Nick Tselepides

:) I AM BACK HOME IN aTHENS AFTER A MONTH IN CHINA. Flew in via Istanbul yesterday--still have not recovered from jetlag. But here is a poem I wote there: THE “DEN” BAR Perhaps the oldest Beijing bar, the Den is a nice place: full of the sleek loneliness and stolen money of businessmen but not expensive for its warm atmosphere. Excellent hamburgers and pretty Chinese girls and Mongolian prostitutes. From time to time a stunning Russian hooker, like tonight, when Natasha was chatting up an Irishman and I, feeling charitable, upped her stocks by telling the guy Russian girls were a thousand times more beautiful than most nationalities— a fact I believe in. A well-dressed tall young Englishman handsome like a film star, reading a novel and smoking a cigar, pretended he was completely alone like my cat does in her best moments. The bouncer, who knows me by now, and pats me on the back to make sure I come again. He surveys the room like a revolving air fan in deep Arkansas humid July evenings, and growls at the Chinese bar boys every time they do something wrong. Images of perspiring breasts, taut and upright and lemon-like, as these pretty adolescent Chinese girls brush by me. One is navel-nude and tempts me like the devil—you’d think a touch with your little finger and she’d give it all away, though the true story spells money for whatever the client wants except taboo untouchables—namely anal contact and parents knowing. All else goes. Happy hour is 7 to 10, beer is a dollar and ten cents. Three bucks for a big hamburger, and the one I had was the best I’ve had in my life. Women I did not have any—they are better to watch and talk to in this tropical winter weather. A French woman, 2 meters tall and long-legged, long dark brown hair, who works at her embassy, smiled to me widely and twice and winked at me but I missed my chance and by the time I was ready she was on her way out, and had gone off into the night. Having been 3 times here I am a “regular”, and my passport is known to the waitresses—all polite, civilized, and not whores. Just working girls, like the other working girls who charge money for love. If you come here on the off-chance, you should expect the best but do not be surprised if nothing happens in the end. If it happens, go for it head and toes, and be sure you will survive and come out wiser. If you are a lady-- navel-nude or dressed thickly to the gills, pierced or unpierced ears--and smile, some man will catch up with you in the end and catch himself too in the process and you will have a good time. Everyone here means well and there are cases of happy marriages which started out here. Midnight, I flag a taxi down and head home, through Beijing fog and lights, to write, cut and paste undo and redo all this, delete and send to the bin, and recover it all for you, in the silence of my room, with the full moon In the sky, and with many pairs of beautiful eyes looking at me from the Den as past history. Flying home tomorrow night. --------------------- 25th Jan. 05 Beijing, China, in memory of the “Den” Bar Nikos Tselepides More soon, friends.

NC: Looks great. So you plan to raid the nearest Naval Air Station and get some light gull gray and gloss white paint and the CAG colors for your tail, right? Looks nice. I like the seat. though it will not support the weight of some guys I know--not you, I mean others... Day after tomorrow I am flying to China and arriving on Xmas day at 14.20. For a month. I will make a cartoon for you there and post it if I can. Take care, hello to Cat and the cats, and Merry Christmas shipmate. :) :) Nick

:) :) I wrote a poem which I can also dedicate to you all. Leaving for China for a month on the 24th of Dec. for work for my college and these days are somewhat stressful for me. Will be posting from there, too. Poem follows: :) FRUIT AND STUFF (after a poem by Robert Peterson) New flowers on my balcony flowerpot Red this time, name unknown. Not like geraniums Not like any other ones I know. This is the time of year of nuts and cake spices Vanilla and cinnamon Oranges, apples, mandarins, Ginseng and chocolate And yes to Oriental perfumes No to daffodils, and no to tea. Peanuts won’t make the grade But almonds will. Chicken for dinner Seems gone forever and mint Colors all plates. Bells have turned Small and golden and hang In plastic from the tree. The pine In the street is busy making new seed For the wind of February. Do candles We light at night speak to each other? With restraint, 6-star brandy brings An ambience to the room: little secrets We never told each other are revealed. Yesterday, by sealed orders, I banned All roses from the house as insipid. Today I open the door wide to what will not terrorize. That is you, my dear wife, and whatever flowers And spices you still carry in your bags. :) Nikos Tselepides Dec.18, 2004

Great NavyChief. Hope it works out fine. Take it one step at a time with the games and reboot after each install. Gald for you.

