Well, after seeing 14 places back in June, then another estimated seven back in early December and another 16 over the past 3 days, I'm getting a good idea of how a lot of people live here in Amsterdam. I also remember what a total drag it was looking for a home over 7 years ago!! This time, the place we choose will be our home for at least the next year and ideally the next 3. It's always easier to weed out those early ones that don't make the cut, isn't it? But then you get down to those remaining 2, 3, or more, that have almost everything you are looking for but just don't quite take you all the way there.
We've learned a bit along the way...the big thing would be that toilets are like gold here! If you have more than one, you must be royalty!! We saw a 4 bedroom apartment, and it STILL had only 1 toilet!! I mean...COME ON!!!! I'll be the first to say as American's, we're spoiled to an extent. We're used to a way of living that's, well, referred to as a higher standard of living. Orlando provided us a 4/3, and sure, one of the toilets gets used about as much as "W" uses a dictionary, but there were those rare occasions we had a housefull and each one was "occupado". I guess we just don't like to "hold it". We are told it is just not the "Dutch way" to have more than 1...that they get by...have no problem with it. We are also looking at places that are in or near the city center, so space is at a premium (see previous posts where I dish on that). It would be easier finding 2 toilets if we were looking for a place out in the rural areas, but we're not looking to live out of the city. Also, we must be careful here. When a place advertises that it has 2 baths, that doesn't mean it has 2 toilets. Some rooms you go into and there's a shower, and only a shower. Some bedrooms have sinks in them. Yes, I know I wrote bedrooms, that's not a mistake. Some bathrooms have sinks and a bathtub with a shower head, but no curtain and no way to hang a rod and curtain. Many have full windows right next to the shower or bathtub, so you can clean your body as you entertain your neighbors with it!! We were at one of Radhika's co-workers apartment around Christmas, and their female neighbor was doing a little cleaning wearing a shirt. When she bent over just a little, it reminded me of Tom Petty's album, "Full Moon Fever"!! Some places I've looked at had a window to another apartment literally 2-3 feet from a window of the apartment I was looking at! "Love thy neighbor" takes on a whole new meaning over here.
Another new thing for us is making deals with the landlord. If you like a place, but it is lacking in something, you can negotiate for it. Say...like, you don't have a DVD that plays the European format, don't want to buy a 220v vacuum cleaner, and there's not enough shelving in the closets. Offer a lease that's for 3 years, but with an option to break it after a year with 2 months notice, and you can get those things and perhaps more provided by the landlord.
Well, that's about it for now. More on our apartment adventure as it developes. I'll add a few pics of the ones we have looked at, so you can get an idea. These are for reference, so you photo majors need not critique me on the backlight situations on some of these. Until next time.....
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
So Much To Do, So Little Time
Sorry I have been away so long, but we've been busy, busy, busy! My opening at the library and all the work leading up to it (printing, framing, support work), Radhika's Disney Marathon (26.2 miles in a little over 6 hours and 2 foot blisters!), friends and family visiting from out of town, last minute purchases to take back to Amsterdam, 2 days of movers at the house, renter moving in, Steve McCurry at DBC, visiting with friends, and details, details, details to address!!! Radhika is in NY this weekend visiting her awesome Mom and crazy sister, Dolly...not to mention still mentally stable John (Frenchy 2) after all these years of "exposure" to Dolly. They are setting up a device called a sling box at thier house in Seaford Harbor that will enable us to watch American TV while in Amsterdam. Cool, huh? Then she will continue on to NL on Sunday. I will leave Orlando on the 24th and get to NL on the 25th via Memphis.
My opening went well. I am quite happy with the way the images tell the story of our visit to China. There are more pictures in this show, however many are 8X10 and not the large 16X20 size as in the Windows To The World show 18 months ago. I had hoped for a better turnout. It seems the library didn't market and promote this event nearly as well as the previous one I had.
The moving of our stuff was a new experience for us, as was the empty house when all was done. I was okay with that, but what felt odd was someone else's belongings coming into the house. But 24 hours later, I'm over it. The person who we have renting the top floor is someone we have confidence in, or else he wouldn't be there.
