How Much Time Do You Need to Train for a 10 Mile Run?

Well, after my week off for working, there was Carnival.  And after Carnival (which I will post about once I get photos from Carlos) I was a bit sick for a few days.  I am now ready to write more about the wedding - but in the next post.  Currently I have a more pressing issue.

Itinerary

Today Delft. Tomorrow Dublin. Thursday NYC. Sunday Chicago. Thursday Ecuador.

More stories on the blog? I'll get back to you.

Back in Delft

The last six weeks were a bit busy. A month of my life was sucked away by my thesis, though with good results. Then, two weeks of port hopping, now I'm finally back in Delft. I will more entries after, packing, shipping, cleaning, editing...I hope.

Graduation (April 24, 2008)

First, to be clear, I did not graduate, though most of my classmates did. I will graduate at the end of June (my project has two months extra) in a small ceremony with about half a dozen of my classmates. Since the majority of students graduate in April (about 150 of 180) there is a nice ceremony and party. Carlitos' parents arrived a few days prior, as well as friends and family of other classmates. It was great to finally meet the husbands, wives, parents, and children of my friends.

The institute requests that students graduate in their "traditional dress". About half the class actually does, and it looks amazing. I love the traditional Ugandan dresses, which have enormous puffy shoulders and lovely sashes that I never expected. The Nepali men wear colorful hats with white tops and pants and then add a navy blazer on top. The Ethiopians are also in white, but usually with a scarf that is patterned like the flag.

The rest wear suits and cocktail dresses. I didn't. I wore my sari instead. I figured that that would probably be the only chance to wear it for a while. And fortunately two of my Nepalese classmates saw me attempting to wrap 15 feet of fabric around me and helped me dress. I had googled it beforehand and figured that it can't be that difficult to wrap. But I was wrong. I wouldn't have made it without their help.

The ceremony itself was a typical graduation, followed by drinks at the auditorium, then a typical IHE party, plus an after party that is rumored to have finished in a fight. There's not much to say about the graduation, except that it was very sad having to say goodbye to my classmates...some left for home the very next morning, though most went a day or two later.

It's a bit lonely now. But I have a thesis to keep me company :)

Month Off

It's been ages since I've written, but truly there has not been time, and not much will. Graduation (for most) was April 24, so the last two weeks of April were filled with parties and saying goodbye. Also, Carlitos' parents are visiting, so I have been exhausted after practicing my improving Spanish all day. And then there were the holidays to consider, for it would have been wrong to not go out on Queen's Day.

The lab takes time too, I've been spending eight hour days there, when the lab is open and my chemicals are there. Writing my thesis too, since I am supposed to submit it in three weeks! Finally the sun, it's been showing itself for the last week. So I've been everywhere instead of in front of this computer.

Hmmm, sun. Today looks nice. I'll write more later.

The Editor Is In

The snow has gone, and so are the photos. But spring is not quite here yet. The past week or so I have been editing. Most of my friends are handing in their theses by the end of the week, so I have volunteered to review some of them. But that's not the only editing I've been doing.

Last weekend was International Sports Day. IHE won, again, this year. While last year I ran, this year I had a different role. I was given a camcorder and now have three hours of footage I need to turn into a 5 to 10 minute video. So, I need to edit.

Spring?

There is snow on the ground. Snow? It is spring. Alejandro, Simon, and I went running yesterday. My first run since the race last week. Not the best idea. Besides the fact that it began to snow during the run, my legs are still sore. I googled the pain to be shin splints (upon advice from the guy in the running store). The treatment is rest and ice. Since I have no ice, I guess that it's lucky for me that there is snow.

It's Not Easy Being Green

I have a bag of spinach in the fridge. I actually used it in dinner tonight. And I only cooked for myself. Stranger things have happened, but not many.

Yesterday, as usual, I was thinking about dinner (I usually start thinking about dinner when I wake up, I don't really like breakfast and lunch is easy). I was browsing the Williams-Sonoma website for recipes and found one for a type of ravioli that looked great, it had garlic, veal, and rosemary in a brown butter sauce. I showed Alejandro, and he thought it looked good too, "Spinach," he proclaimed reading the ingredients, "garlic, rosemary..." Wait. I didn't notice the spinach. Hmmm.

I had a dilemma. I had already agreed to cook it for us (Carlitos is somewhere near the Wadden Sea this week), so I couldn't just leave out the spinach. So I bought the smallest bag possible, which was a mammoth 300g. I made the filling. We went running. Somewhere during the run Ale decided to cancel on dinner to watch a futbol match (which was fine with me since I was exhausted from the run) so I went home to make dinner for myself. And I voluntarily ate something that I prepared with spinach in it.

Many people may not think that is a big deal, but I am one of the pickiest eaters around. My general mantra was that I won't even touch it if it is green (the exception was mint chocolate chip ice cream). I'm slowly changing my ways, for I have since expanded to pesto, spring onions, absinthe, and green curry. But spinach? I fear my family will have a heart attack when they read this...

