Kiffin's Blog

July 13, 2007

Uneven or odd

In Dutch it's pretty easy to remember. Even is 'even' (ay-fun) and odd is 'oneven' (own-ay-fun).

However, in English uneven means something subtly different, e.g. slightly lopsided, unequal, rugged. For example: her breasts were uneven.

So when I got confused today and started referring over and over to odd numbers as 'uneven' numbers, some Dutch person got brave and decided to question my inaccurate use by saying in front of everyone:

"Hey, I didn't know they were called uneven numbers, I thought it was called odd."

I was so convinced that this use of uneven was correct, that I told everyone in the room:

"No, you can also say uneven which is the same thing as odd."

Coming originally from American, my expertise in this area was not challenged and everyone accepted my observation.

Unconsciously though this started eating away at me until I came home and had the urge to look it up. I guess I was wrong, so please accept my apologies here as is.

(Actually, according to the dictionary, odd is indeed an archaic meaning of uneven, but that's another story for another blog entry)

Posted at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 13, 2007

Mother day

Here in Holland one refers to Mother's Day as "moederdag", without the letter s.

I keep calling it "moedersdag", with the letter s like it is called in English, but this is wrong.

For the life of me I cannot remember this subtle difference of a single letter, and keep on pronouncing it incorrectly.

"Moedersdag," sorry. I mean: Moederdag, moederdag, moederdag!

Posted at 1:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 26, 2007

Bloemendaalseweg

Here we have a part of the Bloemendaalseweg as I cycle back home and happen to glance sideways and slightly to the ground.

For some strange reason, I remain fascinated by these simple plants along the bike path which upon the calling of Spring jump into existence and expand in proportion to how much the sun shines balanced with the occasional rainfall.

Posted at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 14, 2007

Bijzonder warm

Unbelievably warm today for this time of year, temperatures reaching a high of 28 degrees Centigrade (that's 82 degrees Fahrenheit).

"Zowel vandaag als morgen zonnig en erg warm voor de tijd van het jaar. In het zuidwesten eerst nog een paar sluierwolken. Verder is het in de middag 25 tot 28 graden bij een zwakke tot matige oostelijke wind, met op de stranden kans op zeewind."

Although it seems nice, at the same time I am a little worried about the climate changes regarding global warming and what that means for the future.

Posted at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 10, 2007

Enkele Wiericke

This is pretty hard to believe, but I have been driving to and from Utrecht thousands of times along the very same highway, and have never once noticed it before.

Until today, that is. It was late in the afternoon, when I just happened to bend my head slightly to the right and look to the side out the passenger's window. There it was, a river called Enkele Wiericke, and it has been around for centuries with quite a history surrounding it.

Posted at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 7, 2007

Lekkere pannenkoeken

Drove up to Amsterdam today to visit Oma and she treated us to a fun and relaxing lunch at Boerderij Meerzicht Pannenkoekenhuis which is a great pancake house in the middle of the Amsterdamse Bos.

I had a "Boerenpannenkoek met spek, kaas, champignons en gebakken uitjes en pittige kruiden" and it was absolutely delicious.

Posted at 8:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 31, 2007

Yet another traffic jam

On a daily basis, much of my time is spent in one or another traffic jam, mornings and evenings, making the voyage to and from work a sluggish proposal involving much patience combined with unrealistic waiting and thinking alot and day-dreaming.

The only sane way to deal with this potential frustration is a kind of pure acceptance where one fosters an approach of enjoying the moment to the fullest. At least while it lasts.

Yet another traffic jam (near Woerden).

Thinking and preparing, listening to classical music or Neil Young or the BBC World Service or Led Zeppelin or listening to nothing at all and just enjoying the surrounding green Dutch countryside, staring and analyzing the frustrated folks in the other cars around you (look at that guy cussing and pounding his steering wheel), meditating and relaxing, that is really what things are really about.

Not easy, especially if one is in a mad rush to be on time for an important meeting, but there is nothing else any sane person can do except create the world around them, slow time down in the mind and hope that that so-called important meeting is not so important afterall.

Bye the way, in case anyone is interested, in Dutch a traffic jam is called a file (pronounced as fee-la).

Posted at 5:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 1, 2007

During the walk

This is what I gathered during my late evening walk, looking around and trying to figure things out, a somewhat typical image but much more than one would expect.

It is pretty much a question of observing the beauty of nature and balancing that awareness with the way one imagines that things are supposed to be.

Whatever the conclusions, one thing is for sure and that is that this picture displays perfectly what I am talking about.

At least that is what I hope.

Posted at 9:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 15, 2007

Raising kids

According to a recent survey made by the BBC World Report, the best European country to raise kids happens to be The Netherlands (by far). That's good to know that in that regard I made the right choice, for my kids at least.

Posted at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 11, 2007

Language flow

So I am sitting across a fellow Californian and she turns to me and mentions on the fly (dares say) that my accent is worse than most Dutch people trying to speak English. Something to do with my intonation that does not quite fit in correctly with the flow of language, the expected way the syllables are connected in time. What gives?

Posted at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 16, 2006

Plunger

So what's that thing called again? Oh yeah, it's a plunger. I've been living too long in Holland that my vocabulary has decreased substantially, yet another word once in awhile disappearing.

Posted at 8:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 15, 2006

Koffie belangrijke arbeidsvoorwaarde

"Goede koffie is voor driekwart van de mannelijke beroepsbevolking een belangrijke arbeidsvoorwaarde op het werk..."

Makes alot of sense to me.

Posted at 7:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 4, 2006

No more buzzing

One advantage to the coming of fall and the cooler temperatures is that there are (almost) no more mosquitoes buzzing around your ear and keeping you awake half of the night.

Posted at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 2, 2006

Dutch passport

Now it is official after all these years. Meaning that as of yesterday I am now an official Dutch person, having acquired citizenship of this fine country in which I have been living for the last twenty-five years or so. Half American and half Dutch at the same time, an interesting combination I have to admit.

Posted at 9:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 30, 2006

Threatening sky

So let's not panic just yet, better is to pause and reflect upon the inevitable, whatever that may be.

Although I am almost home, at the end of the bike path and then to the left across the bridge, the question remains whether or not I will escape the deluge awaiting me.

I can attempt to cycle as quickly as possible, but nature has been known to display no patience when it comes to those trivial human matters.

Have a look at the picture above and feel free to make your own conclusions.

Posted at 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 18, 2006

Guy walking

See that guy walking over there?

Is that his hat or is that his hair?

Posted at 7:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 28, 2006

Drops of rain

I must admit that a little bit of rain is alright, waiting outside for the next train to arrive, a drop here and there, just the right cooling on the forehead and other exposed portions of the body, in compensation of the heatwave which has been working against us the last couple of weeks.

