In The Market For A New Backpack

I bought this Swiss Gear back pack in 2006. This bag has been to Kenya, Seattle, San Diego, Connecticut, Sicily, Italy, Greece, Georgia, Germany, Japan, Ecuador, Michigan, Montana, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Poland, Texas, Tasmania, New Mexico, North Dakota, Finland, Florida, Alabama, Amsterdam, Australia and Alaska. I didn't take it to Isle Royale. I bought a special backpack for Isle Royale and a strap on that new backpack broke on the second day of the trip.

But my back pack is wearing out.  You can see the fabric is starting to tear. That round hole at the top was the new thing in 2006 because you could thread your ear buds and listen to music playing inside your bag. I never did thread my ear buds through there but I could have.

I kept my cell phone in that tiny pocket on the strap! That was a cellphone where you had to press the 7 key four times to get the letter s.

The strap on the left partially melted when I rode my motorcycle to work. I must have hit the muffler with it before I got saddle bags. Sometimes that strap would whip my thighs in the wind and boy, howdy, that hurt. I am in the market for a  new backpack now. I hope the new one lasts 15 years like this one did. So long Swiss Gear back pack. Thanks for carrying all my stuff. You were real comfy.

 

Another Impulsive Decision

One day earlier this week I had a choice to make. What shall I do today? My sinuses are thanking me but my thighs are complaining about the decision to remove the carpeting from my bedroom and lay down another floor. As a home improvement project, I have to say this has been one of my most successful projects so far. I know that carpeting was there in 1990.  I found a penny near a heat register that was dated 1990.  Also 1990 is the year I moved in. It's possible this carpeting was laid in 1975. I am not sure. All that tan carpeting is gone, long gone. (My neighbor kindly took it because she likes to carpet her paths in the woods so she can walk barefoot in the summer).  All the padding is gone to the same neighbor (which turned out to be bright blue). The rubber backing attached to the blue carpeting had disintegrated into dust. Some of the rubber hunks litter my front sidewalk but I believe it is supposed to snow tonight so I can shovel it off tomorrow.  The rubber should add to my traction.  Dust, dust mites, dust balls, dust bunnies, dusty dirt, dirt, skin cells, spider webs, spiders, and doggone dusty dust have been evicted out of this room. The total cost for this project was less than $80 including tools. I saved big money! Pardon my humble bragging.  I used a kitchen knife and a pair of kids scissors on the black and white tile. I like the look of it. I feel like I am in a M,C. Escher bedroom now.

Out Here In The Rain When I Could Have Been Inside A Tropical Garden

Way Home

At this current moment of time I am at the Schipol Airport waiting to board IcelandAir flight to Iceland. I could wander around the airport. I could have a drink. I could wait in a chair. I could do those things but I am  not.I am riding a bike/charging station.  The faster I pedal the faster my device charges. This is a bike/charging station for three.  I am biking. Two handsome men are biking.  They are charging their phones.  I am just biking for the fun of it. We three are in the cool crowd.  Biking at the airport while waiting for a flight.  Feeling good!

Brave

Sixteen years ago I was a Girl Scout leader. Sixteen years ago someone asked if we would accept a teenager into our troop. This teen was an exchange student from Russia. I asked the girls if they would accept her into the troop. Sixteen years ago a tiny red haired young woman entered our lives. Her charm and her vivacity enthralled us. Last night, sixteen years later, we took the train from Hague to Leiden. We were met by a red haired woman at Starbucks. She took us on a bus, in the rain, to her home. She made us parsnip/pumpkin soup and risotto. We drank a bottle  of wine. We ate stinky cheese, green grapes and Russian bread. We met her fiancee. We saw pictures of their trip to South Africa where they got engaged. We learned about their jobs in finance and marketing. We were fully entertained for three hours. My two week  European vacation is coming to a close. This dinner was a classy way to bookend the trip.

Hop On Hop Off Canal Ride

Safe!

When I was a student at the University of Minnesota I took the basic psychology class. I learned about alpha brain waves. Neuroscience has always fascinated me so I focused on alpha brain waves.  Eventually I learned to recognize when my brain is experiencing the alpha brain waves. I felt alpha brain waves on a rainy afternoon while riding the "hop on/hop off" canal ride in Amsterdam.  As our boat progressed around the city my brain waves morphed into alpha waves.  I felt relaxed.  I felt safe. I felt at ease. I felt zen. I have known for a long time that being on the water is relaxing to me. Lakes, steams, oceans, and rivers are important to my peace of mind. Whether my mode of transportation is swimming, floating, inner tube, kayak,  canoe, or aircraft carrier, I relax on the water.  Another thing that relaxes me is hearing people with an eastern European accent. When I was a child some members of my family had a thick accent. Together the Amsterdam canal ride and the Dutch accents brought me to alpha wave brain/nirvana. I had a good day!

Rainy Day in Amsterdam-50% Chance of Rain

Breakfast: yogurt and granola with espresso while holding a 7 month old sleep deprived/yet content grandgirl. Lunch: onion bagel with cream cheese and sun dried tomatoes with herbal orange tea. Supper: Spaghetti with house wine followed by chocolate souffle and fizzy water.  Half the time we were walking outside rain was falling.Half the time we were walking outside rain was  not falling. So the weather forecast was correct. Today was good weather for ducks, coots, swans, feral parakeets, pigeons and mallards.