goddamn.  while delivering mail a few weeks ago i was both rained on and hailed on.  it was not awesome, but i was invited in for a cup of tea.  the hail started, and i ducked into someones bike shed to cover myself (and the mail).  i figured it would last a few minutes, and i would continue.  kids inside the house saw me, and started pointing.  then their mom invited me in for tea.  it was lovely.  we conversed in dutch as much as i could, and then i went back out into the rain once the hail subsided.  fortunately, the sun came out for the last part of my route, so i warmed up a bit.

another postman related note, one of the people on my route is named hermanus hoogendonk.  i know it is juvenile to make of someones name, and it is not my intention to make mister hoogendonk feel bad, but to me (and probably most americans) hermanus hoogendonk sounds like the hapless victim of a villain in a fairy tale.  i wonder what jim turbert sounds like to him.

when i was a child i was made fun of because of my last name.  i got into quite a bit of trouble because of it.  older kids would tease me, and i got to the point where i didn't want to take it anymore, so i attacked them.  i was a pretty big kid, so the older kids weren't much bigger than me, but i was waaaay less coordinated than them.  it wasn't pretty.  fortunately, by the time my reflexes caught up with my large body i wasn't in the habit of attacking people for teasing me any longer, otherwise i would have gotten into far more trouble.  so please, hermanus, don't attack me.  i am not making fun of you.   my intention is to make my readership, as small as it is, aware of your name so they can better appreciate naming diversity.

tomorrow i'll tell you about my recent trip to paris.  it was delightful.

best,
jim