A day in the life

[dias]

I read a bit about the Welser family. It was a German banking and merchant family , one of the most powerful families in Europe in the 16th century . . They loaned to Charles I King of Spain in order to bribe the necessary people and become the Holy Roman Emperor . He was the only person who achieved to rule both Spanish empire and Holy Roman Empire. He didn’t manage to pay his debt and thus the Welser family obtained the Colonial rights of Venezuela . I think it was the only German colony in the American continent. But later the king’s decree was repealed and Welser lost the colony. Latin American countries have their own unique history in the colonization era. There are plenty of interesting stories about Spanish conquistadors and natives. Many fables and mysteries around the mythic El Dorado and the vast amounts of gold that Incas and other tribes had accumulated . For us now all these sound so exciting and thrilling but a lot of blood spilled on these conquests .

 

I observe that the “best technique phenomenon” exists in coding too. Let me explain . There is a perpetual search for the best programming technique and the best programming tools . Most programmers struggle to find the best technique which is a mistake in my opinion . It’s exactly the same situation with the best “workout” plan we hear about at the gym or in the media . I mean most people can’t see the forest for the trees . There are many many articles about the “right” workout using the right exercises with the right technique . I had read umpteenth myself before I realized it’s a waste of time. You don’t need to find the best workout routine , you just need to find a good enough routine(meaning you see a difference and definitely not very excruciating )and stick with it . This is the key part . Stick with it . It needs time . You will never find the best workout anyhow. The same thing happens in programming . They all try to find the right technique which is not essentially bad but it’s very time-consuming . Instead you can optimize this time for creating something. Make use of your knowledge and create something innovative and make a step further .

 

 

One thing I have fathomed more recently is that time is the most important factor. I get it now when they say time is money. It is indeed. It’s a factor that you have no power to . A day has 24 hours . Some people make the right choices and succeed (in what they believe it’s important for them of course)and others fail . It’s so important to use your time wisely .The key work here is “wisely“ . Many people work hard , many people have degrees , many people are very intelligent but in the end just a few succeed .

 

 

I studied a bit about the bat files . Very convenient I must say. For example if you want to open ENA when you open your pc with only one click . Very easy. You just need to open a notepad and write some commands . Open a notepad , copy this start “” and save your file in your Desktop as ENA.bat (the “” are quotes ). When you click on this bat file it will open the browser on our favorite forum . Not very impressive I know but this is the simplest example .

[dias]

It’s 9:30pm . I woke up at 6am again . I am a creature of habit * I can’t make changes on my daily schedule when it comes to what time I go to bed since I will wake up exactly the same hour even if I have slept at 3am . It sucks if I want to go out at night but I usually don’t so it’s not that bad . My parents tell me “if you are like that at 24 imagine when you will be 50” . Hahaha .

 

I worked around 12 hours today . 3-4 hours for the project I have at work and the rest for studying Java . There are so many configurations and software integrations that in order to start working(programming) you have to work . It’s bland and it sucks. The project manager and my supervisor change opinions everyday and I need to rewrite the program again and again every single day . It’s good for me because I learn but the project will never finish …You need to postpone the deadline if you want to make tweaks on the program . It’s the rational thing to do . Other than that I think I am “finding” my way on the world of programming .Slowly but steadily .

 

 

My approach in life is that we need to improve our weaknesses to a level that they don’t hinder us and focus on our strengths . For instance , I focus more on my creativity ,discipline, consistency and hard work rather than focusing on my weaknesses like impatience ,stubbornness ,not very multitasking and lack of the ‘entertaining’ social skills .Everything can be ameliorated of course with work , there is no doubt about that but I prefer to cultivate my personal strengths . I believe in the uniqueness that every person in this world has . I mean there are plenty more intelligent programmers at work and I can’t compete them in this field but I am better than them at thinking outside of the box .

 

I don’t have time to take photos and I really miss that. There is nothing interesting for photography around here . I need some hours of driving to get to an interesting place. Plus the gas is very expensive in Greece . It’s outrageous . We have scanty incomes and the gas costs twice as much as in the US. What the heck with this country ...? No wonder that if you open the banks accounts of people who own small shops and retail businesses have millions and scientists live hand to mouth . fffffffffffffffsssssssss. Anyway enough with this subject ….

