Here I am, in my sunny apartment waiting on the movers.

The last few weeks have flown by, with guests, and packing and meeting friends.

Last night, some of my lovely gayboy friends came by to help me carry the 10 boxes down to the first floor.  As both of my colleagues are away on holidays, one in Japan and one in Africa, I’ve been working from home all week. Which has been ace, actually.

I can get up and work in PJ’s from 9-12.30, then jump in the shower and run around to the local Boterham store (if you are in Amsterdam you should check this place out, get a yummy fresh made sandwich and fresh OJ and sit along the canal and eat watching the boats!) Then with boterham in hand back to the house and make a cuppa and chill for a bit. Run through another couple hours emails and orders with the sun streaming in the windows behind me, then go out for a beertje and a chat with whomever is around. Having the laptop in the house has been great as I can check emails from LA around 8pm ish and make sure all is in hand, thus saving waiting another 24hrs for an answer.

Yesterday I cycled to the Geemete to de-register in the city, I went down to where I registered and was stared at and handed a sheet. I expected nothing less as they are really rude in that office, true disgruntled civil service that are the same no matter what country you are in. So I cycled then to the town hall to hand in the forms. What a difference, big smiles, nice chat, I mentioned this to a Dutch mate last night and he was just as shocked as I, “What? a NICE person in the civil service?? How did you find her??”  LOL. So there you go .. as of 21st September I will officially no longer be a resident in AMS

How do I start to tell you how I feel about that? Hmmm…

I do love Amsterdam, even a lot of the things that bugged the hell out of me at first, I now like. Like waiting 20mins until the waitress can be bothered to acknowledge your existence when you are dying for a beer, I now carry a book or ipod and just chill. Not getting anything up to 5cent change back when you buy something, I now pay by pin or realise that its great not having a heap of 5cents in your change jar.

I really love my friends here, I know that sounds like a stupid thing to say, I mean who doesn’t like their friends? But really I have been so incredibly lucky to have met almost the most incredibly fantastic people. At least 20 of which I know I could call real true, call them in the middle of the night, persuade them to call in sick and go off traipsing somewhere, will sit with you for hours in a hospital kind of people!

I am really happy with what I’ve gotten out of my time here, I know I can go out  into the world and Create a life for myself, Create a community,  Create a professional identity in a huge corporation, Create a Home I love.  Without the back up of, oh you must be so and so’s daughter or cousin or workmate or whatever. I turned 30 here and I do think I really went from kid to adult in the 18 months I’ve been here.

In truth I think it was that change in me, the time to really assess what it is I want that has brought me to this decision. I know I can make the big decisions and I know I have the balls to make them work for me. The truth is that although I know I could stay here for years and make a life here, my life is too important to waste on a job I don’t love, that I don’t think makes anything of my talents.

All that noble stuff said, I’m CACKING myself.

I was crap at Uni the first time. I hated it; hated the place, the people, the crap weather, the lack of money, the living in some-one’s garage in Limerick!

To think that this time 3 weeks I’ll be in a classroom full of impressionable kids, with my fantastically calm and capable cousin as the teacher, FARK. Double pressure, if I screw up my whole family will know! I cant spell (as witnessed by all the wiggly red spell check lines as I look up) I am rubbish at maths, I cant say my name in Irish. I will be assisting a class of 8-12 year olds… chances are they’ll be teaching me!!

I’ve been behind a desk (allegedly) for 8 years…. 8years of half decent pay and 18 months of very decent pay. What am I doing walking away from that?? Nuts, that’s what I am.

I have (apart from a few hiccups) lived away from home from 1996 … I will be a bag lady sans abode for the next 9-12months. Part time with my mum in the midlands, part time with my gf in Dublin, and part time on the Dublin-Sligo commuter route! *groan* Looking round my lovely and incredibly empty apartment, yes I do believe I am crazy!

Still somewhere in there I do believe that I am doing the right thing….. *fingers crossed*

I have wanted to blog, I have wanted to talk to you and ask advice, but silence was needed for a while.

After 7.5 years in Media, I have handed in my notice and will return to study at the end of September.

Some might argue that walking away from a job i know back-ways with a fab paycheck in a great city in the middle of a recession, is bordering on madness…. there are times I agree. However, the “office job” was supposed to be temporary and now its day has passed.

My job is great and like I said comfortable and salaried, relatively stable and poses no great challenge.  But its not what I love, and moving to another company showed me that in dayglow colours. The vast majority of my 7 and a bit year stint was in Dublin in a place that became a second home to me, I loved the people, the job just allowed me time with them. The job here … was the same stuff, minus the family, so in essence it was a husk of the old world.

I am glad of it though, the opportunity to move to this city and make a new start for myself. Being here has been amazing. I have to say I’ve never clicked with somewhere as quickly. I adore Amsterdam. Its a fantastic place rich and diverse and in constant contradiction with itself. It is very settled in who it is yet constantly rebelling against the preconceptions of what those who throng its streets and canals think of it.

Again for me it was the people, I have met a group of people here that are outstanding. In 18 months I have met people I feel as if I have always known.  Truly I have been very very lucky.

But it was not meant to be permenant and the door has opened to a new part of my life and I’d be a fool to close it.

I applied for and was accepted to do a postgrad in Montessori method teaching for 3-12yr olds. I begin on 29th September in Dublin.

This will remain Elf-in-Amsterdam, regardless of the Elf’s coordinates on the planet, a large part of her will remain in Amsterdam.

(plus I have loads of drafted crap I have to put up here relevant to Amsterdam, that I havent finished as I wsa to busy enjoying the place)

So lets see, what have we missed?
Well while I’ve been up to my fuzzy mop in yawn-worthy project ….. the summer has started (allegedly)

Mum visited… and we went to the Keukenhoff… photos on flickr

Tuilps from Amsterdam

We had Queens day, which despite its National Drama, and some more personally experienced drama, was a lovely time.

