Roma e il mare

After kind of giving up on my academical aspirations, I decided to have fun this weekend. So on saturday I took the train to Rome, because I always feel at home there. This time however it took me a while to get that feeling (maybe because I was running around a bit too much). But after sitting along the river a little (also one of my most favourite things to do) I felt more at peace. I just walked around a bit all day, going to some places I love, getting some really good icecream, taking some black and white photographs (I'll put them online once I've developed and scanned them), reading my book..it was nice!
On sunday I went to the beach again with Ilaria (by car, her car = scary!) we left at 9 (only early risings for me this weekend..) and stayed all day.. Really nice and relaxing.. I love to swim and to float in the water.. I still think it is a bit funny that everyone plays at the shore and doesn't go in further than a few meters. It was a really hot day, it really hurted to walk to the sea in the afternoon! Luckily we did bring suncream this time :) Too bad I can't do this more often here. Especially now that Ilaria has more time! But on the other hand I'm ofcourse happy to go home in two days!
Really weird that it is already the 17th of July, it feels like the summer just started.. Guess that's what happens if you keep changing places, time flies by and yet not.
Till soon!

Some more pictures

Here some pictures of HBM and of Pisa..
http://picasaweb.google.com/Aline.deBorst/HBM

http://picasaweb.google.com/Aline.deBorst/PisaWithMarieke

soccer and the sea

If I have learnt one thing this world cup, it is that soccer is not about soccer.. It's about bribing or just having the right adjudicator (is that the correct word? the guy with the wistle :P) , and mostly about being as mean as possible without anyone seeing it, oh and not to forget.. crying like a little baby over nothing or making the best fall possible.. Even though I have enjoyed watching most games, this always annoyed the hell out of me.. What the hell was Zidane doing yesterday? His last minute of fame or what.. And before I actually secretly wanted France to win, because Zidane had some brilliant shots at the goal, but well.. I enjoyed the final game among many many italians in the centre of Pisa (with a BIG screen). I always love watching the game like this (also that time in Firenze..). Funny enough behind me were some french talking people, they kept repeating that they were Belgians and painted Italian flags on their childrens faces, but I think that they were secretly French on holiday who wanted to see the match! Hahaha because they kept yelling a little too enthusiastic (I mean, more enthusiastic then the Italians? O_o) and kept saying goo italy and silencing their children hehe.. The party afterwards was amazing.. hihi..
And I also went to the beach yesterday! All day long! Really magnificent.. Together with Ilaria we went early in the morning to Calambrone.. by car! Haha Ilaria drives as she is.. sometimes she get's a little distracted and i have to say: watch out for that car (which was making a strange move) haha. But we made it in one piece.. We walked a lot along the beach (because Ilaria couldn't go swimming), ofcourse I did swim and we build a sandcastle! It got a lot of admiration of little children and guys walking by :P Oh but I really love love love love the sea! We really felt on holiday.. In the afternoon we went to have a nice seafood salad in a little restaurant and finally bought some sunscreen (too late haha, but Ilaria was faster burned than me! hihi) and then more sun and sea!
But now.. work.. :S

useful or not?

I don't know whether this will have been a useful trip at all scientifically, but at least I got to go to my first Italian party: Lucia's graduation party! I thought it was very sweet of Lucia to invite me.. I went together with Ilaria.. We bought her two books: memoirs of a geisha, and the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. Both in Italian ofcourse.. It is funny that Ilaria reminds me sometimes of Anne. She has also these kind of african things in her room, and other nice international stuff and pictures.. Also when writing the congratulation-card she is first protesting that she doesn't know what to write and then she comes up with this very original thing or our two brain that are thinking something (nice drawings) haha and the activity is then analysed with ICA (Lucia's thing) (not very realistic, but the idea counts hahaha) and then it says Congratulations! Haha it thought it was just very Annesk.. (Hihi that's a compliment Anne!!)
The party was very nice, and actually quite similar to dutch party's.. Lot's of people, lot's of talking and nice food and drinks.. Best home-made sangria I've ever had! And a big big graduation pie! I was the "special guest" aka the only international one aka lot's of looks haha. But I chatted nicely with Ilaria, Letterio and Lucia.. Even tried to understand some italian ;)
Haha Ilaria drank her first alcoholic beverage (some punch with a little alcohol in it), but the sangria went a little bit too far for her! Cute.. Water is actually the best you can drink when it is this hot!
Tomorrow I will go to the beach with Ilaria (even though I forgot my good bikini in Maastricht doh!) And then back to work again on monday!
Btw I was only kidding a bit in my last post.. I am ofcourse very happy for Lalo that he is getting married (as I am for Marije, just want to say that one more time ;) ) I am happy if something good happens to someone I care for.. :) As for the others.. They are the same as always. Sometimes life feels so incredibly cyclic.. But this time I'm kicking the cycle and getting out of it hahaha..
Anyway, I go to help my boyfriend now..
Ciao!

Oh btw here are finally some (old) pisa pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Aline.deBorst/2006_03_06
http://picasaweb.google.com/Aline.deBorst/2006_03_07
Hopefully some other pictures will follow sometime ;)

Okokok

Ok, I will write something.. Just because Marin (and I see also Marije) want me too.. But I am boring! Life is boring! I've been dumped by all my semi-chicks.. Lalo is getting married, Federico doesn't like me anymore, Jouke is becoming a righteous man, my doc stopped asking me for ice-cream.. what is there left to entertain me? Hahaha ahh Lauran ofcourse (hard job for the poor guy.. :P) Hahaha I am only kidding (and I hope certain people will never read this.. I guess it's a problem if you give your blog address to everyone, but only write for some specific people) Sorry guys! I am never serious anyway..
Wow, after this bunch of nonesense.. I am furthermore wondering, why I came back to Pisa, not to actually do a better job, because since I came back here on monday noone has been here (no Francesco to discuss the data with), untill today when all of a sudden, éveryone was here! Francesco, Fabrizio, Adriana, Ilaria, Nicola, and various unknown people.. All in the little office! And ofcourse the Brainvoyager key was needed, which meant that I (besides being pushed to a little side of the desk) also couldn't work anymore.. And when finally everyone left, Nicola thought that I could show him how Brainvoyager works (again) (I was a little bit unfriendly I think hehehe). So who ever said that I don't have "onderwijsuren"? :P Teaching Brainvoyager to a almost neurologist hahaha..
On tuesday I ofcourse watched the game together with my flatmates (I now have three male flatmates.. O_o), halfnaked flatmates I must add.. :P Not sure if it is really an improvement, but watching the game was fun! And they (together with the rest of the population of Italy) went ofcourse crazy when they won!! And then run off to drive around town and make as much noise as possible..
Yesterday I bought a fan (schrijf je dat eigenlijk zo? of is het van, allebei iig ook andere betekenissen haha) because I could sleep because of the heat and the mosquitos (eey is that one of the few spanish words into english?) , I have at least 65 mosquito bites (seriously). I even managed to put it together by myself (without tools, besides my knife haha)!
Any other uninteresting stuff? My research is still going nowhere.. And I am still travelling back and forth between Maastricht and here every two and a half weeks.. But next time I travel to Maastricht I will stay longer, also to have a holiday, so that's good :)
Now I have had it with writing.. I am waiting for Ilaria to return from downstairs, because tonight is Lucia's graduation party and we still have to buy a present.. However, she will probably be kept downstairs by Francesco till 9, and then the shops close.. We'll see!
To those who demanded writing: also write something! Preferably something juicy! :P ;)
xxx