NATURAL HIGH ONCE AGAIN

A cold wind has kept me indoors since the Summer school, and that meant that my garden has suffered quite a bit. But last week the whether finally ‘warmed’ up, and I spend some hours in the garden, listening to Linked by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi (a book about networks, social-, computer-, … all kinds of networks) on my Mp3-player, while preparing the garden for this season. As usual I have a lot of different flowers at my parents greenhouse, and – as usual – the tiny little plants have been ready to grow in my garden for a while… I just haven’t been ready to plant them…
But now I’m slowly getting there, and hopefully my garden will explode with colours in a month or so.

Anyway, yesterday I had booked a special spinning-class at my fitness centre. It’s a bank-holiday and the normal program has been replaced by this special program. I decided that if I wanted to work out, this was my best option. But when I got there it turned out that the usual one hour spinning lesson was, due to the bank holiday, extended to one hour and thirty minutes!! Oh my God! Of course, once you’re at the centre, on the bike and ready for some exercise, you just go along with the program… And I proud to say that I completed the lesson without vomiting, fainting or somehow falling of the bike… Today I feel fine, but the back of me knees (??) are hurting a bit. I really thing I’ve found a form of exercise that I can get addicted to. I was is such a good mood all day, tired, but high on endorphins – guess 1½ hour of pain REALLY gives you a kick ;o)

Of course there was a bit of adrenaline in my bloodstream too. A … ‘good friend’… showed up on his super cool Honda and offered me a ride. The first few minutes I was absolutely TERRIFIED, but after a while I decided that I just had to trust him and I seemed that he knew what he was doing and I started to enjoy the speed, the moves and being so close to him, moving with him… I was like a dance … or maybe good sex ;o) I didn’t get any work done in my garden or any of the other things I had planned, but… who cares, it was worth it! (…and it just means that I have to work today, but my knees are hurting and I don’t mind some doing some studying after this action packed day…)

Wow, look at the time, I just wanted to post this before going to lunch with one of my girlfriends who I haven’t seen for ages – she’s busy taking care of her wonderful little son (9 months old) and we just haven’t been able to see each other for months it seems. I better go then…

AUNT AGAIN !!

Yesterday my sister gave birth to a beautiful little girl :o) Now I have 2 cute little nieces :o)

My sister is a tough woman; she didn’t make it to the delivery room, but gave birth at home, her husband assisting her while calling an ambulance. Great story! And nice to see how they support and help each other - they are such a good couple.

I’ve just returned from the hospital and now I’m getting ready to go to a birthday-party – one of my 3 prince’s from ITU is turning 30 today. Just wanted to share the great news!

JUDGE RIKKE?

Welcome to the sometimes surreal life of Rikke B!

Just as I FINALLY get a position at one department, and the future starts to get really interesting; the past few months I have tried to relax about looking too much at the future, since I didn’t have ANY IDEA WHATSOEVER of what to expect – and didn’t dare hope too much – well that situation has changed! Now it seams the “oranges” has tuned in on me again and someone is throwing them – and lots of the – hard at my turban! (I don’t know if this idiom translates, but it means that my luck has changed and opportunity is knocking HARD at my door!)
Seems that some of the people in my network remembers me and when they see opportunity, they act on if and push it my way. I’m grateful and very happy right now. And somewhat put in a dilemma…

But, everything has to be placed in a certain perspective, and my perspective on the world has changed a bit (something this Cry Baby needed!)…

I recently had my first experience as a “Domsmand” (a civil citizen who assists in the judgement of criminals along with the appointed judges). I’ve signed up for this duty because I feel obligated to be an active participant in the democracy I’m fortunate enough to live in. I know it might sound very idealistic (and maybe hard to believe), by I actually try to “practice what I preach” and I’ve always felt lucky to live in such a great country as Denmark. (Except maybe when I have a hard time finding a job and consider Australia as my new home… the forms ARE printed! Or if the Danes act to spoiled and narrow-minded… I actually don’t mind the weather (!) but I was born and raised on a farm in the countryside… besides, I’ve always kind of liked rain…) Today is a beautiful sunny day (a bit windy though…) and May is absolutely my favourite time of year!
Anyway… I’ve been joking a bit about this “judge-duty” I have… and extra source of income (bribe…) and my chance to get back at that pickpocket who stole my wallet last year… As I’ve experienced before; it rarely turns out the way you planned it in real life… And the case that I took part in was not a “funny” little experience… It was a tragedy and it was ugly! My role in it (actually being part of the judgement, deciding the punishment and being part of deciding that another human gets to spend several years behind bars…) was a life-changing experience. I guess I’m not as naive and blue-eyed any more…
I have to share some more on this experience, but now I have to go. I’m going for dinner a friend and some of her friends, and I’ll just LOVE to talk about something else that research (after the intense week of PhD-summer school last week…) and today’s great brainstorm with my supervisor.

Until then; take care of eachother out there! …and PLEASE be good to the children, they need us to love and protect them!