Una vida Holandesa en Mallorca

Yesterday I read a posted scrap on a messenger board (in Spanish) which stated Albert Einsteins thoughts on crisis. It impacted me as I have been thinking a lot about my personal crisis: my work, my failure to publish enough, to secure a position, the insecurity of my future, my being limited to this island, the feeling of being trapped. His thoughts are helping me to turn around a suffocating feeling of being in ´crisis´ into a positive feeling of challenge. Did not want to keep it from you since it certainly applies to todays financial crisis so, unusual for me, mostly occupied with trivialities, I post the quote here:

Let's not pretend that things will change if we keep doing the same things. A crisis can be a real blessing to any person, to any nation. For all crises bring progress.
Creativity is born from anguish, just like the day is born form the dark night. It's in crisis that inventive is born, as well as discoveries, and big strategies. Who overcomes crisis, overcomes himself, without getting overcome. Who blames his failure to a crisis neglects his own talent, and is more respectful to problems than to solutions. Incompetence is the true crisis.
The greatest inconvenience of people and nations is the laziness with which they attempt to find the solutions to their problems. There's no challenge without a crisis. Without challenges, life becomes a routine, a slow agony. There’s no merit without crisis. It's in the crisis where we can show the very best in us. Without a crisis, any wind becomes a tender touch. To speak about a crisis is to promote it. Not to speak about it is to exalt conformism. Let us work hard instead.
Let us stop, once and for all, the menacing crisis that represents the tragedy of not being willing to overcome it.

Yesterday finally was the perfect day for fieldwork. No rain, not too much wind and from a favourable direction, no big waves. We went to Cala d´Or and entered from land so no letting zodiacs in and out the water (saving a loooot of time). A nice retired German resident lend us his private ladder to enter the water from the rocks and we found a whole lot of my animal of interest, Pinna nobilis so I was very happy:-) Minor flaw in the day: I lost a part of the exit valve of my dry-suit and water entered. But hey, everybody knows that a dry-suit is never completely dry........ And we were in time to eat lunch in a local pub on the terrace in the sun to get warm again. Yes, with a deserved beer, we are in Spain after all.

Let´s see. I think my sleeping problems started in the 4th month of the pregnancy, hormone related I guess, I wasn´t even that fat (later on it was impossible to lay comfortable). So let´s say 1 January to put a late date, that makes 402 days up until now. After Lucas was born he needed to be fed at night until the third month, after which we had a blissful 2 months of sleeping solid. After that something happened, or actually many things (went working, stopped breastfeeding, brought him to the daycare, fall started) and he started waking up again. Makes 402-60 months= 342 days of waking up.
Almost a full year of not sleeping 1) enough and 2) longer then 4 hours at a stretch.
You could say that this has an overwhelming influence on my social life and work. I am really really tired. So tired that I started DREAMING about falling asleep behind the wheel driving. The little moments I actually sleep long enough to get to REM.

Last sunday was the day of the Balearic Islands. Tough luck, sunday so no extra free day;-) We went to see the festivities, many chiringuitos with artesanic stuff to sell. Nothing too interesting. There was free food&drink in the regional houses (all regions from Spain present their specialities) but of course there was too much cue to enter (it ís crisis and there wás free food&drink).
During the normal week I am trying to plan field-time. Not too succesful..... Either the boat is still somewhere else, the students have exams or there is a storm:-(.........

In a real roman catholic country, it is impossible to escape carnaval. Saying this, we did last 3 years. but not this one, because of Lucas. At his childcrae they did a full week of carnaval and of course we went to the procession of the children last saturday. Lucas dressed up (aha) as a marinero, and his mother as a pirate:-) Today is for adults but we escape to the village to have a quiet lunch with friends:-) Let´s see if we manage to get back in the city.....

goed weer, check. Weekend, check. Dus we gingen op excursie, 3 uurtjes om erin te komen. Met Lucas in de rugzak! Gelukkig vond ie het helemaal te gek en het was nog educatief ook, we hebben schapen, bomen, gele bloemen, een rivier en bergen gezien:-)

hee ik kan opeens geen plaatjes meer bij het item plaatsen.... Arne?

Last week it was pretty sunny, bit windy but okay and the almond trees blossomed!!!! The effect was a sweet whiff of spring and a feeling of instant happiness driving to work and overlooking the fields with flowering trees, with the yellow flowers in the grass:-)
Unfortunately it started raining but I know: Spring is near!!!!