Thursday!

Thursday is perfect for all your pagan celebrations. Named (in English, German and Scandinavian languages) for Thor, the god of lightning and big hammers, this day goes by many pagan names. In Roman languages this day is known as Jupiter's day, Jovis Dies, which became giovedi, jueves, and jeudi in Italian, Spanish, and French. In Hindu Thursday is Guruvaar which derives from Jupiter's name in Sanskrit. Whether culturally you prefer Thor or Jupiter you're still acknowledging the power of a really big tool and a bolt of lightning.

While the worlds "modern" religions celebrate their gods on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday the living earth still calls it's people to celebrate Thursday in older, more traditional ways. For example, Thursday is the best drinking and partying night of the week for those paganically inclined. You can meet new people on Thursday and be on the third date before the end of the weekend!

School taught me to party on Thursdays. In college, everyone went home weekends, leaving the campus deserted. So Thursday night was the time to hit the student pubs. Later in life I learned that weekends can start on Thursday evenings... provided the weekend enjoyer is willing to work Friday (part of the weekend). There's a certain evil pleasure in that moment when you know you're already up too late to get enough sleep for work, but you order another drink any way.

You can have a three-day weekend every week... if you want it hard enough.

Some cultures hold out. In Portugal they prefer to keep cleaner souls and so simply refer to Thursday as "fifth day". Quakers, from whom we more expect this piety, also keep time with Wednesday, fifth day, Friday. I wonder how they capitalise it? Fifth day? Fifth Day? Or do they eschew paper?

Douglas Adams knew that the world would eventually explode on a Thursday. And Last Thursdayism expounds that the world was actually created on a Thursday. Specifically, last Thursday.

In the UK this pagan holiday has it's place in evil tradition with all elections in the last 70 years held on Thursdays. And Thanksgiving in the U.S., their most pagan of pagan feast days, is always held on Thursdays. The fourth Thursday of the 11th month. Eleven, a one and a one. 1+1=2. Two and four?

Even the symbol for Jupiter gives away the true purpose of Thursday. The numbers two and four, together. As any Canadian can tell you, two-four is the universal term for a case of (24) beer. There's twenty four hours in every Thursday and twenty four beers in a case. Coincidence? Don't be so naive!

So the next time your work week feels endless. The next time you lament how boring your life seems. The next time you feel like you just can't make it one more day until Friday... cut loose, go wild, be pagan, and yell," Thank gods it's Thursday!"

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Top Twelve Ways to Beat Jet Lag

Jet lag, herein to be known as jetlag regardless of what the spell checker thinks, is often misunderstood. A bit of yawning, a missed night of sleep here or there and it's all okay, right? Heck no.

As a case in point, earlier this year I was talking to a friend of mine who flew from Vancouver to Amsterdam. She proudly proclaimed that she felt no jetlag whatsoever. Upon questioning she did admit that all the travelling had left her sick. She wasn't hungry, wasn't eating properly, had an upset stomach, and hadn't gotten much decent sleep. But she wasn't jetlagged!

To help travellers, I provide the following list of 12 ways to beat and avoid jetlag.

#10 - Flying west is easier than east. So if flying from Paris to New York, make your return flight via Los Angeles, Hawaii, Thailand, Dubai and then back to Paris. Voila, pas de jetlag!

#9 - Use multiple alarm clocks. Set them to go off 20 seconds apart and place them around the room in such a way that turning them off forces you out of bed and preferably down the hall towards the shower.

#8 - Stick to one timezone with fundamentalist fanaticism. If the sun in the sky says it's 6 hours earlier/later than your brain is expecting, ignore it. Book your business meetings at 11pm and force those you're meeting with to accommodate your timezone needs.

#7 - Drink plenty of fluids. The dry air inside the plane, the airline's chic new fusion cuisine, and the complimentary beer all contribute to dehydration. Said food is going to become a brick in your stomach as they feed you lunch at 2:30am. Water will help smooth the whole process later when it's time to... lay bricks.

#5 - Keep lists. Sleep deprivation will mean a loss of mental acuity. To make sure you don't start missing important parts of life, keep a properly ordered list and make sure not to miss any thing.

#4 - No sleep 'til bedtime! Seriously. Normally I would tell you to sleep when you're tired. (Like eating when you're hungry, or making love when you're happy, sad, warm, cold, excited or bored.) But if you want to get on board with your local time zone, don't let yourself sleep or even nap during daylight hours. Force yourself to sleep at night.

#pi - Eat at meal times. If you normally eat breakfast, lunch and dinner then keep doing that. You may find you aren't hungry but sit down and try to eat any way. Some of the worst symptoms of jetlag are gastro-intestinal. Your stomach expects different things at different times of the day (time to eat and time to rest, a time to laugh, a time to cry, turn turn turn). The faster you can reset the stomach the sooner you'll feel normal. (Note: "Resetting" one's stomach can be painful and/or messy.)

#2 - Coffee, and lots of it! Once the alarm clock trick has you out of bed, immediately flood your system with caffeine. Don't drink coffee? Try No-Doze or similar pills as favoured by long-distance truckers and late-night strippers.

And the single best way to handle jetlag?

#A - Don't fly!

I hope this has been helpful.

And Now I'm Home Too

It's only midnight at my parents' in Canada, but past 6am back here in Holland. Deep into the middle of my journey of jet lag, I was done my journey of jet yesterday after an 18 hour door to door trip.

This time round the 6.5 hour flight was extended to 9.5 hours instead. KLM gave us a tour of Canada before finally sending us on our way to Holland. It was an unbelievable disappointment when I heard the Captain's announcement about "turning to go back to Toronto". Having been in the air for an hour already, and flying some where roughly near Montreal, some type of mechanical problem regarding on-board water necessitated the plane turning back for repairs. An hour out, that same hour back, and an hour on the ground. We remained in our seats the whole time. And so once we finally set out for our trans-atlantic flight I was already uncomfortable.

Big thanks to Diesel! Your book, Antisocial Commentary, kept me laughing out loud throughout the flight! There were times I was crying from laughing too hard. When ever I wasn't wandering the cabin, eating, or watching the movie I was convulsing with laughter and that made the marathon plane experience so much easier.

Alas, after roughly 35 trips across the Atlantic ocean now, I've never slept on a plane. So taking off at 6pm from Toronto (the first time) and landing at Schiphol at 10:30am meant I missed Friday night and went straight into a sunny Saturday.

After staying up as long as possible (to 8pm) I've now slept 10 hours and have awoken on a cycle entirely reversed from where I was yesterday. No. Not yesterday, Friday. One extra-long 29 hour day ago. Two days ago. I don't know.

While never fun to travel, it is of course nice to be home. And now a sunny day is just minutes away from starting as the horizon turns pink. I think that means it's time to brew some coffee.


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Further: The old saying is that the early bird gets the worm. Having watched sunrise I noticed it is actually the water fowl who were flying first. Ducks, geese, and swans took to the sky while it was still dark. Song birds waited until significantly later. So I propose that it actually should be "The early bird gets the fish."

She's Home She's Home!

She's home, she's home, J.D. is finally home! Safe and sound from the hospital, my Mom arrived home just in time to share my last night in Canada... and thank goodness! The family has been going nuts, and it all finally feels okay again.

Suddenly laundry is a priority. Dinner was a group event. The evening is devoted to the three of use around the television.

So what's the prognosis you ask? What did all the test results say? Well, would you believe that the doctors really don't know, but literally sent her home with a perscription for aspirin? LOL! Take two aspirin and call your cardiologist in the morning.

It's been an unpleasant experience. But given that it could have been a lot of serious things, and appears not to be, everyone involved is feeling lucky and counting blessings. Thanks all for the well wishes and prayers!

Peace and Love

Self Indulgent Introspective Crap

Disclaimer: Seriously, you probably don't want to read the following. It's therapy through writing and unlikely to be of interest to you.

