Tomorrow: Exam

The fall of the Dutch government certainly did create a little Study Evasive Behaviour for me today. I have probably heard more of the live press conferences than most people in the Netherlands! But, I did managed to get some studying done in addition to that. And, more importantly, I designed a reasonable expectation about the 3 exercises we will get tomorrow... We will see how close I am to the real thing!

Additionally, I received the report of the Baltic Journal of Economics. One of the reviewers said my paper was publishable after some minor revisions. The other unfortunately thought it needed very major revisions... In itself, this is a normal judgement and I should be happy to have not been rejected. But still, I am not actually sure whether I want to spend the time to revise the paper. I guess I will, though.

Now, I will listen to some more radio news and then go to bed early. After all: tomorrow is the most important day of the year (study-wise): My Political Economics Field Exam...
Ciao,
OJ

Back from Holland

So, the weekend consisted of a power visit to the Netherlands. A pentennial celebration on Sunday was enough reason for me to fly up and down. And it was definitely worth it: seeing the whole family again was very nice. And I heard some interesting things I didnt know yet!
And of course, it was nice to cool down for a bit. Italy is suffering from the heat. Badly. Technically, it should be cooling down to 24-25 at night, but inside, this is not the case. Even while standing in the shower, you just sweat. It is disgusting. Tomorrow will be a day of rest, with only 30 degrees! (and yes, that actually makes me feel relieved).
Of course, while in the Netherlands, Fedor and I also went to see some friends, as well as both Fedors parents. On Tuesday, I returned to Milano, where I was unable to do much for the rest of the day.
Today, I returned to Uni where, thank god, the air conditioning is still working! I studied all day and returned home at 20.30. Tomorrow means another day of real studying, as my vitally important field exam will take place on Friday, at 10AM. Make sure you are thinking of me when that time comes... I will need all the support I can get, I fear.
Ciao,
OJ

Woohoo, a Flat!

Today, studying bla bla, et cetera.

More importantly, however, I went to visit a flat! It turned out to be a bit further away than I had hoped: about 30-35 minutes walking from University, 10 minutes from nearest metro station, but next to tram and bus connections.
And the flat was absolutely gorgeous!!! Very nicely furnished, with a little kitchen area, a (very) little bathroom, a living room and a bedroom. Absolutely awesome! The price is 750 euros per month, plus "other costs": about 900-1000 in total. I was very excited about the flat and after thinking for a while, because it is actually a bit further away than I would have liked, I decided to go for it. Next week, I will meet the owner (who lives in Rome, today I met the current renter). I hope all will be ok and we get the flat!!! Because it is simply awesome!!! Only 2 disadvantages: the location is not optimal (but it could be MUCH worse) and there is a 3-month deposit required. But this is the case in nearly all places, so I had prepared for that. And, I guess it is not too bad: After all, I will receive my deposit from my current room (1800 euros), which will be for most of it...
WOOOHOOOOO. I am really excited about this! Because (and I am repeating myself, I realise: I am simply excited): the flat is AWESOME!
Anyway, tomorrow I will fly to the Netherlands and I will discuss it over with Fedor. and we will have a lot of fun together.
Finally, a picture of how we have lunch nowadays: We sit in the park, close to Uni, to eat our panini/insalate
Ciao,
OJ

Forza Azzuri!

Hot, that would be the best description of Milan right now. Temperatures have risen to a steady 35 degrees, which should be quite ok. However, it is also humid and cloudy. Not a very pleasant environment at all!
Thank god we have air-conditioning at Uni... Without, we would all be dead, I am afraid. And it makes it possible to get some studying done. Of course, however, there are many distractions to keep me from actually doing so. Of course there is the World Cup. I didnt get a chance to watch the match of the Netherlands, but I listened to it on the radio, instead. Today, on the other hand, I did go to a bar for Italy's match against the Czech Republic. It was not a very good match, but there was a great atmosphere! It was fun!!!
The other main thing that has been occupying my mind recently is flathunting. Recently, I "cut through the knot" (de knoop doorgehakt) to move flats per August 1, instead of September 1st. There are a number of reasons for this, but that is not very important. The important thing is that I now need to find a place for Fedor and me to live! I have seen two flats now: the first one was tiny, expensive and shit. The second was nice, smallish, had a nice land lady, but just missed a little something. It didnt speak to me. Tomorrow, I have an appointment to look at a flat of which I know it is bigger (seriously, a 2-room flat on 32 m2 is not cool). We will see what happens!
And of course, I will go to Holland on Saturday: looking forward to that!
Ciao,
OJ

Uni!

