New scar

How are you doing on this fine and sunny day? Hope you are doing alright? I’m doing fine, although I got a little injured last Sunday while playing a hockey match. Some idiot tried a backhand hit, but unfortunately his technique wasn’t that good and his hockey stick hit me right above my left eyebrow. Didn’t even hurt that much, but it bled a lot (according to others: I was lying on the ground with my eyes closed). Spend 2.5 hours in hospital and they glued the wound. Didn’t need stitches, but it will leave a small scar (2 or 3 cm). Well, guess it will make me more handsome. :-) Other than that I am doing fine...

Duet (although I cannot play anymore) 

The Netherlands, a country of water, dikes and more water. 

Tom doesn't like his picture to be taken. 

Molly, the cat that disappeared... 

Windmill, one of the many we have. 

Heidelberg Castle see-through... 

Pointless

I don't have a clue what to write about, but I do have to fill some paper (or screen in this case), so I just start writing and will see where it ends.

My life is at the moment not the most exciting one. I go to university, am on the hockey field 12 hours a week and that's bout it. Nothing exciting happens. The occasional job as a driver, sometimes a meeting for the National Students Skiing Championships (of which I am the treasurer) and that's about it. My friends are all busy with work and Masters and when they have time to meet for a drink or dinner, I am on the field coaching hockey. The only evenings I have available are the Wednesday and Friday and the weekends, but these evenings don't seem the most appropriate ones to do something. My friends go out of town and the rest doesn't call me. Usually I'm the one that has to do to calling and arranging. So tonight I sat on the couch, watched a movie and now am doing a little typing. Isn't a wonderful life? pfffffff. Tomorrow I'll go to the field and watch some matches of 2 teams I train. That if I can get out of bed. Today I was so lazy that I only got out very, very late. Not really my style, but ok. God, I wish something was happening or that I have some other job to put my energy and creativity in.

Flirt

When I entered the shop, I already saw them looking at me. When I went through the lanes, searching for my groceries, I noticed that they kept on looking to me while switching lanes, while looking at products, while standing in front of 10 different kind of yogurt's and while walking to the cashier to pay. I felt observed, I felt violated, I felt flattered. I felt as if I had to do something. Walk up to them, return the flirt or just do something. I couldn't just stand there, pay and walk out of the shop. That would be rude, and I'm not that kind of guy.

So I stepped up to them, grabbed them and took them with me. Not a clue what I will do with a 32 family-pack of toilet paper, but ok, might come in handy the next 6 months... :-)

We is Me

We are Julian
We are a father
We are a friend
And sometimes a son of a bitch
We can be a lot of different Julians in one day
Sometimes we're charming or annoying
There are moments when we're silly and serious at the same time
We stand out or blend in
Therefore we are the easy going jeans
We are the sharp shirt
We are the suit that makes us feal unbeatable
That's why we is me.

Manners

I have to thank my parents for raising me well and teaching me manners. Nowadays, if I look around I see a lot of people that simply don't have any manners at all and I'm surprised by it. Didn't their parents teach them that? Is it old-fashioned? Are they rebellious? Or is it just stupidity? I wonder...

On Monday I took the train to Eemsmond to coach hockey. Someone left his can and paper on an edge. It could fall or something, but if someone would go and sit on that edge, they would kick it off, it would fall and just lay there. So I picked it up and put it in the trashcan, just 5 meters away. On Thursday I parked my bike to enter the postoffice and 2 bikes were already lying on the ground. So I picked them up and put them straight again. Tonight I saw 2 guys taking a leak against a shop's wall. Being at a square with a lot of pubs and clubs, it's not the most bright thing to do, as you can just enter them and go to the toilet there. So I made a remark and got a angry answer back. I'm not the strongest of people, but I do say what I think and sometimes take a risk with that. I'm the guy that separates his trash, the guy that keeps it trash with him till he finds a trashcan and doesn't throw anything on the street. I answer and speak with 2 words, I use the polite-form when talking to older people, I don't burp or use offensive language in public (although the first is in some countries considered to be polite after dinner), I apologize when I do something wrong or bump into people, I open/hold doors for women, let them go first, let people pass in line and don't get upset when someone does something wrong.

I am not saying I am a saint, not at all, as I have my faults as well, but I do have manners. It would be nice if more people had them.

Working night

Yesterday I had to work. Not so very exciting you would think, but this job was something special. Not the usual driving, but a (valet) parking at a yacht-club. A client from KPMG celebrated his 40th birthday and hired our company to provide the parking and security. Being this a side-job, it's fun to do. So we headed with 5 to the club and provided the parking directions for the guests and the occasional valet parking for some guests that wanted their car being put away. I acted as coordinator for this job, as I was in charge of mega-projects before like several openings of the Groninger Museum this and last year and the transportation (and driving) of former Russian president Gorbatsjov when he opened an exhibition here in Groningen. Driving him was a special thing, but making sure that 400 guests have their cars parked smoothly, as well. Yesterday was just 60 cars and most guests parked themselves, but we provided the directions, told them where to park and accompanied them to the club.