Well Navy Chief, It was a long wait for us and we are glad to have you back--that you are modemed in sound and true, it calls for a celebrattion-- a pic for you: These are Naval Aircraft waiting for you to fly them, buddy. Cheers PS: I may be going to China for a month with my work soon.

Navychief, Good to hear from you and that you have been settling in. We miss you here. Hope you sell the house soon, friend. See my posts at simhq about my new job, please, and one titled "This Was Hilarious". Nick

Does your wife ever complain about your simming? Mine does not, luckily. On the contary, sometimes she encourages me to go to the PC so she can watch a film on TV. We have totally different tastes about films we want to see on TV--she wants fast police action or fantasy or magic and ESP movies--all genres I cannot stand--and I like social, history epics, westerns, documentaries, novel-type, and the like...

Dutchy, If you're over 18, it is time you got yourself a girl. See what it is like, and get some experience... Girls/women can be a boon or a disaster, or both from the same girl at different periods. Thing to do is not marry too young, and while courting, do not let them get the upper hand. You can achive the latter by the simple expedient of not being submissive and making her believe you see many people socially, so they are always a little jealous and cautious with you. That keeps them checked. How to make them believe you are busy? Here: (phone conversation) W: I called you last night and did not find you. You: I was busy W: Oh yes? What were you doing? You: That is personal business matters and I like to keep it personal, please. (This way she knows she cannot get away with that question again in the future, and you are telling her it is none of her business in a polite way). W: You did not call me when you said you would... You: I hate phone slavery, you know...If I did not call, it means that must have been busy, and I am not they type to call on command, you know... (This take care of "Phne me 3 times a day nightmare problem) etc etc in that vein... In my experience, that sort of guidleine works like a miracle, as you either get rid of a bug (and you can soon find another one who is easier to deal with), or she succumbs and steers away from what you do not like. Cheers....

I like everything about the new forum, except this blue color here. The old color was warmer. Otherwise, all else seems better now.

Hi guys, I plan to install LOMAC. What are the basic steps, add-ons, ptaches I need and in what order do I do what... I have the CD the game as it was a year ago or so. Thanks...

Many thanks for the advice, Tuff. Will do as you suggest.. Nick

Well, I always say what I truly think, and I think this color is horrid. Cold, tiring for the eyes, and the white lettering contrasts too much with the blue background. The older colors were warm and inviting--these make mefreeze and shiver... And I wonder if an RAF guy is behind this, as this background is what they call "RAF blue". It looks better on uniforms than it does here.

Navychief, How can we do without you, buddy? Hurry up, stop kidding, and come back--we will miss you here. Nick Hope the new hosue is coming along well....and that you sell the old one quick.

I thought I would ask you to describe how you use your flightsimming time, so we all get an idea what many members do when playing (or simming) in a game or flight simulation. Starting with myself, I spend about 3 hours each day flying, but not continuously of course-- it may be 1 hour in the morning, 1 in the afternoon, and the rest in the evening. :P About 40 minutes of this is Strike Flighters, but again not continuously--I intersperse this with flights in FS2002/04, mainly to get out of the stress of War and Fighting and relax, usually in nice landscapes like Alaska with a single-engine plane from the 30s usually, or doing aerobatics in a Tiger Moth or flying the Spitfire at 200 feet above the Athens runway lengthwise along it and spinning it as I go--if I want a thrill, or, testing my own repaints and retesting how they look after each Photoshop session. This last bit is time spent in creative work and needs a lot of concentration and notes before the texture if further skinned in Photoshop, and is hard work--more demanding than say installing an aircraft add-on manually, and more rewarding as well. I cannot, no matter how I have tried, stick to one sim/game and often I do sidetrips into CFS2 for bombs and shooting, or very rarely into IL-2FB for a look at its graphics (nothing else in it agrees with me, really, and I find its interface difficult, inflexible and user-unfriendly). Strike Fighters is very user-friendly for me, and the MS Sims, once one gets addicted, are impossible to stay away from. :ph34r: To all this is added about 2 hours each day installing add-ons, with the backclog of thigs downloaded but not yet installed always rising in volume, and never to diminish. Occasionally, I will spend a whole day --7-9 hours with breaks--repainting one a/c in five or six liveries--but that is about once a week. So, thus a day passes....

