Catching Up
OK, so it's been a couple of weeks, but I was away for last week with negligible net access.
Wine Show (October 18)
Every year it never disappoints. We sampled a bunch, and there were a few really nice ones, including a couple of Carmeneres and a Chiante. We came up with a new strategy to beat the line at the end: at about 2:00pm (midway through) we went to the checkout and just got them to send boxes to the liquor stores of our choosing, and then go back to the show and get hammered.
Afterwards, as has become tradition, we headed back to my place. Wolfed down some Creole chicken that I had on the crockpot, which I think was a hit. Then we started with the drinking games. Goddam "bus rides" got us sloshed. It went on like this for a while. I kept looking at the clock, expecting it to be near midnight, but it was only 7 or 8. Ridiculous. I don't know the exact timelines of people coming and leaving, but the night ended at around 1:00, I think, after a solid 12 hours of drinking. Can't wait till next year.
Holland (October 20-26)
So that Sunday was spent cleaning up the house and packing. My flight left early on Monday. I arrived in Montreal for an 11 hour (!) stopover. I was about to leave the airport to hit the town, but I ran into my coworker from the Ottawa office who was also going on this trip with me. We (mostly he) decided it would be best to further get our ducks in a row for the meeting while we were still awake. That's because when our flight arrived in Holland, we had about an hour to get from the airport to the meeting -- after already having been awake for about 25 hours, excluding the couple of hours of sleep I got on the plane. Needless to say, the meeting was perceived through a haze.
We had this ridiculously opulent, five star hotel on the beach called the Huis Ter Duin. I would have called it a king size bed, but I think it was even bigger. And I think it had more square footage than my house. And all mine for three glorious nights. I slept hard each of those nights, since each day was a nine hour meeting, followed by a huge supper, and then drinks at a pub called the Punt. The best part of Holland is its proximity to Belgium -- specifically, Belgian beers. The Punt had a list of over 70, and I think between the six of us regulars, we tried them all.
So after the work part we headed to Amsterdam. Didn't get there till late Friday, so we didn't see a lot. The hotel there was considerably less opulent -- my room was triangular, which reminded me of living on Bond Street. We managed to check out the Van Gogh museum while there, which was cool. And we walked to the Heineken brewery museum, only to find it was closed for renos. And by the time we made it back to Madame Tussauds, there was a ridiculous lineup. So a couple of disappointments, but we managed to cover a lot of the scenic parts of the city and snap a few photos (which I may post here...)
The trip back was uneventful, which I guess is a good thing. And now back to work -- the upshot of the meetings is that I still have to work like a dog, but with a less insanely compressed timeline than before. At least for this one project...
Wine Show (October 18)
Every year it never disappoints. We sampled a bunch, and there were a few really nice ones, including a couple of Carmeneres and a Chiante. We came up with a new strategy to beat the line at the end: at about 2:00pm (midway through) we went to the checkout and just got them to send boxes to the liquor stores of our choosing, and then go back to the show and get hammered.
Afterwards, as has become tradition, we headed back to my place. Wolfed down some Creole chicken that I had on the crockpot, which I think was a hit. Then we started with the drinking games. Goddam "bus rides" got us sloshed. It went on like this for a while. I kept looking at the clock, expecting it to be near midnight, but it was only 7 or 8. Ridiculous. I don't know the exact timelines of people coming and leaving, but the night ended at around 1:00, I think, after a solid 12 hours of drinking. Can't wait till next year.
Holland (October 20-26)
So that Sunday was spent cleaning up the house and packing. My flight left early on Monday. I arrived in Montreal for an 11 hour (!) stopover. I was about to leave the airport to hit the town, but I ran into my coworker from the Ottawa office who was also going on this trip with me. We (mostly he) decided it would be best to further get our ducks in a row for the meeting while we were still awake. That's because when our flight arrived in Holland, we had about an hour to get from the airport to the meeting -- after already having been awake for about 25 hours, excluding the couple of hours of sleep I got on the plane. Needless to say, the meeting was perceived through a haze.
We had this ridiculously opulent, five star hotel on the beach called the Huis Ter Duin. I would have called it a king size bed, but I think it was even bigger. And I think it had more square footage than my house. And all mine for three glorious nights. I slept hard each of those nights, since each day was a nine hour meeting, followed by a huge supper, and then drinks at a pub called the Punt. The best part of Holland is its proximity to Belgium -- specifically, Belgian beers. The Punt had a list of over 70, and I think between the six of us regulars, we tried them all.
So after the work part we headed to Amsterdam. Didn't get there till late Friday, so we didn't see a lot. The hotel there was considerably less opulent -- my room was triangular, which reminded me of living on Bond Street. We managed to check out the Van Gogh museum while there, which was cool. And we walked to the Heineken brewery museum, only to find it was closed for renos. And by the time we made it back to Madame Tussauds, there was a ridiculous lineup. So a couple of disappointments, but we managed to cover a lot of the scenic parts of the city and snap a few photos (which I may post here...)
The trip back was uneventful, which I guess is a good thing. And now back to work -- the upshot of the meetings is that I still have to work like a dog, but with a less insanely compressed timeline than before. At least for this one project...
posted by Dave Green at 11:45 a.m.
4 Comments:
Opps. I rang you up when I was in town, when you were in Europe. I had forgot that it was the weekend you were gone. It sounds like you have a "spirited" time.
In my quest to find you and your buds I went up to the GTP, Bar None, Kelly's, Christians, Dooley's, and West Side Charlie's. Obviously I had no luck.
I did have some pizza supreme and a grape soda over by George Street, and an India at Bar None.
Like you I had an opulent executive suite, albeit at the Murray Premises Hotel. King-sized bed, big soaker tub with jets, automatic towel warmer, etc.
~Paul
Yeah, it was an all right trip. A break from the ordinary, if a little exhausting.
Sorry I missed ya while you were in town. What was up with the collect call you made? King-sized bed and jacuzzi, but no quarters?
Local calls from my room were a dollar per call. I didn't have any quarters and i was to lazy to find a pay phone in the hotel.
Every now and then, I would call your place, wait 3 rings, hang up, then call again and then call again and wait 3 rings. Your machine picking up would have cost me money. Also, if your machine picked up during a collect call, It would not cost me anything, just to see if you were home.
The larger lady sitting outside of the GTP having a smoke (of something or other) was disappointed that I wasn't staying for Kereoke (sp). It was tempting and sounded like fun. If only I wasn't married and she was twenty years younger, 100 pounds slimmer, good looking, dressed scantily, and open to donkey punches....
Ah... I knew there had to be a highly satisfying explanation.
And who says the larger lady outside the GTP *isn't* open to donkey punches? Or Dirty Sanchezes?
Uh... just sayin'...
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