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Last week I was anticipating the joy of an eight hour long flight, which I prepared for by buying a book. By chance I chose a favourite author, Richard Feynman, and without any clue as to the nature of the book I bought it and started reading. The whole first chapter was a tribute to his father.

Coincidentally a combination of events came together that day.

Standing waiting for the flight, I heard my name behind me and turned to find none other than my ex-fiancee waiting for the same flight. Going to the same city in Niagara, holding a ticket to sit beside me. Karma is cruel.

The young lady in question, nine years my senior, played an instrumental role in the idea that perhaps I'd live my life without raising a family. And for the three years since our separation I kept that idea.

It was only this summer that I met a friend who made me question that idea. Hell, I abandoned the idea like a hot potato(e) and re-evaluated all my plans in an instant. (Soul mates... infinitely dangerous.) Once I began to question the fundamental tenets of my existence, all hell started breaking loose.

I recently met another new (very special) friend and I decided not to mention to her my idea that perhaps I wouldn't ever have kids. Wow! Suddenly I'm attractive!

Sitting there on the plane, beside the ex, reading Richard Feynman's tribute to his father, I suddenly no longer knew. My life had gained perspective.

And all these thoughts came to me before my Mom spent five days in the hospital for a (suspected) heart attack. Add mortality to the thought of immortality and the whole idea of kids starts looking ... well, its still looking pretty scary.

Thus far I've travelled, had fun and sought adventure. I've done things because they scared me... never avoiding fear. And although I've gone this far in life seeking challenges, this one challenge has always seemed beyond reach, beyond my expectations, and beyond my desires. But now... I don't know. It's all changing. It's all different. It's all far more serious. And suddenly I'm really fucking confused.

Very Scary News

It's been a year since I've been home to Canada. Thanksgiving last year I pulled into the driveway just an hour before the whole family sat down to dinner. This year, I intended to wait until Christmas to come home. Until, that is, I began to suspect that my mother's always-poor health was a little worse than normal. The other day I booked a last minute flight home.

Things actually seemed pretty normal when I arrived. Mom and Dad were both in great spirits. J.D. looked a little more frail than normal but was so happy to see me.

And yesterday afternoon seemed like a very normal day. After a bit of shopping with my Dad, and some time hanging out with Mom, the three of us were sitting in the living room watching TV and chatting.

J.D. is a Coke addict. Coca-Cola that is. She has a glass of the stuff with her all day and all night. It's her preferred way to wash down heart pills, etc.. So it seemed odd when she suddenly asked me," Who's glass of cola is this?"

"It's yours Mom."

Two minutes later she asked," Is this your cola?" and at that moment the day began to fall apart. She really didn't know. She didn't know that she had just asked. She didn't know what she had been doing. She couldn't answer any question about the preceding 3 hours. And she was almost as afraid of that as Dad and I were.

There were no other signs of symptoms of a problem. No headache or weakness or dizziness. No pain or similar. But her confusion was so profound we wasted no time and grabbing only a book and her purse we went to the hospital.

Those first few moments were the worst part. We suspected, but didn't speak about, a stroke. As it turns out, it seems that minor heart-attack is more likely.

J.D. is well. She's fine, at the hospital, in good hands, and in high spirits. Mainly she's excited to be able to visit with her friend Carol who's there post knee surgery. We don't even know for sure yet whether it was indeed a heart attack. But from all the tests and probes and scans and monitoring this seems the most likely. And she'll be staying a second night, tonight, to give the doctors time to figure it all out.

By tomorrow I'm sure J.D. will be home again. In the mean time, Dad and I are going to try to cook the Thanksgiving turkey on our own (first time for either of us) so that tonight we can bring her the turkey sandwich that she's insisting on.

Stay tuned for updates. Well wishes can be sent here or here, and prayers are always appreciated.

It was a pretty scary night, but I've never been more glad to be home. I love you Mom!

A new passport... simple.

This isn't the first time I've had to renew my passport since leaving Canada. So I sort of knew what to expect. Even though the process hasn't phased me too badly, it's stunning how complicated it is!

I have to turn in my passport and new-passport application to the Canadian Embassy in the Hague. Even though I'll be in Canada all next week, I can't do it there. Renewals are only allowed in your country of residence. So okay, I fly Saturday and return a week later. I need the passport I have now.

So in two weeks I can go to the embassy. But first I need to go to the dentist! The dentist? Yes, the dentist. Or I could visit my lawyer or my doctor. But I need a signature from a similar notary or witness to sign my application. Fine, I need my 6-month cleaning. So I come home from Canada and go to the dentist to get my passport paperwork filled in.

Then I need to take my passport application and my plane ticket to the Hague. Plane ticket? Yes, I need to get a plane ticket ASAP or else I won't be able to visit Denmark.

I've got plans to visit Denmark 2 weeks after Canada. But the passport (which they'll have and I won't) will take 15 working days... three full weeks. So I also need a temporary passport issued to me before I hand in my application for a real one. And to get the temporary passport, you've got to fill in more forms, pay extra fees, and show proof of travel, ie. a plane ticket. So if I want to leave Holland I need to have a ticket purchased well in advance.

So I'll take my two forms (renewal and temporary), my dentist's signature, my plane ticket, about 160 euros (cash only, no credit) and half a day off work (not including the dentist's appointment) and hand over my passport. Then, just three short weeks (perhaps 2 international trips) and another half day off of work later and I'll have my shiny new Canadian passport.

I'm not even considering the trip to the store to buy new print cartridges as part of the process.

I knew Canadian passports were "popular" but this is silly!

Dating Dichotomies

Happy relationships are lovely things; special and important. Songs sound nicer when you're in a relationship. Being single isn't a bad thing though! Singletons (to borrow from Brigit Jones) enjoy more social connections, freedom of choice, and get to trash talk all the stupid mushy love songs on the radio. Problems don't arise until the transition between single and not. The world of dating is a terrible terrible place where all the principles and standards from both sides of the fence meet in a twisted mash of dichotomies, oxymorons, catch-22's and contradictions.

Examples, askith you? Very well. Take for instance this time devoted to "really getting to know" another person... one who was a stranger just a short time before. How does one do this? Why by behaving and acting their very best, of course! Is anyone really good at just being themselves on a first date?

Another example? How about the universal idea (amongst single 30-somethings) that one is only interested in spending time in a relationship if it's going to be long-term and serious, which of course you have to decide upon long before you know whether or not the relationship will be long-term and/or serious.

More? In my humble opinion it's impossible to be 30-something, on a date, and truly totally single. The only truly single people aren't dating, at all. The best you can hope for is that the person on a date with you is simply "not living" with any one. There's always a tiny little complication in there some where!

And none of this is considering the ferms and merms and such. Those poor buggers!

The saddest irony? The best daters have the shortest careers. They get promoted quickly to "relationship" status. So it's the pathetic buggers (*blushes*) who are bad at dating who are condemned the longest to it.

Blogging for dollars

I just found out! Quilly is blogging for dollars and wants others to know about Oahu Dreams. I think we can help out. Besides, when ever I'm not home Sneaky reads it.

Damn, they're trying to kill me!

As a dive instructor I'm heavily insured. The greatest fear (and most common joke) is returning with one fewer student than you start with. But honestly, the danger is for the instructor more than the student. And yesterday I was reminded of that.

We spent last evening in the pool, finishing the last of the pool training dives. I demonstrated 2 variations of the Scuba Unit R&R skill. That's the removal and replacement of your scuba gear (buoyancy vest and tank), while underwater. On the second go, my right arm snagged. My wrist-worn dive computer caught the shoulder strap and the motion of trying to lift the unit over my head and onto my back instead twisted the strap about my wrist. Mildly embarrassing. But.

Just as I was about to undo the motion and free my arm one of my students rushed forward. From his perspective it looked like the reason my demonstration had stopped was that my snorkel was caught in the buoyancy vest. So he pulled it loose. And pulled my mask off in the process.

