Friday, June 26, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
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...
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...
Saturday, June 13, 2009
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 :-)
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 :-)
Sunday, April 26, 2009
heatwave in Pittsburgh
Played soccer earlier today and totally sucked at it. With the current heatwave it's impossible to strain oneself so much for sports.
Apparently the heatwave we're having has already broken some records, click HERE.
Typical Pittsburgh weather though. It can go from 5 Celsius to 32 Celsius on a day. Like last Friday for instance, it started off a bit chilly but we hit 30 Celsius in the afternoon.
Think it's supposed to fall back to 26 C on Tuesday and 20 C on Wednesday and Thursday. I wish it would rain every Sunday when playing soccer!
Apparently the heatwave we're having has already broken some records, click HERE.
Typical Pittsburgh weather though. It can go from 5 Celsius to 32 Celsius on a day. Like last Friday for instance, it started off a bit chilly but we hit 30 Celsius in the afternoon.
Think it's supposed to fall back to 26 C on Tuesday and 20 C on Wednesday and Thursday. I wish it would rain every Sunday when playing soccer!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Yup time is running out
My CMU contract is ending per August 31, 2009 and I'll be attending two conferences in A-dam during the summer. Since I'm currently on the job market and mostly applying to European positions it is good to be in Europe rather sooner than later.
Will probably book a flight departing on June 15, hence the countdown clock :-)
Yes, time to count my gains and losses while getting ready to jump ship. Started notifying my utilities companies today, my cell phone and internet providers to be exact.
Rather do this relatively far in advance then run into these silly things when I in the phase of getting rid of all my possessions (e.g., furniture, appliances, kitchen gear, car, etc. etc.).
Basically I'm planning to move transatlantic as I did when I moved to the US: travel and pack light!
Only keeping my books, documents, DVDs and CDs which I'll start shipping off to my parents soonish.
By the time Bas gets here the place will look empty haha!
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Sad day in Pittsburgh
Just a day after an immigrant went apeshit in NY we had a dude going crazy over losing his job and fearing president Obama would take away his gun rights.
Three police officers were killed and two more injured.
Will the US ever wake up and realize their gun "rights" should be heavily modified?
I fear not.
More info on this tragic event can be found HERE
EDIT: more info about yesterday's tragic events are HERE
And a rather good article on these events is HERE
Three police officers were killed and two more injured.
Will the US ever wake up and realize their gun "rights" should be heavily modified?
I fear not.
More info on this tragic event can be found HERE
EDIT: more info about yesterday's tragic events are HERE
And a rather good article on these events is HERE
Thursday, February 12, 2009
movie mania
Unfortunately the website twofifty.org has been down for a long time now and I don't see it coming back.
Feeling blue over this I just stumbled on a new website which has the same idea!
http://250.s-anand.net/
Here's you can keep track of all the imdb top 250 movies you've seen.
Since my last twofifty.org time I've dropped 2 movies which isn't too bad. I still have 248/250 ha!!
Feeling blue over this I just stumbled on a new website which has the same idea!
http://250.s-anand.net/
Here's you can keep track of all the imdb top 250 movies you've seen.
Since my last twofifty.org time I've dropped 2 movies which isn't too bad. I still have 248/250 ha!!
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