Coming home...

Music: Play list “RascalM” (LOL), “A Walk on the Blues Side” (various artists)
Mood: awakening slowly

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Am very frustrated now because my English is not good enough to say what I want to say…
Oh, well… , my dear fellow fanmencos now know that it (“mis”understanding) can be fun as well… I think.

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…am back home again – back home from that great weekend trip to Seattle.

I came home Tuesday morning… everything was alright except for being ill. The lady who had the window-seat next to me on the plane was very ill; she had flu and was so “kind and generous” to pass all the virus and germs over to me. Oh sorry, I don’t mean to be mean here… I have had flu this year already so I don’t think this is going to be too heavy this time. I do hope that this lady (from Romania) gets well soon.

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Oh-oh-oh… What a wonderful weekend it was… just SUPER!! I have to say I was VERY nervous before the take off. Hm…, I was nervous and anxious about meeting the fellow fanmencos and flickrers. Jumping out of my small world and flying all over to the other side of the pond. I have done that before, I know, but this time it was not only for OL’s shows..

I have had such a great time; seen a lot, laughed a lot, enjoyed every second!! All I can say now is that I’m very, very thankful to all the people who gave me this opportunity, who made this weekend such a special one to me and who made it possible for me: Ottmar, of course, for the music and the great shows, Fanmencos + prominent Flickrer J. with his son R. and the Gang/house-sitters… I really love you, Folks!!

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And… I want to thank Matt for being my Santa. I don’t know how but he seems to be able to do magic.

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I went to my friends’ Tuesday night to pick up Fox. We were having such fun and a pleasant time that I forgot the time. It was very late and I wasn’t actually feeling very well (had this nasty flu!!), so they insisted I should stay there. And, me, I didn’t want to be alone after that overwhelming weekend. I thought: “ok, if I wake up and go home early tomorrow, no problem”. Hahah!! The next morning, I was very late but-uh.. what matters? Hm.. sorry for my editors.. I’m sorry, I mean it.. but … hmmm

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I have such great people around me. It means, I think.. I’m OK, too,… right? I have all these people, my wonderful friends because I’m alright, right? F. said he had been trying to tell me that all the time but I’d never wanted to listen. Well, you hear it only when you hear it… Um.. sorry… I’m being silly again.

I’m “WYSIWYG”… and I mean what I say… I love you all!!

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The Strawberries...

Music: still the same… play list 030406
Mood: SLEEPY!!!!!

Really need at least another 72 hours… I just can’t get things done!!!
Well, I’m having my almost nightly hot chocolate. I hope then I can sleep better cos I have only 4 hours now.

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It’s so strange – just like the last time with that tune of Opus Pocus (Jaco Pastorius), now I have Circle Game in my head all day long… since last week already. Well, ok, I think it’s because of the strawberry…

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Circle Game
(Buffy Saint-Marie)

Yesterday a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star
Then the child moved ten times round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like, when you’re older, must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels thru the town
And they tell him,
Take your time, it won’t be long now
Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and dawn
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Thought his dreams have lost some grandeur
Coming true
There’ll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return, we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

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(written by Joni Mitchell)

Weekend!!

Music: Play list 030406 + “Riu Riu Chiu” from “Christmas”/Bruce Cockburn
Mood: Tired
In my glass: French red (Wild Pig – merlot)

….Ok, I call it a day.
I sorted all the post and papers, did some administration today.

I sometimes don’t know whether it’s going well with me or not… Well, I think so, yes, I AM doing alright… But… there are those “vacuum” moments that I just don’t know. And at other moments it all on a sudden gets a bit too much. All I can do then is just to take a deep breath (like when walking Fox) and say to myself: “piano-piano.” This “still to handle” pile (of all the post and papers) is growing and growing. I think I’m going to ask somebody what I should do with it. R. used to handle all those official-thingies (like insurance, social security, inquiries from the authorities) - or otherwise I used to ask him to help me with all those things - and I just have NO idea what to do with the pile!!

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I bought a lot (= lottery). I wasn’t actually going to but I suddenly remembered that the day of draw (?) is Fox’s birthday! So, my excuse is: it’s a birthday present to Fox.

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Ya-ya, I said I’d call it a day… I’m off!

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Oh, eh… happy news… …um… ah! I see more and more plants growing and blooming in my small garden. (OK, I have to start weeding very soon.)

Walking Fox

Music: Play list 030406 (at this very moment: "Like a Satellite"/Thunder)
Mood: Piano, piano…
In my glass: Italian white (Orvieto Classico – Procanico, Grechetto and Verdello), which I opened yesterday to use for risotto.

