Everybody has an achilles

 

and mine is torn today after a stupid slide on the slopes. It was a very stupid and totally not spectacular, just slightly missed a stop on a steep slope, slide and fell backwards down .. and snatch ... achilles gone in my right leg and torn muscles in my left leg ..

that is me there on the stretcher, being brought down to the hospital. I must say nice and very skillful people those guys from the rescue team. Of to the hospital and there the nurse put me on the torture bench to undo my boots.

At first she just thought that the muscle was torn, but with further examination she broke the bad news to me: 3 MONTHS OUT OF ACTION .... my face went pale and i saw all my travel for work being cancelled and me stuck to the sofa for at least 1 month.

So here am i, stuck on the sofa, waiting to go back tomorrow. Still doubting to fly home or to drive with the kids; not that i will be driving; that is impossible. I still have the option to fly home, but that would be without the kids and not sure i really want this ... I guess with a correct setting in the car i will manage ...

On Monday i will know more on what are the next steps ... keep you posted

Happy travels to you all .. i will stay put a bit for now

Toon

is white really a color ?

 

well who the heck cares when you are sitting in the surroundings of skislopes.

The kids are having a wonderful time. Riens is a star when i comes down to snowboarding (ok the rule for me is: everybody born before 1970 is not allowed on a snowboard, so needless to ask : i did not make a complete fool out of myself by trying)

By the way it was Lauran's birthday today, she turned 13 today. Please do not make any reference to the movie 13, i had nightmares about it :-) ). That is her going down the slopes.

Usual stuff for the birthday: the nice breakfast, cakes, her favorite evenign dinner and the thing she loves the most: Stories from the old days. So with my older sister (with husband and kid) and younger one we had a lot of stories to tell to her about the gold old days.

Even admitting to smoking the first cigarettes with my brother and even remembering the brand: Boule Nationale. Reminds you of the how quickly things can come and go.

trying to enjoy still the last two full days of skiing, but can not reflect on what my daughter was saying this evening when at 21h00 i opened up the computer to check the urgent mails: Dad, is there really no way you can do without ..... and in a way she is right, but only this week 5 phone calls of people apologizing to disturb me on my holiday, but they neede just one info from me. It's strange that the definition of holiday is change to : the days that you are 12 hours in front of a screen, but only 2 if your're lucky. And the worst of all: people expect you to be ....

well happy travels to area's without Wifi and Cell reception

 

Toon

sometimes

 

happy travels

T.

Amsterdammed

well i'm here in amsterdam for a team meeting. About two months ago i would have looked forward to coming over, now i feel a bit strange to be in a city where once part of my life was taking place.

I wonder sometimes if the surroundings can be witness of what happend, asking myself why they are so quiet ...

was in the bar where i earned my name as Mr Oban . Thanks to Mats and Cecilia i once got tricked into a whiskey tasting and bullish me stated i love Oban so much. During the drinking session they swapped my Single Malt Oban for a blended whisky Famous Grouse .. i failed the test miserably . I still have the nametage Mats prepared for me on my next visit to Sweden. Also i feel the salt taste of the turkish yoghurt i drank with the liters the next day to wash away my hangover .

also the numerous meeting at Mediacatalyst come to mind and fill me with a nice warm feeling and a smile on my face. My god did we do some brilliant and amazing works in those days.

Not to forget the last memories of Amsterdam when a possible future moved closer by, but then suddenly returned to move away from all dreams and hopes.

So yes, the surrounding are quiet now that all of the above is no longer there. Did i come to terms with it ? With some of it yes, with others things no way ... I feel i still carry the longing for those things in my mind and now in the deep of the night i dare to admit that, tomorrow i will have to rise and shine and try to get the same feeling of once before ...

happy travels

 

Toon

too much travelling ....

 

towards destinations i did not had in mind. Just back from one week in Seattle on Sunday. Arrived there last week on Sunday and had a very busy week with the kick-off and planning meetings. And of course a perfect enjoyment of the view from my room.

 

don't know what it was but for the first time in a very long time i was really feeling jetlagged. I woke up the first two days at 4 o'clock in the morning, so not such a good thing if you know that after every meeting there was a dinner or drinks.

Arrived back home on Sunday after some shopping : Converse shoes for Lauran and T-shirts of Metallica and Nirvana for Riens. For me there where just some books on China and Mongolia. I loved Pikes market, a public market just at the waterfront of Seattle.  I even enjoyed a nice Phili steak sandwich at the diner there.

This week started off also with travelling a lot. Yesterday monday and today i was in Paris sitting down together with the Channel team to give a feedbakc on the meetings of last week. Juggeling time to make sure we have everything covered and of course not enough time ... rushing back home and now ready to tuck in for a train journey to Amsterdam tomorrow and Thrusday; friday back and forth to London.

But as a friend of mine said: i love it ... but i guess this time it is getting to me. Maybe also the rebound of all that happened in the last weeks, feels so stressfull and exhausting.

But: friday 21st we leave for our ski holiday. Only 4 trips are seperating me from the relaxation of one week of absolute snow and fun with the kids.

Happy travels

 

T.

Getting used to it ...

i'm  getting used to a different life again. It is strange but the silence struck me last week-end. After having spend a nice lunch with Rob, Marjon and their kids i went home to have a bit of time for myself and it struck me that it was so silent in the house. No music, no Online games, no phone ringing, no movie playing, nobody walking around ... just silence as companion.

It feels strange to sit in silence with only your own little voices in your head. It may sound very depressing, but it is not . It felt good to be in complete silence, away from everything; only yourself.

Silence makes reality very clear. Without the kids this week-end and now also without travel campanion , silence brought up the questions in me. What have i done, what shall i do , why did i do this, why did i not do things , the complete story of the why .... Why will remain unsolved for now due to the absence of conversation, but will find its solution in what i make of what is left and where roads will cross again one day ...

Speaking about roads and travelling, me, myself and I decided that we are going to start planning again. Not only will we be preparing for the ski trip in 3 weeks time. it is also time ot look at the summer holiday. Lauran give her suggestion: renting a place with a pool in the south of France and invite friends to have a nice smooth relaxed and chilled two weeks.

So we will be looking for partners in crime to go with the three of us to enjoy the life in Provence or Dordonge . Good food , good wine, evening talks, relaxed brunches ...  we will keep you posted on what is going on there.

But also the big travel is itching more and more: Asia here i come ... first book is bought on China. You see, life is all about travelling and the anticipation to do so.

 

Happy travels

Toon