Is Too Much Fun Too Much?

Wow, it’s been a while yet again and a lot has happened. I posted two blogs at once here so there is a lot below to catch up on...

We are in peak season now and my job has transformed. We charge cover now, 7 euros and everything has changed. I still bring girls in for drinks but after the first few hours the TRUE madness begins. I can’t move, let alone walk around. When I am not drunk, the job is too crazy to handle. Hence, I cannot seem to go a single night without getting drunk just to get through it all. I’ve been sick with various illnesses that I fight off with 4-5 kiwis and a few cloves of garlic a day. My diet was good, but both that and my rigorous workout routine have finally gone kaput. To top it all off I got a temporary roommate who has been staying with me in our tiny room for the past few weeks. He’s the Swedish guy Johan, whom I mentioned in a prior post. He’s easy to live with and we get into a lot of fun/trouble so it’s been worth losing my routine.

I don’t know how much longer I can handle this lifestyle. I’ve seen so many come and go that I feel like I’m in a race and I'll probably be first to place in the running. But is that a good thing? Our entire staff at Disco 69 has changed and probably will again over the next few weeks. All of my English speaking neighbors where I live have changed once and are about to again. Soon, all of my friends will be gone and all I’ll be left with are my Albanian neighbors and the ginormous swarm of aggressive Italians who pack the tiny street outside my club. Even Johan leaves in a few days, but hopefully then I can get back to my routine. I’ve even got some antibiotics that I can start taking, but I’m waiting ‘til he leaves because I can’t drink whilst on ‘em- God it’s gonna suck (but 5 days no drinking would also be heavenly)!

Amidst all this stupor, I am still managing to save money, so that is good. The 15^th of August is supposed to be the end of peak season, where all begins to wind down. So if I can just make it there and get healthy again all should be well. Wish me luck….

Another post with pictures below~

On the phone with my parents.
My roommate Johan.
A few times a week I have to carry this banner up and down the beach to promote the club. Good times.

Irish Day ~ Pog mo thóin

Yet another country day. Australia day was only two weeks before. Now, as an ignorant American of course I am unaware, but man these days can be fun. So far, Irish day has been the only thing close to matching Swedish midsummer but I’d have to say that the Swedes still take the cake.

My temporary roommate, Johan and I decided to start our day off right with a big ass bottle of wine. We then proceeded to bust in on our half-naked neighbors, John (the dude from Boston) and some girl. Afterwards, we all went out to commence partying with the Irish crowd. They formed a parade which would’ve been fun but Johan needed to stock his bar, so we had to miss the parade. But, afterwards we had REAL breakfast in a bowl of White Russian cereal at a local restaurant. It was quite strong but the Kahlua does its trick, man. After that, I do believe we were all on our way to getting friggin’ locked (Irish term for drunk, smashed, hammered, etc.)

The rest of our day was such a blur, dude. Honestly, it seemed too short. Johan and I went tubing with two friends. Tubing is where you hold onto a single or multi-person tube and get dragged along by a boat (we all did single tubes, but at the same time). We were all so smashed that they shouldn’t have let us on, but we knew the guy and he hooked us up. Johan was the first to fall off and I came in 2^nd. We had a bet… but we were all so fucked up that afterwards everyone just kinda forgot.

Two more bottles of wine and lots of nudity later I was stumbling home to shower and go into work. My night was crazy and from what I hear it was pure comedy. To get girls to come into the clubs I would run up and bite them on the neck or shoulder, to which I did get pushed a few times, but I wasn’t to be deterred. I also know that I gave at least two strange girls hickies, because they came by the next night and gave me a hard time about it. What’s the problem? By the end of the night I was leaning against the wall afraid to move ‘lest I fall in a manner most-unflattering. I didn’t even have to clean that night. My coworkers brought me my money and random girls brought me food. Basically, I just made out with girls all night and infuriated my newest boss, but our Greek bartenders love me and told him to STFU. Even the owner, Frankie, saw me in my state but he just laughed.

You think I’m done?? Nope. Afterwards, Johan got off work and walked me to another club. I just drank water for an hour where, upon my insistence, we went back to shots. The last club to close on Ios is a place called Scorpion, where we partied until around 11am. Afterwards, we stole a giant road mirror and smuggled it home (picture below).

So what is my conclusion to this fantabulous story? Well, the only thing I have to say is: don’t do it unless you are prepared to accept the consequences. We partied literally 24 hours and somehow I survived the onslaught. Nobody thought I’d be around the next day but I was; I still am, malaka! Dat’s how we do on da Westsiiiiide, homey. Nevertheless, I’ve been sick ever since with multiple ailments which include: sinusitis, a yellow tongue, a jacked up ankle and sore muscles from drunk-tubing and refusing to let go even after being tipped. It could’ve-should’ve been worse…

Pog mo thóin!!

White Russian and corn flakes.


Pre-parade.
This sign says 'No Naturysm' which basically means 'No Nudity.'
That really friggin hurt....
You see people passed out in random places here on Ios all the time... especially during a country day.
This was the giant convex road mirror that we stole and brought up to our balcony. It's in my room now.... ;D

Indian Day

The 4th of July sucked here. Some random Germans went on a spree calling it 'Indian Day' and dressed up as Native Americans which was a little comical. But I dare say that Canada day a few days earlier was probably better.


These are my 'Irish Lads.' If asked, they can spit whole conversation in 'Pikey' as seen in the movie 'Snatch.'

A Good Day

I had a wonderful evening the other day. I went with this Canadian/Israeli girl named Alex to the highest point on the island to watch the sun set. There's a tiny church (they’re all tiny) at the top which overlooks the island. It was incredibly windy up there but the view was spectacular. We brought a bottle of wine and drank to Ios. At one point, I went around to the other side and found a group of people tucked away from the wind, drinking something from a bucket with over fifty straws. One of them had a guitar and was playing Chili Pepper and Oasis songs; others were playing backgammon or taking pictures. We came over to be fellow hippies and joined the group. Ios was once known as ‘The Hippy Island,’ where all the hippies back in the 60’s came to visit. On the rocks and various parts of the stairs are all kinds of signatures and messages from people of this past. I tried to imagine them up here back in the day, enjoying the heavenly view, smoking weed, playing music and escaping the shackles of society.

It was my first day off in over a month since starting work.

“Damn, I gotta’ say it was a good day.”

-Ice Cube

Alex took this shot which has her reflection, our shadows on the wall, and then the view behind.
Yet another sunset shot, but I think this one is pretty money