Penultimate Belgian Weekend

The first weekend of post-work and pre-departure has passed. Saturday I woke up at 6:27, 3 minutes before my alarm used to go off for my Saturday teaching routine. I slept through the… Continue reading

Today I retired again. Moving forward.

Good evening. My name is Tim Tendick, and I used to be an English teacher. Last days are an odd thing. Every gesture and act, even silly small ones for saps like me,… Continue reading

Last day at work

Today is my last day at work. It’s been a long time, and a couple continents, since I was last sitting here. (When I first quit the call center job it was unpremeditated… Continue reading

Facing my fear.

I share a fear with the man in front of me. So we cast around for opinions to protect ourselves. We’re standing in the florist, it’s Valentine’s Day, and we are both afraid… Continue reading

Lab Rattery and Tea

Last night I went to get my results from the sleep lab a couple weeks ago. After a lengthy monologue featuring many numbers and a variety of graphs, the surprisingly young doctor (who… Continue reading

Anybody speak Inuit?

Remember that legend about the Inuit having dozens of different words for “snow”? Are there any Inuit people reading this? What do you call the ice crystals like fine-grained shredded coconut? Cocosnow? Or… Continue reading

Today I understand

It may not be this cold in Nicaragua…but right now I wouldn’t trade. This week has separated out the thin-blooded immigrants from the Belgians (and thick-blooded immigrants; the Polish laugh at this temperature… Continue reading

The Countdown begins, with…Crepe Day?

Happy February 2! And no, not because it’s Crepe Day, (although celebrating the “purification” of the Virgin Mary via crepes is reason enough for a party…but how do Catholics “purify” a virgin? In my religion… Continue reading

Moonlighting as a lab rat.

Mlugh. You’ll have to forgive me, I’m a bit tired today. I didn’t sleep that well last night, mostly due to plastic tube stuffed up my nose, although all those wires glued to… Continue reading

A couple days in Antwerp

I love the way the seasons work. We’ve passed the apex of Winter, when Life, mostly unnoticed by us poor modern mammals, held still for a long night in perfect frozen equilibrium, a… Continue reading