Now I wasn't happy, but it gets better! Apparently the jerk to my face, which was already at the very end of my regulator's hose, was enough to half pull the regulator out of my mouth, and that change in pressure was in turn enough to cause my reg to free-flow. So suddenly I found myself underwater entangled, mask-less, and with a regulator delivering hurricane force air to my mouth.

I looked down for my mask but could see nothing through the cloud of bubbles. I learned (as all do) how to breath from a free-flowing regulator in my initial scuba training. And as part of that training we all learn how to do without a mask. And I know how to handle underwater entanglements. I've never conceived of all three at once!

Bloody students are trying to kill me!

Clearly I'm well. In fact after a brief breath at the side of the pool (not easy to get to) I carried on with the lesson as if nothing had happened.

Today we went out for the students' third open water dive and the same student punched me in the mask. He felt really bad afterwards but I told him that after yesterday's training, a little water in my mask was nothing!

Overall, pretty embarrassing at the pool, but also sorta kinda funny. And a whole lot of fun!

I'm a writer

I'm a writer and someday I'm actually going to write something. Not a blog, but a novel. Novels. They'll be filed in the fiction section and I'll give Dan Brown a run for his money when it comes to pseudo-history! While he may scour libraries for obscure bits of theory, I'll simply be writing what I know.

The critics are going to say I over develop my characters. That they're too complex and don't follow the archetypes properly. They'll say that no one goes through life with happening after happening and reacting to it all in that way. But I'll just smile smugly.

Your antagonist can be an adventurer, exploring the mountains and oceans. Or a lover, with a life so complicated you can't follow the characters without a plot summary. Or they could be a mover, working multi-million dollar deals and travelling the world to do so. It's even believable to centre the story around a simple man content with a simple life. Or of a flawed man who ever so slowly improves. But no one will believe a book with all the above in a main character who ultimately will be just another face on a crowded street. And if every supporting character is equally as complex?!? Impossible!

A few will buy the books but few will buy into it. Regardless, some day I'll sit down, take a year or ten, and write it all.

I hope it has a happy ending.

Amsterdam at Midnight

Amsterdam has at least two, often three entirely different cities sharing each place on any given day. Some places that are full of hardware stores and elementary schools suddenly spring restaurants in the evening. Bars dominate some of these same areas at night. The never-empty streets are later occupied by people you'd never want near your neighbourhood school. Until the light of morning when the last of the misanthropes move out and giggling children again return to school.

And midnight is the most dramatic of all the shifts. The trams and buses take their last rides to the edges of town as the (respectable) night clubs are opening their doors. (Sure some might have been open at 10pm. But no one shows up until 1:00.) Restaurants close their kitchens by 10:30 and by 11:30 the well fed customers are grabbing their aforementioned last bus. So midnight is a brief, brilliant mix of two portions of the city. A moment of chaos transitioning from the respectable to the unspoken.

There isn't a specific time in the morning when the last partier goes home. There is no time such as 5:15pm when the all the office workers become cafe sitters. The various stages of the city transition slowly. But at midnight... ah midnight in Amsterdam.

Congratulations Rogier!

Rogier is my roommate. And over the past couple of years he's been a pretty good one. No where near as clean as I am, he's not messy. Often out late, he tries to be quiet when he comes in. We've gotten along over the years mostly by keeping opposite schedules and time-sharing the living room as much as coexisting in it.

So it's with real happiness and excitement that I congratulate Ro on his new acquisition. He's bought a house! Come December he's moving! Out of here! Yeah! Oh, and into a new home with his girlfriend and co-house-owner.

Over the years I've grown used to sometimes having to wash his dishes to make space so that I could cook dinner. Darn, in the future all the dishes I wash will have to be my own.

Hehe! *dance*

Plans, why make 'em?

The one univeral truth about my weekends in Amsterdam is that there's no sense making plans. I always have nice weekends but they're never what I was intending. For a few weekends this summer this meant that I didn't dive when I planned to. This weekend, I am diving when I didn't plan to. Dancing isn't going to happen. So plan B is to follow Adam and Tobias who both insisted that with or without me, they were going.

After many missed Saturday nights the goals for this weekend included: getting drunk, going dancing, staying up all night, and not diving. Last night was short. Sleep was long. The day has been slow. But I don't have the energy for dancing.

Tobias and I picked up his gear from the dive shop today. And we got three tanks, in case I wanted to come along. Well now my gear is packed, my evening is restful, and the tank awaits. So to heck with plans, tomorrow I'm (surprise) going diving!

I'm back

Rarely do I nap if not sick. But I have plans to enjoy myself as much as possible this weekend and while the mattress at the hotel was quite soft and the pillows were huge, the bed still wasn't entirely comfortable. It was a hotel. Again. So I'm going to take a quick nap before truly meaning it when I say," Woohoo, I'm home!"

I'm sorry to report there are no pics of Copenhagen because I never made it into the city. While downtown was only a short bus ride away, the 11-hour long show caused physical discomfort and low energy for all the staff.

Two of the Danes left last night while the other one and I had dinner back at the hotel. After a couple hours of Harry Potter it was bed time.

*phone rings*

Damn, I'm being guilted out. I forgot I told a friend we'd consider plans for dinner Friday, and due to a precipitation of events in their schedule, I'm now being waited for.

Okay, this still leaves time for a nice warm shower, a shave, and a change into fresh clothes. What I think of as "de-airlining" my person.

It's just as well, since I probably wouldn't have slept well had I tried to nap. And I'm probably really not that sleepy in that once home I checked my email and wrote this blog post. *grins* Okay, it's Friday night and woohoo! I'm home!

Now it's time to go out.

Trade Show

Trade shows are boring. Deeply deeply boring. And "working" the show is even worse. Still, I'm in Denmark eating real Danish food and hearing crazy languages all around me. And the people I'm working with (just met) seem really nice.

Any way, the point of this post is not about how boring the show is. I was getting demands for pics from Denmark. As this show is the only thing in Denmark I've seen, suffer through these.

These are the guys I'm working with. That's my laptop on the right! Yippee!

The lunch was really quite nice!

For those bored enough to ask... it's a broadband network convention. So people are selling software (that's me!), tools, and the actual materials to make things like fiber-optic networks.

*yawn*

Greetings from Copenhagen!

With only four hours sleep behind me, I managed to get my plane this morning. Thank goodness for auto-pilot. Not on the plane, but the one inside my head that makes it possible to shower and dress before my eyes are fully open.

Alas, there's nothing here in Copenhagen for me to see. Once again, my hotel is in a business park close to the airport and no where really near the downtown. But apparently I'm close to the trade show I'll be attending tomorrow. 11 hours of manning a booth and "trying" to sell software.

I say "trying" and not trying because I don't sell. I have no idea why I was invited to attend and I'm here with semi-functional software demos that are completely unrelated to the new software my company is releasing in 2 weeks. Futile? Oh yeah!

Oh well, at least now I can add Denmark to the "been there, done that" list. Well, "been there" at least.

Happy... Tuesday

I'm sure the TV news won't let us forget, and we should all take a moment to remember that today is September 11th. But in the overal, I hope today is best remembered as "just another Tuesday". May our world be uneventful and your day quiet.

Peace.

Music

Over the past year You Tube (and Google Videos and the rest) have started to become a legitimate form of entertainment for me. I've had nights where the online videos were more interesting than anything on TV and even once when I shunned one of my all time favourite shows in favour of the online offerings.

Some of the most common searches I make involve music. An old song is in my head... 30 seconds later its playing on my computer. Woohoo! I see a song title on TV, moments later, I'm watching the video. Here's an example of three I've visited often.

Bob Marley is classic. But this particular video uses a techno'd-up, Euro-beat remix. After back-to-back listening with the original, I chose to post this one. Toe tapping. Titled "Sun is Shining" you might know it better by the lyrics "I'm a rainbow too." This song makes me happy.


Fatboy Slim is also techno. But good luck pinning his work down more than that. I like everything Fatboy Slim has done. But I'm too lazy to buy more albums. All the best stuff is available on You Tube!

