Merry X-mas

Merry Christmas everybody! Sorry I didn't send out any Christmas cards this year.
Still, I hope that this Christmas will bring you everything you hope for. For me, I'm pretty sure it will. I'll be at home making a nice dinner for L. and my parents. It will be the first time they meet. L. is pretty nervous about that. The Holidays never were her favourite time of year. But I'm sure everything will be okay.
Special wishes go out to Ro, although I know I should tell her in person. You'll be a mother soon, my dear. Joy and hapiness for you.

Patti

Finally, after two and a half years of trying I finally got my interview with Patti Smith. She was in Amsterdam last week and agreed to do just one interview. Lucky me!
We met at noon in the dining room of her hotel. She was a bit sleepy, but very kind. On my way to the hotel I had bought her a guitar pick and a box of bandaids. She seemed especially happy with the bandaids.
Why these somewhat strange presents? Well, the other night I had seen her cut her finger by playing the accoustic guitar without a pick. ,,My husband Fred always told me to play with a pick'', she told the audience on that occasion. ,,And then I always said: ,,But I don't wanne use a pick!!... I guess the moral of this story is: Sometimes you have to listen to your husband.''

We talked for almost two hours. Sometimes forgetting that we were working. But that was okay, she seemed to enjoy my company. She is really something, this Patti Smith. Very true, very real, very warm and strong. I am happy to have finally met her.
She asked me if she could play me a song at the concert she was doing later that day. Knowing that that would be an accoustic show again, and knowing that the song I had in mind was not easy to do accoustic, I hestitated. But then I did tell her what my favourite Patti Smith song is.
,,You're right, that one is not easy'', she said. ,,But I will play it. For you.''

That afternoon at the Paradiso's Upstairs again she was amazing. After a few songs she suddenly raised her finger for everybody to see. It had a bandaid wrapped around it. ,,I want to thank Richard!'' And because no-one but me knew what the hell she was talking about, she added - smiling: ,,Uh, that was it...''
A couple of songs later she held promise. I heard Lenny Kay starting a guitar version of that breath taking intro. I couldn't help shedding some tears.

Every night before I go to sleep
Find a ticket, win a lottery,
Scoop the pearls up from the sea
Cash them in and buy you all the things you need.

Every night before I rest my head
See those dollar bills go swirling 'round my bed.
I know they're stolen, but I don't feel bad.
I take that money, buy you things you never had.

Oh, baby, it would mean so much to me,
Oh, baby, to buy you all the things you need for free.

I'll buy you a jet plane, baby,
Get you on a higher plane to a jet stream
And take you through the stratosphere
And check out the planets there and then take you down
Deep where it's hot, hot in Arabia, babia, then cool, cold fields of snow
And we'll roll, dream, roll, dream, roll, roll, dream, dream.
When we dream it, when we dream it, when we dream it,
We'll dream it, dream it for free, free money,
Free money, free money, free money,
free money, free money, free money.

Every night before I go to sleep
Find a ticket, win a lottery.
Every night before I rest my head
See those dollar bills go swirling 'round my bed.

Oh, baby, it would mean so much to me,
Baby, I know our troubles will be gone.
Oh, I know our troubles will be gone, goin' gone
If we dream, dream, dream for free.
And when we dream it, when we dream it, when we dream it,
Let's dream it, we'll dream it for free, free money,
Free money, free money, free money,
Free money, free money, free money,
Free money, free money, free money,
Free money, free money, free money,
Free money, free money, free money,
Free money, free money, free money,
Free money, free money, free money,
Free money, free money, free money, free.

Thank you, Patti. I love you.

Berlin

In Berlin… by the wall… It was my birthday present to L. A weekend in Berlin, by far my favourite city in Europe (like I know them all… yeah right! Anyway I really like Berlin a lot). She had been there once before but her stay then hadn’t been what she had hoped for. Wrong companion. So I had to take her, didn't I?
We got there by train on a friday. L. had packed a full bag of delicious food for on the way. And bottle of champagne for later on that night...
We stayed in a lovely apartment in Mitte, near Prenzlauer Berg – in the Schönholzerstrasse. Indeed just a few yards from where once the Wall stood.
Three days is short. But we had a great time. We walked the Friedrichstrasse, strolled through Prenzlauerberg, saw what was left of the Wall at the East Side Gallery, climbed the Dom (where L’s hat was stolen!!!) and gazed upon an illuminated Fernsehturm on a foggy night - like something inexplicable from outerspace.

