Here We Go

First days always make me jittery. I think my kid was a bit jittery too because he kept mentioning his locker at school. OK, that sounds a little weird, and he is my kid, but he was being practical. Last year, when he was a brand-new, squeaky-clean Middle Schooler, we all went to an EXTREMELY hot auditorium to have 6th grade orientation. After checking into his new homeroom class he was given his locker combination & number and encouraged to fight with the lock until he had sufficient control over it not to look like a complete goober on the first day. So he expected that his school would send in the mail, along with his class schedule, his locker number & combination. No such luck--now I know that no school could possibly be that organized & I attempted to explain that, but he felt gyped. So for the next few days before school actually started, he fretted and fretted and fretted (of course he'd deny that). After school today my first question was....not how was your first day but did you get your locker open without looking like a complete loser?

Revisiting Past Blog Posts

Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
Stacy's mom has got it goin' on

Stacy, do you remember when I mowed your lawn? (mowed your lawn)
Your mom came out with just a towel on (towel on)
I could tell she liked me from the way she stared (the way she stared)
And the way she said, "You missed a spot over there" (a spot over there)

And I know that you think it's just a fantasy
But since your dad walked out, your mom could use a guy like me

Stacy's mom has got it goin' on
She's all I want, and I've waited so long
Stacy, can't you see you're just not the girl for me
I know it might be wrong,
but I'm in love with Stacy's mom

--Fountains of Wayne

I'm nearing my 100th blog post as well as the 1 year anniversary of this blog. I sometimes wonder whether or not I should continue writing this especially when recently things just haven't been all that exciting. I have been revisiting old posts just to see what I was writing about (besides the Bull) when I first started. Also, I have a tracker linked here & I tend to get a TON of hits on one post from October, 2008: Soccer MILFs & Cougars. Men are really surfing for them--I get hits all the way from Singapore to Australia to Ghana....and of course all over the US. I almost want to go back & change the post heading so as not to be too misleading. But perhaps I should embrace my MILF status. Not sure I'm Cougar age yet but I sure do get a lot of emails from 20-somethings.

Needless to say it just cracks me up to see the search listing--recently the following description: Hot and horny moms need to pass the time while they wait for their kids at soccer practice. These MILFs slobber and... Well, you get the picture I'm sure. In fact some of these men hit my blog for 10 minutes or more at a time which makes me wonder if I'm the subject of some rather unscrupulous activities....yuck! I'm a little grossed-out by that! But right now my picture is apparently getting more action than I am--HAH!

You're Not the One

I haven't written about the man who took me to Amsterdam. I've been mulling it over quite a lot because I want to be respectful to him while saying clearly that we weren't a good fit for dating. I really wish we were because it would make things so much easier. In other words I have some guilt over this....and won't whore myself. This trip was such a gift to me & I am grateful to him but... The first day after we arrived & had been wandering a bit, I told him that I wasn't going to lie to him but that I didn't see us dating. He told me that he figured it out. I was fairly tense up until that discussion. He said that he saw this as an opportunity to learn--that my being there was a good thing for him. I hope I was a good traveling companion--I think I was. He is a very nice guy, obviously, but he is a bit more straight-laced then I am. Who takes someone they just met on a trip to Europe???? I am one lucky gal. And he wasn't an axe murderer--just a great, nice guy to have fun with to reflect on a past theme. Different kind of fun. I made sure that our days were filled with activities--I could tell that he was really into me & I didn't want to encourage anything beyond friendship. He told me when we got home that he didn't regret a thing & that he would do it again just maybe not for a week--5 days max. I think I may set him up with my friend Aa--they'd be great together.

Mr. Trip told me that he knew knew something was up even when we first met. We had met at a wine bar & the other guy--the Sweet Mistakes one, was there. Mr. Trip said he could clearly read his body language & that it gave him away. I guess my body language didn't indicate my desire for the other man which was a good thing when first meeting someone. But still he offered this trip to me--he was hoping that something would develop with us. I did try--I did. But you just can't force these things & besides, I left a bad marriage because I didn't want to waste the rest of my life with the wrong person--why would I force something that doesn't work just because he took me on a trip. I will not settle--I can't. Every pot has a lid, to quote an oft-used phrase & I will find my lid without settling. It is just taking a looooong time.