I went to Uni again today!!!!

And it was quite OK. Standing up (or walking) for a longer time is still nog great, but overall, it went well! And of course, it was great to see everyone again and be back at Uni. I also managed to get some studying done. Studying at Uni is significantly more comfortabel than at home. After all, there is Air Conditioning at Uni, and the weather is disgusting right now. Abour 33-34 degrees (and up to 37 in the next days), but cloudy and humid: It isnt even possible to get a tan right now because of the clouds! So being in an air-con area is very pleasant...
Also, I went to see a flat today, that I found on the internet. After all, Fedor and I will need a flat to live in when he is moving to Milano (in August: only 6 weeks from now!). And I now know, that the flat I went to see today will NOT be the flat where we will live. It was a bilocale (2-room flat), but it was about 33 square meters. REALLY, really small, that is. And even though everything was new and gorgeous, it was definitely not worth the money they were asking (about 1000 all inclusive a month). But it was a good orientation on the Housing Market. Generally, I have been orienting for quite a while, and seriously: Milano e cazzo di caro (Milan is FUCKING expensive). Buying a 2-room flat of about 40 square meters will set you back at least 250,000 euros. A 3-room flat is in the order of 400-700,000 euros. That is just insane.
However, I did take the picture today I have been wanting to take for ages. It is my view when I am standing at the tram stop to go to Uni.
Ciao,
OJ

Finally!!! Scala...

Well, the past days just been studying and resting. I am doing better and better, although progress has slowed down over the past days. However, tomorrow I will once again return to Uni! I dont think I will stay the whole day, but I will go to Uni for a few hours at least.
And today I went to the Scala Theatre, one of the most theatres in Europe. I went with Idil and Dominica (we got tickets 2 months ago, and I wont let anything stop me from going!). We went to see a recital of Schuman (Spanische Liebeslieder) and Brahms (Liebeslieder), by 4 German singers and 2 pianists. It was amazing!!!!!! The theatre looks absolutely amazing from the inside and the performance was great. So that was definitely worth the trip! I cannot wait to go to an opera with Fedor. It will be significantly more expensive, but it will be so beautiful. By the way, on the way home, I happened to see a thermometer on the way: It was 28 degrees at 22.30 today. And the next days, it will be about 4-5 degrees warmer than it has been today... *sigh*
I will finish with two more pictures. The first one has been on this blog before and is a picture of the Scala Theatre. The other one is on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania (July 2004)
Ciao,
OJ

Eat, Drink and be Mary [Rebecca Spencer]

Just a short msg to say that I am doing better still... I managed to sunbathe (and study) for a while today, which was lovely. After all, I will go to Holland next week, and I want to make sure that I have a nice tan before I go. However, having been inside for 1 1/2 weeks, my tan was starting to fade. So I am touching it up right now.
Tonight, Italy suffered an embarrassing defeat against the US (OK, it was 1-1, but that should be considered a defeat), with the match described as "a pubfight, not a match" on one forum. At least Meghan was happy!!!
Finally, because I dont have anything else to say, I will post some pretty pictures from Uganda and Kenya, that I took in 2004.
Ciao,
OJ

Getting better!!!

Well, things are getting better. Today, the asshole-doctor took out the stitches and even though it is one ugly scar, I feel better every day. I am still at home, in bed mostly. But I hope to be back at Uni on Monday or Tuesday. So things are going well! Yesterday, Bjoern, Andrea and Karen came to visit and cook for me, which was very pleasant, of course. And this afternoon, I will receive my Brazilian friend Fernanda. At least, everybody is very concerned and sweet!
For the rest, there is still not much going on here, so I still dont have much to say. I will post some pictures instead! Pictures of Daan and Leah, my nephew and my niece.
Ciao,
OJ

Still in bed...

