I've officially judged two economic systems on the Chocolate Standard.  That is, on a shopping trip in Beverwijk I picked up some AWESOMTACULAR chocolates for 0.95 euro and at a shop in Amsterdam the exact same chocolate was priced at 2.5 euro.    That's... pretty much the easiest way I could use to compare how RIDONCULARLY EXPENSIVE Amsterdam was.  Also you could get an amazing hazelnut chocolate bar the size of a college notebook for less that 2 euro in Beverwijk.  Perfect when you have to satisfy 35 sweettooths.

Everyone of us Americans declared we would eagerly await the chance to sit at an american restaurant and get ALL THE FREE REFILLS we want.  Y'know.. instead of 2 euro for 8 ounces. ... Of anything short of beer.

The thing I missed most was toilets that didn't permenantly smell faintly of stale pee.  Something about the design of their toilets seems to cause anything but a freshly cleaned toliet to start to rank up.  They use virtually no water in their basins, which is probably contributing to the problem.

On the last night some kids decided it'd be fun to run around our place and throw firecrackers.  Once at the fire, once into the bathrooms and once at the smokers area.  Rogue called off the man hunt cause he wasn't sure the kids'd live if the drunks caught 'em. Ok maybe I over exagerate... but trust me, DMs can make life pretty traumatic for a kid.

Stroopwaffel.  Try them.  Now.  Look in the international aisle prolly... it's a cookie like thing but.. like a mini waffle thing with like honey in it... OMG.

Dutch Licorice tastes like bitter salt gummybears.  EW.

Bandaid Brand Blister Pads - worth the price! 

Apparently, though somewhat complicated the Battlestar Galactica board game is fricking awesome.  The games ran about 6 hours each and were raved over after every finish.

I found out why service is slow.  Apparently with Cafes, unlike restaurants in america, it's assumed you want to just chill.  When they come to take your order could be up to a 30 minute wait) you need to order everything, not just your drinks, cause they'll assume that's all you want, drinks.  How 8oz of coke could last 2 hours I don't know.

Their hot chocolate was delicious.  Their belgium fries not so impressive.  I felt a bit queazy for eating the with mayo. Blech.

Axel insisted we go to this hole in the wall Amsterdam shop that has this specialty ice cream.  It tasted like.. frozen whipped cream mixed with vanilla ice cream in inconsistant temepratures.  So you've have whipped and soft on one side and hard and cool on the other.  It was the cheapest thing I bought in Amsterdam at 1.2 euro for a massive cone.  I don't know if I'd agree with Axel about it being the best ice cream in the world.  Currently DQ's Tagalong Blizzard holds that title for me.

Beer.  In Vending Machines.  I thought the beer drinking americans were going to have seisures from the sheer awesomeness of this discovery.

Day Three: Monday

Woke up and went to a cafe for breakfast.  Got a boiled egg served with a tiny spoon in one of those elegant half bowls that hold the egg upright, as well as a croissant.  Yummy if light.  Went to the Botanical Gardens and walked around admiring various plants and regreting  few of the signs were in english.  Still, the tropical area was awesome and the place was beautiful.  Stopped at the garden's cafe, had another croissant.  They sell some of their plants, Neona regretted not being able to import the giant carniverous pitcher plant or the cayanne pepper plant.  She was the most excited about this as she wants to start an all natural herbal tea/soap/etc shop and is really into it. 

We went back and grabbed Mongoose who was arriving from the airport.  Then we went to the Torture Museum, full of torture devices and some info on them.  Not nearly as interesting as we had all hoped.  Pretty fakey and lame... but still some of the stuff was decent.  Stopped at a restaurant and had an odd tuna panini.. it was yummy.

We walked the Flower Market, stopped into a couple of shops along the Red District, and generally sight-saw.  Red light district is very crowded.  I can see why it's a hive for pickpockets.  So far, noone's been stolen from.  While the Red Light District is a hive of... well virtually anything and everything, including many cheesy tourist traps, "coffee shops" and such I didn't feel nearly as threatened as maybe I should have given some of the reports I'd read.  Maybe it was the hulky guy in a black higwayman's jacket and goth apparel that made things seem easier.  Either way Gothic was welcome company, always quick with a joke.

