Please Lord, Not The Bees...

It seems each time I update this, I am in a different country, or on top of a different country. This time I am in Toronto. Been busy with Kae Sun.

Today I came to the conclusion that this world is full of idiots, and there is no hope. I'm not sure if anyone is familiar with the plight of the honeybee, but there are some serious issues right now concerning a massive, unexplained drop in honeybee populations, and there is very little news about it. If we have no honeybees, then nothing, or very little will pollinate the flowers. Then the flowers die. Then we're screwed. This world is really going down the road feeling bad, and we're completely oblivious. One third of the food we eat is dependent on the honeybee population. ONE-THIRD! I'm worried.

To educate:

Great All Around Article.. A Bit Long, but Worth It

Article About Problem

Wikipedia Explanation

Associated Press

A blog entry whilst writing on the airplane…another airplane.

I spent a whole week at home in Amsterdam. It was lovely. The weather was perfect, so perfect we are beginning to wonder if the end of the world is coming and the forces that be are simply placating us with sun before they turn the switch off. I actually sunned, and felt it afterwards. My friend Meghan from Geneva/Canada came to visit for the weekend, staying until today. She was still there when I left this morning. We spent much of the weekend enjoying the gorgeous weather, sitting in the Westerpark, drinking, staging dinner parties and then leftover dinner parties, and catching up.

The reason she came, well other than to see me of course, was for Konningnedag, or in English, Queen’s Day. Queen’s Day is Queen Juliana, grandmother of the current Queen, Beatrix’ birthday. It is a celebration that began after the war and has turned into a country-wide flea market meets all-day and night party, one tough to describe. It was plainly insane. It lacked sense, this party, but it was fun. Super fun. Much of the rest of the post will concern itself with describing my Queens Day, the first ever in the Netherlands and certainly not the last. This was so much fun; just a brilliant, energetic, smiling time. I wish every Monday was like this.

For Konningennach, or Queen’s Night, a friend of mine baseball and others joined us for pre-drinking at my place before setting off into town. We just walked, passing many DJ and drinking tents along the grachts (canals) before settling for a beer in Leidseplein. The canals were packed with people; it was almost impossible to move in certain places, and everyone was dancing, drinking, partying, enjoying each other’s company. This continued until about 5AM, as we kept pounding back the liquids to stay hydrated before stumbling home. I left before Meghan and the guys, and I passed out just before 5. The next morning we awoke at the crack of noon and had lunch, put on our shiniest orange shirts and went into town to enjoy Queen’s Day.

It was gorgeous; sunny, bright, lovely, and there was a shitload of people everywhere. Apparently the population of Amsterdam doubles on Queen’s Day, and it surely was noticeable. We passed by a party in the Jordaan, well, several parties and made it all the way to Rembrandtplein, one of the big squares. There were thousands upon thousands of people dancing to DJs and hip-hip from a big stage in the square, drinking and just going crazy. I couldn’t move. It was insane. After some time there, I walked back home (about 90 minutes of Queen’s Day) and met up with Renee to explore the Jordaan. This is where it got even crazier.

I found a toy sword on the ground, one from the Thundercats cartoon show. I went home and put batteries in it, and it worked. Lit up and made a sound. We grabbed some beers, found a tent playing trance and started dancing with the sword. The sword was quite popular. I made quite a few friends flashing it around. One women even picked up a pair of panties from the ground and use the sword as the base for a slingshot, flinging the panties in the air of the crowd. This proceeded to ignite a gigantic clothing fight in the stage, as jeans, pants, shirts and jackets were flung between hundreds of people like glowsticks, followed by flowers and socks. It was, once again, beyond comprehension. I’m in the middle of a street I bike down everyday, listening to a world-class DJ and dancing with a few thousand drunken Dutch. And everyone is wearing orange. Meghan took pictures.

It didn’t end there. After the clothing fight, an old woman who owned a flat next to the crowd opened up the window and started throwing rolls of toilet paper at everyone. More drinking ensued, and by 5PM, the day became a blur. Yet, as the dancing continued, a man came up to me and claimed I found his sword, bought for his kid, and asked for it back. He made a convincing enough case, and not caring too much, I gave him back the sword and he bought Renee and I a bunch of beers.

I know this doesn’t make much sense; I wish it did, but Queen’s Day doesn’t make a lot of sense. A gigantic flea market; everyone was selling everything, absolutely everything, combined with a city-wide street party. Hundreds of tents sprung across the city with bands, DJs, comedy, beer Olympics. And all this in orange.

