so now i am back in holland with a bum knee and not sure what this means for my couriering/distance-cycling future. i may have to stop riding single speed...

but the good news is that i got a non-bicycle related job. starting next week i will be hacking PHP for some pornographers in Amsterdam. no longer will i be merely an amateur objectifier of women.

incidentally, the office is beautiful: a high
ceilinged, hardwood floored loft on the top two stories of an ancient building overlooking the keizersgracht canal.

i celebrated by going to the specialty liquor store and buying a bottle of jim beam.

which brings up the issue of beer: I have fallen in love with Heineken Oud Bruin. This is a problem for two reasons. ONE: it is only sold to the domestic market and there is no exported beer that tastes even remotely like it, but more importantly... TWO: it is 2.5% alc/vol. as such it is sort of a joke beer in holland.

still, it tastes so good that i can't stop drinking it, even though i have to take shots of vodka between each beer in order to keep up (though i may have to start bringing it to my weekly poker game for stealth sobriety powers).

and a hundred thank yous to those of you who have answered my plea for books. in the last week i've received books from kellnerin, misslake and ucblockhead. not to mention garlic, whose deluxe care package was declared by my room-mates to be the best mail this house has ever received.