Spontaneous Eruptions

I was thinking of my experiences in Amsterdam & thought of this great scene. We were sitting at an outdoor cafe, being regaled by our waiter who fancied himself some sort of comedian, about his international visitors. He was the one who told me that he always asks if people are Canadian first so that if they are Canadian & not American, they won't be insulted. Again, hey, thanks a lot!! He was making some stereotypical assumptions that were frankly not very funny when one of his other customers started tweeting like a bird. Next, another waiter made owl sounds. Then our waiter started barking until our entire corner sounded like a cacaphony of various animals coming from waiters & patrons alike. A woman walks by, stops, & starts making cuckoo clock sounds along with the associated arm gestures & eyes rolling. This just cracked everyone up & I started applauding. Everyone else joined in & we created quite the scene--even people down in the canal stopped to see the commotion. Only in Amsterdam--Damn! Loved that city!!

Follow the Tram

It is my last night in Amsterdam. I must get up at 4 AM to get ready to leave for Schiphol Airport by 6. So I think I won't go to sleep tonight. Most people around here don't seem to go to sleep before 1 AM anyway. It really doesn't get dark until 21:30 anyway. I will wander a bit tonight & watch the people as I've been doing quite a lot of.

One evening, early on, I met a wonderful Canadienne while eating dinner near Leidseplein. She is a flight attendant for a charter airline so she obviously has done quite a bit of travel. She was biking through Amsterdam & had paused to eat at the same traditional Dutch restaurant as we had & we soon struck up a conversation. During our super discussions, she mentioned that one way to get through Amsterdam without too much trouble was to follow the tram-lines. That was some of the best advice I got. It is very easy to get lost in Amsterdam--& that is not necessarily a bad thing. But if you find the tram--well I knew that if I walked in the direction of Centraal Station, I'd eventually find the Dam. That's the big square in the center of the old part of Amsterdam. The hotel is quite close to that so I could find my way home late at night. Getting lost, as I said, isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I loved watching the canals at about 18:30 or so. It was just as busy as the streets. I looked down & watched boat after boat of every conceivable shape & size pass by. Sitting inside most people were eating dinner--pizza, full-course meals with white wine, beer & frites, etc. Younger people smoking cigarettes, etc., laughing & sticking their feet over the edges of the boats. Families with their dogs & bicycles thrown in the front of the boat, serving dinner while they putt-putt down the canal honking before they come to a long canal bridge they must go through. It is again an entirely different layer to this complex city.

People are everywhere here. The Grand Cafes serve on the sidewalks on the major squares in the city--with chairs & tables practically to the street, but look down any tiny street & a restaurant has thrown a few outside tables in the middle & sure enough, dinner is served. Last night we ate at an Indian restaurant just like that & had another converation with two native Amsterdamians. We again discuss European's perceptions of Americans. There are a lot of women here who look like Paris Hilton--fakey tan & all! According to Jants, who we ran into again, all the girls want to look like her in Germany. I told him that they really could do soooo much better! It is funny but all of the waiters, etc always asked if we were from Canada. At first I thought how odd, but then I asked why. Apparently people from Canada get insulted if the staff asked if they were from America! Hey, thanks a lot!!

Brussels was interesting, especially the Magritte museum but I was actually homesick to get back to Amsterdam. Once our train pulled into Centraal Station & we blended back into the teeming multitudes, I felt a nice deep sigh. I love this city--it's vibrancy, enthusiasm, & laissez-faire mentality really works for me. I will miss it.

The end of our trip was the Anne Frank Huis. I really have no words--but encourage everyone to go--be prepared to go early & wait to get in. Regardless--it is worth it!

