Juana - Amsterdam Journal 3

Juana, originally uploaded by Leo el Feo.

Oct. 20, 2006

Today's Lili's birthday. She's been on my mind all day, ... well she's always on my mind, but she's been spectacularly present this week.
I went to the ballet with Michele to pick up Juana. Spent a great part of the morning riding around Amsterdam on her. Visited Oosterpark.
Worked out for a little while there. Didn't have my camera with me, so I was just riding and making mental notes of the places I want to see again. There are some very nice sights to the east of the city. Finally made my way back to the area of the ballet, cause I was in a bit of pain between my legs, I hadn't ridden a bike since I left the DR, and the seat was in an unconfortable position and angle.
I went to the vendors who are at the front part of the entrance to the ballet, but they didn't have the specific tool for my seat. By chance, Laura and her mom were passing by and told me that they had bought the bikes (Michele's is named Juana and Laura's is named Chavela.) around the back of the theater.
I took Juana there and they fixed the seat up for me. I told the guy "I'm in pain, could you change the angle of the seat and raise it a little."
As he's doing it he tells me, "Now balls will not hurt." jajaja

Anyway they fixed it alright. I was riding really comfortable and came to the house to do some writing and eat a little something.
I went out again to meet Michele at 3pm but she told that she had to rehearse til 5:30. Went and did some more riding and took some more pictures.Passed by a spot where some chef guy was giving out Tomato soup. Guess he has a TV show or a book or something. The presentation was interesting. Plastic tomatoes with a star carved into them served as the bowls and there were many people there. Big letters on the ground, cameras, a couple of vans, all with the tomato and star motif.

Received a phone call from my mom in NY. She wanted to tell me to remember Lili's birthday. I was happy to hear from her and that her treatments had been going well. I happened to be in the Red light district at that moment taking some pictures for Pablo and an article he was going to have published in some magazine in the DR. Went to Soup En Zo and tried another of the soups.
On my way back to meet up with Miche at the ballet, I was rushing up a street, with some traffic when I heard something smash behind me. All of a sudden a car pulls up next to me with what appeared to be two young dutch arabs, and the driver says to me "you! Motherfucker. It cost me a mirror to not hit you!" He apparantly had scraped his right rearview mirror against a parked vehicle, while trying to avoid me, which seemed like bullshit to me. Anyway, I took off my headphones and said "Sorry". He said "motherfucker..." , I kinda laughed it off and kept riding to the ballet. Then walked the bike to theather cause all of a sudden it hit me that there are some nuts out there who don't give a shit that Amsterdam is a city full of bikes. The ones I've seen who disrepect this appear to be foreigners or of foreign descent. For a moment I thought they might be doing that because since tecnically I'm a tourist, they might get some money from me.
I decided I would try to be a little more careful out on the streets, just in case.
I picked Miche up, we went to the supermarket. Afterwards I walked her to her therapy session. She needed some acupunture cause her neck was a little messed and she would be dancing the next day.
Talked a little about Lili, and her birthday.
Strange day indeed.

(note: Some of this I'm writing memory. I jot down some things one day, and then another. Looking through the pictures I took on the 20th I realized that I did a lot and saw many things that day. I've never been good at keeping a journal. My journals are more hindsight than actual moment.)