On the Run

Bluesfest was this weekend, but I will write about it later, once I get the photos from Julia. Also, I can't really type right now. I decided to (attempt to) be a super athlete today. I rode to TU sportscenter (20 minutes), played some badminton (20 minutes), then volleyball (an hour and a half), and tennis (30 minutes, outdoors, below zero, without gloves). Therefore, I can barely move my fingers and my forearms are crying out in pain. It was worth it, I had so much fun. It was also an attempt to cross train, since I have just committed myself to a half marathon in four weeks...

Proof

I was working on my thesis. Really working. Reading some literature and before I knew what happened I wrote a proof. I don't think I have written one since freshman year of collage. It is to find the volume within a RO element, which isn't difficult, but you need to take into account the angle of the spacer grid. I'm proud of myself. I just hope there is not some glaring error which I overlooked.

Dijon Postscript

I don't have to share my mustard with Giorgia, she was given her own jars!

Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?

This afternoon I met Giorgia for coffee. She has set up an impromptu office in a cafe in cow square. When I arrived I was hungry, so I ordered some bitterballen, a typical Dutch snack. It is minced meat and starch (maybe mashed potatoes, maybe flour, not quite sure) that is mixed into a goo then covered in breadcrumbs and fried, then typically served with mustard. A tasty snack.

Anyway, I ordered some and they came with some Dijon mustard, and other two unidentifiable sauces, one that looked like purple caviar, the other like wasabi. So I enquired, and they both turned out to be mustards. The purple one was made from grapes and was sweet, while the green one was mixed with herbs. Both delicious. I asked the waitress what they were called and where I could find them. She talked with one of the cooks, then came back with two jars. I thought she was going to just copy the names down, but she told me I could keep them! The purple one (Moutarde au Mout de Raisin) is almost a kilo and practically full and the green one (Verte aux 3 Herbes) is about a third of the size. I was so surprised that I kept on asking if she was sure if I could keep them (of course I will share them with Giorgia). Yum!

Burns' Night

Friday night started off as a nice quiet night. A bit windy, but the prospect of sushi was enough to get me out the door. Unfortunately, the sushi restaurant was full. So we (Alejandro, Giorgia, Maria, Angela, Gaetano, and I) went to a Dutch restaurant in Cow Square that I had been to with my parents. The lamb chops were excellent. After dinner Alejandro and I were feeling a bit lazy, but he had been invited to a Scottish party. He called Jairo, who was there, and he said that they were just sitting around talking and drinking. How boring, I thought. But it was on the way home, so we figured that we would stop by...

When we arrived at Wendy's house (our Scottish English (writing) teacher) we found some friends drinking whiskey and reciting poetry. I felt like I was back in college for a moment. It turns out that January 25th is known as Burns' Night. To celebrate the birthday of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, one reads poetry and drinks whiskey and eats shortbread (we had missed the pudding earlier). So, there was poetry, singing, stories, recipes, and even a game.



Then there was the dancing. The rug was rolled up and the socks and shoes came off. The rest of the evening was spent dizzying ourselves by locking elbows and twirling for eight counts. Unfortunately I do not have authorization to show that video.

Alejandro and I came home around 3AM. The Australian Open was on, so he suggested we watch a bit of tennis. I changed into my pyjamas and dragged my duvet two doors down to his room and made myself comfortable on the floor. I think I fell asleep before the first point was over. I woke up at about 11AM the next day feeling great, except for a dream about teaching snakes how to slither in straight line. I think Burns would have been satisfied.

Whitewash

First snow of the year is here! Just a dusting, but it looks beautiful from my bedroom window. I know it's nothing like what in Chicago, but a nice reminder of home.

Creatures

I had an interesting experience last week. Julia, Carlos, the Iranian, and I went to a Dutch graduation party. Well, we sort of crashed the party. Julia was friends with one of the guys in the band and he invited us. So, at about 11:30PM on a Friday night, instead of going to a pub for a beer or two, we had a different type of evening.

The party was as a fraternity house. Apparently fraternity members do not reside there, but have it as a public space. And the space can be rented out as well, as was the case last Friday. The party was for Catalijn, who now has a masters (I think) in physics! As we arrived, a group of friends were reciting poems to honor her. I don't know what they were about, since they were in Dutch, but it seemed like roast. When that was done the band started playing again, but no one danced. It seems that Dutch parties are similar to American parties, everyone talks and no one dances. But we started to dance, and dance, and dance until 2AM, when we were a bit tired and the party seemed to be ending. Thought it wasn't the best party I've ever been to, it was lots of fun, since it was so different. Hopefully we can find more parties to crash...

Fire!?

This afternoon I was heading downstairs for futbol. I always take the stairs when we play behind Mina. As I was approaching the second floor it smelled a bit burnt. I began to curse the boys who had a BBQ on the other side of the building the day before. Didn't they clean up? As I approach the first floor I notice the door open, and thought, what assholes have decided to keep the door open on this cold, windy, rainy day...