While slightly dark, I love this video because of the airplane and the pilot who goes nuts. Lucky bugger.


Watskeburt? It's hard to explain, but this Dutch slang means "what's happening?" in the way that "s'up?" means "good evening gentlemen, what news is there to share?" De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig are a local Amsterdam band. I recognize most of the backgrounds in this video. Make no mistake, the song is complete crap! But it has a certain catch to it that made Mambo #5 and works of similar quality into hits.

[Bad language alert... not Mom friendly.]


Standing back and looking at this collection I notice a trend. While from different countries (Jamaica, UK, and Holland) and spanning 40 years (70's, 90's and 00's) they're all dance songs. Perhaps I should take next weekend and spend a few hours on a dance floor?

A quick update

The head cold is over, and like any one would, I immediately started over-doing everything the moment I felt human again.

I taught in the pool last night. Got home from work at 5:50 and was back out at 6:00 again. My two students and I had dinner, reviewed their academic work, briefed and explained the skills for the upcoming dive, then got all the gear needed from the shop and helped load it into the van. After a fun time in the pool we went back to the shop, helped with the unloading, then went out for a beer and debriefing. It was 1:45am when I got home.

This morning I woke up and spent an hour on the phone arranging logistics. Then three of us met up at the dive shop and compiled and loaded all the gear for the 6 of us diving this Sunday. 4 sets of gear rentals, 9 tanks of air and various sundry bits and pieces. And I'm renting is all. Wow, I just got 9 tanks of air!

Tomorrow I'm trying to fit three dives into an afternoon. Starting from 2pm, I plan to quickly hit the water with the OW students and do their first ever "real" dive. Then I'm taking Tobias and Ingrid out for their first training dive for their Advanced OW certificate. We'll be practicing underwater navigation. As soon as they're done, I'll be back in the water for the second dive with the OW students... and by then everyone will be tired and I'll be exhausted.

If you dive so regularly that your gear never completely dries, smells can result. That, my friends, is the smell of success! ;-)

Next weekend, I'm booking off from diving. I know by then I'll probably need a sleep-in.

Sweat it out!

Damn this feels good; soaked in sweat, every part tired, hands so weak they're shaking. After a June, July and August without the gym, I'm finally back.

My body is addicted to exercise. It's a true physical addiction, because when I stop, the symptoms are unbearable. Every pulled muscle and old injury I've ever hard will creep back and start to bother me... unless I exercise. Then it just all goes away.

Done properly, 2 or 3 trips a week keeps everything running smoothly. Physically, mentally, I benefit from (hard) physical activity in so many ways. It's holistic. And without it, like the past month or two, everything hurts. Nights become more for TV than for me. And that's not good.

But this is the best addiction I've heard of. And it takes so little to get me back into it. Exercise makes me want to eat well; not lots, but nutritiously. And of course it forces good sleep. Eleven o'clock doesn't magically become one o'clock in the morning without sleep. When I put my head down, I sleep better, and thus feel better the next day. Full of energy and highly motivated to return to the gym.

It can't all be good

It's not been a bad day. But I'm going nuts, quietly. Sick lately, I worked from home today. I got my work done, but didn't have enough to do to use up even my limited energy.

Currently every project at work is awaiting further information via email. Until then, any effort applied is likely wasted effort.

And it seems many facets of my personal life are awaiting emails. For example, after patiently waiting I have found that PADI has lost part of my paperwork. I'm not yet certified to teach CPR, per the course I took and passed last May. I have to contact my instructor, but to find out his email address I've had to contact the resort manager in Bonaire. But I think everyone in Bonaire is busy right now.

Three days at home is all it takes to make me stir crazy. Although it takes more strength and energy than I currently have to get me out the door.

Happy Labour Day, Canada!

Here in Holland, people usually take most of their 4, 5, or 6 weeks of vacation time during the summer months. Europe in general tends to take "the summer off". As a result, there are few (no) public holidays at this time of year.

In Canada, however, life centres around summer long weekends. People hibernate all winter in their homes dreaming of finally being able to enjoy the summer sun and a bit of free time. This hibernation is officially ended on May 24th, the Victoria Day weekend. Known as Memorial Day in the U.S., more commonly known as the May Two-Four in Canada, this is the unofficial start of summer. And Labour Day (shared in both countries) marks the unofficial end.

If you have a summer home in Canada, this is the weekend that the boat came out of the water, the heater got it's winter service, and all your friends stayed over for the weekend to help with the work and to drink your beer. Today people with hangovers will pack the highways with cars and campers and boat trailers as they wearily drive home to their daily worries, jobs, and eventually to their winter hibernation.

Sorry to hear your summer is over. I hope no one tells the weather.

Aside: Ironically I've been sick this weekend and called in sick for work today. It wasn't my intention to not work on Canada's most important summer holiday, but that was the result. I'm with you in spirit... even if I don't have a hangover or sunburn or stories of water skiing.

Felix, you maniac!

My old coworker and brother in crazy, Felix, is coming to Amsterdam in a few weeks. But the title isn't for him. It's for hurricane Felix who had to nerve to scare people in the Dutch Antilles!

These two photos are stolen from CNN. The radar shows Felix in the Caribbean Sea very shortly after passing the ABC's (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao).

I think everyone will remember that Bonaire has stolen a place in my heart. You can still see small areas of reef damaged in 1997. Only tiny bits of coral and the occasional anemone inhabit the areas of broken, bleached coral. So thank you Felix for not hitting the island again, but gosh, that was a bit close.

Flooding, winds, and rains did their worst but the destruction is by no means hurricane level.

I can learn a lot from CNN. The storms just missed, streets flooded, no one died. But where do I go for up to the minute coral news??? I'm going to have to email people there directly to find out.

Damn this frail human body!

I'm not going diving today. I'm going to follow my friends along to the dive site, and watch and help while they go. But there's no way I can put my head in the water without blowing out my ear drums.

Just yesterday I told a friend that I would keep up my current pace of work and travel and play and diving until it made me sick. At the time, a small allergy attack was affecting me, but I thought it would be temporary. It didn't abate last night, and I awoke this morning with a fully stuffed head.

When diving it's important to equalize the pressure in your sinuses and inner ear with the ambient pressure at depth. Snot prevents this. Meaning that on the way down you experience pain as the pressure builds until eventually something breaks. I've met a diver who could blow bubbles out his ear. While an amazing party trick, this is by no means a desirable thing.

Sure nature didn't design us to live underwater. But our glorious intelligence and technology has overcome these mere physical limitations. Hasn't it? Mostly. *sigh* Some days I'm reminded I'm still only human and have physical limits. No matter how much I don't like it.

Update: Two hours later, and I've bailed entirely. I sent Tobias on without me. I'm going to take advantage of my stuffed head, do the heavy dusting, and then consider an afternoon nap.

How to start a car with a dead battery

We've all been there. You arrive to your car, turn the key, and hear nothing. Perhaps a clicking sound if you're lucky. Either way, your car battery is dead and this is wholly bad for what ever plans you had to drive some where.

Last night, as we were leaving the pool, two young guys had just this problem. I thought they had it handled, pushing the car apparently to get it started. But moments later they were opening the hood and staring blankly at the engine.

So I walked over and offered "help getting it started" to which they said "we don't have cables". I asked if the car had a manual or automatic transmission and they said automatic. Yep, they were DOA and going no where fast.

But wait, I looked inside the car and pointed out to the owner that it was actually a manual transmission. He looked at me like I was an engine... blankly. I asked why we don't just use the five guys still there and push it started? More blank. Finally his friend caught on, asked if I knew how to do that, then handed me the keys and opened the driver's door for me.

On the second attempt the engine sputtered. On the third try it coughed, sputtered, wheezed then slowly woke up and came to life. Problem solved.

The confusion over the type of transmission I take as a Dutch-English language thing. But not only did the car owner not know how to start his car, no one else did either. My students were shocked and asked me how I learned "so much about cars". LOL! This ignorance must end.

