Buzy ramblingz...

(Written Fri 10 Nov) Busy, busy times. We pack so much into the weekends, trying to keep up with our lives, but now P and I also have only the weekends to reconnect. I am still so unsure how to manage our time most efficiently and keep the friendships and family happy and keep us sane. Last Friday we met each other in Deventer where friends of ours cooked a yummy dinner of mussels and patat frites. And, I learned a great appetizer trick, which I even used the following day when P’s aunt and uncle came to visit. Slice a cucumber in relatively thick slices, then use an apple corer to cut out the center seeds and stuff the hole with yummy stuff. Our friends rolled up ham and cream cheese inside. I smushed smoked salmon in there. It’s super easy to do and looks really elegant.

On Sunday, I went to the MCM Book Club meeting. My American neighbor was hosting, so luckily, it was relatively close by. She has just started the inburgeringsprogramma (Dutch language and integration course) that I finished a year ago. Coincidently, I just applied for my Dutch passport. I finally meet all the qualifications! It still takes six months to a year to process. And no, I don’t have to give up my American citizenship. I will never do that. But, I think it’s kind of cool to have two passports. If for no other reason, I’ll always get to choose the shortest line at the airport. :-) For the book club meeting last Sunday, we read The World According to Garp by John Irving. What an intense book. It’s one of those books like 100 Years of Solitude or The Cloud Atlas that once you’re done, you’re like whoa…that covered a lot. And it’s a book you have to devote good, solid blocks of reading time too. Some books I can read in 20-minute blocks or less, but this one requires more focus and attention. It deals with so many themes – fear and lust being overriding ones, but not in the way you think. It’s very harsh and realistic. It follows the life of one T.S. Garp and his mother, a lifelong nurse, who begat him from basically a wounded, catatonic WWII soldier. She raises him, while being the school nurse, at a private boy’s school. They move to Vienna when he’s 18, where his first sexual experiences are with prostitutes whom his mother interviews to try and understand the idea of lust. She publishes her life story and unwittingly becomes a heroine for the feminist movement. T.S. Garp, also a writer, marries his childhood sweetheart and has what I thought was a whole lifetime through the book, children, affairs, death, bad books published, good books published, world travels, loss…and in the end of the book he’s only 33! John Irving very successfully weaves the writings of T.S. Garp into the book, which become more and more autobiographical over time, really showcasing the life and mind of a writer. The whole feminism thread takes a very scary turn at moments, as rape is also a recurring theme of the book; both women and children who have suffered being raped and Garp’s feelings of guilt just at being a man in his mother’s world of feminists. Ok, enough on the book. It’s a good one to read. I find it strange that so many Dutch people have recommended the book to me, but I’d never heard of it in school or from any of my American reading friends.

T, the boyfriend of one of my girlfriend’s came to stay with me in Amsterdam for a couple nights this week as he was attending a conference there. It was a bit strange to spend time with him alone, as I’m used to always having his girlfriend there. But, on the other hand, kind of nice to get to know him a bit better for himself, on an individual level. He took me out for Thai food (restaurant called Bird - a recommendation from a colleague – very good) last night and we discovered a whole little section of Amsterdam, The Nieuwmarkt, where I’d never walked around before. It’s full of great little Asian flavor restaurants, independent performance theaters and little boutique shops - a nice area to explore. I’m starting to feel more comfortable and less like a tourist in Amsterdam.

Today was one of those horribly stressful days. I like my job – a lot. But today I was really drowning. I’ve been in so many meetings this week that I’ve barely had time to actually do my job. Another area of my life needing some serious time management applied. I feel like splitting myself in two. It’s as if my husband knew exactly what I needed. He was so sweet when I called him almost in tears and he said, “the week is over, just come home – tonight we won’t think about work, its just for us.” He picked me up from the train station and we arrived home to candlelight, mood music, a delicious 2000 Cabernet and a slow three-course meal he cooked himself. It was just what I needed. Isn’t he wonderful? My romantic CEO…And I took pictures of the food because I’m a photo nerd. Doesn't the first course look yummy?

Sometimes he gets a little creative in the kitchen and makes up his own concoctions. Tonight he whipped up something really great. For the steamed spinach, he made a kind of mousse of whipped cream, chopped candied ginger, horseradish and toasted pine nuts. Sounds bizarre huh? Totally yummy and perfect with spinach.

In closing I'd just like to say, way to go on winning back the House and Senate! I'm very proud of everyone who voted the 'right way' in this week's election. Take that Bush! And buh-bye Rumsfeld! And yes, I'm a democrat from Texas. We do exist.