6.27.2008

the upside of coming home from a european trip is getting accustomed to the time difference. marleen will disagree with me on this one. she hasn't had much luck adjusting since we've been back. i, on the other hand, get up earlier with very little effort, and i like it. i eat something before i leave the house. i have time to contemplate things that may be worth contemplating, and i read a few blogs before i go off to swelles for another rewarding day at work. it's not so bad.
when we go to europe, i'm a mess. it becomes difficult to get out of bed, and i feel like staying up until 3am. i suppose that's great if you've got something to do at 3am, but most of my people go to bed at a reasonable hour, and have no desire to be someplace until 3am. if they did want to be out until 3, chances are it would be at some crappy dance music venue, and i really can't take much of that. i am old, and it is getting more an more difficult for me to spend hours listening to music that i don't like just for the sake of hanging out. i would rather rake leaves than go to crazy dance club night. i am no fun. that said, staying up all night used to be my specialty. i would stay and hang out with all the drunks until they passed out or we called it quits. i just don't hang out with drunks anymore, and marleen really doesn't want to stay up until 3. we generally go to bed at a reasonable hour.
my neighbor is singing. i'm going to bed right now at the reasonable hour of 11:16pm.

good night,
jim

6.23.2008

we're back. i have to go to work tomorrow. i'm really excited about that. i'm also excited that it's hot and rainy (or about to rainy) here. i think i'm going to make some pancakes. i'll try to write something interesting later.

best,
jim

6.20.2008

i told you i'd post some pictures of holland.  well here they are.

this is a skoda.  i believe skoda was originally manufactured in the soviet union.  i ask you, "why would anyone want to buy a car (or anything else) made in russia?"
this is marleen in front of that middle lifty bridge thing in rotterdam.
boat in rotterdam - woo wee
in case you weren't aware, pannenkoeken are pancakes, and a boot is a boat.  that makes this the pancake boat.  evidently you can ride this boat and get all you can eat pancakes.  why have i not been on this boat?
the following pictures were taken in front of a cafe called dudoc in rotterdam.  in case you can't tell, this woman is carrying her not so small dog in her sweatshirt like a baby.
evidently it was difficult to secure the dog, so she asked a passerbye to help her secure him.

i've seen dutch people carry all kinds of crazy shit while riding their bicycles, but i've never seen anyone ride around with a good sized dog wrapped around their chest like a baby in one of those baby sarong things.  as a side note, look how badly her tires need to be inflated.
so far, these are my vacation pictures.  pretty exciting, heh?  i really don't get into looking at or taking vacation pictures all that much.  i go through phases i guess.  i used to take pictures all the time, but now i only take them when i'm working on a project.
i have a few more that i'll post tomorrow or the next day.  i know you can't wait.

best,
jim    

6.18.2008

hi. it's been awhile. i'm still far, far away in holland, but despite my distance from home, i cannot escape certain things. one of those things is the desire to promote myself. i feel kind of silly posting this, but it could win me $500, and i am willing to do almost anythign for money. i guess that makes me a money grubbing whore.
we can talk about that later.
right now i want you to go to this website, and vote for me, or rate me highly if you feel so inclined.
>>> http://artistswanted.org/turbert <<<
the organization is not promoting this at all. they are leaving it up to people to use their social networks, etc. to get the word out there. my problem is that i do not participate in any new fangled social networks. this blog is the closest thing i have to a social network (as pathetic as that may seem), so i am throwing this one out to you, my readers/viewers. you could post it on the social networking site of your choice. you could tell your buddies all about how fantastic they will think my work is. blah blah blah. it was worth a try.
i guess i should post some hallandish pictures on this crappy blog. truth is, i haven't taken a single picture since i've been here. i'm busy. i'm also preoccupied. even on vacation, i can't escape my own brain or the horribleness that is 2008. this has to be the worst year since 1996. 1995 and 1996 sucked some serious ass, so that's saying a lot. i'll post some pictures before the end of the week.

love,
jim

6.08.2008

damnit, it's hot.
two days ago i wore an insulated sweatshirt, and now i can't stop sweating.  shit is crazy.  so yeah, a lot of stuff is happening.  this summer is already action packed.  i wish i could say that i'm taking lots of pictures.  i am not.  i will be hitting it hard two weeks from now though.  i have mad plans.  i'm all nervous about it.  what if i bust my ass and my results suck?  i hate that feeling, but it usually works out at this point in my life.  i sort of know what i'm doing.  that said, there are always surprises in life.  i'm going to apply to the sandberg institute in amsterdam.  how exciting is that?  they only take 16 people per year (usually half of those are dutch).  with only around 8 spots available, it looks like my odds are not so hot.  combine that with the fact that i may or may not be a little late with my application due to some confusion (on my part).  my interpretation was that i had until july to apply.  technically, only EU people have until july.  US people had until may.  the lady on the phone told me to get it in as soon as possible despite my lateness.  they will get my application next week.  i don't know how much power she has, but i'm hoping she convinces the powerful people that my tardiness is acceptable.  if not, then there's always next year.  
what else have i got for you?  
not much.  i'm going to the photo store in a little while.  i hope they have super 8 film.  i want to buy some.  

best, 
jim

6.04.2008

please do not call me or my pictures zany.  i do not not appreciate it.  

thanks, 
jim turbert

6.02.2008

my summer starts today.  i no longer have to work at swelles on monday, which is a glorious and splendiferous thing.  the recent graduates (good luck to them) are gone along with the rest of the students, and there are no classes to speak of.  now i must get in gear and get some work done.  2008 has been a shitty year so far.  there have been some good things, but i've been in a fog since january.  it's time for that fog to lift because i don't have much time.  i'll be in holland from the 9th of june until the 22nd.  then i'll only have  a few weeks of high production mode until the pain of semester life starts again.  
on an entirely different note, let me tell you a little about vintage motorcycles.  they are wicked cool, and they look awesome.  they also inspire lots of middle aged men to talk to you.  that said, i don't recommend getting one unless you know what the fuck you are doing mechanically. buy a newer honda that will start every single time and will never stall.  if you are a mechanic, then by all means, get the cool vintage motorcycle.  i was riding my cool vintage motorcycle yesterday, and it stopped running.  i couldn't get it to run again, and it was pissing gas all over the place.  i shut off the fuel lines and walked it home from forest hills (fortunately i was relatively close to home).  i got it home, and discovered that my "float was stuck."  if you don't know what that means, then you probably shouldn't own a vintage motorcycle (unless you are rich).  i now know what it means, and i got my bike running again.  i am not ready to give up, but this thing is costing me a lot of money and aggravation.  i have a lot to learn about running and maintaining a motorcycle. when it works properly, it is totally awesome by the way.  i'm just saying it's not the most reliable bike on the block.  the suzuki down the street is probably the most reliable bike on the block, but i (and lots of middle aged men) think mine looks way cooler.  

best, 
jim