Spent the Day in Antwerp
(for work)

Diamond capitol of the world
Home to one of the most fanatical right-wing racist political parties since these guys.

I went from bar to bar
Silent observer to conversation after conversation
Spoken in Flemish
About, I guess, life.
Isn't that what all conversations are about?

Random things learned or realized today:

• People don't have to share a language with someone to communicate sadness. They do this by trying to hide it from you.
• When your friend from abroad tells you what time his train gets into your city, pay more attention to this information, especially when he doesn't have a mobile phone.
• Never volunteer to participate in a mailbox migration pilot and then don't bother to read the email explaining how to back up your data
• I am too old to even want to understand what the hell is the deal with Cassie and OpAphid. This knowledge makes me feel old.
• I could never be a beer sales rep. No way.

Told you it was random.

Andre arrives tomorrow (time?????). He's bringing the following shopping list:

• 4 rocks from Church Point beach. Stackable.
• A jar of clams (authors note: in Nova Scotia we call them cohocks... but I could be spelling this wrong because urbandictionary.com gives the definition as 'penis'. Which it's not.)
• Frozen potato puree
• Salted chives that someone's Grandma prepared (because only someone's Grandma does this properly these days)
• Tin of pumpkin pie filling

Yep, you guessed it -- we're making Rapure Acadian! (or Rappie Pie) and pumpkin pie for dessert.

(and yes, those of you who clicked through... that is 22 cups of broth. That's how someone's Grandma makes it. Andre and I? Probably 8 cups)

What? Oh, the rocks?
Those are for my sandbox.
:-)