Tag Archives: netherlands

And I feel fine

What will the end of the world look like? I mean.. the initial day, if you look at the sky, what color and things will you see?

What I love about this city is that there is always at least one day in the week where I wake up, look outside, see giant baseballs of hale, black angry clouds, and a junky flying away on a broom, and I think: Yeah… could be today. And then I go grab a bowl of Fruit and Fiber and a banana. Cause shit, I want to start off end of the world day with a healthy breakfast.

As I was cooking my specialty last night, in honor of Jamie’s last night, we were talking about forms of government. The Netherlands is a type of constitutional monarchy, like the UK, and so the Royals handle most of the symbolic handshakes and ribbon cutting. Plus they keep the tabloids in business. On the other hand, I’m a fan of the republic system, as in Portugal, where the president is mostly symbolic and runs around like he’s everyone’s dad. Thus leaving the PM to be the national asshole; yelling in Parliament (toiletpaper… toiletpaper in our time!) and on executive decisions. We both agreed that the US system, despite being a type if republic, is a drag. The pres has to make all the photo ops and empty speeches, while presumably also handling the bill signing and vetoing, etc. In the end, spending more time on one or the other, how can he/she be good at either one? They can’t. It would nicer, at the very least, if the VP handled the executive tasks, while the pres ran around kissing babies and foreign leaders. Considering the current duo in the white house, this might -unfortunately- already be the case.

Anyhoo… there goes Jamie, off to NYC via Munich, and I didn’t even get a photo of us together. Oooh photos, have I mentioned how much I love Flickr? Mostly thanks to Jill/txt I’m spending alot of time fiddling with FLickr, and I recommend it to all of you. (how bout that photobox in my left tab, nice eh?)

Today’s Sounds: Howard Stern on WJFK (DC)

When Bloggers Hit the Streets

Well Well Well. Here we are again. Blogger and Reader. Friends. Romans. 7th day adventists. Are you worried? Rightfully so, traditionally, it’s the regular folks who suffer regardless of the outcome. But hey, let’s have some fun out there today!

The news is just pouring in here at the Bicyclemark ranch, which I’ve now renamed “the compound” since I’ve barricaded myself in, fearing the violence that will be sparked on the touristy streets of Amsterdam when it all comes down. Judging by Dutch public television, this is the most important election the Netherlands has seen in its history. Hence the 24 hour trailer-park trash coverage of Floridians I’ve been exposed to for the last week.

HERE COMES GOOD NEWS – THIS JUST IN: The left wing coalition has taken the Uruguayan presidency. Now there’s a real axis of excitement, or coalition of the thinking, if you will, in South America, made up of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Venezuela. I’m sure congress and the president select will consider going to war with South America to stop the pink menace of social-democracy.

Anyone noticed the changes in the electoral vote poll map thingy? Suddenly JFK is romping. I was surprised, but I do enjoy this map. And as I was discussing with Brian of Thestateimin, we without a landline will never be polled. (that and we living abroad have even less of a chance) I wonder how many americans only have cell phones? Couple of million?

I wanted to highlight and pay some respect to the bloggers that on this “magical” day have dragged their carpal tunnel hands away the keyboard and hit the streets to do whatever-it-is that campaign volunteers or voting monitors do. That would include Mr. B, professor B’s other half, who I imagine is running around the midwest trying not to get beat up with all his Kerry pins and friendly smile.

And then there’s Majikthise, one of my favorite bloggers, especially during this campaign hysteria, she’s getting out the vote in crazy Pennsylvania.

And just when things were going good for the grassroots buzz, the canvassing car took heavy damage.

Asia the deconstuctionist is going election crrrrazy in Oregon, and she’ll be dragging voters in off the streets today.

Makes me feel proud that some bloggers put their bodies and cars on the line for what they believe in. If I believed in the US electoral process, I might also not be sitting in my pajamas right now.

As part of my annoying EXPANDED election coverage, I wanted to give you this funfact:

In the last election, when the mysterious electoral college went to vote, “one elector from D.C., Barbara Lett-Simmons cast a blank ballot in protest of D.C.’s not having representation in Congress.” (according to the U of Kentucky electoral vote site) I like her style, but can we get the names and addresses of other electoral college cabal members? So we know where to throw fruit and burn effigies. I forget where I left my effigy.

MORE ELECTION NEWS — THIS JUST IN: No Clear Winner After Votecount in Ukrainian elections! Yes its true, no president. Sounds familiar.

Today’s Sounds: The Shins – Chutes too Narrow

Costumerism

The king of jogging, my roommate, has migrated to Oslo, and my homelife will never be the same. He left me a bottle of spirits, chess board, and a typewriter. The typewriter and I have been getting acquainted. I type with her and I can feel what a vixen she must have been back in ’85. She’s electric.. boogie-woogie… complete with red lights, which works well in Amsterdam. The ink went dry probably at the end of the Clinton years, but I slid in paper and started typing anyway. I like the sounds of typing. I opened my window and door to let the passing tourists hear me and think – “Hunter S. Thompson must be in there, exiled in the Netherlands, writing about Bush’s addiction to crack.”