(People are walking around as if in slow motion, slits for eyes and barely awake, the extreme heat making everyone look like they are living in some kind of exotic aquarium or whatever)

But when you get out of the train and then it starts pouring down with that deluge which is unexpected, it is a welcome relief that you have just happened to brought along that portable umbrella which opens up magically when the red button on the handle is pressed.

Posted at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 28, 2006

Train back home

On the way back home to Gouda sitting in the train I happened upon this interesting view of the countryside viewed from the train in which I was sitting.

Taken around ten in the evening just before the sun is ready to set.

Posted at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 25, 2006

Dutch countryside

On the one hand, this is an amazingly beautiful view right around the corner from my house.

However, on the other hand, when I look down at my feet, I am a bit confused and dismayed that someone else was less appreciative of the natural splendor around him.

Hint: drag your mouse pointer over the image above to see what I mean...

Posted at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 3, 2006

Otherwise cloudy day

Sat around outside enjoying the sunshine those few splinters which happened to appear through an otherwise cloudy day.

One might imagine that things could be otherwise but they continue always as if there might never be any mention of what you might think.

Just enjoy things as they are.

Posted at 7:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 22, 2006

Half Dutch

So it has been a long wait, but it has finally happened. This is how the official-looking letter I received last week Friday starts:

"Hierbij treft u aan een bevestiging van de verkrijging van het Nederlanderschap door optie."

Meaning that I am now officially a Dutch person as well as an American, having acquired dual nationality. Now I can be treated as a full-fledged European, able to work and live and play in any of the EU countries.

Something to celebrate tomorrow evening with a fun dinner with the whole family.

Posted at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 31, 2006

Hier werden we verliefd

There I was meandering through the center of Amsterdam, when after taking a side street and then bustling my way over the bridge across the Amstel River almost reaching the first corner before the stoplight, I happened to spot an interesting sidewalk tile upon which the following words were inscribed:

Translate

Posted at 9:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 23, 2006

Strenge vorst

All of that freezing cold weather from Siberia is blowing this way, meaning that the temperature is dropping drastically.

You go to bed and the night sky is so clear that a million stars are visible up there in no man's land, and when you wake up the next morning a slab of ice has formed on the surface of the canals and other waterways.

Thanks alot you guys in Russia.

In case you're wondering, 'strenge vorst' is Dutch for 'severe freeze.'

Posted at 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

January 17, 2006

Koopkracht

The newspaper article says that "Vrijwel iedereen ziet koopkracht stijgen."

Finally after all these years it seems that the infamous EURO is finally catching on.

However I still wonder what is it with the economy these days that makes things change so unpredictably?

Posted at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 17, 2005

First snow again

It's that time of year again, as the first snow flurries come tumbling, tumbling down.

Sometimes it can come down so hard that the rumbling sounds on the roof drown out every other sound in the whole house. As if I am lying inside of this cardboard house which is vibrating at a subtle and redundant frequency.

[Then it stops]

The greyish underside of the thickish blanket first sticking and then sliding down the slanted windows...

...revealing the new kind of whiteness outside which looks good.

Posted at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 24, 2005

Half-empty wallet

They found my wallet and I excitedly went to the central lost and found place in Utrecht to pick it up.

When I finally found the place, walking a couple of kilometers in the rain, I handed her the letter. She disappeared out back for a couple of minutes and reappeared with her poker-face caked with make-up. Try not to look too grumpy now or your face might crack open.

Here you go she said to me and then turned away from me not caring if I was thankful or not.

There it was in my hand again that black wallet looking as intact as the first day I bought it. Fortunately, 'almost' everything was still in there.

Unfortunately, everything 'except' for the sixty-five euros in cash and the hundred-eighty euros worth of train tickets.

So it looks like it was a pick-pocket after all. That jerk.

Posted at 9:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 27, 2005

Duizelingwekkend

Today I was caught slightly off guard when from the corner of my eye I spied an advertisement with two mega-words plastered across the surface of some happy-looking person jumping in the air:

Duizelingwekkende
Stuntaanbiedingen

The Dutch mind collates with ease these two seventeen character words into a single though somewhat complex concept and understands it in an instant.

Could it be merely chance that these two pseudo-words have exactly the same length and that the lengths both happen to be a prime number?

My slower non-Dutch grey matter tripped, fell to the ground, picked itself up and brushed off the dust, before finally figuring it out.

All the while the rest of the other quick thinkers wandering off into the distance and gathering speed.

Posted at 9:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 17, 2005

Butter on your head

There's this old Dutch saying that goes something like this:

"Wie boter op zijn hoofd heeft moet niet in de zon gaan staan."

When translated into English it becomes:

"If you have butter on your head you should not sit in the sun."

In Holland, having butter on your head is a reference to not having a clear conscience. And of course by going outside during a hot sunny day, the situation is aggravated without a doubt.

I still cannot figure out why someone would do something as ridiculous as putting butter on one's head - it doesn't make much sense to me.

Posted at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 28, 2005

No need for novocaine

Having a root canal done without a local anesthetic like novocaine is definitely not my idea of passing an enjoyable Sunday afternoon. This is my free day of uneventfulness, meant for fun and relaxation, not for going to the dentist of all places.

Last night I barely slept because of the throbbing pain in my molar which has been getting steadily worse in the last week. This morning I was even ready to yank the damn tooth out myself if it would remove that awful pain.

Instead I made an appointment with the backup dentist who was on call, hoping the best I could that he could relieve the main (preferably without having to pull the molar).

His conclusion was to conduct immediate root canal and he started drilling, probing and hacking. No I would not need novocaine, he kept on insisting, repeating that he was 'almost' done for the next ten minutes.

My legs were flailing all over the place and my clenched fists held tightly to the side. My skin became clammy and the back of my shirt was drenched in sweat. I'm almost there he kept saying. Was I exaggerating and acting like a big baby?

When he was done, I could feel my heartbeat pounding and my hands felt jittery. I asked him nervously what he had just done, and he replied that that was a quick root canal. As if it was nothing more than a simple procedure not to cause the least amount of consternation.

Congratulations, that was my very first root canal and I survived thank you!

All in all, the pain has receded and I hope that I can continue the fun-filled life of painlessly chewing and drinking delicacies for many years to come. In the olden days they would have just yanked out the molar and thrown it across the street, so I should feel grateful and relieved.

Posted at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

May 27, 2005

Finally sunny again

Yesterday was the first sunny and warm day this year.

Since I've been living here, I do not think I have ever had to wait this long for the weather to be kind.

Kind to a good old California boy who prefers a normal climate for this time of the year.

Why have to wait?

Posted at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 14, 2005

Crooked floor

After sitting around in a complete mess for who knows how long, the rebuilding of our house is nearly complete.

Now it is time for the finishing touch, the floor with fancy stone tiles. We have been waiting a long time and are excited.

The only problem is that it turns out that the builder has put in a crooked new floor, meaning that it slants downwards from the middle of the bottom floor for a total height of about one and a half centimeters.

