Our Minds' Current Consumption
Owing to the plans for the future, as outlined in the post from Sunday Nov. 30th, we have been mulling over the options a lot recently. These are the facts:
Which one?
Oops.... the cat's out of the bag, I guess. Kristen, don't you have some news to share?
-RP-
Sunday, December 28
Wednesday, December 24
Merry/Happy Christmas!!!
Christmas Eve in Brussels... we're here in our apartment. A tiny lasagna in the oven. Delicious salad in the making. Apple-crisp waiting. A few Christmas presents under the tree... err, TV stand (we don't have a tree). All in all, a quiet Christmas Eve. "Taking 'er easy". Like last year, though at that point we were in the middle of packing up to move to Arizona. We're not sure if we'll open the presents tonight (a la European style) or tomorrow morning (a la USA style). Tomorrow we're doing the US Christmas thing at the house of one of Kristen's former classmates. A pot-luck dinner. We're bringing mashed potatoes, drinks, and cups. Not very creative, but that's OK. We were more creative this past Saturday when we had a Scandinavian Jul-bord (Christmas Smorgasbord) with a couple of my Swedish colleagues and some others. Brought Danish "brune kartofler" and some Belgian Christmas beer. Brune Kartofler are little peeled potatoes that have been glazed in a butter/sugar sauce. Anyway...
We just want to say Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends. We miss you and we wish we could be with you. If there were just a way to collect all of you into one spot!
With warm wishes,
-RP- & ~K
By the way,
Some nice festive Christmas e-Cards... make sure you have the sound turned on!
Santa & His Reindeer
X-Mas Snow Globe
Christmas Eve in Brussels... we're here in our apartment. A tiny lasagna in the oven. Delicious salad in the making. Apple-crisp waiting. A few Christmas presents under the tree... err, TV stand (we don't have a tree). All in all, a quiet Christmas Eve. "Taking 'er easy". Like last year, though at that point we were in the middle of packing up to move to Arizona. We're not sure if we'll open the presents tonight (a la European style) or tomorrow morning (a la USA style). Tomorrow we're doing the US Christmas thing at the house of one of Kristen's former classmates. A pot-luck dinner. We're bringing mashed potatoes, drinks, and cups. Not very creative, but that's OK. We were more creative this past Saturday when we had a Scandinavian Jul-bord (Christmas Smorgasbord) with a couple of my Swedish colleagues and some others. Brought Danish "brune kartofler" and some Belgian Christmas beer. Brune Kartofler are little peeled potatoes that have been glazed in a butter/sugar sauce. Anyway...
We just want to say Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends. We miss you and we wish we could be with you. If there were just a way to collect all of you into one spot!
With warm wishes,
-RP- & ~K
By the way,
Some nice festive Christmas e-Cards... make sure you have the sound turned on!
Santa & His Reindeer
X-Mas Snow Globe
Sunday, December 14
Ding-Dong The Witch is Caught!
So, where were you when they caught Saddam? That's going to be the "JFK assassination" question of this generation. Huge news!
I was sitting at the dinner table, writing Christmas cards. Kristen was checking her e-mail. We have just had one of our quiet, peaceful Sunday mornings with the London Times Sunday Edition and pastries from the bakery up the street.
Then Kristen suddenly cried out, "Oh my god, they caught Saddam!!" She had seen the headline on Yahoo-News. I jumped out of my chair and turned the TV on immediately. We're now watching report after report about "Operation Red Dawn" and shots of Iraqis firing AK-47s in the air in the middle of Baghdad. I guess when you hear news like this, you don't think about where those bullets are going to land.
Personally, I'll celebrate by popping open a tasty, Belgian beer!
-RP-
So, where were you when they caught Saddam? That's going to be the "JFK assassination" question of this generation. Huge news!
I was sitting at the dinner table, writing Christmas cards. Kristen was checking her e-mail. We have just had one of our quiet, peaceful Sunday mornings with the London Times Sunday Edition and pastries from the bakery up the street.
Then Kristen suddenly cried out, "Oh my god, they caught Saddam!!" She had seen the headline on Yahoo-News. I jumped out of my chair and turned the TV on immediately. We're now watching report after report about "Operation Red Dawn" and shots of Iraqis firing AK-47s in the air in the middle of Baghdad. I guess when you hear news like this, you don't think about where those bullets are going to land.
Personally, I'll celebrate by popping open a tasty, Belgian beer!
