flex lag

Someone once told me that those who suffer from extreme jet lag are the lucky ones. Their body, she told me, has a steady, healthy rhythm, that it tries to maintain in times of change. It protects itself against stress by keeping a strict balance. So basically, that makes me a flexible mind in a rigid body? It rings true, though. In the past, I have often been frustrated by the rigid structure my body adheres to (‘so you’d like to go dancing and fall asleep around six in the morning? Sorry, can’t do that. New day, new dawn, we’re just starting up the system for the day, computer says ‘no’ to shutting off, so better prepare yourself’).

In the end it brought me advantages too: a healthy lifestyle (‘no, you can not go not swimming today’) and a mental grid to fall back on. For I know how it works. It helped me through problematic assignments when everyone around me was in full stress mode. And, just like my body I am able to stubbornly stick to a plan against all odds. Did that in high school against the headmaster’s political ways, and used it to maximum benefit during five years of presiding over a staff of 300 (mainly volunteers..), trying to reorganize the COC Amsterdam. And in some working arrangements, though I must say I mostly used mental flexibility to keep ahead in my advertising life. Then again I stubbornly stayed with my plan to go to Vancouver and start on my book.

So maybe I should be thankful for the rigid, controlled part of my being. But now, dear body, I would be grateful if you would accept that, somehow, we’re not in Vancouver anymore. Flexibility and rigidity, they both may have their advantages, but you should be able to decide which one prevails every time.

sniff sniff

Woke up last night, which isn't unusual, since my body is totally out of sync with time (and all bodily functions unfortunately go along with this mismatch), only this time my throat felt like sandpaper. And this morning, while I barely felt like stepping out of bed, my nose felt like running. And it's still on full production speed. So no library today. Will stay inside sniffing. Have checked out the new Amsterdam public library yesterday and liked it. True, it's no Colehare, as they would say in Seattle, but within the Dutch functionalism it still is tastefully designed, spacious and has a certain luxurious appeal, with its roof terrace and restaurant at the top, overlooking Amsterdam. Wonder though how the average public library guest will appreciate the great sandwiches at 6,95 euro a piece. Let's hope they do, the restaurant is too good to be closed too soon. The library also has enough working space, some even enclosed. Will check those out the coming weeks, alternating with Hilversum, I guess. Will take a look at the 'Sound and vision' library there this week.
Anyway, it's good to stay in for a day, connecting with my home again. Since I packed all personal stuff into one closet and my attic, there is enough to unpack and restore. Have to do a few financial chores, but where exactly did I put all those files..?

home, ... home?

Home again. How does that feel? Strange. Detached, I would say. Arriving at Schiphol was great, being greeted by and later having a drink with José and Thea who helped Marcel pick me and my bags up. Strangely seeing my own home didn't do much for me. Basically it felt like the next appartment. I didn't really miss a home, or my home. Funny that. Feel I have been transplanted into a new film set and have to adjust to it. We're doing my life, here, but it doesn't yet feel like it. More like a guest appearance in somebody elses show: "ah, so this is where I live? Right. Nice appartment". Of course, I was a bit out of it, after ten hours on the flight. We'll see how that develops the coming days, when the jet lag wears off. Sitting on the roof terrace was nice though. Until now I have forgotten to put my mobile on, so I think I'll start there and see.
And then on, first to the new Amsterdam public library and then on to Hilversum for the media library.

Friday the 13th part one

At Vancouver Airport. Flight from Seattle was short and fast, but in a very strange propeller plane I had not seen before. Made strange noises, but it got me here. Then ran around between international and domestic buildings collecting my bags with such speed that I made a very strange jump, flying through the air and landing on my knee with my cart and bags all over me.. One more stiff knee, but immediately two nice Canadian servicemen who helped me and wanted to take me to a doctor for ice. It wasn't that bad, though. Could still walk. Then had to stand in line for two hours to check in. Last night a plane did not leave, probably because the quality of the plane KLM uses to fly to Vancouver is widely criticized: there are technical problems abundant. Why did I read that? But the lady behind the counter was extremely nice. She had a Russian accent, which always makes me like people. And she promised me she would try and get me a seat with extra leg space, but couldn't promise anything. We'll wait and see. Anyway: after taking out about ten kilos and putting those books into my hand luggage, my bags were exactly below maximum: 300 grams, to be exact.

