It’s been quite a random zaterdag (Saturday) already.
1. Shoprite trip — for random items including shaved steak and a refill on my flossers. You can buy packages with like 30 flossing heads in them. A bit of a panic for that, since I couldn’t find it right away. I hated flossing until I found these things (they look like a toothbrush) because it is the only thing that could easily floss my teeth.
2. Trip to the library to return 1Q84, which was a whopping 925 pages long and I never really opened. It’s by Haruki Murakami, one of my favorite authors. My favorite book, Kafka on the Shore (English version) is set in a small town library. I really should have picked out something shorter.
3. Put holds on two books in nearby libraries. Culture and customs of the Netherlands and My ‘Dam Life. I am grabbing the second one with some reservations, since most of the reviews weren’t that good. But libraries are free, so what the heck. I did enjoy The UnDutchables when I read it a few years ago, even if it is biased and exaggerated.
Why did I put holds on two books? I have a 4 day weekend coming up (Friday vacation, Monday is Memorial Day) and I figured in theory I might be bored and in the mood to read.
5. For a late Mother’s Day present I got my mom a downloadable version of King’s Quest (4, 5, 6) from gog.com. I have never used them before but she was able to download it and check out all 3 games. It was only $10 – worth it for 3 games that play on Windows 7.
6. Watched the NY Rangers beat the Devils, 3-0. Woot. They now lead the series 2-1. The coolest thing that came out of this game was Delta airline’s offer to fly Rangers fans from LaGuardia to Newark Airport for the game (a 17 minute flight). I wonder if they served drinks…
Life in the Hague 
For what it’s worth, I really liked My Dam Life, and I thought The Undutchables was whiney and everything I dislike about some expats.
Hmm okay. I think the Undutachables book was helped by the fact that I got a stern warning that the book was “nothing is like it says it is” so it seemed humorous before I even opened it. I was going off the Amazon reviews for the ‘Dam Life one. It’s too bad everything seems so focused on Amsterdam.
While My Dam Life is written about a guy’s experience moving to Amsterdam, I wouldn’t say it’s “focused” on there. He does talk about certain pubs and neighborhoods, but mostly it’s about his experiences with Dutch immigration, language, people, etc. My experience with the Undutchables was probably tainted by having met a number of expats who complain when anything is different here compared to their home countries. The book was basically here “Here are things that the Dutch do differently from everyone else.”
I read My ‘Dam Life, and didn’t really enjoy it, actually. It doesns’t give much of a sense of place– i felt like it could have been set anywhere. And i couldn’t quite feel connected to or sympathetic with the main character. But it’s an easy read, and free– love libraries. I’m curious how you’ll like it!
I think that was the main gripe on Amazon – it seemed to be more about the guy’s life than being in Amsterdam itself (which is why most people want to read it).
Yes, but afaik the Undutchables is also meant as a satirical view on the Dutch, not so much as a real guide to our country.
It embraces and embelishes all of the cliches. Some of them are definitely true. And some that are only partially true are definitely the things that tourists (and ex-pats) notice. Like how many bikes we have. And junkfood from the wall, etc.
I always feel it’s more a book that’s aimed AT the Dutch (it’s a nice mirror into our quirks) than a guide of any sorts for the rest of the world. 😉