living spaces

well, since i was planning on going to the park this afternoon but its still cloudy, i'll go ahead and update things here a bit more. here are some pics of where i'm living now.

i'm only here while the regular tenant is in china; he returns at the end of may. ive managed to make the space work pretty well. its a spacious apartment in the south of amsterdam, and im happy to be able to explore a part of the city i wouldnt usually visit. there are a few great parks that i never went to until recently because they seemed so far away; but now i know that theyre worth the 20 minute bike ride from the center of the city. anyway, ive got about 5 weeks left here, then its time to relocate again.

chances are good that i'll be able to stay in the houseboat of a friend while she goes to africa for two months. she's squatting the houseboat, which is a fairly common practice in amsterdam. although i dont know of many houseboats being squatted, because theres a limited number of them - only 2,500 in the city are allowed. but she's been living in this one for over a year, and she says the owner comes and gets his mail on a weekly basis and pays the bills and registration but never bothers her. she's even left notes in the mailbox inviting him to come introduce himself, but he never has, nor has he written any response. she changed the locks, so its not like he's sneaking in at any time. rumor has it he lives with his mother in another house, so he doesnt mind anyone living on his boat. i haven't seen it yet, but will go check it out this weekend. its great because i'll barely have to pay any rent. we'll have to see how it works out.

photos

this is a beautiful park thats about a 5 minute bike ride from where im living now. its called amstel park, and its bordered by the amstel river on the east. im pretty sure its the only park in amsterdam where you cant ride your bike inside. they have great little paths that go behind trees and along little streams with stepping stones. theres also an animal park with goats and sheep and various other creatures. not too many amsterdammers have ever been here. they obviously dont know what theyre missing.

getting started

reading melindas blog inspired me to start blogging again, so here i am. i rarely use myspace anymore, which is where i blogged previously, so this seems like a better outlet for my thoughts and news.

a bit of an update on my life:

ive been without a job for over two months now, but ive learned not to worry about it and instead make the most of my free time. i still search for jobs and network and update my CV and other necessary tasks, but now instead of spending all day fretting about whats gonna happen, im enjoying this time that i wont later have. im sure something will come along eventually, and if i live frugally (which ive gotten good at) i can survive for the next few months on the money i have saved up. so, now that the sun is usually shining i grab a tote bag with a blanket, some food, water, a good novel (right now im reading a tom robbins book - hes a great writer!, and im also reading 1984 for the first time - very interesting) and i go sit in one of the many beautiful parks amsterdam has to offer. ive really never seen so many great parks in such a small area. ill post some photots soon.

beyond that, ive been working on my baking and cooking quite a bit. i must say, i can now make the perfect chocolate chip cookie, and the same goes for my cinnamon rolls. ill try to remember to take photos before theyre all eaten next time. we do a fair amount of potlucks so i get plenty of opportunities to try out different recipes which is nice. now that im living alone again it doesnt make much sense to make big meals for just myself. but luckily it isnt very difficult to find people willing to help me eat what i make.

ok, speaking of food, i need to make breakfast now. then, if these clouds wear off, a ride through the park, then off to the library.