This might not sound like alot, but the slight difference in height makes it impossible to lay the tiles without introducing ugly kinks, thereby making the floor tiles very uneven and bumpy in appearance.

The builder says that this is not his fault (supposedly this difference lies within some unwritten builders norm) and the tile person refuses to do anything until the floor is finished (falling within the acceptable range of his other unwritten law).

Everyone is pointed the finger at everyone else, as we just stand in the middle on our cement floor looking around and wondering when this will ever end.

Yet another messy situation that never should have happened, making life an unexpected thrill, interesting because it is so unpredictable.

Posted at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 17, 2005

Tearing down the house

It's sure fun tearing down the house, but it is alot work at the same time. Activites like ripping things apart, yanking out floor boards and hammering hard take care of all that excess agression which has been collecting inside of me all week. Too bad about the sore bones, bloody fingers and stiff back though.

Posted at 2:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 2, 2005

Lots of snow

Lots and lots and lots of snow. Who would have ever expected this so late in the year? The weatherman tells us that there hasn't been this much snow in more than thirty years. Try riding your bike on it without slipping and sliding all over the place.

Posted at 8:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 26, 2005

Stone slab

There's nothing more fun than spending the day driving down to who knows where to inspect a large slab of stone.

This is necessary because it is a so-called 'natural' product, meaning that we the buyers are expected to check it out and verify that it looks alright to us.

Knowing that you will be spending tons of money on this seemingly not out of the ordinary piece of nature, scanning the surface for invisible inaccuracies of nature, you must do it anyway.

No weird swirls, patches and/or discolorations for us.

Within two months this wonderful flat piece of rock will be polished down and then transformed into our new kitchen counter.

Posted at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 9, 2005

Head hung low

That poor old guy was just sitting there motionless for the longest time waiting for a tram which never came.

His head hung low and his eyes were fixated on some spot on the ground between his two tattered sneakers.

At one point I was concerned that he may have passed away, but I did not dare get too close to him for fear of how he might suddenly wake up and angrily flail his arms at me.

When his thumbs twitched ever so slightly I was relieved. What moments in time had lead up over the years to result in the sad homeless person who sat before me?

Posted at 9:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 1, 2005

North sea dip

The Dutch tradition on the first day of the year is the so-called New Year's dip in the North Sea.

Brrrrrrrrr...

Now you can imagine how freezing cold that is this time of the year, but thousands of crazy Dutch folks do it for fun, making a grand occasion about it all.

Even Marlies took the train there with her friends and jumped in the seething, foamy and freezing cold salt water called the North Sea.

There she was in her skimpy blue bikini, jumping in and out twice, as if once was not enough to redeem the long adventurous trip.

I guess my daughter is tougher and more adventurous than I.

Posted at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 29, 2004

Early morning fright

When I opened the garage door, I heard a snake to the left hissing at me and instinct insisted that I jump about a meter to the right without thinking one millisecond.

As it turns out, it was merely my coat sleeve rubbing the side of the brick wall as I raised my arm to lift up the latch.

Good morning, time to wake up (quickly).

Posted at 8:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

December 9, 2004

Moon crescent

The crescent of the moon hung directly in my path barely above the ground, or so it seemed.

What were the odds of this happening?

Clear morning sky, the direction of the bicycle path, the orientation of the earth and the moon and the sun, happening to look up and think about it, in awe and at the same time just moving along, and so forth.

Once in a lifetime, nothing less.

Posted at 8:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 19, 2004

Lots of hail

At the exact moment I stepped outside to take my daily lunch walk, there came such a thunderous roar from the distance that I ran back inside like everyone else.

As it turns out, a hail storm leveled just about everything in its path except for the sturdy buildings which held well against all odds.

When it all finally stopped after ten minutes, the frozen little balls of hard white on the ground were more slippery than ball-bearings causing the awkward humans to slip and slide all over the place.

Ever tried to avoid an oncoming tram while stranded on slippery rails?

Posted at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 13, 2004

Bunch of bull frogs

Boy I am sure glad that I do not live over there in one of the houses across the street, right next to the water. At night the croaking and squeaking sound of a thousand and one frogs, toads and other amphibious creatures is bad enough. Imagine having to sleep in bed with your windows open right above that cacophony of sounds. The ironic thing is that while those houses are exactly like ours, except for the fact that they are stand-alone, they cost about half as much more than ours. Then again I might be suffering an acute case of over irritation at trivial sounds, something I was born with and make more of a big deal about than is necessary. The so-called poor souls living over there right next to the bunch of bull frogs probably do not notice a single thing. So what am I complaining about again?

Posted at 5:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

June 7, 2004

Seven in the morning

Although I was a little groggy, I quickly realized that it was an amazingly beautiful morning cycling along the water on my way to the train station. Greenness all over the place and the moist smell of grass and leaves and water lilies. On the bike, pedaling along, waiting for it to happen, or not.

Posted at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 30, 2004

More medals please

The Dutch are very good at congratulating themselves, and tradition tells them carefully to spend much time and energy handing out trophies, medals, ribbons and flowers for just about any occasion.

Here's a relevant example to illustrate what I mean. Once a year around Koninginnedag (the queen's birthday - well, not quite, but no one seems to care), a number of medals are handed out to those select few who have made special achievements during the previous year. I think that in theory this is a good idea, and certainly people deserve some kind of official recognition, especially from the queen herself. The only thing is that these medals do not go to a select handful of achievers, rather thousands upon thousands are rained down upon society in every single town and village.

Here's another interesting example. Recently I attended an open house one evening organized by the school, with music and ceremony and lots of that kind off stuff. There was a musical with theatrical skits inbetween. The only problem (for me) was that the second half was completely dedicated to patting each other on the shoulders, thanking everyone who took part, even those ever so remotely related to preparations, giving speeches with tears in their eyes, and hugging each other ten times over as each person received piles of gifts and/or flower bouquets.

I am probably just jealous, and don't want to admit it.

Posted at 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 28, 2004

Good-bye queen

The queen mother is dead. Princess Juliana she was called because for a long time now her daughter Beatrix has been the official queen. Now that she has passed away, she will receive the official title of Queen Juliana again. But not until she had been entombed beneath the church in Delft along with all the other former kings and queens of the Netherlands. First an extravagant ceremony and solemn speeches about what a wonderful woman she was, followed by the sad walk as her closest family members disappear into the darkness to pay their last respects. Even the rich and powerful all die some day.

Posted at 5:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 11, 2004

Snowing

 

Posted at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 25, 2004

Squeaky clean windows

The Dutch are unbelievably squeaky clean when it comes to washing their windows. Everywhere you look, you see shining perfectly transparent windows with not a single smudge or particle of dust. I spent a large part of the afternoon attempting to achieve this mysterious art of perfection, but I failed terribly. Streaks all over the place and dried up leftovers of spotted droplets. I do not know how they do it. Rubbing and re-rubbing does not help either. Oh well, while my windows may not be perfectly transparent and pristine, they can honestly be referred to as clean, at least in the technical sense.