And then I saw it. On the ground floor. The wall was covered in smoke. The door was charred. The floor was a mess. And we have no idea what happened...

Lockout

I locked myself out of my room this morning. Not for long, but I was worried. When I went running last night I took my room key off the chain to put in my pocket without jingling. I guess that I forgot to put it back after the run. This morning I went to do laundry, while grabbing my keys I pondered taking my phone, but decided not to, the laundry room is just down the hall. Came back to my room a few minutes later and as I took out my keys I realized the room key was not on the chain.

Well, Alejandro is a few doors down, so I can just knock on his door and go through the back porch. As I peered through his window it was dark, I was afraid, he couldn't be out already, it's only 11:30AM and he stayed up late to watch the baseball last night. Buzz, buzz, uh oh I have no phone, buzz, buzz, oh, there is movement...he answers the door.

This is easy now, I can just go through the back porch since I never lock it. Hmm, it's locked? It's locked! Who the f*@k locked my back door!? Oh, but I left the window open a touch...can I get in...yes! In through the window. I am saved. Arrrgh. I cut my finger while putting the key back on the chain.

Now I need to lock the back door because people now know how to get into my room.

The Face of a Party Animal

If anyone outside my immediate family can identify that reference, I will be impressed. Last week the new students arrived. Therefore, we had a few parties. Last week I managed to attend 6 parties in three days, plus some dinners as well. Only last night did I finally get to rest (though probably not for long).

Throughout last week new students arrived, but on Thursday the program officially began. The new students were taken on a tour of Delft led by staff and old students. They were one person short, so I volunteered to lead a group. Though I had not recently studied my formal history of Delft, I thought my tour was useful, pointing out the bank and grocery stores, explaining very clearly that one does not buy coffee at a coffeeshop, it is for marijuana, if you want coffee you need to go to the cafe, but not the coffeeshop. We also took a canal cruise. After the tour, the new students got a speech from the director, followed by their first official party, the IHE Dutch party. There was cheese and pancakes, raw herring and beer, typical music but no dancing. We met lots of new students and had a great time. For me the night ended early, considering I had defended my thesis proposal earlier that day.

Friday was much busier. That was the day of our departmental party. We had been planning this party for three months, for it had been postponed since August. The students pooled our funds and made dinner, while the staff provided drinks. So, once again we took over the school's kitchen for a few hours to cook kilos or rice, dozens of chickens, and hundred of chocolate chip cookies. Mmm, cookies. Maybe because they are easy to handle, or sweet and tasty, but it seems that about a quarter of them left the kitchen before the party (since the rule is that broken cookies can be sampled, many cookies happened to break :) The food was excellent and we had a great time, but when it was over I went to the Environmental Science party for a few hours, then a salsa party. Three parties in one night, not bad.

Saturday I slept in. But not for too long, since futbol began again that afternoon. It was nice to play with new students, but it was tiring since we hadn't played in a few months. After that I rested in preparation for the party here in Mina for new students. But in the evening, on the way over, I saw some of my classmates who invited me to their Ethiopian party (this year there are 22 new students from Ethiopia). I was on my way to meet friends, but decided to stay for a beer. Oh, but there is food, of course I will try some. It is time for the coffee? Yes, that would be nice. I cannot leave now because we are going to start dancing. For those who have not seen Ethiopian dancing, it is wonderful. I wish I had a video to share, but there is lots of shoulder movement that is almost impossible to describe. I tried to learn, but was not very successful.

Finally, there was one more party. It lasted all night, though I left around 3AM. It was lots of fun to spend time with the new students. The dancing never stopped, though I eventually did, exhausted by the busy days prior. And then it was Sunday. A Sunday that actually had sun. So Elena, Simon, Julia and I rode to town for a coffee, and I had an epiphany to cook dinner that night and suddenly it was dinner for nine at my place. While I do not have enough tables or chairs, Bin had left me with plenty of plates, forks, and glasses, plus a dishwasher too. Spend the week recovering?

$20

Maybe it is lucky money. Last Wednesday was Julia's birthday so we went out for dinner and drinks (I have lots of photos to post, I know). When I arrived home at 2AM I decided to check my mailbox, which I only check about once a week. In it there was a letter that read, "...Thank you for your opinion...please find enclosed a gift voucher from American Express...you are a monthly drawing winner..." And now I am $20 richer. I was told that good things come in threes, hopefully that means my tuition refund and living expenses will arrive soon.

€20

Yesterday I waiting in line at the ATM, talking to Julia, not paying attention. The person ahead of me leaves. I walk upto the machine and try to put my card in, but it's still humming and whirring. Out comes €20. I look around, but realize that I have no idea what the person ahead of me looked like. Julia and I ask around. No one knows where the women went. Someone says, "It's your lucky day." I guess it was. I think I will use it to buy a present for my condo, since yesterday was its birthday. Maybe that's not the right word. Anniversary? Yesterday was exactly three years since I became a homeowner. Hmm, I guess I should spent the money on me...