Speaking of the usual subject of blogging these days. One of my favorite Seattle Weekly columnists, Geov Parrish, has also laid down his weapons and backed JFK. Shocking. Everyone is calling a truce in the name of elections. Makes me wonder who’s watching the farm while the usual cynics and critics are joining hands.

Today I learned that Jill likes that Eminem video as well, and here’s the streaming link. It’s beautiful. The storming of the white house, the black sweatshirts, the look and feel of the video remind me of that animation in “the Five Obstuctions” or “Waking Life.”

So about last night: When you’re wearing short shorts, knee high socks, a basketball jersey, a towel and a bandaged head complete with bandaids over the nose and eyes, it is not the best time to have even a remotely intellegent conversation with someone new (who might be reading this right now). But that’s what happens. Scrapped the teenwolf thing because I hated the fangs and that synthetic fur which continues to appear in the shower drain. Why oh why? This is exactly what Michael J. Fox went through I bet. Until his dad explained the wolf family tree.

Anyway I mention her, not in the name of filling my blog with more ladies, but because she’s doing her PhD in the legendary humanities department. That alleged Oasis where they’re not being downsized or obsessed with stupid ass policies of PUBLISH MORE PUBLISH FASTER! Bicyclemark seeks such an oasis as a place for his never-ending PhD aspirations. And what a moment to be meeting a potential future colleague. I mumbled some jokes that only I could understand, handed her my card- like the nerd that I am, and then turned back to the dancefloor to shake my Halloween booty. What a super great first impression eh?

I’m officially retiring from the party scene. Goodnight all ye young whipper snappers. You won’t have BM to kick around anymore.

Today’s Sounds: Wilco + Billy Bragg (found long ago in a computer lab)

Labour of Love

PLEASE NOTE DEAR READERS: As of this morning, Dec. 1st (9 days to my birthday) my blog is stuck in a timewarp, while some technical behind the scenes maintenance is done somewhere in California where my site’s brains are kept. Pardon the crap.. should be fixed today I hope.

Many of the bloggers who I helped get started in the last 6 months have become quite delinquent with posting. Maybe it’s a stage that my blog generation is going through, where being too busy or uninspired, keeps them from writing. I wish that weren’t so, blogging should be a bit like the mail, nor rain, sleet or rabid dogs should keep you away. Still, it’s exciting when the prodigal bloggers do return.

BBB and me explaining shit to the newbies.Yesterday I finally caught up with Blonde but Bright, back from her Baltic holidays. Our catch-up session went on for hours probably, as we caused a bike accident or two when we decided to pull off the bike highway and continue our discussion. Later she would throw up a nice post reminding the masses that much of these American elections are an illusion. Se?or Sneer does similar, in his post reminding you about the other candidates who aren’t allowed in the debates or in the spotlight.

Being as there is a general strike in the Netherlands tomorrow, and the good people of Atlantic City are out on the picket line, I felt this was a good time to go over the labor scene in several hot spots around the globe.


    – First lets start with Holland, I guess its a transport/general strike tomorrow, in protest of the governments massive cuts. Yet taking a walk around Uni you wouldn’t know it. No one here strikes, they don’t have unions, and they barely hang on to their jobs. I guess this is what they call the “flexible labor market.”

    – Nigeria, where much of your beloved oil comes from. Petrol workers strike. They say its about price control, or something. But if you think about it these employees make companies rich while they live in poverty, go figure.

    – Atlantic City, New Jersey Hotel and Restaurant Employees are in their second week of striking. They want real contracts, but the casinos aren’t interested. If you must feed your gambling problem don’t cross the picket line, wave and honk, bring some coffee, and then you can head over to Trump and gamble because he negotiated to avoid the strike. Plus he’s almost bankrupt.

    – Canada, civil servants are out on strike.

Now that I look at it, the list is far too long. But it still makes me think what strange times we live in. Strikes happen yet they don’t matter. Lives are at stake, yet it’s completely normal and probably appears at the bottom of page 10. And for those of us without unions, we just fend for ourselves and hope during the next restructuring we might still keep our tiny jobs in exchange for our another pint of blood and an applepie. Obviously I romanticize the days of big unions and direct action, say the 1930’s. I’m sure it wasn’t paradise by any means, I just wish I could have hung out with Joe Hill, ridin’ the rails*, hittin’ the skids*.

Let me once again take the time to condemn the upcoming US elections. I will continue to do so with every bit of evidence that comes forward that the process is dangerously flawed and has not been fixed since the last fiasco. It seems the system and its voters just continue to operate like its business-as-usual, excited to vote in a few weeks, nevermind the fact that states like Florida are corrupt and unfit to hold free & fair elections.