Posted at 6:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

January 16, 2004

Disappointed enough to kill

A couple days ago, some disgruntled Dutch teenager walked up to a teacher at a high school in Den Haag and shot him through the head. Killed dead just like that. The papers announce that:

'Murat teleurgesteld in Van Wieren', meaning 'Murat (the murderer) was disappointed in Van Wieren (the murdered teacher)'

While such an event is more common place in the United States, here in Holland this tragedy is rare and has hit the community very hard. Everyone is meandering around in complete shock, fearful that the previously stable society is beginning to crack and crumble. Holland is turning into a kind of America.

An interesting difference is this. In America people react with hatred and want to make the suspect fry on the electric chair. They seem to yearn for the spectacle and gain satisfaction from it. Even if he has not been proven guilty.

Here on the other hand, many people feel sorry for the kid and try to rationalize his behavior as a result of a failing society.

The school should have been better prepared, the teachers should have been trained to deal with aggression, etc. Groups of kids are walking around carrying banners with things like "He's not a murderer, he's my friend" written on them. There was even this television program last night where rather than feel bad about the poor teacher that was killed, they sat around sipping on hefty wine glasses and saying how guilty our society should be feeling for letting this happen.

He's just a kid, so I guess it is alright.

To make matter even more complicated, this school has a lot of students with a Turkish and Moroccan background. So that means that everyone is afraid to complain or get on the kid's case, because that would mean we were being prejudice to the Muslim community.

In the meantime, as discussions run rampantly here and there, and the people become fixated on rationalizing life's tragic experiences with logical argumentations, the poor murdered teacher's family sit around home distressed and feeling forgotten.

Posted at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

January 3, 2004

First run of the year

Took my first run of the year. Although it was far from a stellar performance, the whiteness all around me made it more than worth it. Interesting how the snowfall hesitated and waited and refused to fall until exactly the very first day of the next year. Seems at first like some kind of coincidence, me running out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by the whitest landscape you could possibly imagine.

Posted at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 28, 2003

Onwards into infinity

Well I "thought" that I was still on the dole (receiving welfare), but I guess not any more...

Just discovered that the kind folks doing the welfare here have decided to terminate my monthly unemployment allowance. Starting the first day of this month and lasting onwards into infinity. Just like that. They did not even think of warning me in advance. Like it was important that they surprise me. Hey mister so-and-so, guess what?!

Now it is down to zero euros and zero cents per month. Unless I decide to stop pretending to me my own entrepreneur, e.g. close down shop and get rid of my upstart company. A kind of blackmail.

Are they crazy? They say that I can only receive my unemployment fees if I stop working altogether, sit on the couch in front of the television all day and apply for at least one job a week.

Maybe I should get mad or then maybe again I should not get mad and just accept things, relax and hope for the best.

Hey but in the last six months I have already sent off more than four hundred and fifty job applications, imposed myself at seminars and congresses around the country, telephoned endlessly all kinds of potential companies, begged the neighbors and friends and relatives, so now what?

Onwards into infinity I guess.

Posted at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

October 30, 2003

Bunch of mountains

The Netherlands is a very flat country, very flat indeed. Alot of the endless countryside which scans its way out to the horizon like the flattest table top you could ever imagine is in fact below sea level. Green expanses which spread out in every which way and direction like an extending circle.

Extending and round and folding inward all over again.

So you can imagine my surprise while driving back home when all of a sudden I saw a bunch of mountains right in front of me over there and off to the side. At first I could not figure it out.

Upon closer inspection, and refocusing my eyes out into the right proximity and distance, I realized that the evolving and billowing whitish mass was nothing more than a reformation of clouds which had decided to assume the profile of some famous mountain range or other.

Recognition triggered inside my mind, followed by the truth of reality, and then back again.

Posted at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October 23, 2003

Scraping away again

Alright so nature decided to drop me an early hint that winter is approaching more quickly than I had realized.

The fact of the matter is that this morning I had to scrape the ice off of my windshield for the first time this season.

This is always a memorable occasion because of the following:

• Nature continues even if you do not.
• A good scrape is worth the extra think.
• A few minutes longer do not make that much of a difference.

Let's just say that the cycle continues and each and every one of us is an important part of it.

Posted at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

October 12, 2003

Venco Winegums

[-- I was scanning through a bunch of old stuff this morning and just happened to come across the following --]

Although Thea has an evening shift today, all the kids went to bed tonight without any major problems. I came home around 5:15 this afternoon, and as usual, Thea had "everything" organized perfectly. Most of the kids had had a bath, and they were waiting for my arrival. Sabien was a bit tired and was lying on the couch. Maarten was crawling around with a big smile, getting into everything. Marlies came downstairs and greeted me. Lennart was still in the bathtub, pretending he was a deep sea diver.

Thea had prepared a great spaghetti dinner, which we all consumed with much delight. Of course, Sabien ate out of a "potje", but since I was sitting next to her, I could easily spoon feed her without any problems. During the dinner, Maarten kept crawling to us, pulling himself up on our chairs, trying to reach up to the table top to grab spoons and forks.

A couple of days ago, a package from Clint with his old Game Boy plus accessories arrived in the mail. During dinner, I told Lennart that I had a "verassing" for him, but only if he ate his meal and cleaned up when he was done. Marlies kept asking me what it was, but I explained to her ten times that if I told her then it would not be a "verassing" anymore. Lennart was very obedient, and I've never seen him eat so well and clean up so quickly. We finished the meal and allowed Marlies to look for the package, playing the "cold-warm-hot" searching game. In no time, she found it in the closet under the stairs. Lennart opened the package with glee, surrounded by his sisters. Yes, it was the Game Boy as he had expected.

Unfortunately, there were not any batteries included. Lennart knew right away that I could buy them at the gas station around the corner. So I packed all the kids in the car, except Lennart, who had to inspect his new gift and stay at home. I sped to the gas station. Maarten was so cute in the front seat, smiling at me and reaching over to pull at my many arm hairs. I bought the four batteries. I felt that the girls also deserved something for being so good, so I bought them each a bag of "Venco Winegums".

The rest of the evening centered totally around the Game Boy, and at times it was a real battle who would play next. Even Sabien got involved. It is a very addictive gadget, and once one of them started, they refused to relinquish it. Finally, after having brought Sabien to bed, I sent Lennart to his room so that he could play in peace. I played a game of chess with Marlies, and she won as usual, as I helped her check-mate me.

Now all the kids are sleeping as snug as a bug in a rug. Thea returns at 11 o'clock. Until then I will try to entertain myself. That means playing Civilization on my PC and vegetating in front of the TV. My back is pretty sore, but at least tomorrow morning I don't have to get up so early.

