Amster, Amster, Dam, Dam, DAM

We used to sing this song about Amsterdam and the chorus was "Amster, Amster, dam, Dam, DAM!". We loved it because we got to swear real loud. This was in music class way back when I lived in Tustin, Michigan (population 500 or so). This was somewhere around 3rd grade, with Mrs. Klinger. I hated Mrs. Klinger. We only had her for about an hour a week, so unlike the other teachers, she wasn't aware of my squeaky clean persona. One day she scolded me for almost no reason (I picked a gum wrapper of the floor; I don't remember why). The entire class went silent; they were surprised as I was that this crazy woman with some sort of dental issue was addressing me like I was one of the 'bad kids.' The nerve... but anyway...

Right now I am travelling to meet my dear wife in Amsterdam for a long weekend. I just took a taxi to the Hereford station, then a train to Birmingham Airport. Just one stop and a quick tram ride into the airport. All smooth. The round-trip train ticket was about 15 pounds. Not bad.

I am hanging out in the airport drinking a cold Carlsberg (better than a hot Carlsberg, fersure.) I got my Boingo linked up and I am killing time since I am really early for my flight.

This trip is also serving as a test run and exploratory mission. Part of the hope of our English adventure is that I can work remotely in just about any city while doing just a bit of sightseeing. That way, when Rachel travels for work, I can occasionally join her. To do this, my office needs to be as mobile as me. I upgraded my backpack for something that could carry my digital camera and my laptop with no worries (Lowepro Fastpack 350). I loaded it up to test my limits with some extra lenses, an extra harddrive, the camera, 2 books on the Netherlands, random junk, and my giant laptop. It all fits nicely and I have room to spare. My back is holding up, too. I am hoping wireless via hotspots will be sufficient to do my work since mobile broadband (Internet access for a laptop from cellular networks) is really expensive across Europe (as much as $20 per MB, which for me could be hundreds of dollars in just an hour!)

That's all for now! Cheers!