Every day, I am getting a little better. By now, as long as I am lying down not doing anything, I hardly feel any pain at all. Walking more than 3 steps still hurts as hell, but there is gradual improvement. Not so much in my mood though, because the temperature has been rising steadily and I have been dying of the heat in bed... Doesnt make me happy. Also doesnt really help for my studying skills, which I have ben trying to employ!
Monday morning, I paid another visit to the hospital. Didnt go very well. Mainly because I had so much pain that I couldnt think properly anymore and my regular surgeon wasnt there: only some grumpy old guy who spoke no English. Not a pleasant experience, at all...
Monday night, however, my friends Idil and Dominica came over to cook for me. It was great to see them again and to hear the latest gossip, of course. And today, Giovanna and Silvia visited, so I could hear some more news. Amongst other things, I heard the news about the field exam today that I was supposed to make...
For the rest, I dont have much to say: not much is happening around my bed so I dont have much to tell either. Except of course that I am very happy that WE (Holland/Italy) are doing so well on the World Cup. I follow all the matches by MatchCast, or on the Dutch radio if they broadcast it: I am starting to become a connoiseur without actually seeing a single match!!!!
Ciao,
OJ

Hospital: oh fuck

Tuesday and Wednesday, Fedor and I spent a lot of time together, studying, relaxing, etc. This was, as always, very nice.
Thursday came the moment of truth, however. I had to go to the hospital for the operation. I checked in at 7.30AM and spent the morning reading. Because it was the same as for the pre-op examination: first come, first serve, and I was the third and last in my room to arrive. Finally, it was my turn, I received my (local) anasthaesia and the operation got underway. However, the first strang thing was that despite the anaesthesia, I did have a lot of pain of the operation. Next thing is a confused doctor saying he cannot find evidence of a previous Hernia (except for the huge scar). In addition to that, the operation lasted much longer than expected. By the time I got back to my room, the other people in the room were practically ready to go: I found this very weird, because I was in a lot of pain, still.
The explanation for it arrived together with the doctor. I turned out to have had a double Inguinal Hernia (both on the right), which explains why I have been suffering from it so much the past month and is also rather rare. Goddammit, why can I never just have a simple operation??? At the end of the afternoon, the nurses decided that I should go home anyway (crazy decision, because I was in a lot of pain, despite all the pain meds). So I did, and I got home "safely". Friday morning, I went to see the surgeon again in the hospital, but he couldnt do much. He increased my pain medication dose, and redressed the wound. Finally, he sent me home again. I will go and see him again on Monday.
This morning, Fedor went back. This is obviously inconvenient, because I am unable to do anything more than walking to the bathroom and back (and even that is like HELL). So I am counting on my flatmates from now on, because I cant do anything at all. Needless to say, I am not happy.
Ciao,
OJ

Yesterday, I spent another good time of the day in the Sun, which was lovely of course! In addition to that, I Videoskyped with my brother, so my niece could show off all her birthday presents (she had her first bday a few days ago).
In the evening, a big group of 15 or so people came to visit me (and celebrate that they finished their first field exam). It was great to seen everyone again, because most of them I hadnt seen for ages. It was slightly unfortunate, however, that I was actually having a really bad day yesterday and I couldnt even stand up straight, because of the pain. Oh well, I had fun anyway.
Today, I feel a bit better than yesterday, but I am still very happy the operation will take place in two days! However, today is an awesome day, because in about an hour, Fedor will arrive!!!!!!! Now THAT makes me very happy. It has, after all, been 4 weeks! His plane landed 10 minutes ago, so I will see him soon! :D
Ciao,
OJ
PS Two pictures, one showing Bjoern, Caterina and me. The other a picture on the terrace. All this with my kinda-broken-fucked-up-camera!

