A few years ago, long before we decided that I would move to the Netherlands, Marco got me a Dutch study aid. It was from the popular “for dummies” book series.
Of course he felt a bit weird calling me a dummy, so he decided to alter the title a bit…
It makes me grin every time I see it!
I… am tired. I have been running around the campus like a maniac most of the day. The freshman come back tomorrow. I wish I had a few more weeks to work on my projects before they do! But c’est la vie.
In the morning, I hijacked my coworker’s computer (thank you Amy!) as it was connected to the color printer and I have to do at least 325 tri-fold brochures before Saturday’s scavenger hunt.
Somewhere in between my print jobs (25 copies in each group) I got called away to look at the new furniture that was being delivered downstairs in the Learning Commons. It is coming along beautifully after the stupid, heartwrenching flood in June.
Back in late October 2009, when I had only lived in this current apartment for a few months, Marco had to buy a birthday gift for a friend’s young child. While searching for a gift in a store, he came across blank puzzle pieces.
On a whim, he purchased four jigsaws and drew some images and phrases on each. He then had the bright idea to mail them to me a few at a time! So it was a while before I could complete the puzzles, though not forever.
“ik ben van jou” -> I am yours.
Funny story about the phrase above – he taught me two phrases back before I really started studying Dutch at all. “ik ben van jou” – I am yours – and “jij bent van mij” – you are mine. As I had zero grounding in Dutch, he was teaching me to remember it based on memorization, so he said “jij BENT van mij”, while making a bending motion with his hands.
So for whatever reason, that phrase reminded me of driving a car, with your hands on the steering wheel. So for a long time I could only differentiate between the two (ben vs. bent) by thinking of which one was where you were driving.
And this second jigsaw puzzle is proof that we have always been counting down days until we see each other again. At the bottom you can see the “80!!’ for 80 days. That would have been the Christmas trip where they visited my new digs for the first time.
By the way – it is 28 days and about 20 hours until we see each other again.
Not that we’re counting.
Random picture of the day. Here is the replacement bike that Roger bought last month:
Here’s hoping this one doesn’t “wander off” for many, many years!
Today was the fall college conference. We always have one the week before classes start in August, and one in January before classes begin. In addition, the month of May brings a “service recognition luncheon”. At some point I realized that this was my last college conference, just like in May it was my last service recognition luncheon.
Odd, how time flies. Odd how I see others being introduced for the first time, and I can still remember being introduced myself, and the joke that was cracked to me in front of everyone: “Your predecessor served for 30 years. Did you know that the contract you signed stipulated you would stay for 30 years as well?” There was a chance back then, however small. But there is no more chance. But this is by no means a pessimistic post.
It had been about a month but I finally decided to try Trpana’s idea about milk with “ice” cubes made of coffee.
Not nearly as pretty as Trpana’s coffee cubes!
Actually, last night was my 2nd attempt. The first time, I only put four coffee cubes in, and the coffee doesn’t melt that fast in milk. This time I put the rest of the ice cube tray in – about 7 or 8. It took about 75 minutes and a glass and a half of milk before they finally melted all of the way.
Amother thing to consider is that even though I normally like my coffee black with no milk or sugar added, this experiment could have done with a bit of sugar in the coffee itself when being brewed. A straw is also pretty handy, to stir it up occasionally.
It was an interesting drink… I am not sure if I will have it again right away, but it definitely had its place.
Earlier today I was doing some work for Avatar MUD (closing loopholes people were abusing – what else is new!), and I had Chopped Grill Masters on my TV as background noise. On Chopped, four different chefs compete each week to see who is the best. There are three rounds: appetizers, entrees, and desserts. One chef is eliminated each round. Grill Masters is a special version of that, with 4 episodes – 16 chefs competing for a spot on the finale (the 5th and final episode).
Anyway, at one point I thought I heard something, but I wasn’t sure. I glanced up from my work and listened. It was as I thought – one of the required appetizer ingredients was speculoos!
Speculoos (speculoospasta) is basically a paste made from speculaas cookies, both Dutch treats. According to Marco it was first marketed in 2007. Thankfully Marco had recently mailed me another two boxes of speculaas cookies for my coworkers and I, so I have enough to last for now.
So yes, I saw something Dutch (or Flemish, or Belgian…) on my TV today. Pretty cool.
I took today off, after having night shifts the other four days this week. How nice! Though of course Marco commented to me later about how I was still up and out the door by 8AM to get to the laundromat… but at least I don’t have to do that tomorrow.
Work has been kind of crazy, with various coworkers on vacation. I have spent more time covering the front desk in the last two weeks than the last half a year prior. And it’s less than a week to go before the students come back – eek! There is always so much to do, and never enough time.
I probably should be somewhat pensive today – since it was my choice to stay in the States until December. You see, if I had gone with the earlier option (leaving at the end of the yearly August-August contract rather than extending it one more semester), I would be leaving for the Netherlands in the next day or two. Admittedly things would have been easier if I had, but that wasn’t information I had at the time. But, tomorrow is 4 months to go (tentatively). So we are almost there.
On a different note, here’s some more local news from New York City. Check out this scaffolding.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Some areas of NYC now support artwork on their scaffolding. You can read more abut it and local law 11.
And on a final note I must add – because it might never happen again! – The Hague looks like it will be warmer than New York this weekend. Tomorrow New York won’t even hit 80F.
After Marco wrote the blog post about the Hello Kitty keychain, I thought about a few other keychains he and I have given each other. Slightly more practical, but not really…
At one point, I thought I had lost my Shoprite card, so I went to the grocery store to ask for another one. They said they would mail me one, but it would take 4-6 weeks, and that in the meantime I could use my phone number. Sometime in those 4-6 weeks, I found the card and forgot all about the ones that were to arrive in the mail.
But arrive they did – so I had the brilliant idea to give one to Marco. I believe I did so near the end of one of the trips, probably when he was about to pack his luggage. (Though my memory is a bit faulty at times!) He was thrilled, even if it really only has a use for about 6 weeks out of the year. But it does have some use, since occasionally I am at work when Roger and him visit so they need the card if I instruct them to do the grocery shopping!
At the bottom you can also see the tip of a blue key. That’s actually a key made from a New York Rangers mold… and its one of the copies of my house key. So technically he can get in whenever he wants, if there wasn’t an ocean in between.
Shortly after I gave Marco a Shoprite card, he gave me a keychain card of my own.
An Albert Heijn bonus card. Which will probably find a lot of use in about 4 months…
As I was walking to the post office today, I came across a service truck. The worker was in the middle of cutting down tree branches that were obstructing the power lines.
As you can see, there are power lines at the top of the image. If you’re American, this is a normal everyday sight (although one of my coworkers lives in a town where all of the lines are buried underground). But I still remember the first time Marco told me that the power lines in the Netherlands were underground.
Of course, this means they are much less likely to break when a storm hits. Like last October when most of the Northeast was out of power for a week (some places two weeks). I ended up spending the night at a coworker’s just to have a guaranteed shower and warmth. It got down in the mid 50s (Fahrenheit) in my place! There was an article written a few weeks ago about why most of the United States doesn’t bury their power lines (only 18% do). Mainly due to cost to the consumer, upkeep needed more often, and the type of rock they would have to dig into.
So just remember that the next time you see a power line. Or don’t see a power line…
Life in the Hague 