March 27, 2008
Biking in Amsterdam
Not everyone is familiar with the idea that in Holland bike paths are everywhere, especially not foreigners. In Amsterdam they are all over the place, which is good because one can pretty much bike easily from one end of the city to the other.
The foreigners are unaware of this and walk along the marked bike paths thinking that they are designated pedestrian walkways.
So I'm walking back to the train station from my work, and this old guy on a bike wings by, ringing his bell in continuous spasms screaming at the top of his lungs:
"Get out of the way, can't you see that this is a bike path, watch out!" And continuing in Dutch he proceeds to cuss and offend kind folks because he's too much of an idiot to understand.
He gives no regard to the poor unknowing pedestrians who are innocently trying to find their way to the nearest place of interest, and almost runs them over. In fact, he glances off of one older person nearly knocking him over into the canal. People run for cover as if some complete maniac is doing who knows what.
I simply continue my way to the train station, knowing that no matter what my opinion is, it doesn't really matter and will not change things. Better to accept those demented bike maniacs and continue on your way.
Posted at 7:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 13, 2007
Train porn
Is that guy sitting next to me on the train watching porn on his portable DVD-player? How disgusting.
Although secretly I gaze from the corner of my eye to see what is happening (and see half-naked folks frolicking this way and that).
When caught looking that way I turn my head to look out of the window as if nothing unusual is happening.
Posted at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 17, 2007
Going down under
I'm really excited about my daughter Marlies having a fun adventure in Australia.
She's leaving on November 19th for several months with a Dutch organization called TravelActive that's specialized in these kind of travel and work trips for young adults.
Although it is so far away, and I will certainly miss her very much, the trip will prove to be a fine learning experience for her, which matters the most.
Posted at 9:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 8, 2007
Seems to be
Half the people in this train are sleeping or at least their eyes are closed and that's how it seems to be. I wonder why. Have they all had such a hard day at work? Slept so lousy last night? Perhaps hung over to one degree or the other? Exhausted with life and in search of something new? All I know is that I should not waste too much of my time being concerned about these issues and need to concentrate more on the more urgent needs. Close my eyes and doze off into wonderland.
Posted at 9:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 7, 2007
Warmish sun beating down
With the warmish sun beating down through the semi-transparent window of the train together with a few splotches and other smudges here and there the temperature slowly but surely exceeded the limits of what is comfortable and what is not for a passive observer of external happenings. You can stare as long as you like at the nice landscape and the green grass but if nothing happens then it is probably time to look elsewhere.
Posted at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 6, 2007
Can of beer
I opened up my can of beer in the train and accidentally sprayed the poor guy sitting next to me. He jumped as if I had poured a bucket of ice on him, leering angrily back at me as if he had been doused in slime. Sorry about that young man.
Posted at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 18, 2006
Slowing down
So why is the train slowing down at this very moment and why is the surrounding terrain looking so unfamiliar all of a sudden? Within five minutes of this near stop the train is speeding along full of glee as if nothing ever happened in the first place.
Posted at 8:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 13, 2006
Ever so subtly
Ever so subtly the speeding train wobbles in its tracks, as all of the passengers (whether standing or sitting) sway back and forth and from left to right and back left again, like some kind of jerking ballet in perfect harmony, barely in control yet just enough to make some sense.
Posted at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 10, 2006
Human-like sounds
I thought that it was a young woman behind me that was giggling and squealing with laughter, but it was just the train that was swaying back and forth, thereby creating various high-pitched creaking human-like sounds.
Posted at 7:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 6, 2006
In the middle of nowhere
Although it turned out to be a chaotic situation with so many trains running behind schedule, I was pleased when the train I thought was mine finally arrived and opened its doors in front of me. I jumped inside and easily found an unoccupied seat. Sure seemed more quiet than usual but no matter. What I didn't notice was how everyone got out at the next stop and I was the last one left. No matter can happen so what. So I nodded off feeling confident that I would soon reach my destination as usual. When I woke up it was a whole different story. There I was alone in an empty train carriage stopped and completely motionless in the middle of nowhere (endless meadows on both sides filled with cows and water and other rustic objects) and not a single living soul around.
This is just too weird to imagine like some kind of horror film - what next? Stuck there for thirty minutes ready to pull the emergency chord, but first I have to break the glass, not really something I want to do. Let's not panic and just see what happens. And then before I realize it after a slight shaking and steam coming out of the side, the train heads back to the previous stop. I have been saved, there is hope. Get out of the train and wait until I can retain the original direction I was meant to follow but now in a slightly different slice of time. Made it to work (slightly late), did alot, and now I am back home writing about this interesting adventure and then life goes on as if nothing ever happened.
Posted at 8:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 29, 2006
Glancing at the time
What I personally find very interesting while sitting on the train staring at all of the expressionless faces before me is measuring the frequency that people pull out their arms, rotate their wrists ever so slightly, and glance at their watches.
What time is it?
Checking and double-checking the time, whether or not the train is on schedule, the most recent stop and how it overlaps with what one had expected.
Here's the scenario.
The train slows down to a complete stop and the hydraulic doors pump themselves open, first with a slight hesitation and then with a quick snap at the last moment.
Some people step out of the train and other people get in, criss-crossing each others paths, so let's look at the time. Arms raised for viewing purpoises, twist of the wrist, a quick realisation of the time.
So what if events occur according to time or not?
The hydraulic doors pump themselves close again and the train jerks forward, despite what the passengers view as a possible delay or whatever.
All I care about is getting home in time and whether or not it is raining when I have to cycle back home.
Posted at 7:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 16, 2006
See you later
Just dropped my oldest two kids off at the Schiphol Airport saying farewell and seeing them off for a fun and educational stay in the States.
Waving good-bye to the two distant heads as they approached and disappeared past the passport control turnstiles and off into the real world.
An eight hour flight across the Atlantic and then pleasant landing at Washington Dulles.
Will see Marlies in a little over two months, but may not see Lennart again for nine months or so.
Nice feeling to see your kids growing up and turning out to be so fine, but also slightly emotional and not that easy letting change happen.
Simply part of being a parent who hopes for the best. That's all.
Posted at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 4, 2006
Helping by not helping
There was this youngish person standing on the escalator just in front of me as I was ascending to the main level of the train station in Utrecht.
Dressed in a pin-striped suit, a bright purple tie which glittered, and carrying a chic-looking attache case.
But he was wavering slightly from left to right and then plainly wobbling. At the top of the escalator he almost fell over and stumbled his way to the next train, wherever that might be.