I went home for a minute as Renee had a dinner date, and met up with another friend Macauley and Meghan again and had crappy Mexican food in the Leidseplein. Then 11:30PM reared its hungover head and we biked home exhausted, confused, thrilled and smiling.

Now I am sitting in a plane going back to Canada. I ended up sitting next to a woman and a young kid sharing one seat, and this kid was perspicacious, so thankfully I was moved to the back of the plane, next to an elderly couple. I am Toronto for a week; lots to do, some shitty things and some nice things, and lots to think about. Things get tough once I get back to the Netherlands, in many ways. I have a lot to think about, which is good, because if I didn’t, I would be bored.

My 150th Post,

that is a lot. Seriously; think that I have updated this useless piece of interweb 150 times. It makes me gasp, to be honest. Well, I am sitting here at my home in Amsterdam, at 3AM, slightly intoxicated and wondering why I am updating this thing. Today I was biking to a friend's party and there was a couple walking directly in the middle of the bike lane. I rang my bell a few times, and then whilst biking around them, I yelled 'it's a bike lane, idiots' in a sarcastic tone. I didn't realize how much of an asshole I've become at times when riding my bike in Amsterdam, and this experience reminded me of that. Wow, I could have been polite, but no; I was not pragmatic, I did not assume they came from a different culture (like me a while back) and didn't now. I just yelled at them. I'm a dick. I'm guessing my friend Eamon would have done the same when living in Holland, and he is not a dick, so it makes me feel better.

Major changes in my life coming up in the next few weeks. I am torn between accepting something that is right for all the wrong reasons, and figuring how how to make it right despite the reasons. I am also going home on TUES for a week, for the Alli's Journey concert, a big gala in honour of my sister, the light of my life. Furthermore, other things are happening, but they will remain clandestine until I figure them out more. This summmer is looking to be extremely entertaining in some respects, and boring in others. I'm looking to save money, work on my thesis and stay in Amsterdam. sounds like a party.

Queens Day is one MON. If you haven't heard of it, here. It's gonna be a PAR-TAY.

Back in Amsterdam,

I realize that the busier I get, the less time I have to try and update this damn thing. I really hope people read it, because I am putting actual time and effort into updating it; this time especially. It's late, I'm pooped and spent the day on the road as per usual. I found out that there is a bus strike in Eindhoven, and ended up sharing a cab with four quick lovely Dutch people, and one guy who had no idea where he was. He kept asking if we were in Eindhoven.. funny.

The travelling was fairly smooth. Tube to Liverpool St -> train to Stansted -> flight to Eindhoven -> cab to eindhoven centraal -> train to amsterdam centraal -> walk home = six hours. I updated my datebook. fun.

London was, well, London. I spent some time with Jordan and Lisa, ruined a very expensive towel of theirs, felt bad and bought Lisa flowers, went to work a bunch of times which was great, saw some excellent shows including the Camden Crawl with my friend Nate and ate some good Thai and Veitnamese Food. I also spent way, way too much money, as per usual. Yet, I do love London. I'm still torn b/w it and Amsterdam. I like Amsterdam more, but London is where the work is; and the english speaking girls. just kidding.

more later.

What a Day!

It's worth explaining.. well, not in depth, but well enough for everyone to enjoy the foibles I experienced. After having breakfast with Renee, I boarded a train from Amsterdam -> Den Haag. Unfortunately, the switched the track on us last minute, and we had to bolt it (a few people and myself) to catch the train. The day started well. I went to this award ceremony at a museum in Den Haag, as I was to receive an award for getting this scholarship last year. I won't go into details, but for the most part, the ceremony was a formality. I got out of Den Haag Centraal and boarded the wrong tram, going 7 stops out of my way before realizing I was an idiot. I got out - in a nice area mind you - crossed the street and got on the right tram, and 18 stops later and 30 minutes late I was at the ceremony. I stayed for an hour or so, because I had to leave the catch the train to Eindhoven for my flight to London. I wish I could have stayed. Lots of really smart people and a great networking opportunity. Ah well.

So I took a packed train to Utrecht - sitting on the floor - to transfer to Eindhoven. That's where the real fun began. The train I was scheduled to take never showed up, the next one stopped at the station and never started again, and forty-five minutes later I was on another packed train, this time standing in the middle of the carriage, praying that I wouldn't miss my flight. Thankfully I met a really nice Dutch guy from Den Bosch who calmed me down, and fifty minutes later, I was in Eindhoven, pissed off, tired and hungry.

