davethegrinch.net

Sarah says:

Date – Saturday, September 22, 2007

Time – 8:30pm

Location – Frenzi http://www.frenzi.nl/, a lovely little restaurant serving Mediterranean fare.

Good ideas based on information had at the time:

1. wear a white shirt and brown leather belt to accentuate new brown, leather knee-high boots

2. rest the hard-cover wine list behind the salt & pepper shakers and bottle of olive oil

3. have a glass of red wine

David reaches for bottle of olive oil.

Salt & pepper shakers do not hold up hard-cover wine list.

Wine list falls into glass of red wine.

Full glass of red wine topples over in slow motion.

The glass shatters.

I look like Carrie.

The entire restaurant gasps……

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Dave Says,
It is not going to escape my notice that nobody is going to be very sympathetic with the sentiment that follows. After all, I have everything I could possibly want: no job, no responsibilities, the world before me and now the prospect of living in one the finest European cities but all that has been rudely shattered by…. work.
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Dave says:

One can turn either right or left from my parent’s driveway; it makes no difference they both will take you in a circle - so, I turn right. This is the longest time I’ve spent living with my parents since I was 20 and it’s also the longest time I’ve spent in the UK in ten years. Having nothing particular to do this afternoon, I’ve decided to take a wander around the old neighbo(u)rhood for the opportunity to consider the nature of circles. In actuality, it’s ellipses that interest me more, it’s what happens to a circle when gravity gets involved. Around and around celestial bodies go, sucking up a little gravity to act as a slingshot from the thing they are trying to escape but, just as they look to break free that very same gravity sucks them back ad-infinitum and so the ellipse is formed. We all try hard to break out of the orbit of our upbringing but inextricably find ourselves sucked back in again. I consider this on my amble as I pass shops, schools, pubs, roads & roundabouts that once were so familiar to me I’d forgotten they were there. And, surprisingly, they’re there still, patiently waiting for me to pass by again on my wide orbit. So here, accompanied by a photo or two, are my thoughts on September 12th 2007 of the blink-and-you-miss-it village/town/sprawl called New Haw, the place I was born, formed, was not afraid to leave but to which I am always a little reticent to return.

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Sarah Says:

It’s now Sunday evening, September 16^th. I am sitting at the living room desk of our apartment in Amsterdam. We have Skype. David is talking on the “phone” with our friend Chadwick. It’s been beautiful weather here this weekend, much much better than it was when we were here in June. So beautiful that it’s made me feel completely giddy to be here. So far, everything has gone smooth as silk. We arrived Friday early evening and by that night, I’d bought myself a bike. Please see the pictures of us out playing with the bike at 10 o’clock at night before we’d even had dinner. We’ve spent the weekend loving our new temporary city, our new temporary apartment. We’ll be in this place for about a month while we find a permanent temporary home. We’ve been grocery shopping and bike riding and wine drinking with our friend, Beth, and lunch out today at a canal side cafe. It’s been bliss.

But, real life is knocking at the door. This isn’t just about living in a cute city for the winter. It’s also about saving money to continue the journey. I’ve already experienced the shock of walking back into an office and sitting at a desk for 8 hours so I know it’s not SO bad. However, David has to go through that adjustment tomorrow morning, bright an early, so this is the first time it’s a school night for the both of us in 9 months. Amsterdam is just as adorable (and deplorable to some, exotic, erotic to others) late into the night and it’s very easy to find yourself still out playing on your bike at 1am in the morning but tonight we rest in our little space. Our rucks have found another resting place to collect dust for a little while but the adventure continues.

With love from Amsterdam,

Sarah & Dave

Sarah says:

It is 7:46am on Thursday, Sept 13^th 2007. I am on the southwest train service from West Byfleet station to London Waterloo. I am commuting. I am a commuter. To work. To an office. I am awake, dressed in the best that my backpacker wardrobe has to offer, fiercely fighting for a spot on a train with all the other early morning commuters who are all dressed in their office attire, looking half asleep, carrying ever-enlarging cups of chain coffee. And everyone reads the London Lite, the Metro Lite, The LondonPaper. In this country, you get your tabloid news for free.

Not a bad opening paragraph but it likely makes no sense to anyone reading this. How has it happened that I’m commuting to work in London?

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