[-- Something I wrote way back in 1995, on September 1 to be exact --]

Posted at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

October 4, 2003

Business as usual

Well, this is the big bad month we have all been waiting for. The last chance, the moment of truth. To fold the business or not to fold. Now is the time to search really, really hard and desperately for a break. A much needed break, need a project or else. Twenty odd days and counting. What next?

Posted at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

September 13, 2003

Werkloosheid blijft stijgen

Here's something I happened to read the other day in a Dutch periodical:

"De stijging van de werkloosheid houdt voorlopig nog niet op. Het Centraal Planbureau heeft beraamd dat in 2004 de werkloosheid op zal lopen naar zo'n 540 duizend mensen. Dit is een verdubbeling met het aantal van drie jaar geleden."

Translated into English the best I can:

"The increase in unemployment is still not abating. The Central Bureau of Statistics has estimated that in 2004 unemployment will increase up to around 540 thousand people. This is a doubling of the number three years ago."

Something to look forward to you could say. What now?

Posted at 9:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 12, 2003

Heatwave blues

They've got this heatwave going on over here now for more days in a row than I would like to count, and it is taking its toll.

It is not just a tad of discomfort here and there, sweating some and feeling humid, it is much more. Water is running out, fires are burning all over the place, energy is becoming scarce, swimming is prohibited because of moss and blue algae, code yellow then code red, national crisis. Old people are dying all over the place, and in the large European cities like Paris, Milan, Lisbon, sometimes up to 50-100 poor souls have left this fine world already. Boy, I would sure hate to die that way.

When I was a kid, growing up in the sweltering heat of the San Joaquin Valley in good old arid California (those were the days), we always had this standard boring question we would occasionally ask each other, just for fun. It went something like this. "If you had a choice to die either by slowly freezing to death or slowly burning to death, which would you do?" Long philosophical discussions would inevitably ensue, and though we were a mere ten years old, we developed quite sophisticated arguments to support our views. I always went for the burning option, figuring that I would gradually adapt to the increasing temperature. I had been born and raised in the California sunshine along with the heat, and I felt confident that the heat death was the better way to go.

I think I was wrong, wouldn't mind slowly freezing to death right now.

This is getting kind of weirdly surreal, and it reminds me of an old SF film from my youth where the earth starts burning up because the sun is slowly getting bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger, in twenty-four hours it will engulf our poor planet, growing and growing until...

Scientists around the world unite and save this poor planet! Before it melts away into non-existence. Please, help!

Just "thinking" about what I want to add to this blog entry makes me sweat profusely, and it is only a little past nine in the morning. All these intense and creative thoughts are causing big bad drops of sweat to come together on my forehead and coalesce, the added weight causing big fat droplets to fall and splatter on my keyboard. If you were to time the frequency of the drops hitting the black surface, you could in theory measure the intensity of my thoughts. I pause to relax.

You see, the normal Dutch abode does not include the luxuries of air-conditioning. Why include the additional expenses of some contraption that you might only use a couple days in a decade?

I do happen to have this ventilator type apparatus which stands vertically on the floor behind me. Not too close now, about three meters behind me. It is not a fan in the old-fashioned sense of a round twirling propeller like thing. Rather, it is an elongated vertical contraption which blows air while oscillating back and forth. There's even a timer on it so the thing turns off after say thirty minutes. Not as nice as air-conditioning, but it does offer some limited solace.

Jeez, this is getting pretty darn unbearable. Help.

At first everyone was so happy and gleeful that the sun was finally shining in an otherwise moist and overcast climate of this northern country below the sea. Everyone ran outside in bathing attire to lie in the sun and get a nice tan. That was more than ten days ago. They say that by the day after tomorrow things should be cooling down some.

I certainly hope so, but we will have to see.

Posted at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 12, 2003

Poised above the nerve

This entry may seem like it describes some recent nightmare of mine, but it has nothing to do with any dream I have had. Believe it or not, it really happened. It could only happen in Holland of all places.

For the last couple of years, I have been having an aggravating tooth-ache which has been getting progressively worse and worse. In a previous entry called Like a teacup, I describe a visit to the dentist in which he lectures me about the reason for this pain and then claims that it has been fixed. At the time, he replaced an old filling in a molar way at the back of my lower jaw, exclaimed that yes he had drilled out the minuscule crack which had been causing the pain, and in triumph said that I would no longer feel any pain. Hurray! When I told him that I was not quite so sure that that was where the pain was coming from, that while I could not pinpoint the exact source of the pain I had this feeling that the aggravation was coming from a spot closer to the front of my molars not the back, he simply shook his head and said I was wrong. Couldn't be, impossible. Why listen to an ignorant patient with a tooth-ache when during one swift drilling bout the dentist can take care of it on his own. Afterall, that's what he has been trained to do. Who cares about what the boring patients have to say anyway -- they don;t know anything about the true art of masterpiece dentistry.

Okay, so it is a couple of months later. The pain is still there, and it is still getting worse and worse. I cannot even bite any more on that side of my mouth. Build up some courage and go to that crazy dentist again. Or is it I who am getting crazy? We will have to wait and see.

Hmm, the dentist has to think about all that I have told him. You can see by the expression on his face that he does not like the idea at all that he might have made a misjudgment earlier that year. A blemish on his professionalism, oh dear. I point to the spot with the tip of my tongue and then press the area with my forefinger. That's about the area, I tell him. Think, think, but he is running late and he has to think quickly! Okay, he mumbles after making a quick and definite decision, I'm going to have to go in there right now and take care of it. Let's go.

Without telling me what he is going to do, he grabs the drill and pushes my jaw open. He is pressing down on my chest with his right elbow, so hard in fact that I cannot raise my arms to resist. Is he doing this on purpose? He starts to drill, deeper and deeper, smoke is rising from my mouth and I can smell that awful smell of burning whatever. The pain is unbelievably excruciating. I am flailing my legs, sweating profusely and my heart is racing at an ever accelerating rate ready to explode. I can feel the tip of the drill hovering ever so precariously above some nerve at the base of the evil tooth. Hurry, hurry before it is too late. I feel trapped and I am panicking beyond my wildest dreams.

Finally, there is a slight pause, and with a forceful push of my arms upwards I break the dentists hold. I scream out loud, Jesus Christ aren't you going to give me any $%@! Novocaine! I start cussing, Jeez!

[An aside: you see, in Holland it is not uncommon to undergo minor dental work without any Novocaine, including simple cavities which need to be filled. In this country there is a common hesitation when using medication unnecessarily, like penicillin, aspirins and sleeping pills. Normally however, the dentist usually gives you the choice of whether or not he should numb you. I guess my dentist was then too much in a hurry and did not feel like becoming entwined in a discussion of the merits and/or disadvantages of using and/or abusing Novocaine. Back to the story.]