Nice looking chap but obviously drunk.
I decided to follow him, in case he needed help but also because I was curious where he was going and how far he would make it.
I lost him in the crowd but five minutes later discovered him slumped over on a bench with his forehead pressing uncomfortably against the trash dispenser to the side.
His expensive-looking attache case was lying loose to his side. Any passerby could have snatched it, and certainly that train station is notorious for the many pick-pockets wandering around in search of the next unknowing victim.
Should I help him out or leave him be?
He was drunk and passed out which is his own darn fault. If I helped him he would have no reason not to repeat this irresponsible drinking binge next Friday just the same. If a thief happened to steal his stuff, maybe he would become so shocked he would think again before succumbing to his tendency towards excessive alcohol.
I guess I could have warned the policeman standing over there but I didn't. By not helping him I was helping him alot.
So I continued my way and life went on as usual as if nothing had ever happened which it didn't.
Posted at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 2, 2006
Couple of snowflakes
A couple of snowflakes randomly fell from the cold icy sky and landed on the tracks. Complete chaos reigned as the trains were delayed, cancelled, whatever. Hard to believe what a little bit of snow can do to ruin one's day.
Posted at 9:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 9, 2005
Twelve plus eleven plus thirty
You would think that after all these years I would finally get used to the fact that here in Europe they use the twenty-four hour clock as the default time format.
That means that eleven-thirty in the evening is represented as twenty-three-thirty so you can pretty much forget about all that PM and AM stuff altogether.
Look up in the TV-guide what programs are showing after dinner at eight-thirty, I mean eight-plus-twelve-plus-thirty-minutes is twenty-thirty. Confused? I (still) am.
So this might seem like a slight inconvenience, at least until it goes terribly wrong. Here's an interesting and entertaining example of such an oversite, though at the time I did not find it very amusing at all.
While in Amsterdam one evening late last week, I knew that the last direct train back home left at eleven-thirty, at least that is what I had carefully looked up the day before on the NS Treinplanner website.
Little did I realize while standing there in the dark on the platform waiting for a train which never came, that I had inadvertently looked up eleven-thirty European time which can only mean eleven-thirty in the morning.
I should have been more careful and looked up the correct time of twenty-three-thirty, e.g. twelve-plus-eight-plus-thirty-minutes.
Fortunately, upon closer inspection of the yellow list of times posted over there behind glass, there was a train traveling south via Utrecht. There I could change trains to nab the last stoptrein to Gouda.
Next time I will have to be more careful.
Posted at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 4, 2005
Ding dong ding
Ladies and gentlemen. Watch your luggage carefully. Don't leave your luggage unattended, not even in trains ready to depart. I repeat. Watch your luggage carefully. Don't leave your luggage unattended, not even in trains ready to depart.
Posted at 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 22, 2005
Forward or backward
There are basically two ways to be seated while travelling on the public transportation: either you are facing forward or you are facing backward. The question that I have been pondering lately is which of the two possibilities is the safest?
Suppose that there is a head-on collision and the vehicle comes to an abrupt stop.
If you are facing forward you will be launched into the air and proceed at the same velocity until some obstacle gets in your way and brings you to a crashing halt, the front wall of the coupe for example. The further back you are sitting, the further you will have to fly and the greater the chances that your flight path will intersect with the trajectory of someone or something else along the way.
However, if you are sitting the other way around, then the back of the seat will (hopefully) prevent you from becoming hurled into flight. The only immediate dangers are the people and objects sitting down across from you, because they will be launched at a high velocity and head your way before you realize it.
Unless of course you are seated at the very back which means that there will be fewer loose objects and folks flying your way. In theory you would see them coming, so if your reflexes are quick enough then you could (hopefully) avoid impact by bending to the left or to the right. This could be a problem if because of the momentum you are pressed too tightly in the seat to be able to move.
Now let's think of the other possibility. If instead of a head-on collision there were a collision from behind, then I guess alot of the arguments above are reversed. One can only assume that one or the other (head on or from behind) is more likely to occur, before making a decision concerning the safest way to sit.
(A scientific study would more than likely reveal that the chance of a head on collision taking place is greater than a collision from behind, because most accidents (excluding derailments) are between two trains: train one colliding from behind into train two, trains one and two colliding head on, and finally train two colliding from behind into train one. That's a ratio of 4 head ons to 2 collisions from behind, e.g. a two-to-one chance for a head on collision to occur.)
I go with the head-on theory and if possible sit with my back facing the direction of travel. Although many people feel that this is an unnatural way to be transported, for me it makes more logical sense. Instinct makes me want to increase my chances of survival.
If I ever get swiped from either side then I will just have to hope and pray, if the instant in time allows such pre-medidated actions to result in meaningful ways to protect oneself before some form of bodily impact takes place.
Posted at 9:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 21, 2005
Sparkling reflection
By positioning my arm in a certain way just at the precise orientation to the sun, I can cause a certain ray of light to fall on my watch face at just the right angle so that it is reflected and beamed to the wall across from me. These are a bunch of physical laws taking place. Velocity, electromagnetic energy, beams of photons, scattering light rays and densities of certain solids - and I am controlling it all.
Now if I turn my wrist ever so slightly, the sparkle of light moves down the wall at an oblique angle. The slightest vibrations cause the sparkling reflection to jitter tremendously like there is some kind of earthquake of thought taking place.
Easy goes it, lower and lower. Over that guys shining scalp, slicing the top of his glasses and now shining directly in his closed left eye. At first he doesn't seem to notice. The jitters get less and the beam more concentrated. This reminds me somewhat of the naughty days of yore while focussing sunlight through a magnifying glass until the poor little bugs would shiver and pop.
The bald guy wakes up abruptly like he has been poked in the eye. Flick my wrist and the sparkle has disappeared. Little does he know what is really happening.
After a minute or so he nods off back to sleep and it is time to repeat my antics. I cannot blame myself, only the amazingly boring trip this has become because I forgot to bring any reading material with me.
The jitter of light focusses and he jerks his drooped head to the other side. This is a more difficult angle to negotiate, but with a little extra effort and mental control over the entertwined physical laws of physics, the sparkle has hit dead on again. The very same eye.
The poor bald guy bats away the invisible mosquito with the back of his hand, but I remain undaunted with my hidden laser beam of aggravation. He looks up again and notices that the beam of light is coming from my wrist. However, when he looks up higher at the face behind these hidden antics, he sees a fellow passenger who has also nodded off to sleep and is (supposedly) unaware of what is happening.