finiteless, Yes, many similarities between us. As you say, if it feels right, why not? That remindes me what Robert Peterson told me once when I was 22 or so and had doubts about some things: "Nick, follow you heart and mind always--do what you feel like doing". Robert is a California poet and a nice man. His advice stood me in good stead eversince. The alternative would be not to do what you feel like doing, and wind up frustrated and suffering needless psycho-effects. Where do you live, by the way?

"Tall, strong-ankled and sunburned, the daughters of Calfornia drive with tennis balls into the heads of reluctant humanists the unhappy realization that Nature is still stronger than man." :D Thus wrote Kenneth Rexroth, a California poet, in a poem. It is still true. You only have to look at what the recent typhoons did to Lousianna to confirm that. Or, at how a man looks at a passing provocative blonde who is beautiful and sexy-looking. Both observations confirm it.

MS have announced an update for their FS9 flioght sim--check it out at avsim. It will improve many things in an already great sim....

Hey Chief. I found this for you. You must have been on board at the time--pic is dated June 28, 1979. The Valions are there, and the Golden Warriors.

Chief, ;) ;) Scrub your back to your heart's content and sit in the tub with a good magazine and a cup of coffee and play with toy ships on the water.... Glad for you. :)

Chief, ;) I saw a good movie on TV last night titled "You Can Count On Me". I notcied that the land in the film looked much like your area, and in the film, , they often had country songs playing in the background. Have you seen it? If you have, can you tell me if the area (hills and trees) was in your state? : :( Our cat mated with a tom 2 weeks ago and now she is losing hair around the neck, and the hairless skin spots are red, and this has been expanding--from a small patch under the neck initially, it has now grown to a 2-3 finer wide ring all around the neck, full circle. We are taking her to the vet later today, my wife is worried sick. Have you ever had this with your kitties? Must be an infection she got from the tom who was biting her there.

Thanks Navychief, We took the cat to the vet, he gave us an ointment to apply to the area and cut off its hair around the neck--our Persian looks very funny now with a bare neck and long fuzzy hair everywhere else-- and she has stopped scratching, the red patches have gone. Seems she will recover totally. She has no collar, and does not ever get any fleas as she only goes to the 3rd floor balcony, and never leaves the house. We might get her spayed later. Thanks to all for the advice. Cheers

Thanks for the advice Firehawkordy, In an hour I will take her to the Vet and see what he says, too...

Bruce Baker has released an F3H Demon for FS9 and I am busy finishing the better 2d panel for it to be uploaded soon. It flies fine, folds wings, drops hook, opens canopy, etc... Same man has out many carriers for FS9 at flightsim.com. Dave Garwood's new Hawker Hunters are excellent--they now compete with Armourdave's new SFP1 Hunters. Many AI aircraft have paintkits and are easy to repaint-- I did 6 different repaints of the Shorts S360 in 3 hours today--they all give you paintkits. You can see 2 of these at the SimHQ SFP1 forum under my name. Rick Piper's Chipmunk is out, with a fix too. You can visit Bill Lyons' Golden Age site and download a Jaguar to drive in your flightsim, a motorcycle,and many wonderful things from the 30's.

That is ok--the US has abetter tema and always will.

My own repaints in my FS9......