Big Bang Day...plus one.

Well, I thought I wanted to get started here yesterday, since it was the Big Bang Day here in Europe, and by that I mean the firing up of the particle accelerator down in Switzerland, but....being a man of leisure keeps ya busy, and I didn't quite get to it.
So here it is, Sept 11/08....which is a tough day for a lot of folks.
It was hard to watch the coverage of the events that were taking place at "ground zero". Both the BBC and CNN had coverage.
Seems everyone remembers exactly what they were doing when the towers came down. I was painting the kitchen back home, and my wife called from Horseheads, N.Y. and told me to turn on the TV.
Man, what a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach that is.

So here we are....many years later, and my wife and I are in the Netherlands. More details will slip out as time passes but for now, suffice to say she'll be working here for the next three years (well, it's about 33 months by this point, but who's counting?) we secured a house to rent, which we got the keys to on August 15th, and the big news of today was that our shipment of "stuff" will be arriving next Wednesday!!

I'm giddy just typing those words!

She already has her residence permit, and I've been to Den Haag a week ago to apply for mine. Pretty sure I'll get one. Oooh, wouldn't it be a shame if the company had to send me home every 90 days? Shouldn't think like that.
Still debating about that whole dutch driving license thing. As it stands now I am going home just about every ninety days, with the upcoming wedding of our daughter, and then there's that whole Christmas thing.
Not hanging around here for Christmas.
Now, before you send off any hate mail or, hate email, I'm sure Christmas in The Netherlands is simply wonderfull, but there's no place like home. (groan)
Besides, I'd probably just get a visit from Black Pete anyway....
So...I'm quite looking forward to getting our "stuff" (in reverence of George Carlin, who did a whole bit on "stuff") since I'm getting a bit weary of wearing the same two pairs of blue jeans, and not having a host of other things that one tends to take for granted.
Had a couple emails today from the lady from the moving company who was quite concerned whether we had some means of getting things to the second floor. (??)
If you ever go to Amsterdam, you'll get it. Houses: tiny....stairs: hardly. We however, have an actual honest to goodness set of stairs. I even sent her pictures.
Here's one.....


I just realised, that was my first ever picture upload!

Maybe I should crack another cold one?




See, that was why we didn't take that 'other house'.....'cause if the bedroom furniture has to come in through the bedroom window....well that's just not a good sign! I'm not completely old and decrepid just yet, but coming down in the morning should not be life threatening.
We also looked at a host of apartments. Some of them were really quite nice, and maybe one day I would like a nice little condo looking out over a marina somewhere, but not yet, and not here. Glad we passed on them. Actually....I'm glad we stuck to our guns and held out for this place.
As some of you may recall, on the very day back in June (would have been something like the 17th) when we came to the house to have a look around, some chimp picked up a brochure at the real estate office (wasn't the same folks we were using....they didn't like each other much, which made it kinda juicy) and then of course they had to wait to see if there was an offer forthcoming.
Oy!
I completely understand since, even though I'm not too sure what the commision structure over here is, on €675,000 it can't be too shabby.
So what seemed like forever went by and I had been back home for awhile, when the call came in that we got the house.

These little moments are exciting aren't they?

Well, I may come back later this evening and add some more drivel, but I've had the car today, so I really should go out and pedal my posterior around a bit. Gabe (for those of you who may have just surfed in, that's my wife's name, btw) is on her way by now to Schipol and then on to Birmingham.

I'm just a lonely guy in a lonely town.