We went to the former Stasi headquarters which is a museum now, we saw a nice exhibit of Katharina Sieverding’s work at the KW gallery in the Auguststrasse and L. fell in love with a second-hand shoe shop at the Rosenthalerstrasse.
And we had breakfast! Having breakfast in Berlin is a reason alone to go there. In Berlin you can have breakfast all day long. Just order a Berliner Frühstück, ask for a boiled egg on the side, have a coffee and an orange juice with it, and enjoy!

We stopped at some pubs to rest our feet (unfortunately L. had hurt both her foot and knee climbing the stairs of the Dom - twice). At a place called 'Eschschloraque Rümschrümp' near the Hackeschen Höfen we had a close encounter with a metal monster bird! See the photo ­I took while risking my life.

We had some lovely dinners as well. I have to mention the special visitor at our first dinner - a charming comedian homeless guy: Kaiser Kasimir. He hands out hand picked daisies and invites you to squeeze his horn. And when you spare him some coins he will give you change: a 50,90 euro bank-note with his own portrait. Cool hey?
I love Berlin. And this time I had the one I love with me. Heehee!

A new start

Some big changes in my life. Okay, I knew I was going to be a city hall reporter instead of a rock journalist. But who knew only two months ago that I would be so happily in love? Well I am.
At some moments I wonder if this is really happening. And then, all I can do is just smile. Because it is.

Fun night out in Amsterdam

My friend M. is temporarily homeless. A couple of months ago she ended her relationship with her boyfriend with whom she owns a house. Since they can’t live together anymore and her ex hasn’t moved out yet, she travels around staying at friend’s places and attending houses of people that are away on vacation. This week she lives in Amsterdam. In a beautiful apartment in the city, at the Keizersgracht (betw. Utrechtsestraat en Amstel). For a bum, she’s doing okay, I would say...

This Friday I went to see her. She made me a lovely dinner. We drank and had lots of laughs. Later in the evening her friend My-K came over. M. already told me a lot about her, but I never really met her. Anyway, the three of us – we drank, smoked, went to bar at the Utrechtsestraat, drank and smoked some more and talked about... well, we mainly talked about My-K’s allergy to SM... Something to do with her last relationship, I won’t go into it right here.

Anyway, I decided not to go home tonight, but sleep over. The terrible sleeping couch was a nightmare for my back – which is still hurting after my fall two or three months ago – but it was worth it. A fun night out with no worries on my mind, that’s what is was!

(In the photo: me, My-K and M.)

Melodie

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned Melodie – the girl that signed me up for Children International (see “Ma.”). I put her photo on my blog. Yesterday when I was cleaning up my desk I found the registration form she filled in for me. And that has her last name on it. Her full name appears to be Melodie Sisk. And as I like to Google people…
I found out that she really is the artist she claimed to be. As a matter of fact she will be playing the role of Cherie in William Inge’s comedy play Bus stop that will be performed all through September at the Triad Stage theatre in Greensboro, NC. Good for her right?

This is what the Triad Stage website tells me about that funny girl I met in front of the Public Library in New York:
Melodie Sisk (Cherie) is making her Triad Stage debut. She was most recently seen in the Keen Company’s New York production of Pullman Car Hiawatha, playing Venus and Ten O’Clock. She’s a 2004 graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts, where some of her favorite roles included Mrs. Loveit, Man of Mode; Agnes, Marion Bridge; and, Madame Pettypon, The Lady from Maxims.

Isn’t that cool? Here’s more. This is a picture of her in her role as Cherie. Please, if you are anywhere near Greensboro this September: Go See That Show!!! And say hello to Melodie for me.