Radhika (for the 2nd or 3rd time) met her girlie friends for a farewell lunch and enjoyed herself, as usual. I have been getting as much tennis in as I can, and even bought a new Prince O3 racket!!! It's light as air and sounds sweet when it smacks that ball! I am hopefully getting over to Tampa tonight to see our friend Vince and his band play at a place called the Sad Tiger, or is it Proud Lion? Either way, I hope to be there to support him in the way he knows I can (by yelling "You suck!" or "Pick a key!"). Joe figured out I need to replace or fix a pump on my RA-4 processer. I'm following up on that before I leave Orlando. Perhaps I'll get to Daytona one more time and have lunch with either him or Alexis. I sent Alexis an email, but received no response. What's up with that?! Perhaps Campus Cupcake is mad at me? Lunch with Jim would be nice too, but not getting a response there, either. Hmmmmmm...think people have finally said this guy's too much trouble? Perhaps I will eliminate one more by really giving Vince the business at his gig tonight (he's so damned resilient though, and can give as good as he gets). A damn fine tennis player too, once he gets all his vertibrae unfused! All of those years in solitary lock-up have taken their toll. Clark, Clide, Steven, and I got some good tennis in yesterday. Good seeing those guys. Steven has grown every time I see him! And his voice is getting more like Barry White and less like Michael Jackson. Steven is Clide's grandson, who is 12 or 13, is playing in the 16 age bracket, is highly ranked in the state, and is capable of taking his tennis game to a high, on the world's stage, level. Watch for Steven Watson in the coming years from the US. If it's his desire, he can enjoy a high level of tennis as a career. Clark has improved his game a lot in the 5 weeks + that I haven't played them.
Gotta go. Many things to do. Will try to add some images soon. Thanks for reading, and thanks to all who have remarked how much they enjoy reading what I put down. Happy MLK!
My opening went well. I am quite happy with the way the images tell the story of our visit to China. There are more pictures in this show, however many are 8X10 and not the large 16X20 size as in the Windows To The World show 18 months ago. I had hoped for a better turnout. It seems the library didn't market and promote this event nearly as well as the previous one I had.
The moving of our stuff was a new experience for us, as was the empty house when all was done. I was okay with that, but what felt odd was someone else's belongings coming into the house. But 24 hours later, I'm over it. The person who we have renting the top floor is someone we have confidence in, or else he wouldn't be there.
Radhika (for the 2nd or 3rd time) met her girlie friends for a farewell lunch and enjoyed herself, as usual. I have been getting as much tennis in as I can, and even bought a new Prince O3 racket!!! It's light as air and sounds sweet when it smacks that ball! I am hopefully getting over to Tampa tonight to see our friend Vince and his band play at a place called the Sad Tiger, or is it Proud Lion? Either way, I hope to be there to support him in the way he knows I can (by yelling "You suck!" or "Pick a key!"). Joe figured out I need to replace or fix a pump on my RA-4 processer. I'm following up on that before I leave Orlando. Perhaps I'll get to Daytona one more time and have lunch with either him or Alexis. I sent Alexis an email, but received no response. What's up with that?! Perhaps Campus Cupcake is mad at me? Lunch with Jim would be nice too, but not getting a response there, either. Hmmmmmm...think people have finally said this guy's too much trouble? Perhaps I will eliminate one more by really giving Vince the business at his gig tonight (he's so damned resilient though, and can give as good as he gets). A damn fine tennis player too, once he gets all his vertibrae unfused! All of those years in solitary lock-up have taken their toll. Clark, Clide, Steven, and I got some good tennis in yesterday. Good seeing those guys. Steven has grown every time I see him! And his voice is getting more like Barry White and less like Michael Jackson. Steven is Clide's grandson, who is 12 or 13, is playing in the 16 age bracket, is highly ranked in the state, and is capable of taking his tennis game to a high, on the world's stage, level. Watch for Steven Watson in the coming years from the US. If it's his desire, he can enjoy a high level of tennis as a career. Clark has improved his game a lot in the 5 weeks + that I haven't played them.
