(clearly this was written a few days ago, and then left forgotten…)

Today has started with the serious case of the mondays that I can’t quite seem to shake. My alarm clock forced me out of bed after a night of tossing and turning and far too little sleep, to face a day of rain and gloom and the kind of chill that seeps into one’s bones, fighting hard against banishment attempts in the form of space heaters. Sigh.

My run today started at 6:37 am, and it was hard going. Me and my co-worker and new friend, Erica, are now starting week 2 of our official marathon training cycle. We have 188 days until race day. Today was an easy day, we ran only about 6.5 km, but between lack of sleep, still being in recovery from Saturday’s long run, and a general case of the dooms and glooms that often accompanys the end of the weekend and start of another week, I had to force myself to keep my legs moving. If I didn’t know that Erica was counting on my to show up, I would have happily thrown my alarm clock across the room, and snuggled back under the covers to snooze for another couple hours (thank you Erica, I fully appreciate your presence).

While focusing on putting one foot in front of the other at a reasonably fast pace, I thought back on a similar run the week before. It was for the same distance, and I felt magnificent. It was a clear morning, and the moon had not yet set. I rejoiced in the crispness of the late autumn air, and revelled in the reflection that the full moon made on the lake. I couldn’t help thinking that this was what life was supposed to be like. That this was what I was made for. I longed to really stretch my legs, and let myself go, but felt constrained to a pace that would keep me with my companions. After finishing our alotted training for the day and parting ways in order to grab showers and change before work, I sprinted the 2 km home, smiling and terrifying early risers along the way.

Somewhere, I long time ago, I misplaced my joy for running, and along with it the discipline and motivation to keep it up. I think I finally have found it again, and am remembering how good it feels even when it hurts. Today may have been a slow day, but hours later, my mind is already anticipating my next run. I can’t wait til 12 June in Liechtenstein. Its going to be amazing and gorgeous!

On a completely different topic, I realise that I’ve been neglecting my writing as of late. I feel really terrible about this, and I often think of little things I want to talk about, and interesting links that I want to add as I go through my day. I will attempt not to be so remiss in my blogging duties in the future.

So…. Since I’ve last written….

I went to the South of France to visit Fabi a little over a week ago. I was given a friday off of work, and I took the train friday morning. Aside from the stress involved when I realised that the tickets I’d bought the week before were sending me to the wrong town about 10 minutes before I had planned to arrive at the train station, it was a completely stress free journey to Aix-en-Provence.

Can I just say that I love Aix? I also love the South of France. I am meant to one day be a writer living on the seaside there with my cats, running a bookshop by day, and writing in the evenings. Sigh… One day these dreams will come true. It was so warm and sunny and nice (even on sunday when it rained), and so much more relaxed than Geneva. I needed that short little holiday, even if it was far too short. I had a great time with Fabi. It was really nice to relax and enjoy time spent with a friend. Friday night we even managed our first ever dual country (france and brazil) party via skype. It lasted 7 hours, and because we are all rockstars, it was a completely sober affair. Its true, I swear.

On Saturday day, me and Fabi went to the seaside to hang out in a small town called Cassis. It was absolutely lovely, and while sitting in a t-shirt, with my sunglasses on (to ward off the sun’s rays), with a glass of wine and a full plate of food, looking out over the ocean, I thought about how jealous people in rainy Geneva would be when I told them. 🙂

As the sun started to set we drove up what are apparently the highest cliffs in France to take in the view. It was absolutely magnificent (and yes, photos were taken. I will post ASAP). We had a couple drinks by the ocean in another nearby town, and then headed back to Aix.

Sunday, although lacking in adventures was equally as fabulous as my other weekend days. It was raining in Aix, and so after the consumption of a ginormous breakfast/lunch, we huddled under blankets and watched films all day. It was, in my humble opinion, an absolutely magnificent way to spend the day. I could not help but feel a bit sad to return to Geneva and to my now normal life.

Last week passed in a blur that has become the routine of my life here. I must post more often so that the little anecdotes and things that I try to remember to write down do not get sucked down into the blankness of monotony. I cannot recall any important events that happened over the week… Last weekend, however, Fabi came to visit me in Geneva. Well, he didn’t come to visit me, exactly (or at least not only), it was his mother’s birthday, so he drove over to celebrate it with her.

After a long Saturday run with my running buddy, me and Erica joined Fabi and her husband Zeke for English breakfast at a pub in Parquis. Well, really, I was the only one who ended up getting English breakfast. The rest just had lunch. It was de-licious though, and I barely minded paying the high Geneva prices for it. After eating, me and Fabi headed over to Old Town to witness the Escalade festivities and meet up with some other friends. There were many races throughout the hills and narrow streets, some of which included fancy dress and other oddities. It was nice to see the city so alive. Below Old Town in the Bastille Park was the finish line, a huge screen set up so you could watch runners at different parts of the race, and all sorts of booths set up, selling various things. We all congregated around the free Gluwein booth, watching the iceskaters and the runners simultaneously. The day passed by quickly though, and soon Fabi and I had to head back to his car to drive out to his parent’s for supper and birthday celebrations.

Can I just say right now that I love Fabi’s parents? They were very sweet to welcome me into their home (which is gorgeous and in the countryside), and try to carry on conversations with me even when it was clear that my French is sub-par (really frustrated with myself over that). The food was also amazing! Fabi’s father cooked, and it was super delicious. I also was very grateful that they were willing to help me out with part of my Christmas presents to my own family.

After saying our goodbyes, driving into Geneva, realising I’d left my bag behind, and driving back to retrieve it, we finally made it back out. Being that this was a Fabi and I adventure, we went to the Brazilian bars. It was a good night. There was even a side trip to a random carnival in Plainpalais, where it was discovered that Fabi is a better shot than myself. Oh well.

Sunday I realised that my mixture of gluwein, champagne, wine, caipirinhas, and beer, despite the fact that it was consumed over a large period of time, and that I was at no point in time drunk, was still not a happy thing. I spent most of my day in my room, happily reading, and studying.

And now, we’ve gone full circle back to Monday. Sigh. I hate Mondays… I wish I had a cat, a quilt, some reading material, a cup of tea, and a window seat. Sigh.