I went back to work and things just moved along…..

I will say that living here lends a lot of time to thinking and planning, which is in my opinion something I am glad for. Being here I have learned to really listen to what I think or feel about a situation, to depend on my own reaction and thoughts and to stand up for what I want. I always put others opinions on what I should do or how I should react as the more important. I second guessed and self doubted as if it was an Olympic sport that I was in training for.

Here; I am my own person, of my own making. I loved that when I came here first I could almost begin again, as a 30 yr old If I wanted to be decisive and confident I could be, and no one would be able to judge me on previous experiences or on past failed endeavours.

So all this thinking and inner confidence building up has produced quite the effect, to my mind anyway, and be prepared for the next few months, as the fruits of my thinking time come out and shine.

So that’s the Elf? What of Amsterdam?

Well Amsterdam is as it ever was, I’m enjoying the summer, the longer evenings and the sun on my face on my way to and from work. My *new* bike, purchased in February has proven to be the most fabulous purchase ever, I love it so much. Cycling the 19km round trip is a breeze and in hail, rain or sun (I don’t do snow) I cycle to work and everywhere besides. Actually I have gotten extremely ‘dammer about it, as was pointed out by a “newbie” who remarked that I cycled the 2min walk to my local Sunday brunch spot, and why not, isn’t it even quicker by bike!

Cycling does give me a fantastic freedom, I never wanted a car and I wasn’t pushed on learning how to drive. But once I got over the paralyzing fear last summer of the first few months, and especially since the new dream-bike, it has just really improved my life quality. Even with the crap bike, in the winter I missed cycling, I missed the exercise and the brain stimulation. So now I am *getting* to ‘dammer proficiency (I’ll never be a Shaun who whizzes kamikaze style) but I can pedal my own!

Summer is definitely in bloom with many of my friends pregnant I know 3 couples now eagerly awaiting bundles of joy and poo! Even some of my utterly wonderful gayer-boy  mates are contemplating procreating, which makes me really happy. I have to say, a nicer bunch of people you couldn’t find!

Im really looking forward to this years Pride, we have a few of the family participating in the Drag Queen Olympics and then we are going to set up camp at our vantage point early, so we can brunch and rink in the sun, and await the passing boast bedecked in carnival and nearly naked beings!

My apartment had its own dramas this spring, after one particularly bad spring storm there was a leak from the roof, which bypassed the upstairs apartment via their kitchen wall, and ended up ALL over my bed. It was so bloody annoying, although not as annoying as dealing with the agency. Quick note for anyone that is moving here, contact me regarding agencies, they charge like a mofo and do nothing to help when you need them.

So for now I will leave you, I have to say I’ve missed blogging, I may not get back to the Lenten Post a Day rhythm I had. But I will be back, as my plans and the summer unfolds I promise you now at least two posts a week!

Drinky Links and Amsterdam Cool need an airing too!

Elf!

On Saturday night, just gone, Bellx1 were due to play in Paradiso. Tickets were €12.50 and sold out by the time I got my ass in gear (story of my life). I was gutted as I really wanted to see them, and I love Paradiso so it was a double whammy to me.

Only one thing for it… 6.30pm saw me standing outside Paradiso hoping to catch the eye of someone with an extra ticket. By 7.30pm I had almost given up hope, but I had noticed a handsome man walking towards me….. hmmm…. “what are you doing here” he said leaning in with a grin.

It was the lovely Xbox and after our almost/nearly/neverdid meeting in Cork Airport after the bloggies I was glad he came to say hi!  Unfortunately he didn’t have a spare ticket either so after a quick chat and a prompt to go back up to the door and ask again he was gone.  Well that was that, my resolve was made, I wasn’t going to miss a night at Bellx1 in Paradiso with one of my favourite  bloggers. Up I marched to the door again, the ticket booth was empty of punters as the gigs were all just about to start.

The conversation went a bit like this:

Me: Any chance of a ticket for Bellx1? Have there been any cancellations or sell backs?

Ticket Lady: No… sorry its totally sold out.

M: *sigh* ok, I really wanted to see them but I guess I’m out of luck.

TL: Is is just you, or are you with friends?

M: No I’m on my own, but I’m ok in the city, thanks for asking.

TL:  No I mean, do you just need one ticket?

M: Eh.. yeah… just one, just for me… I’m on my own (I’m babbling at this point)

TL:  Ok ask that man over there (points to burly doorman who previously growled at me) to come talk to me.

M: Ok… (runs to door man) Eh that lady in the ticket-box wants to speak to you

He ambles over to the ticket box and then turns on his heel and grabs me by the shoulder  I pretty much think I’m going to hit the pavement for harassment or just being weird.

He ushers me inside the door and says… “gig is upstairs, enjoy!”

Wow, I literally did a little dance in the lobby of the Paradiso, the lovely lovely ticket lady came out and said “Run its about to start” I asked her if I could pay her for the ticket and she said no, she had a guest pass and it was not going to be used so I should have it!

Anyway, I legged it up the stairs and met Xbox at the bar. I went to join his gang and we watched a great set by Bellx1.

Highlights were Bad Skin Day, Rocky Took a Lover, Eve the apple of my eye, and Ribs of a Broken umbrella. They also did Flame and Blue lights on the runway and a fair few others I cant remember now.  It was 2 hours of music and I loved every minute. Seemingly its their first sell out gig in Amsterdam, and I hope they come back soon so we can give them another sell out audience. They were excellent. I’m just annoyed I didn’t pluck up the courage earlier to ask the ticket lady (and not the doorman who growled at me) so I could have caught Duke Special’s set. They played upstairs in the small room, which is really intimate and I was feet from the stage.