He thinks: what are the odds of so many variegated dependancies coming together right at the exact time to make this happen? The wrist in the correct location, the sun rising at just the right angle, ad infinitum?
The truth of the matter is much different than he might think. Nonetheless, I keep my eyes closed as if sleeping so as not to cause any unwanted commotion and therefore am unable to see the look of amazement on his face.
Posted at 7:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 1, 2005
Someone is calling
The noise it is making sounds like a machine gun going off in the distance. He cannot hear it because he is listening to loud music through his earphones. Everyone else within a radius of ten meters can clearly hear it going off, but not a single person does anything about it. Should I go over and tell him?
Once the machine gun stops firing, there is a slight pause of several seconds before the phone goes off again. This time it is nothing less than a repetitive high-peep made to sound like some kind of badly orchestrated robot music. This is more than likely the SMS notification that indicates that someone has left a message on his voice mail. He does not hear this robot music either, and again no one gets up to warn him. Who knows, maybe it is a very important call. The person on the other line is thinking: pick it up, pick it up will you!
Yes, the person who is calling is very impatient, because within another minute the whole cycle starts repeating itself again. Again and again. Machine gun firing, robot music, pause, machine gun firing, robot music, ad infinitum, from the Duivendrecht station all the way to Breukelen. The ironic thing is that this person has purposely set the ringing volume to maximum, so that he wouldn't miss any calls, no matter how important they might be. Everyone in the train knows that he is being called, except him.
We are all thinking: pick it up, pick it up will you!
Finally this person gets off the train. As he walks away, the familiar machine gun is firing, getting softer and softer the farther he walks. He is still oblivious with the earphones crammed in his ears like gigantic vibrating earplugs. He will arrive home, open the door, and be greeting by a cranky though concerned wife. Why didn't you pick it up!?
This is just one proof of many that modern technology has a long way to go before it improves everyone's life, including mine.
Posted at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 16, 2005
Back to work
The first day back to work went well and it felt pretty good to be in familiar territory once again: the wonderful world of challenging and unforgiving internet technology.
Too bad that in total (coming and going) I had to sit in that train for nearly four lousy hours. Some passenger train got derailed again yesterday right in front of the Amsterdam Centraal Station, resulting in chaotic turmoil reverberating throughout the smallish lowlands country.
In the meantime, I could occasionally stare out the window while sawing through the thick paperback novel called Birds Without Wings and travel time was therefore decreased dramatically as I remained submerged in a totally different world.
The world between page six hundred and fifty two and page seven hundred and thirty three.
Posted at 9:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 25, 2005
Some time to think
This is my boring predictable travel schedule every day of the week for who know how long.
First of all I have to wake up and (try) and get ready in time:
- Alarm goes off (6.12)
- Breakfast and coffee (6.15)
- Shower and brush my teeth (6.29)
- Comb my hair (6.56)
- Leave on my bike (6.58)
Then I travel in the train from Gouda to Amsterdam:
- Gouda (7.13)
- Gouda Goverwelle (7.16)
- Woerden (7.26)
- Breukelen (7.36)
- Abcoude (7.49)
- Amsterdam Bijlmer (7.54)
- Duivendrecht (7.57)
- Amsterdam Amstel (8.01)
- Amsterdam Muiderpoort (8.04)
- Amsterdam (8.10)
Then I dash out the front entrance and dive into the nearest tram, either line 1,2 or 5:
- Amsterdam Centraal (get in)
- Martelaarsgracht
- Nieuwezijds Kolk
- Dam
- Spui
- Koningsplein (get out)
I finally get to work around 8.20 or thereabouts.
Total time from the moment I wake up to the second I walk in to my work is: two hours and eight minutes.
The way back is everything in reverse, starting at 16.59 to 18.20 which is one hour and twenty-one minutes. Total travelling time per day is therefore: two hours and forty-two minutes.
Kind of boring, isn't it?
Posted at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 28, 2005
Missing out on the obvious
So I am sitting there in the train absorbed by chapter five of my computer networks book, when I hear the conductor announce that we have arrived in Gouda.
This is normally the stop I get off the train, at least under normal circumstances.
I could only huff silently to myself see that the wrong stop had been announced again, when I knew for a fact that we were in Woerden.
I held in a chuckle when I saw the guy with a tie get out, the same guy who always gets out with me in Gouda. He had been confused and would have to wait for the next train to come by when he realized that he had gotten out one stop too early.
My laugh became choked when I saw the blue sign with the white letter and it said Gouda. Rats, this 'was' my stop and I had to get out. I hurled myself down the isle and then up the stairs, but the hiss of compressed air flung the doors shut right in front of my nose.
On the way back they checked my tickets and I lied for some reason saying that I had accidentally fallen asleep and overshot my destination by one stop.
As if falling asleep was less embarrassing than missing out on the obvious.
Why couldn't I just have told the truth?
Posted at 8:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 13, 2005
Tobacco and alcohol smells
There is nothing that I hate more than the strong smell of tobacco except for the strong smell of tobacco combined with a stale alcoholic breath.
As the train approaches the next station I can see him standing there with smoke spewing out of his mouth as he takes his last puff and tosses the cigarette butt to the ground. The last swigs of beers have taken place already, and I hope he won't be sitting in the same train carriage as I.
Bad luck this time around as he gets in and makes a not so grand entrance. Although he plops in the seat at the opposite end of the carriage, it stinks so bad I have to put the back of my hand in front of my nose.
Perhaps I am exaggerating, falling victim to my own neuroses, not wanting to be the person I might have become, but that is just the way I can subconsciously protect myself.
Posted at 7:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
May 31, 2005
A teasing wink
Notwithstanding what could possibly go wrong at the last moment, just forgetting the time and the fact that departure is pretty much always right on time, it was a bit of a surprise to me when it actually happened. Never had that happened to me before.
I had scoped out a suitable carriage way back at the end. As I slowly but surely approached that self-imposed destination, the whistle blew. Pretty much right on time, as I glanced up at the clock and watched the red second hand click the last notch straight upwards. The second hand seemed to pause just for an instant, but that was a comical illusion. The passing of time just teasing me with a wink.
Since I was caught at the exact midpoint between the two doors on either end of the current train carriage, still three carriages distant from the finish line, the pressurized air whooshed out and closed the doors as quickly as that. Slam shut and take off will you.