 

It’s difficult to maintain the same weight with sedentary job. I cut my calories a lot to achieve only to maintain the same weight . I finally got again under 10 %body fat but I couldn’t perform well at work and I raised my calories a little bit . I like being ripped but it’s not maintainable in the long term . I feel groggy and I my brain is befogged . I think I will try to maintain at 13% body fat . It’s the ideal . This is why actors feel dizzy when they have to be shredded . It’s cool but it’s not tenable for too long .

[dias]

I just came home and watched BBC for some minutes . The shooting in Orlando is all over the news . This guy killed 50 people . They say there is a connection with ISIS . He is of Afghan descent so there is indeed a possibility to have a connection with ISIS. All these mass shootings are usually committed by first generation Americans . They don’t really get that they should be thankful for growing up there . This is pure ingratitude . All these incidents could be solved with a conscription in the army for the first generation Americans . Some people can’t handle too much freedom …. I am also pretty sure he didn’t have a serious/regular job . These scumbags are usually lazy people who are bored and follow every “ideology” that is violent and extreme . And at the age of 29 he should be resting after a day of hard work , not loitering at clubs killing people …

 

 

This weekend went well in terms of work . I cleared the backlog I had for Monday and studied Java and NoSQL databases . I reckon I could begin programming (something serious) in two months . I have so many ideas for implementation , I am really excited hehe .

 

I talked with my godmother . She was a CEO at an IT company 10 years ago and we discussed generally about the field . I don’t like the way she is thinking , she is competent of course but lacks common sense . I guess this is why the company didn’t go well …I don’t remember who famous said that but it was something like “common sense is not so common” . I second this opinion .

 

Before the conversation ended, she told me “you can always be a model if you want” Hahaha . I was flattered of course but I can’t imagine myself being a model . I don’t like to attract attention in a room full of scientists , I would be like a fish outside water on the modeling world hahaha . Plus this field is full of drugs and perverts .My solitary/military lifestyle doesn’t match there for sure . But I wouldn’t mind being a photographer if I could choose another job . It would be perfect for me .

[dias]

It was very hot today . Almost 40C . The influx of tourists has began . I guess we will have about 30m tourists this year . It is three times the population of the country . It’s the “ideal” weather if you want to rest at the beach all day but it’s the worst weather for work . I wanted to program today but it didn’t go so well because it’s so hot inside the house (we don’t have AC) and I couldn’t concentrate .

 

Yesterday I went out with some friends and at the end of the night I slept with a girl I met through friends at the bar . It didn’t fare very well because I lost my erection after 10 minutes or so . I was very tired and I couldn’t perform nor was in the “mood” for sex . I believe it has to do with me being very tired and given that I am a morning person and I wake up at 6am it’s difficult to do anything at midnight. But I also think that it has also to do with my workout . I do calisthenics everyday and calisthenics is more like cardio and less than weight lifting .A lot of cardio decreases testosterone temporarily but if you do everyday the temporary becomes permanent . I will supersede one calisthenics workout with weight lifting and see if there is a difference . I will do many heavy squats because leg exercises help to have better erection .

 

I don’t have a lot of time to read the news but I heard something about the crazy guy who murdered the politician in the UK. It’s pretty obvious that “some powerful people” influenced him. Sure he was crazy but it was not a coincidence I believe . We will never know if there were others behind him (and what are the purposes exactly because I don’t get what they achieved now if this is the case) or he was plain crazy…

 

I encountered a girl I used to like at high school . She is a party animal and works as a barwoman on Mykonos and other islands like this . She is 26 and she looks like an ugly 35 . After so many parties , booze ,drugs and lack of sleep it was inevitable . She still has nice body but her face is so worn that you think she is ugly which is not the case in reality . But everyone chooses his path in life . It would be wise to find someone to marry now that men want her otherwise she will have a hard time in 8-9 years .