Thing was, I had spent the day shopping for my nemesis… frickin wedding shoes (or just shoes to normal 30yr old women) I only wear winter boots, trainers or converse (for smart occasions) so as I’m off to a wedding at the end of the month, I needed to buy wedding shoes. More anon

But lets just say I hadn’t had time to eat all day as I was on my shopping mission impossible. I went straight to Paradiso and then gig (plus beers) From there I went out with Xbox and his lovely wife Elaine who has the most beautiful smile ever; her whole face lights up, she rocks. (not hitting on your wife Martin – promise) and their mates. Yep I was not the best for ware as I cycled home at quarter to three on Sunday morning….

My left hand, wrist, elbow, inside leg, Right wrist, knee, ankle will all attest to the fact that drunken cycling isn’t the smartest thing I’ve done. Several beers and one sharp turn too many saw the road quite literally (to me anyway) rise up to meet me from a sharp bend off the Prinsengracht, and I went from sitting on my bike to lying face down on the pavement.

Oh well… hope the bruises and scabs heal up in time for the wedding or the sophisticated look I was going for might be impaired, it might just be a bad skin day.

Ps If you havent already bought Blue Lights on the Runway please do. Its a fantastic album

Quick QueensDay Recap

My mum came over for Queens Day, which was (despite everything) great.

Despite what? you might ask, well on the night she came over there was a hit and run outside the door.
A young woman was flung off her bike by a lunatic who went on to nearly kill two others at the end of the street. My mum is not a fan of me biking around Amsterdam, in fact she hates it. And for that to happen on the night she arrived definitely didn’t help. The girl in question was conscious by the time the ambulances arrived and could move arms and legs. I was the first on the scene as I was just upstairs, and her friend happened to pick the guy’s licence plate up so hopefully they will catch him.

The next day, Queens Day, we got up and began to explore the city. The weather was amazing and the colour noise and people of the festival are second to none, it really is something worth doing. And early in the day it’s great for families and kids. Later in the day/evening it gets a lot rowdier. So we walked and ate and drank and watched from 11am-4pm by which point mum had enough. We returned to the news that someone had ploughed through a crowd watching the Dutch Royal Family, killing 5 and wounding 20 people.

I wondered at that point if she wasn’t wondering why the hell I chose to live here. But she likes the country over all and knows that where I live and the country in general is very peaceful and safe.

Apartment Living

So for the whole time mum was here the other floors of the house were empty, which was great as when the upstairs folk are home its really loud here. It really bugs me to be honest as they have no consideration and even having spoken to them a few times nicely I know that they really don’t give a crap. I mostly listen to TV/Laptop/ipod with headphones so I cant hear them. The apartment is lovely but I don’t think sound insulation from a house built in 1825 was destined to suit two guys trundling around with their mates slamming doors, shouting and jumping around and listening to dance music and tv with a 5.1 sound system. But anyway, its a pity as I lived here for 10 months with other neighbours in that apartment and they never bothered me.

So other than that it was lovely to have mum over, I enjoyed the peace in the house without the neighbours. The weather was great and it was lovely just to have time with her to talk and relax and spoil her. I really missed her when she left, its really the longest she’s been here since I moved over and I was getting used to having someone in the house to talk to.  I got a bit down when she left, and then I got back to work.

Number Nightmare

With my return to work a project that’s been on slow boil for a while suddenly came to a rolling boil, and I’ve been in work till 8pm every night. I’m happy that I’m making really good progress with it and I know I’ll be done in a couple of weeks, at least this happened in the summer. I’d hate to be stuck in my office till 8 every night in winter, it was bad enough getting to and coming from there in semi light without staying there for 10 hours.

Anyhow, I am returning to my bloggy home, and will be blogging properly again. But that said I may be a tiny bit less frequent than the post a day I was maintaining in March/April.

Thanks for hanging around.

I will reward your loyalty with probably rubbish photos of Amsterdam’s Queens Day and our trip to the Keukenhof.

As I mentioned last week, all the national holidays come in a big glut from now till June 1st after which we have ne’re a long weekend in sight till Christmas.

It all kicks off with the Queens day festival, 30th April, marking the birthday of the Queen Beatrix (well actually her mothers birthday, but as QB’s birthday is in January, the pragmatic choice was to leave things in March)

Anyhow, there is Koninginnenacht, the Queens Night, the evening of the 29th, mostly celebrated in The Hague, but also celebrated wherever there is alcohol. Once work finishes the bars open and all hell breaks loose. The next day is Queens Day, Koninginnedag. Amsterdam is awash with Orange, and stalls appear everywhere, selling anything from a broken teapot to a donut, from a dress mannequin to a dental mirror and everything in between. Needles to say with5 days left people are already laying claim to the “best” plots on pavements and the like, marking their turf by writing BEZET in some manner on the ground

Next week my Mum is coming to visit for the festivities, but I do promise to post a round up of it all here.

In honour of this National Day our cocktail this week includes 4 essential Dutch ingredients, no not Hash, Cheese, Tulips and Arrogance…..

Something from BOLS, Genever (Dutch Gin) Orange Colour and the word Dutch!

Comfortable Young Dutch

• ½ shot BOLS Genever (young)
• 1½ shots  Southern Comfort
• ½ shots  Freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 shots Freshly squeezed orange juice

Add all ingredients to an iced shaker.
Shake and strain into an ice filled old fashioned glass.

Liquored Up? now lets get Linkered Up!

All this recession talk would have you believe nothing is happening in the shops these days, but I think thats Bull!

And so do Panti, Rick, Redmum, Ian, the Guardian and even CNN

RTE 9 0′clock news

Click here to view the embedded video.

