One thing that I have really enjoyed about the experience of moving is that you pretty much start your life here with a blank slate. No one knows who you are yet, and you don’t have too many commitments. It’s quite liberating, having time to think about what you want to […]

Snow is slowly drifting down outside, rendering the streets and all that lay out there a powdery white. The big blizzard has come and gone. An impressive bit of mother nature that was – with whirling winds and a lot of movement. It’s now quiet, save for the intermittent rumble of our HVAC […]

Apologies for the gap in posts… It’s been an emotional few weeks and the brain needed to sort out all the happenings and going ons in this little life of mine. My uncle Victor passed away two weeks ago in California. That was, and is, a sad occasion. When I […]

Am showered! And the sun was shining! This – after a day of feeling poorly – and spending almost an entire day without running water – makes for a good day. There was a water main break in Hoboken yesterday.  Now I’m not the youngest anymore – but according to my feeble […]

Well…what is there to say? Last week was not the best week. Beirut…..Paris….. In my humble opinion, that’s not about religion. All organizations, no matter how small or large, are political. And the fights Daesh or ISIL or ISIS are fighting are about power and overcoming powerlessness. The members are motivated by deep insecurity and […]

So I got lost today. In the Harriman State Park, without a cell phone reception, or a trail map, or anyone knowing where I was. Which is funny-ha-ha now, but wasn’t so funny a few hours ago when I had the panicky thought that one day a deer will stumble over […]

Time in our suburbian Westwood abode is running out. We have 1.5 weeks before we start a more permanent life in Hoboken. A few activities have given me a sense of purpose here. In contrast to Alex, who had tasks waiting for him from day one, I had the burden, and […]

A couple of interesting things happened to me last week. I met a girl named Pingkan, whose close friends also call her Pinky, and she is a dancer in my (new) gamelan group. Fortunately, in our group she is known as Miranda, so phew – we don’t have to fight about […]

We are on day 16. That’s 16 out of 1095, if we were to stay here for exactly three years. The difference between being a tourist and being a resident somewhere, however temporary, is that you do have to really adjust. And, even though we know that we will eventually leave, […]

Or for main course… dessert…. you name it. As to be expected, F O O D is a biiiiig topic for me here. And this aspect of our stay here is almost all good (GMO corn products and hormones aside). Munich has many many good things to offer. And over […]

We’re here. Across the pond, in a rented corporate apartment, abut a park where many animals play. In the morning we hear birdsong, and in the night, crickets. And you can see squirrels running around during the day. Until November 7th, this is our home. Alex and I have been talking about […]