I was walking Fox yesterday along the canal, where dogs may be set loose. I think it was around 6, the weather was nice - a bit chilly but sunny. It was very quiet, there were no other dogs around. Fox was taking his time; sniffing here, sniffing there, walking again and sniffing again… I had to stop every 100m or something and wait for him. Every time I stopped and looked back, I saw a gentleman also walking on the path coming closer and closer. When he was finally passing me, he smiled and said: “Well, why should you hurry if there’s no need to, huh?” He laughed, so did I. Yeah, right… Fox has no hurry, never! I thought to myself: “How about me? Am I in a hurry now?” I had finished my weekly magazine on time, I still had some work to do but it could wait. I had no reason to hurry home. So, why not watch the sky change, people walk by, birds fly, ships passing, feel the wind blow, warmth of the sun… just take a deep breath. I mean, how much difference would it make? 10, 15 minutes at most maybe? Don’t get stressed, it’s good for nothing. Just take your time, take it easy, piano-piano…

Great surprise!!

Music: Playlist 030406 (basically, it’s 170206 + some tracks from Yulduz’ CDs)
Mood: mixed, but good on the whole
In my glass: Chilean red (the same as the one in the previous post)

It was just another Monday… no particular plans, no rush with work or… anything.
I came home from walking Fox, turned the PC on… and then found an e-mail from an old friend V. in Tashkent! Well, ok,… “friend”… we haven’t seen each other that often, don’t know each other that well… but I do feel that way: “an old, long lost friend”.

V. is a Uzbek musician, a drummer. We, me and R., became acquainted with him about 9 years ago, I think, when he was in the Netherlands with the band of Yulduz. Very strangely, V. and R. look like twin brothers! Besides they resemble to each other, they are both drummers. And the way they play on drums… oh, so remarkably and incredibly THE SAME!!
After our first meeting, he came to Western Europe several times and we went to see him play when we could. But, you know, we lost contact again… there was a “language barrier” too – I speak Russian a bit but not well enough.

I remember he sent once an e-mail from England; I think it was shortly after we (me and R.) separated. I thought: “ok, it’s going to be a long story.. I’ll write back later.” … but in fact, never wrote back.
Today, I wrote back right away! Just a short reply, you know, not a long story, that I was doing fine and that it was so nice to hear from him again.
The American girl I wrote about the other day, she wrote me back immediately and I was so glad about that. I don’t know if V. would feel the same way.. well, hope so. Anyway, I’m very glad that he contacted me (or, actually me and R.) again.

Jamming with friends from Tashkent


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I was reading the papers Saturday. There were several news which particularly caught my eye like: The Dutch government wants everyone to have his/her own internet page in near future so all the personal information can be gathered there and that communication with the authorities will be much easier. Or other article was about a cow race on a farm; which cow gets out of the stable to the meadow when the farmer let them finally loose after this long winter. The race is planned on April 21st. There were pictures of the cows with short descriptions; the readers can make a bet which cow will win.
I was thinking: “These are nice stories for my weekly magazine.” …NOT!! Hahaha, it’s April 1st!! Well, I’m not really sure if those articles are 04-01 jokes or not.. but I do think so.
One of my most fave 04-01 jokes till now is that the Big Ben was going to be digitalized. BBC said that some 20 years ago.

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Went to the vet’s Thursday. Fox has infection in his right ear (*sigh*). The vet took a look in his ear and found it was indeed really dirty. When she put some cleaning fluid in his ear, Fox shook his head heavily… Yep, that’s what a dog will do, isn’t it? And we, the vet, the assistant and me, all got his dirty ear wax and the fluid on us… BAH!!!!!! It was so embarrassing.

To do or not to do...

Music: Play list 170206, at this very moment: “Tears in the Rain” (track 3)/O.L.
Mood: Relaxed yet a bit restless (…how could this combination be possible???), absent too
In my glass: Cabernet sauvignon/merlot (Chilean)

Have problems with concentration… again. I feel tired and sleepy constantly. Probably it’s the seasonal thing, the spring fatigue or something. This is actually the time of year I used to fast (10 day detox/cleansing lemon juice fast). I haven’t done that for 2 years now because I haven’t been mentally and emotionally stable enough. The last time I did – so it was 3 years ago (or was it 4 years ago??? Oh, now I’m not sure) - I wasn’t really stable either, and yes, although I completed the 10 days plus 3 days adjusting I knew the fast wasn’t working.
Right now, I feel much better and more comfortable… but am not sure for 100%. Hm… I’ll see if I’m alright, if I’m feeling well enough when I’m back from my weekend trip…

Oh, the music now playing is... "Home is where the heart is"/Lyn. Skyn.