Flowings of Your Everlasting Taffyman

A day with some cats (ah yes the old bold)

I hooked up with Michael today, walked to his hostel early this morning, caught him and his pals checking out. Really a budget hotel not a hostel but the difference is minimal.
I decided I should follow them around for the day, I did. Michael, connor (er) Angie and a new girl Sabina (i think?) I don't know it was a weird name and i didn't feel like asking 4 million times i just said "what up" when ever i needed to talk to her.

First off we went to get breakfast. Now my breakfast here (if i decided to eat which i normally don't) would consist of say, stale pita bread, or a snickers. First Michael ran off and got some space muffins or something (just think, space is an interesting place, therefor muffins from space are, yep you got it interesting.. )Then when he returned triumphant, they decided to go to a pancake house. It was a nice place, chill environment, no Perkins but it was pretty nice. I looked at the menu which came in a variety of languages and decided all the prices were too high. I ordered a coke, 1.70 Thats pretty much equal value to our money. They ordered an assortment of things, waffles, pancakes, eggs, chicken and fries. Cappacinos, orange juice, coffee. I knew they had money, but it still seemed excessive. They had a list(not an actual physical list but yeah) of things to do that day including get high, check out the Anne frank house, go to a coffee shop called the gray area, and uh check out a tattoo shop. I think thats it. Yeah so the get high thing was accomplished immediately after breakfast, around he corner at a place called the bulldog. A "coffee shop" which of course means weed. The place was interesting, a bit crowded. It was a former jail, like a small one in the 80s and you could write all over the walls and bars (like prison bars) I did the taffyman from Jr high days and wrote something like "did not toke" or something. Then um we went off to the Anne Frank House. Now I did not have a hotel for the night, and wondered if it would be better to skip the house, and find a bed. I mean I had seen the outside of the house, before and its really no big thrill, plus they took away all the shit they had anyway, so I couldn't imagine anything worth the money or the time to go and see. (even if that makes me sound like a jerk, its just what i was thinking at the time)
Anyway Eventually i decided to go in and pay the 6.50 or whatever it was and i do not regret it. Not that there was a whole lot to see or anything, but it was just the emotions you get out of reading quotes from the diary and seeing pictures and certain things from the era, oh and the videos, some of the interviews. I tried really hard not to cry but its rough man. Its like a preprogrammed thing, even though i constantly try to shock myself and stuff, still you show me some stuff from those camps, and some quotes and I'm a crying fool. Some shit is just to unbelievably horrible. It pains me to realize shit like that is possible. Still I go to the red light district. (coming up soon) Anyway i think they were kinda overwhelmed as well, they didn't really talk about it, but being pot heads they of course wanted to get high as quick as possible.
The gray area (grey possibly)
this is a coffee shop where many famous people have visited, or rather many popular pot smoking musicians. It is however, tiny. They had 3 very small tables, and a bar that ran along the side but it was like a 6x6 space tops. Anyway we chilled there for awhile, listening to phish like music, talking about random things, them getting high. Between the 2 shops so far they already had a few muffins and several bags of weed, did i mention they went to like 7-8 shops last night buying grams at every shop? no ok well they did. Now they were buying grams, eighth's (sp?) joints, and teas. Anyway they were way past the legal limit (5 grams, use to be 20) Not that the police enforce but yeah. Um from there they wanted to find this house boat hostel, or coffee shop or something but it was a boat. They couldn't find it though and after an hour of walking decided it best to settle for a random coffee house. They got more weed, some coffee and snickers and we sat in the basement lounge area and watched the longest game of chess ever, between Angie and Conner. Not that they were bad or anything just slow moving. Actually they were bad but i cant honestly say i would have been better in their place. Plus i realized i was a little high from the second hand smoke. THis is weird for me, not cuz i have never been high just cuz well i don't think i like it. It makes me sleepy, laugh at stupid shit, and hungry, and i finished my can of pringles. Then we left there, in search of more food, cuz well they had the munchies. Or possibly we were still searching for the boat, I don't really know. Anyway we stopped at this place and got some fries, and they were pretty good and warmed me up and i ate them with a small plastic fork that they give you here. Its like a taster spoon for ice cream only a fork. Anyway you can get a pretty decent portion of fries here for about 2 bucks. Its like a meal. From there we just kinda wandered around, and Michael was looking for a new glass piece, cuz his had broken, but um he didn't find one. We ended up in another coffee shop where they again smoked up and bought some space bon bons which look like sprinkle covered reeces peanut butter cups. They were like 3 buck for 2 i think. I'm still amazed at how much cash these guys spend, but i suppose they don't have to pay for like the week of food or bed, just weekends. (they live in a castle, and go to school there)
Um from there we were headed back to their hotel and i got us lost, even though i was completely sure of where i was going. Fucked up Amsterdam gets you lost every time.
Ok so it was like 7 or 8 and i didn't have a hotel, so i asked around a bit. Nope. See Amsterdam has like a million budget hotels nd hostels. They also have like 50 billion tourists on the weekends, Europeans who take a weekend holiday. So if you don't have reservations by like Friday night, you ain't getting nothing. Luckily enough the weather tonight is agreeable, fairly warm, and not too rainy. Also Amsterdam, despite the fact that most of the stores close at 6:30 has a decent night life. Clubs, pubs, coffee shops, cafes, snack stands, 24 hour Internet cafes (its 3:00 AM) and a red light district.