Melodie as Cherie

Bad dream

What was that all about? I woke up this morning being confused, upset and completely disorientated. I had been crying, even screaming I guess, was in despair. What the hell had happened?!!
M. died! My dearest M...
I was not with her when it happened, it was all very sudden. She was gone forever. Just like that. The thought alone was unbearable.

M. and I just spoke on the phone. She was doing her make up when I called. She’s allright. Just a little short on money...
But jee - I haven’t had a bad dream like this in ages. And I can’t think why I had one now. hmmm...

Pop Pop Pop Music

Do I write too much about my love for New York? It’s kinda like I have nothing else on my mind, doesn’t it? Well: NOT TRUE.
As a matter of fact I’ve been very busy doing some fun things over here in Holland. Mostly popconcerts. I saw Roisin Murphy in Paradiso Amsterdam beginning of this month. That was a very funny show. Roisin had some problems with her dress: it came off! She wasn’t too happy with that. You can see that show at http://www.fabchannel.com. Unfortunately they cut out the part with the dress… She made a great record with Matthew Herbert though: Ruby Blue. Just buy it.
A couple of days later my friend John O. and I were at the North Sea Jazz Festival. In three days I saw concerts of people like Cassandra Wilson, Roy Hargrove, Common, Chaka Khan, Matthew Herbert, Roisin Murphy (again, no dress performance this time), Al Green, Herbie Hancock, Leela James, Jaguar Wright, Ian Siegal, John Zorn, Lizz Wright, Dianne Reeves… That was pretty exciting.
Last week I went to see U2 in concert. All my respect to these guys. And this week I saw Madness playing at The Melkweg in Amsterdam, although that was a bit disappointing to be honest. They just refused to be Madness. Just played cover versions of the songs from their youth. Only two Madness hits. The crowd was very angry about that, and I couldn’t blame them. I got in for free, but I would be pissed would I have paid 30 euro to see this.
Anyway: August 18th my all time rock ‘n’ roll queen will be here: Patti Smith! And right after that I’ll be at the Lowland’s Festival (with Nick Cave!!)
I must say I’m enjoying my last tricks being a pop journalist. As from October I’ll have a new career being a city hall reporter. Do I forget September? Not really. Uh… I’ll be in New York again…

Ma.

ma. 

This is Ma. Her full name is Ma. Norma G. Besana. She is 6 years old and lives with her family in the Philippines. This is how I met her:

From my ‘New York Diary’ – May 13th 2005

Yesterday without too many plans I walked my way from Grand Central Station to 40th Street/5th Av. The sun was brilliantly shining and the city looked its best. That morning Roger and I already had had our walk along the Harlem River and after that I made myself breakfast with toast, fried eggs and orange jus. Then, at around noon, I had just taken the subway downtown.
I was not entirely without any plans, I must confess. Today I accidentally had the coffee that Gg makes me every morning grown cold, so I’d decided to make that one up to myself by having a large espresso at Bryant Park. Why Bryant Park? For ol’ time’s sake – three and a half years ago John O. and I started reporting about 9/11 for our newspapers right on this spot – in a coffee bar called… (sorry I forgot…). But let's not get too sentimental. They make great coffee.
But just before I arrived there, right beneath the steps of the National Library, a shiny girl-student walked up to me with her hand held out and a smile from ear to ear. If she might tell me about the organisation she was working for as a volunteer, she asked me. She might. So she took me to the lowermost step, where we sat down, and loosely she took off her shoes. This is going to take some time, I realized, when I saw her bare feet and noticed how she slipped one of them under her buttocks to make herself even more comfortable.
Melodie was her name. And besides student, artist, writer and who knows what more, this cheerful chatterbox spend her free time working for an organisation called Childeren International, that – so I learned – helps children in what we call the ‘Third World’. Melodie had a long story to tell – a good twenty minutes in rattle speed – illustrated by diagrams, pictures, regulations and declarations she had in a ring binder on her lap. I won’t reproduce the whole story. If you are interested you might want to get some more information at http://www.children.org - it IS a good story.
In short: she wanted me to become one of their sponsors. That way, by donating 18 dollars monthly, I would help a child. I could even pick out my own child, but decided to leave that up to Melodie. She picked Ma. Norma G. Besana from the Philippines. She is six years old and with her jet black eyes she is looking at me right now from the picture I got of her right here. She will send me a note twice a year. And now and then a new photo.
I sincerely hope I’m helping her this way – and with her also her parents, her five brothers and sisters (!), whom’s names I have here too. The whole family lives in one room. They have a toilet, but there are no beds. Water comes from a community well, and dinner is cooked on a kerosene stove. Well, that puts a few of my problems into perspective…
I still had that cup of coffee. I drank it with lots of pleasure sitting at a table in the park. I have it damn good.

