I threw together a little page with our holiday journal (in Dutch). The journal can be found here.
It even includes a sloppy Photoshop generated gallery. Didn't feel like writing a script for it, sorry.

So, we're back from our vacation. We've cycled to Schiermonnikoog and then back to Westerzand (near Groningen) where we took the train back from Grijpskerk to Enschede because we ran out of days. It was 312,55 km in total, actually a bit more but one day I forgot to turn on the km-counter. I think it adds some 10 km (it was a resting day with short trips).

We had a lot of headwind the whole trip, with even a serious storm on Tuesday, but we went through it all. I have kept a journal (in Dutch) which I will digitalise and put online somewhere this week. I'll post a link to it when it is finished. I also still need to work out last year's journal....

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday (I'm 23 now) for the family. My grandparents and aunt from mother's side where there, my parents and brother and Matthijs' parents and brother. I asked for money as presents, since I'll be having a car in September and I need some things for that (like a navigation system). But I received some real presents as well. 'Real' meaning that it had wrapping around it. A parking disc, a windshield cleaner, some chocolate, a nice plant and two fantasy books (first books of 2 series).

I also received a birthday card from my grandparents of father's side, an e-card from Suus, an e-card from Care2 (one of my e-mail accounts), and a happy birthday festoon from Pearle (customer relations...).

We had lots of home-made cake and pie, salty nibbles, toast and soup for dinner. After the party there was a lot to spare. But I don't think that Matthijs' flat-mates will have a problem with the cakes. ;-)

But alas, all things come to an end and today is just another working day. And I should really get to work, the deadline is still pressing and coming closer (1st of September).

I was planning on celebrating my birthday this year, for a change. (Feeling a bit lonely and apart from the world lately.) But as usual, it looks like it won't happen. Having your birthday on the 29th of July is hell for planning. Most people are away on vacation, I'm only coming back the 28th myself.

And then there's always the family/friends thing. Although my mom is rather "hip", I don't want to mix friends with grandparents and aunt and such. My friends are too weird for that. :-p So I'd need to plan 2 dates.

So the 29th of July I'll probably invite my family (most likely only my parents and perhaps my aunt from Deventer will come) and just skip the friends thing. I don't like celebrating birthdays months after the real date. (It just looks as if you only want presents. Why else call it birthday and not a random party?) And the first weekend of August is Castlefest. Since Enschede is from about anywhere in the country a 2 hour journey, I don't think many people will come from Castlefest to Enschede.

The two weekends after that Matthijs will probably be at the sailing school in Harderwijk, and I really want him to be at the party. Last weekend of August/first of September is an EE weekend. And well, then we are in September already.

It's just like with the housewarming party: I want to do it, but keep postponing with stupid excuses until it is too late. I should've combined housewarming and birthday somewhere in June.

So... probably no birthday party this year either.

After the 'kaasschaaf'-incident, I cut off a piece of my thumb, I had a new self damaging disaster.

Last Saturday Matthijs and I would go visit 2 possible locations for the upcoming Exodus. We planned to drive away at 08.45.

At 07.30, 20 minutes before the alarm, I woke up feeling nauseous. After throwing up once, and having some bowel-problems I still felt ill. Knowing that we had to drive a lot and leave soon, I mustered my courage and put my finger in the back of my throat. That did help a bit, and it allowed me to take a pill against more bowel-worries (with a smaller chance to puke the pill out again). With that 'fixed' we were able to leave at 09.30. Still, I didn't feel too well, but I managed to drive to De Lutte and from there to Wehl. (more than 2 hours driving in total).

I didn't eat anything that day, I only drank water. I didn't feel hungry at all and my stomach was still upset. In the evening, when I was finally home I managed one cup of tea with some sugar and went to bed.

This whole thing made it impossible (or at least very unwise) to go sailing with Matthijs and his father and (half)brother(s) that evening. I hoped to join them the next day, but here comes the real damaging part.

At 03.00 at night I went to the toilet. When I got something to drink and looked in the mirror, things started to show black stripes. All I could think was "I've got to get back to bed and lay down". Next thing I know has something to do with darkness, door, floor and then my mother sitting beside me.

Now I have a bump on my forehead, a sensitive nose (I'm lucky I don't have 2 black eyes), and two cuts in my upper lip.

Well, no sailing on Sunday either (I had another blackout that morning, but I sat down before things went wrong). And no getting up at 06.00 to go to Amsterdam today.