Do I really have a blog?

I didn't realize it, but some of my friends actually look at this blog. It's not been updated in months. A blog needs to be nurtured, to have a purpose. I thought that the blog's being about my work here had a purpose. But it turns out, I can comment end on end about what it is that I do and don't like about France, and to me it sounds always the same. Maybe one day I'll write out a real treatise about what it is in France that is ruining this once great nation.

But is that really interesting? I clearly had other things to do- I ignored this blog. The written word had to be nurtured, coddled. I stopped posting because I had other things to distract me from it. And also because I didn't think that there was any readership.

Eventually I will post pictures to this, of the stuff I've caught here and perhaps some things I find interesting. I've taken a good amount of photos while I've been here, hopefully I'll catch some more.

I'll also be back in America from August 11-17, yes it turns out, it is just that easy. I'm excited to come home for a few days.

Love love love.

Joe. Al-Hadj



PS. (SOME REAL CONTENT BELOW)


Why am I using a silly nickname like Hadj?

One may ask this question actually wondering.

On March 5th, 1984, consequently two days after I was born, and yet the day of my projected birth, my entire nuclear family shortened our last name from "Hadjialexiou" to just "Alexiou"

Apparently it was too long--two extra syllables pose a huge problem, it seems, and even back in Greece my Grandfather, Demitrious Yannis Hadjialexiou got the "Hadji" chopped off at school to save time for all the hard work that Greek people do (read: sarcasm).

Wait! Says someone who has read more than Harry Potter: Isn't Hadj or Haj some kind of title in Islam? Doesn't it get added to names of people who go on the pilgrimage to Mecca, for example, Al Haj Malik Shabaz? Are you a secret Muslim!? WHY HAVE YOU BEEN LYING TO ME THIS WHOLE TIME? WHY DO LUBOVITCH JEWS FROM CROWN HEIGHTS COME TO YOUR DOOR IN PARIS AT 6:30 PM WITHOUT FAIL ON FRIDAY TO MAKE YOU PUT ON T'FILLIN WHEN YOU'RE A GREEK MUSLIM!? THERE ARE GREEK MUSLIMS?!?!? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhh


Shuttup. It's more simple than that, Greece, who was 'invaded' by the Ottoman Empire (Turks, people, Turks) around like 1680 or something like that, I dunno, took on a LOT of Turkish mediterranian culture and food, and silly outfits, and words, etc. So when Greek Orthodox Christians wanted to sound cool, or when they went on a "pilgrimage" to Jerusalem, they would add a "Hadj" to their name.

And then we cut it off!!! I also have such a limited connection to Greece now, I don't really speak the language, and here I am a Jew/Greek with pale-ass skin, green eyes, and blondish hair......where did my ethnic-ness go?! Why are I not dark haired and darked eyed, like all of the people I find insanely attractive?

Thus, Hadj, is me trying to regain my lost identity of some ethnic person that should get stared at and hated for not looking white enough.

Or, I'm just trying to sound cool with a cool nickname. BUT MINE IS REAL, unlike some other people I wouldn't DARE name but you all know who I'm talking about (hint---this nickname to which I refer comes from the word from the little bits of paper that you find in a book. And no, I don't mean sheets. Or bookmarks, jesus).


Oh right, ahem, France.


Oh crap, I'm supposed to be doing my job. laters!

PPS-- That was the longest post-script I've ever written.