Donderdag

Oooo, pretty colors
I think I mentioned that there was great reaction to the quilt but I didn't get into any specifics. They liked the color combination and the choice to do various patterned blocks. They also liked very much the idea of friends making something like that with love.

Peace of mind
One thing that has made me feel more at ease about not going back to work right away was the meeting I had with the company doctor. He said that right now, getting my physical body recovered was the most important thing and what I most needed to focus on. I talked to some people at the office about this and they this kind of attitude said it was a Philips perspective, not all Dutch employers are so human. So, even if I was in the States, still working for Philips, probably I would have gotten the same treatment.

Thursday therapy
Swimming. As usual, it was great to be in the water. I find that I can swim on my front, face in water, if I have goggles on. Catching a breath is still difficult but I'm taking it easy on that. No need to swallow chlorine.

Had a good meeting with Rabin and he went over the new program he had drawn up. More cardio, keeping all my strength training (which we we reassess as the last 8 weeks draws to another close).

I finally got to ride the bike again. Nick picked what I think of as a handicap bike but I think most people see it as space age. It puts the legs totally horizontal out front with the body reclining with the back totally supported. I liked one version of this bike over another but I'm not sold on it. My right leg still wobbles toward the inside and rubs against the chain. Plus I couldn't really get it up to a fast speed. It seems like a bike for guys who like cool bikes. Not a practical thing for going to the store. But I did get a good workout. My legs were numb with having worked hard for a good 30 minutes. Whew!

Friday visit to the office
Us gals first met for lunch, Maki, Juul, and Jolande. Mark dropped in later just to say hi and to give me a Marvin Gaye CD which is fabulous, of course. We both know that music can change your mood as quick as a blink of the eye. And I can't be in a bad mood when good music is playing.

Anyway, the lunch was perfect, full of all kind of sista talk and it made me realize what wonderful women were there all the time if I would just turn off that left brain of mine (work, work, work). I hope I get to know them better when I do rejoin the fray. We met at a restaurant I used to visit almost weekly for lunch.

Afterwards, I went into the office for some quick hellos. It was certainly wierd to see all of those wonderful people I loved just sitting there behind computer screens in a room filled with tables, chairs, huge windows and office plants. What a strange way to spend your time, just sitting there, your body inert with only your brain and your mouse hand active.

Weekend
Of course, we're just beginning our Sunday here. Saturday weather was beautiful and today looks as though it will be just as nice.

I'm now being woken up with the song birds when I first begin stirring, around 5:30. Some people have told me about waking up to their "wake-up light" by Philips which has this songbird theme. I think, "all I have to do is open my curtains and crack the window."

We've been doing a lot of busy things this weekend, Nico working, me looking through my digital photo collection for a photo that would work well for painting and such stuff. I'm loading these photos to my Flickr account, if you want to have a gander. I also made beef stroganof last night. Almost as good as cousin Linda's. Nico enjoyed it, of course. The boy is learning what good food is but he still wouldn't be motivated to cook on his own.

We will probably get down to taking some photos of the two of us - so you can see that nice new haircut (that probably doesn't look that different that the one he had in the States). That was such a nice American trim.

Look for some birthday shoutouts, too!