On track

What an incredibly satisfying weekend. On Thursday I went to the opening night of a new exhibit with a girl I've known since I was about 4. The next night I bartended at a birthday party. It'd been close to a year since I last found myself there, but the beers, free champagne and anything-but-virgin mojitos flowed through my hands surprisingly smoothly. Having fun coworkers, an awesome DJ and generally good mojo definitely helped.



Saturday was all about bringing the Toronto feeling home. I went shopping, found a cute pair of 80s style pumps in a second hand store, and met up with a good friend for lunch at a new place called "Nosh". The owners are Belgian-American and have done an amazing job at recreating the North American diner atmosphere: muffins, bagels, smoothies, coffee on your table before you've even uttered the word, lots of small talk, laughs and pats on the back and a general easy-does-it demeanor. Good times - I think I may have found my new Future's Bakery! More shopping in the afternoon, more friends, and then I hit the town flyering for AmuseeVous. People were surprisingly friendly (especially older people and men, I have to say. Women can be pretty damn cold. The prettier the colder and more snooty, in fact. Shame) and by 8.30 - just as the sky was getting overcast - I had distributed my stack of flyers, went home, kicked off my shoes, and settled down with a big kettle of tea.

Yesterday, I trained it up to Oostende for "Theater Aan Zee" with my friend Eva. A beautifully sunny day by the seaside, some culture - with some Vero Moda and H&M thrown in bien sûr - and hours of chatting with a girl who offers a delightful combination of sarcasm and sincere concern.

These past few days were a breath of fresh air and truly the first time in a while that I felt happy, relaxed and...well. In the words of Acda&De Munnik: "Als het vuur gedoofd is, dan komen de wolven". It is of the essence to throw a new log on the fire once in a while, and to watch the beautifully unpredictable sparks. I had somehow dozed off into hibernation, forgotten what I'm about, and what is at my fingertips waiting for me to be picked up. Friends, trips, food, books, clothes, socializing, culture, music, train rides. I can find everything I need right here in Belgium, and more.