Full CCTV Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Last night I got a wonderful invite from @kittynel to go for a cruise through the canals on her new boat!

It was gezellig hoor!

Twitter News

We all know Oprah joined Twitter recently, but not to be outdone on the emerald isle, our own fair female shlebs piled onto the social networking train…. Twink, Lorraine Keane, Grainne Seoige, Bláthnaid NíChofaigh, Amanda Brunker and Glenda Gilson all joined very recently and are trying to figure out what the hell is going on!

Speaking, or tweeting about whats hot, Friday saw #doylejoke day. On prompt of @lecraic’s jibe about tweetbombing @darraghdoyle for his “bad” jokes, AJ offered a limited edition Helvetica Moleskine notebook to the best “worst” joke tweeted by 5.30

My last top twitter tale, is this  – Development of a method of tweeting using brain activity

That’s right, no keyboards, just a red cap fitted with electrodes that monitor brain activity, hooked up to a computer flashing letters on a screen. Wilson sent the messages by concentrating on the letters he wanted to “type,” then focusing on the word “twit” at the bottom of the screen to post the message.

The development could be a lifeline for people with “locked-in syndrome” — whose brains function normally but who cannot speak or move because of injury or disease.

Blogger News

Some bloggers need YOUR HELP

The ladies of Gaelick what to know

What the velvet hearts on the tree trunks along East Wall are for?

Panti would like your help resurrecting a lovely turn of phrase

“To Beat the Band”

The Culchies are up in arms, about the possibility of a musical based on the life of Jade Goody with songs such as “DOH! Whats a Dear” and Lottie’s suggestion of Don’t Cry For Me East Anglia? Suggestions on a postcard to the Beeb, where we are sure it will be their new 12 part search for a star.

Other thing happening in the blogosphere, Lilly Collison has moved blog home, she’s now a WP blogger!
Check out her new WWW place of residence www.lilycollison.com

My 2nd appearance on Desked – My Home desk  —>

Biff Sniff has some pretty cool tshirts to mark the demise of the global market economy – click on the image to get your shirt!

Wantsies and Other Stuff

Every Elf has wantsies – and coming up to my birthday…. here are a few of my pointlessly favourite things:

Singing Gizmo from Gremlins – you have to watch the video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Zip up headphones
Mine are always in a mass of knots! They even have a volume control on the zipper!

Noma Bar’s May 2009 Limited Edition Cover for Esquire

and finally: I leave you with two natural wonders:

Northern Lights (as I know they are @fontfiddler’s favourtie thing ever)

Click here to view the embedded video.

and
Scenes from the zoo

According to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), over 600 million visitors pass through the gates of over 1,300 zoological parks, reserves and aquariums worldwide every year. Springtime brings many new animals to these parks as well, as newborns. Collected here are some photographs from zoos and aquariums around the world from the past couple of months. Don’t forget that 2009 has been designated as the “year of the gorilla” by the United Nations. (37 photos total)

(cc) Ricardo Mateins

The OBA or Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam (Public Library Amsterdam) is a collective name for all public libraries in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The first library opened in 1919 at the Keizersgracht.

The largest of these libraries, the Centrale Bibliotheek, moved to the Prinsengracht in 1977 and 30 years later, on 7 July 2007 (07/07/07), to the Oosterdokseiland, just east of Central Station. It is now the largest public library in Europe. It has a floor surface of 28,500 m2, spread over 10 floors, 1200 seats, of which 600 with Internet-connected computers and a staff of 200.

This to me is a real modern treasure in Amsterdam, The building was designed by Jo Coenen, the former state architect of the Netherlands, and it welcomes up to 2 million visitors every year. Open seven days a week 12 hours a day, this powerhouse of information is so much more than any library you’ve seen before.

Its one of the places that’s always on my
“Must See” list for friends that visit, and for many reasons!

(cc) driek

Firstly: its an amazing space, really and truly I could post a million shots of all the unique and peaceful areas of this building, and never give you even 60% of its spirit. Here is a great photo slideshow to have a look.

Secondly: it is a beauty inside, but go to the top, or even any of the vast picture windows on each floor, and you will be treated to panoramic views of the city around you.

Thirdly: On a wet day its a great place to check your email (with 600 dedicated MAC & PC terminals) , read a paper, watch a DVD, listen to a CD or LP, check out their 360° projector viewing room, or play the piano.

(cc) gkluit

Fourthly: The cafe on the top floor, not only benefits from the amazing view but has great food, wine and beer, and free wifi.

Fifthly: for any design fan it is a treasure trove of modern gems, there is the most unique selection of seating in each area, from oversized bed seats in the kiddies area, to large armchairs in the news section, bubble rocking chairs in the AV section, to individual study pods scattered throughout. The light fittings are a beauty to behold and the structure and design of the floor signage is incomparable.

(cc) Wischenbart

A quick tour: Starting from open lightfilled basement you’ll find the Children’s area, Ground floor is the Entrance with Reception and Toilets (which are pretty cool themselves) Newspapers/ magazines and a reading cafe are on the entresol just above. On the first floor you’ll find all the Multimedia viewing area, CDs and DVDs. All of which can be rented by the week for a mere €1. For novels go to the second floor. Third floor is reserved for Travel and History fourth floor for Art and Music, while the fifth floor is where the Health and study rooms are. Sixth floor has Philosophy and Social work and the Seventh for Theater which seats 300. Also the La Place restaurant is to be found on the uppermost floor.

(cc) Monique Kooijmans

There is a Music Department where world music and jazz form this unique collection that includes exceptional sets from Brazil and Indonesia. The LP collection is easy to find in the catalogue, you can search either under band, artist, composer name or title. The department also houses the scientific section of the Stichting Toonkunstbibliotheek (Music Library Foundation) along with its large collection of antiquarian sheet music and songbooks.