This week I got a letter from Ma.’s mother, telling me a little bit more about her daughter. Her favourite colors are yellow and white. And she likes to play with dolls.

PS: by the way - this is Melody:


melodie 

Some 7 weeks

nyc 




It’s been 7 weeks already since my last update. Sorry. It’s not like nothing happened. A lot of things happened.
Let’s begin where I left of: my trip to New York. It seems ages ago that I was there, although it was only four/five weeks ago. The city has left another special mark on my heart. She is my second home. For sure. What did I do? I wandered her streets, smelt her liveliness, embraced her magic. In New York you are never alone. The city is always around you - as a tempting, somewhat mysterious mistress.
How lucky can you be waking up in the city of your dreams when the first thing you see is Gg’s gorgeous smile, and soon ever that - just when you wiped away the remains of last night’s sleepy images from your eyes - taste the bitter-sweetness of the coffee she poured you on your dry lips? You will realize that you have slept with the angels.
The rest of my mornings would be for Roger, my four-legged pal who’d take me and all of my thoughts on a stroll along the Harlem River – away from what I desperately wanted to leave behind (sorry G. – as from now on I’ll believe you when you say that he does know that I’m coming; whisper it in his ear as you will: I’ll be back in September).
After a view days there was not much left of what I took with me from home. Except for the clothes that I was wearing. And E. who was always there. I know now that she – at least for the time being – will be with me where ever I go. No, that's not a sad thing. Not at all...

May 23d I had to get back. Back to a new and somewhat harsh reality at home. I knew that I had lot of changes waiting for me, especially at the paper I not only work for but also love very deeply. I found out about them soon after I arrived back in Holland: management had started to carry out its devastating schemes and a few of my dearest colleagues had already been told that they lost their jobs. Why? Because some suits have decided that principles, tradition and journalistic pride can easily be traded for short-time personal glory and a little bit of money. It's the suits that rule the world. Do I still love my paper? Yes, I do.
I was not fired. I still have a job – a different one though. I’m not gonna be a pop-journalist anymore. As from October I’ll be my paper’s city hall reporter. I'm still getting used to the idea. That doesn’t mean that I dislike the idea. I don't have a clear picture yet, that's all. Things will be very different, that's a certainty.

Furthermore: after 6 years M. has broken up with B. ( for some reason I’m still not sure what that means to me); I hurt myself very badly falling flat on my back on a fun night out (too much fun perhaps?); I opened up my own night cafe (members only); at an auction for 30 euro's I bought a piece of art worth less than 50 cents (it was for a good cause) - and now somebody stole it!; I saw great concerts by Marianne Faithfull (6/1 - Paradiso Amsterdam), Maria McKee (6/15 - Paradiso Amsterdam) and Elvis Costello (6/26 - Parkpop Festival The Hague); Michele has lost her mom...; I think E. and I are finding our way in being very sweet to and with each other.
Some 7 weeks, right?

Back to NYC

Tomorrow is the day I’m going back to the city I love: New York. I’m gonna stay there for two whole weeks, at Gg’s place. I looking forward to see her again. Gg is trying to have me believe that Roger is already expecting me. Roger IS A DOG, Gg! He is a great dog, but he IS a dog... He will know when I’m there, that’s something else.
I'm going to leave behind Haarlem, and in many ways that is the best thing to do right now. Just clear my head. I don’t know what the situation will be when I get back. With work that is. I just have to wait and see.

E.’s back in town since last Friday. It was good to see her again. I missed her. As from tomorrow, she’s got the chance to miss me. Two whole weeks. Heehee!!

