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?