I was stuck alone on the platform as the train rolled past me and disappeared off into the distance. A long forgotten wad of paper trying to keep up but despairing with a final gasp. Nor did I feel like moving even ever so slightly, as if I would give that teasing wink the satisfaction of telling me so.
Going to have to wait another thirty minutes for a second try.
Posted at 8:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
March 30, 2005
Time to go
Something desperate is happening. Just as I approach the train to return home, avoiding a small puddle of coffee someone had carelessly let fall, three police dash past me. There is the female one struggling to keep up, an erratic elbow that bumps into my side, and then she is running down the stairs holding her bag tightly to that bouncing petit waist of hers. Come on let's go, before it is too late.
My train won't leave for another ten minutes, so I think I will check out what this excitement is all about.
Down into the underground corridor; turn to the right and the second staircase to the right reveals some extra activity of moving blue uniforms. People getting out of the train that is ready to depart, the elderly looking slightly confused, some faces grumpy and other chuckling nervously as if it is no big deal really.
The train is a double-decker and it has been emptied, all except for the upper compartment at the very front.
During scenes like this even the biggest strangers become awkwardly intimate. I ask the young woman next to me what is happening. She says that she isn't quite sure, but thinks some man is having a heart-attack. Yes, that's it. A heart-attack he's having.
That's when I can see it more clearly, up there right in front of me. How did I end up getting so close without realizing it? As if I am attracted here to this very spot because I am a chosen witness to new and mysterious events. These are the unpleasant facts of life that cause my eyes to avert downwards. The head of hair is bobbing up and down, pausing for a few seconds, bobbing up and down again. Looking out the window to the left is some woman looking very distraught. She could be the daughter, a friend, maybe even the wife, a secret lover, his lifetime mentor. No one knows now and most will never know ever.
The echoes of the siren are taking forever to get closer and closer, until the ambulance crew arrives. Somewhere over there and then they jump into the train, the extra weight causing the metal wheels to creak and the whole carriage to roll slightly back and forth.
The carriage and the people within it are oscillating and then no more.
The paramedics take over and the bobbing continues. Though now it is a male head of hair jerking and waving somewhat fluidly but not quite.
You see, death comes and it goes, even in train stations where daily thousands if not millions of bodies crisscross their paths. We try to prevent it and bring the dying back to life, but it does not always succeed. Please don't go, not right now.
First one then the other person starts shaking their head until all hope begins to wane. I feel uncomfortable standing there as the uninvited guest. I am not supposed to be witnessing this time to go. Not yet.
So I turn. So I slide away. The motion I make is most likely quite close to a similar soul who at that very moment is also sliding away.
When I settle in my seat, the train gives an abrupt start. The metal wheels creak and there is a light oscillation of the carriage back and forth. I am tempted to strain my neck and look back. But I wait and wait.
In the distance, through the receding haze getting thicker and thicker as the distance increases, I see it. Amsterdam Central Station is a beautifully massive, arching and translucent structure fitting for those lucky enough to be at its very heart when it is one's time to go.
Posted at 9:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
March 9, 2005
Awkward dilemma
What a pain but because of record snowfall and all the resulting delays, the trains were filled up and there was no where to sit. Squeezed in amongst all the other not so happy passengers, I made the best of it and simply thought about the work day ahead - when and if I would ever get there.
There was this nervous-looking lady seated below and she was glancing around with an uncomfortable look on her face.
"Excuse me sir," she said tapping my elbow lightly. "I hope you don't mind me saying this. I have an awful dilemma, and I was hoping you might help me."
"Sure, what can I do for you?"
"Well you see, actually I do not have a ticket for first class but got squeezed here anyway without me realizing it, until it was too late that is..."
"Yes..."
She gazed down as if a child caught red-handed, and she continued a little less nervously now that she had gotten it out of her system, "So seeing that you are standing up, and that you probably have a first class ticket, it just didn't seem fair you having a first class ticket, and me taking up your seat..."
It took me a couple seconds to figure out where she was getting at, but then I understood her.
"Oh I understand. Don't worry about." I nodded as if I was giving the poor nervous lady permission not to fret.
"I don't care; just enjoy it while you can, alright?"
"Oh thank you, thank you very much sir."
We spent the rest of the half hour saying nothing further, until it was time for her to stand up and exit the train. We only glanced briefly at each other, as if we were sharing a delicate secret which no one would ever know about.
After that the odds were that we would never see each other again.
Posted at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 14, 2005
Day to day urgencies
In my imagination I had wrongly assumed that the east European city of Bucharest was some drab, greyish, run-down, east-block place still recovering from the chains of an opressive dictator.
In reality it is a bustling and dynamic place, with amazingly friendly folks. These people are carrying on their tradition of working hard and improving their lifestyles, in preparation for joining the European Union.
Forget about the past, let's get our acts back together again.
I like it here so much that I hope I can come back soon and see more of the countryside. Maybe the Black Sea would be interesting. It is only 200 kms. from here, but now there no time between a tight business schedule where more important matters are at stake.
Like surviving the day-to-day urgencies of whatever might come along.
Posted at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 11, 2005
Over there and back
So is there anyone out there who can tell me where the heck this place called B. is exactly?
Rumor has it that it is located somewhere over there in a country by the name of R. but where's that?
Guess I will know more clearly tomorrow when I get there.
When and if I get back I will be all the bit wiser and better. Only then can I give more details I hope.
Posted at 9:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
December 20, 2004
Too many months away
There's no quicker way to wake up in the early morning than the ten minutes to cycle through the freezing cold dark bike path to the train station.
At the same time I cannot wait until it gets warmer in the Spring although that is now too many months away.
Posted at 7:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
December 10, 2004
Near disaster
Not until I was sitting in the tram did I sense that something was missing. Then I realized that I had left my laptop in the train.
I jumped out of the front exit of the tram like I was parachuting into morning nothingness, and I made a mad sprint for the front entrance of the train station. A man yelled at me twice and pointed to the ground where my nice winter scarf had fallen. In panic I retraced my steps and then kept on going again.
Would I be in time?
I ran as fast as I could back along the endless hallways of Centraal Station, dashed up the stairs and down the platform.
Boy was I sure relieved when I found it resting above my seat in the baggage rack where I had carefully placed it. At the time I had kept telling myself: don't forget it, don't forget.
Near disasters keep us alert, and as long as things turn out alright life will continue as if nothing had ever happened in the first place.
Posted at 8:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
December 7, 2004
Surrounded by hackers
Everyone is coughing, wheezing, hack and clearing their throats all around me.
