Deja Vu

...SSDD was also another potential entry title, but it was rejected for possible negative connotations that I feel degrade the cheerful spirit of my ongoing European adventures.

And go on we shall. I'm back again for the third time. First it was 6 months in 2005, then 2 weeks in January 2006, and now another month (or maybe more) here in March. I'm here so much it's getting comical. I've run into a few people at work who are like, "hey, I didn't know you were still here!" and "wait, aren't you based in Houston?"

Deja vu seems more fitting. I've gotten the hang of this whole international travel thing, I think. I've stopped paying attention to the pre-flight safety demonstrations. (This may be due to the fact that Continental stewardesses seem to be generally less attractive than KLM ladies, but who's to say?) I've lost my sense of childlike wonder in the novelties of flying business class, I know my way around The Hague possibly better than I do H-town, and even jet lag didn't phase me as badly this time. All this feels pretty familiar already, but I'll try to keep things interesting for all our sakes.

The cold adds a new twist to this trip though. I've seen snow before, and it shouldn't amaze me as much as it does, but I think there will always be a part of this Texan that turns 8-years old and wants to go out and make snow angels whenever there's a layer of snow on the ground. I had the pleasure of walking between buildings for meetings in the worst of the snow one day. I was so throughly covered that people laughed when I shed a layer of white off my coat upon arrival.

Well anyways, it's Sunday now, so one week down. I've been ridiculously busy at work, so even though I'm a bit stressed out, it's good to fill the hours and have time go by quickly. Admist the long hours, I managed to squeeze in a beer tasting in Delft, play some pool at the Fiddler, enjoy a couple of home-cooked meals compliments of Shruti and Eugene, and then make it back to the Uithof for some indoor snowboarding. The highlight thus far was on Friday when 9 of us headed to Amsterdam after work for a comedy show at Boom Chicago

Boom Chicago is basically a bunch of Americans making fun of everything, including the Dutch, Europe as a whole, and even Americans themselves. It's a troupe of 5 comedians doing sketch comedy with lots of improv and some good scripted stuff too. Check out some of the videos on the website...good stuff. The show is highly recommended, as are the nachos.


Enough for now...I'll let the pics to the talking!

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