-RP-
Friday, December 12
Another Reason Belgium Is So "Cute"
There are three companies that run the public transportation here in Brussels. STIB/MIVB ("Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles" in French and "Maatschappij voor het Intercommunaal Vervoer te Brussel" in Dutch) run the two subway lines, the above-ground trams and some buses. These two companies pretty much just handle Brussels, though some of their buses go outside of the city. Then there is De Lijn which is the country-wide bus company. They run the rest of the buses in Brussels and in every other city in Belgium. And, finally, there's the train company, SNCB/NMBS ("Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Belges" and/or "Nationale Maatschappij Belgische Spoorwegen"). They manage the entire Belgian train network.
Today the Metro/Tram company is on strike. That means no tram, no metro, and no STIB buses. We're not really sure why they are on strike because we don't understand the news sources, but I think they've been in negotiations with the government. I'm sure it's the same reason most strikes happen: pay raise issues and better working conditions? Each of these three companies goes on strike a few times a year apparently, so it's not unusual. The funny thing about the strike is that they warn everyone a couple of days before and they announce how long the strike will be. We found out on Wednesday afternoon that they would go on strike today. Yesterday, they detailed it further by saying that the strike will last from 9:30am Friday to 9:30am Saturday.
You'd think a great deal of the impact of the strike is lost by warning everyone, but if you think about it, it's still an effective strike. While trying their best to not inconvenience the citizens of Brussels too much, they are still making an economic impact on the "suits" in the company because no fares are collected for 24 hours. If you think about how many people are riding the metro/tram/bus system every day, that's a lot of money!
I was "affected" by the strike because the bus I take to work is a STIB bus. So, I instead walked a lot farther than normal to get to a stop for one of the De Lijn buses that went to Zaventem. Took me a little over a half an hour to get there, same thing on the way back. Good exercise though and the weather's not too bad at the moment. It was actually kind of nice, though mildly inconvenient. Gave me an excuse to get a little exercise!
-RP-
There are three companies that run the public transportation here in Brussels. STIB/MIVB ("Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles" in French and "Maatschappij voor het Intercommunaal Vervoer te Brussel" in Dutch) run the two subway lines, the above-ground trams and some buses. These two companies pretty much just handle Brussels, though some of their buses go outside of the city. Then there is De Lijn which is the country-wide bus company. They run the rest of the buses in Brussels and in every other city in Belgium. And, finally, there's the train company, SNCB/NMBS ("Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Belges" and/or "Nationale Maatschappij Belgische Spoorwegen"). They manage the entire Belgian train network.
Today the Metro/Tram company is on strike. That means no tram, no metro, and no STIB buses. We're not really sure why they are on strike because we don't understand the news sources, but I think they've been in negotiations with the government. I'm sure it's the same reason most strikes happen: pay raise issues and better working conditions? Each of these three companies goes on strike a few times a year apparently, so it's not unusual. The funny thing about the strike is that they warn everyone a couple of days before and they announce how long the strike will be. We found out on Wednesday afternoon that they would go on strike today. Yesterday, they detailed it further by saying that the strike will last from 9:30am Friday to 9:30am Saturday.
You'd think a great deal of the impact of the strike is lost by warning everyone, but if you think about it, it's still an effective strike. While trying their best to not inconvenience the citizens of Brussels too much, they are still making an economic impact on the "suits" in the company because no fares are collected for 24 hours. If you think about how many people are riding the metro/tram/bus system every day, that's a lot of money!
I was "affected" by the strike because the bus I take to work is a STIB bus. So, I instead walked a lot farther than normal to get to a stop for one of the De Lijn buses that went to Zaventem. Took me a little over a half an hour to get there, same thing on the way back. Good exercise though and the weather's not too bad at the moment. It was actually kind of nice, though mildly inconvenient. Gave me an excuse to get a little exercise!
-RP-
Wednesday, December 10
You may have noticed that the title of our blog has changed slightly. Go ahead, take a look. Did you catch it? It is now called Project: Expatriated because we are now "official". Kristen received her Belgian identity card on Monday. Officer Le Clerq visited during the day and delivered it to her. He sat at our dining room table and filled out another couple of forms. Then, yesterday, there was a notice in our mail-slot that someone had tried to deliver mine, but since I was not here, I would have to come pick it up. The office hours and location were so insanely convenient for me that I could pick up my ID the very next day on my way to work. He went through the same drill with me, although he also filled out a form with a description of our "domicile": 1 bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom, entry hall. What they need that for I can't even guess. It's just one of those things that makes Belgium so darn cute!
Kristen's expires in October of 2004 and mine in April. However, I just need to show up at the commune office exactly 7 days before it expires and they will extend it. Officer Le Clerq advised that since I am an EU citizen, I can extend it by 5 years. That's right! Who's the cool guy now!?
