summary...

Well, it seems to have been quite a while since I updated... And for some odd reason, blogspot decided that Black on Blue would be an improvement, it seems... I will correct this asap, once I find out how to do so. However, since I am downloading some movies right now, I have zero-speed when trying to do things online, so I can't do it immediately. This is also the reason why I am not adding any photos here. If you want to see photos from some of the things I will describe later, just check them out on Facebook or Volkskrant Reizen... And maybe I will add some later on, anyway.

Now, I can't believe I didn't even write anything about Porto yet! That trip seems ages ago already, even though it was only about 2 weeks ago. It was realllllly nice to see Marta (and Nuno) again and they were excellent hosts! They showed us all of Porto, which I should say is a beautiful city. It could use some paint and a good cleaning, but overall, it's very charming. But of course, for us it was mostly the hosts that made it best. We ate very, very well (fresh seafood: wooohooo) and went to a Port tasting in one of the cellars. We enjoyed some walking on the beach and a glass of wine looking out on the sea. I can imagine why Marta always says she wouldn't want to leave that city! One thing I did learn, however, is that it is possible to get a jetlag from only 1 hour time difference! Admittedly, it wasn't the time difference, but the fact that our flight was terribly early. Basically, we arrived at 8AM local time and had already been awake for six hours by then! This meant we could really enjoy the whole weekend, but it also meant we were totally wrecked at the end of it.
After returning there was another whole week of work to enjoy before, last weekend, my brothers arrived. It was very cool to see them and they were lucky with the weather. On Sunday, the temperature in Milan reached some 25°C, which is uncommon for Northern Italy on March 1! We went to Como that day and enjoyed the weather, the ice creams and the views from the top of the mountain. It was awesome! Also, they brought a new harddisk for Fedor's computer, which Jorryt had arranged somehow. So now Fedor has his own computer again: VERY NICE...
And............... I'm going to be an uncle again! Niels is expecting another child in September, which means that in my competition with Fedor, I will then be leading 4-0! Beat that! Seriously though, it's very cool and it'll be another good reason to go the Netherlands again in October or so...
The past week, I continued working and received word that my negotiations with the a conference in Izmir were successful: they are paying for my entire trip, including the flights, so I will be in Izmir during the 2nd weekend of April! I can hardly wait!
This weekend, Joost and Kim arrived from Rotterdam, to spend some time here, before taking the train to Firenze this morning. We had a lot of fun, meeting with other friends of mine and walking through town. They had been here before, but that was during Easter (last year) and many things were closed that time. So we had to do the Cimitero Monumentale still, as well as Hightech. I think they enjoyed it a lot too, as did we. Although, to be honest, I don't mind the fact that they left quite early today and we basically have an entire Sunday with each other, not doing much. Very Relaxing...
Particularly because it will give us the chance to FINALLY watch The Godfather tonight. Why make 3-hour movies? It is so inconvenient for people who have to work etc! We've had these since my birthday and never actually had 3 hours of time to watch even just the first part. But today we will!
Ciao,
OJ