In Amsterdam 2 - the pictures

 

In Amsterdam

It had been a while since I was in Amsterdam other than to just see a concert. Egon Schiele, the Viennese painter, brought me there last Friday. Currently there’s an exhibition of his work in the Van Gogh Museum and me and my friend Mascha – who is a true lover of his work – decided to go and see it. (check out: Van Gogh Museum)

But we were in no hurry. The sun was shining mildly and the city with its beautiful canals looked lovely. So we strolled the streets from terrace to terrace. At one point we were sitting outside of a café called ‘Het Molenpad’ at the Prinsengracht, just near the canal, when a little boat carrying four or five people stopped, apparently because our terrace looked just as attractive from the waterside as it had done to us ashore. When they tried to climb out of the boat things went wrong...
One lady, with a classic Rubens figure, had some trouble climbing the quay wall. She fell back and that caused some dangerous tossing as you can imagine.
On her second attempt she placed her right foot on the edge of the boat while stretching as far as she could in order to hoist herself ashore. Unluckily she only caused the boat to catch water…. Fifteen seconds later the boat was gone and our Rubens lady was helplessly hanging on the edge of the quay wall.
What, you don’t believe me? I took a picture… wait and see, I’ll have it on this blog in a few days.
The exhibition was a bit crowded and I missed some of Schiele’s most famous works, but still it was worth seeing. And afterwards we had dinner at a nice Thai restaurant. I never had coconut flavoured ice before – I love it! It’s almost like the sweet taste of winning a bet! See about that at: adventures. I had lovely day all together.


Meanwhile: E. has left the city for two weeks. It’s a strange and somehow disturbing sensation. She left me with a broken key (of her bike lock). It’s almost too easy to find the symbolism in that, isn’t it? Well, I promised her to try and have it mend. And I will.

ouch! 



This dancer is temporarily out of order…

a tear... (2)

I knew it had to end sooner or later. How long can one go on carelessly dreaming about something that becomes more and more unlikely to happen? Reality got in the way. It told me I had a new friend. And she was not my lover.
So she finally asked me, over dinner: ,,What’s going on, R.?’’ Funny how some questions do not only include your answer, but the questioners reply to that already as well. By the way, we had the lamb fillet with pesto. And fries.

Liking is not loving.
‘I like you a lot’ does not come close to ‘I love you a little’.
I love her a lot.
She told me she didn’t mind.

I’m a very good dreamer. I loved being in love with her. This next couple of weeks, maybe months, I will miss doing what I’m really good at - dreaming. Furthermore, nothing’s really changed. I will be as happy as ever.

Donny

I knew I could find some of the stuff I wrote as a journalist in several obscure outskirts of the internet. But that I was translated as well... wow! Today I came across an old Donny Osmond interview of mine, kindly translated in English by someone called Robert Haighton. I'm sorry he found only a shortened version of my original, but still...
check it out!

a tear...

 

A dead pope, two birthdays and a removal

The pope is dead. I am not a very religious person, and certainly a non-believer concerning the Roman Catholic Church. So I won’t say too much about it, okay? As an event it’s fascinating, let’s keep it with that.
Anyway, I don’t have time for too many thoughts on the pope. Sorry, John Paul. But hey, where were you on issues like birth control, Aids, homosexuality? (oops, I promised myself not to do this).
And like I said: I don’t have time. I got to help Eva removing to her new house. A deja-vu? Kinda... It’s the second time in five weeks she’s moving. But we don’t mind giving her a hand. At least I don’t. As long as she doesn’t forget to bring her keys every time, and keep us endlessly waiting on the steps. But I’m sure she won’t...
And then there’s two birthdays today. My brother Mark’s and my friend Peter’s. Happy birthday to both of them! I might see Peter later today. And Mark… about thursday 14th: I am afraid I will be at a Natasha Bedingfield concert in the Melkweg that night. So we got to reschedule. Or do you want to join me?

Happy Easter!

Question: Easter Sunday, does that mark the end of something or the beginning of something new, something better?

