Solly as a Rock!!

My sister-in-law gave birth to two girls (identical twins) earlier today:
Fenna, 2210 grams, was born at 18:27 PM and Lieke, 2550 grams at 18:37 PM.
Yey! I’m an auntie!

… My response – and a silly smile -, when I read the caption underneath this picture next to an article about Opeth, a Swedish metal band:

“Mikael Akerfield (the one with the long hair)”

Every morning when I walk into ‘my’ office, I feel somewhat God-like. Until I come in, it’s dark in there. But as soon as I open the door and walk two, three steps… Light. Same with the office bathroom. No need to push buttons, I don’t even have to say the magic words. Yep, every morning, I am God!

Blasphemy? I am allowed to…

“Hello and good evening people!”
(…)
“… And to you, women, too!”
greetings from a man watching the marching group (63% men) walking by

Call me crazy, call me sportive, call me any thing you want, ’cause I will participate in an official Kennedy March tonight (and tomorrow…): The “80 of the Langstraat“. The idea is to walk 80 -eighty- kilometers in 20 hours – though I plan to finish after ‘only’ 14.

Wish me luck, and do a little ‘no rain or thunder’-dance for me!

update @ 11 Sept. 13:30 PM: Well, I made it! I finished number 202 (3000 people participated in this march, no idea yet how many finished), at 10:57 AM after 13 hours and 57 minutes of walking. Pretty tired now, I think I’ll take a nap.

another update @ 13 Sept. 18:13 PM: Only 2258 people finished, the first at 06:48 AM, the last one at 16:52 PM…

7:45 AM. On my way to work, cycling on a long, strait road. Sun in my face, tailing wind. Jack Johnson’s “In Between dreams” on my phone-slash-mp3 player. Life is good…

Every now and again, you should look at the city you live in with a different view. A tourist’s view. Visit places you normally pass by. Listen to the stories behind that statue, building or square.
I do, once a year.

Yesterday was a lovely weather, yet I had no where to go to, so I decided it was time to do something I would do, if I was in this situation in Paris or even Amsterdam. I went on a guided boat tour – through the canals and under the bridges I normally cross on my way to, well, anywhere.

The narrowest house in town is only 2.3 meters wide. The old, enormous, sewer is still there, closed, yet ready for action in minutes if needed. The chestnut trees have brown leaves already. Not because it’s nearly autumn, but because they are infected with a disease. There is people living under the bridge next door. They have two little tents, a table, a coffee pot and lots of candles in their living room.

I had fun, a bit of new perspective towards the town I live in all of my life and – a bonus! – a tan.

Any suggestions what I should do or visit next time?