I don't know if any of you have ever been to the Netherlands, but I can tell you we're a funny bunch. I don't mean haha-funny. I mean why-on-earth-would-they-do-that-funny.

Take my traveling to work every morning for example. Now I know that perhaps the early hour isn't making me the most hospitable, but the things that people do really gets on my nerves. This can vary among many things and many different people with one exception; getting of the train. You would think this is pretty straightforward. You let the people who need to get off at a certain stop get off (hihi, yes my mind just went there) and then board the train yourself. Except this is not the traditional Dutch way. It's not like they just get on and push you aside, although to be truthful some do. No, they actually stand in front of the open doors waiting for you to get off, but leave no room for you to actually step onto the platform. Thus you're forced to half push people away who then give you the evil eye.

I understand it's annoying if you have to stand on the train instead of sitting in one of the grubby 70s style seats, but really can I just get off the stupid train already? You're just gonna end up sitting next to some unwashed woman who feels the need to pick her nose and flick the result of her hard work away or the next to the 16 year old who will not stop talking to his "homies" on his cell for the entire duration of the trip.

Dear god, did I need to vent or what? ; )

(for more of such Dutch weirdness - although why on earth would you want to know more? - you should read The Undutchables)

Please keep in mind that I wrote this entry 2 days ago, but being the complete dumbass and Movable Type n00b that I am it took this long to get logged in. (thanks Jules!!!)

So, this is the first time I've written an entry for my new blog space, which was so graciously provided layed out (out laid??) by Julie. What took me so long you ask? Sheer, plain and utter laziness. Butthis time the laziness has a source. So it's not the regular procastinatory and self indulging laziness. It's a brand spanking new "work just leaves me so frikking tired" laziness. Which is actually a really fulfilling feeling. Something I did not know work could instill in someone (well me).

Some time ago Jules asked me what it actually is that I now do. We're about a month on from then and maybe it's about time to answer her. I work for the parent company of a large chain of bookstores. The branch I'm in is called distribution, but besides that aspect of the work I also deal with data control. All ISBNs are stored on our server and we make sure they have the right delivery routes, prices and something as simple as the right author attached. The department I work for is also the sevicedesk which is a nice way of saying we're the drain where all the unsolvable shit coagulates. And I frikking love it! Who can say they get to spend the day solving puzzles concerning missing books?

Right now it's also "the season", which means it's the time of the year when we order all the books for the various universities and colleges. There's a special method of buying, storing and distributing them which basically makes everyone very jumpy and prone to say "but it's the season!' I'm actually one of the main middle men concerning this entire deal for the stores and our distributor, but to be honest it's really not all that hard. Although real delivery doesn't start until next week, so maybe the shit will start hitting the fan then. Well, at least it will be different from the shit coagulating in the drain.

On a sadder note, I'm actually already on the train home (it's 2.30pm as I write this) because I have to get my cat to an appointment with the vet. After getting antibiotics two weeks ago for breathing problems and quickly being her old bouncy self, she actually got a worse case of sneezing/couching/all round difficulty breathing again. She looked at me with such sad yet very blurry eyes as I left to go to work this morning. I'm actually rather worried about her. Hmm it looks like we're nearly there already. Time sure flies when you're blogging. : )

Update: the cat was actually really sick and was close to pneumonia, which was rather odd since it's been like 30 degrees here for the last several days. Luckily she responded really well to whatever the vet shot up her backside and she's happily snoring away here next to me. And I'm hungover..but when am I not? : )