So, for your future use, I present the steps to starting a car without a battery.

1. You'll need one car with a manual transmission, one driver, and two strong people.
2. You'll also need a straight, short (50 yards) space to push the car through. Any parking lot or side street will do.
3. Have the driver sit in the car with the key turned to "run", the gearbox in first gear, and the clutch pushed in.
4. Have the human battery substitutes push the car forward to a jogging pace.
5. The driver should yell for the pushers to stand clear and then drop the clutch while giving a small bit of throttle. As soon as the engine catches, put the clutch back in and give it the gas. It's started and will begin charging the battery immediately.

There are variations on the technique. If you can only push the car backwards, put the gearbox in reverse rather than first. If you have a hill, this can be done as a solo project. Pushing the dead car with a running one isn't recommended. Leave this for drunken rednecks.

If your battery was dead and started by cables or push starting, take it for a 30 minute drive to charge the battery back up. Idling for 30 minutes does not do the same thing.

Sadly, automatic transmissions, manu-matics and other variations don't work. But hopefully the next time you or a friend has a dead battery, you'll be able to help by using the push start technique.

Busy Busy Home and Happy!

If tonight's pool dive had been recreational, I would not have gone. Tonight, however, I had students expecting training and no amount of lack of sleep, train lag, or headache was going to stop me. And five minutes after I was in the water, I was happy. Five minutes after.

We used the outdoor pool. A balmy 23C calls for a slightly thicker wetsuit than I own. So moments after I demonstrated a giant-stride entry my face expressed way more than I wanted to. "Flibbity gibbits that's cold!" or something similar quickly left my mouth.

But true to form, just as a wetsuit should, within five minutes the cold water in my suit warmed up, my breathing slowed, and I relaxed, happy to be underwater.

I'm pleased to report that the lesson went well! We used every moment of the allotted hour but managed to cover all the requirements for confined water dive 2 and while we didn't have have for play, we all had fun. My students impressed me, working smoothly through some of the most difficult skills.

I'm also pleased, but surprised to report that work today went well too! It started so really poorly.

I awoke at 06:15 this morning inside a freezing cold medieval stable. The thick brick and stone walls (with thick wooden beams) along with the modern appointments and renovations made for an incredibly beautiful hotel room! But it was 10C when I awoke and crawled out of bed. It felt much like the giant stride later.






(Centuries old construction and vaulted ceilings blended with antique lamps and modern touches.)

I really thought work was going poorly when we finally made it to the meeting 40 minutes late. And when the security guard told me I couldn't take my laptop computer into the building to do my software sales presentation, I was pretty sure I had made yet another international (barely) trip for naught.

And yet it went really well. It left me time to talk with the customers about what they had and what they wanted. I could describe what our software was supposed to do without it being there to contradict me. (Nice!) I honestly came away with a positive feeling.

We'll be back in the water tomorrow. The warm water, indoors. And I'm off to bed now. My own warm bed. So it's been busy, really busy, but right now I'm home and happy!

Busy Busy Busy

*panting* Oh hi there! Good to see you, but I can't stop for long. I'm literally running amok trying to get it all done. As you know, it never all gets done. But I'm trying.

So yeah, tons of diving, thanks. It's been awesome. Friday, Sunday last week, Thursday, Friday, Sunday next.

Belgium. Yup, just for a night, but I leave tomorrow.

Oh really? Great to hear you stopped by. Sorry, yea, that was an old post. New ones are taking backseat to the 3 projects at work and my new passion for emailing lately. Oh don't worry, I'll be blogging as soon as I feel my mind has returned. Been running around so much I've left it behind somewhere.

Oh good to hear. Yeah, I'm sorry I missed that {birthday, wedding, graduation, party} but I'll make it up to you, some how.

Well yeah, it was great to see you again! Okay, until then.

*runs off into the distance* (Quietly repeating," amok amok amok.")

Students! I've taught my first students!

I've got a lot of emails to write. I've been planning this for a couple of months but the time is upon us when I finally feel like a scuba instructor. And now I want to send emails to all my past instructors to let them know that I'm thankful for all they've taught me.

Last night I took my first two Open Water students to their first pool session. In a few weeks they'll be certified as PADI Open Water (OW) Scuba Divers. And they'll be my first "certs", a major step in my diving career.

I've been a bit nervous this week. I didn't have the time I wanted to prepare but did read a review quite a bit. I think no amount or preparation would have made me feel truly calm and prepared. But the moment we hit the pool, I felt like an instructor. We went through the processes that are now familiar to me. The skills we covered were the first and simplest and we all did a good job with them. Underwater I was comfortable and truly enjoying everything.

But it was the teaching and briefing that shocked me. The words flowed out and they were mine. But the voice that said them was the sum total of the voices of my instructors. The people who trained me were all right there last night, and in the echos of the indoor pool my voice was precisely theirs.

There has always been an incredible confidence and sense of authority in every lesson my instructors have ever given. And dive students, especially brand new (still dry behind the ears) dive students stand and listen like sponges ready to absorb the whole pool. They're too afraid to miss important information, and desperately excited to get into the water at the same time. And last night, after a lot of help from a lot of great people, two students stood at the pool and listened to me. And I took them diving.

I finally feel like an instructor. And I really enjoy it!

Sidewalk Chalk

This past weekend was a flurry of.... surreal activity. So it was only fitting that I should stumble across a 3D chalk painting as I moved about the city. Julian Beever is world famous for his sidewalk chalk drawings. Or more accurately, the photos of his work are world famous.

By Sunday afternoon, the ground in Amsterdam's Beursplein was covered with a beautiful image of tulips and the stereotypical bowl-of-fruit.

But it was the process that created this image that was the interesting part. Starting Friday, Julian worked for three days. He used a small table with some tulips and a bowl of fruit. This was his model. And he had a digital camera on a tripod. This was his view of the "canvas". He chalks a little, inspects the work in the camera's view screen, then chalks a little more. He works right from the very start of his project to ensure that the finished art (photographs) will match his precise desire.

One of the most interesting parts of such work is how the actual image on the sidewalk needs to be completely distorted in order for the camera lens to see the finished product properly.

Looked at from the side opposite the camera you'd be hard pressed to say what it was. But from just the right angle, Wow!

Pics for Mom

My new glasses have arrived! I took advantage of working from home today and used my "lunch hour" to go down the street to get them. (And a few bags of groceries.)

I'm also happy to report that the new phone is fabulously fun! Here's a picture of the phone browsing the blog post about the phone. (Does anyone here suffer from vertigo?)

The new screen is so bright is was difficult to photograph this picture.

Yesterday I had a great time on the train reading and posting comments to blogs. You can see the whole thing, although slowly. I don't think I'm missing any functionality other than a full keyboard... and as an SMS master this isn't a big problem for me.

And RSS tells me when a blog has been updated. It isn't instant, but the phone scans the RSS feed every hour and reports back with a tiny bing sound and a screen icon if new posts have arrived.

For days I couldn't figure out how to set up the RSS. But I put the browser to my own blog and suddenly the option to capture the RSS feed was presented to me automatically. Too easy!

And for those curious about the phone's camera features... well they're a hit too! The FaceWarp software is super silly. But you can take any bad photo of someone and turn it into a terrible photo of what they would look like as an alien or an insect. Good times!

What I think is the main feature is the convenience. I got a last moment invite to a coworkers wedding reception recently. I didn't have time to think about a camera, and didn't need it. When shedding backpacks and baggage to look appropriate for such a nice event, a phone is about the only accessory you're likely to keep with you. And when the camera built in is as good as all the digital cameras around and as quick and simple to use... well this is just a marvelous age we live in. :-)

Congratulations to Rudi and Min!

Other people's stuff...

Something strange happened this weekend. I was playing with You Tube when one of my favourite shows came on TV. For the first time ever, I continued on with You Tube which I actually found more entertaining.

