deluxe

I spoke with my realtor today to make an appointment to view some properties next week. Prior to this, I had sent him an e-mail with an overview of the type of place I'm looking for.

Since he had already shown me some properties in February, I have a vague idea of what I want in a flat in terms of price range, amenities, location, etc. One of the things I listed was a full-sized kitchen, since I do like to cook and entertain.

As he was going down the list, clarifying the points I had listed, he stopped at this one and asked, "You want a deluxe kitchen?"

"A regular kitchen will be fine. But a full-sized one." I responded, uncertain of what he meant by a deluxe kitchen, and envisioning state of the art appliances with 16 burners and a walk-in freezer.

"So, a deluxe, then."

"Well, my kitchen right now is a closet converted into a kitchen, and the microwave is housed on a bookshelf under the television, so if by deluxe, you mean something bigger than a closet, then yes, I want a deluxe kitchen. But if by deluxe, you mean fancy and overpriced, then I can do with just a standard 10'x10' kitchen"

Laughing, he says, "Yes, this is Holland, If you actually want to cook in your kitchen, then you want what we call a deluxe kitchen."

hello & shit

I woke up this morning, flipped over, grabbed my laptop and checked my e-mail before hopping in the shower and heading for work. Waiting in my inbox was an e-mail from my friend Lizzo with the subject: "hello & shit". Lizzo is one of the most random, crazy-fun people I've met, and can literally talk without taking breaths in between sentences. The conversations I've had with her are very steam-of-consciousness sort of ramblings, and I'm pleased that her e-mails are as well.

In her e-mail, which seriously took me ten minutes to read (it was that long!), she writes about moving from Boston and living in Southern California:

back to me
i am loving summer and have the crazy white person with pink skin burn look to prove it
last weekend i laid in a raft in the pool at my apartment all day saturday
and sunday ryan and i went to this beach down the street
it is where they filmed the best movie ever, beaches
which makes me break out into "the wind beneath my wing" whenever i go
so i packed a picnic and we swam and layed around and shit
and there were dolphins
and i had a little moment where i thought," i can't believe i live here, this is where people come to vacation, i don't have to wait for a beach day or ever make plans, every day is a beach day" and i was happy

Which is kind of how I feel about living in Europe...

it's like learning to ride a bike again

....and that's exactly what I've been doing. It's been years since I've cycled around, and now that I've sold my car, I need to think about buying a bike. I've been holding back from making an immediate purchase since I don't really know what I want or need. A folding bike that I found on craigslist was briefly in consideration, but then when I decided that the likelihood of me folding up my bike to take it on the train is pretty much zilch, I began to think about a basic omafiets (literally translated: granny bike).

My plan is to get comfortable with being on a bike again, and then figure out how much I want to spend. Especially since bicycle theft is very common here in The Netherlands, there really is no point in buying a new one. Except for the fact that I like nice things. (Cue the whiny voice...) So, my co-worker offered me the use of her bike, which has been sitting in the shed at work for a few months while I contemplate my decision. All I would have to do is pump up the flat. So, after work today, I did just that. Borrowed a bike pump, went to pump up the deflated tires, and wouldn't you know it, there are leaks everywhere. So, Plan A didn't work out so well.

On to Plan B. At work, there are a few bicycles that are available to borrow. Usually they are all lent out and there aren't any left. Luckily, I've sort of made friends with one of the receptionists, and she found one for me. Unfortunately, it's built for Dutch people who are extremely tall, so I had a difficult time manoeuvering it. The minute I hopped on (and I literally had to jump to get on the damn seat!) I almost fell on my face.

I'm such a klutz.

"the phone present have groans"

So, I'm trying to redeem some free PrePaid minutes for my mobile phone, and to do so, I have to fill out a survey. Everything is in Dutch, so I resort to online translation to figure out out to fill this damn thing in. Here's the translation result for one of the questions:

I have elected until prepaid, because:
* I the cost within the handshake wish keep
* I little bubble
* I within young one have been until one subscription
* the facile upon within supply is
* I the phone present have groans
* the reverse

I really need to learn to speak Dutch...

Oh, and in case you're wondering, I checked the "I little bubble" box.

honesty is the best policy

I was catching up on my Boston blogs this evening and read about Evan's budget hotel adventures in New York. Coincidentally, one of my colleagues had just showed me a fantastic series of advertising campaigns for a hotel chain in Amsterdam called Hans Brinker Budget Hotel.

Go to the History section and "take a walk down memory lane (watch out for the dog shit) and enjoy the advertising that helped make the Hnas Brinker a home from home for thousands of visitors to Amsterdam." This is perhaps the most truthful (and hilariously funny) advertising I've seen in a long time.

Perhaps this is where I should threaten to send unruly house guests when they come to visit me in The Netherlands...