Under a bridge

Maybe it was the lunar eclipse seeping into our beer. Maybe it was me feeling exhausted and bummed after a long graduation day filled with me giving speeches, having flash-backs, and mini mental crises entitled “what the hell have I done with my days?” Whatever the cause – who cares; Yesterday evening/this morning- one of the most creative groups of Amsterdam ex-pats ever got together aboard Big Jim’s boat for one crazy fun jam session. Ingredients: Three guitarists, one French Hornist/singer, 3 to 4 singers and Crazy Dr. M as well. (yes.. researcher and he sings too!) It was raining you say? Not a problem – we floated beneath a bridge and remained there enjoying the acoustics and pigeons for half the night. Everyone was pleasantly surprised, as far as I can tell, by the French Horn, cause hey – how often do French Hornists sit on boats under bridges in Amsterdam and play anything from rock to country or jazz to Indian music. I swear we did an excellent Indian jam that Ravi Shankar would have wanted in on.(photos to follow tomorrow)

At some point in the evening… between the bridge and the ride through Prinsen Island.. someone shouts, “so how about those elections next week?” There was a collective “uhhhhg” in the air. And then someone broke into some Steve Miller, which I feel way to young for, since I don’t really know the songs. Looking back, this whole thing reminds me of the Accordian Guy and his adventures with the squeeze box on the street.

This morning Ms. Thingk and I did an impromptu “this ol park” which turned into “this ol island” as we wandered Prinsen Island and made some discoveries. But I’m too worried about my Halloween costume to properly blog about what a nice afternoon it was.

OK, this Bin Laden statement. How can I put this….. BULLSHIT! Anyone else have the urge to yell that? I was watching the Eminem video about the election where bin laden’s talking and suddenly the background falls apart and the Bush admin is standing there embarrassed, behind him. I think Marshall Mathers is a genius with a small g, and this video is a sign of the times. (OCG represent!)

What I mean by bullshit is both the timing and the content of this message. First off, I don’t believe this man is the all-powerful mastermind they paint him to be. I think he’s an opportunist with a symbiotic relationship with the US government. (ie: He needs them as they need him, to sell weapons and gain more power, etc) The other thing is I think this message was released to help the Bush campaign; Bin Laden says “Dont vote for Bush” so Americans will watch, get angry, and go vote Bush. If you don’t think the timing of this video and the manner it’s released are sketchy, let me step away quietly so as not to wake you.

Today’s Sounds: Laurent Voulzy – Avril