 

I don’t get why people think I am very conservative . I am not very conservative , actually I consider myself a libertarian . I don’t like to drink ,smoke , and generally I lead a healthy and stable lifestyle but that doesn’t mean I judge anyone who smokes ,drinks or has no ambitions . I will frown if I hear about drugs or nudism at the beach for example because I don’t like them but I don’t judge anyone who does them . Of course I would think less of someone who do drugs but I suppose it’s normal . To be honest I never fathomed the nudism thing at the beach . It ok if you are alone or with your OH at a secluded beach but what kind of person goes to beaches for nudists ? I mean it would be great if I could go to a beach only with naked women (the paradise would be like that hehe) but I would never want to see another’s man junk . Ugh disgusting …

[dias]

I just finished my workout . I started weight lifting again because I don’t like miscellaneous workouts. My new plan consists only weight lifting and only 4 times per week . I already feel my testosterone soaring again . Testosterone makes you feel more confident which is good but it makes you more aggressive too . Anyway I like the feeling haha .

 

Betting companies are making a lot of money in the UK now . If England chooses to exit EU then the EU will be demolished in the foreseeable future . I don’t know if this is good or bad but it will happen someday anyway. Nothing lasts forever . Now with China skyrocketing , EU will stay behind . Only Germany is competitive in Europe . The future is in technology and Europe is already behind . Chinese who studied and worked in the US have imparted the expertise in their fellow countrymen and now China has began to invest in innovation . 20 years ago they were under communism and now is the second largest economy. How “easy” it is to change the status quo .

 

I will keep my paid holidays for October or November . I would like to visit my brother but I am also thinking about 1-1,5 week in Ireland or Iceland . Hmm I have been to Ireland so Iceland is more tempting(although I adore Ireland) . I need to buy a new camera beforehand .It would cost me a lot but for Iceland is a must . Iceland is famous for it’s landscapes . Does anyone visit Iceland in the winter ?It would be so freezing that I would freeze in the middle of nowhere holding a camera like a statue . Maybe it’s better to do this trip in the summer next year . When you see these photos you get filled up with wanderlust as TOV would say .

'

 

I am so jealous of people who live in the countryside near nature . I do believe that humans need to spend time in nature . It is salutary for their mental health . Personally I feel serene and I really enjoy every moment I spend in nature . I am talking about more isolated places , not tourist attractions . I have spend hours on a dock at a secluded lake in Poland watching the forest , the animals and the sunset . I remember the sky was so clear at night that you could see all the stars. In the city you can’t see anything nowadays …

[dias]

The Brexit happened eventually. Let’s see the fiscal domino ramifications in the EU now .Sterling plummeted but this doesn’t mean anything .Currency is just numbers , they don’t really represent the reality most of the times . From a British perspective I do believe they did the right thing even though the short term financial repercussions will burden them for a while . They will lose some subsidies from the EU but nothing serious I assume . I do respect Cameron for his abdication . At least his has dignity for a politician . The only consequence that Brexit has to me personally is that the tuition for a Master degree will soar in the future for international students. I assume that international student will be considered everyone outside the UK . On the other hand the universities in the UK are businesses and the number of international students in the UK have already dwindled down and therefore I suppose they will not augment the tuition a lot for international students .

 

 

My father has been offered a “package” to leave work earlier . He thought it for a while but I don’t think he will accept . It’s really bad to stop working if you have been working very hard all your life but I suggested him to pursue a PhD that he so much wanted. It’s not that he will earn any income but it’s never too late to chase your dreams . Besides he is born to spend his life in a lab . Or he could start a business . He could team up with some fellow pensioner engineers and start something . At least he will have something to do .

 

 

I talked with some colleagues about where are the best looking girls we have seen . Most of them agreed in Sweden . I have never been to Sweden but I have seen /met Swedish girls in Greece and I have to say they are indeed very good looking . We are talking about the whole race not individually of course . From my trips I have to say :

1)judging objectively and based on conventional beauty terms , Dutch and Scandinavian girls are the most good looking

2)judging based on my personal preferences I like Irish and American girls . But I judge based on appearance and the whole attitude “thing” , I mean the whole package not just beauty .

I don’t like Latin American women generally as most men do , but I consider Russian girls good looking . There are very good looking Greek girls of course but I prefer girls from other countries . Maybe it’s because I got bored the local beauty . I guess it’s the same for “northerners” when I go to northern countries . In Poland I got many numbers at a bar from girls because as the native guys told me I have black hair . hahaha . It’s nice to be easy for a change .hahaha

The guys at work told me about Swedish girls that aside from the facial beauty they are thin and have bodies like models. Well that’s because they workout. You need to spend time working out in order to mold a good body. I hate when people tell about the nice physique thing when they themselves drink bear instead of working out ….Nothings happens without work .