So this is the last message from Vancouver. Will keep the blog though so long as the book is in the making, so keep up with the latest Tom's Book news here. For now, it's bye-bye Canada and Amsterdam here I come. Wonder how it'll look.

ColeHare on the loose?

Library tour this morning, Rem Koolhaas' built it. Small disappointment: tour guide told us she had no architectural knowledge, was a librarian, so started to explain to us (all from out of town) the system of lending and where to find what.. But in between she told some anecdotes about the recycled wooden floors, for example. In America, she explained, they were not used to the combination of highly functional elements (seeing the wiring running along the ceiling) with frivolities like totally red floors and walls in the meeting area. Strange, but maybe it’s something Dutch. I see it a lot in Dutch buildings. Perhaps it has financial/pragmatic reasons. It’s a stunning building, I’ll post a few pics. The tour guide told me they have special facilities for writers, who get their own little space in the library. Should have told me sooner.. The people in the gift shop were making jokes about Rem’s last name, which I didn’t get at first, because being Dutch, I would never think about the meaning of Koolhaas, so when they kept repeating they worked in a cold hare, a cool house, a Cabbage Hare, I only got it at the last joke. We discussed the origin of strange names, which I attributed to Napoleon, who decided everybody had to wear a name. Probably one of Koolhaas’ ancestors decided to name his family after their last meal.

Last whole day in Seattle. Walked around for a few hours until it began to get too hot again and my feet were killing me, then I suddenly jumped into the air conditioned lobby of a movie theatre and bought tickets to Harry Potter on impulse. Never read one of the books. Was not mesmerized like all the (American) critics seem to be. It’s not bad, but it all rests on the shoulders of a few good actors (loved the ‘bad witch’ in sweet pink dress), instead of getting the most out of each scene. The ending was sudden and without much climax, I found. But that’s me. Not a boring movie but a bit disappointing, I would say.
Tomorrow at 12.50 I’m flying to Vancouver and then on to Amsterdam, a few hours later.

Burn, baby, burn

Long talk with a woman from LA during and after breakfast. She was an iconic example of the self-improving summer of the seventies in my theory. She married in the sixties, turning into a mother and housewife until she started reading Ms Magazine, a bible for the starting feminist movement in America and decided she wanted to study medicine after all, which was not that easy at her age at that time, in the process discovering she was a lesbian, organizing 'pot-parties' for her teenage daughter who grew up to be a cartoonist and published her first cartoon in.. Ms Magazine. She's now a doctor. Her daughter is also a typical example of one of the most visible cultural expressions of the beginning of the nineties: tattoos. She has a giant tattoo of a personal cartoon character all over her back. I've seen so many people between 30 and 40 here with tattoos (and then not the small tribal ones we see in Holland, but full coloured ones all over the (upper) arm. Which leads to some conflicting arrangements, I must say, when a women is wearing a armless summer dress which does not match the tattoo at all

It also reminds me of research we did last year, showing that tattoos are totally out of fashion with young people. So we will recognize the people that had their youth in the beginning of the nineties clearly, even in fourty years time, when they use their tattood arms to push their wheelchair through the streets of Seattle. Wonder how cool that will look. Once thought about setting a tattoo of a volcano, but couldn't find the right design. Yes, I've lived through the nineties.
And survived the heat today, the burning sun right above me, by spending time in Rem Koolhaas' public library. Will do a tour tomorrow.
And returned to the CD shop as a true addict, but only 10 today.

Heat to my musical head

From icebergs to ice water in just a day.. Seattle is suffering from heatwave. Tomorrow 38 degrees expected. Pfff. We're reaching into record territory, the man on the news said. Walked around town a little. Looks good, a lot of those old wooden houses with big porches, and a beautiful, large water front, looking out at mountain range, snowcapped and all. After a few hours walking around town, I escaped into an air conditioned CD shop. Wrong move. I totally lost control of myself and came out with 20 new CDs. Rare remixes from David Bowie, Depeche Mode and Madonna, among others. I keep thanking the Americans for their willingness to put up to 10 different mixes on one CDsingle. Compare that to the Dutch record companies who think two or three is enough. And the prices are a steal. Will have to give myself a restraining order for the coming days. Tomorrow I will probably try for the hopefully cool air of Rem Koolhaas' Public Library here. And in the afternoon take another dive into the small pool in the back yard of my B&B.