That was a short tour

Just read that Roland Arnall, the US Ambassador to the Netherlands is resigning. He was appointed by Bush in 2006, just about 2 years ago. He is the founder of Ameriquest Mortgage Company, and is worth an estimated $1.5 BILLION. Hmm, yeah, I don't think he needs this gig here in Holland. He just needed it to get out of some federal investigation into his business ethics, good thing his friend GW was there to the rescue. I guess he can't handle the heat in the Netherlands!

But at least he waited til after Super Tuesday, when he got Arnold Schwarzenegger on a live sat-link to prove they really are friends...

Well, perfect timing...I'm in search of a job, and here's a vacancy...I'm available!

I can stay!

Last week I got my residence permit renewed! Instead of being valid for one year, it is valid for 5 years! It went much faster than the first time around- it took less than a month to be approved! I am legally allowed to live here (without more paperwork and money to the IND) until 2013! That seems like so far in the future, hard to believe that it is really only 5 years. Who knows if we will be here still in five years, but at least I'm allowed to be here.

How to commit a perfect murder: the van der sloot model

Although probably a bit overshadowed by the Super Tuesday voting news, the next big news item of the week has a significant Dutch-American connection. Of course I'm talking of the Natalee Halloway case. She disappeared from a beach in Aruba in May 2005, and was last seen with a certain young Dutch boy, Joran van der Sloot. He's been arrested and held 2 different times in connection to this case, and was recently released the second time in early January of this year.

There is a 'famous' dutch crime journalist by the name of Peter deVries. Over the last month he secretly video taped conversations that Joran had in a car with his 'friend', an entrepreneur named Patrick (I think he's really his dealer). Patrick came to de Vries and offered to be an informant in order to help figure out what really happened in May 2005. Last week Thursday, the big news was that de Vries had undeniable evidence of Joran being guilty and solving the crime. His show on Sunday would reveal these tapes and what Joran said.

Friday night, on a different evening talk show, Joran said that it was all lies and he made it up to tell his friend what he wanted to hear. Yeah, I think that's the only defense you have left when you are caught on tape saying things of huge significance! And yeah, it was really stupid of him to do that, as he himself said to the hosts...but telling elaborate stories to a friend over several different days...why would you do that if 1. you didn't know him for that long and 2. you know you can't joke about something like this ???

Sunday the show aired and the tapes were revealed with the most crucial information concerning the disappearance of Natalee was shown. It was a taped confession basically...and that she's 'never to be found again'. With his typical arrogance and non-concern or remorse for a girl's life or that he could even be jailed for murder...he told this story to his friend while smoking joins in this outfitted Range Rover. The show was 2 hrs long, and over 7 million people watched it, that is the highest rating of a non-sport show in the NL since they began the ratings of public tv in 1989 or so. There are 16 million people who live in this country. After the show aired, a mob of people gathered around the house of his grandmother in a city in Friesland where he was rumored to be in hiding. They even checked all the taxi cabs leaving the building complex if he was inside...what they would have done then, I don't know.

And the even more amazing thing is that the prosecution in Aruba is not pursuing his arrest!! In the US, that would be a taped confession and enough evidence to find someone guilty. So, we're not in the US....he's a free man and he confessed to dumping her body in an ocean (or he said he had a friend do it)....without even really knowing if she was dead already or not! He even has earned money as compensation for being jailed in the past and not being charged (different rules in Holland!). he got money for being on tv shows here. But I would hope that the money rolling in stops here. I'm surprised so many people are interested in it here...and so many people do believe he is guilty and was telling the truth in those tapes. It was front page news from Thursday last week til now. No one has seen him or heard from him since Sunday. If he thinks he's really free...I have no idea how he can go on with attending school normally, getting a job, or living peacefully here. It won't happen.

Maybe its a good thing that this all happened between the Super Bowl and Super Tuesday. It got a lot of air time in the US, based on what I've seen and read here. Peter de Vries is the hero (adds to his ego) and will be on Larry King Live, Oprah, and all the other cable news network programs. If it weren't for the super days...this would be on the news all the time 24/7. I see enough of that disgusting guy (Joran) on tv as it is. I just wish he would be jailed for what he's admitted to doing! He's a messed up manic guy who is so arrogant he thinks he's untouchable. He needs to wake up and get out of his own cloud of marijuana smoke and smell the sloppy 'mystery meat' meal in an Aruban jail.

I didn't see Al Gore predict this one

Another prominent feature of dutch society, besides bikes, is water. Water is everywhere here. Canals in cities, lakes all over the place, and ditches in farm fields. Its all planned of course though...all these waterways were man made. This is especially evident if you look at a satellite image of Holland - you'll see rural areas covered by long rectangles. These rectangles are not made evident by tree lines or big fences-- its by little canal drainage ditches.

Well, this weekend there is a big storm blowing through off the North Sea. There are worries of flooding, as a third of the Netherlands is below sea level. Besides the normal wind and rain of a 'typical fall storm', they are worried about the storm surge, and the rising sea level. For the first time since 1976 that the entire coast of the Netherlands is on alert. The water barrier in Rotterdam was closed for the first time ever since it was built over 10 years ago.

My first hand experiences of this storm that I can report to you: riding a bike without a rain jacket or hat in the dark with the wind blowing is really not my idea of a fun time. Rain + dark + glasses + steam = you can't see a damn thing. You get soaking wet before you go anywhere, and you can't go anywhere fast because the wind is blowing so dang hard. And in typical mocking manner: it stops raining momentarily at the moment you reach home.

