Satie

At the rehearsal of Parade the orchestra thought Satie's was ballroom music. Cocteau had to go fetch Ravel to convince them it was a piece of stylized genius. A flutist rose and said to Satie: "Mr. Satie, you seem to think I'm stupid". He replied "No, I don't think you are stupid. But I could be wrong".

the fucking rain

so no, it doesn't just rain or not rain here, the netherlands seems to be unable to make up its mind; i have found it useless to look at the forecasts, and useful to carry an umbrella at all times. and people here behave in the same way: yesterday we went to an open air cinema, it was not supposed to rain but it did, of course, and half of the people left as soon as they felt a couple of drops whereas the other half stayed through the whole torment. i have a feeling this place is full of ambiguities like that.

Amsterdam

I have a single room all to myself. Completely self-sufficient too, which has allowed me to stay indoors for three straight days quite comfortably. It has also made me feel as a character from the Sims: eat, sleep, exercise, work - bars are going up, self esteem included.

It seems that the rain here takes little breaks every half an hour or so. I have counted eleven rains this Saturday. It also rains disturbingly quietly.

Everyone seems to be friendly. I like the size of the place. Around 700 students, almost half of those has never seen each other before. Easy to disappear. From an orientation for example.

I bought a bike but I fear the biking lanes. Cyclists seem to know what they are doing and even if they don't - how am I supposed to know?

I am reading Kant and taking notes. Found my old notebook for the notes about books I am reading. Camus, Sartre, Nietzsche and Heidegger. Why does the past me always seems a more thoughtful me than the present me? I'm pretty sure it is not true but can I use the illusion to my advantage?

Beers here are very small but strong. I haven't been out much but from what I've seen Amsterdam looks very uniform: similar houses, similar bridges, lots of water, bikes bikes bikes. They tell us the city is not very representative of the rest of the country, to to Utrecht they say. Go I will. I haven't taken a single picture yet.

Apparently, if a bar has an outdoors terrace you are forbidden to drink while standing. Also a little bit of cannabis in a cafe is ok, but tobacco - no no. No drinking outdoors either. My sentiment for Berlin seems to be running very deep. Probably that's why I have begun learning German on my own and on a regular basis. Das buchstabiert man I-D-O-N-O-T-W-A-N-T-T-O-G-O-B-A-C-K-T-O-T-H-E-C-O-U-N-T-R-Y-T-H-A-T-I-S-S-U-E-D-M-Y-P-A-S-S-P-O-R-T.

I have been listening to lots of music. Spotify began playing Ditch advertisements for me. I'm not your market, stupid. And it sounds really weird too. My top-5 lately:

Erik Satie - Gymnopedie #1 (lent et doloreux,  a soundtrack to all the good things that happened to me)

Grizzly Bear - Yet Again (itching for the new album)

The Antlers - Drift Dive (as underwater as it gets)

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Nostradamus & Me (reminds me of Sparklehorse's "Maxine", love when he sings "Good bye.."

This Will Destroy You - Quiet (rediscovered, after six long years)

I'm brewing all these projects in my mind. Do I lack time? (I will have a Wednesday off, by the way). Rather skill. Also patience, persistence. I've been told recently that it's a myth that successful thinkers need to live in poverty and their own filth, that making money (lots of it) and living a comfortable life is ok. I'd like to stick to that suggestion. I'll have some yogurt now.