In general:
1. no.mo.ney,
2. Lack of sleep, lack of rest,
== you look in the mirror reee-e-e-el bad!

These are my wise thoughts for the moment, this morning. :-)

Now it’s time to go stare at the screen again, I guess…

Enrico doesn’t sing professionally, but this performance of his is touching the heart, and this is the most important thing, I believe!

Merry Christmas to everyone! :-)

(found via molif)

Some important things happened. The story, in short:

The statute of national park of mountain Strandja was about to be changed so that some companies to be able to build big resorts and hotel chains there.

Many people here in Bulgaria are against this decision and suddenly it became an activity, something like a flash-mob (unorganized civil protests). Many young people who care about the preservation of the nature started to protest peacefully, and their meetings were very quickly and spontaneously gathered after calls in a few blogs and Internet websites (including official media).

I felt involved as I care about the nature in my country, Bulgaria, and because this subject is important for me, too, I started to blog about it, using information from all around the blogosphere – copying it & quoting it.

I also went personally on some of these “flash-mobs”, made photos and posted them on my blog. I also posted a couple of reportages, including my comments on the “Strandja” case and on the ongoing peaceful protests.

I never thought this could be something illegal – many official media wrote about the remonstrances and numerous bloggers did it just like I did, many of them even used stronger language than me and aggressive words, which I don’t like.

Last week I received summons to visit the Sofia Metropolitan Police Department and absolutely not aware what is this about, I just went with questions in my head, but with a clear heart. There they asked me about my website (my blog) and about the Strandja protests. I had to write some explications and also signed a warning protocol, saying that I should not write in my blog anything that could call to disorderly conduct (like unofficial protests) and so on. I saw a line in the police documents, saying “the website www.optimiced.com must be investigated (watched constantly)”. I read on the top of the documents in front of me the name of the National Service for Combat against the Organized Crime, which indeed puzzled me.

Am I part of some criminal organization or maybe I was an organized criminal without even knowing it myself? I don’t know. But fact is, that me and my blog suddenly became a matter of investigation for the Bulgarian police :-(

Also there were printed sheets of paper from another blog of a guy, who wrote as well about the Strandja case, and he is also a journalist. On the stairs one of the police officers told me “in private” that I should be more careful what I am writing about in future, because journalists have a better defense against possible prosecution and I am just an ordinary person, an independent blogger.

That was the story in short. I had the feeling that it’s somehow strange that our police and also the National Service for Combat against the Organized Crime are so busy with investigating people like me, while there are so many criminals out there, but what do I know? I am just a man, now concerned in what kind of a country I dreamed to have kids?

I decided to tell the story on my blog and I did it.

But I wasn’t prepared for the avalanche of comments and people feeling concerned by this precedent, because the whole blogosphere felt that this as a strike against the free speech in the virtual world in Bulgaria. Now my only wish is all of this noise to end, but alas.

I said “no” to some media (a lot of reporters wanted to take interviews from me), because I didn’t want to became a media star. One TV said that I was one of the organizators of the protest, which is not true and is ridiculous.

Nevermind, I agreed for a short appearance in a morning broadcast on the Bulgarian National TV (www.bnt.bg), just to show that I am not “virtual”, but a real person, and also because I was told that in the studio we’ll have as a guest a representative of the Police. But they just sent something like semi-official statement, where all the mentioned reasons for the investigation against me and my blog were so weak that even I can tell you they will not stand in the court.

I don’t want to sue anybody for libel, even if I have the right to feel dirty after all this witch-hunt.

I only want this to come to an end and my name to stop being used like a chewing-gum from the media. I still believe that I didn’t break any law with my writings here.

If somebody thinks the opposite, there is court, please, prove these non-sense accusations.

–Michel
free blogger, writing on www.optimiced.com

Some may even wonder if I am alive or not:-)

Well, to make the long story short, I’ll explain in brief here the reason for my silence and what happened since February 21st:

I had to fly to London, UK (via Milano) on February 26th, and I came back to Sofia on March 6th. It was a trip related to my work, so I hadn’t much free time in London for sightseeing – actually, my only free time there was in the early morning, while walking to the office of GreenNet, late in the evenings, while walking back to the cheap hotel I stayed at (near King’s Cross), and also one free week-end…

After my return, work and some problems caught up on me almost 24/7, so I hadn’t no free time for blogging or anything else (let me just say that only yesterday me and my wife saw for the first time some of the photos and videos from my trip… and some more are yet to be seen)…

So here I am – just a couple of words, my dear readers, after this long break in my writing. Later (I hope so) I will sort out some of my best photos, and will tell a couple of small stories about the things which I’ve found interesting and worth to be mentioned, while there – including, maybe:

• My visit to the Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221b, Baker Street;
• the London Eye and Big Ben (one can’t really pass through London and then not to mention them;-);
• the incredible number of cyclists on the streets of London, which are exremely fast (and extremely cautious, at the same time – all of them ride with front and rear LED lights at night);
• the funny adventure with the squirrels in the St. James Park (and one photo which my wife liked so much);
• the Guiness beer, or why people like to drink this really terrible beer (I do not know the why, actually, but it was interesting for me to try it for the first time);
• and a couple of more impressions from this big, old, colorful city.

