The smell of fresh coffee, the neighbor’s drill, the morning fog and Sam curled up like a fox on his door mat on the balcony. Mornings like this make me feel so much alive! It’s Monday again and somehow it only makes it better, because everyone else is working. I have tons of things to do myself, but no pressure when it comes to any particular order. Even Sam doesn’t seem to mind having to wait a bit for his walk. He came in, gave me a peck on the cheek, or rather let me ruffle him a bit, then we had a go at playing ball, meaning I threw it and he fetched it and went outside with it. Game over.

I have five portraits to deliver on Wednesday for my photography course and this is one of them. I have to admit, I won’t fake any modesty here, I find it glorious! Sure, I’m not a master of Lightroom, (yet), but I think I captured a spark of divinity in Gordana’s eyes. Her praise was no less touching, she said and I quote “this is not only me, but this is me the way I imagine myself when I like myself. My inner picture of me.” I mean, I was almost in tears! And I guess this is what I want with photography, bring emotions to the surface! Sorry if it sounds cliché, but I have no interest in taking pictures of music bands or politicians, neither in becoming this great artist that looks for shadows in the light. I only want to catch this little spark in people and things, make them shine for a second, lift them off their anonymity.

Lunch was amazing, I decided to book a table at what I thought was Theatercaféen, mainly because it’s a fashionable establishment full of old grandeur, only 10 feet away from my bus stop and it has great light, too. Turns out I’d taken Grand Café by mistake, but boy were we happy for the confusion! 😉

We decided on a three courses lunch, given the price difference was minimal- duck rillette with fresh sourdough buns, cod with baked radish, carrots and a mussel foam (probably called something fancier than froth) and ice-cream with apple, celery and salt caramel for dessert. I mean, we were in heaven!

The fact that the waiter was Serbian, as is my friend, only made things better, since he insisted on treating us to a couple of sips on the house. 😉 I mean, what’s not to like? We spoke incessantly, both at once, stopped for a second, burst into laughter and started all over again. She’d just called me to say that “we can’t turn into that”, meaning not see each other for two months and just let it happen, we were better than that! I felt like I did back when I was 10, when my friend Mihaela would call and ask me if we should wear skirts together on that particular day and I’d answer- “oh, come on, this is so childish!” while secretly rejoicing in this feeling of togetherness and trying to find a skirt…

This is an entry on friendship. I’ve been a crappy friend for the last three months at least and I’m sorry. I’m pretty egocentric, as you all know, but I try, I really do. It’s just that between work, photography, Sam and my exhaustion, it’s just so hard to put myself together. Thank you for sticking with me, though! I love you all, you know who you are! ❤