As I write this blog post, I have the latest US presidential debate in the background. I still haven't figured out what I want to do on election day. Do I stay up all night watching the results? Do I go to Presidents Night at the Melkweg? It's basically an election night type of party - well, i guess the atmosphere of the "party" will depend on how the results turn out. Do I just go to sleep at a normal time, wake up in the morning, and find out what happened? The Netherlands is 6 hours ahead of the east coast, 9 hours ahead of the west coast. Voting booths close around 8pm around the country (maybe later), so that will be 2am here.

I'm registered in California, which will vote democratic. I have many, many doubts about my absentee ballot being used for anything other than recycling container filling, but I'm sending it in - if for no other reason than to take part in what will (hopefully) be the biggest overseas vote in history. When some reporter says "record amounts of Americans living abroad sent in absentee ballots this year," I want to be part of that record-breaking number. It's all I can really do - well that, and donate money to Obama's campaign on behalf of some of my European friends (I've been asked a few times!).

Anyway, three weeks from now we'll have the answer. Until then, I am grateful that the Daily Show streams episodes from the website, because it's a wonderful relief.

Focusing on day-to-day life in Amsterdam, I'm wondering what happened to my bike overnight to make my front wheel squeak and made me work twice as hard to pedal to work this morning. I'm still having a really great time climbing, taking Dutch classes once a week, going to the movies one or two nights a week, trying to find time to sleep. But there's a few important things I really need to take care of that I've been putting on the backburner.

1. Find a doctor, dentist, and optometrist. I've got this great health care that I'm not putting to use!

2. Get my roommate registered at my apartment, which means hoping that my landlord agrees to write a letter saying that he can stay. My (Australian) roommate has to go through the same process as I did in order to get his address registered, apply for a SOFI/BSN number, and then a bank account.

3. Order some curtains that actually fit my bedroom window and get a real internet connection set up at home, rather than just cross my fingers that the open network I use remains open.

4. Buy a ticket to Paris. I really miss my friends there, and I've been anxious for a weekend trip out of town. There's a million places I haven't been that I would love visit, but I think a weekend with good friends in a city that will always feel like home sounds like a good November trip.

5. Figure out what to be for Halloween! Yes, even here in Holland, I found out about a huge Halloween party planned for the 31st. I'll go ahead and add "Halloween costume" to my top priorities- after all, what's more fun - making a costume or going to the dentist?

From New York to Paris

I’m writing this somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, on my way to Paris. Finally getting ready to live up to the name of this blog and start expat life all over again.

I left Los Angeles on the 16th of April and landed in New York around 10 at night. Starting that very first night, I didn’t go to sleep before 4am the entire time I was there. Just too many people to see, too much fun to be had, and since I don’t have a job... there was plenty of time to enjoy it all. I stopped by my old job (I worked in television post-production for a little over a year) to see the folks that I used to spend 50+ hours a week with, and armed with advice, I headed to B&H to spent close to $1000 on an HDV camcorder and accessories. All that money I made at the accounting office sure is getting spent quickly.

So I mostly just ran a lot of errands, did some last-minute shopping, and enjoyed the hell out of the first real spring week in New York. Of course, four days is not nearly long enough, and I found myself wishing I had an extra week. I am incredibly blessed with the best friends in the world – the type that wouldn’t let me pay for anything ("it’s your last day here, it’s on me!"), that will stay out until 4am to catch up over drinks (even with work the next day), and will always have a place for me to stay and encouraging words. I also have an amazing family that is behind me 100% and will all go way out of their way to help me out. So right now, it’s really hard to leave all that behind. I still have friends that have known me since I was a little kid, and hanging out with them – and not having to explain anything, because they know me so well – well, I just really hate thinking of being away from that.

But. I also really love thinking about seeing my friends in Paris and Amsterdam. We may not have the same history, but the friendships I do have with people in Europe are pretty amazing. When I told my friend Lada that I would take a taxi to her apartment in Paris from the airport at such-and-such time, her immediate response was "are you insane? Do you think I won’t be there at the airport to meet you?" My other friends in cities all over Europe have been just as encouraging, supportive, and wonderful as the friends I have in the states.

When I arrive in Amsterdam on Wednesday night, my friend (and future roommate) won’t be around – we actually won’t see each other until we meet up in Barcelona on the 28th! So I will really be on my own, and I have to admit, I think that’s kind of exciting. I’ll have to go out and figure out where to buy groceries without someone pointing me in the right direction, and even though that doesn’t sound like a big deal, it’s those types of little things that will be small victories in those first few weeks. Now, if I can get my suitcase up the stairs of her apartment by myself, that will be a way more impressive victory...

But before all that, I have two and a half days to just relax and enjoy Paris. I don’t imagine I will have too much difficultly with that.