And luckily for me, I live on the 5th floor of an apartment building, so hopefully I am above sea level by this point! :-)

I think the threat of attack by a big giant wave calls for an elevation to CODE RED in the FREAK EVERYONE OUT WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE table below (otherwise described as the "threat-based, color-coded system so that protective measures can be implemented to reduce the likelihood or impact of an attack" system).

Residence Permit update

Well, some news on the residence permit- not what I wanted to hear though. After getting back from the gym, I was riding home, wondering if something could possibly be in the mailbox waiting for me. And to my surprise, there was actually a letter from the Ministry of Justice- the Immigration Dept. It didn't look thick with information or anything, so I was already a bit apprehensive. I went from surprise to excitement to apprehension within 5 seconds.

I opened it and immediately knew it was not the letter I wanted to get. I couldn't understand it completely, but I knew they wanted something to be sent in within 2 weeks from the dated stamp, thus my application was not approved yet. DAMN IT!!

After scanning the letter and emailing it to M, what they are requesting and saying that we did not include in our application (we must have had over 40 -50 pages of information) was that we lived at the same address. So basically this delay is not even our fault. We included both official papers from the City hall (that cost 10 euros EACH) saying that we lived at this address in Utrecht (but on two separate papers, one for each). I registered with the city the day they accepted my application and sent it on to the Immigration. Its weird that they would accept it if I wasn't even a resident at a certain address with my partner in Utrecht.

So to clarify this and make sure it gets back on track again as soon as possible (esp since we're going on a trip for 2 weeks on Wednesday!), we had to do something today. So after a quick shower and hardly a lunch, I met M at city hall at 2. There were tons of people in there waiting. The only thing I can compare the city hall here to is the DMV in the USA. A ton of people waiting around for EVER. You take a number and wait. there are several desks open, but some areas are for different issues. Luckily we were in the line for the citizen service that didn't have a long wait! Within 20 minutes we were out, and 20euros poorer. We each requested a printed out official paper with a stamp on it saying that we are registered at this address, and two people are registered at this address.

Then off to the post office to send it by registered mail so that by Monday they'll get it. We'll call and check on Tuesday, as now my particular case has an actual case number and a person assigned to it. Hopefully this does not put my application back more than 2 days. But I bet if the city had done what they were supposed to, or the IND is just trying to challenge us, I would have the RIGHT letter today- saying I could go pick up the ID card anytime. I hope the REAL letter will be there waiting for me when we get back from Germany.

This is just like all those stupid rebate 'deals' in the US-- some many times you send a rebate in and they send you a letter back saying you didn't buy the object/good in the valid period or send the right UPC thing in or the original receipt wasn't circled...or some stupid arse reason...just to discourage you and steal your money that you should be rightfully getting back. You gotta keep fighting to prove that you're right. I hear horror stories that those rebate fights go on for years. I hope this is nothing like that, although the IND has been known to have several problems like that. Just last week a 4 year old boy finally received his residence permit after 4 years (he was born here)...but with a hang up because of his mom's status (they were illegal apparently), he was never rewarded it and the IND kept putting it off.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/04/europe/EU-GEN-Netherlands-Immigration.php

The biggest garage sale in the world!

And the biggest party of the year!!

AKA- QUEEN'S DAY!!

This is the day that all Dutchies celebrate the birthday of the Queen, Queen Beatrix. To do this, they all wear orange (for the "House of Orange") and booze it up and party all night. The night before Queen's Day (the night of the 29th), is Queen's Night, where all the adults go out and party it up. But in Utrecht it is a bit more special, as the flea markets that are usually only on the day of Queen's Day (the 30th), are allowed from 6pm onwards...the only city in the Netherlands where that is allowed. So, there are several streets that are designated 'vrijmarkt' (free-market) streets...and people set up a table or a space on the ground, and sell all sorts of random things, basically, all the crap they want to get rid of. I saw everything from clothes and shoes to kitchen wear to home decoration to bike wheels and parts to computer keyboards and all sorts of other random things. Little kids set up a little place of their own and sell their old toys and books. Some kids also play their instruments to make a few extra euros like street performers.

Who knew so much junk existed. Two neighborhoods on the north side of Utrecht were designated flea market areas. M and I set out at 615pm, and already the streets were packed. It was estimated that there were over 300,000 people in the center of Utrecht that night. We found some good buys on Sunday night. We bought a 25-box CD set of classical music for 10 euros, an old school geography atlas of the world from 1956 for 1 euro, a new and unused fondue set for 5 euros, 2 books, and some candle holder thing.

We went home for dinner and break from 8-10. Then we went back to the train station to pick up M's sister. We also brought along our own booze and walked the streets with the thousands of others and boozed it up. hehe. Although Passoa and orange juice can't get you that drunk. We were out til about 130am. There were police on horses at midnight, not allowing any more people on to the Dom square because it was too full. We wanted to go there as there was some music there, but of course, elsewhere thru-out the city were many different stages set up with other music.

The next day we set out with some more booze at noon, and wandered the streets again with thousands of others again. But we didn't find anything good this time around...worth buying at least.

But what always surprises me is what a mess is made- the beer cans and smashed beer bottles all over the place and in canals. Broken glass is not good for bike tires, I can tell you that much.

But today the streets were cleaned up already (thank goodness for my bike tires!) and it was kinda weird going thru such empty streets that were so packed less than 24 hours ago.

So, now everyone will put their orange shirts and hats away and save them again for 364 days from now for next year.

Even Nijntje was dressed up for the party!