(cc) irdrager

There is so much information about Europe and the EU available, that sometimes it is very difficult to know where to start looking for the information you need. Because of that, the European Commission has created an information network in all EU member countries known as the Europe Direct information network. The Amsterdam Public Library is a part of it.

The OBA made a quick video tour  – have a look as it really gives a good sense of some of the spaces. And make sure the OBA is on your “Must See” list when you come to Amsterdam.

(c) manuel mc

The weather these last few days has been so lovely, life here has been looking good for the coming months.

Saturday

Was a lovely day. After Keith’s party the night before, which was rather strange to stand in the same kitchen with all the boys, dressed as … well boys and not in drag as at the last party. The sun was out but there was still a nifty breeze when you were in the shade. Didn’t stop me having a lovely afternoon in one of my summer favourites, Tomaz on Begijnensteeg. Its a lovely little tapas bar that serves a slightly sparkling rose in the summer months, yum yum. Its on a tiny medieval side street off the main shopping street Kalverstraat, on the way to the amazingly peaceful Begijnhof. In fact the lane way itself was the only entrance to the Begijnhof originally, so it truly is a medieval route. And coupled with some spring sun and a nicely trashy paperback, things were good.

Sunday

Proved equally relaxing, having got my bike back and repaired good as new. I did a bit of shopping, first time in months – I have been a good girl. Went for a bracing cycle around Westerpark, hung out with friends for a lovely dinner at Burgermeester . Sunday is usually quiet for me, I like to be ready for the week ahead.

Monday

(c) ayalon

The weather got even better,  and it’s so nice to cycle home along the Weesperzijd’s riverside cafe’s. I got a good bit done at the office and left work bang on time, headed to another local watering hole, Struik on Rozengracht. I sat on the picnic benches outside with a verse munt thee (hot water, fresh mint and honey)  and chatted to some people, before continuing to chow through the aforementioned cheesy paperback. Then me and my freshly made lamacun went home to watch Great British Menu, Richard Corrigan gives me the shivers, he’s like a cooking version of GRyan! I even managed to stay up way past my bedtime to watch our Mr Mulley on Q&A

Tuesday

Can we spell pre-monstral! Oh yes as the wonderful Xbox might say the Red Menace is nigh. And I am having a tearful day. Please, for those that don’t understand this concept, the ladies lucky enough to not get teary pre the monster, and for boys reading that are not gagging right now. I am NOT actually upset, nor am I down or depressed. I will just cry at the drop of a hat, nothing alarming about that, is there? Things that make me cry right now are homeless kids, upset kids,  cute kids, babies,  – yes I see a theme too – and thinking of my Gran, Uncle or Cousin who have passed on.

Today listening to Phantom, I zoned out from what I was doing to hear, or should I say listen to, as I had heard it a million times, a Road Safety ad. James’s dad spoke of how James lost his life when he was walking home in the dark from a debs and was struck by an articulated lorry.  Tears quietly escaped while his fathers voice haltingly said “Oddly I miss him most on fine sunny days when I think he should be alive and out enjoying himself” and “if only he had worn a visibility jacket that night”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Anyhow, the day went on and I came home, read more of my book (nearly finished it) and made a yummy salad, it really is yummy and I will put the recipe, thrown together as it was, up here soon. I sat down for another installment of Great British Menu. I’m willing the only woman, Clare Smyth,  amongst this years contenders to get through the heats. Afterwards the second an possibly the most bizarre reason to shed a tear snuck up on me.

Yep I cried at Snooker!    Snooker??     … Yeah Snooker.

Hurricaine Higgins

I promise I have not lost it, well no more than usual.

My Gran was a snooker nut, and stayed up till 3am to watch all the greats, during my childhood it seemed as though Snooker was on all year, and certainly every time I went to my gran’s. My grandad used to watch it on a black and white tv in his bedroom right up until he died. Snooker watching on a black and white with a snowy reception is a passion of its own. But the quiet sound of the commentators and the smack of the cue on white will always make me think of Gran. The clincher for me tonight was Steve Davis’s return to the Crucible!! Gosh I remember how much she didn’t like him, and how bored I was listening to her as a kid. I know she’d have loved to watch him get his ass whopped.  Alex Higgins was my nan’s toyboy, she even called the budgie after him.

The only fail in an Amsterdam weekend in my humble opinion is Brunch.

You wake up on Sunday head bit woolly and all you want is saturated fat, carbs, and caffeine… and perhaps an OJ.

Uitsmijter

Brunch in these parts is also Lunch, as in there is no distinction … same menu, every day of the week. And that menu is mostly Tosti’s (the basic small toasted sandwich, cheese, ham, tomato sometimes with spicy sambal, served cut in half with a splodge of Ketchup for dipping) or Uitsmijter** - pronounced Outs-my-ter with some h’s thrown in to achieve the mandatory guttural sound. (this is 1 or 2 slices of bread, topped with 2 slices of ham, melted cheese and 2 fried eggs). If you are very lucky you might get Pannenkoeken, pancakes, that look like crepes but are thicker and greasier, with a variety of toppings, my favourite is apple and bacon – don’t ask just eat, its good I promise.
Anyhow, there are times that this just does not cut it, and what you want, nay what you *need*, is a really good fry up or fluffy pancakes and bacon, or eggs benedict. That was hard to source, until Englishman Jason came along, and began his project of love….

Love Food

One Sunday a month in Cafe Finch on Nordmarkt, Jason crafted his Seasonal Brunch menu… and then his Dinner menu… then his Take Away menu

On the last Love Food Sunday, 29th March, I arranged to meet with two of my friends Marie & Franklin for brunch. Maries Brother and his Girlfriend were in town for the weekend so they came along too. I had been to a Drag Party the night before, and was in real need of this life saving saturated goodness!