Oh yeah, some Novocaine. Guess that would help. Inject three squirts, jab jab and jab, wait half a second and then continue. Can you feel anything now? Yes, I can still feel it, he does not want to wait before the numbing takes place. No you can't feel anything, he tells me loudly. Yes, I can! Wait another split second. With his thumb he massages the area impatiently and then starts drilling, deeper and deeper. The pain is getting less, finally, but it is still unnerving me (sorry about the pun). In no time he has finished, put in the filling, and it is time to go. I am pretty shaken up.

When I stand up I am poised precariously atop two trembling legs which barely hold me up. Although he has injected me with Novocaine, I can still feel the nerve throbbing. I hope that the pain will get less and disappear completely. The dentist thinks that he has gotten it for sure this time around. He assures me with the very same grimace he gave me the first time. Yeah, sure. I might feel it a very tiny bit, but it should almost be gone by now. Be patient and give it a couple days.

It has now been two days, and I can still feel it. The pain is slight, it has gotten less, but I can still feel it. No not really, I am not so sure the pain is getting any less at all. I still cannot bite on that side of my mouth, but it could be a subconscious fear that I might accidentally break off the whole tooth if I am not careful. Can you imagine? Wouldn't that be a waste of all that suffering and pain: the tooth just breaking off in the end for nothing. Ironic.

Posted at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

June 4, 2003

Hotter and hotter

My so-called luxurious office suite is located in the bedroom, up in the attic and a little off to the side. It is an ideal spot to work alone, think and concentrate, and prepare myself for the future. However, it is very hot outside and that makes things different in here. Very very hot, which means that due to the natural laws of physics hot air rises and collects here in my luxurious office suite. I am sweating profusely and trying to type the keys without dripping too much or letting my fingers slip and slide over the keyboard. Boy is it hot up here, but business calls.

Posted at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

May 22, 2003

Wearing shorts and bare foot

So who am I trying to kid walking around the house in my short-sleeve Stanford T-shirt, green shorts and bare foot? I mean, it's pouring down rain and cold outside. Inside the house, it is not what you would call tropical weather either.

You see, I was born and raised in sunny California, and this beachcomber attitude continues to course through my veins, keeping me going through hardships. I refuse to give in to lousy weather.

It's nearly summer by gosh and I am not going to bundle myself up and just disappear now am I?

Posted at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

March 4, 2003

Innocent chickens

All those poor innocent little chickens. They all have to die. And it was not their fault at all. Just happened to be there when the awful chicken influenza virus struck. Clucking around the farm, and then all the trucks came and rounded them up for the gassing. All nine thousand of them and more. See you later. Real bummer little chickens. Extra safety precautions demand that even the healthy chickens within a radius of thirty kilometers also have to go. Round them up along with all the rest. Too bad, but you never know now, do you?

This is what a local Dutch newspaper had to say:

"Het ruimen van de eerste verdachte boerderij in het Gelderse Laren is maandagochtend begonnen, zo heeft een woordvoerster van het ministerie van Landbouw meegedeeld. De kippen worden in een bak bedwelmd met het gas CO2. Daarna worden ze voor destructie afgevoerd."

Which when translated into broken English means something like this:

"The clearing away of the first suspicious farm in the Gelders Laren started Monday morning, says the spokeswoman of the Minister of Agriculture. The chickens were first gassed with C02. Afterward they are taken away for destruction."

Just to tickle your fancy, here comes the ironic part. The truth of the matter is that in this country more than a million chickens are normally killed per day just to feed us, the all consuming "hungry souls" who rule the planet. That's alot more than nine thousand chickens, a hundred times more, but does that ever get noticed? You never see any front page news about that happening now do you? One million nine thousand chicken lives ended in a fraction of a second, just like that.

Gruesome, isn't it? But that's life. Isn't it?

In protest I will refuse to eat any chicken for the rest of my life. Well, at least the rest of this week anyway.

Posted at 5:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

February 20, 2003

Like that

Every once in awhile you wake up with that tired ho-hum kind of feeling and it just refuses to go away the whole darn day. The more coffee you drink the worse it gets. The more you concentrate the harder it becomes. Lying around and doing nothing does not help either. The best approach is to let it shake itself off of you in its own time and not to worry about it too much. And then again as the day progresses, and the time starts to become elongated in that greyish shadow-like distance over there, you just stop wondering without meaning to. Just like that. Simple.

Posted at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

February 5, 2003

Spinning aftermath

There I was again one evening at the fitness center called Living Well. After nearly an hour of intense spinning followed by a nice warm sauna (my reward for a good job done), I had this really good-feeling about everything while I was putting my clothes back on downstairs in the dressing room. To my left there were a couple of dark-colored folks going on happily in some foreign language just laughing about nothing particular, either Turkish or Moroccan I don't know which. Over to my right was this Dutch guy with whom I had done the bike exercise, a burley fellow with lots of dark hair coating most of his exposed (muscular) body. He was distracted by the intense conversation from the other two young bucks and had this tight frown stretched across his face as he glanced in their direction. After the two left all laughing and the door slammed shut behind them, the Dutch person turned to me and said, "Don't you just hate it when they speak like that, I mean can't they just learn Dutch like everyone else?!" There was this hatred beaming out from his eyes, and I was almost shocked by this look from hell. Despite his threatening demeanor, I felt brave and told him how I actually felt about it. Okay now, let's be honest about it if you dare. "Well," I mentioned nonchalantly, "afterall it is their mother tongue, so I can imagine that it is more convenient for them to speak it among themselves." He either did not like this answer of mine or he simply had not heard it, or maybe he was just restraining himself from murdering me. "You know," he continued, "why don't they just talk like they are supposed to or just get out." Out of the country, is what he meant. This guy was serious, deadly serious, and there I was stuck inbetween it all. I mean really, of all languages in the world, expecting someone to prefer speaking in the guttural gymnastics of such an insignificant language called Dutch? Rather than in your own comfortable language with friends of the same nationality? Who was this guy kidding anyway? It goes to show you that racial discrimination takes on all kinds of extreme forms and causes the carrier of this awful disease to lose contact completely with reality because of his own narrow-minded (and severely blackened) ideas. Hopefully some day the world will become a better place.