This series of videos needs to be shared with the world! WillItBlend.com is a commercial website selling boring old kitchen blenders by posting hillarious examples of things you can and cannot put into a blender. With production values as high as any local TV or cable programming you'll spend hours amazed at what can be put into a blender... and successfully blended. Oh, but be careful, as you may feel very strong urges to actually buy one of their whirling chipping chopping blending crushing monsters!

Don't do this to your iPod... or your home blender!

Sunday's Dive

For the second weekend in a row, the weather in Holland was perfect! Summer is upon us, and this past Sunday I and 3 friends took advantage of it and blew bubbles.

Adam, Carlos, Tobias and I arrived at the parking lot at Vinkeveense Plas at 2pm. Perfect timing to find a spot left empty by early morning divers. By 3pm the spots were all gone again as a second wave of divers and sunbathers moved in. But by then we were almost suited up and in the water.

My computer recorded 15:35 as the time we finally dunked our heads and stayed down. Adam had already been cooling in the water for 20 minutes. Tobi was busy arranging his equipment until that last moment. And Carlos was just happy he made it into the rented wetsuit. It was a tight squeeze, but it kept it warm (and almost dry) throughout our dive.

We started by walking down the stairs into the water and dawning masks and fins. From that point, it's 330 degrees magnetic to meet up with the first rope that leads around the dive park. We paired up and I watched the compass as well as Carlos and Tobias while we swam to the sunken bus.

I love the bus. It's great training for becoming comfortable with small spaces and confined openings. The windows and doors have been removed, and three large holes take half the roof. Inside, seats have been removed, except for the drivers seat which is occupied by a manikin. Beside the "driver" stands a large garden gnome, looking unusually cheery for such a dark dirty place. In case the gnome isn't incongruent enough, on the dash sits an old VHS VCR.

We left the bus and went east to the skiff. Half barge, half boat, this sunken treasure is a step darker and tighter inside than the bus. A step more fun to be inside. Although as the leader of our group I didn't think it was appropriate to duck inside.

A specific goal of our dive was to spend a bit of time in the colder, darker waters below the thermocline. So I turned away from the ropes and sunken toys and brought the group into deeper water. At about 11m the thermocline, a stratified division between water at different temperatures, became visible. A ghostly line of silt hovers just above the line that divides the two layers of water. During summer months, the denser cold water doesn't rise and mix with the sun-heated water above it.

Not only can you see it, but the moment you pass below a thermocline you can feel it on every bit of exposed skin. For me that was my hands, my face beyond the mask, and my entire head. In seconds the temperature changed from 19C to 13C.

We hung out and enjoyed the refreshing darkness. For both Carlos and Tobi is was the first time they'd dove in properly "cold" water. It's a shock at first. But you quickly realize that while some bits of skin are cold, your body is kept warm by the suit. Intrepid divers are rewarded for their tolerance of the cold by clearer waters and better visibility. The diminished daylight, due to all the silt in the warmer water above, adds an interesting touch. My light was useful, although not necessary.

Two minutes was about all it took for the "experience". We turned around and swam upwards and towards the ropes again. Passing back through the thermocline is like stepping into a shower. The water feels so warm it instantly relaxes and comforts. And above the suspended line of silt the sun returns. It is a definite point above you in the sky, rather than a diffuse glow.

We ended up near the giant drain pipe. Nearly 2m wide, round, and 5m long, the concrete sewer pipe is a great "swim through cave". No entanglement worries or true dangers, it helps divers build their confidence and skills by swimming the length of it without touching the sides.

Carlos and I enjoyed swimming through the giant pipe.

But then it was time to head back. We weren't far from the exit and following the ropes back past the skiff and bus makes it so easy to pop up in just the right place. Navigation is one of the skills I hope to soon teach to Tobias and Ingrid for their Advanced OW Course. At this dive site students can not only practice compass work, but clearly and immediate see it's value in becoming a better diver.

Popping up at the stairs, we'd spent 41 minutes in the water and had been to a depth of 13.5m. Our summer weather was fading quickly, being replaced by clouds and rain, but our spirits were sunny! Packing was surprisingly organized (given the logistics of 4 divers, two cars, and wet gear) and then we headed up the road to Het Duikerje (the little diver) cafe were we ate heartily and signed each others' log books.

An incredible way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Titanium Eyesight

Coming soon, to a Morgan's face near you, titanium eyesight!

I just got back from the eye doctor where I had my perscription checked for the first time in... oh perhaps five years. As it turns out, my eyes are getting better. I'm now at a L 1.00 and R 1.25 which is amazing considering my last perscription was 1.25 & 1.25 and was 1.5 & 1.5 before that!

Even cooler, my new glasses (ready in about a week) have frames made from titanium!

Titanium is my all time favourite metal. It's the most beautiful metal I know. Not as shiny as gold but is as resistant to corrosion. And it's so much stronger than the best steals. Titanium gives under pressure, but always bounces back to its original shape. And it's super light! The whole pair of glasses weighs 5 grams (less than 1/5th of an ounce) including the lenses.

The ironic part, however, is that I've gotten used to not wearing my glasses. So once I've got my new titanium beauties, I'll probably rarely wear them.

Shiny New Toy

A blog phone! SonyEricsson has a model (810i) that is specifically designed to work with Blogger(tm). You can take pics (3.2 megapixel camera) and upload them with comments and text in full real time.

So when the lady at the phone company told me this was her favourite phone it didn't take much arm-twisting for me to say yes to it. I know that "her favourite phone" means "has the best bonus if you sell it" but it really does seem to have/do what I want my next phone to do. So I'm getting it.

The only trouble is, this glorious new device is only entering my life because my trusty old Nokia is sick. Let's not mince words. My phone is dying. I have to reboot it 2-5 times a day. Any time I set it down I risk scrambling its brains and causing it to freak out. It's a mobile phone that no longer likes moving.

I've always enjoyed the label "retro grouch" as it applies to rejecting new technology that is simply and only "new". If the old stuff works, why change? But the phone company just dangled a carrot before me that includes a phone (I need a new one), MP3 player (I'll have music on the train), two cameras (I love my digital picture achrives), 3G high-speed data (after all I did help build the networks), and it is aimed to work specifically with Blogger(tm) blogs! Like this one!

All this and more, for free. Excluding the year commitment and whatever portions of my soul I'm giving up by moving back into tech-geek territory.

I think I'll go wait downstairs by the mailbox.

The Tragically Hip

I've been busy lately. Really really busy. So how have I chosen to deal with this? Why I've bought concert tickets of course! Why slow down when going this fast is so much fun?!?

I'm going to see the Tragically Hip!!! "The Hip" are a sensation in Canada. They've been one of the top bands for two decades... the decades that most influenced my tastes in music. So when I heard (read) they were coming to my favourite intimate (~1,500 people) concert venue in Amsterdam I had to immediately buy two tickets. Even funnier, I just told a coworker with a Canadian boyfriend about the concert. One phone call to the Canadian and 3 minutes more and they have two tickets too! It was an old colleague of mine from another job who emailed me about the concert to begin with, so that's six of us so far.

But that's not until September 25th. In the mean time the craziness continues. I've got 3 dates / social appointments with friends this week. It might be a bit crazy before I can settle into a nice "quiet" rock concert. :-P

A weekend with divers!

This is way too early to be awake on a Saturday. Thankfully there's good reason to be up! I just got back from the dive shop were I helped Tobias get all the rental gear he needs to join Adam and me for a dive tomorrow. And tonight I'll be meeting up with Adam and Ingrid and her boyfriend at a food festival in Haarlem. It'll be my first meeting with the boyfriend, who will hopefully take up diving this summer as my student.

So it's a weekend with divers, starting early Saturday morning at the dive shop, proceeding to social events with divers, then on to actual diving Sunday. Woohoo!

Last week Adam and I cancelled our dive plans. This weekend we've got Toby in tow, with all his accumulated rental equipment, so there won't be any temptation to cancel. Indeed, the weather forecast is for a glorious warm and sunny weekend!