The red light district
"I could tell I was almost there because it smelled like fish."

Sadly or thankfully that is not even a vaginal joke really, because you see historically the red light district is where the sailors and fishermen would go to have their spirits lifted so to speak. So it is kinda along the harbor. But most of it did not smell like fish, more like urine and pot.

So yes i went to the red light district, for those of you who don't know, the red light district is where all the sex is, because prostitution is legal here. the women even have a union, and pay taxes and stuff. Actually I learned today that the red light district was like a block from my first hostel here. Which is pretty much just slightly south east of central station for those of you planning on coming here at some point. (the cannabis cup is in November i think)Anyway there are 3 reasons I went. 1 cuz i knew it would be up and running and i had hours to kill. 2 cuz it is a major thing here and tourists are expected to go, i mean its like famous for this. 3 cuz I am a pervert, i mean i am.

So the women stand in front of large window pains, in bathing suits mostly (no real nudity unless u pay) and people walk by. If you are interested in their services, you stand in front and they say yes or no. Then you talk money, which is usually 50 EURO. Then you walk inside do your thing, and they pull the curtain down so no one can see. All th windows have red neon lights over them so you know they are prostitutes. Also in this area there are numerous, strip/sex shows. As well as porn shops. And of course bars and coffee shops for when you are sick of being a pervert and want to watch others do it. So um what can i say... heres some thing i heard
"they are really good at it too" ~excited guy to friends
"I should get up and dance like that"~girl to her friend
"it has really gotten bad lately" ~older man to his wife and another couple
"I don't think sex is a problem anymore for people." girl to friend talking about sex as a job, and the outcome.

Plus lots more in many languages on every sex related topic. Also 2 old English men walked by me (probably drunk) and said rather loudly "I thought that was a girl!" then I too turned around (not wanting to go down that alley) following them out and the guy turned around and gave me a real good look over as if i wasn't standing like 3 feet from him. I'm talking like a real look. Which is weird cuz i probably have more facial hair then ever before being as that i havena shaved since like my friends went to college or something. Hmm. I checked out the porn shops, they have real teen porn here, its kinda weird. Also everything you could possibly imagine. Its weird cuz you don't necessarily feel like a pervert there, cuz everyone there went there to see sex. I didn't pay for anything except the sex museum, which is a gallery or erotic art, and like the history or something. 5 euro. They have lots of art and sculptures, from many different cultures. Some drawings by john lennon, some sex comic books, a cartoon that is really long (like hours) and just pure sex, but kinda funny even though i don't speak Dutch. And they have actual porn, phone sex, and like mannequins and stuff. Its kinda interesting.
What else can I say, I got offered coke and acid several times. The way they do it is they just say the name while you walk by and if you are interested you go talk to them.
Hmm the have really public urinals here, like big plastic things (hard to describe) and these green metal booths. Basically though people can tell you are going to the bathroom. Its better then the 50 cent thing though.

Oh food here comes in cones (sometimes) I got fries today twice in a cone. (also they do use mayo and it is the grossest thing) Also I got carrots in a cone. Something about the cone, its weird. Originally I thought not good container for food (despite the fact i work at an ice cream place, its different) but now I'm thinking the cone works.

My umbrella is broken, did i mention that? I think I must have. It flew off several times today. Its fun but not when its raining. I haven't showered in like 3 days. I haven't changed my pants in like 2 weeks. my hair has not been shampoo-ed since before i left, and it is still in braids. I have not done wash yet. My bag is still too heavy.

I miss my music collection, today i had like 8 different song in my head from my cds and i was like "damnit. why can i listen." oh that reminds me, in the porn shops they play weird music, like in some its techno stuff which seems ok but in some its like phil collins. Seriously i heard him and a bunch of other like early 90s late 80s light rock/parent music artist several times in the shops. It was disturbing. This cafe has been playing bad rap and r&B.

Oh to explain the name in the last post (comments), when i was there i kept bumping into people and i didnt want to sound like a stupid american saying sorry and excuse me so i said "pardon" and "excuse moi" or whatever in a cheesy french accent. Cuz someone did it to me and it sounded cooler. Also I ran into a couple of people i had met before in this city. Some people have like tour guides, or like their friends explain the district to them its fun to listen, you dont learn anything thats not obvious but its funny to hear old people reactions "ooohhh i get it." "wow i had no idea.." stuff like that