The Great Procrastinator

It seems I'm finding lots to do except start the drawings for my study models. Reading reviews of new books on game culture, New York magazine's Design Revolutionaries feature, figuring out why ichat isn't working, nor why the lefthand usb port on my computer won't recognize my ipod.

So now I'm here just checking in. Of course.
Yesterday was a great non-work-day, and the kind of day that inspires pinching, and confirmation of reality over dream.
Began with coffee at Renshaw HQ -- the apartment in Amsterdam where I stayed last week, whose owner, Nick, is not only a stand-up guy and Host with the Most, but he's also a sculptor working in ceramics, whose been here to the EKWC several times before -- and the second half of Hot Fuzz. A highly recommended way to start any morning.
Back in den Bosch, the market was in full swing -- not only fresh produce, but flowers, plants, textiles, housewares: a crazytrain of tents in the main square -- and the sun was truly sparkling. After several days of low gray skies and rain, it was a magical shift of Hollywood proportions.
So instead of sitting down to work immediately, I hopped into the jogging shoes and hit the streets.

Decided to run the perimeter of the old city -- which is easily demarcated by canals on every side. Found that on the west side there's a big nature preserve like place where there's just big furry fields for walking, that the traffic into the city center is highly regulated and so much of the driving here occurs around the edges, and finally, after having completed the ring around the city, found a lake with a path around it and lots of older folks (men with bikes mostly) and teenagers hanging out on the benches along the path. Didn't take fluent Dutch to understand one pair of gentlemen who asked if my legs were cold (in shorts) and gave me what was clearly mad props for my efforts.
Between the sunshine, blue skies, old men, all leaves, birds (SO many birds), and so much glimmering water around, I was in heaven, if not a little out of shape.

Could be a good place to start making some playground interventions.

But first I should start making drawings. And plunge my hands into some clay.

Oh, but lastly, on the way home from the run, everything was ground to a halt because a drawbridge had to do it's job and let some large boats into the canal. It was quite a sight -- and one surely that happens weekly if not daily here -- to see all the cars queued, bikes queued, pedestrians leaning over the edge to see the vessels coming through. And then, 5 mintes later, bridge down, traffic back. What if there were drawbridges just to slow people down? And instead of raising to let boats pass, they raised to show 5 minutes of art or play 5 minutes of music?