Alas, for now, cancelling all Saturday afternoon plans and returning to sleep is temping. Will it be sleep now, so that I can better enjoy tonight? Or will I choose to do my grocery shopping so that I can be well fed before tomorrow's dive? Hmmmmm.

Rabbit Rabbit

Rabbit rabbit it's August first!

That's all I wanted to say right now. I've just never done "rabbit rabbit" properly before. Just work up and realized it wasn't the 31st. :-)

Writing

The dragon slept. For eons he had slept. All around, a glowing-red blackness engulfed him and warmed his scales. Currents of molten rock swirled around his body and gently supported him deep deep inside the mountain.

It is true that dragon's lairs are often large chambers deep inside volcanic mountains. But dragons don't sleep in large caves atop piles of gold coins. Dragons sleep in the warmest reservoirs of magma. The fact that molten gold plates to their scales while they sleep is simply a trivial point of interest. The dragon rarely cares how it appears to mortals and is neither helped nor hindered by the extra layer. (Dragons have also awoken to find themselves plated with cooper, platinum, diamonds and more.)

Garshm had chosen his most recent hibernation spot for the warmth and the peace. He had had to punch through a particularly thick crust of rock to reach his liquid bed chamber. And he knew that it would be a long while before the volcano finally told him his welcome had worn thin. Eventually the mountain would spit him out in a flow of lava, or perhaps more spectacularly an explosion of rocks and soil and ash. Either way, waking up was a rude experience at best.

By and large, dragons are happiest when they sleep. Or looked at from the other perspective, dragons are terribly nasty creatures when they've just woken up.

As it turns out, Garshm would be soon awaking in a very nasty mood. And his ire will be all the worse when he discovers that Unicorns, his primary source of nourishment, have been wiped from the Earth by something called people.

Indeed unicorns and nearly all magical creatures had been gone from the Earth's surface for quite some time. The platypus and dolphin remained, but they had evolved and become as "real" as animals and fish and even people. No longer creatures of energy, they lived only in the world of the physical and material.

Dragons are "real". But they exist in more than a single reality. They are creatures of both mass and energy. The mass of their bodies, as yours, is simply condensed energy. But unlike you and I, dragons retain control of that energy and can direct it with a mere thought.

This leads to some pretty spectacular feats of power. For example, Pangaea, the planet's one and only continent was fragmented and sent adrift one night during an argument between two dominant dragons. A similar incident a few million years later left a crater in the Earth worthy of a giant meteor strike. Ninety-eight percent of the species alive at the time were lost.

I'm Home

I love coming home. Travelling, the actual airport stuff, is now just a lot like time spent in a dentist's chair. Just concentrate on happy thoughts and eventually it'll all be over. Time spent away is, pardon the pun, neither here nor there to me. I've spent so much time in so many hotels that my routine, laying out the clothes from the suitcase, etc., is now followed subconsciously. But after travelling I always feel happy to be home!

I've spent the day unpacking and packing, with ample vaccuuming in between. My travel suitcase was emptied and clothes were washed. I then I took advantage of the temporarily free floor space to pull out of the scuba gear and vaccuum in forgotten places. Then I packed my gear from the suitcase it stores in to the gear bag. I talc'd the seals on my drysuit and waxed the waterproof zipper. Lastly everything (save for the two bags of dive gear) got returned to storage under the bed.

No matter how nice away was, I enjoy just being, at home. Except for tomorrow afternoon when I'll be enjoying being underwater. Oh, and tonight, when I'll be out enjoying a full-moon Saturday night. *evil grin* But this is all just part of "home". Where I am.

Update: Must have been the moon. The warmth of home is preferable to the cold of a stormy day so today's dive has been called.

I Had a Curry!

I don't know whether to title this post "I'm Home", "The UK was Okay", or "I Had a Curry!"

My coworkers and I enjoyed two days of training at our company's office in Horsham, England. About half way between London and Brighton. Our nights were spent at the lovely Wimblehurst Hotel.

That said, I'm not convinced that the Wimblehurst was really a hotel... as much as just some old house. And while the sign on the front proclaims its a two star "small hotel" I think what that means is its a one star bed and breakfast.

A strange point... of the 6 people involved in the course, 4 flew in from Holland, 1 from Germany, and 1 from the U.S. So uhm, why were we in England? I've got no idea!

While logistics might not have been "spot on", I am pleased to report I still managed to learn things. Stuff I can actually apply directly to my job! That shouldn't normally be exclamation "worthy" but honestly, it is.

Thankfully some fun happened too! We went as a group to the New Curry Restaurant in the sleepy centre of Horsham and I think it was great. And that's a strange thing, since I despise the taste (and especially the after-taste) of curry. Heck, even the smell of it can curl my toe nails, but this experience was completely different. I told the waiter to make something so spicy hot that I simply wouldn't be able to taste the curry. They did a great job!

One of my Dutch colleagues tried a micro-dab (that's a scientific term) of my hot sauce. That was hilarious! I ate it like ketchup. And I heard about it all the next day. I've made spaghetti sauce hotter... albeit by mistake. But people were shocked by (surprised by, scared by?) what I considered medium spicey.

But the moral of the storey is that I can enjoy "a curry". And for more than just the Kingfisher beer.

The trip home was mildly uneventful. Downright boring actually. Due to reasons of taxi-sharing and different flight times I was at the airport at 3:15pm but didn't fly out until 8:20. Nasty! Although I did take this opportunity to buy my copy of the new Harry Potter and had a proper Fish & Chips.

I also saw a Gatwick sign that I thought sent all the wrong messages. Attempting to tell escalator riders to watch their step, instead I think it perpetuates nasty stereotypes about penguins. By no means a clumsy or foolish animal, I think penguins deserve a little more respect than this sign (and the one in the background) gives them.

Doubling my England time...

Officially I'm working from home this morning. Really I'm packing and preparing to head to the airport after lunch and hop on a plane for the UK. Wow travel! It's been... weeks!

This will double the total amount of time I've spent in England, having previously spent a weekend and a lot of separate airplane connections. I'm looking forward to fish & chips in a good pub, trying all kinds of different beers and ales, and maybe learning something in my training course.

Cool temperatures, light rain, and a bit of sun are all in the forecast. I hope that means "flooding" is not. It's ironic leaving the Netherlands, way down here below sea level, and going some where with terrible flooding problems! I'll make sure they don't give me a ground floor room at the hotel.

Missing - One lead belt

Sunday's diving was great, and nothing can change that. But... we did have a few glitches. Equipment problems and rain were normal. But what I find shocking is the weight belt theft!

Okay, I think it probably wasn't a real theft. Just a mix up. So I'm hoping that this poster, which I shall post at the dive site, will help my weight belt find its way home.

In the mean while, I read an article from a Dutch newspaper which reported that researchers found the Dutch to be some of the least honest people in the world. The article describes a test involving leaving cell phones on the sidewalk and recording how many of them are returned. (Calling either of the two numbers in the phone's memory would reach the "owner".) It turns out of 31 countries tested, Holland ranked 29th. Most people pocketted the lead, erm, phone and walked away.

Quotes

I discovered a website today called quotationspage.com. Here's a few selections of their's that I liked:

Happiness

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)

Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory. Albert Schweitzer (1875 - 1965)

The pursuit of happiness is a most ridiculous phrase; if you pursue happiness you'll never find it. C. P. Snow (1905 - 1980)

Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city. George Burns (1896 - 1996)

Drinking

Electricity is actually made up of extremely tiny particles called electrons, that you cannot see with the naked eye unless you have been drinking. Dave Barry

Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. Ernest Hemingway (1899 - 1961)

Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water. W. C. Fields (1880 - 1946)

Sex

I can remember when the air was clean and sex was dirty. George Burns (1896 - 1996)

In America sex is an obsession, in other parts of the world it is a fact. Marlene Dietrich (1901 - 1992)

Life is a sexually transmitted disease. R. D. Laing

Seduction isn’t making someone do what they don’t want to do. Seduction is enticing someone into doing what they secretly want to do already. Waiter Rant

Students and Buddies and Diving and WOW!

