Over The Pond

still confused

Been a good week since I started this weblog. Not much has been done since in connection to going to the National. I have been out of town for a while on a little holiday with the family while I'm still able to do this. For those that have questionmarks in their eyes by now, here's a little explaination: I will have to go into the hospital for a second operation on my back, afterwards there is time needed for revalidation, so the date of the operation is important for me to know whether I'll be able to go the National. Also the outcome of the operation is important. There is a very little chance that I will loose control from my belly down, so it is yet still uncertain whether I will make it to the National or not. Yesterday I have phoned with the surgeon's secretary. Though she was very polite she could not tell me when I am to be operated on. She could only tell me there is one other patient before me, but if..... or.......and that is why....... In the end she said that I could almost be certain that it would be in the month of March. A fast calculation on my part learned me that if it goes to far to the end of March I will not be able to make it. In which case I hope I will be nominated another year ;-)) and that Daan will have a great time on his own or with another fellow nominee.

Today I have invited Daan to participate in this weblog, so if all goes well, you should be able to read something of his hand on this log real soon.

For now this comes to an end, my daughters have to be tugged in for the night.

CU L8R

Over The Pond Ye Old Colonies.

An introduction

This is the way that it was announced. What does it mean though? Well last year Over The Pond, where COG/GCE made it possible for Guy Young to travel to Europe, was a succes. So Hans-Ove, Ted and Spencer stuck their minds together once more and under guidance of hans-Ove started this years OTP, with the goal to send a GCE member to the COG National 2003 in Asheville North-Carolina.

Last year I happily contributed to the OTP, because I thought and still think it is great that virtual friends make someones dream come through this way. Because of some circumstances I missed Guy while he was overhere, but never the less it felt good to know that I had contributed my bit. When this years OTP was announced I immediately contributed. It was only later that I started thinking who I would nominate, only to learn that someone else, maybe several others, had nominated me. Well I was honoured to be nominated and it didn't take me long to say: Aye.

Well to make a long story short, I was elected to be this years Pondtraveller and decided to start keeping a weblog on the subject, so others and myself can read back how things started to develop, how it all went, etc., etc. and so on.

First thoughts on being selected.

At first nomination alone was honour enough to me. I had some very worthy opponents and like I read on the list where COGgers said they would be more happy if all 5 Nominees could be send over, I felt the same way. Then the elections came. The nominees had to campaign for votes, in other words they had to introduce them to the COGlective (COG/GCE), because not every one knows every thing about the others. So we all started campaigning and as I read what the other nominees wrote I felt they deserved being elected as much or maybe even more than I did. I thought it was a shame that only one could go.

There was a post from Hans-Ove before the voting ended to the nominees, asking their opinion on an idea he had. All five nominees said it was a great idea and said they would cooperate. Just by saying I would cooperate with this I already felt better, because it gave all of us double chances on going to the National, but also it would mean that 2 other nominees could go over that deserved it well, while I was to stay at home. I had and have no problem on staying behind. There is more to live than going to the National, though it is a dream coming through.

The idea of Hans-Ove was quite simple. The winner of the elections would invite the runner up to team up with him, so there would be two Pondtravellers this year.

Well the outcome of the voting came and to my big surprise I was elected winner with 48% of the votes. I felt even more honoured now and I was more eager to go than before. The runnerup was/is Daan Zeydner, a fellow Dutchman. My first reaction was to send him an email saying nothing more than: "WE ARE GOING", which in dutch only takes two words :) Daan accepted the invitation as well so now we are going together to the National.

Meanwhile I have asked the COGlective whether there are sites that I *must* see while I am overthere. Never once did I say that Daan was coming as well, because the honour of telling the COGlective this goes to Hans-Ove. I had several tips and even got an email with an offer of a place to stay. Imagine that.... someone who has never met you invites you to his/her home offering you a bed, an internetconnection and all that. Isn't that great! I am more and more impressed by the powers of the COGlective. As Hans-Ove wrote several times: "YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN!", well you made it happen and gave me a real warm and welcome feeling.