For now, that’s enough, I believe.

Now I am going to put on my jacket, to fill up my Aldo Morelli pipe with some aromatic tobacco, and go on a slow walk with my lovely wife - because calm, peace, and not to be in a hurry for some time is what I lack the most, lately.

The experiment will continue exactly one week, or 168 hours. From Friday to Friday.

I will exclude from my daily diet everything, which contains caffeine and alcohol, also tannin. Any stimulating or calming chemical substances.

I won’t drink coffee. Regular coffee, and also decaffeinated coffee. Nor soluble coffee. No coffee at all.

I won’t eat chocolate. Nor waffers. You won’t be able to seduce me even with Lindt pralinés (although this one will be tough, If you’ve tried Lindt Lindor, mmmmmh… then you know what I’m talking about;-)

In the evening, I won’t drink a beer or two to relax. The wine also will be included in my “black list”. Same for the tea with some honey and a bit of whiskey, before going to bed.

I won’t drink green tea as well, as it contains caffeine and tannin. Nor black tea. Only herbal infusions and Rooibos tea.

You won’t be able to tempt me with some Coke, too.

Everything which is stimulating and calming goes into this list. You won’t see me even with my favourite Aldo Morelli bent pipe, blowing small beautiful smoke clouds to the wind (not that you can see me with it often, anyway, but this way the list looks more impressive;-)

Don’t get me wrong – not that I am so terribly addicted to caffeine, tannin, alcohol, Coca-Cola and chocolate;-)

Rather the opposite! (I appreciate moderation, and I am not against caffeine, tannin and wine. I am curious, will it be easy to escape the habit for a while, and what’ll happen. Call it “Purification”. Or “Experiment”. Or “What will happen, if…”. It doesn’t matter.)

Well, during the day, I drink one or two cups of coffee, with great pleasure (sometimes three). During the week-end I don’t drink coffee usually, only tea, Rooibos, herbal infusions or green tea. In the evening I like to open a cold beer from the fridge – do you know, how well they go together, cold beer and fried potatoes and a salad from tomatoes and cucumbers, mmmmh!:-)

I love and I appreciate the good wine, too. A glass of red wine, in the evening, is something beautiful, and lots of studies proved that the moderate consumption of red wine leads to longer life (see France, for example), and also may act stimulatingly if you do some creative work.

I don’t drink Coca-Cola, maybe a couple of times during the year, maximum.

In fact, the goal of this experiment is to see, how will I feel, if a whole week my body is deprived from any of these substances – caffeine, tannin, alcool, etc…

And after a week? Nothing:) I’ll just write about the results of the experiment. Wish me luck, for now! I go to get myself another glass of water:)))

Note: If you see that after a week there is no single new post in my blog, it means… The experiment was unsuccessful and my body was too accustomed to all of these substances. Tell a short prayer in this case and… no matter what happens, don’t stop the coffee and beer!:-P

UPDATE: Errrr, well… I guess the start of this righteous decision should be postponed for tomorrow – right now I am drinking cold beer at home after being with friends and some great red wine:)

What is my balance at the moment?

The test was quickly made, I didn’t think much on every question, just followed my intuition. After 1 or two minutes the results appeared:

11 points. Great…

It’s good I didn’t get minus 11:-)

It reminds me somehow of the shortest article Dan Cederholm ever wrote (or, more exactly, painted).

Work:Life 1:0. Or close to.

Hmmm… I don’t think I have anything more to add.

It means, I made 17’628 km, or almost 11’000 miles, in approx. 4 years, since I own a bicycle.

Is this too much or too less?

I remember, I was very proud when I made my first 1’000 km. And even prouder after my first 10’000 km. But now that I think of it, I don’t even remember, when I made all of these thousands of kilometers. It somehow just happened without me ever noticing.

I cycled to work, everyday. I cycled sometimes in the evening after work, in the parks of Sofia and in-between them. I cycled sometimes during the week-ends, too, on longer or shorter distances. Some of my rides were short ones, some – quite long. I cycled during summer. And during winter. In rain and in snow. On ice and in the sun. I cycled when there was fog so dense you couldn’t see more than 10 meters ahead of you.

Jeff Veen explained it very well in his post On pain and cycling.

I always feel happy when riding my bike. It’s part of my life now. I can’t breathe without it. And I’m happy than Ani shared most of my bike rides:-)

I’ll keep the post short.

But also, I’ll just let this number 17’628 flow in the air and fill me with some (merited) pride:-)