Aren't you exaggerating a bit too much madam next to me?
One guy even sneezed three times in a row, not caring at all where he was casting the millions of microbes into the air.
Excuse me sir, but would you mind casting your microbes somewhere else?
At least I was not sick and hacking like all of the rest, nor was I planning on getting that way in the near future.
No thanks.
Posted at 6:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
December 3, 2004
Rolling along
Who could have guessed that it was not the middle of the night but rather seven in the morning? The day had already begun and I was moving through it even if I was only half awake.
The spokes of the front wheel sparkled as if showing off some kind of fireworks display for an unseen microcosm down there.
Actually, it was the light of the moon (and a little bit of the stars and perhaps even a lone planet) being reflected as the wheel rotated and I rolled along.
Such a clear night sky, I mean early morning.
Posted at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 22, 2004
Unplugged train
The click woke up the darkened morning as if someone had inadvertently unplugged the vacuum cleaner.
As the train glided onwards without power, there was complete silence, and it took the good part of three minutes before we came to a complete stop. The laws of physics, the immense mass coupled with the initial velocity, together with a carriage full of eyes averting every which way.
The person in the seat next to me even mumbled, "someone just pulled the plug," like he was being clever or something. Ha ha. The echo of his chuckle downed down quickly as we all quickly realized that there was something serious going on.
When they announced that there was a technical problem, I knew right then and there that it would be a long morning.
We were stuck in the middle of some endless field smack dab between Woerden and Breukelen, and they had to come save our lives with another train engine.
As it saddled up next to us there was a big bang. All the passengers jerked suddenly in unison, almost to the whiplash extreme. We were then pushed (or pulled for all I could tell) along to the next train station. There we go again.
My life was saved once more, and I could continue from there to my work. No use getting the Monday morning blues about it for nothing. In fact it was a curious adventure symbolizing the unpredictable nature of this upcoming week.
Posted at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 23, 2004
Onwards and upwards
In exactly one week from now if all goes according to plan I should be wandering around aimlessly somewhere in California at or around this time.
Well not precisely.
If you take the nine hour difference into account and the eleven hour long flight, then I will still be sitting in the KLM flying machine in one week's time.
Perhaps in my anticipation I am trying to speed up the time a little.
Actually, it should be alot of fun wandering around in the area I grew up and left more than twenty years ago.
There's something about the past and my sentimental tendencies that make such an upcoming sojourn worthwhile and invigorating.
I cannot wait. Not only to see my mother, the relatives and friends, but also as a pure form of fun and relaxation.
So that when I do return after the two weeks I will be reinvigorated with energy, new insights, and a fresh mind to go onwards and upwards.
Posted at 7:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 20, 2004
Chaos in the middle of nowhere
Just a little over a week ago someone got robbed and now some bothersome man refuses to pay. There we were in the middle of nowhere and the train could not leave because this guy was making a big scene.
Finally when the group of policemen came and surrounded him was the situation back under control, but the whole thing took around forty-five minutes.
To think that some moody individual can cause so much chaos so easily is beyond me. Couldn't they just toss the guy out and ride away?
See, I told you so. Traveling by train can be an adventure, with occasional highlights along the way.
Too bad I didn't get home until almost eight o'clock.
Posted at 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 15, 2004
Staring into nothingness
There she was this lady sitting next to me in the train this early evening.
The whole way back, nearly sixty minutes non-stop, she just stared into the world of nothingness ahead of her, blinking only rarely to let a microcosmic ripple of a tear-drop gently wash the flotsams from the surface of her eyes.
She barely moved and I wondered how she could accomplish so much by doing so little.
In a subtle though not imperfect way I felt and hoped that I could do the same some day.
Some day not too far in the future while there was some time.
Posted at 8:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 8, 2004
Long lost episode
So what if the lady had her carry bag stolen? That is no excuse to hold up the train for twenty minutes or longer. There she was all ranting and raving as if her only child had climbed out of the moving train window and jumped. Oops, sorry about that.
By the by, she did have an empty baby-buggy with her at first, pointing to it and exclaiming, so that was indeed my initial impression.
Pointing to the place where the carry bag had been hanging from the buggy, raising her hands in the air, screaming like some crazy woman who had just escaped from a mental institution.
When she started to run up and down the full length of the waiting train, it became almost comical. Some passengers were looking concerned, other were laughing, and even others where grumbling and complaining. Jeez, isn't this long enough already?!
Because I was sitting next to the window I could see everything. I made the mistake of saying at first that it looked like she had misplaced her kid. Everyone was suddenly concerned and worried to death.
But after the wait became prolonged, the majority started shaking their heads back and forth, wondering how any mother in her right mind could possibly misplace her own child in a train. Irresponsible, immature, she should be put in jail and the kid adopted by better parents.
I was only ten minutes later than usual, and taking my first bites of supper, I had quickly forgotten the long lost episode.
Posted at 6:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 3, 2004
Just another spider
There was this spider hanging from its invisible strand connected to the bosch clock above, and it was descending ever so slowly, not more than a foot and a half from my right shoulder.
Instinctively I made a step backwards and watched my friend go lower and lower. When he met the ground he paused for a second, and then started to scamper around on the train platform. Maybe he was looking for food or a mate or nothing really in particular.
Just then is when the train arrived to the front of the platform. I panicked slightly, knowing that for sure this poor creature would be trampled to death by the droves of unknowing feet hussling to get on the train.
The little spider just stood there like he was having an early morning think.
The train screeched to a stop and then magically the spider returned to the exact same spot upon which he had landed. So calm and unknowing of the impending danger, he rose and pulled himself upwards again, just as slowly as he had descended five minutes previously. He was still connected to that strand all the time even though the human eye could not perceive it.
Up, up and away, and just in the nick of time less than an inch above the tallest passenger who dashed through and nearly dissected his vertical path.
I was the last passenger inside. After taking my seat, I gazed out the window at the clock. The train took off, and I could see the darkened fleck at half past the hour wiggling and waiting for the next adventure.
The next morning I would look for him again.
Posted at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
September 28, 2004
Asleep in Amsterdam
Way off in the distance I can hear a female voice which I vaguely recognize, but I am unable to place it correctly in my mind.
When I open my eyes I can see that she is standing right next to me, and she says that the train has arrived in Amsterdam.
The train is completely empty, and she has been kind enough to wake me from my slumber to say it is time to get off.
I had nodded off and fell asleep deeply enough that I had not even noticed the mad rush of busy passengers getting off the train.
