hi everybody! how you going? as you might have noticed, i have a new profile picture up. that photo was taken in amsterdam on new year's eve 2005. now what is the first thing you think of when you hear amsterdam? i can hear you. you said the red light district, you said legal marijuana. yes, i can't deny it is that. the RLD is absolutely a buffet of sex. prostitutes behind glass doors, yours for the asking. live sex theaters, shops that sell things you can't even imagine. but it is so much more than that. you can wander down the beautiful tree lined canals that cut a maze through the old part of the city. visit the anne frank house where she and her family hid for two years from the nazis. it is moving to the point of tears to think that a family could live in such a small space, fearing for their lives every day. there are also museums that truly take your breath away. the van gough museum was my favorite, displayed are paintings from every period of his work. to see them in a book is one thing, but when you stand in front of " the potato eaters" or "sunflowers" it is a diffrent thing altogether. the rijksmuseum is the largest of all. you could spend days there looking at the collection of art housed there. rembrandt is well represented there, his muted colors emerge from a darkend canvas forming amazing works of art. there are also a few vermeer paintings there"girl with a peral earring" being his most famous. almost photographic, his work is truly stunning. then there are the tulips. every color in the rainbow. so don't judge this wonderful city too quickly. it has alot to offer.

hi everybody. how have you been doing? well i hope. i haven't had time to blog in so long i may have forgotten how. but here it goes..... it is coming on fall here, my favorite season. the mornings are downright cold and heavy dew covers everything. the cold soon gives way to a beautiful upper seventies day. i shoulder my backpack and head off to school after putting in 12 long hours at work. i am attending a workforce development course lasting 16 weeks focused on machining for the orthopedic industry. as i drive to school, i see the children at the bus stop with heavy books and heavier hearts. you can almost hear them sigh. the last wisps of summer have given way to another year of homework and droninig teachers. the fields of corn and soy beans are ready for harvest, destined to become ethanol or tofu on somebodys plate. after four hours at school, a mad dash home for three hours of sleep. then back to work. as the kinks sing "we're back where we started. here we go 'round again". i gaze out the loading dock door as the day turns to night. we have the most beautiful sunsets this time of year. the houses and trees black against a fire orange sky that melts into brillant pink, then fades to a deep indigo studded with a million stars. i wonder if you are looking at them with me........ i hope so..

hello beautiful people!!! just a few quick words to let you know i'm still alive. i am currently working 12 hours a day 5pm-5am. and going to school 3 days a week. i haven't even been online in months. i haven't forgot about you all. i'll keep everybody updated. still loving you from afar....... robert

hello again. it has been a long time. if you are wondering what happend to me, i'll give you the short version. did you ever feel like life is a puzzle and some pieces just don't fit? well i have felt that way for a very long time. a no light at the end of the tunnel sort of thing. so i finally got the help i needed to make the pieces fit. i'm happier than i've been in years. new and improved. and i even stay chrunchy in milk!! when i logged in and saw all of you still here..... well i can't tell you how much that means to me. i hope to hear from all of you soon. my e-mail is brokenpotato2112@yahoo.com if you want to drop me a line. i love you all. thanks for your friendship.