-RP-
Kristen's expires in October of 2004 and mine in April. However, I just need to show up at the commune office exactly 7 days before it expires and they will extend it. Officer Le Clerq advised that since I am an EU citizen, I can extend it by 5 years. That's right! Who's the cool guy now!?
-RP-
Monday, December 8
Brugge, Fog and Beer
This Saturday we went to the small town of Brugge, which is located one hour northwest of Brussels. It was on our list of places to see before we leave Belgium, even though it is known as a major tourist attraction, and now we can cross it off. Christmas markets have started all over Europe and we decided it would be interesting to see what Brugge had to offer. Thinking it would be fun to see the market and town lit up at night with Christmas lights, we took a later train than we normally would have and arrived in Brugge shortly after lunchtime. Our first clue that Brugge is popular with tourists was all the English-speaking people on the train. We got off the train and joined a large crowd of people walking towards the center of town. Yep, definitely a lot of tourists! We split off from everyone else as soon as we could and took an alternate route in the same general direction. Within minutes we were alone in the clean, winding, narrow cobblestone streets with not a person to be seen. The buildings and houses are two-story and seem to be single family homes rather than apartments. The people who live in them must be short if their doors are anything to go by.
Towns in Belgium seem to all be centered around a market square which usually contains the tallest buildings (either a church or town hall). Keeping this in mind, we made a beeline for the most imposing structure on the horizon, which in this case was a bell tower. Thankfully this was the correct assumption because we were (of course) starving. The Christmas market was set up all around the square with an ice-skating rink in the center. We could immediately smell food and decided to try some Belgian hamburgers, which turned out to be pretty good. After taking care of this necessity, we were ready to head off into the surrounding streets on a self-guided walking tour.
Our first stop was the Town Hall, built in 1420. From here we went through a an old archway and into the courtyard of the Bell Tower. It is an imposing octagonal brick building that was constructed in 1240. An enormous brass drum works the 47 bells every 15 minutes. They sound wonderful!
From here the map led us towards the famous canals of Brugge. So picturesque, yet a little smelly. Sort of how I envision Venice, but colder. We considered taking a boat tour, but between the smell and the cold air, it just didn't seem like the best idea. So we paused at several of the lovely old bridges and then kept walking.
The next spot was my favorite in Brugge. The Princely Beguinage was built sometime before 1245 (I guess that's when records began to be kept) to house pious middle-aged ladies called 'beguines.' Wait, I'm mixed up! Beguines were ladies who lived during the Middle Ages (but they might have been middle-aged as well) and led an austere life under the direction of a superior, called the Great Lady. Aside from being austere, they did manual work and performed acts of mercy. There are still some nuns living here, but since 1930 they have been part of the St. Benedict monastic order and I don't think there is a Great Lady anymore. They wear the same sort of medieval nun outfits that the original beguines did and they have their own sweet little chapel. It was so quiet and peaceful in their courtyard. There were signs posted everywhere ordering visitors to be silent, but we were pretty much alone anyway. Just as we left the bell tower chimed and it echoed through the courtyard. I could just imagine all the nuns from years ago hearing those bells too.
By the time we got back to the market square it was almost dark and this is what it looked like: Christmas!
After a visit to a well-stocked pub, dinner at an Argentian restaurant and two chocolate shops, we hauled our full bellies back to the train station and went home. We may have crossed Brugge off our to-do list, but it was so charming I think it deserves a repeat visit.
~K
This Saturday we went to the small town of Brugge, which is located one hour northwest of Brussels. It was on our list of places to see before we leave Belgium, even though it is known as a major tourist attraction, and now we can cross it off. Christmas markets have started all over Europe and we decided it would be interesting to see what Brugge had to offer. Thinking it would be fun to see the market and town lit up at night with Christmas lights, we took a later train than we normally would have and arrived in Brugge shortly after lunchtime. Our first clue that Brugge is popular with tourists was all the English-speaking people on the train. We got off the train and joined a large crowd of people walking towards the center of town. Yep, definitely a lot of tourists! We split off from everyone else as soon as we could and took an alternate route in the same general direction. Within minutes we were alone in the clean, winding, narrow cobblestone streets with not a person to be seen. The buildings and houses are two-story and seem to be single family homes rather than apartments. The people who live in them must be short if their doors are anything to go by.
Towns in Belgium seem to all be centered around a market square which usually contains the tallest buildings (either a church or town hall). Keeping this in mind, we made a beeline for the most imposing structure on the horizon, which in this case was a bell tower. Thankfully this was the correct assumption because we were (of course) starving. The Christmas market was set up all around the square with an ice-skating rink in the center. We could immediately smell food and decided to try some Belgian hamburgers, which turned out to be pretty good. After taking care of this necessity, we were ready to head off into the surrounding streets on a self-guided walking tour.