This has been an incredible day! We went diving! Real diving, in open water, a lake, right here in Holland!

Ingrid and Adam and I, after a brilliant Thursday in the pool, got to blow bubbles in Vinkeveense Plas today. A little divers park in a "lake" in Holland. Park-like in that it is buoyed to warn away boats and surface dangers, and filled with sunken "stuff" placed there for diving fun. (My favourite is the bus with the seats and windows removed.) Lake-like in that its a piece of land that didn't get drained. The lake is visibily metres higher than some of the houses around it. Hats off to the Dutch!

We spent a whole day for 40 minutes underwater. Seemingly nutters! But it was amazing! The anticipation before a dive is worth paying for... and the high that comes afterwards just makes everything fall into perspective... as in, nothing's too wrong if I can spend my weekends doing this.

What's mildly ironic is I've just used my Divemaster credentials to "build" two new buddies. Ironic in that I needed to be an instructor to get these guys in the water, but actually didn't have to be. Divemasters can do the Scuba Review course they agreed to. What we ended up with was three friends enjoying diving. (They're both already certified, but out of the water a while.) Technically, no course or credentials were needed at all for us to go diving.

That said, I think being an instructor, and running through some basics made a difference in whether my buddies got wet or not. So in a very real way I've just built two buddies whom I can go diving with and who feel comfortable diving with me. Perfect!

Now I have to find out if they want to write the test and visit the pool once more to get the "official sticker" (oh!) for the course. At one point, Ingrid, looking through her log book, realized she had her decorative PADI certificate which had never been signed. It was heart breaking that I couldn't actually fill it in and sign it for her. Hopefully I'll be able to sign lots of other, better certificates for her in the future!

And there are still a few courses I can teach Adam. (He has more than 3X as many dives as me.) In the end, today was an incredible start! Students, buddies, and diving... Wow!

All signs point to mayhem.

Mayhem and silliness are serious dangers in tonight's activities. Mike, who's been gone way too long, is finally back and free for a beer. And Joby is also in town and joining.

I'd make guesses about what might transpire but right now I've got to get ready and get out. There's fun to be had!

Update:

In the end... *sigh* ... I must report my friends are far too old. Mike called it quits at 9pm and Joby agreed to stay for one more beer. *yawn* At least I got my sleep for diving Sunday. And there in was the real storey.

We Blew Bubbles!

Woohoo! A month and a half after returning from my Instructor course, I finally spent some time diving with students! Almost.

As hoped and promised, Ingrid and Adam did indeed join me yesterday at the pool. A crazy bit of logistics (work to scuba shop to pool) was involved and we were in the end too late to hold proper training. But we blew bubbles and it was great! My students are both certified... the plan was for reviewing their skills and rebuilding confidence before Sunday's planned dive in a local lake. When all the equipment problems were done we only spent 30 minutes in the pool. But oh what fun those minutes were!

I can't explain it; it's an addiction. Hours of rushing and preparation are completely worth the hassles just to get minutes underwater. And I'm sure we'd, all three, agree. We practiced a few skills, we swam, we hovered carefully in the shallow water, and we had tons of fun!

I believe Ingrid is mentally ready for her first ever "cold water" dive. And after months and years of stalling, I think I've got Adam hooked on scuba again.

So I've finally been in the water with my first two students. And soon I'll have them so addicted to diving I'll have regular buddy's for weekends. *evil laugh* I love it!

Working from home...

In the past I've had many days working from home. And I always felt a strong sense of professionalism and worked really hard. But today I'm doing my normal office work from home and of course my "normal" office workload is very low. It's tempting to give up trying and head to the gym or the scuba shop. My lunch of pasta and homemade sauce was much better than the cafeteria average. That's a plus. But even hovering over my email, I can't will people to send me the information I need to do some serious work.

And thus, I'm blogging.

Today being July 17th, I would be remiss if I didn't say Happy Birthday Minka!!! I imagine she's in the air now on her way home. Hopefully with lots of time tonight to enjoy her special day. (She might also be on the late flight which arrives after midnight.)

Other exciting things include plans for diving. Adam and Ingrid are two friends of mine, niether of whom have been diving for years now. We're doing a PADI Scuba Review course this Thursday (pool) and Sunday (Vinkeveense plas). The logistics will be a challenge, but it's certain to be a lot of fun!

Last but not least, I'd also like to say "Welcome home Mike!" My friend who took over work in Boston from me last year has only just now returned himself. Way too long away.

With both Mike and Joby in town I can imagine upcoming silliness.

Gas Lamps

Royal Visit to Amsterdam

Amsterdam - WC News - Dutch royalty, local media, bloggers and generally knowledgeable people gathered today at Amsterdam's Centraal Station to welcome the Ice Queen as her royal coach arrived.

Delayed by German rail workers, Hollywood analysts report the Queen's delay falls precisely on "fashionably late". Beatrix, queen of the Netherlands, reported her understanding that Germany was reluctant to part with their all-too-seldomly enjoyed visitor.

The visit included a canal-based parade through the central part of the city as waving onlookers lined the banks to view the passing procession. Onlookers were heard to exclaim that the animated and energetic Ice Queen was indeed far more beautiful than her pictures capture. Later on, the Ice Queen took a walking tour and revisited some of the same locations. Most appreciated was the fine art of sitting in a cafe watching others walk to and from other cafes.

Officially deemed a sight-seeing tour, think-tank researchers report that telecommunications vendors and Icelandic scuba shops could end up the big winners if connections between the two kingdoms are strengthened.

The royal visit, part of a European tour, boosted the local economy. The overly generous Icelandic tourist purchased ample souvenirs for herself, her friends and family, and in one case for an anonymous person in a washroom. Swedish authorities pledge to match the contributions.

Train Stikes in Germany?!?

Do you ever feel that plans just aren't worth making some times? I've currently got plans to host a tour of Amsterdam. And I'm really looking forward to meeting my guest. But apparently union workers in Germany had plans to stop the trains there.

Also apparently, the German courts have ordered the workers back and the trains to run. So right now it's any one's call.

Thankfully I made plans that didn't involve times, such as a canal boat tour. They leave every 15 minutes or so. Now we'll have to see if the train delays affect my flexible planning or not. They will if they cancel the trip all together. But hopefully, tomorrow I'll have a much more interesting set of stories to blog about.

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.

A walk in the rain

There are times when walking in the rain is simply the right thing to do. Times when pathos has more value than comfort and warmth. An obviously enjoyable thing, to children (rain is for getting wet), adults tend to shun rain as if, like the unfriendly coven member of the west, we would melt.

I've seen recent news footage of floods and some truly terrible aquious-based disasters. But none of these has involved people actually melting. Drowning, sure. The occasional washed away scenerio. But rarely, if ever, spontanious liquifaction due to hydrogen dioxide contamination.

Today my body is trapped inside a flourescent prison of desks and papers. But my mind is out wandering in the rain. I wish I could follow it right now, as later I will surely have better things to do. And I will surely prefer to do those things in a state of dry comfort. But right now, this would be a great time to go for a walk in the rain.

I never bought a TV before

Before yesterday, I didn't own a TV. Instead I had a roommate with a TV and a TV tuner card in my computer. However last month, said roommate broke my monitor. So yesterday I went out and replaced it... with a 32 inch LCD flat screen. A little crazy big for a monitor, but it allows me to read the fine print in my WinAmp playlist from across the room! And of course it's a TV. Aside from a combination boom-box, cassette player, TV I bought when I was 14, this is my first.
In the mean time, I'm happy to announce that Sneaky has arrived and has fully recovered from an ailment he had in transit. He sits now on the right speaker, enjoying a wide view of the room.

He keeps asking me if we're moving to the Caribbean soon. I keep telling him to enjoy being here and in one piece and that it won't be very long before it's time to get packed up again.