Today’s Sounds: Lost in Translation Soundtrack – Bill Murray singing More than Words

My Guy

Lately it’s around 3am that the Jogging King and I meet for our kitchen meetings. We’re like the white house staff, making sandwiches and discussing strategy in our pajamas. The king has been offered one kick-ass job in Oslo, Norway.. city of cross-country skiing to work, and not far from one Jill/txt. His majesty has always wanted to work there, and more importantly has been itching for a change in his life, like so many. Trouble is now that he’s getting what he wanted, he’s worried about making the wrong decision. During the discussion he referred to me and said “You knew you wanted to come live in the Netherlands, that’s why you came.” I had to stop the king right there, cause he was committing royal blasphemy: I did not intend to stay here when I first arrived.

Rewind to October 2002, when the blog was just a tadpole, I was focused on my masters degree and not much more. I was not even learning Dutch yet, and I can tell you that at that time I thought I would get a masters and hop over to another country for a cool job. It was only during the course of my first year that I started to see my love for the ‘dam, and that I fit in like Castro at a military surplus store.

I just wanted to clear that up… very little of my present life was planned. So Jogging King… I hope you stop thinking so much and embrace the Nordic madness. I’ll water your plants.

You know who my European leader of the year is: Jos? Luis Gonzalez Zapatero. Maybe because my father’s side of the family were shoemakers, or because he beat the pants of Aznar, whatever the reason, I’m becoming a great admirer. This week he’s been pushing to recognize gay marriage, good man! Why do we always have to think of Spain as conservative or old-fashioned, have you been to Spain lately? – Those dogs are progressive with a medium sized P. Sure they might say they’re 80% catholic, but 50% or so say they don’t actually practice a dam thing, cept maybe football. But I digress, the Prime Minister is also increasing spending on social programs and R&D, in a time where everyone else is obsessed with cutting everything. Plus, he’s a feminist. So keep it up Se?or Zapatero, you’re a breath of fresh air on the old continent, no matter what the rabid Barcepundit says.

And yes, there’s only one week until the announcement, so I’ll be running down my own list and predicting the next winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Today’s Sounds: Calexico – Feast of Wire

Trains,World Order, and Moms

Part of the reason I am such an avid blog reader is simply the fantastic quality of writers presently populating the blogosphere. Some being extremely popular and others seemingly only read by a handful, either way – truly talented and all-around-fun people. In this case I wanted to refer to two such beings who’s recent posts were especially an adventure and a pleasure to read.

First comes Tony Pierce+Busblog’s tribute to his mother on her birthday. Like him, I will someday lay out a huge thank you and tribute to my mother, not mention my father as well, for being the incredible people that they are, and helping me get where I am. (where am I?) But nevermind me, his post is fantastic, not to mention the timeless photos, and I’m sure all of us Busblog readers will be referring to it throughout the blogosphere.

Now I also wanted to point out another insane-genius who does not get as much press: No Coins. This week’s recounting of his city-to-shore MS Bike ride from Jersey to Philly was funnier than funny. I’m not only entertained by his madness, it makes me wish I was there! Now that’s good writing, ain’t it? (by the way, I’m leading the campaign to bring ain’t officially into MY English language cause it adds style and flows well)

The AGVThat being said, climb aboard won’t you, because it’s time once again to talk trains. Now I heart trains, they rank just below bicycles on the “transport that best represents me” list. I love looking at trains, riding in them, and picturing future trains. So needless to say I’ve been reading every little article in today’s FT special on the rail industry. Here are my favorite details so far:

– You thought TGV was hip? Or maybe I did. Well, Alstom has developed the AGV (Automatrice ? Grande Vitesse) which has distributed power and will pull into a station like a warm summer’s breeze baby. Maybe minus the baby.

– The ICE-3 (Aka: Velaro), which can be found in Germany and I swear I’ve seen it in the Netherlands, is a stylish but pricey little serpent. It’s about time I head to central station and hop on one of those. I should also by a ticket beforehand to ensure a comfy and legal ride.

– Automated, Driver-less metros are getting more popular. Paris’s line 14 is what the FT talks about. The first one of these I was ever on was in Lyon, France back in 2000. While I was disappointed that there was no driver (and a bit scared) but I must admit there’s nothing quite like that view sitting right up in the front.

We could, of course, talk a bit about rail travel in North America, but I was hoping to go out on a positive note. So instead I’ll refer to the guy who found a memory card in a taxi and is now creating a story for each picture. Amazingly odd. I just noticed the blog has suddenly been stopped, I wonder if the owner found the photos and got pissed. I would definitely feel a bit violated… but also highly entertained.

Today’s Music: Coheed & Cambria – Delirium Trigger (I’m addicted to Coheed)