Gotta go. Many things to do. Will try to add some images soon. Thanks for reading, and thanks to all who have remarked how much they enjoy reading what I put down. Happy MLK!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Happy New Year
It's the 2nd day of the new year, it's a little after 9pm, and it's in the high 30's outside going down to the high 20's. What's the big deal? I'm no longer in Amsterdam!!!! I got back to Orlando last night right before midnight. The flights were between Amsterdam and Minneapolis then Orlando. Concerning the flights....those who fly know the poor state of that type of travel first hand these days. Boarding was almost completed on the transatlantic leg, and the seat next to me was still vacant. I was so hopeful...but you know how it goes. The flight attendants put an old, large, non-English speaking muslim woman with mobility issues there. She plopped in, with her large paper tote bag loaded with cloth, pringles, papers, and all sorts of odds and ends in her lap. She stayed in the same exact position for the entire flight! Trapped for 9 hours, I couldn't get up to stretch, splash water on my face, nothing!! Even worse, she took up a fair portion of my space, so I didn't have much room to twist, wriggle, shift....we were so tight if I had gotten a goosebump on my right arm it would've knocked her out of her seat!! The attendants would try to talk to her, but she would just smile. I helped her a couple of times with her seat belt, meal, and paper work. If it wasn't for movies on demand ("Into The Wild" *****, "Rush Hour 3" ***, "The Game Plan" **) and 5 hours of warm, orange and red sunset light bouncing off the ice in Greenland, Canada, and the leading edge of the plane's wing I would've been in a worse way. Entering the US you are asked many, many, many questions. I think we have gone over the edge with Homeland Security. Are they really going to catch an "evil doer" by asking if they like their apartment? And Orlando is still announcing the threat level (orange, if anyone still gives a shit about that nonsense). The flight was delayed to Orlando because they were waiting on a flight attendant. Is that insane, or what? You're late to work and you could end up sticking it to thousands of people if the wait is long enough!!! I would have to give NWA a C. Grading on todays curve, that's probably an A+!!! One moment, Stevie Wonder is kicking it......30 year old song and it still kicks ass....
New Years eve in Dam Square, Amsterdam. Picture it, Sicily, 1935 (props to Sophia...yeah...I watched Golden Girls...you got a problem with that?) okay, seriously, picture it....humans allowed to smoke pot in public, drink beer - champagne - turpentine - axle grease - AND manipulating explosives!!!!!!!!!! I don't mean little sparklers or some weenie little cardboard cone that burps little puffs of smoke. These dolts are setting off M-80 type explosives and larger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The state sponsored firework show was embarrassingly boring (basically non-existant), which is possibly why the citizendry has taken it upon themselves to provide the excitement such an earth-shattering event dictates. We had to dodge "incoming" on our walk home. Radhika almost yanked my arm out of the socket trying to pull me out of the way of an RPG as it bounced off of my right shoulder/chest area. Perhaps it's a good thing that a number of dolts were spraying the crowd with champagne...it kept the number of people bursting into flames down below the number of people who were being told by police to get down off of various structures they had climbed upon to get a better view of the idiots at ground level. I had enough and couldn't wait to get back to our flat. There was an apartment building totally engulfed in flames on our route back! According to the article it was due to fireworks!!
http://www.at5.nl/nieuwsartikel.asp?newsid=31994
http://tip.at5.nl/2008/01/01/meer-hgracht/
Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting a little warm weather by this weekend. It's going to have to hold me until May from what I understand about Amsterdam weather. Great!!!
New Years eve in Dam Square, Amsterdam. Picture it, Sicily, 1935 (props to Sophia...yeah...I watched Golden Girls...you got a problem with that?) okay, seriously, picture it....humans allowed to smoke pot in public, drink beer - champagne - turpentine - axle grease - AND manipulating explosives!!!!!!!!!! I don't mean little sparklers or some weenie little cardboard cone that burps little puffs of smoke. These dolts are setting off M-80 type explosives and larger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The state sponsored firework show was embarrassingly boring (basically non-existant), which is possibly why the citizendry has taken it upon themselves to provide the excitement such an earth-shattering event dictates. We had to dodge "incoming" on our walk home. Radhika almost yanked my arm out of the socket trying to pull me out of the way of an RPG as it bounced off of my right shoulder/chest area. Perhaps it's a good thing that a number of dolts were spraying the crowd with champagne...it kept the number of people bursting into flames down below the number of people who were being told by police to get down off of various structures they had climbed upon to get a better view of the idiots at ground level. I had enough and couldn't wait to get back to our flat. There was an apartment building totally engulfed in flames on our route back! According to the article it was due to fireworks!!
http://www.at5.nl/nieuwsartikel.asp?newsid=31994
http://tip.at5.nl/2008/01/01/meer-hgracht/
Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting a little warm weather by this weekend. It's going to have to hold me until May from what I understand about Amsterdam weather. Great!!!
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