Sleeping while sitting up is now possible and quite easy at that. Half meditation and half dreaming, as long as I wake up in time that is.
Posted at 8:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 29, 2004
Off to California again
Alright so I decided to make it final. I will be visiting good old California for the first two weeks of November.
The plane tickets have been arranged and I have warned my mother.
Posted at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
August 22, 2004
Two weeks later
Here are the main reasons why I will probably skip my 25th Stanford reunion and go to America two weeks later:
- All the cheaper flights for that period are already booked.
- The reunion would cost me a whopping $400, believe it or not.
- Only about three people I would like to see are on the attendees list.
- The reunion events are boring, overly intellectual and snobby.
- I would gain two days extra to spend with my family and friends.
- I would not miss Maarten's 10th birthday (most important reason).
All in all pretty darn good reasons I believe.
Posted at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
August 8, 2004
Pictures of Crete
For anyone interested, I made a photo gallery of our summer vacation to Crete.
Just click on the following link:
http://www.cyber-gish.com/pictures_crete/
Hope you like it.
Posted at 9:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
August 1, 2004
Gish kids in Phaestos
Gish kids at the Phaestos ruins, Crete.
Posted at 9:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 26, 2004
Back from Matala
Two weeks seem like a long time, but when it comes to a fun and relaxing adventure in Crete, time flies by pretty darn quickly. And then again.
In other words, we made it back safe and sound.
The fine village called Matala where we stayed hadn't changed much in the twenty years since Thea and I went there on our first romantic journey way back in the good old days.
Except that this time around we had four wild-and-crazy kids keeping us occupied and entertained.
Quite an adventure you could say.
Posted at 8:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
July 12, 2004
Off to Crete
Alright, we're finally off to Crete.
Away from it all, enjoying the sunny beach.
Just relaxing and doing nothing in particular for as long as possible.
See you in a little more than two weeks.
Hopefully.
Posted at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
July 10, 2004
Crete will be here soon
So how the heck am I supposed to get in shape as well as sufficiently tanned in preparation for Crete when it has been pouring down rain here for most of the summer?
Hopefully, I will not get burned to a crisp the first few days that I am there, and my flabby belly will not hang out of my swimming suit too badly that I feel overly embarrassed.
Posted at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 11, 2004
Nodding off
I never could have imagined that I would be able to nod off in the train while sitting up. However, during the last week I have slowly but surely mastered this fine art of sleeping while on the move. When you think about it, things could get nasty if you fail to wake up in time. You open your eyes and the train is empty and you are sitting all alone at the final destination somewhere random in Holland. This almost happened to me in the afternoon on my way back home. Not like you are sleeping real deep, but it is close to the edge. A semi-light wavering dream state during which your hearing is blocked off like you have been placed in your own sealed jar. At the last possible moment when the train was slowing to a stop at the Gouda station, I just happened to wake up thank God. Kind of like when you somehow wake up ten seconds before your alarm clock goes off.
Posted at 9:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
May 24, 2004
On the safe side
Just to be on the safe side, I decided to sit with my back facing the direction that the train was going. While I prefer to sit facing the direction I am traveling, you never know when an accident might happen. That way, if there was a head-on collision, I would not be flung across the aisle and get smashed into the front wall of the wagon. Hopefully the wagon would not be smashed like an accordion, and I would be able to escape by climbing out of the window.
Posted at 8:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
May 22, 2004
Trains collide
Fortunately for me, I decided to leave work one hour earlier yesterday afternoon. Had I heeded to my usual predictable routine and left sixty minutes later, it could have been a whole different story.
Try to be careful out there. The mistress of fate is not always as forgiving as you might hope she would be.
Posted at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
May 15, 2004
Time to splurge again
Matala Beach front.
Alright then, after a difficult and sometimes stressful previous year, we decided this time around to splurge a little and have more fun in life. As a kind of celebration of life and how thankful we are that everything is going so much better.
So for summer vacation, we will be spending a couple weeks in Matala, Crete.
Back in the romantic days before the arrival of our kids, Thea and I had the times of our lives there. We feel that it would be nice to go back and show the children.
Hard to believe that that was some twenty odd years ago.
Posted at 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
July 11, 2003
See you in 3 weeks
Today is the last day before we set off on our three week long adventure through France, our long awaited for summer vacation. We have been looking forward to it for some time now, and while it may not be as exotic as our trip to America last year, it is a much deserved break which we will certainly enjoy to the fullest.
July 12 - July 13 : Nancy, stay over night in a Formule 1 hotel.
July 13 - July 18 : Murs-de-Gelignieux, camping Ile de la Comptesse.
July 18 - July 28 : Frejus, camping le Frejus.
July 28 - August 2 : Vesoul, camping International du Lac.
See you all in three weeks or so. Off we go...
Posted at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
July 6, 2003
Sheared for good measure
Now that summer vacation is approaching quickly, I gave in and let my wife trim off all of that excess fur of mine. You know, all that hair I have on my chest, arms, neck and back.
[An aside. I do not mind having so much hair at all, but it sure bugs the heck out of my family (for some strange reason). I kind of like the feeling of that flowing, grayish hair rising as a thriving bush above my chest and flowing forth from my open collar. Although the hair is curled inward and does not seem at first glance to be that much, if I pull at a single and random hair just right, one is amazed to watch the strand stretch taut at no less than about six inches.]
"You have got to get it shaved!" they keep yelling at me. "Alright, do it then," I succumbed to an attack I could no longer ward off. Wads and wads of the fluffy fur were sheared off in single strokes of the mad machine, butchered into non-existence, falling like globs of leftover spaghetti, on my lap and then on to the ground.
Now that I have been transformed into a somewhat acceptable vision of a father, I can feel better wandering around the swimming pool knowing I will not be embarrassing my family (too much). I feel relieved that through exercise and diet at least my last year's pot-belly has all but disappeared. Otherwise who knows what means would have been necessary to shear it off also at the last minute!
Right now, my upper torso is itchy, terribly itchy and unbearably so. It is driving me crazy, but in a few days it should get less.
It sure feels good to be sheared for good reason, I mean measure.
Posted at 9:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 2, 2003
California Coastline
For those of you interested in exploring the coast of California, that wonderful sunny state where I grew up, check out the California Coastline Project web site.
Highlights for me were the following hotspots:
You can click along the whole Californian coast and discover the rest of the pictures yourself. Have fun!