Sunny boredom

The past few days have brought so little news, that I could not even be bothered to update my blog. I am at home. I study. I tan. Pretty steady rhythm.
On friday, Meghan made her great specialty: Sushi, which was very lovely. The dinner party itself was small, as it was just the 3 of us and didnt quite end the way it should have ended... (in a fight, that is)
Saturday night, Meghan and I spent the entire evening sitting on the terrace talking. And drinking we realised when the clock hit 1 (and we both thought it was about 10PM): It was very pleasant.
For the rest, I am happy that Holland has won the U21 European Championship: I just wish I was at Uni so I could rub it in people's faces..... Oh well, too bad. I will just have to do that after Holland has won the World Cup! (yeah, right...). At least, I hope Holland will do better than Italy, for obvious reasons!!!!
And yes, this is a sign that I am really, really bored: I start talking about football. I mean, seriously: football. That is just plain wrong... *Sigh*
Ciao,
OJ

Hospital

Finally I received the good news yesterday about the date of the operation. It will take place June 8 (next Thursday). Which should enable me to make my field exam on the 14th, I hope...
Last night, I had some visitors, which was very pleasant. It was good to hear some news from Uni and to see some people. Of course, it was also great to receive the book I ordered on Amazon and that was delivered at Uni, but I shouldnt add that.
This morning, however, I had to get up quite early, because I had to be in the Hospital at 7.30 for "my exam". This "exam", as it is referred to by any of the english-speaking staff at the hospital, was a pre-operative examination where they tested my heart and blood, etc. It took long (2 hours) and completely knocked me out for the rest of the day, but at least I got it over with. It did face me again with the annoying habit of old people to jump the queue. I mean, seriously, it is a hospital. We are all sick: There is NO reason for you elderly to jump the queue on basis of being "ill and stuff". It just doesnt make sense to make young people wait longer, even though they might also be rather uncomfortable...
In other news, Mona Lisa has spoken!!!!
Ciao,
OJ

Vote "Dario Fo"

Today was the definite highlight of the week: I got to vote!!!
There were municipal elections yesterday and today, and with Micky's help, I managed to cast my vote for the Milano municipality. Obviously, I voted for the candidate in whose campaign team Micky has been working the past weeks. The other good thing was the fact that my voting station was really, really close (on the way to the supermarket). And it was an interesting experience, anyway!
As for the results, they are not so good. Most of the cities have had great victories for the leftwing, but Milan will probably stay in the claws of the right. Not surprising of course, but there was some hope for a moment. The first exit polls said it was 49 against 49, but by now it has gone up to 51 against 47. So, unfortunately, it isnt gonna happen. And I also dont know whether my candidate came in or not...
Ciao,
OJ

3 Things

Three things I have to share today:
- I have been studying... a bit. But not quite enough. It is partly the weather, though. It is really humid, but not actually sunny. Makes me really fcking lazy
- Today I met up with Jakob, my MSc supervisor from Groningen. He happened to be in Milano for some congress-kind-a-thing and we met up for some drinks in a bar close to my house. It was great to see him and great to hear some of the news from Groningen. I really enjoyed that. I did come back completely broken though... I guess the whole sitting-down thing is not really for me, right now: Lying really is the best. Even though I took a pain killer before going to see him... Oh well, not much longer until the operation we hope)
- I know I have mentioned it before, but Angels in America is really, absolutely, AMAZING. I have watched it again over the course of the past few days (it takes about 6 hours) and I am just so completely overwhelmed by it... An absolute MUST-SEE!!!!!!!!
Ciao,
OJ

Finished all my regular courses 9/9

well, I finally started my realy studying! And found out that I can still combine it with lying in the Sun, without problems... It is just that the first exam that I will have on the 14th of June will concern the subject matter of 3 different courses, and the one that was in the first quarter has completely sunk away so far! I am trying to dig it up, but that isnt going extremely well, so far...
However, on the positive side, I did receive my grades for my fourth-quarter exams! For my Industrial Dynamics course, I had an A (equivalent to about 8.5-9 in Dutch grades), which is nice, but doesnt really matter. It is, obviously, not one of my core courses and I didnt really care with which grade I would pass. More importantly, however, is that I passed for the second Political Economics course... Mind you, I only had a C (equivalent of 6), but considering the fact that I wasnt able to finish one of the 3 assignments due to my little medical issue and the fact that I couldnt finish the exam because I wasnt able to sit any longer, et cetera, taking all that into account: I am Very Happy about the result!!!
At least, it means I have gotten it out of the way. So it was, after all, a good decision to take part in the exam, because otherwise I would have to find some other solution for it, which would have been such a hassle!
For the rest, there isnt much news....
Ciao,
OJ

Not too bad, what about you?

