This and that

Feel guilty if I don't come back here from time to time and post something - just in case any of you are still turning up to look! Have you noticed how blogs have a tendency just to die on you (other people's blogs, I mean)? It's happened to me rather a lot. You'll find a few of them via the links on the right. I leave the links in there, vainly checking in every few days and hoping that something will have changed (and dreading the moment when I find that that whole site has been deleted). It's like losing friends - only friends you've never actually met in the first place. You could develop a whole new line in therapy to deal with casualties of the 'blog delete' button.

An aunt called me last night from England. She's 82 and as full of fun and mischief as ever, over the phone - even though she's hardly able to walk these days. I haven't seen her for about five years and it's ages since we've been in touch. It gave me such a warm, wonderful feeling that she rang just to say hello. The telephone remains, for me, an amazing invention.

The second draft of the magazine I'm producing at work arrived today. It looks superb, really great. If this doesn't make the boss get his skates on and decide to go ahead and print it, I don't know what will. I drank a glass of red wine and treated myself to a delicious Italian supper from a takeaway on my way home - just to celebrate.

It's getting cold now in Amsterdam but I've carried on cycling to and fro work, along the Amstel River and through a lovely park. I look forward to it, certainly the morning ride. It's one of the highlights of my day. You see kids on their way to school, boats full of keen rowers taking to the water, birds, trees, LIFE - so much more than in the metro. It's more than four months now that I've kept this up - ever since the July 7th bombings in London. Not very logical, I know, the bombings were in London not here but it feels a whole lot better than waiting for that unreliable, packed, dirty metro train every day.

Next week I'm back in London for four days - next installment of my course. I've only just tidied up my desk yesterday and started getting ship-shape ready for the next assignment. Oh groan.... I WILL do it in a more organised fashion that last time (won't I?)

Bye for now.

Inspiration low

I'm back to plain Piccadilly again as a blog title again - a sure sign that inspiration is low. We've just watched a TV documentary, based on something from the BBC, about the mentality of suicide bombers. All the experts interviewed agreed that thee people are neither mad, nor psychotic, nor even life's down-and-outs, living as outcasts of society. They're not necessarily driven by religion either. What they do seem to have in common - at least in the case of the 9/11 bombers - is that they are all second or third generation immigrants. And it is their ties of friendship to other members of their group that is apparently the key to their behaviour. In fact, one researcher pointed out that it is these tightly-knit groups who approach international networks like Al-Q and beg to be let in, rather than the other way round. In other words, it's not brainwashing that drives them to blow up metro stations either. Not sure I can really take that in but the programme really sent a shiver down my spine. And I was already feeling cold...

I'm not looking forward to Monday. Feel in need of several more days off. How do you people manage in the US with so few holidays? I don't think I'd manage it. In Holland, they give you extra days off after the age of 41 or something ridiculous like that. Can you believe it? It's nice but of course you don't actually have TIME to take the extra days so it rather defeats the object (which I presume is to give the aged a chance in life!) Anyway, I'm not looking forward to Monday. Is anyone else?

I'm still here...

I'm getting into bad habits. Have finished The Paper for my course and just waltzed off and left my blog unattended. I haven't completely abandoned it though. It's just that I've been busy doing other things - like going out for walks, eating out, watching TV (and even, reading books) - and then, when I do get round to clicking onto old Picc, I go straight to the links down the right-hand side and check in on all of you, catch up on your lives.

I have to say, you're quite an amazing bunch of people.

I'm still here...

I'm getting into bad habits. Have finished The Paper for my course and just waltzed off and left my blog unattended. I haven't completely abandoned it though. It's just that I've been busy doing other things - like going out for walks, eating out, watching TV (and even, reading books) - and then, when I do get round to clicking onto old Picc, I go straight to the links down the right-hand side and check in on all of you, catch up on your lives.

I have to say, you're quite an amazing bunch of people.