Posted at 2:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

January 15, 2003

Full of surprises

The other day I was gathering up some money from the local bank's cash dispenser just around the corner when this homeless person came up to me. I was at first startled by his appearance, but upon closer inspection he appeared to be harmless enough. Or so I thought. He asked in a soft and scratchy voice, you know the kind that makes you feel a hundred times more sorry for the poor guy than you should, "do you have some extra change for a poor and helpless soul?" Hmmm. I felt in an especially generous mood, more than likely because it was five below zero, and this poor guy was shivering in the cold. The hand he held out to me was shaking quite violently, almost as if he had some kind of disease of his nervous system. So I dug into my wallet and carefully handed him a two euro coin, saying "This should be enough, I hope." There was this really warm feeling inside of me, the kind that almost gives you goose bumps or tears in your eyes. I guess I had expected him to be overly surprised by my generous donation, and I was waiting for the satisfying smile of surprise on his face. Instead, he looked at the coin in the palm of his hand, frowned a little with his bushy eyebrows, and mumbled back, "Howabout two fifty then, that would be better." I felt like I had been given the short end of the stick, sucked into a bad deal, so I told him firmly, "no that will be enough for the time being." I was a little nervous being so harsh and to the point, and believe it or not I almost felt guilty. So I just walked away at a quick pace, hoping that he would not attack me from behind. But he didn't and I emerged from this adventure feeling quite disappointed with a world that was not happy enough with my openness and generosities. Another micro-quest of mine to save the world which had failed miserably. Life is full of interesting surprises which make you do double-takes, don't you think? Because of this episode I have changed my philosophy of life ever so slightly.

Posted at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

December 31, 2002

Fireworks

Two days before New Years, all the Dutch folks get all excited and prepare themselves for the big event by going out and purchasing tons of fireworks. Per year more than tens of millions if not billions of euros are shot off into the night sky. This is a tradition that dates back many many years, and each year as a parent I find it extremely difficult with which to deal. There are always articles and news reports of people getting their hands blown off, losing one or both eyes, even a couple poor fools who get themselves killed. Of course, tradition with this family dictates that the father drive out to the fireworks store towards Haastrecht so that each and every child can personally pick out his or her favorite collection. Now all the kids of the neighborhood are outside tossing fire-crackers around, sometimes an explosion high in the air, it almost sounds like there is a war going on some place. The best I can do I guess is just trust my children to use their common sense and be very careful. The two smallest kids have grown up and refuse to buy those nice kids packets with sparklers and stuff, and now they prefer the hard-core big kid explosions. Oh dear, I will just have to cross my fingers and hope for the best. New Years is a time of looking back and celebrating the future which is still to come.

Posted at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

December 4, 2002

Vibrating washing machine

This afternoon I was supposed to fix the washing machine. Lately it has started to rattle pretty loudly, and during spin cycle it vibrates so violently the the whole house is shaking. My theory is that the machine is not properly balanced, so I volunteered to take down all the shelves and piles of junk on top of it so that I can tip the machine back enough to adjust the heights of the four little round metal twist-thingies at each corner on the bottom. But I was hesitant and have decided to postpone this risky venture until the weekend. You see, the last time I tried to repair our washing machine was around ten years ago. Rather than an aggravating vibration, the problem was awful stink. We figured that a sock had gotten wedged somehow inbetween the metal barrel and the inside of the washing machine. As the weeks went by, the sock started to rot away and the stench was getting worse and worse. So what did I do? Well, I put two chair close together with a slight space between them, lifted the heavy washing machine and turned it over so that it was resting upside-down on these chairs. The idea was that the sock would just fall out and the problem would be solved. No luck though. Feeling that there was no harm done, I just turned the washing machine back around to the right-side up. No harm done did I say? Well, the next time I filled the washing machine with clothes and turned it on, there was this explosion and then a sudden burst of smoke which came out the top. The powerful motor which had earlier been safely positioned on the inner support chassis had been dislodged due to my grand upside-down theory. That meant that the motor could no longer spin freely and collided with the sides. Boom and explosion and smoke. So you can imagine my hesitation to fix our latest washing machine. Thea even warned me "remember what happened to the other washing machine?!" I will just wait another day before mustering up enough courage for the next attempt at stardom.

Posted at 9:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 22, 2002

It's a ringbaard

Alright so I decided to grow a ringbaard this time around. For those of you unfamiliar with the Dutch language, this can best be translated as a ring-beard. I am not quite sure what the proper English translation is. Everyone in the family thinks it looks terribly ugly, and they will not hesitate to remind me how awful it looks several times a day. Fine, they are entitled to their own beliefs, I can deal with that. As if so much coercion would change my mind. Sticks and stones may break my bones. Personally, I think it looks pretty cool. Really, really cool. The pseudo-chameleon affect of my visage makes me look more distinguished and assertive, smarter, as if I know what I am doing. Could it be that I prefer hiding behind a mask? A mask of facial hair growth and all that kind of stuff. At least that is my perception (not the others). You know, I think I will keep it. Not to bug the others, but because I like it. Mostly because it is time yet again to change my image. Am I trying to kid anyone but myself? I think not. Change is often a refreshing way to reinvigorate your urge to enjoy life again, pretend for a day that you are someone else.

Posted at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

September 15, 2002

Montage raamhorren

At the rate I am going now, the whole house should be mosquito free within about a week or so. Yet another "raamhor" (mosquito screen) has been constructed and put perfectly in place. Bought it at Gamma and it turned out pretty good. The great thing about these Doe-het-zelf (Do-It-Yourself) stores is that they make idle and insecure-feeling men like myself feel better and more confident (eg. more macho and manly), building up their deflated egos, as if they are true carpenters at last, every kid's dream. These boxed kits are so easy that even a child can do it. That is, at least if you are willing to follow the directions like you are supposed to. Of course, the first thing I did was cast the confusing two-page instructions over to the side. Juggle the pieces of metal and various connectors around in the hopes that it would somehow magically fit together. Nothing to it, a piece of cake, there you go. Lo and behold I did it, I did it, look at me Mom! At least that is what I thought (more accurately: "hoped") at the time. Actually, the frame had been put together by me inside-out instead of the other way around. By yours truly: the junior apprentice carpenter. Dummy. That is when I decided to inspect the instructions better, concentrate and study the cryptic Dutch language. Try and make sense of it all. Pulled everything apart and put it back together again like it was supposed to be. So now I know how it is to be done, for the next time. And the next next time. Until the house is completely enclosed in a green criss-crossed network. Time to package and encapsulate the house completely from floor to ceiling with every imaginable mosquito preventive screens and various other intricate meshed cages. No I am not compulsive. My childhood dreams of becoming a true blue carpenter are here, alive and kicking! Yes, another goal in life has been attained. Next week I think I want to become a policeman for a few days.

Posted at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

September 13, 2002

Getting used to

It is going to take some getting used to but I feel confident that matters will be better under control in the not so distant future. Sort of just moving along now like it wasn't really meant to be, but doing it nonetheless. There is now one mosquito screen less to put up. Computers up and running and talking to each other and the Internet at the same time which is a great relief. Some sore muscles from yesterday's work out, and it was not even a full sixty minutes. The recent run left my left ankle feeling somewhat wobbly as if it had fallen off and been put back on not quite right, oops forget that metacarpal over there. And then there is the afternoon in the sun reading Krishnamurti and Ambrose and some computer newspapers. Two more IT congresses to attend, getting my hopes up so let's see. Is it already Friday again? Having less to do means having even less time left over to get done what you want to get done, get done. Thanks alot for calling me up Mom, you do not need to worry about me. I will be fine, like I have been my whole life up to now. Just fine.

