You got the green light... I mean... no lights... I mean... just walk..or run... accelerate... or cycle harder!!!!

Saturday night update:


What was supposed to be a quiet Saturday after the errands turned into a big-ish sort of night.

First I met Laura for some market trawling in Jordaan... Oh man, pay day is so psychologically warped.

I bought:

• a bell for my bike
• a hat (when I was looking for gloves)
• a ring (when I was looking for earrings)
• a tropical plant (when I was looking for miniature catci)
• two jackets
• a silk scarf

All carried home with the help of the elastics I bought today for the rear of my bike!!

But!!! The best news is... no more hunting for a winter jacket... I got a HOT HOT HOT white woolen jacket from a vintage clothes shop for a bargain basement price!! So good. So warm. So hot....

YES!!! Awesome. I am going to be one little hot toastie lady in this divine new jacket. Laura didn't agree on it at first... in fact she has started calling me her little Icelandic sheep and making "baaaaaaa-ing" noises at me since I bought it, but I don't care.... Baaaaaa baaaaa....

Then we had a couple of teas and Gluwien at our fav cafe in Jordaan, Cafe Thijssen, and then I went home and my flattie cooked me and her friend dinner, and then I met Laura again for a drink at Soundgarden and then we went to Buurvrouw (night bar) for a few more drinks...

Observation - traffic lights here don't work after 12am, it's kill or be killed... anarchy at it's best... just go through the lights and hope for the best... I kind of like it... I don't know if the municipality council of Amsterdam city know that half their citizens are riding/driving/walking home drunk or stoned in at 3 am in the morning, and making life threatening decisions about their physical welfare is not such a great idea since they have no choice BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO NEGOTIATE INTERSECTIONS AT UNGODLY HOURS WITHOUT ANY ORDER OR RULES .. but somehow it just works....

PS Spoke to my flattie, and she gets taxed 54% of her current wage AND she pays taxes in the US. Wow, sucks to be her right now. At least I am only getting taxed 30%.... (WTF?! Is that the most ridiculous tax rate you've ever heard?? I don't even benefit from health care OR education and I am getting taxed through the nose....)

My friend Leon told me a few weeks ago " You know you're a local when you hate tourists and taxes". I AM SOOOOOO THERE.... I AM A FREAKING NATIVE RIGHT NOW!

PPS Winter Time savings - just rewound my watch back one hour, dude at the bar told me about it... yes!!! An extra hour of sleep... are we now in winter????.... slightly concerned about the coldness.....