that there is the ONLY photo i’ve taken since borrowing matt’s digital camera and moving up here for the summer. pathetic, huh. anyway, that was my first day of work… i was bicycling towards the tent and i noticed human shaped ants crawling all over it. they were cleaning. it looks like fun!

the first week was exhausting. the second week i managed to annoy all the kitchen staff by removing their towels from the laundry every morning when i came in. this is near the end of the third week, and i’ve managed to annoy the hula hoop girl. i’m doing great. 🙂

actually, i enjoy working there. i’m having ups and downs with the local security. most of the time they’re really friendly, then they have little power trips, then they switch back to friendly. today the one who i mostly interact with was explaining to me how he’s a biker. he has a really ugly old kawasaki that’s parked out front every morning. he’s had it for 19 years. that it runs well enough to commute every day speaks in its favor.

oh, on to… SUMMER CAMP…

so, i invited myself along to a night at a summer camp for 9 – 11 year olds. ivo and marieke and dick were all going, and the kids were playing “hotel” for the night. so. unfortunately, i was exhausted, and didn’t do a great job of playing along. ivo insisted that i should only speak english to the kids, but i kept getting confused. and sometimes i really really missed what the hell was going on. i got “volunteered” for participation in a skit. i have no idea. someone was taking pictures. egads.

the only really horrible part was when i needed to go to sleep, and i was just starting to relax when all the grownup guests came in after the “disco.” they didn’t have the excuse of being drunk, because there was only small amounts of liquor available, so i have no idea what caused them to loudly talk and switch the dorm lights on and off. once again i am reminded of how much i hate slumber parties. a lesson relearned. over and over. why don’t i just give up?

so after leaving before breakfast, dick dropped me off at the utrecht train station for the ride to work. amazingly, after all that, i caught the early train and got to work almost 1/2 hour early! and, 5 minutes before getting into the amsterdam bijlmer station, my phone rang!

it was the shipping company who had received my motorcycle here in the netherlands!!!!!! so, my bike is here. unfortunately, i can’t get the papers until monday, although i did call and try to get them delivered to me here today. i even did it right away in the morning. but i still managed to miss the driver who had left to try me at my apartment in maastricht. anyway, i can get them monday, then tuesday after work i will go into the shipping office and get the paperwork done. then customs needs to ok it, and then hopefully i might be able to leave with it on tuesday. maybe. the woman on the phone was very hesitant to make any such suggestions. she said customs can take anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days. or longer. and i still need to make an appointment to get the fork seals and brake pads replaced. ugh.

anyway, that’s the news as of this moment. i am preparing to leave kristie’s apartment, where i have been cat and house sitting. i will be returning to jane’s apartment next tuesday, then jane will go on vacation. my weeks are going so quickly, and i never get anything done! how is this possible?

hi guys!

some acquaintances of mine who have recently returned to MN from Maastricht are in need of a wedding/reception photographer. i believe it is sometime the first week of september.

i don’t know the people very well (they are friends of a friend), nor do i know what they have in mind, but if you are interested in having them contact you, please email me: spidertangle@gmail.com

thanks!

ok… so today was a bit weird. tomorrow will probably be weirder. woke up normalish time (10ish)and made coffee. packed up some stuff. drank more coffee. matt made breakfast.

got on train with matt, bike, two suitcases and each of us a backpack.
arrived in amsterdam. found spot to park bike until i come pick it back up tomorrow evening. tram to lomanstraat.

jane and jonathan both home. some chatting, hanging about, unpacking, dinner, etc. but it feels weird. matt will go home tomorrow night, and i will stay here, with the kitties. 🙂 nice kitties. have another place-to-stay offer, because a friend of jane’s who i met before is going on a business trip and needs a cat-sitter. i’ll probably do it. why the hell not?

so here i am. more next time. bats in the dungeon tonight, but i’m SO tired. could use a nap. maybe just feeling emotionally exhausted. poor Cat. he’ll be sad without me to pet him every day!

just trying again… this is matt and dick on the sofa, before dick went and cut off all his beautiful hair.

this is a picture of our friend dev and another guy in a pig costume. i am practicing uploading pics from various sources.

so, everything’s set.

i had my last lesson with a student on monday evening. i had my last violin lesson last friday. last dutch lesson yesterday. have done most of the laundry. jane and jonathan are expecting me and matt on saturday.

we’re going to the bats in the dungeon party on saturday night, in the amsterdam dungeon. i’m trying to sort out what i feel like packing for the 6 weeks i’ll be up in amsterdam, so that i don’t have to bring stuff up all the time. shoes have been especially a problem. clubwear that doesn’t require too much accessorizing and isn’t too hot has been another problem. it’s a pain in the butt to pack a million accessories for only a few opportunities to wear them.

jane is, understandably, worried about my stay. the last two people she had living with her are no longer on speaking terms with her. it’s been rough. one of them was one of her dearest friends. however, i’m there on a very temporary basis, and she’ll be off on vacation for 2 weeks (3 weekends), and gone for the 2nd weekend that i’m there as well. so in lots of ways i’ll just be house/cat sitting. and i hope to be busy and stay out of her way as much as possible. but we’re both pretty positive that it’ll be fun, and if it seems like trouble, i’ll just go somewhere else. i think it helps her to know that i have options, and that there’s a definite date when i’ll be out.

now if i can just remember how to do the whole photo thing on here, i’ll be all set! project for this evening, perhaps!

because i am an idiot, i don’t know how to repair a leak in a bicycle tire. and even if i did, i don’t have a pump with which to refill it.

and so, i was walking back from delivering my bicycle to the train station bike shop, when i passed….

a 20-something dutch woman, on her bicycle, wearing a scarf.

did i mention that the thermometer in the shade on my terrace reads 30degrees celsius. it’s not at all chilly outside today. so what’s up with the fucking scarves????

arggggg…

good news: my bike is scheduled for pickup from minnesota today… it begins its journey TO ME!!!! (imagine that sung…)

well, here’s the latest…

as expected, christine le duc didn’t call me. but, while in rome, mariko hooked me up with a possible laundry job with cirque du soleil while they are in amsterdam.

so, yesterday i went and met with the manpower team to get the paperwork done, and on monday i will go to some kind of briefing meeting, and then the following monday the job starts.

jane, a friend in amsterdam, is letting me stay with her, in the dreaded CAT ROOM…. the cats who live in the cat room don’t yet understand human sleep patterns, so are kind of hellish. either they will be trained, or i will kick them out. 🙂

actually, i like the kitties, of course. i just don’t usually get much sleep in there!

yay!!! so, i’m excited… and now must go. student here in maybe 2 minutes.

heh heh. two days ago, i saw an ad in the window of my most-often-shopped-at erotic store, Christine Le Duc, advertising for parttime employees. so i put together a retail and customer service-oriented version of my CV (ie… very sketchy, except for espresso) and went in this morning.

fortunately, i had coffee first with my friend annemette, so i was feeling all cocky. this helps with the dutch speaking. 🙂 usually i get nervous and all ability to speak or understand dutch flies out the window. but i was fine. a very short conversation, and the salesgirl, who isn’t one of the ones who is usually in when i shop, said she’d pass it on.

i admit that it’s unlikely they’ll give me the job or even call me back, but it was kind of fun to try. i’ll stop by and check on it when we get back from rome in a week. it would be pretty cool to work there 12 hours a week. i like the shop a lot.

hi… i was thinking about this, but didn’t have the chance to get online and do it…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NATHAN AND LYNN!!!!

been thinking about you both lately. could use another road trip, and you’re both usually on my visit list. 🙂 unfortunately, next road trip will be on this continent, so that’s out.