[dias]

I listened to the radio about a survey saying that more girls than boys study at universities nowadays . The amount of boys pursuing a degree has stayed almost stagnant for 30 years now compared to the amount of girls studying at the university. The outcome of the survey doesn’t surprise me since 30 years ago most women were not chasing a career . Nowadays more and more women pursue a career ,not just a job and thus a degree is essential . The survey acknowledge the fact that the educational system is more “compatible “ with a female’s brain meaning that since genetically men are inclined to physical activities and are visual beings the lesson at the classroom doesn’t stimulate their interest . This is so true . Women are more auricular and by nature they can do sedentary jobs with ease and therefore studying is easier for them . I am very optical guy and I can attest this survey . I can’t understand something if I don’t see it no matter how many times I have listened to it (regarding studying I mean). So there is a need to adjust and adapt the educational system in order to make the lesson more interesting to boys . Hmm this is difficult , it takes time to change this “culture” of traditional teaching .

 

 

I made headway with learning Java . Actually I try to build a website but since I work only on weekends on this project it will take a year or so . But after that I will have a deep knowledge of Java and will have improved my programming way of thinking . The most important thing after a year of programming is to ameliorate your way of thinking and make your algorithms faster and more efficient . Programming is the future , engineering not so much . Cyber security will be the next IT “boom” and cyber security is made from truly competent programmers . I have hacked websites and I have only used free tools without writing a line of code. Everyone can do it . Of course real hackers like anonymous program a lot themselves because everyone makes his own tool to hack which is extremely difficult by the way . Looking the websites of the largest ammunition and firearm companies the first thing you see are vacancies for programmers. Good salaries I must say but you need many skills to get a job like that .

[dias]

I went to the bank to take my salary and it was 547 Euros . I laughed . I laughed a lot . This number for 50+ hours per week and for a programmer is not petty or sad it’s for laugh . Thank God I am not chasing money and I don’t really care about the wage for the time being . I do fathom that this is my first job but this salary is just pocket money . I don’t make enough to rent a room and I still live with my parents at the age of 24. It’s sad. In order to make money you need to learn to work for free and coerce your brain to start working towards business and innovation. For the next three years I will have to suck it and keep practicing my programming skills and my English . I haven’t spoken English for quite a long time and my verbal skills have “degraded” . Fortunately I study 30-40 minutes everyday to keep my writing skills at a “bearable” level .

 

 

I can’t stand my mother for several consecutive days . She always complain about me working all the time instead of hanging out with friends and find a serious girlfriend . Well on weekends I work for me not for the company and programming only two days per week for me is not enough but at least it is something . She doesn’t understand that I don’t work only to work without having any goal . She doesn’t get it because she is not the ambitious type. What she considers normal is getting a relatively good job and start a family and blah blah. .. This is not a life for me , I have ambitions and I live for these ambitions , everything else comes second . I am starting to re-obtain my innate confidence that I lost during the universities years and my tenure in the navy . I began weight lifting again and I am full of testosterone now and it feels so good.

[dias]

I like observing body language and facial expressions . I can detect the emotions and thoughts of most people whilst looking in their eyes. Everyone of course is capable of reading non verbal communication signs but not everyone is good at detecting them instantly . Women have the advantage on this game since their brain has 16 spots for detecting body language compared to men who have only 4 spots . This is why women tend to infer things about someone at the first sight . Women also posses circumferential eyesight and therefore they are able to get the whole posture of a person while looking at his face. On the other hand men can only see what is exactly in front of them which makes it difficult for them to find something when they search in the fridge/ closet/drawer etc. All these are very obvious on the flirting game . Women can “check” a guy from the corner of their eye while men watch a woman from head to toe moving their head up and down. According to science , smart men apprehend flirting sings at the first woman’s glance while the more silly the man the more glances are needed . Actors and actresses have a good grasp of body language signs but I wouldn’t expect otherwise.

 

 

 

I tend to attract the kind of woman to whom I am not attracted to . I am starting to believe that I am attracted to this type but for some reason I don’t think to know it or I don’t want to accept it . I don’t attract the usual “good” or “bad” type of girl but women who have this very womanly style. I can’t describe it exactly but it’s the more womanly/charming/seducing type .I haven’t really consider these sort of women yet as an option since they are usually older than me but as I grow up I begin to like it. I get many glances from older women in the street or at work but I don’t give it a second thought . Maybe I should !