I ran from the train, down the stairs and out to the exit and hailed a cab. I begged him to take me for €20 to the airport, which he did, and he high-tailed it, even parking on the sidewalk at the airport to give me a better chance to make the check-in. As I was running to the check-in, the sign switched from 'open' to 'closed.' I ran up, threw my bag down and begged, again, for them to let me on, and they did. I sat through security, was the last person on the packed Ryanair flight and passed out, awakening forty minutes in London.

After a forty-six minute train ride from Stansted and another thirty on the tube, I made it back to my brother's, and I'm here now writing this, pooped while my friends are partying at the Camden Crawl, a big music festival down the road. I'm going tomorrow.

A While,

It has been a while since I updated, and to be honest, I do not have much to report. I'm swamped in work, back in Amsterdam now but off to Den Haag, Eindhoven and finally London tomorrow. back Tuesday for more work and then Queens Day celebrations. Hope everyone is well. More updates soon.

In Canada.

I am back in Canada for a few days. I'm learning that when one moves away permanently, they usually only find time to come home in tragic circumstances, which heighten the emotional tone of the whole visit. Plus the weather sucks.

I often wonder if there is a human being out there that is truly organized. In every way. I am reasonably organized, but no where near to the point I wish I was. I rarely (almost never) miss a deadline, but I know I could make much better use of my time. I use my time poorly, especially when I am super busy. Maybe it's just a rough day. I'll chalk it up to that today, as I've been up for 4 hours and done nothing and it's 9:35AM. I had aspirations to be somewhat productive. Ah well.

At least I'm still in good health. That's all that's important anyways.

RIP Kurt and Ruth

Been a While..


I am sorry that I haven't updated in a while, if anyone even reads these useless ramblings in the first place. I had an eventful weekend in Amsterdam, both in the positive and negative sense. My family came for a visit, which is beyond rare, and we had a lovely time traversing Amsterdam and parts of the Netherlands, as one day we rented a car and went to the sea, Delft, Marken, and other tourist hotspots. Even made it to Keukenhof, which is a massive flower garden in Lisse, Holland. It wasn't cheap, but it is a must for anyone who likes flowers and tourists.

On a sad note, my grandmother, an amazing woman of ninety years, is currently on life support and not looking positive. She has led a storied life and has fought back from death a few times, but this time does not look positive. She is my last living grandparent, and I will be going home for the funeral, if one occurs shortly. Yet, I have to be back in Holland by the weekend, so if she loses the battle, I'll be flying 8 hours each way for a 48 hours visit. Life sucks sometimes, as my brother wrote on his blog.

Saying that, all is as good as it can be. My mom is on a flight home to Canada after loving Amsterdam, and I am catching up on a ton of work. Kae Sun is going back on the road shortly, and we're slowly preparing for that. I can't wait to see K, Steve, Mike, Paul and Fraser again.. oh, and Kojo of course. Love Kojo.

be happy.

Shain

Fuck Tagged,

No one sign up to tagged.com. I got an invite from my friend Gail, pressed OK and suddenly it sent out an email to all 2600 contacts in my gmail system, asking them to join. Now I'm being swamped in emails from important people asking me what the hell this is. God, what a major annoyance; just what I needed. Ah well. Could be worse.

April,

Another gorgeous day. I'm beginning to expect them. I'm an idiot. Just a series of anomalies. It's also my father's birthday today, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! Nothing much to report. My week off is over, which culminated in my baseball team thoroughly thumping a rival 21 - 1 yesterday (I went 3 for 4 with a run) and us gettig stuck on the canal in a friend's boat whose motor went the way of old yeller. It was flooded, so eventually it started and got us to a dock where we hopped out.

April should be good. My family is coming on Thursday. Easter. Oh, Happy Passover to all the Jews.

Not as nice weather wise,

Can't have them all. I was sitting in Vondelpark yesterday realizing how lucky I am to be living the life I'm living. All things considered of course. It was sunny, gorgeous even, there were lovely looking people everywhere, I could smell a BBQ in the distance and I had a pint in my hand, chatting with one of my closest friends. Alli is doing her job.

Moving...


I wish I could explain how we moved two couches through our second story window last night. I took some pictures before we did what we did; but when we were actually doing it, I was busy trying not to have a couch fall on my head that was suspending two stories off the ground on a rope.

