a hundred times, hunching over to hold lucas hands while he learns to walk.
watched smiling while philippe took 20 pictures of lucas licking a window.
lucas walked along the wall from the living room to the kitchen all by himself, setting a personal best record.