Happy Days – Week FortyFour
Balancing September's workload with stress-busting walks, robotic restaurant lunches, and relentless language learning.
Work in September was super intense, but week of September 8-14 was a bit of calm before the storm with loads of prep work.
I just want to acknowledge that “Politics” in the US and elsewhere continue to be mindbogglingly crazy making. All this crazy making stuff gives me a bit more understanding for what people went through in severely turbulent times. So much of what I was taught seemed to question the regular people “how could they let this happen?”. Even though resistance is put up (yay No Kings Rallies!), it feels like you’re being swept up in a roaring current and doing your best to get to shore, or maybe even go with the flow and avoid getting smashed into rocks or debris without grabbing onto others and drowning them in your struggle to stay afloat.
September 8 – Day 303
I was feeling stressed and went for a “stupid” walk for my “stupid” mental health (online meme) and guess what? I felt better… The sunset was just gorgeous and of course moving my body helped me feel better. Sometimes the most difficult thing is just getting out the door and then things just flow.
September 9 – Day 304
The Sea Palace is a floating Chinese restaurant in the main canal next to Amsterdam Central Station and the IAE team had a working lunch on Tuesday. I thought I had taken a video of the robotic waiters who bring food to near the tables but I just took a photo. In the middle of this photo there is a grey arch with several trays of food. It has wheels on the bottom and goes from the kitchen to nearby the correct tables and then the waiter comes and serves all the food at once. Quite impressive.
September 10 – Day 305
Almost seven years of DuoLingo with a couple of streak losses in there for travel, but this streak is going pretty strong. It helps to just keep on doing a bit every day.
September 11 – Day 306
Walking around Amsterdam, you see really interesting plaques on the walls of the old canal houses. I don’t know or understand all the symbolism here, but VogelStruis means ostrich. This ostrich has an upside down horseshoe in its mouth… I did a bit of digging and found this page:
The oldest known purchase/deed of sale regarding the house where the stone was originally located dates from 1741 when the heirs of Ruwaert Backer sold the building, house and yard in Batavierstraat.
The buyer is Christoffel Andriesz, a grocer by profession. The purchase price is fl. 2850.-. A few years later, in 1755, Christoffel Andriesz sold the building. In the deed it is described as “house and yard in Batavierstraat, where ‘de Vogelstruys’ is located in the facade.
The purchase price is fl. 4000.-; that is a significant increase compared to the price in 1741. Although no increase in the Verpondingslag was found, we must still assume, also given the price increase, and the name that Christoffel Andriesz had the facade stone installed in 1742.
In animal symbolism, the ostrich serves as an example of ‘power through resistance’ and the story goes that the ostrich can digest stone and iron in its stomach. But it is also considered a symbol of vigilance and attentiveness, with a stone or horseshoe in its beak.
September 12 – Day 307
No pictures from Friday, but I know that we had a borrel at work in Amsterdam and put in a lot of work to get ready for the events the following week. No time for a photo I guess.
September 13 – Day 308
David and Pica are helping me get to sleep in the evening. Just a moment of family sweetness.
September 14 – Day 309
Sunday was a lovely family day and our good friend Nico came over. They ended up working together on his project of birthday “gifts” for all the young boys who would be coming over at the end of the month to celebrate David’s 10th birthday.
That evening I made homemade sushi for dinner and it was delicious and fun.
Cirque du Soleil is not only beautiful circus acts, but also gorgeous music. This one has been getting a fair bit of play at our home recently. Alegría means Joy and was the first show that my father took our family to see back in 1994. If you haven’t heard it before, enjoy!