We were not disappointed, Fresh OJ and coffees were served post haste, (prompt service with charm is a rarity here) and we looked at the menu. In unison we all plumped for the Full Monty

The Full Monty…
The breakfast that made English men and women the fine people they are today!  2 rashers of thick cut English bacon, 1 of our own home made English pork sausages, a poached egg, fried mushrooms, a grilled tomato, a slice of Yorkshire black pudding and baked beans from a tin. Served with a round of toast & butter and a choice of ketchup or HP Sauce.

The sausages were instantly recognisable as home made, and boy were they meaty perfection. Thick bacon and runny egg, toast… I was in heaven, as were Marie and Franklin, the two tourists were looking at us a bit strange, “yeah its a fry, its good, but its just a fry”  – Just a Fry!! Never! You know when you get exactly what you’ve been searching for, this was it, now I knew my weekends (at least once a month) were complete!

So, imagine my happiness when this appeared in my DM window the other day.

Love food for the Win!! Now I can have my favourites every Sunday. And with it being a regular fixture I can explore the menu and try other things, not in fear that I will be missing out on my Full Monty for another month.

Think I’ll have to have the Full Mikey next time….

The Full Mikey…
The American classic breakfast. Choice of bacon or homemade sausage, hash browns, scrambled eggs, 2 American Pancakes with butter and maple syrup and a side order of toast

Oh and to complete the Win, Finch is in a lovely location, with a great terasse and cool staff. Free Wifi and a full bar (if its hair of the dog, or an early start you are after). Its perfectly placed for a cycle around Westerpark after, and perhaps a fresh mint tea in Het Ketelhuis cinema…. but that’s for another post

Anyhow, I heartily recommend you hit Cafe Finch if you are here on a Sunday and want to try Amsterdam’s best Sunday Brunch at Love Food!

See you there ….

**Ps potted history of Uitsmijter – it means Bouncer, as in big burly lad standing outside a nightclub. And is reputed to be “invented” by students, as the thing you served your mates after a night out and before you kicked them out… bit of soakage… and that it is… but its no fryup!

My street approaching dawn

I’ve been meaning for a while to do a proper, “now I’m here a year post” but I’ve been putting it off for many reasons.

Some are obvious, busy, traveling, work… all that jazz, and some are less obvious, or maybe just harder to face and put in writing.

I moved here in a bit of a whirlwind to be honest,  I am a bit of a procrastinator, I like my rut, and am happy with the known. I’m certainly not a risk-taker. So when the job was offered, I said yes mostly as I had this “now or never” feeling, either I got off my ass and tried living, and earning my living (not just staying with family or studying) in another country, or I just shut up about it, stayed put and struck it off the list without trying.

I knew in my heart that if I was to sit and think to deeply about moving or its implications that I would find a million reasons not to do it, some real and some exaggerated. But they would build a wall in my head I wouldn’t be inclined to cross, so in all honesty, apart from consulting  the main players in my life and doing a few quick financial calculations, I really didn’t put a lot of thought into it.

Signs were, to be honest, when I think back on the first few weeks here I hardly remember them at all. I managed to source my lovely apartment on the internet before moving over, and a great friend of Catriona’s went to have a look at it for me, as she worked at the end of the street, and declared it reasonably sound. Like many of my decisions around this move it was snap and based mostly on whimsy. I loved the lamp in the sitting room and the colour of the wall in the kitchen. Having no photos of the bedroom or bathroom I was glad to be reassured by Prina that both did indeed exist.

I arrived on Easter Saturday morning in snow, as you do, to begin work on the Tuesday after Easter, with @fontfiddler leaving on the Thursday. Having never even come to Amsterdam on so much as a weekend break before, this was uncharted territory, but it was Europe not Outer Mongolia so I reassured myself with that and moved along.

Canalside Terasse of my fave Cafe & Eethuis

More internetting found various meetup and expat groups. With the summer starting to appear people were eager to shake off the winter indoors, and meet on terasses for beers and laughs. By May I had made a pretty neat core group of friends, most of whom I still count as good friends.

Mates from home and family came to stay, we had Queens Day and Canal Pride, and I was enjoying the freedom of beginning again, and the random beauty of the city.

Weekly trips to Nordmarket and my local bar(s) Cafe Chris, In de Wildeman and Cafe de Nieuwe Lelie. Along with meals in low maintenance eetcafe’s were fun and often wound well into the night. My core group of friends cemented and some new ones came along, it was getting to the stage where we all knew what the others were about and it was comfortable and fun. Not like at the beginning where it seemed like an interminable series of “first dates”, with the same questions, How long are you here?, What do you do?, Where do you work?. By July we all knew each other and it seemed as if I had always lived here in a funny way.

Work was ok, I knew taking on the job the projects would be varied, large and a bit tedious. Also that I would for the most part be working totally alone. I was finding that hard, having come from a close knit group in my last company with a real sense of family more than team. Early on I declared myself far more “work-sick” than “home-sick”, I think that is something that will remain with me, and some days it gets me down.

Being away from my family and friends, and especially @fontfiddler was the bit that I tried very hard not to think about. I called everyday and went home pretty much every 4/5 weeks. But I was missing seeing my nephew and having @fontfiddler there in the evening when I came home.

Our Hotel from Central Park

On the whole I find living here to be not much different to living in Dublin.  Amsterdam is small and easily navigated. The people are friendly, they all, much to my dismay speak brilliant English, so its easy to chat to people, if you are happy not to practice your Dutch  Service is woeful in most places, they are a bit blunt and pretty much all think they are right all the time.  I know these are generalizations, but they are the same generalizations many of my expat mates have come to, so I can be shot with the majority.

