Il Nittalope

Double post today, I am in that mood! Ok, so some real updates on the situation here. It's been 4 months that I am here and I have an idea of how things are going on, now. The weather is not good, I have to say. There are a lot of days that evolves like this:  - morning sun  - midday cloudy  - afternoon rain  - evening heavy rain for 1 hour  - night recovering to give a wonderful morning   It is not that bad, the only problem is that in the morning you work, but you can enjoy a nice ride to the workplace, that's for sure. Than in the afternoon you are still working. And just 1 hour before leaving the skies open and rains cats and dogs and you are scared that going home will be as wet as Venice. Than you want to go out to take a beer with some friends, at the bar your trousers are as comfortable as sitting with a ball under your ass (one of those balls...). Than it's time to go home, the warm and cozy house of yours, so it doesn't...

Yes, I know that it's only mid February, that we are in for some cold storms, rain, snow and whatsoever. But this morning, as I woke up around 12 (yes... technically it's still morning!) there were patches of clear skies up above and the sun was lighting up Amsterdam. I could not believe it! After fifteen minutes to re-discover where I was and who I was I managed to look out of the window and one of the trees in front of the house had sprouts of flowers and young leaves. It's SPRINGTIME!! I am sorry for the tree... he will have some problems in the next weeks, but I know he is strong and will survive. Took the bike, ride along the city, through a park and to a pancake bar... to have a nice breakfast with pancakes and scrambled eggs... or better, a croissant. Bit of a delusion, I found one of the few waitress who doesn't understand English... or maybe I was still too sleepy to explain myself well. So... springtime. A time of growth, recovering, warm days and still chill...

Yep, that's all folks! No, I'm being a bit too much drastic, probably. I am just a bit angry that when I was finally starting gearing up with the intensity of sport activity... CRACK! I pulled (and really hope not teared) my hamstring. It was coming, I knew it was coming... and did too few to avoid it. I almost injured myself in the same place before Christmas, but I stop playing for almost a month, than I begun training a bit, going jogging almost everyday. But Sunday I felt it... and tonight had not the time and will to warm up properly. And so... in front of me probably a month or more(even if I still hope less, but it's not probable) of resting and watching my teammates play... I hope they win... even without me... SIGH!

Getting organized for a new life can take some time. I, for example, need between a month to a year to do the easiest things. Today I downloaded the application to check my trains timetable. Not a moment too soon! I still haven't got a bank account, a internet connected phone contract and some more things that probably I should have got by now. They will come in good time. To go to work I spend at least 35 minutes per leg in a train. At most 47. I remember when I left Milan just because I wouldn't stand commuting for almost 2 hours a day to get to work. Now I'm doing 1 hour and a half and I'd remain in Amsterdam forever. It is true that the trip is on a train through fair country side and canals. Life make we change. When we stop to change... it's time to die.

I am running in a 10.000 meters competition. I am 5th or 6th, but still there are some kilometres to do and the lead is not so far ahead. The guy next to me start climbing positions, I keep calm and rest a bit more. Then only 4 laps are to be done, I begin my attack, I start running more, reach the 4th, reach the 3rd, reach the 2nd and 2 laps to go. I start to launch the last lap, pass the 2nd and in the hunt for the lead. I reach him, it's the guy who was with me at the beginning, accelerate, he tries to respond and launches the final rush. For a moment I fear my legs will not respond, the fear rises in my heart... but I resist, after 2 or 3 seconds I launch my final rush and here I go, to the final hundred metres... The other guy cannot resist, I sense that his confidence has gone and with it his last strength. I WIN! Ok... this is some kind of idiocy, but... have you ever been in a dream where you have to run and your legs just... don't go? You have no strength, they ...

Here I am, already 2 months come and gone in a blink of an eye. It seems like yesterday that I was arriv... no, it is not true at all! It's 2 months, I feel it, days have come, passed slowly, and gone. Thoughts, fears, happiness and all of the human feelings have been provided plenty in these weeks. I enjoyed a lot of things, some others have been annoying and some times I have been bored to death. But, hey! That's life in every place of the world! Today I made a new step in my living here in Amsterdam: I finally registered in the administration. That's a thing that took me 3 weeks to do in Spain, 11 months in France (but to some extent for my own fault) and 5 minutes here in Amsterdam. Well, technically 2 months, but I made an appointment on last Wednesday, I went this morning at 10 and at 10:05 I was already out and near to ask the secretary out too! So, new steps... new job on the horizon, which will start with the new year, and in two months new apartment. Ev...