More visitors, a trip to the beach, F1 Corner gets competitive and a long weekend
Notes on the week Following immediately after the departure of my friends from Tipperary, we had friends from work pass through Rotterdam as part of their three week long trip around Europe. Having recovered from the shock of one forgotten set of guests, the second we took in our stride. I met the guys for dinner and drinks, watched the Netherlands play Germany in an international friendly, and gave them a long list of things to check out in the city whilst I was working the next day.
An astonishingly late update this week. 16mm film scans arrive, as do visitors!
Notes on the week House viewings continue as House Hunt 2.0 ramps up into full swing. We still have a few weeks to find something, but it’s proving to be pretty tough. Our budget is reasonable, and our requirements are pretty fluid, but the level of demand in Rotterdam, as is the case across most of the world right now, is so high.
A little late on the update this week, blame bank holiday laziness
Notes on the week The e-ink dashboard project is complete! I had really hoped to get it up and running in time for our anniversary as a gift, but it ended up running one day over (the classic trope of software developer timeline estimates). I got a wooden IKEA frame from HetGoed that was about the correct size, and cut the paper mask to suit the the size of the e-ink panel.
Notes on the week I have the apartment to myself this weekend, as Elle is back home for a few days. She’s been asked to be the official photographer for an exhibition, and I couldn’t be more proud. It’s a big deal to get paid for your work in the creative arts, and it serves not only as an external validation of your skills and abilities, but also serves to quieten the little voice inside that can be so quick to belittle and detract from the progress you’ve made.
Sometimes life just hits you with perspective.
Note on the week When you boil it down, Life is just a bunch of decisions. Some of these will be made by you and others made for you. It’s all just a number of crossroads at a scale that none of us could ever really comprehend. As we make our way through the journey of our lives the scope of these decisions might narrow, and sometimes they might grow.
Electronic components arrive, Film gets posted and pedals fall off
Notes on the week My E-Ink dashboard project is gathering steam. After a productive chat at the Pixelbar , I ordered some components (which arrived the next day - city living has it’s perks), and spent the following evening assembling them into a very crude representation of the finished project. I used the cardboard box that the e-ink display came is as a ‘case’ to hold everything together as I tested everything.
A 5k parkrun, CMAT in Amsterdam and Elle learns chess.
Notes on the week I woke up at 8am on Saturday morning, threw on some gym clothes and cycled to Kralingse Bos to take part in my first ever 5k, the weekly Rotterdam Parkrun. I made a point last year of making running a part of my life, and whilst it started well with the help of an encouraging partner and the wonderful JustRun app, I just never found it becoming habitual and was always an effort.
F1 silly season continues, Open Studios and the in-laws descend upon Rotterdam
Notes on the week WDKA just had their Open Day for prospective students, and one part of the program of events is the Open Studios. The current crop of MFA students, of which Elle is one, open the doors of their studios spaces to the public to talk about their work, their process, the college and field any other questions that might come up.
Vision Pro launches, Care packages arrive, Lewis goes to Ferrari and house hunt 2.0 begins.
Notes on the week The news of the week, perhaps the year, is that Lewis Hamilton will be leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari for the 2025 Formula One season. This is Brady leaves the Patriots, Messi leaves Barcelona or the UK leaves the EU levels of bombshell. A hint of a rumour started to float around Wednesday night that something big might be about to hit the paddock, and by Thursday morning those rumours had picked up more credibility as more informed and respected voices started to share what they had heard through the grape vine.
Group Crit prep and 17km cycle days
Notes on the week This week Elle had her first Group Critique of the year, so a lot of time was spent back and forth between the apartment and her studio space in preparation. Without a car, and with a lot of material and equipment to move that meant renting a Bakfiets, which we were able to using a service called BaqMe. For about €2 to secure the rental, and then €0.
Settling back into life in Rotterdam after the Christmas break.
Notes on the week The main focus for the next few months is start living like locals, and less like tourists on an extended holiday. That means, for better or for worse, meeting new people. Elle has met some wonderful people in the University, but as I work from home it’s a little harder. Thankfully Rotterdam is a lively city and there are groups across all manner of interests, the problem is actually plucking up the courage to get involved.
It’s cold in Rotterdam this week and I’m looking out the window here at a light dusting of snow starting to fall. It’s supposed to get as low as minus five!
Notes on the week We flew back to Rotterdam from Dublin on Sunday last week. We needed to be at the airport around 08:30 and thankfully my parents offered to drive us. It’s bittersweet getting to spend every last possible moment with family before leaving for a few months, there’s just something about airport goodbyes that hit different.
A new year begins and with it all the usual trappings of struggling to slide back into a routine after weeks of living by no schedule other than the serving of dinners and starting of movies.
Notes on the week Flying back to the Netherlands later this week, I can’t wait to be back in our apartment but am dreading discovering the condition of the rainforest of plants that have been left unattended for weeks.
Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring because James and Ellen were tearing across the country visiting friends and family and doing last minute shopping before the big day.
Notes on the week Rest is overdue, and sitting in my parents house in front of the fire with Christmas music playing away in the background is precisely what has been needed. We did a rapid triangle trip across Ireland after arriving home, Roscommon -> Kilkenny -> Cork -> Roscommon, before heading to our families for Christmas itself, and it’s been amazing to catch up with people.
Back in Ireland this week for the Christmas break and getting into that end of year wrap-up frame of mind.
Notes on the week Flew out of Amsterdam a week later than planned due to Elle’s neck injury, thankfully it’s starting to show proper progress and she no longer needs help putting on socks! I’ll never understand the stress people experience in airports, especially people travelling on their own, and it seemed like there were a lot of flustered people that day.
Notes on the week A stiff neck is no joke, something we learned the hard way this week. Elle pulled a muscle in her neck (after a sneeze) and for the past few days has been pretty much out of action. I was due to fly home but had to postpone until next week and she’s able to put on her own socks again.
Work announced the biggest deal in their corporate history.
Notes on the week Two weeks in a row. I’m honestly a little surprised, but I think that this format actually helps building a writing habit quite a bit. Adding some structure to the task of regularly writing makes it so much easier. What happened in life, what have you read, what links did you find interesting and what are you listening to? Easy questions to answer, and make for a (maybe) interesting weekly update.