[dias]

The project was presented to the manger and I was told that he really liked it . I wasn’t there and I am a bit agitated about not getting invited to present the project . I am not the only one who works on this project but I did the 80% of the project and I didn’t get any credits . It’s not like I need to hear a praise or something but I got annoyed with the project manager for not inviting me to the presentation . Now everyone is programming on this project but only now that it’s almost finished fsss. I am the newest there so I kept my mouth shut …

 

 

I can’t think of anything else to write so let’s write a story .I will write some sentences at a time .

 

 

14 July 2005

I am seventeen years old and full of energy and imagination . I grew up and still live in Minor Asia in a small town near the Mediterranean sea . My family is of Greek descent like most families in the town . One of the few Greek towns which survived the minor Asia catastrophe. I can speak Greek,Turkish,English and some French . The mark of British and French merchants and dwellers from 1922 hasn’t faded yet. Until 1922 Anatolia was very multicultural with many races doing business , from petty peddlers to international companies. Almost one century has passed , things are totally different now. My father is a seaman and my mother owns small coffee place. We live comfortably enough leading a peaceful and quiet life . Having spent my whole life here I know every path in the nearby mountains, every small cave and every secluded beach on the coast . I adore reclining on the sand watching the seagulls flying over the coast . I have been dating Helen for a while now . We are neighbors ,going at the same school , hanging out , having the same friends , it was inevitable I guess . I like spending time with her , loitering around and laughing about anything that comes to our mind . But recently I began feeling a change inside . I feel that this sort of lifestyle doesn’t fill me anymore . I want to relocate to the capital and become someone. Unfortunately I have to wait a year until I get accepted to the university of Instanbul . I have so many dreams …

[Jibralta]

The project was presented to the manger and I was told that he really liked it . I wasn’t there and I am a bit agitated about not getting invited to present the project . I am not the only one who works on this project but I did the 80% of the project and I didn’t get any credits . It’s not like I need to hear a praise or something but I got annoyed with the project manager for not inviting me to the presentation . Now everyone is programming on this project but only now that it’s almost finished fsss. I am the newest there so I kept my mouth shut ……

 

Don't get too bent out of shape about it. It's par for the course in a technical profession. The newbies do the heavy lifting. The important thing for you to do is to make sure that you are working for reasonable people who are good at what they do. This is important for anyone who has a career that is based on skill or expertise, especially those who are just starting out.

[dias]

Don't get too bent out of shape about it. It's par for the course in a technical profession. The newbies do the heavy lifting. The important thing for you to do is to make sure that you are working for reasonable people who are good at what they do. This is important for anyone who has a career that is based on skill or expertise, especially those who are just starting out.

 

You are absolutely right. I do have good coworkers and I learn many new things and I know I am lucky that my immediate supervisor who is an excellent programmer helps me a lot . The most important thing for the next couple of years is to learn as much as I can and that's why I regressed on this incident but I concede I got irritated for not getting invited . I mean ok I can accept it for a couple of years but I can't imagine myself in the future doing the heavy work with someone else getting the credits . I feel stupid and coward for not confronting him . Doing the technical stuff doesn't mean that I have to allow a manager (if we can consider management a profession) to receive the credits instead of me .

[Jibralta]

I feel stupid and coward for not confronting him .

 

No, you were wise not to. It could have made you appear impulsive or emotional. If you are interested in a management position with the company that you currently work for, that would not be good. Also, the people that you work with are your primary network. As time goes on, people move on to work for other companies in different situations. It's better to be on good terms with people, because you never know who will be able to open a door for you in the future.

[dias]

I met a girl at work the previous week . We talked a little bit in the kitchen whilst taking our lunch and the next day(it was very early in the morning and we were alone) I asked her if she wanted to come with me for a coffee . She refused at first but when I came back from the kitchen and I was ready to leave she came with me . I offered to treat her a coffee but she didn’t want because she already had one and told me we would go for a coffee the next day . But the next day she didn’t want to go for a coffee(she wasn’t rude or something ). I am not sure but I suppose she fathomed that I wanted something more than just a coffee between colleagues from my body language which is true indeed and I would have asked for her phone number if she had come . So I left her alone but then again when we met in the kitchen she started chatting with me and she was very talkative . I received mixed signals . Maybe she needed more time to get used to the idea and me .I do understand that women need some time to think over it and need to feel more “familiar” with someone even before giving their phone number but I find this very annoying( I mean is there something to analyze?) . Anyway, we didn’t have the chance to get to know each other better because she got transferred to another department.