Not much going on here. I am really kinda bored with staying home... But i gives me time to study my Italian book (which I hadnt really opened since Xmas). And with studying for the field exams, of course... Or well, actually, I havent really started for them yet. It is just that I have never been able to movitate myself for studying more than 2 weeks in advance (and that is pushing it, really). So mainly, I really am just bored. And tanned, I must add to that. Although I do finally have time for some other things that I normally dont get to do: taking baths, playing the piano, et cetera. And as long as I keep taking my ibuprofen and not move too much, I dont even have that much pain!
So, it really isnt all bad, I guess...
I have, however, completely fucked up my camera, which pisses me off. I hit it against a wall during the party and now it kind-of-doesnt-really-completely work anymore... oops.
Ciao,
OJ

Boredom

Dottoressa Piattoni (Doctor Large Plates) decided this morning that I indeed needed a bit of help. She didnt even need a lot of convincing to start making a few phone calls, which finally resulted in a slightly improved situation. Her friend, who happens to be the head nurse of the department that will operate me, promised her that my operation will take place on or before June 8. Which is better than the second half of June I heard before, I guess. I am not entirely happy about it, but that date has a number of advantages: First, I will be able to do my first field exam stress-free, as it will be on June 14. Second, During that week, Fedor will also be here, so I will have someone to take care of me. Obviously, that is always nice... So I guess, I will just have to accept lying at home for another 2 weeks or so. As the Italians would say: boh. The only thing is that I am getting so damned bored. Even the internet starts losing its charm after so many hours. And the last day or two, the weather has been cosi cosi, as well. Stuffy, hot and cloudy: not very good for tanning...
Oh well, to put it in an appropriate way: Shit Happens. Not much to do about it, I guess.
Ciao,
OJ

Party...

We spent all day on preparing for the party: Do all kinds of shopping, make pizza dough, make Champagne Sangria, et cetera. Finally, we were all completely prepared for the arrival of Baril (I dont know how to write that), Meghans friend who had prepared a little Turkish entree buffet... HOWEVER, 15 minutes before Baril was arriving, suddenly the lights switched off. Completely. After fighting with our electric system for a while, we managed to get half of it going again (excluding, unfortunately, my room). So the party could get started!!! After our little entree bits and pieces, our other guests arrived. Unfortunatey, I was bench-bound.

This didnt help much for my party-experience. And I must say that all-in-all it wasnt the party it was supposed to have been... Unfortunately so.
But I had fun and managed to achieve the appropriate amount of drunkenness by the time I went to bed at 4AM.
Today we faced the challenge of having to clean up the mess. And a mess it was! Probably the worst mess we had on any party of ours, so far. But in a well-managed effort of the four of us (including Micky's girlfriend...) we got it done quite quickly. This only left the issue of not having electricity. In half the flat. Finally, after much research we discovered that water apparently invaded the plug of the oven so we got the electricity back online (except for the oven). In another act of Murphy's Law, however, in order to get internet connection during our half-black out I had moved around our internet-machinery. But something must have gone wrong with the already dodgy system, because I finally couldnt get it to work again. So we re-cabled the entire flat and use wire-full internet (as opposed to wireless internet).
Finally, tonight in an act of good luck, we managed to get the oven back online as well! So we could make another bunch of pizzas for tonight and maybe tomorrow morning! Now, I will try and get some sleep before going to see my GP again tomorrow morning...
Ciao,
OJ

Hot...

Oh dear, it most certainly is bloody, bloody hot... But I am getting a real nice tan, so that compensates for being so warm all the time. I spent my day sunbathing, reading and cleaning bits and pieces. We wanted to make sure the house is sorta clean to start off, before the party tomorrow: I am soooooo looking forward to it!!!!!!!!
Ciao,
OJ