A long rant about the second Covid-19 wave in the Netherlands Jan 18, 2021 As October 2020 rolled in and the number of Covid-19 infections and hospitalizations continued to rise, it was quite clear that the Netherlands 2020: My year in music Jan 1, 2021 Music is one of the biggest joys of my life. In 2020 it was also a source of profound comfort and, in addition to whatever little I managed to read, The story of my integration tests (Inburgeringsexamen) Aug 23, 2020 Wij melden fraude altijd bij de politie We always report fraud to the police Warned a notice stuck to one of the pillars in the waiting area of my The library during the lockdown Jul 12, 2020 On the evening of 13 Mar 2020, I received an email from the library announcing that all branches of the library would close temporarily. A couple of Sort-of-quarantine Diaries, Day whatever: The Haircut May 23, 2020 The Netherlands has begun taking first tentative steps towards reopening after the Covid-19 lockdown. Since last week, the so called “contact King’s Day in the time of a pandemic May 3, 2020 A few years ago, when we were relocating from my company-provided temporary accommodation to our apartment in the last week of April, we were told Quarantine Diaries, Day 35 Apr 19, 2020 (Posted 20 Apr 2020, 21:09) 20:00 I was due to fly to India to meet my parents next week. Once the lockdowns began in Europe and India, the airline Quarantine Diaries, Day 34 Apr 18, 2020 (Posted 19 Apr 2020, 23:50) 20:39 Our energy provider sends us a monthly report detailing our usage of electricity and gas. It tells us how our Quarantine Diaries, Day 33 Apr 17, 2020 (Posted 18 Apr 2020, 21:49) 19:05 Centraal Station was eerily quiet. All the shops inside were closed (save for one to-go grocery store), no Quarantine Diaries, Day 32 Apr 16, 2020 (Posted 18 Apr 2020, 13:02) 20:05 Walked past Westerpark and saw this portable electronic sign dissuading people from visiting… …and keeping Quarantine Diaries, Day 31 Apr 15, 2020 22:00 Completely forgot to wash my hands after returning home. Don’t think I touched my face. Still, the horror. 😱 21:00 We now do groceries once Quarantine Diaries, Day 30 Apr 14, 2020 Toilet paper and hair clipper shortage will soon be joined by chalk shortage in Amstedam. Our courtyard and pavements are full of children’s chalk Quarantine Diaries, Day 29 Apr 13, 2020 15:00 Sudden temperature dips notwithstanding, it felt late enough today to wash, dry and pack away my two mufflers1. While folding them, I was Quarantine Diaries, Day 28 Apr 12, 2020 (Posted 13 Apr 2020, 20:25) 19:00 On the way back from my evening walk, I saw a group of teenagers trimming each others’ hair with an electric Quarantine Diaries, Day 27 Apr 11, 2020 (Posted 12 Apr 2020, 23:39) 12:15 I didn’t check today, but two weeks ago, our local Saturday market was still operating. While the majority of Quarantine Diaries, Day 26 Apr 10, 2020 (Posted 12 Apr 2020, 23:02) 21:00 We finished watching the 4 episode mini-series Unorthodox on Netflix. It offered us an intimate look into the life Quarantine Diaries, Day 25 Apr 9, 2020 21:18 Tall buildings in Amsterdam are beginning to light up their windows in the shape of a heart. Quite possibly in support of healthcare workers Quarantine Diaries, Day 24 Apr 8, 2020 Dutch swear words are all about diseases. I haven’t personally had abuses hurled at me recently, but if this podcast is anything to go by, Quarantine Diaries, Day 23 Apr 7, 2020 13:20 Our collective resolve to stay indoors is beginning to fray a little. Life is still very far from going back to normal but I certainly saw Quarantine Diaries, Day 22 Apr 6, 2020 20:00 Managed to stick to the food time table we made yesterday. Definitely eases a not so insignificant cognitive load during a working day. 15:00