literally translated, that’s April does what it wills. Probably in response to the weather originally. Last week, Sabine gave me a book to borrow called (in Dutch) Amsterdam: History of the most free thinking city in the world. It’s written by Russell Shorto (an American). I got to page 57 and realized that I was missing the most critical parts, the Dutch was too much. I borrowed it as an ebook from the library (in English) and I am so glad I did. Once I am finished reading it in English, I will go back to the Dutch version and start all over.

It is fascinating 🙂 For starters, it is a quick orientation on why certain streets carry certain names and who those people were in Dutch history. It’s also an introduction to Spinoza and Erasmus — so I am building myself quite a reading list of where to go further.

Yesterday, Henry and George met Mika for the first time. This is the second Mika in their life, since Lientje’s cat companion before Moortje was also a Mikha. The canine Mika is a little less terrifying than the feline Mikha was 😉 After Little C’s time in the holodeck – I can’t help but making the association between radiation and the original Star Trek – we headed off to the meadows of Twiske where dogs can roam free and you can cross all kinds of bridges, see llamas and cows on the same farm and breath deep that unique smell of Dutch springtime, manure, grass and sun. I really like that smell.

Yesterday was a reminder of how good things are in their very ordinary way. Sometimes, in the stress of the moment or the stress over what could be the next moment, I don’t notice what surrounds me. Walking with Little C and the herd yesterday, in the sun, without worrying about the time, reminded me of how good my life here is. 🙂 An unexpected bonus is that since Little C is a dog parent for the first time, she walks with a backpack complete with water bowl, water, dog food, treats and every other thing you could need. Only a bonus for us hangers on!

In other news, eight more working days to go. I got the news this week that I will be responsible for a team of four interns. Umm, I am pretty sure I said last year when I was weighing career paths that people management was completely not my thing after spending a morning playing a board game that’s all about management. Be that as it may, I will be getting four. I have to select them from a pool of a 100 and build a team with them so that during the six months they are doing their internship, they are definitely part of building something. Something tells me I am going to be working from the office a great deal more in the coming weeks…

As far as the rest, even though my official start day is 1 May, I’ve already begun doing both jobs. I am not surprised… for the moment it’s a matter of setting some boundaries 😉 I’m looking at it like Scrum, iterative development that delivers value in every sprint 🙂   Luckily, that’s a way to organize my thoughts in a good manner and a good way to work with teams. I need to teach them that 🙂

At any rate, 8 more working days to go. I’m looking forward to my week off. I have plans to wear a hole in my museum card and to leave the city at least once on a day trip!