So Busy

There's been precious little time to blog this weekend. Two social events for work, and meeting up with friends, has kept me out all weekend and the pace is slowing as I move into Sunday evening. Nice. But tiring.

Borrels means drinks in Dutch. It's common for employers to host borrels after work from time to time. And for my employer that's the first Friday or each month. Shut the computer down, leave your desk early, and get your weekend started, before ever leaving the office.

Saturday was a once in a long-while type event. We went to the beach! While attendance was way off the numbers who said they would show, a good time was had by the more than 2 dozen sun burned and sand blasted coworkers.

The North Sea coast of Holland is mainly sandy dunes. Many many miles of sand. So it's only natural, given the beautiful beach and vast vistas that people flock to the coast. Unless you also factor in the weather. Then the totality of the sea-side industry becomes incomprehensible. It's cold! The water is cold, the sand is cold, the wind blowing with gale force intensity is really cold. Where on other beaches people lay nearly naked and turn brown, in Holland groups in sweaters, jackets and long pants huddle together to avoid turning blue.

The intrepid attitude at least makes a "season" possible. As without a tolerance for cold, the beach would only be appropriate on about 3 days a year. And that wouldn't support the extensive areas of restaurants, surfing schools, bars and night clubs. So my colleagues and I did our job yesterday in the wind and cold and supported the modern maritime economy. And in just a few more days, we'll no long be picking sand out of ears and from between toes.