28 January 2011

Connected

I finally have internet at home! Hopefully this will mean more frequent posts.

19 January 2011

It's Just Not That Far

I needed milk on Saturday. My first instinct was to get in the car and drive to the store. Then I remembered that the store is less than a kilometer (a kilometer is less than a mile) away from my house. Which really isn't very far at all. So I walked. I need to learn to adjust my thinking here. I lived so long in a place where nothing was within walking distance. Now, it is. So I shall walk.

14 January 2011

Running on Empty

This applies to me and my car.

Due to a flight cancelation, flight delays resulting in a missed connection, missing luggage and getting lost, it took me 15 hours to get home yesterday.

I was supposed to pick up the dogs and pick up my car yesterday when I got back. My car was getting new tires while I was away. I knew I needed new tires but Dutch regulations are much more strict and my car would not pass inspection without new tires. I couldn't register it without it passing inspection. You don't get your gas ration card (which allows you to buy about 100 gal/month at the REDUCED rate of over $4/gal) until you register your car.

[Note: when you ship your car it has to have 1/4 tank or less. So you don't have much gas when it arrives.]

So, this morning I had to get up early enough to pick up my car, rush to get the dogs during the 1-hour pick up window, take them home, get my car inspected prior to my 10:00 registration appointment. Then I had to run back to the house because I forgot something I had to turn in. I got a little lost (go figure) and, you guessed it, ran out of gas. After about 20 min. standing beside my car trying my best to look pathetic someone took pity on me and stopped to help.

I'm tired! I'm looking forward to spending the weekend at home, with the dogs, finally free of snow :)

11 January 2011

Ciorbă de Burtă - Tripe Soup...But With Chicken

The DFAC served a traditional Romanian (traditional Ottoman actually) soup today but, thankfully, it was made with chicken instead of tripe. It's seasoned with vinegar and lots of garlic. It was interesting but it wasn't bad. I'd eat it again (assuming the chicken (or fish)-for-tripe subsittution was made).