Another year gone by….

As promised here a 2010 flashback. I am writing this while hearing lots of really loud fireworks (BOOM BOOM BOOM :() in the background. Probably won’t be getting outside much today. Only at midnight, when I have my own, very beatiful and not so loud fireworks.

Job/Housing
I started out the year at the UMC St. Radboud in Nijmegen. At the OBGYN clinic of the hospital, I saw many very interesting people. Lol, man of 70 and woman of 30 trying to have a baby for example!! Although I liked my job at the Radboud, it was only temporary. So I kept looking and kept sending job applications. All the hard work finally paid off when, somewhere in June, I was invited to a job interview at the VU Medical Center in Amsterdam. To my great surprise I got the job! Finally some job security!! I started working at the VU in August, I have been there for almost five months. December was a highlight. I got my first Christmas bonus, and treated myself to the full series of ER (seasons 1-15, great bargain at amazon.co.uk). In my opinion, ER is still the best hospital series! I was lucky enough to receive a “kerstpakket” as well. Yay, love “kerstpaketten”!! When I worked at Organon (which I did for quite a while), I never got a “kerstpakket.” More about Organon, I was shocked when I heard about the mass lay-offs. I am still hoping and praying that it won’t happen, Oss IS Organon.

Anyway, after I secured my job in Amsterdam, I also needed a place to stay. Oss-Amsterdam by train every day, that would have been a nightmare. I was very excited when I found a cosy apartment in the Pijp (Amsterdam). Shortly before I moved into the apartment, I -alas- found out that it was a hoax :(. No apartment, never saw the money that went into the apartment again. Of course, I reported this to the police. The police didn’t take my report very seriously though, GRRR!!! A very sweet aunt and uncle fortunately provided me with a place to stay. After a careful search, I found another (trustworthy now) apartment. This time in Bussum, which meant I would be moving to a fancy region in the Netherlands, called “het Gooi.” I quickly felt at home in Bussum, greatly enjoyed living in my lovely apartment. Not unimportantly, I have found myself a perfect running route ;).

Sports
- The Olympic Games. My biggest frustration during these Olympic Games was probably not Sven Kramer and Gerard Kemker’s stupid mistake during the 10km speedskating, but Team USA not winning the gold medal in Ice Hockey :(. I loved the resilience of three Dutchies at the Olympics: Mark Tuitert, Ireen Wust and Nicolien Sauerbreij. Tuitert battled various injuries and setbacks and then produced one perfect 1500m race beating the odds-on favorite Shani Davis. Wüst showed great heart after awful performances earlier in the season (and an equally awful 3000m at the Olympics). Sauerbreij was never really supported -money and material wise- by the Dutch sporting organization. Therefore, her achievement is probably the most impressive of all. She did it mostly by herself, supported by a small staff of family and friends. Sauerbreij ended up winning a gold medal at snowboarding (the first ever medal in the snow for the Netherlands). In my opinion, Sauerbreij should have carried the Dutch flag into BC Place at the closing ceremony, and not Sven Kramer (Sven is world class, but these were just not his Olympics). My favorite non-Dutch moment at these Olympics was probably the golden medal of American Bill Demong at the Nordic Combined (Ski Jumping and Cross Country). Amazingly, the Americans were nowhere at the Nordic Combined events in Salk Lake 2002. They showed some improvement in the Italian (Turin) snow four years later. Then, in Vancouver they won two silver medals and one golden medal in Nordic Combined (with a little more luck it could have easily been three golden medals). Now that's what I call improvement!!
- Valentino Rossi getting injured early in the Moto GP season and therefore not being able to compete for the championship. Rossi did show his greatness (and stuborness) by refusing to completely bypass this season. He returned with a couple of races left, and ended up winning one race and making it onto the podium in several other races. Amazingly: Rossi rode with various pins and screws in his leg and a bad shoulder. Have great hope for next season, when “The Doctor” will ride a new bike, a Ducati. Hope accidents and injuries will stay away from him this time.
- My favorite soccer team, PSV Eindhoven, was not able to secure the title for the second year in a row. The second part for their 2009/2010 season was absolutely awful :(. Altough I liked seeing an outsider, FC Twente, win the title. I was born in Twente, so I didn’t have too much trouble with their success. Still, I really hope that -this time- PSV will finish strong. It it going to be difficult though. Twente is strong again, Ajax seems to have recovered from a bad spell. And PSV lost two of his best players, Afellay is gone to Barcelona. Reis, their striker, is out for the season with a knee injury.
- Oh and we lost the finals of the World Championships. A national trauma?? Sort of, when will we get another chance like this? But, I have to say, Spain was the better team. I refuse to believe that Iker Casillas' toe prevented the Dutch from winning the world championships. What we tend to forget is that the Spanish had their fair share of chances as well. All in all, Spain played as a team, while the Dutch did not. They were too agressive and arrogant (and they were lucky that only one player got send off). After we lost the final, I felt especially sorry for Dirk Kuijt and Giovanni van Bronckhorst, two Dutchmen who DID play their hearts out in that last match.
- The tennis player I really like, Roger Federer, “only” won one Grand Slam this year. People say he is getting old. Then I am really old as well, since there is only a one month age difference between us: I am from September 81 and Federer is from August 81. By the end of the season, Federer showed that he still has a lot left in the tank. He beat Nadal in the London World Tour finals, with very attractive and attacking tennis. Great hopes for next year, go Roger!! Show us that it is all not over at 30 :).
- Of course, there also are the American sports. The Chicago Bulls and the Boston Red Sox had somewhat dissapointing seasons. But I am positive about the new year(for both teams). Wonderful news came from Kansas City last week, when my favorite Chiefs made it into the football play-offs for the first time since 2003. The Chiefs are a young and promising team. Super Bowl?? Maybe a bit too much to ask, since they probably have to beat the New England Patriots (the strongest team in the NFL right now) in order to make it into the Super Bowl. But you never know, the Chiefs have been underdogs all season :D.
- My own biggest achievent sportswise was, of course, the Ladies Run in Groningen in June. In great heat and humidity I ran my first “competitive” race (5 k). I finished 42nd, out of more than 900 competitors. Unfortunately, I ran the race on bad shoes (which I bought at a professional running store). The shoes made my knee problems worsen :(. Result: lots of physical therapy, modifying my exercising routine (not only running outside but also inside in the gym) and (most importantly perhaps) new running shoes. Recently my knees have been feeling better and better. Knees, new shoes and I have (so far) successfully battled the “extreme” weather conditions.