It's an expensive area with Porsches (sadly this guy wanted to park his brand new Carrera S himself), Bentley Continentals, Aston Martins, Mercedes' and Volvo's. So it was nice to see what all came by. Being with 4 other drivers we only had 2 subjects we talked about that night: cars and women. Odd isn't it? :)

It was a good night; we got a lot of compliments of doing a good job (although we got only 4€ tip in total...), met some nice people (owners of Gant, McGregor and Dreesman), saw a lot of nice cars and (young) women going home with (older) men. It wasn't good to see that some people that were so drunk, still got in their cars and drove themselves. We offered to drive them (as that is what we (being private drivers) normally do, but only 2 accepted. One guy, who arrived in an Aston Martin DB7 Convertible, left the club with 2 ladies and headed off in their Beetle Cabriolet, all being totally wasted. We left Groningen at 4.15pm and got back at 4.15pm, long day, but good.

Blogging Night

Well, I haven't posted for a week. I was lazy. Not only was I lazy, but I didn't have internet as well for 2 days. It just suddenly went offline and I couldn't get it back, although I do know something about computers and networks. I called my provider and they would send a repairman within 3 working days. Happily a man came on Friday and checked it all. The problem was outside at the street cable-box. My connector was rotten and he had to replace it. Didn't know those things could get rotten, but ok, I have internet again. So now I have to do some serious blogging as I don't want you out there to miss anything of my very exciting life! (lol)

Just came back from the cinema. Went to see the late night movie Red Eye. Nothing very spectacular, but worth mentioning as for the first time a field hockey stick has a prominent place in the movie, mainly to be used as a weapon of defense! Don't know who manages the prop-department over there, but it was a very old model... ;) Anyway, it's at least a good example that you can't mess with field hockey players! :)

Brrrrr

It has been a slow week. Not much to tell, not much to offer. Did the usual stuff I normally do (this is double). Hockey, hockey and more hockey (and I still love the game), some reading, some games, some movies, lots of sleeping, listening music, eating, doing the dishes, doing my laundry, kidnaping a cat, drinking coffee with friends, emailing (spent way too many hours doing that), posting comments on blogs (also spent way too many hours doing that), a little chatting, some finances and very few calls.

My life in a nutshell, isn't it wonderful and adventurous? :-)

Wine

Yesterday, after the training at Eemsmond, Jeroen joined me for a wine at my place. Although I train the teams on Monday's, he was over to discuss our fee and the teams we train with the president of the club. After all the talks, he stayed and got on the train with me. So we sat down, watched some pictures and talked about, study, women, hockey and what men else all talk about. :-) I have to say that it was an enjoyable evening. We only emptied 1 bottle of white wine, but also my bottle of Smirnoff (which was already almost empty) and started a new bottle of wodka. And I'm not a real drinker at all...

So funny

Some things are just too funny to be true.

Today I received a read-confirmation from the International Board of ELSA. See below:

Ditt meddelande Till: pretorian@planet.nl Ämne: The Usual Skickat: 24.12.2003 17:53lästes den 6.9.2005 20:29.

Well, although the official ELSA language is English, I get something back in a Nordic language. Doesn't seem too professional to the corporate sponsors, if they request a read-confirmation as well. That was avtually not the funny part, more a bit irritation. :-) What is funny, is the date I presumably sent the email. 2003!!! I don't remember at all anymore what I sent, but I guess communication isn't the IB's strongest point... :-)

Hockey

Well, the field hockey season starts again or for some has already started, so from tomorrow on I'll give training again at 3 different clubs, with 11 teams in total. I already had a big problem with one of my clubs, as before the summerbreak it was agreed upon that Jeroen (a colleague and friend) and I would keep the same teams. On Friday we received an email that we would only be doing the youngest teams. Besides that this was not as agreed upon, it's also the most horrifying job for me. I don't like to train the very young youth: I prefer more age 15 till 18. That group already posses some skills, vision and stamina and I can simply do more with them and it's more fun. So now I have to train till 12/13 with is mostly practicing the basics like hitting and stuff.

So we sent an angry email to the trainers-coordinator to ask for clarification. He replied that he didn't know anything about what was agreed upon (possible, as he's new) and that they have a new trainer from Argentina, who doesn't speak Dutch and only little English. So for communication reasons, he was given the older teams. Do I have to mention that we don't really care? We were not asked, we had an agreement and we are longer at the club, so figure it out...

My little brother

My little brother, Redmer, graduated last Friday from his studies Facility Management and can now call himself a Bachelor in Business Administration. He will now work for half a year to save up for a long travel to probably New Zealand, with his girlfriend. After that he will either start working or take up another study. He doesn't know yet. I probably don't have to mention that I'm a very proud brother? :-)

Not well

Am not feeling too well at the moment. Last night was horrible with waking up every 2 hours, drinking some water, not being able to fall asleep again, and wake up again. Now I still have a headache, my throat hurts like hell, I can hardly swallow and and terribly cold, although it's 28C outside... Just watched sports on TV with a blanket covering me. The fact that the Dutch lost the European Hockey Championships from Spain in the final 3 minutes, isn't very good for my mood as well...

Headache

Sorry guys, for not updating my blog as I wanted to do today, but I have a terrible headache and my throat hurts... :(