One day I'll never forget
Friday, the 22nd of December 2006 :
- Started out by almost getting into a fight (which I've not been in since I was 11) and then getting (car) chased all the way round Amsterdam by the same guys who (I imagine) wanted to stick in knife in me to check if I was well done or just rare.
All for informing a cabbie that these twats ran into him (at a petrol station) while he was inside buying a pack of ciggies.
That got the heart-rate up I can tell you!
(Sidenote : 200 km/h+ in A'dam centre is doable.)
- Had lunch with a possible future flatmate, and ended talking for hours about the "common good", environment, money and Netherlands vs. the rest of the world. Made me feel a lot better.
- Got 5 euro's from a random stranger in the parking garage, when she saw the bloody payment-machine didn't take my bank-card. Restored my faith in human kindness.
- Played football (badly) with my department colleagues. Got out arse kicked by the Japanese team.
And participated in a town BINGO contest. I've never seen anything like it before and doubt I ever will again. 15 year olds mixing it with 80 years olds to win that all-important toaster-oven. Or hair-curler. Whooahahahahahahahaha
All is all, a very memorable day.
Women!
:-)
1000 kms. In Winter. On a motorcycle. :-)
Rode for some 1000 kms over the weekend in the rain, storm, wind and cold.
And f**k me it was a lot of fun. Riding by everybody in their cars stuck in traffic jams. Seeing so much more of your environment. Hearing, smelling, feeling and eating (yet another bug...) nature.
Most interesting was the storm last friday. Me crossing the border into Gemany, twisting the thottle to the stop and suddenly starting to notice that while the wind was already quite strong at 120, it is much stronger at 200+. Changing lanes without actually meaning to is interesting indeed.
(Especially at that speed)
But all's well that ends well and once I was dailed into it, I was laughing out loud into my helmet. Glad I got a rock-stable bike with ABS and a rocket engine for that trip. All I need now is that advanced riding training with the racers in my dept. Then I can learn to drift on 2 wheels too.....
Contributions to the Niek casket fund are now being taken
Barca
In the first week of working for my new employer I was already send to Barcelona. To go to a giant playing field with various race and mountain tracks. And 40 Enduro bikes were there as well. Can you see where this is going?
There was a really nice atmosphere with Germans, Greeks, Froggies, Swiss and a Polish dude. Testing bikes by day, talking bikes at night. Not exactly my view of hell ;-)
Not allowed to post pics, you'll see them in bike magazines soon enough.
In case you couldn't tell : I love my job. :-)