Karma has been vey good to me recently--I feel very fortunate to have had this experience this summer--I won't forget it soon.

St Nicholas Boat Club, The Rijksmuseum, & The Torture Museum

Very cool day. Instead of taking the big tour boats I had researched a bit & found this very cool boat that you have to go sign up for in person a day ahead of time. The hotel I'm in is in the old center of the city, near to the Red-Light District. St. Nick's Boat Club; http://www.amsterdamboatclub.com/, is in Leidseplein, a bit south & west of where I am staying. Maybe about 2 miles away. We walk down down to Boom Chicago; a comedy club where, under the stairs, is a little book where you sign up for a boat. This group encourages everyone to bring food, drink, & be merry while we see yet another side of this multi-layered city. A far more intimate look at the canals is provided--slower, longer--a chance to glance into the houseboats & view people's lives. The big canal cruises miss the smaller, quiter canals. I highly recommend this tour!


I have done a ton of walking for this trip--that is a very good thing, not just the health aspect--it's easy to do it here--everybody walks or rides a bike for the most part. I have found that one of the few times we hailed a cab, I have felt something intrinsically missing from not walking the route--is it the very pungent smell that seems to be the backbone of this city or is it the enmeshed interactions on the streetcorners, cafes, coffeehouses, & on bikes. The things people do here on their bikes! It is unbelieveable. Riding with cell phones to their ears & not a helmet in sight. Girls perched on the back of their boyfriend's bike as he whips around the corner, women in 4-inch heels! Even riding down the road with a beer to their lips--Amstel & not Light--the real stuff.

Next was the Rijksmuseum--Rembrandt & Vermeer--the height of the Dutch East India Company. And finally, the Torture Museum--a little out of the way nugget of a museum that seem to be all over the city. There's even a Vodka Museum here.

I must admit, I've become enamored with this city. Tomorrow I leave it for two days to explore Brussels. And then back to a day in Amsterdam on Friday--our last one. I am excited about the Thalys--the hi-speed train.

In Amsterdam--Part I

I just can't believe it! Here I sit thousands of miles away from home, typing this about my day. Truly amazing. My mom was right--I LOVE this city. Earlier, sitting at a sidewalk cafe, sipping wine & watching the humanity go by. The bikes & the horse-and-carriage, the way people dress that is so vastly different than in the states. Plenty of lovely eye-candy for women too, by the way. I love listening to the language as well--kind of a shushing sound--I think far less guttural than German. We order Bitterballen--terribly bad for you but the Dutch answer to comfort food.

Earlier in the day when we arrived, our room wasn't ready so we had a few hours to kill before we could settle in. No worries--off we go to see the lay of the land. We sit in a little cafe & a guy comes & sits with us. Turns out he's from Germany--Jents, I think. He had such a skewed view of the United States. It was just comical--like CSI or something. He was truly charming. The rest of the day was spent wandering the streets near the hotel: we are on the edge of the red-light district so needless to say, there was plenty to see.

After freshening up--we decide to go eat Chinese--a wonderful place called Nam Kee. After, we wander rather aimlessly but it was just so cool to be part of this bustling place.

On tomorrow's agenda: a canal boat ride & then the Van Gogh Museum. How much fun!

Cyber-Stalking 101--Part III

Believe it or not. The mystery is solved.

I never said anything about this but a few months ago, when I was in Chicago, the guy who these threatening phone calls were about sends me an IM. I proceed to tell him about what had been happening to me & why it was so disturbing. He is blown away but totally believed my story. So I ask him to try & find out who it was. He said he would.....

Roll forward to today. I get an email from him telling me he knows who it is. He says that a friend of his had brought her into his house when she was looking after it when he was out of the country. Apparently saw my number on his phone or something & called me...a little confusing...So now she's apparently in a hospital somewhere....

I hope she gets well with whatever it is--but leave me alone--I am NOT interested....

So in less than 24 hours I'm off to Amsterdam--WOW!!