Throughout the Autumn, I was mostly looking forward to going to NYC with @fontfiddler in October, which was amazing and one of the real highlights of not just this year but many a year.

I had heard the Winter in Amsterdam was depressing, but mostly from Americans, so I thought, well perhaps they are just not used to it. I’ll be fine, after an Irish winter, after many winters as as student in Limerick, how hard can a winter here be?

Yeah it was pretty miserable.

Cycling was out for me as being honest, street lighting isn’t great here, especially along the canals, and fog is all prevailing. There is a constant dampness, that despite being Irish, was really tough, and when it rained …. yeah… lots. This winter was (as for everyone in Europe) a tough one. The nights seemed never ending, and no one wanted to meet up during the week, so it was Monday to Friday bed-work-home and repeat…

With the talk of recession and lack of prospects at home, and the never ending winter, I really found that isolation was creeping up. I’m glad to say that the spring has finally sprung, and things are on the move. While I may be here for another 12-18 months things will change over the next few and I hope that next winter will be easier.

All this said, I do like it here. I think winter ‘08 took a lot out of me and it was hard for a while to see the wood for the trees.  The truths being, that I miss having my family nearby, I miss having  lots going on around me at work,  I miss my old work friends a lot, have not changed. I think this experiment has proven that I can live away and be relatively successful with it, but that there is no shame in saying that I like living in Ireland. For all its flaws.

Amsterdam is a great city to be in right now, and with open arms I welcome any bloggers or blog readers to come visit.

I am very proud of my foster city, and currently loving my return to biking after the winter. So don your cycling legs and put your beer drinking head on and come visit!

Beertje en Bitterballen!

Hotel in the snow

We went there for a friends birthday in December and it was really lovely. An old school building beautifully restored to a high standard. The bar has wonderful fireplaces and sofas for lounging, with various ante rooms off it, for more private conversations.

Not that we made use of it, but  set off the bar area there is a beautiful courtyard where the staff were lighting fire drums for smokers in the December air. I will be back now that summer is coming to see what fun we can have in the longer evenings there.

What started out as a training hotel for students of the Regional Education Centre has grown into a hotel of grand prestige. The 4-star hotel is under supervision of young managers, who aim to boost the international hotel standards to new heights, together with the students who run the hotel.
A nice detail lies in the fact that the hotel houses in a former school building which stems from the same architectural period as the Rijksmuseum. The style can be recognized easily and the building rightfully enjoys a monumental status. The neighbourhood is blessed with many restaurants, bars and a vivid nightlife, although culture-seeking guests will certainly enjoy the surroundings. The Stedelijk Museum and Van Gogh Museum are situated at the Museumplein nearby. The beautiful Vondel Park is easy to reach as well. In the P.C. Hooftstraat shopping enthusiasts can indulge in trendy extravagance. This street forms a nice passage to the city centre, although tramconnections will shorten long strolls according to the desired amount of activity

The Bar

There isn’t wifi in the bar, there is in the rooms, but its at an extra charge, which is a bummer for me.

The cocktail list is impressive, and leather bound. The bar food menu looked lovely and most people in my group tucked into hearty sandwiches and soups. There is also a good restaurant in the hotel, which we didn’t check out on the first visit. The staff are young, all being “in training” and as Dutch service is bad at the best of times, you’d be advised to bring your patience, and relax. Amsterdam in general is not a place for rushing and once you realize that, you will love just chilling and people watching.

While saying that the staff were a bit distractible, they were very polite and helpful, assisting us with hiding cakes and lighting candles. Overall I think that a stay here would find a very helpful and youthful staff with good recommendations for things to do in the city and a genuinely pleasant attitude on the front desk

The rooms look plush, even their basic rooms look like they would more than fit the bill for a good nights sleep. My office manager took a tour there recently as she was planning some friends coming to stay, she said the rooms were really comfy and very luxurious. And she travels a lot for business so has an eye for a good room.

Cozy rooms

If I had to compare it to a place in Dublin I would say its a lot like the Dylan (even though we have a Dylan here too) in style but not really like it in attitude. The Dutch on the whole are not “up themselves” so there is no stuffiness or poshness, just relaxed laissez-faire enjoyment. So if you are planning a visit and want somewhere peaceful, upmarket and very luxurious. Try here!

Tonight’s cocktail: Tulip Cocktail

• 1 shot / 30 ml / 1 oz Calvados
• 1 shot / 30 ml / 1 oz sweet vermouth
• ½ shot / 15 ml / ½ oz lemon juice juice
• ½ shot / 15 ml / ½ oz apricot brandy

Shake all ingredients with ice and fine-strain in to a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon zest twist.

The Tulip Cocktail is another taken from the pages of The Savoy Cocktail Book. It is a rich and fruity cocktail, with plenty of apple upfront and a long apricot finish. The vermouth provides a floral bitterness that along with the lemon juice provides a counterbalance to the sweetness of the Calvados and apricot brandy. The Tulip has a complexity that I really love in a cocktail, and despite the small amount of apricot brandy used it has a surprisingly strong effect on the drink. Definitely a drink worth exploring – highly recommended…

Apart from being yum, it is my choice in celebration of the Dutch national flower, to mark the 60th Anniversary of the Keukenhof. They are using the anniversary to mark the 400 years since Henry Hudson stepped off a ship owned by Dutch East India Company, purchased the land for the modern equivalent of UD$1,000 from a tribe that didnt own it and proclaimed it New Amsterdam.

Anyhow, when my mum comes to visit at the end of April we are going to visit the Tulips

On with the Linkage

While 99 Designs might not be the best way to get new work and protect your copyright Mashable held a competition to redesign their logo - which one do you like best?

The Guardian’s piece on “The Rise and Rise of Twitter” makes for interesting reading

Wallace and Gromit’s new ad for Npower, more here on Creative Review

Click here to view the embedded video.

