Friday 21/12/2012:
9:00: Last organizational meeting of the practicum I have to teach. Bit odd time for drinks and snacks though.
12:30: Cleaning the lab Students clean the lab, I boss them around.
15:00: What the heck, it is far too early, but lets head to the airport. Tram is rerouted a bit and makes an honorary lap around Bahnhof Oerlikon. At the airport the tram driver wishes everybody happy holidays.
16:00: Through security, first person I see is a colleague. Wondering if I will meet more people I know.
17:00: The Burger King at the airport is busy. Some guy is ordering a complicated custom menu. Alternative is a lukewarm slice of pizza, or some overpriced sandwiches.
18:00: Thinking that maybe I should have taken a tram later.
19:00: In the airplane, ready for departure, 20 minutes early or so.
20:30: Pilot is joking that the reason we see nothing out of the windows has nothing to do with the world coming to an end. We’re just flying in the clouds.
21:00: Time gained from early departure lost by landing on the Polderbaan (Schiphol Amsterdam Airport), which means we first have to fly over the whole country and then have to taxi for 10-20 minutes. The pilot does put the pedal to the metal though.
21:30: More time lost waiting for the checked luggage. Somehow the luggage from a flight from Athens was 5 minutes late, while that from Zurich was 5 minutes early. Typical? Or can those people from Greece really not get a break?
22:00: Having a drink.
Saturday 22/12/2012:
8:30: Leiden (where I am now) is 600 km northwest of Zurich. It is remarkable how much later the sun rises. I’m surprised that I notice it.
10:30: The other people in this house are not early risers either.
10:45: How complicated can a shower get? This one has more buttons and levers than my iPhone. I think you need a diploma to operate it.
11:00: I have an evil sock that is just too small. I think I have thrown it aside many times now, but somehow it seems to follow me around, even to the Netherlands.
12:00: rain
13:00: still raining
13:30: I have been away from Leiden for 11 years now and most shops have changed. Luckily, not my favorite clothing shop: “Henny’s Rits” (zipper). They have a wall full of jeans, they ask you which color you want, they look at you to determine the size, you try them and you’re done! Their motto is “one pant for two buttocks” (or should pant be plural?)
14:00: how different is the situation at bookstores. Three bookstores, all filled with people, all asking if book X or Y is still in stock. The demise of bookstores becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy this way.
14:30: I had luck with moderate rain until now, but now it starts pouring. Damn!
14:45: home again.
17:00: glass of wine
17:30: another glass of wine
18:00: making a lasagna
19:00: eating lasagna
20:00: making another lasagna
22:00: watching a movie on tv. Next, I’ll put something on a floppy disk, put it in an envelope with a stamp priced in Guilders and walk to a letterbox.
22:15: changing channels on a tv is really slow nowadays. It was faster even with the old black-and-white tv without remote control – you had to stand up and walk to the tv. That element is back now though, when you have to pick up the remote control after throwing it around in anger.
22:30: bloody tv ads. This makes moving GIFs on websites seem adorable.
22:45: time to stop the misery and go to bed.
23:00: still raining by the way
Sunday 23/12/2012:
8:00: did it stop raining?
8:30: hmm, lasagna-breakfast
12:00: doing some tech support for my mom. Now able to use wifi on the loo.
13:00: stroopwafel!
16:00: time for a Westmalle beer
18:00: preparing dinner
19:30: choice between 5 different types of ice cream
20:00: preparing the turkey for tomorrow (sort of brining)
This blog will be continued here