Posted at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
July 1, 2003
Mangled mess
Looking at that mangled mess when I drove by hit me hard and really got me thinking. About how short life is and how it is over an an instant. The burnt out frame of distorted metal had been blackened so badly that it barely resembled the automobile that it had once been. The driver flamed into non-existence without a chance. You see, one moment you are there and one moment you have disappeared, perhaps one last instant of awareness just before the inevitable happens. I could not stop and think much about the event and just continued with the regular flow of traffic onward to who knows where.
Posted at 8:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 18, 2003
Boringly predictable
When it comes to organizing things I guess you could say that I am boringly predictable. For example, our summer vacation has been researched in depth and finally arranged. The times, places and accommodations. This is where we will be headed:
- July 13 - July 17 : Ile de la Comptesse in the Ain Provence (mountains)
- July 18 - July 27 : Camping Caravaning le Frejus - Frejus in Cote d'Azur (beach)
- July 28 - August 2 : Luxeuil-les-Bains in the Vosges Provence (countryside)
A nice well-balanced vacation of mountains, beach and countryside.
This is a pretty loosely made schedule with a resolution of one week at most. In the past, I had it down to the day with a daily itinerary up and running one year in advance. Even certain days were subdivided into hourly activities.
Times have changed. After all, a vacation is supposed to be fun and relaxing, isn't it?
Posted at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
June 15, 2003
Lots of water
For our wedding anniversary, Thea and I spent the weekend spoiling ourselves in the south of Holland at a health retreat called Thermae 2000.
Just floating around in luke-warm water, inhaling all the super-healthy fumes and other scents, soaking in the afternoon rays, running around naked from one sauna to the other, savoring a fancy five coarse dinner of French cuisine, etc. All the while far away from the noise of the kids and society.
Hard to believe that we have been married now for exactly 18 years, and that we have known each other exactly 23 years. That is exactly half my life time ago.
Posted at 3:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
March 9, 2003
Cote d'Azur
The letter came from Southern France, and when I opened it this is what I read:
"Nous vous remercions d'avoir bien voulu confier vos vacances à notre camping. Nous avons bien reçu votre contrat de location d'emplacement ainsi que votre versement de... Aussi, nous vous confirmons pars la présente la réservation définitive d'un emplacement camping à votre nom pour la période ..."
Hurrah, it is now official! We are going to the Côte d'Azur (Frejus) this summer for our vacation! At the Camping Caravaning Le Frejvs to be more precise. We are sure excited.
Posted at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
July 13, 2002
In two weeks
In exactly two weeks this time we will be in California. Well, not quite exactly, if you really want to be precise about it. There is a nine hour time difference between Gouda NL and Monterey CA. This means that it will be two o'clock in the afternoon, such that the plane we are in will be flying somewhere above the States between Dulles Airport and the San Francisco. We have all been waiting a long time for this exciting adventure, especially the kids, and before we realize it we will be back at Grandma's house. I hope that three weeks will be enough time to see everyone and everything.
Posted at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
July 9, 2002
What now
Tons of flickering lights all over the place. Some of them decide not to stay any longer and turn around. Out the back door, down the hill, through the trees where the car is parked. Because night has fallen along with the temperature, beads of moisture have formed on the windshield along with the foreheads, and at first it is hard to see where they are driving. Wipe that sweat off the eye brows. But it does not matter. Does not matter. Once the bottom of the driveway has been reached it is full speed ahead. Roll down the windows to let out the smell of sweat, they are all sweating. Sweating so hard that it is easy to forget that the temperature has dipped below zero. Degrees centigrade that is. Alright, when the journey has ended they will have to decide what the next step will be. The next step. There is no need, nor the slightest concern as to what this could possibly be. The reason for this is because not even the halfway zone has been reached, the point in the road where the vertical climb upwards begins again, the minima followed by the maxima. Once the halfway zone has been reached, crossed over, then it will be time to decide. Up the long hill sloping upwards again. Yes, they can see it, they can see it alright. What now?
Posted at 8:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 5, 2002
Guy with duck
There was this guy carrying a duck under his arm as he walked down the aisle. Strange, I thought. I had on occasion seen dogs, cats and even once a tarantula in a glass jar, but never had I seen a live duck in the train before. The guy walked past me and then on into the next carriage. As the door between carriages slid shut again behind him, I could barely make out the ducks beak and its beady eyes. At the next train stop it was time for the guy and the duck to get out. The door at the opposite end of the carriage slid open, and the man with the duck under his arm approached me. Kind of like everything was happening in reverse motion. As the guy got closer to me I tried not to be too rude by staring at the duck's head and beady eyes. All of a sudden I realized that it was not a duck at all, but an umbrella he was carrying. The wooden handle of the umbrella was carved by some artisan's hands into the shape of a duck's head with an orange beak and two shiny black gems for the eyes. Can you believe it? I mean, who in his right mind would buy such an awful looking umbrella? This person was obviously from a foreign land where it is more than likely some kind of status symbol having an umbrella with a handle in the shape of a duck's head. There I was trying to figure things out when the guy with the duck under his arm jumped out of the train and continued on his way. As the train picked up speed, it passed him walking on the platform. For the life of me I still could have sworn that it was a real duck he was carrying, seen at that distance. Life remains deceptive in more ways than one.
If you do not believe me that this really happened, then I invite you to check out this duck handle umbrella google search.
Posted at 7:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
June 30, 2002
Glass eye
I looked up from the book I was reading and the person sitting diagonally across from me was staring right back at me. My instinct was to look away quickly in slight embarrassment, which I did. But as I could still sense this person's eye still peering at me, I slowly regained my composure and looked back. Still staring at me. What was he looking at that caused him to stare unwaveringly at me or in my general direction? It could have been some object in the distant landscape as the train skirted along, or he was enamored with my bald spot, or perhaps the title of the book I was reading, or something else at which he had to look for a long time in order to understand. I looked down and continued reading my book. And then I looked up again, and though the head was now slightly bent to the left and his left hand was raised to support his forehead, the staring eye was still watching me. Or was it? Then I realized the truth of the matter, and it was this. The person sitting diagonally across from me had nodded off like many an average fellow passenger does after a long and weary day. The only difference was that while this person's left eye lid was closed, the right eye lid had failed to slide down like it was supposed to. The glass eye remained exposed and for a one eyed person this was no big deal. He could not see out of it anyway. But was it really a glass eye, or was he fooling me for fun? I bent over and looked more closely. I waved my hand up and down, and then wagged my fingers violently in front of his eye. With a swift movement I then made a jabbing motion with my forefinger so that the tip ended up no more than half a millimeter from the surface of the (artificial glass?) sphere. Not the slightest motion. I noticed some other fellow passengers watching my antics and reacting a bit surprised, but I just smiled and raised my shoulders as if I knew what I were doing. So this is reality then. A glass eye giving the appearance of sight and observation and thinking when that was not the case at all. What would my life be like with only one fully-functional eyeball? In a way I felt thankful, and then I understood the meaning of all this, the meaning of life. We are all looking through glass eyes and we portray to others that we are really seeing them. But in reality we are not. Not really. When the train came to a halt at the next station, the guy woke up and got off the train, with his carry-bag dangling to the side, one eye looking this way and the other eye looking that way. I vowed to focus on the future with both my eyes no matter if I was really seeing or not seeing with glass eyes or real eyes.