So here is how we did it. We strung a pully from a hook that sits on the top of our building's facade, essentially. Yet, we realized that when the facade was renovated (it is a 300 year old building), the window in the facade was not big enough and our couch wont fit. So, what we did was walk the couch up one flight of stairs to our neighbours living room. We strung it out on their balcony and then pullied up the couch, literally, up to our flat one story from their balcony. We tied a net under the couch to harness it and suspended it 15 feet in the air with two ropes, while we used our muster to pull it up. I was guiding the couch so it wouldn't break a window. It was something else. We have a nice couch set now and I feel like A REAL AMSTERDAMMER.

So I'm moved in now. Still boxes awash our living room, but we've made a stark improvement since last week, and it is really looking like home. This weekend was LONG. On Saturday we went to my flatmate's storage locker late at 9:30 realizing the the compound closes and locks us in while calling the cops to arrest us at 11. We made a mad dash for his stuff and got out at 10:58PM. haha. Then we spent 4 grueling hours at IKEA and then another 2 at his locker on Sunday before pullying the couch up. I missed work and baseball, but now I have a flat to call home. I'm super lucky, cause this place is brilliant.

I have baseball tonite. Practice at our home field, which is way in the outskirts of amsterdam. It is about 50 minutes from me by bike, but I'll take the tram. Excited for Brady/Lori this weekend and my family the next weekend. My mom is never gonna make it up my stairs to see the flat though. They are 90 degrees up; you're faced with them when you walk in, eye to eye. I guess I'll need another rope and pully.

140th Post...

Things are slowly picking up, as spring has come... well, everywhere but Amsterdam. We did not have much of a winter though, so I guess we had it coming. But enough weather talk; that's what you talk about when you don't want to reveal anything about yourself.

It's been quite hectic lately, but now is half term at school so I'm catching up on much needed odds and ends. I've had several visitors as of late, bunched around the wonderful Jam in the Dam festival, and with Brady/Lori and my family coming in the next few weeks, getting shit done is paramount.

I wish I had something interesting to tell you. I'm seeing I'm From Barcelona tomorrow, and I have developed a new Saturday ritual; going to Noordermarkt, which is a great open market down the street and buying 3 bunches of Tulips for €5 and stringing them around the house in makeshift pint glass/vases. Makes me feel less like a student.

Much Love.

This Weekend,

This has been one of the best weekends I've had in months. I simply forgot about everything that mattered, just for a few days and celebrated life with some good friends. I'm one lucky duck. Speaking of duck, I roasted one on Friday for an amazing dinner party I threw with my friend Jared. I didn't eat it, of course, but it was a hit; a bitch to carve, but worth it apparently.

The downside is I spent WAY too much money. Ah well, Aldi it is.

I'm old. nuff said.

Older..

I'm getting older tomorrow.. Yup, that ambiguous biological clock that allows people to celebrate your sheer existence for one day a year is approaching. I am 24 tomorrow. I feel I have not accomplished enough for 24, but I'm confident all is improving. 24 will be good, methinks

But on another more interesting note, I went to Ikea on Wednesday. Boy, what fun! Note my sarcasm. Ikea is in the Zuidoost (southeast) of Amsterdam, a place you only go if you absolutely have to. I bought a rug and a duvet and some nice this and thats, making my new home more, well, home. We get a new sofa and a big rug this weekend, and I get a wardrobe, meaning I can stop living out of a bag.

This sunday begins Jam in the Dam, a wonderful music festival that I helped work on in its inception, two years ago. Had a great dinner with the man responsible for it yesterday, and will be living the life for three soaks soaking up the rain with the jamband world elite.. haha. elite.. makes me laugh. Van Morrison is also on Saturday. Fuck ya. what a weekend.. Plus Matt and Rich from the UK are visiting. smiles abound :)

Another Quick Post Before I Go To Bed;

Good Vibes first and foremost for a loved one of mine that is currently sick and in hospital. I hate both the former and the latter, and good vibes are important.. so.. there.

I am settling in quite nicely. The flat is slowly coming together. We gave it a good once over today including scrubbing the floors and windows, and need to get some more furniture and organize accordingly before it is truly home. I got a duvet cover and a rug from Ikea, as well as an iron and a coffee maker, so I'm making headway. It's not cheap, but I think I've spent the brunt of it and it's all downhill from here. I live in the best neighbourhood in Amsterdam. It's fucking brilliant. As hip as the Annex (for the Toronto folks), but also sophisticated and old. A perfect mix of old and new. The only thing is, the stairs coming up to my flat are 90 degrees straight, like a ladder. It's a bit of a pain.

