first post in NL and what else than a Steelers related post?

last night in Pittsburgh....

So the well-known dictator that is time has finally ordered the final night to wearily fall upon me. The last two months have been fairly busy, hectic but at the same time rather fun. It's hard to explain but I do bloom in a more chaotic setting and despite of some mood swings it often puts a smile on my face.
What I have gained and lost during my time in the United States is anyone's guess really. But those are trivial questions since it is this path I've chosen, or perhaps the path that has chosen me, and I follow it with open heart and amazement. Just like after my PhD I find myself in a situation in which my future job still remains to be determined and yet I'm traveling once again. Back to the Old Continent which seems to have been calling me gently and unconsciously throughout my time here.
I am a European in heart and soul and as such it will be a more suitable match with culture and people. That is in no way meant to be disrespectful but the ever rushing job obsessed U.S. East Coast mentality simply is not my thing. Furthermore, I've thoroughly enjoyed my stay here despite the difficulties of starting anew in a completely new country with all its obvious and less obvious consequences.

Tomorrow I leave for my "home" country the Netherlands which I still do not really consider my home base. Guess the gypsy blood in me makes me more of a world citizen, regardless of how sappy that may sound.
The summer will be most interesting while still working for CMU while abroad, attending two conferences in Amsterdam and the hopefully multitude of job talks to give. So far one job talk has been scheduled and with some luck I'll get a few more.
If I have no luck staying in academia then I have back-up plans so I'm not too worried at the moment. Things always have a way of working out, the specifics are often trivial really. As such, the summer will determine where I shall end up starting September.

Whether or not this blog shall continue remains to be seen, I do tend to post in bursts. While posting does frequently appear in the back of my mind the actual will and inspiration to do so sometimes just ebs away or is drowned in the events and unevents of daily life.
But to have this blog this very evening to simply channel my current mood is rather satisfying.

The one constant thing in my life remains good music. Right now I'm completely blown out onto open sea by the wonderful Amália Rodrigues. With music like this I can take on anything...

PITTSBURGH PENS WIN STANLEY CUP 2009!!!

HOLY SHIT!!!
That pretty sums it up haha. I definitely did not think the Penguins could pull it off but they proved me wrong as hell. What do I know about ice hockey anyway?
But the way they came back after losing the first two games in Detroit by winning games 3 and 4 in Pittsburgh was a foreboding.
Yet who could've thought they would rebounce from that aweful 5-0 loss in game 5? I thought that was it, end of series. But no, the Pens tied it in Pittsburgh in game 6 once again.
And last night in the lion's den they pretty much did the impossible, against the statistics and against the odds, after having lost all previous games of this Stanley Cup series in Detroit they managed to win the most important game of them all!
Game 7: Pens 2 - Red Wings 1

HOLY SHIT!!!

And the best thing about is that they did it 3 days before I'm leaving Pittsburgh and the United States altogether. I'll be leaving on a high note and happy to have witnessed both Steelers and Pens win the highest title in the same season. That in itself had never happened before so history has been written and both teams pulled it off in my final year in Pittsburgh.
Good times!

Now back to the last hectic days before I leave American soil. But there shall be a big grin on my face :-)