Last week, I drove 1000 kilometers for work. When you consider how relatively small the Netherlands is, that’s a lot of time on the road. This week’s schedule for driving is much lighter so far. I am sitting in my office, waiting for a conference call with the US to start and George is snoring deeply.

Since it is the first day of fall, the weather has changed right on cue. Today it has been very windy. I don’t mind that at all, I like the wind. I am not yet putting on a jacket because I feel like I once I do, I will really be giving in to the idea that summer is behind us and we are headed for the rainy, dark winter. Now if that’s not uplifting…

Yesterday the boys and I drove north to Robert and Pauline’s. Robert is Astrid’s doctor. We went walking along the dunes with their dogs and kids. In the middle of the walk, it started raining. Which is pretty much normal for here. We marched through the touring German couples that were trying to take shelter under various small trees. I would think that the climate in Germany isn’t much different than the Netherlands and a little rain wouldn’t be unexpected. But they looked stumped by the rain and very uncomfortable. We had a great late lunch – which lead us to a spirited debate over what to call it? Linner? Dunch? On the way home, I filled Astrid up again and we went through the carwash. I was almost tempted to stop at the McDonald’s and get the boys a double cheese. But Henry’s birthday is tomorrow and they will have one then. Can’t have them spending their whole allowance on junk food! After all, I am trying to teach them the importance of saving their allowance.

On Saturday, I met Marianne for our junket around the Noordermarkt combined with a big slab of appeltaart from Winkel. So yummy! Saturday night we tried out the newest movie theater in Amsterdam and saw “A Most Wanted Man”. It was the second time for me and I still watched it hoping it would have a different ending. That’s the mark of a good movie, I think. After the movies, we sat on a terrace and proceeded to solve a few of the world’s business problems!

Friday night, craving the spicy flavors of Ethiopia, I met Sjoerd and Marieke for an Ethiopian dinner to celebrate his birthday and her nursing graduation. I did enjoy introducing them to the concept of eating with their hands (right one only!) and sharing a communal plate made of injera. They served St George’s beer. I know exactly where it was brewed because the brewery was right next to the building I was teaching in.

Last night I went to bed at 9pm, I was so tired. You know it’s bad when your manager looks at you and tells you to go take an afternoon off – soon! 😉