Posted at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

July 24, 2002

Sliding boxes

Sliding boxes back and forth is not my idea of the most thrilling activity to keep you busy the whole day. Let alone the rest of your life. But that is exactly what the group of people were doing over there. The whole day back and forth. Amazingly enough they did not seem to mind, not a single one of them. Cheerful and happy or so they seemed to be just joking around and whistling various tunes to themselves. Half the time they would just stand around and not do anything except smoke cigarettes and scratch their upper arms filled to the hilt with tattoos. Not a worry in the world as the rest of the world around them spun away with variegated forms and movements of every sort imaginable. But they did not care. Just shift the next box to the right, from morning to night. That is when I walked into the building where I work.

At the end of the day I left the building via the same entrance, this time going out rather than going in. The same group of workers was still there, except that this time they had meandered to the opposite side of the street. The same person who earlier had been taking a smoking break was leaning against the lamp post, this time scratching the tattoo on his other forearm. The remaining members of the crew where sliding boxes to a new position on the sidewalk. They seem just as unconcerned with the future as they had been in the morning. When I walked passed them, the guy smoking moved to the side to let me through the space between the lamp post and the truck. He gave me a broad smile and wished me a fine day at home. I did the same to him and his crew.

Tomorrow morning I am sure that I will see them all again, sliding boxes from here to there.

Posted at 7:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 9, 2002

Hemelvaartsdag

Today is a holiday called Hemelvaartsdag in Holland. In Dutch the word "hemel" means "heaven," "vaart" means "float," and "dag" means "day." So if you are a lousy translator like I am then you might call the holiday something like the "Float-to-heaven" day. In English, we all know it as Ascension Day. This is a religious holiday, and although I am not that religious really, I can still take advantage of the free day. Certainly I deserve it, and I do not feel that bad or guilty about being free, because my beliefs are not that far away from the core faith of Christianity anyway.

So what is this Float-to-heaven day anyway? This is how I remember it being taught to me. I was only about ten years old at the time, and the religious folks at the Episcopalian Church sunday school in good ol' Turlock, California explained it to me. Since that is a while ago, I may get it slightly wrong or be inaccurate. Here it is anyway as follows:

"After his terrible death on the cross, Jesus was placed in a cave by his disciples. They closed up the only entrance to this cave with a huge boulder so that no one could get in. No one dared open up this holy place for fear of being punished. After forty days, it seems that Jesus had completely disappeared into thin air. How anyone knew this as they were forbidden to enter the cave is beyond me. The fact of the matter is that Jesus has risen from his resting place and ascended high in the sky until he ended up on the right hand of God, the Father and the Holy Ghost. From this unique vantage point next to the Almighty Being, Jesus has shed his grace on all of humanity below. This has continued to this very day and prevented mankind from getting lost. Jesus is sending the powers of the Holy Ghost downwards like an invisible rainshower, spreading love and forgiveness for all alike."

May God be with all of you forever and ever until we are no more and come back together again.

Posted at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

April 30, 2002

Queen's birthday

Today is the queen's birthday. The Dutch people refer to this yearly event as Koninginnedag and it is a national holiday. Big deal? Yes, for all the Dutch folks in this small country, it is a very big deal. Queen Beatrix is coming, she's coming! People dress up in orange, put on their finest clothes, and wear orange hats of various shapes and sizes. This is hard to imagine for a boring American like myself who grew up completely oblivious of the wonderful world of the royal family. Every year it never ceases to amaze me. The Royal Family walks through a specially chosen town (this year it was Meppel) and wave endlessly to the droves of people streaming along the walkway. Waving, smiling, shaking multiple hands, kissing babies, that kind of thing. The Queen always has this giant bizarre-looking hat on, for she is famous for her collection of giant hats, wearing two or three different hats a day and never again the same hat. She stands patiently listening to the many children singing songs, people doing folk dances, and the local citizens displaying the various wares which are famous for the region (usually some cheese, silver trinkets, a giant cake from the bakery with the pictures of the royal family on top of it). Long live the Queen! The ironic fact of the whole affair is that today is "not" really the Queen's birthday. It is her mother's birthday (the former Queen). Since Queen Beatrix's birthday is in the middle of winter when it can get extremely cold, and traditionally the celebrations should take place during the mild and sunny climate of Spring, it was decided to retain the original date of Koninginnedag for the sake of better more bearable weather and enjoyment. Funny how Queen Beatrix still walks around majestically as if it is her birthday. She smiles at all the children who sing her a hearty happy birthday song, sincerely believing so much that it is this fine women's real birthday today. After I saw this episode on the television (yes, my Dutch wife and my four half-Dutch kids were glued to the boob-tube the whole time), I escaped into the countryside with the usual thirty-minute jog. Tomorrow I will have to work again.

Posted at 9:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

April 12, 2002

Coughing and coughing

We are the coughing family. Everyone is sick in one way or the other in various degrees of incapacitation. Cough, cough, hack and hack. This has been going on now for a couple weeks, starting with me. If one is sensitive to sounds (like me) then it can be very irritating at times. When I was at the peak of this sickness, Thea kept telling me to quit exaggerating all the time, e.g. my coughing had become just a psychological annoyance. Now she has got it and is hacking away tens times more than I ever did, and for much longer now. The other kids have gotten the hack-disease also. Poor Sabien is now lying in her bed trying to make drawings and listen to the radio for comfort. She was all pouting and teary-eyed when her mother had to leave for a so-called team-building course at the hospital. I guess she felt letdown that she would be stuck at home with her father. What a bummer, to be stuck with me of all people. Now that the hacking-disease has gone full circle around each of the family members, it will be my turn again. But do not expect anything less than a full battle of defense, and I will fend off this disease, banishing it from the Gish abode forever into the distant past. Hopefully these microscopic critters have not mutated in some way that my defenses will be over run again. Nowadays all these flu's and colds and other diseases mutate all over the place. I brought the disease here and unleashed it and it is up to me to get rid of it. Mind over matter will in the long run conquer everything, I hope.

Posted at 8:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 1, 2002

Wooden fort

My youngest son Maarten has been bugging me now for a couple weeks to help him build a fort in the backyard. Because I have been preoccupied with all the computer stuff and setting up the new room, I felt guilty for having neglected him. So on Saturday we went to the local hardware store called Gamma and purchased lots of wooden planks. The moment we returned home and unloaded the car, Maarten went to work. I was expected to help him as experienced senior fort builder, but I quickly learned that for a child that age it is less important what is actually built as the process of building in itself. At first I had the tendency as so-called expert fort designer to attempt to create the finest fort anyone has seen for years, but I just let