Our first stop was the Town Hall, built in 1420. From here we went through a an old archway and into the courtyard of the Bell Tower. It is an imposing octagonal brick building that was constructed in 1240. An enormous brass drum works the 47 bells every 15 minutes. They sound wonderful!
From here the map led us towards the famous canals of Brugge. So picturesque, yet a little smelly. Sort of how I envision Venice, but colder. We considered taking a boat tour, but between the smell and the cold air, it just didn't seem like the best idea. So we paused at several of the lovely old bridges and then kept walking.
The next spot was my favorite in Brugge. The Princely Beguinage was built sometime before 1245 (I guess that's when records began to be kept) to house pious middle-aged ladies called 'beguines.' Wait, I'm mixed up! Beguines were ladies who lived during the Middle Ages (but they might have been middle-aged as well) and led an austere life under the direction of a superior, called the Great Lady. Aside from being austere, they did manual work and performed acts of mercy. There are still some nuns living here, but since 1930 they have been part of the St. Benedict monastic order and I don't think there is a Great Lady anymore. They wear the same sort of medieval nun outfits that the original beguines did and they have their own sweet little chapel. It was so quiet and peaceful in their courtyard. There were signs posted everywhere ordering visitors to be silent, but we were pretty much alone anyway. Just as we left the bell tower chimed and it echoed through the courtyard. I could just imagine all the nuns from years ago hearing those bells too.
By the time we got back to the market square it was almost dark and this is what it looked like: Christmas!
After a visit to a well-stocked pub, dinner at an Argentian restaurant and two chocolate shops, we hauled our full bellies back to the train station and went home. We may have crossed Brugge off our to-do list, but it was so charming I think it deserves a repeat visit.
~K
Monday, December 1
The Swedes "Went Live" Today
So, today was my first day of "taking calls". I put that in "quotes" because I only took two calls. And they weren't even Swedish. They were English calls from Greece! I also did one outgoing call to try to close an ongoing case from a customer in England. Other than that, I pretty much just sat there and waited for the phone to ring. There were a few little projects I was working on, but all in all it was a slow day.
The first call came in at around 9am. It was complicated enough to make it interesting, but not so much that I couldn't handle it. A guy in Greece who was not happy with the battery life of his notebook computer. Any customer we help has to be registered and most aren't when they call in. So, we have to register them first which entails putting their product's serial number into the call-logging software along with their contact information. His serial number was not found in the database, so I had some special steps to take to change that. A minor wrinkle that made it a little more complicated than a normal registration. Anyway, I took care of it and helped him with his problem.
After taking that first call, I was ready to take more. The next one didn't come in until around 2pm. A lot of waiting. You'd think it was silly for them to add four new employees to the team! The problem is a lot of the calls that come in English are for things other than what I've been trained for. I've only gone through the training for Vaio computer support, but there is separate training to support the DVD-burners, Clies, and Aibos. Most English computer support is dealt out from Ireland and we only get the overflow. So, that doesn't leave much. I'm sure it will pick up. And anyway, I guess I should just enjoy this time when I'm not flooded with call after call. A little breathing room makes it easier to get used to it, I guess.
-RP-
So, today was my first day of "taking calls". I put that in "quotes" because I only took two calls. And they weren't even Swedish. They were English calls from Greece! I also did one outgoing call to try to close an ongoing case from a customer in England. Other than that, I pretty much just sat there and waited for the phone to ring. There were a few little projects I was working on, but all in all it was a slow day.
The first call came in at around 9am. It was complicated enough to make it interesting, but not so much that I couldn't handle it. A guy in Greece who was not happy with the battery life of his notebook computer. Any customer we help has to be registered and most aren't when they call in. So, we have to register them first which entails putting their product's serial number into the call-logging software along with their contact information. His serial number was not found in the database, so I had some special steps to take to change that. A minor wrinkle that made it a little more complicated than a normal registration. Anyway, I took care of it and helped him with his problem.
After taking that first call, I was ready to take more. The next one didn't come in until around 2pm. A lot of waiting. You'd think it was silly for them to add four new employees to the team! The problem is a lot of the calls that come in English are for things other than what I've been trained for. I've only gone through the training for Vaio computer support, but there is separate training to support the DVD-burners, Clies, and Aibos. Most English computer support is dealt out from Ireland and we only get the overflow. So, that doesn't leave much. I'm sure it will pick up. And anyway, I guess I should just enjoy this time when I'm not flooded with call after call. A little breathing room makes it easier to get used to it, I guess.
-RP-
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