Posted at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
June 26, 2002
Illusion of movement
There is a moment in time when the speed of the decelerating train coming to a halt matches perfectly the speed of my person walking on the platform towards the soon-to-open doors. My speed is constant while the deceleration of the train is constant in that it approaches zero. There is a fraction of a second, a sliver really according to a delta function in time, when the passenger to the left looking outside of the window could be sitting in a stationary train with me standing still, but this is not so. It is an illusion of movement. One object slowing down and the other looking for an entrance which will slide open with a pumping sound of air exuding.
Posted at 8:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
June 24, 2002
Fat guy on the train
Once in awhile I get overly irritated by seemingly trivial matters. Take for instance this morning in the train on my way to work. I ended up sitting next to this fat guy. Not that I have anything against people who are overweight, but this guy was the sweating, burping, puffing type of obese person who is not exactly the ideal fellow passenger to be sitting next to on a busy hot Monday morning. Rather than just sitting up straight in his seat, he was turned sideways for some reason with his hefty backside rotated forty-five degrees from the more usual appropriate orientation of the body. Forget about sitting up straight, because he was slumped over and half lying. While he could easily have fit into the right half of the seat, he slouched so that his left buttock extended more than just a few inches onto my half of the cushioned property. Just enough that I was pressed slightly between the left side of the cabin and his sweating burping body. Why couldn't he just sit normally like the rest of us? You would think that he would be conscious of his massive size, and feeling slightly embarrassed or even concerned for the comfort of his fellow human beings, he would do his best to leave enough breathing space for the poor soul wedged to the left side of him. But he could care less and didn't even notice. Did he care? Sometimes he would even twist his trunk and belly back and forth banging into my right arm arm and elbow. Was this necessary? I should have said something, but what? "Excuse me sir, but your fat body is smothering me." Or better yet, something like "Could you please shift your left buttock over a foot?" Why was I so irritated? Perhaps I was a victim of the Monday morning blues which can get to even the most patient and content among us positive thinkers. Fortunately, the fat guy got out at the Zoetermeer train stop. He unwedged his person with a slight popping sound, a release of air suctioned outwards, nearly lost his balance in the suddenly unexpected release of fattiness, and left me forever. All of a sudden I had this oversized seat all to myself, and I did not know what to do with it. The reddish imprint he had left on my forearm was slowly disappearing. What a relief, I could breath again! I felt kind of guilty having been overly impatient and negative about this fat person. Should I feel sorry for him or just accept the way he is? We are all manifestations of the very same primordial form (some of us consisting of more weighty clay than others). My first morning of the week turned out to be alright anyway. No use getting overly irritated by some fat guy on the train.
Posted at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
June 5, 2002
Traveling first class
This month I have a first class train ticket. At first I was a little hesitant about paying the extra sixty euros to be able to travel first class. Feeling a little guilty about forking out even more money for myself made the decision even more difficult. To be honest, I was sick and tired of having to stand all the time, thirty minutes each way, often in extremely crowded circumstances being pressed hard against other sweating and breathing bodies. Not that I have anything against my fellow human beings, but this was asking too much. Being pressed together like that is inhuman afterall. You would think that the train should offer an attractive service people would wish to buy. But that is not the case. Often enough I was in or near a smoking carriage which when combined with the swerving motion of the train made me feel pretty nauseas. However, now after having enjoyed the comforts of first class for three days now, I have to admit that it is a quantum leap in comfort. What an improvement indeed! So what, if you can afford it why not do it? Sitting is no longer a luxury as there is always at least one spot free. The people I end up sitting next to are far less grungy and more respectable in sight as well as in smell. I will try first class out for the month of June and come to a conclusion if it is really worth continuing. Being objective in making this difficult decision will be close to impossible as it is obviously biased by a month's experience of increased comfort and relaxation. The times just before work and just afterwords are important moments to contemplate and prepare. Time to catch the next train to Gouda.
Posted at 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
June 4, 2002
Water lilies
My early morning bike trip to the train station takes only about ten minutes. Within that short interval of time I am able to attain consciousness at a relaxed pace. This in preparation for the unpredictable day ahead of me. If the weather is nice like it was this morning I am invigorated by the beauty of nature all around me. The water and the trees and the clear sky, reflected green in blue, blue in green and subtle combinations of the two. On the water there drift whole colonies of water lilies, an amazing sight when you are speeding along in one direction and the lilies are disappearing quickly behind you. Staying the same or maybe just changing a little bit in shape and color until the end of the day when I cycle back. Opposite direction but the same spot, the same view only slightly different. With so much water around and especially after a run of several rainy days, there is moisture in the air and a slight dampness on the asphalt evaporating at the last minute. Tiny little flying creatures and various types of insects clattering against my bared arms. Enclosing my face there is a gentle breeze, and all because of the motion I am making. The water lilies are floating and nothing more. I float with them in my mind. Nothing more.
Posted at 6:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
May 2, 2002
Stamkaart
This is the monthly train ticket needed to get me to and from my new work. Check out the hooligan who is covering for me with his picture:
Commuting by train back and forth and back and forth again. Sometimes we are pressed together like sardines and I have to stand up the whole way. The person behind me is breathing hot air down my neck. Other times I can sit down on the hard plastic seat. I pull out my PDA or a book or a newspaper and peruse across the lines of text. Next stop Den Haag Centraal and time to get out. The doors slide open and the masses of cytoplasm burst outwards like being vomited from the train, each droplet a separate human being who scurries off to the next touch point. Criss-cross until you get there. Later in the day we will all come back in reverse motion. Separate droplets coming back together into a single mass going back home again.
Posted at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