Well, hopefully for me it marks the end of a strange and silly week in which I acted like a fool at least twice. Hopefully I have learned. Well I do know now, that it is completely insane to go search for that one place where you really want to be when you’re in fact too tired or too insecure to even catch its magic, add a little to it and become one with it. Because then, my friend, the place you really want to be simply does not exist.

By the way, I am one of those that believe that Easter is the beginning of something new, something better...

It’s Springtime!

Here we are - the winter has gone, springtime has arrived. And what a lovely Sunday it is! The sun is shining and across the streets the tourists at the ancient Amsterdamse Poort are actually smiling. You are so welcome my dear foreign friends.
Why am I in such a good mood? I don’t know. Maybe I’m in love, who knows?
Well, there is for a fact something to be happy about: I booked a flight to the city of my heart – NYC. Two weeks in May, as from the 9th, I will be staying at my friend Gg’s place. Life is sweet.

Sorry, but I despise them

What a month... March brought us snow up to our knees! Just when everyone had Spring on their heads already. The new year is beginning to show its teeth...

I was wondering these days if journalism is still for me. It’s difficult not to get cynical now all the reasons why I once wanted to be part of it - part of the little army of those who write about what’s going on in the world, because they really have to; because they feel the deep need to inform their public at the best possible way they can – seem to get crushed by the ones in power that really don’t give a shit. Not about what journalism should be about, not about our readers, not about anything.
I write for the oldest newspaper in the world (its history goes all the way back to 1656!) and that IS something to be proud of. But, apparently without any regrets, management and chief editors are very busy turning this paper into a insult in print. It breaks my heart.
And the grass isn’t too much greener on the other side this time. As we know for sure since this week eight local newspapers in The Netherlands will disappear on very short notice because of a money-driven but unnecessary newspaper merger to bring forth Holland’s second biggest newspaper that nobody has asked for. My heart goes out to my colleagues at Rotterdams Dagblad. They have shown this week that their journalists hearts are still in the right place - even now that it is been torn out.

Is journalism still for me? I think so. I refuse to let that be taken away by heartless shit-heads who’s only interest is the thickness of their own wallets. Sorry, but I despise them.

Unbelievably crazy

Interested in the history of psychiatry? Then I got a tip for you: the Pest- en Dolhuys in Haarlem. It’s a place where they used to treat the mentally ill as well plague sufferers. Recently it re-opened as a museum.
I finally found the perfect opportunity to get a look at it when my friend Mascha was here last Sunday to visit me. Not that she’s crazy or anything – although she did bring me a microwave oven as a present… - but she’s like the best person you can imagine to go to a museum with.
I can tell you a lot about the museum, its really unbelievable how we treated the crazy up till, well, just decades ago. But you better visit the museum's own website:

pest and dolhuys

Life is Sweet

This one is for the girl,
who says she’s unlucky in love:
You deserve to have the world at your feet
And if one person, one man could be it enough,
Then I wish it could be me, I wish it could be me.

This one is for the boy,
who’s daddy never had time for him:
I wish I could build you a little house
for you to hide in
I’d give you back your summers,
I’d give you back all your summers,
You still have summers...

Life is sweet, life is sweet,
Life is sweet,
Bitter sweet
And the days keep rolling along

This one is for the girl,
Who says those voices in her head,
never leave her alone:
Don’t listen to your teacher,
you’re not crazy,
you’re just smarter than the rest of them.
Paint a picture,
Write a song,
Tell your story,
Bang a gong!

Life is sweet, life is sweet,
Life is sweet,
Bitter sweet
And the days keep rolling along

This one is for the boy,
who’s not allowed to be part of the game:
You don’t need those losers,
I think you’re beautiful.
And you meet a girl
and you fall in love
and it doesn’t work out
Well, it won’t be the first time,
and they don’t make a cure for that

So you eat your breakfast,
read a book,
open up you window,
be alone...

Life is sweet, life is sweet,
Life is sweet,
Bitter sweet
And the days keep rolling along
Rolling along...

