OCEANIC, SEASON 8, EPISODE 2, "The people have landed"

OK, so I'm a couple of days late but that's due to getting bar up and running and sorting out teething problems, well, not so much teething problems more like full blown tooth ache lol. What could go wrong has gone wrong but hopefully that's it all sorted for now but will go in to detail after I've unveiled to you, my dear friends and guests the all new Oceanic.

"Ladies & Gentlemen, Boys & Girls, for the thousands that visit the bar and millions who read my blog around the world, LETS GET READY TO CHILL OOOOUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!"

Here is your first look (apart from those already visited) at the refurbished Oceanic. As you will see from the photos I've stuck with the blue and white but tried to make it look brighter and more clean cut than before and used cooling colours for when its hot nights in July and August. There will be 4 new sofas being added to the furniture but as explained they won't arrive till around June 6th which if I'm being honest is already causing a problem as could have really done with them. I've been open now 9 nights and needed my plastic emergency chairs for 5 of those nights as I've run out of seating. fingers crossed they do get delivered on time. So here are a pics taken from all angles so you can see the changes I've made.

As you can see from this pic we have lettering on the front of roof now and the all new Oceanic Sign that runs along the logo for my t-shirt range. People have questioned "How does rock music fit in with a chill out bar" as the sign says "Oceanic chill out bar, Rock n Roll", i don't just play rock music there as you know. Have you ever listened to Pink Floyd? "Riders on the storm" - The Doors? Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe"? "Atmosphere" by Joy Division? Guns N Roses "Patience"? Metallica with the San Francisco symphony Orchestra playing "Nothing else matters"? Limp Bizkit "Behind Blue Eyes"? Happy Mondays "hallelujah"? Stone Roses with "Waterfall"? I mean i could go on and on. There are most probably more chill out songs from rock bands than anything else, after all, half of them were stoned out of their heads in the 60's and 70's and some didn't do to bad in the 80's and 90's either, just ask Shaun Ryder from Happy Mondays LOL.

Here we have the new entrance. No more steps in the middle just the ramp at the side now.

To the seating area in under roof and we have cotton drapes from the ceiling with paper lanterns with my mood lighting bulbs inside. Yes, you can see 2 outdoor heaters and both are being used every night its that cold.

On the walls on both sides we have art work on the top and cotton stretched across the bottom with again mood lighting tubes behind the cotton and lights behind the art work canvas.

As explained above.

At the front now and in under the roof i have more floor space, this will give me room for an extra 10 seats at least  which have been added to my licence as had to have it changed now area is larger.

Inside the bar we have new rock memorabilia on 2 walls, i haven't finished the other wall yet but should get it done this week. Have to have my rock roots around me somewhere so the inside is where it stayed.

And bar now is no longer outside as i have set up a full proper bar inside which is allot easier to manage now as everything is to hand and it has worked really well with it already being busy in the bar, so its had a good trial and does the job.

So that's it, the new look Oceanic. Hope it all meets with your approval and that my assistant manager Mr. Philip will be able to work properly in the new environment, I'm sure Janice will keep him in line LOL. I had bought so much stuff for the refurb and got so much left over i think i could refurb it all new again next year but i don't think i will, this took long enough and all my own work, just little old me.

Its was my first anniversary yesterday of my epic adventure to Athens to watch Depeche Mode. Doesn't seem like a year. I can see it all now as plain as day, well what do you expect, I'm most probably traumatised from most of it LOL. For those new readers who didn't see that update here is the link to that page. Great, cold, sleepless memories.

 http://oceanicbarzante.blogspot.gr/2013/05/mad-dogs-and-welsh-man.html

Folks, i think my end is nigh. The mad axeman cometh to get me. I arrived home from the bar one night to find my bin bag had been torn apart and spread all over my patio. This is a warning sign to me from the mad axe man. This sign means "Your just rubbish to me" hence him throwing my rubbish all over my patio and all the left over food items were gone which is a message saying "I'm going to eat you". I've seen enough Hannibal Lecture movies to know a mad man when one has been at my rubbish or it could be the wild cats, NO, its definitely the the crazy guy from my last update, i still haven't been back there yet. Wonder what size that converse is? My trainers are losing their grip.