Not finding much but pointless crap to buy we decided to stop at the "Flea Market" which is probably more better labeled "Black Market"as we're pretty sure a lot of the merchndise fell off the backs of trucks.  Some interesting stuff though, Gothic declared it Öfficially Awesome" when he found some nice goth apparel to buy.  Still no luck finding the right things for souvenirs.  Hm.  Stopped at another cafe (Seeing a trend?) then headed to the hotel.

It seems that Amsterdam, and probably all of the Netherlands, do things a bit differently when it comes to service.  Service is slow and inattentive - probably stemming from an emphasis on not rushing a customer rather than an affront on us as english speakers.  Very different from the US where anything short of swift attentive service results in crappy tips.  Speaking of which apparently 15% gratuity is built into prices but you're expected to tip an extra 10% if you're being polite.

We finally, after directing them, got Sarge and Eggplant to the hotel and then we were off for dinner.  Afterwards we spent the rest of the night in another cafe - me sipping hot chocolate and hogging the heater coil as we were outside and it was nippy. ... My nose was cold.  Stayed until it was closing (midnightish) and headed back to the hotel.

Tomorrow we head to Beverwickj (sp?) and we'll be more disconnected from the internet.  Not sure if I'll be posting anymore until I get home.  So far enjoying myself.

In which I worry for my father and my father worries for me and we both get virtually nowhere in either attempt.

Otherwise my lunch with him was nice.  I hadn't gotten to see much of him given his schedule being wonky and mine, while usually open, somehow always being busy when he -is- free.  I fret over him running himself into the ground over things he really can't control, as usual, but then.. that's something he's been doing to himself since I can remember.  A prime deterant of me ever considering starting my own business was looking at my father, his health, his free time, and his general emotional state.  "The only way to be truely free" is just not the way for me.

I was thinking about my old excursions into entreprenuerhood last week.  I remembered when my parents decided to convince us to take on a mini business project.  They sold 'shares' of our company, which us kids dubbed 'Three Kids Vending', to themselves who, via the shares provided, purchased two vending machines and some product to put in them (one coke machine, one snack machine).  For a year or so we restocked and counted out money and so on these two vending machiens which were stationed in our parent's business: Analytical Services Laboratory.  (This went out of business a few years later).  Anyhow, at the end of it, we were sick and tired of being dragged into this without really getting -any- benefit or pay.  We sold off the vending machines and the money from that and our profits were put together and used to pay off mom and dad's shares.  For a year's labor we got maybe $30, $40 each. 

Whoopie.

The effort had been made to convince us that owning a company was the way to go, ironically.  I think this is roughly like force feeding various types of green beans to a kid in an effort to make them like green beans.

Still, I did pick up a good skill in counting out and wrapping coin stacks and I know how to buy in bulk and be scrupulous with your money.  So... I suppose it wasn't a total loss. 

Wow it's been a while.  I apologise for my absence.  I haven't really had much inclination to write, either being too fretful in April or too spastic in May or too restless in June to bother with that. 

In April I along with many were asked to go onto temporary unemployment by my family's business.  It was perhaps a low point for me.  It isn't that I think little of people who go on unemployment.  It was just that my parent beat this sense of self support into me so hard that I felt personally shamed to go onto it - like I had failed.  I cannot be more grateful for Tony being there at my side for that as he really took out hte sting of something that was scary and new to me. 

May came and with it the news that the company could still not afford to rehire me - and me freshly moved into a 1k/month rent apartment.  Well, that just could not work.  I had idled for an entire month and felt shameful, once more, for not having taken action immediately to better my position.  When the executive team got together to figure out how bad things were, and they did look terrible, we were asked to offer solutions: I offered that of the people that could be seen as non 'bare bones' staff I was among them and could be left unemployed indefinately, laid off entirely.