 

 

Three other programmers got involved with the project and changed it a lot . The changes were necessary indeed but I felt a bit annoyed/sad because they changed my work a lot , but hey it needed to be done . Half of the employees are on vacation and the company underfunctions .It will be like that till the end of August and thus I uploaded my personal project on GitHub and downloaded on the pc in the workplace . Now that others got involved with the project and I handle easier tasks I can occupy myself with my personal project in between .

[dias]

It’s been a while since my last post but I am totally engrossed in my personal project. I am doing well generally . I will not get any vacation since I am not in a travelling mood . I sound a bit bizarre at the office for not taking any vacation but even if get some days off I will just visit my grandma and work there all day. For the next 4 years I will not get any real “vacation” meaning even on vacation I will work . This is the plan . And then travel some months and start a company somehow . There are three things I do religiously everyday: programming , working out and studying English . In 4 years I will have almost mastered programming , I will have ameliorate my English a little bit and last but not least I will have achieved the biggest part of my potential regarding my physical fitness. My daily life is extremely tedious but it’s the only way to master what I do . For the years I have been working out I should have had better body but I don’t have good genes . Actually I have awful genes , I put muscle like an ectomorph and put weight like an endomorph. It sucks but I compensate with my discipline. Quite strangely , I love working out but I don’t have the right genes . On the other hand I used to abhor programming and I was mediocre at it but again I compensate with work. I hope when I open a business where I believe I have talent in commerce , my life would be more exciting and “easier” .Life will prove if I am right . Although I believe our destiny is our innate inclination and us ancient Greeks would say “What has been fated cannot be avoided”, I also believe that we need to help ourselves with doing the right choices in life from early on . I read somewhere a dictum “life’s path is long but it is travelled fast” …Wise..

[dias]

I haven't written for some time now , i was busy with work . It's been 5 months since I started working at this company. I have learned many new things and I have began taking the initiative sometimes and get involved more with the project from just "programming" . The senior programmer told me that the project manager started to believe in me and trust me for more difficult tasks . The funny thing is , my programming dexterity hasn't improved that much but they trust me more because I am more proactive which is something so natural for me that I don’t even have to try . I am really happy that something which comes so natural to me happens to get appreciated .

 

Although I like my job as a web developer and I work in a good environment with great colleagues I think that web development is not the future . Thus , I will try to find a job as a data scientist or something similar which is indeed the future . I hope to achieve two things with this move. The first one is I like statistics more than computer science and big data and analysis need statistics (and programming of course) and the second thing is that I could handle small projects in data analysis with a start up . Since data analysis is the future I think it's a clever move if I could achieve it . But now it's not the right time for this move , I will stay in this company for a year to have a more stable CV . I still have things to learn and knowledge to obtain so it's not a waste of time .

 

I don't know why but everyday I wake up happier . lol . I like being single and do everything i want without responsibilities and drama but sometimes I catch my self yearning for a stable company .I don't want to admit it to my self though .lol Am i starting to get old ? Maybe haha .

[dias]

CHARLEMAGNE was in his late twenties when he inherited from his father the Western part of the Frankish Empire in 768. Three years later , with his brother's death ,he also inherited central France and southwest Germany . The death of his brother involves many conspiracy theories.

 

 

 

His family kept close ties with Pope for many years. In 754 the Pope asked Charlemagne’s father to campaign against Lombards which he did twice without great success . In 772 the current Pope solicited Charlemagne to attack Lombards again. He invaded Lombards twice in 773 and 774 respectively but this time the campaign yielded the results the Pope so much desired. Charlemagne obtained a new title , “king of Lombards”.

 

I will make a parenthesis here to write basic information about Lombards . Lombards were a Germanic tribe originating from northern Germany . They moved south into the region of Hungary in the early 6th centery . In 568 they invaded northern Italy . Native dwellers from mainland opted to flee to the island of Torcello .This is how Venice was founded. Parenthesis closed .

