Accidents will happen (With update)

I had a slow day so far. And I have my day off, so there shouldn’t be a problem. Apart from the fact that I have so much work to get done before my so desired vacation.
I had a pretty good start. I worked a weekend-shift last weekend and today I got up at a very reasonable time to go to the office and return the company’s mobile phone. I remember thinking: Now I got the whole day for me to just get a lot of stuff done. And that was a good thought!
Maybe it was the fact that, while returning that damn phone, one of my co-workers very casually asked me if I had been boozing the other night. No I Had Not! But... I mean... I did feel a little bit tired. And now I felt like a wreck!

Anyway I spend most I my day doing everything and nothing around the house and behind my computer not getting any work done. My mind had a good reason for wandering off, I must add. And the reason was mailable too… (Does this make any sense?!! Sorry.)

Then, when I finally felt ready to get busy, accidents happened. Right under my work room window. Traffic accidents that is.
First an old lady on a mobility scooter got hit by a car at the crossing on the right side of my house. She was badly injured I believe. A trauma helicopter had to come to get her to a hospital.
Just three hours later there was another hit, at the crossing left of me. A moped ran into a little taxi van.
How am I supposed to get any work done when people keep running into cars all the time right under my window? O sure, the mind is wandering off again…













Update: the old lady did not survive her injuries.

And counting

It is the last straw that breaks the camel’s back, they say. Well it is the last couple of weeks before my vacation that bring me in a shitty mood. I feel tired, I don’t want to go to work in the morning, I can’t stand the taste of the coffee from that damn machine anymore, and I’m really fed up with all those hey-I’m-just-back-from-a-relaxing-vacation-and let me-tell-you-all-about-it faces that I see everywhere around me.
But I’m almost there. There’s only ten more working days to go. And less than eighteen-and-a-half days before I will get on my plane to NYC. O yeah, I’m counting.

In between there is my birthday, which I decided to not let go by just like that this year. Although that gives me also headaches, because I really just want to invite only a few people for a small get together, but now I’m worried others will feel left out.
I’ll have to think about how to trigger that one.
There will be one very strict rule: no co-workers at my birthday this time. Not that I don’t like them but my birthday will be the first day of my vacation and I don’t want to hear, see or scent anything work related that day. Let that be my birthday gift to me.

Is work that bad Richard, I never heard you complain that strongly about your job? Hmmm, I hear you.
No, it is not all bad. I still enjoy the series that I’m doing on the Spaarne river. I’m walking downstream and write about the things I come across on my way. We weren’t sure on whether to do only a part of the river or the river as a whole. I’m glad that this week my boss agreed on going all the way. To the sluice of Spaarndam that is!
Today my series brought me to a small biological dynamic farm called Vrij (=Free) Waterland. It’s used for educational purposes by an elementary/secundary school nearby.
I must admit that it is far from bad to find yourself strolling through blackberry- and raspberry bushes, fields with leeks and bean bushes and apple trees. There was even a bee house.
Tonite I'm having a wonderful salad with biological dynamic grown tomatos and cucumber. So..

But oooh, how that even more makes you long for a nice vacation away from it all… O yeah, I'm so counting.

Desk supply

When at home sitting behind the computer, for instance to update this blog, there is little chance that I am alone. Oeps loves to keep me company. Even when his company is really not appreciated because he is too distracting as a desk supply.
But you got to admit, he is kind of cute too when crawling for attention.

Cocooning II (outdoors)

To be honest: I might have bend the rules of cocooning a little bit today. I went outside. But, in my defense: the weather was just too beautiful to stay in, and I avoided most human contact.
I took a big risk though - I dared to walk right through city center where this weekend a very big culinary festival is happening. Still, I managed to get to the other end without any real cracks in the cocoon. Okay, I did ran into L., but apparently for very clear cocoon-related reasons it took me almost two seconds to realize it was her. We said hello, smiled and no damage to the cocoon was ever done.

After that it went all smoothly. I reached the old dunes, where I wandered for hours. Was I alone? No. I came across a family of swans, I saw and heard birds, bees and crickets, and there were flowers and plants and trees whispering in the wind. I was – so to say - Part Of Nature! All that under a brilliantly shining sun.
I even took some pictures:
















Only pictures? No, but thanks for asking. I also managed to produce and direct my second mobile phone made Dogma film, titled: Outdoors Cocooning.



What do you mean, boring? It's a DOGMA film, stupid!!

Anyway, when I got home I made myself a nice and nutricious dinner which I had on my balcony.


And thus come my cocooning days to an end, I guess. Z. is back in town. I think I'll take her out for a nice glass of wine somewhere tomorrow.

Cocooning

Once in a while I have to be just by myself. Having me around me can be handful and then I can’t have anyone else around. This weekend is turning out to be like that. My thoughts are with a lot of people that I truly care for, but I will be with only me. I’m cocooning.
And off course this is after some week. First of all there were these three far too nice evenings in the city with too many nice people (some of them that I hadn’t seen in ages) and far too much to drink.
There was Monday, when all of a sudden Bies turned up in Koops. He just got back from a vacation and looked just like people look when they come home after a nice three weeks stay in France. On top of that he introduced us to his new girlfriend, who was very nice. So although we were clearly good to go home, we sat, drank and talked. After that I found myself with Peter in De Waag where we met Nuel. And again there was talking and drinking. It must have been near to midnight when I realized that I completely forgot about having dinner. How did I get home anyway?
There was Tuesday, when I went to Koops for just one beer and to bring L. the photo’s of her cats that I promised her. All too soon it became clear that one beer would become a lot more, when again Bies came round and then Renee and Hakim and even Wiebe Hartog, who is an old friend of Lennaert Nijgh and who I hadn’t seen in I think two years.
There was Wednesday when I had dinner with my parents and had a long talk with my father about his involvements in the rescue of some very fortunate people that survived the disaster with the Neutron in New Guinea fifty years ago.
There was Thursday when I just went out in the city to have a quick drink with lovely E. but soon after that found myself having a very good time drinking till we dropped with M.A. and my colleague and friend C.
Earlier this week I got some very sad news from my dearest M. and ever since I feel bad that I cannot be there for her, although I know that she knows I’m there for her in thought and heart.
And off course there was D. who was on my mind.

All and all that took a lot of energy.

So I spend my day quietly - doing some groceries, some reading, sitting on my balcony, doing some thinking and making plans. And that was pretty good. I’m thinking about throwing a nice birthday party next month when I’m turning 38. And I’m planning something nice for my parents next week. I also thought of some stories I want to do for the paper the upcoming days. I’m reloading and I think that is exactly what I’m going to do tomorrow. For now: I'm off to bed.