Italian adventure 2
I bend the wire fence a bit further open, and we climb through the gap. There we stand. Like two curious fauns in an enchantingly beautiful Arcadia. We wade through the grass, taking in everything around us. A flock of crows startles and flies up into the air. We walk uphill, toward the house. We reach the driveway, which connects the house to the closed gate. The path is a bit overgrown, which is compensated for by beautifully blooming rosebushes on either side. On a stone c
Jul 294 min read
Erman, Erman!
Day five at home, following double pneumonia. And suddenly, there it is again—that old, familiar surge of energy. I feel it pulling through my body. We can move forward again! Plans are tumbling over one another, the lists of projects write themselves. The party lasts for four days. Then it crashes again. And ever since, it’s hit me almost every day. Waking up in a sweat, that vague feeling of simply being sick. No fever, nothing measurable. Just plain rotten. Naturally, my m
Jul 222 min read
Italian Adventure 1
I’ve been discharged from the hospital! Nowhere near fully back on my feet yet, but at least I’m home. But wait a minute—home? You were suddenly in an Italian hospital! And you mentioned moving?? You haven't told us anything about that! Yes, that’s true. And that is why I’m now going to take you along on our Italian Adventure. A compelling serial story in who-knows-how-many parts. Read along with me! It all started two years ago, when the Amsterdam summer turned out to be so
Jul 55 min read
Going Home
Another week has already flown by since I entered the hospital. And today, I get to go home. As has been the case every single time so far, this fills me not only with joy, but also with anxiety. The white world of the hospital offers routine, quiet, and protection. Whatever goes wrong—breathlessness or a sweat-soaked bed—with the push of a button, the cavalry comes rushing in. Should I suddenly take a turn for the worse, I don't have to call an ambulance; I am already in the
Jul 31 min read
Off Track
I wrote the piece below a week ago. Little did I know then that this was merely the calm before the storm... Once again, I am completely off track. Or rather, my body is acting strange. After a perfectly fine week, it suddenly decided to go into full rebellion. Zero energy, flu-like symptoms, a headache, aching all over. My Garmin watch confirms this: body battery almost empty, take some rest! What do you think I’ve been doing for the past 48 hours?! I’ve been flat on my back
Jul 14 min read
The Glasses
In my previous piece, I wrote about working in the water. But I’ve been trying to escape the "desk" part of desk work for a long time. For years, I’ve written pieces while sitting on park benches, on the toilet, or at a small table in a café. I've used various tools to do this. Sometimes I lug my laptop along, but usually just my phone, equipped with a spare battery. I sometimes use a pocket-sized foldable Bluetooth keyboard for this, though it requires a stable surface. It r
Jun 152 min read
The wet office
In the photo above, you can see my new office. All my life, I have thrived on being surrounded by warm water. I can lie in the bath for hours, until my skin threatens to slide off my bones in wrinkles. My need for a bathtub has always been so great that I managed to create one wherever there wasn't any: a plastic sitting tub wedged into the shower of my student house, an inflatable tub for the hospital, inflatable jacuzzis in various places, and wood-fired hot tubs in Eindhov
Jun 102 min read