- Maria McKee)

Another week

This is my mom and dad. I took this photo a couple of weeks ago when we went walking in the dunes. For my mother it was the longest walk in months, since she got a new hip in May last year. She's doing great now. By the way, my plan to take her to her old neighbourhood last week worked well. She was delighted. She kept on talking about her childhood memories and we had a great dinner at this very nice restaurant. It's good to see her like that. I see her worrying too often.

About this new year: still so far so good. Sorry that I keep coming back with this subject, maybe it's just me counting my blessings before things turn bad. Well, I actually got a raise this week! Can you believe that? Just a few months before a lot of people at my work and maybe me will get fired, my boss gives me a raise. As a 'token of appreciation', he told me. A humble 'thank you' on my side was in order, don't you think? Heehee!

It's going well with the concerts too. Yesterday I saw a very odd concert of a Dutch band called Solo. The audience had to wear headphones in order to hear the band play... ! Tonight I'm going to see the cd-presentation of Haarlem's own Kirsten (check her out on www.kirstenonline.nl ). Tomorrow I'm going to see a double-concert of the French band Encre and the Danish Kitty Wu. And than Monday I'm going to my big hero Elvis Costello (check your local newspaper for my interview with him...)! What a week.

Love, Richard

Taking my mom down memory lane

My mother has turned 72 last Wednesday. She likes to joke and turn the figures around, saying she just went 27. Good hey? Unfortunately I couldn’t make it to her birthday. I had to work. I was at the office in the day time, and in the evening I went to see Green Day in Amsterdam for a review. Wow, they were good! They really put a smile on my face. And two days later I was even laughing out loud because of them. That was when I saw what some of my colleagues had written about the concert. Pretty hilarious. Making an album with a strong protest against George W. Bush and still having fun on stage – that was a bit too confusing wasn’t it? Heehee!

Anyway, I still regret that I couldn’t be at my mothers birthday, but I promised her I would make it up to her this weekend. So I arranged a little surprise-dinner for her – with my dad and I – tonight at a very nice restaurant in the neighbourhood she grew up in. Although the restaurant is new, It’s going to be a little trip down memory lane, I reckon, and I know she will love that. Before we go to the restaurant we’ll go walk the streets she used to play in. You know, as a little girl she had her initials carved in one of the bricks of the house she grew up in. And they are still there! That will bring back some memories, don’t you think? And we can share them over a very nice meal. That will be pretty good, I’m sure.

About 2005… is it me or did the year really started of with a gentle smile? I still don’t know what this year is going to bring, but I beginning to hear a little voice inside and I think it’s telling me that there’ll be good things. But hey, maybe it’s just me enjoying today's and yesterday's sunshine, right?

A new year

The year 2005 is now one day old. So far so good. I wonder what the new year will bring. The last one brought me some very precious moments. I think of my week in the inspiring city of Berlin last May, I think of the new friends I have met. And I especially think of my two weeks in New York last September. New York - the city of my heart, the city of my dear friend Gg. My stay at her place brought me my new dog-friend Roger!

There are in fact a lot of good things 2004 brought me. That is something to keep in mind when I think of the sad things of last year. We lost our dearest friend Marijne. Wim is no longer with us. Losses like that are hard to deal with. On a national scale: Holland has turned into a strange, directionless country that sometimes frightens me for its coldness. The world? We all know what’s going on in Iraq, we all know that a lot of people in Africa are starving, and we all see the pictures of the disaster in Asia.

Yesterday, on New Year’s Day, I watched the dvd of Live Aid, what brought back old memories. It’s almost twenty years ago that millions of people all around the world for one day shared the feeling that they cóuld make a difference. Well, I still like to believe that we can...
What 2005 will bring us? No-one can tell. I myself have got a good chance of losing my job, because of the fatal combination of bad economy and terrible management at the newspaper that I work for. And even if I keep my job it will be much less satisfying because of dramatic budget cuts. Holland might get colder when political issues as immigration and the influence of the islam will keep on turning people against each other. The world? Well…
Two months ago I met Cyndi Lauper in Rotterdam for an interview. She had a simple but very important message: ,,Stay connected to your heart. And hold your vision.'' Let that be my wish for this new year. Hold your vision.