Yesterday we were waiting in Rotterdam for GG to come back out of her house. As you can see, the boys felt it necessary to take to the bridge and keep an eye out for GG or perhaps icebergs or passing dogs. Which came in pretty handy because I closed my eyes behind the wheel and took a nap. Not to worry, I had Astrid safely parked and the engine was off 😉

When we arrived back in the Netherlands on Friday afternoon, I sort of powered right on through to Friday night, going to bed around 11. Well, that didn’t work so well since at 3AM I was awake again and stayed that way until almost 6AM. Right now it’s nearly midnight and I am having a cup of coffee and wide awake. I’m going to have to get this in order since this week is really busy. It starts tomorrow at 915AM and won’t slow down until Friday evening. This is the week that the interns and I are going to Groningen to present on digital inclusion and then I am going to Tilburg to speak to university professors about the same topic, different emphasis. Then there’s the good-bye event for Big C – who is moving back to the UK at the end of the month. Banjo, 57 meetings with organizations and people to make sure we’re making a difference. Ending on Friday with cooking for a homeless shelter with my peer from a competitive company.

Last night was the monthly meetup and I am pleased to say there were 30 women who showed up. A number of them new to the group. It was a really good evening and I hope that people felt welcome. We closed the bar down which is unusual. As I was cycling home, I realized again how beautiful this city is. I wondered again if I am not completely out of my gourd for thinking about leaving it for another city…

Yesterday afternoon, before this picture was taken, GG and I went to go look at another house. It was really beautiful, not a case of internet dating profile photos. It’s not officially on the market yet so now we have to make a decision. It’s not as old as we would like (1853 instead of 1568) but it has the advantage of being insulated and updated wiring and plumbing! Since it was originally a warehouse, the windows get progressively closer to the floor with each level you go up, since they were originally doors. It overlooks the canal and there is a sailing ship from 1909 moored right outside.

There’s another one we looked at yesterday from the outside. It is from the same period and has a built in theatre and cafe that resemble something from a 20s speakeasy or burlesque hall. That appeals to me very much however the rest of the building had been converted to office space and a very questionable apartment in the attic. So we would be looking at a renovation project of 8611 square feet… I think that’s not going to happen since both of us still have to work full time jobs – we didn’t win the lottery tonight ;(

Anyway, it’s good to be back in the Netherlands. We had a great week with the family and I think we collectively decided that next year we are going for an island theme. I’m wondering if I can make a case for Texel? 😉