Kevlar, come out to playayay, KEVLAR COME OUT TO PLAYAYAY! AGGGGHHHHHHHH!

Now lets look at the nightmares I've been having apart from the zombie flesh eater from the shack in the woods. My bikes, oh my god, breaking down, electrics failing and due to my own stupidity running out of petrol on my way home bar 3am in morning, 5km away from house with 2 bags, crash helmet and black bag full of seat covers to wash ready for opening night. Its not like i could leave them with bike and nowhere open for petrol either so it was a long slog up that bloody Bochali hill, AGAIN! Jesus, why didn't i stay in Kalamaki LOL. So the next day it was a more calm and happy walk down to petrol station to buy some petrol. I went in and asked for some petrol to take away and was expecting to buy a proper red plastic petrol container, OH NO, not here, this is Zakynthos. The guy just got an empty water bottle, shook out the last drops of water and filled it up, 2.50€ please. Easy as that. an arsonists dream come true haha.

This bottle brings back memories of the medical research i do, now what does it remind me of?

What else has gone wrong lets see, well, my bar computer crashed while i was open and took 4 hours to sort it, my gents toilet flooded and took me 3 days to fix the problem, my draught Mythos has only just been put on yesterday, Spent 9 hours over 4 days trying to sort out satellite dish at the house without any joy so called out satellite engineer with him also spending 1 hour trying to re-align it without joy as its not the signal its the dish so need a whole new dish, left my bike on twice and couldn't get home the end of night as battery dead, watched all my Columbo collection and Laurel & Hardy collection so nothing to watch to unwind at end of night, i have carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands so trying not to use cocktail shakers at the moment as hands hurt so everything is stirred which actually makes the cocktails come out better but time consuming and can't play my xbox, spiders from mars have taken over our house but nothing a broom can't solve, glass wash machine broke down while open but solved that lose wire inside machine, clipped a cat on my bike but stayed on and cat was OK and I'm sure there was more but head a bit mashed as not sleeping well due to hands. Think instead of tea or hot chocolate before bed I'm going to try village wine to knock me out lol.

There weather hasn't been that great the first 7 days of season but it did give me one lovely view from "Gods Window" it was a grey cloudy horrible day but the sun just broke through and out came this rainbow, awwwww ain't they prruuuuuurrrtttyyyyyy!

I now have to prove something to you all. People seem to have this idea that all i wear is black tops, NOT TRUE! I do have many different coloured tops. OK, 3 different coloured tops and they're all grey but to prove i do have those grey tops here is my wardrobe in all its glory.

My huge collection of clothing, puts GAP to shame lol.

We end this update on very very sad news, DOG has gone to that great comfortable kennel in the sky. Her real name was Dia but we all knew her as DOG in Oceanic as i had named her after Columbo's dog. I have to say i had got quite close to her last season & this season while setting up as she would lay in the bar as i worked. It was really upsetting to hear she had eaten poison we think. Now people have commented and speculated but we will never know. she may have eaten poison left out for rats, she may have eaten poison that was just left hanging around or it may have been poison that was left out for the strays which has happened in the past but in Kalamaki i haven't seen any strays, all the dogs I've seen on the old road are owned by people who live along there. she was a beautiful loving little dog and was friendly to everyone who came in to there bar and no trouble at all, i will miss you little DOG, sleep well.

DOG with her chew as i will always remember her.

A quick apology to a few of my customers who went home today for not taking your picture to go on the Oceanic website but as you could see it was rather packed and manic last night and just didn't have time to scratch my bum let along take pictures lol.

So until my next explosive update next week, now everything is sorted (I hope).

Serve all. Love All. Peace All, Kevlar Out!