March 29, 2003 : second saturday with auto

In brief:
-breakfast at Lunch Garden (we made it there at 11:03 and the breakfast ends at 11:00. Luckily there were two chocolate croissant thingies left.)

-We ran around Carrefours again. We just went there last night, but still we insist on going in and buying nothing, really, but just because we're there and we can. (as long as we keep up the concept that it's ok to go to a super-store and leave empty handed...well we'll be ok.)

- We then headed to the auto-shop runaround to buy additive for our gas tank and figured it all out ourselves. Eva was keen on buying special car-shampoo, but I convinced her that dish-soap (much cheaper) was just as good. At least that's what I always used on our cars back in Missouri.

- While in Carrefours, Eva came up with the brilliant (sarcastically uttered) idea that we should go shopping for clothes on the road where IKEA is located. It's not that I currently need any clothes, it's just that any day now, I could lose three pairs of pants due to wear. My San Fran second-hand brown cords. My Old Navy cheap brown cords. And my Old Navy bitchin' light-weight perfectly worn jeans. The butt is going to fall out of each of these, the only question is when and will I be wearing skimpy underwear or my granny-panties? Will my underwear be white or some obnoxious print? It's actually so bad that I try to be conscious of what underwear I really am wearing. So Eva's big idea was to go shopping for at least one pair of pants...to stores that will, of course will HAVE to have my size.

- We get to the stores after a brief stop at Del Haize and I thought Eva farted at the cash register. I think the check-out lady did as well because she looked as us funny. Actually Eva defiantly claimed that she didn't fart and if she had she would admit it to me in private. So apparently some gentleman in passing let a nice normal fart out just by our register complete with fart sound.

- At the clothes stores we realize that they don't have my size minus elastic waistband or they do and they are UGLY. Am I prepared to go elastic waist?

- We give up and head home to relax for an hour or so before we have to meet Eva's brothers and her mother and friend for dinner for Jasper's birthday.

- We get to the apartment and Rita tells us that the brother's are busy watching a football game. (Eva and I are slightly miffed at this statement...because it's for Jasper's birthday and all, and we didn't really want to go because we had had such a long day, really, so it would have been nice if someone had just said, "come two hours later.")

-We ride the tram into town, walk a bit, find the Greek restaurant and sit down to an ooza (licorice-tasting drink from Greece) and shortly thereafter, our meal. I tried to stick with something familiar, pork with mustard sauce.

-The atmosphere of the place was amazing, but the food extremely common. So common that it added to the atmosphere (like the food at a family reunion if the family reunion had it at a school cafeteria) Eva got pasta-less lasagne (that's what it looked like) and afterwords admitted that her's too was common.

- After we had already eaten, had desert, and drank our coffees, the birthday boy, Jasper, and his brother, Joris, casually walked in.

- Thankfully they ate rather quickly and by the time we were ready to go we had decided that the boys would have another drink with us in town and Rita and friend went on home.

- I must admit that Eva's mother's gesture that the next birthday to celebrate was mine, well, that was really nice. We think we'll do Mexican, though currently at this moment Indian or Thai (since we never eat it out anymore) sounds awfully good as well.

- The city was quite alive tonight, with the weather not cooperating as much as it did in weeks past. It was only just warm enough to sit in the patio section, as everyone was forcing spring to be spring. Everyone was still wearing scarves, but not so bundled up.

- We had our one-beer with Joris and Jasper and they cycled home leaving Eva and I to meander through the streets where we ended up at Tom and Ilse's where we consequently spent the rest of the evening.

- At 2:30 in the morning we headed home. Eva peed behind a tree and I stood guard. It was the perfect pee-place and I can only imagine how many women have peed there. (very secluded) Why don't we carry at least one female pee-helper with us when we go to town?!? We're so excited to use it, that we should break it out at least once in awhile. At least we have a couple in the car. Surely we'll use one sometime then--even if it's to pee in a cup because we don't have time to stop! (apparently this happens sometimes. I have never been too busy to stop for a toilet break on even the longest of road-trips!)

- Funny how some walks home seem endless and other seem like they are walked in no time at all. Tonight was one of the short-walk homes and it was a good thing. After all, we wanted to get home as soon as possible so we could get to bed as soon as possible so we could have tomorrow as soon as possible.
Why? Because we have a car, and since tomorrow is sunday, it's a driving day. Not a road-trip, just a small afternoon adventure. But still, it's the first of many.

IN THE NEWS:
Pope John Paul II urged the faithful Saturday not to allow the Iraq conflict stir up hatred between Christians and Muslims, saying that would transform the war into a "religious catastrophe."

ALSO IN THE NEWS:
Iraq gave $34,000 to the family of an Iraqi army officer who killed four U.S. soldiers in a suicide attack, and the leader of the militant group Islamic Jihad said Sunday its volunteers had gone to Baghdad for similar bombing missions against the "American invasion."