Madonna wants to expand her brood, PopSugar reports

Yesterday it was confirmed that Madonna is trying to adopt a little girl from Malawi though there’s already controversy as the process moves forward. The little girl is an orphan named Mercy, and Madonna will appear in court on Monday to take the next steps.

Some thought Madonna got special treatment when she adopted David Banda, and the procedures could be even more complicated this time since she’ll be a single mom and there’s rumors of her personal life getting in the way

While we are on the topic of families, here are three posts from Travelling but not in love who has been hosting his lovely mother, aunt and cousin.  Read these while drinking your cuppa and risk a keyboard full of tea!  He is one funny guy and his mother and he make quite the double act.

Panti explains the Bicycle in homo friendly terms

The Lisa Hannigan video, for Lille, the pop up book was designed by Maeve Clancy of Flatmates fame.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Flatmates is a year old! And to celebrate, the first 10 people to send their postal address to Maeve with ‘Flatmates Poster’ in the subject heading will win signed limited edition posters.

@paddydonnelly ’s fantastic set of Origami Web 2.0 icons

Grandad opens his advice clinic doors, Sunday suit you sir?

Dine to read.ie was this weeks Tuesday Push, looks like a really interesting way to meet new people and share a book and a meal.

Kevin Coleman finished his Guide to Blogging in three easy parts

And finally,

Found this week while the wonderful @fontfiddler was over to visit

Plop Chocolate Pudding

]]> http://elfinamsterdam.com/2009/03/28/elfs-drinky-links-iv/feed/ 2 http://elfinamsterdam.com/2009/03/26/and-you%e2%80%99re-my-left-handed-girl/ http://elfinamsterdam.com/2009/03/26/and-you%e2%80%99re-my-left-handed-girl/#comments Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:49:22 +0000 elfinamsterdam http://elfinamsterdam.com/?p=447 Despite knowing in advance that James Yuill (supporting the brilliant Peter Bjorn & John) were coming to play in the Melkweg tonight.

I forgot to get tickets!

I have been following James Yuill via Twitter and his blog on his tour around Europe with PBJ.

And today when I realised that he was in Amsterdam playing the Melkweg, I freaked and went straight to Melkweg site … that lovely word greeted me

Uitverkocht – Sold Out

Gigs are cheap enough here , as you see €14 for two class acts, but they sell out fast, even on a School night!
And even more so if you feck off to Ireland for a week and forget to get your ticket! Doh!

So I sent a tweet or two but to no avail…
I even hung around at the venue, but it was such a horrid night that there were no tickets to be had

I came home, made tea…. had a purple snack bar, my band aid to the worst of emotional “owies” and tried to think of things other than the fact that I was missing the gig. I was briefly cheered to find that a few of my mates are fans too. Then Twitter broke again, and I had to find something else to do.

I settled with my Barry’s and Cadburys to lick my wounds and watch TV, United States of Tara, to be exact.

But James’s yearning folktronica beats kept calling me out…

I had thought this post might be something else, but now its…

A big James Yuil love-in!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Check out his Blog Here

And his Main Site below (click image)

Make sure you BUY his CD HERE or iTunes

Just a final thing, I first heard about James from the very cool and wonderful smelling Barrie Willliams on his Blog, Hearcanal

Pop over and see what gems Barrie will uncover for you.

*Ps the blog title is a lyric of a song Left Handed Girl from James’s new Album “Turning Down Water for Air”

The only choice for this weeks cocktail is:

The Grand Slam

So in case you live under a rock the Irish Rugby team won the Grand Slam, and as ever the wonderful Patrick Phelan had his twouds up for the pre, during and post match tweets. My favorite is this one

78 mins: DROP-GOAL Wales 15-17 Ireland

Some great charity things you should support:

@Debbiemet’s good friend in Brooklyn wants your signature to save a feral cat colony – Do It!

Friday was Daffodil Day, if you missed out, or you want to dedicate a Daffodil to someone, Plant a Daff

Two friends of mine Una & Kelly are doing a 70km from Dublin to Arklow on May 16th to raise money for Women’s Aid

On my now openly favorite topic, I’m not the only one that’s broody and if you’ve been bitten by the bug the Guardian has some advice for reducing the expense of these lovely little bundles of sleepless nights, and one very strange and freakily interesting story of the shared pregnancy experience of twin sisters

iPhone 3.0 release is another thing you *might* have heard about this week, the ever sleek and well groomed Allan Costello has been busily Tethering his nest

On the topic of nests and homes you may have noticed my new home, someone else who has a new home is Stephen Spillane *waves* Howdy Neighbour

Cool finds of the week: Polar Clock, (see below)

Drool Worthy Stairs and the Mixilator

Polarclock Screensaver & iPhone app

Gay this Week for the homos and the LGBTQ SOFA’s in the audience – Ellen on Oprah and Oprah on Ellen and from Panti’s Blog Portia DeRossi apologises for marrying Ellen.

Picture of the Week I love this image from GlasseyAlley

Finally today marks my first anniversary in Amsterdam (more on that later) and this week marks another cool anniversary, the very talented Maeve Clancy’s webcomic Flatmates

Back to work in the morning…..

Click to Google Street View

Just around the corner from my street there is the coolest little shop ever! Its a treasure trove for visiting geek mates, and nirvana for my nerdy little star wars mad nephew.

A Space Oddity is a tiny jam packed store on the Prinsengracht. It stocks all manner of odd, rare and totally cool comic, sci-fi, tv and movie collectable and toy!

The owner is very friendly and open to chat about the stock or requests you might have and they have an online store too that takes international orders.  Its been open for almost 20 years and from wandering round its tightly packed corners you’ll see why people just keep coming back.

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