I'll post pictures soon.. once there is something to show.

xx

Home Sweet Fucking Home:

I moved. This is my third place since I moved to Amsterdam, and I have great vibes concerning it. It is much closer to the centre than my other places; well, it actually is in the centre! It is on a fantastic, hip, cooler-than-thou street in the northwest called Haarlemmerstraat (look it up if you want) beside Amsterdam's prettiest canal, Brouwersgracht. The flat is quite modern, cozy and hip. It is built on two stories, with super dangerous stairs connecting them. I also have a rooftop terrace big enough for any BBQ. Plus, the flat is within my price range. Lots to do on the flat though, making it home and all that, so I will post pictures in a week or two when I'm truly settled. I dont have a wardrobe yet, so my shit is still on the floor. I get that on Monday.

good news :)

Quick post...


Looking for a new flat still... May have found something soon.. Will be happy if so happens. But on another note; Do you know what I did today? I went into a coffee shop, Homegrown Fantasy in Amsterdam on Nieuwzijds Voorburgwal and did not do or order any drugs. I just like their coffee... It is possible. I was looked at funny in there, prolly because everyone else was off their rocker...

Things are okay; disorganized from moving..

I have not had time to update my blog in a while, so I am sitting in a train lounge in Berlin, with another ninety minutes to go to catch my train back to Amsterdam, so here I am, unable to steal internet and writing this in Microsoft Word. I will copy and paste this into blogger tonite when I return after my eight-hour journey back.

This has been a whirlwind week. Not a great one, I might add. I am not going to go into detailed specifics, as this is not the avenue to do so, but I know a few concerned people read this, so what the hell. First, I have been away for ten days now, and the feeling of not having a home has intensified. I am plainly tired. Since December 14th, I have been on the road over ¾ of the time. I am not complaining though; just bitching. This was my choice and I have been to some amazing places. Berlin is brilliant, for example. But I am excited to go home.

Yet, I do not have much of a home to go back to. A misunderstanding between my landlord and I have resulted in us parting ways, and I have to find a new home for April 1. Nothing horrible happened, just a difference in opinion concerning a few things. Therefore, I have placed an ad online and will begin searching again.

This happened on Tuesday, when I was in Berlin. An exchange of emails affirming our opinions led to the decision, which is welcome but annoying. Moving is expensive, time consuming and stressful. Plus, I was supposed to go to Dresden today with a friend, but have decided, at a high cost I might add, that my time would be better spent in Amsterdam right now. Saying that, I will be home for six weeks starting tonight, home being Amsterdam, and I will begin physically looking for a flat immediately. I got lucky last time, as this flat has been lovely for the short period I have lived there. I guess I will see Dresden another time. It is not below sea level, so it is probably not going anywhere anytime soon.

Work remains stressful, but such is life. Formulating business plans and work with DiS and LPL is a humdinger, but I am excited for the future. Yet, I am presently consumed with the move, and keeping whatever is it that has become of me to keep going. Hold on for a moment; I do think this post is way too melodramatic. I am fine. Berlin was wonderful, and I had a brilliant night out last night with my friend Elisa and her cousin, who plays drums in a famous German band called Silly. We went to a trendy rock club called the Sage Club and stayed out dancing till 6AM, listening to old-school German hip-hop and speed metal. Having had to get up at 10AM to checkout and now sitting in an uncomfortable lounge may explain my childish verbal aggression right now; coffee just doesn’t do it like it used to.

So there.. I am moving.. Again. But now, I can talk a bit about Berlin. I arrived Tuesday evening and spent much of the time with my friend Elisa walking around. We went to all the haunts; Alexander Platz, Potsdamer Platz, some Holocaust memorials, Reichstag, Brandenburg Tor, and Sony Plaza.. Saw a wicked movie last night as well called “Notes on a Scandal” with Judy Dench. Other than that, it has been fairly relaxing. I was going to see McCoy Tyner, but I forgot to get press passes and it was too expensive. I was supposed to carry on to Dresden with her to see her aunt, but I am way too pre-occupied and decided to buy a ticket back to Amsterdam, forfeiting my ticket on Sunday and costing me some cash. March will a transition month, most definitely.

Love you all.