WTF. Quentin Tarantino is so disturbed. Brilliantly disturbed. But disturbed. I should always prepare myself for his movies, and yet, somehow I walk in with naive expectation that it will be so artistic and unique that I can't possibly think of anything else that might come along with the creativity - and oh, it's always artistic and unique with Quentin, to say the least. I forget just how nauseatingly graphic and politically incorrect and just so freakin' wrong everything is with Quentin from the moment I sit down with my (insert here Dutch equivalent of popcorn at the movies) gummy sours and diet cola. We saw Inglorious Bastards last night. It should be seen, without a doubt. Just be sure you (a) have eaten a good meal a couple hours beforehand, (b) had the pre-op discussion with yourself that gore and filth and rot will roll off your shoulder for the next 3 hours, (c) can appreciate reading subtitles - if you're watching it in a foreign country, those subtitles will be in that country's language - and turn off any foreign language skills you have b/c they will simply confuse you throughout the movie, (d) remind yourself that movie blood is made of sugar and water and food color and even when you hear the "squish!" of a finger digging through someone open wound, it's just clay and water and sugar and food coloring, and (e) you release all preconceived notions you have about history or frightful leadership. If you can keep these things in mind, you're golden. Otherwise, bring a barf bag, sit back and enjoy the ride and don't expect to walk out of the theater feeling like the world is a beautiful place.Dutch authorities do not take driving infractions lightly. In fact, it's a smidge exaggerated, if you ask me: http://jalopnik.com/5365069/dutch-trucker-receives-45-speeding-tickets-while-parked. Still, I do think breathing Dutch traffic authorities are very fair and the most "customer friendly" police around the world. Sure beats Italian police who stop tourists and site them for jaywalking while ordering a mid-afternoon espresso.
I get to wear jeans to work - even at the all-hands meeting when the CEO came to visit Tuesday. I'm lovin' working with a bunch of smahties. This was the first video I was given to watch for the new employee induction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSsNs6LPqT0. For the record, no one around here is wearing ski caps or baggy jeans that start at their knees (they're tight and pegged - this is Europe, yanno). But we do have lunch together in the cafe', Dutch style: everyone breaks for lunch and eats whatever they brought from home or bought at the hot grill and chit-chats about whatever. My first day, I said to J: "What are we going to talk about every day?!?!" He said, "Kristin, you don't have to talk the whole time!" Oh. Okay. That's true.
Just putzin' along with life these days, lovin' every minute of it. Wish I could say we were sleeping more and relaxing at home with the wedding stuff behind us, but Lordy! Now we've found something else to occupy our minds and evenings: we're house hunting. It's so exciting, exhausting, scary, exhilarating, and time-consuming, especially since we're looking in another "state", if you will - altogether different province up past Amsterdam near the coast. With us both working up by Haarlem (not to be confused with the Harlem we all know and love in the U.S.), we decided after the first two weeks of both commuting around 2 hours each way that, hey, it would be a good idea to move closer to work! So, we've been checking out towns, villages, cities - all neighborhoods in that area to see, first of all, where we want to live and then what we can afford. Well, we decided this weekend that we're going to find something in a sweet little town much like where we live now, called "Heemstede". We found our city! Village? Whatever it is - we found it! Now if the nice people at the palace would just sell for a couple hundred Euros... Hmmm... Heemstede ahs it's own sweet little town/center, and it's about a 15 minute bike ride into the city of Haarlem and only about 25-30 mins drive from both of our work places. Hey, that would be nice. So, Tuesday evening we go to see a house in Heemstede. Fingers crossed. I'm excited. Girlfriend's already imagining where to put the red Chinese bureau - I know, I need to calm down and enjoy the process. I am so enjoying it!