 

His next aim was to subjugated Saxons in east Germany . Saxons used to pillage and raid Charlemagne’s empire . He was also outraged because Saxons were Pagans unlike Lombards who had already converted to Christianity in the 6th century . It took him 30 years to subdue Saxons but he finally succeeded converting him to Christianity . His way was simply and kind of brutal . Refusing to baptized meant death .

 

 

In 778 he tried to liberate north Spain from Muslims but he failed . Although he managed to take the town of Pamplona , he failed to take Saragossa . They say that this minor failure became the most famous moment of Charlemagne’s legend .

 

In 799 Pope asked Charlemagne for help again because he was assaulted and threatened with the assailants stating they wanted to blind him and to cut his tongue . Charlemagne traveled to Rome to support the Pope and the Pope acclaimed him Emperor . Western Roman Empire had lost it’s power from the 5th century and it’s influence had subsided with the rise of the Byzantium . In 800 , with the crowning of Charlemagne a new empire seems to emerge : The Holy Roman Empire .

 

 

 

Some years later he established his seat of power in Aachen . A clever position, chosen wisely, which lied exactly between the west and east Frankish kingdoms. Today Aachen is located in the borders of Netherlands, Belgium and Germany .

 

/

[dias]

*subjugate*

*converting them*

*his way was simple*

 

**ing typos

[dias]

As far as I remember myself I always loved reading stories . When I was around 8-9 years old an admiral gave me a gift(my mother was an officer in the Navy). It was a very old book which had been given to him by his aunt when his was that young himself. It is written in 1930s . It has all the “classical” tales from all over the world (Arabic stories like Aladdin , European and Greek tales from the Renaissance and stories from late 19th century ). I used to read these stories every day . They really sparked my imagination and from henceforth I loved stories . When I was about 14-15 I commenced reading history, psychology , Machiavellian type of books and biographies of con artists and wealthy people . I still love biographies because they are like tales and who doesn’t like tales eh? Our journey here is a tale . Everyone is unique and if we write down our journey on earth up until now we could see that our own life is like the films . More or less we all have had good times , bad times, drama , romance, moments of anger , moments of happiness , moments of lust …. We have a complete tale with all it’s characteristics without having done something “special” like “famous” people did . Anyway I digress . I adored reading about con artists because I love acting and mystery and all these stuff that make a good real life story . But there was a specific story that I liked more. It was about the life of Basil Zaharoff . Greece can’t really “flaunt” great con artists generally because it needs some bizarre mix of traits that we don’t usually have but this case was different . He was a Greek from minor Asia who achieved to be one of those who “rule” the world .

 

 

 

 

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It’s not about his wealth but his journey in this world that it is really exciting and unique. It’s a story that arouses the imagination . He was a ruthless individual indeed (as all these guys are) but given that he was born in squalor in a poor family and achieved bearing himself among the royal families of Europe and had this kind of power is respectable and inspiring . But what was the difference between him and other equally capable people was the way his was doing things. He liked romance this is why he veiled his actions with a touch of mystery and drama. He liked to play this why he created this image. From his actions and his way he was dealing with situations early in life it’s easy to fathom that he was emulating Casanova and other Renaissance famous figures . I am pretty sure he liked tales too as we all

[Jibralta]

Just curious--Have you read anything about Aspasia?

My grandmother was named for her, and Aspasia is my Christened name (not given name).

[dias]

Just curious--Have you read anything about Aspasia?

My grandmother was named for her, and Aspasia is my Christened name (not given name).

Yeap . Aspasia was Pericle's wife . She had influence in the upper class of Athens in the Classical era.

 

 

I can find more information if you want .

[Jibralta]

I know all about her, thanks Including the fact that she started out as a courtesan!

 

My grandmother and her family placed a lot of importance on her life. I guess I'm just curious if that's something that was unique to my family, or to Greece in general.

[dias]

The first i guess . It depends. I mean even though Greece is a small country there are many differences between northern Greeks and southerners . Greeks of minor Asia or Constantinople are also vastly different .

 

Do you know if your grandmother was Greek from minor Asia? (Aspasia was from minor Asia , this name in Athens for example is not that common)

[Jibralta]

She was from Crete.

[dias]

She was from Crete.

Yes in Crete Aspasia is more popular . But i am not from Crete so i can't tell you more .

 

To be honest , everyone who has Greek grandparents is very lucky