Holidays
- España: 10 days in the spring (april) and about 5 days in the fall (november). I simply love España, always feel instantly at home there. Two of my favorite running routes are also located in Spain :). My april holiday was not uneventful. For I long time, it was not sure if I would be able to return to the Netherlands (by plane). ASHCLOUD!! I ended up being very lucky, was on one of the first planes leaving the airport of Alicante.
- London: One of my favorite European cities, have visited London three times in the past year (before that I only visited London once in 27 years lol)! I love the atmosphere in London and its many sights and parks. I would be able to live there (pity though that England is so ridicuously expensive). Oh, a great place to run in London is Kensington Gardens! I was really happy that I picked a hotel close to the Gardens lol.
- USA/Canada: what a trip!! I first went to Kansas City to attend the wedding of my former host sister. Had some time to catch up with my American family. Also visited with some other friends in the region. I also really liked to explore the city I came to know so well more than ten years ago. Needlessly to say, I greatly enjoyed KC :). But my trip was not over after Kansas City. I also went to Toronto and the Niagara Falls (really magnificent, huge treat). Finished off the trip in the Big Apple/New York, what a city! One of the highlights was definitely the bik tour through Central Park, which I had never done before. I can recommend it to everyone!! Running in Central Park was marvelous as well :).
- Australia: ok, this has actually nothing to do with one of my holidays. I wish :). Love to visit Australia and my family there (and see the Australian version of Mary Poppins in the process lol, more on that later). My cousin (once removed) Christo from Australia is touring Europe at the moment. He visited us this past May. Very nice visit. We got along well (just like we did 16 years ago, when my parents and I visited Australia).

Music and theater
Euhm, this part is probably nothing short from spectacular :).
- February: I went to a concert of the piano virtuoso Daniël Barenboim. This man surely knows how to play the piano, amazing!
- May: Euhm, what did I do in May?? Oh yes, now I remember ;). I went to the Night of 1000 Voices in the Royal Albert Hall!! Philip Quast sang Anthem, A Good Thing Going, Not a Day Goes By anddd Stars!! Sigh :P :P. And then he left to play Mr. Banks in the Australian production of Mary Poppins. Grumble, Australia is just so far away (still refusing to see any other production of Mary Poppins though, if I ever see a MP it will be this one ;))!! Ok, I should not forget the impressive performances of everyone at the Night of 1000 Voices. What a wonderful treat it was!! Nice plus: the profits of the concert went solely to charity. The night after 1000 Voices, I saw the longest running West End musical ever: Les Misèrables. Such an impressive musical!! Still, I felt very sorry for the man who had to sing Stars ;). Stars is one of the most famous songs from Les Mis and my favorite song from this grand old musical, especially when Philip Quast sings it :D.
- October: two Broadway musicals with La Cage aux Folles and The Addams Family. Two musical riots, delightful. Although this La Cage was not as good as the one I saw on West End (why would that be?? :P), I would not have wanted to miss the performances of Douglas Hodge and his dangerous but still lovely Cagelles (yes and Kelsey, you were pretty good too)! Bebe Neuwirth, Nathan Lane were dark but oh so funny in The Addams Family. The supporting cast was perfect (and dark ;)) as well!
- November: missed the concert of the old maestro Placido Domingo in Valencia. Such a pity!

Now it is onto 2011. Curious what that year will bring (it will definitely bring my 30th birthday, really not sure how I should feel about that)! Happy 2011!! :D :) :P