Mike of course was devestated in taking this offer, so upset that he cold not provide a stable job for his daughter - something he felt his company should definately be able to do.  But, once I got over some initial misery, I was honestly more conent, more happy to have a focus again.  I had not done much for April and felt slothful and uneasy.  Having the concerns of the company and it's day to day gloom lifted helped me feel.. better.

Yeah, I know, strange.  But it was true.  It was the not knowing that was driving me insane.  And I worked and am working hard on getting a new job.  I sign up for 5 jobs a day during the week, saving for one or two occasions because of interviews or because I've bled the job market dry of potential applications.  I refined and re-redfined my portfolio and my resumes and cover letters getting more confident in my style as I went.

I started with accepting two interview calls from "Marketing Companies" which is to say a factory that chews up and spits out sales people.  I don't know why they feel the need to call it marketing, as direct sales is SALES, but I suppose their advertisements just show how shady they were.  My goodness the first guy I interviewed with gave me the 'Danger Danger Will Robinson' flag immediately.  Something about him just screamed sexist slimeball.  In the interview I twice had to artfully bring his attention up to my eye level.

But, those were not interviews for jobs I wanted.  They were just good practice.  I haven't done an interview since I was a freshman in highschool, where, when my future employer patted my back I decided to return the friendly gesture but, being awkward and short, patted his butt.

You can see why I wanted a bit of practice.

I can't say my next interview was fantastic.  It was for a Graphic Design position, but I STUPIDLY didn't think about bringing in a physical portfolio.  The guy I would have answered to was a nice sort - very yipper dog in personality (all over the place nonstop talking) but I'm used to those personalities driving marketing so... *shrug* He apparently used to work for TSR, it would have been neat to work with him.  At least they were nice enough to send me a email letting me know I wasn't choosen. 

Next came a call from a local entrepenuer whom I'm not going to name but suffice to say she's a yipper dog personality on crack.  She called me and wanted me to come in for an interview in a few hours, to give you an idea of how 'Go Go Go' she is.  Not, again, a bad thing, just something I've gotten used to.  I'm not entirely sure where she got my application - but I think it was one of my 'Confidential Customer' applications for an Executive Assistant.  The interview, the next day as I had a wedding to go to when I was called, was whirlwind, but pleasant.  I wouldn't mind working there, but who knows if I'm their final choice.

Finally, today I had an interview with a cheerleading/dance company that does all it's own marketing.  They're the second biggest of their kind and mostly because of their unavoidable intense design work they do - they've gotten quite a few awards for it.  I was instantly interested because of the multiple brands they support (all sister programs/companies/divisions) which was familiar to me and what I've done workwise in the past.  They look to be hiring in mid July, right before my vacation.  I told them about it, and I hope thigns went well.  There are actually two positions available and I'd love either as it's in my field and would push me to a new level of design work.  Plus it was a fun atmosphere - very personal.    But I won't expect to hear from them for weeks, if ever.

So besides a parttime clerk position that I'm expecting an interview set up tomorrow I don't have any other prospects.  Lots and lots of resumes sent out.. we'll see.  I've splurged on some $15 audio books to give me something to give my over active brain some rest time - I can't easily think and listen at the same time.

My late paychecks finally arriving along with my tax refund have helped keep my bank account steady, despite not having much of a nest egg.  I've begun some freelance work for my mother's new company she's bought and it looks to also help in that. 

I've been sick most this week and I finally decide it was one of the msot dreaded Migraines.  I took a pill this morning (made my interview a bit hazy as to what I said) it knocked me out as soon as I got home and put some food hastily in my belly.  I meant to get those questions for Lizard and his boss.  I hope to do it tomorrow.  Blech.

Overall however I have to money to pay for my vacation, enough to keep myself afloat for a bit, and a very cozy home to live in.  It's not half as bad as it could be.

I know this is a bit old, but for some folks who still haven't seen it...

The Anti-Bear Suit

The Anti Bear Suit Part II