To Catch A Sunbeam

The Christina, Turkish coast, Wednesday August 5th 1959 (Ari might find it endearing that someone like Churchill, with his powerful and respected image, can be so out of touch with this specific music, giving it a bit of a humorous absurdity.) The day after the visit to Ari's hometown of Smyrna, Sir Winston Churchill asked Ari about this music he had heard Ari talk about during the visit. He couldn't exactly remember the name, or even pronounce it, at one point he even said "Romboid", "Rombo" or "Romeo", but Ari knew what he meant. "Ah! You mean "Rebetiko" Sir Winston!" Ari said chuckling softly. "Yes, that's it! Rembetiko! Damned memory. What on earth is it?" Ari had offered his best explanation, describing it as the "blues of Greece", raw, urban music from the gritty suburbs, born of exile. He didn't think that Sir Winston would be interested, so he was surprised when he asked if he could hear some....

HEALTH - Myasthenia Gravis Diagnosed: This diagnosis, linked to long-term sleep deprivation, adds a tragic layer. It shows the long-term physical toll of his lifestyle and the consequences of pushing his body too hard. Even someone as seemingly invincible as Ari has his limits. The body cannot perpetually endure sleep deprivation without consequences. Ari's story is no longer one of triumphant dynamism, but one of tragic decline. The man who seemed to conquer time and distance is now conquered by a debilitating illness, a direct result of his own hubris and disregard for his physical needs. - The death of Alexander was a major turning point; his passion for life and energy was severely affected by this loss. The deaths of his first wife, Tina, and the deteriorating relationship with his second, Jackie, further depleted his vitality. LIFESTYLE - Jet-Setting Lifestyle: He has the resources to travel the world effortlessly, using helicopters, piaggio planes, and even having Olympic fl...

5:45 pm: The Christina sails to Tinos (it apparently was Maria who persuaded Ari to do it), they stay only an hour and fifteen minutes. The Christina's Stop at Tinos Time: 5:45 PM, short visit of 1 hour and 15 minutes (this means they left at 7pm) Why did Maria (Callas) persuade Ari (Onassis) to go? Tinos is "The Lourdes of Greece", it may have been that Maria Callas (a devout woman, who is not behaving very devoutly by having an affair with a married man, while she is married herself, under both their respective spouse's noses, and in the past would have nothing to do with anyone who was divorced, and could not believe that Ari's wife, Tina, "A Greek Woman", would have an affair...) wanted to go, and there was time to go. Maria Callas' Motivation for Tinos Trip Possible Reasons: Personal pilgrimage: Seeking spiritual guidance/blessing for her new life, involving: Leaving her husband. Shifting focus away from her career. Her relationship with Onassis...

ARI That afternoon, Aristotle Onassis looked at himself in a full length mirror and smiled as he put the final touches to his outfit. It was 20th October 1968, and today was his wedding day. He was marrying Jackie Kennedy, the widow of the slain president, John F Kennedy. Onassis whistled his favorite song to himself, "One Foolish Dream" as he did up his tie. Today, more than ever, he was a God. He felt like Zeus in the form of a bull when he abducted Europa.  JACKIE Although she tended to look small and thin in pictures, Jackie was in fact a tall woman of 1.7m, and was taller than her husband to be, (who was 1.65m), and so she compensated by wearing flat heeled shoes. As her hair was brushed out and styled with a simple white ribbon, she smoothed out her white dress. It wasn't new, she had worn it before, it wasn't Greek made, but Italian. She'd had her traditional wedding dress chosen for her the last time and hadn't been happy as a result, but this time, sh...

"At heart, Onassis did not hate Jackie. In his drunken states he would take out his frustration and rage on her, not just for what had happened but for what could never happen. He wanted her to be his Greek wife, at his beck and call as Callas had been. He resented her devotion to her children to the exclusion of his own wishes. He resented her Kennedy life, the constant reminders of her first husband, the anniversaries and the memorials; even, perhaps, while drinking pink champagne late at night with close women friends on Christina that she would go over the assassination, again and again, making that arcing gesture to describe the trajectory of a piece of Jack's skull."  - America's Queen: The Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (Sarah Bradford) If Jackie had Maria to contend with, then Ari had Jack, and neither were easy to get rid of, the shadows they cast were too great. Jack might have been dead, but reminders of him where everywhere, not just in the memorials, ...