HOME SWEET HOME ...!

And so I bid farewell to Amsterdam this morning, but not before spending some quality time outside near my hotel.  Strange to think that in the same day I had breakfast in Amsterdam, lunch in the nation's capital -- during another stopover in that buzzing mecca known as Dulles -- and dinner at home sweet home in Santa Monica!

HAIL TO THE QUEEN ...!

It was Hail to the Queen yesterday -- literally -- as Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands was pelted with hail on Saturday during the Dutch annual Queen's Day festivities.  But, true to form, this Queen Bea just whipped out her umbrella and went on with the show.  As for me, I caught the spectacle on TV.  One look out the window of my hotel inspired me to pack my bags for 7th and Montana!

QUEENS DAY IN AMSTERDAM

How do they ring in Queens Day -- an annual celebration in honor of the Dutch Queen Mother -- in Amsterdam?  Orange balloons and street fairs dotted the city.  Dam Square -- the city center -- was transformed into an amusement park last night complete with a house of horrors in front of the Royal Palace.  A Genuine "Drag Queen Olympics" was meanwhile held a block away.

SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT ...

Some people find Eindhoven a bit "industrial," but I can't resist crowing about it.  The city itself is a combination of two villages Philips pulled together just before the turn of the century to create one of the world's first "company towns."  Maybe that's why roosters can still be heard crowing in front of our Consumer Electronics offices.  Inside, we like to crow about the Emmy we won for development of 16 x 9 widescreen television!

A SIZZLING GOOD TIME ...

Well, I made it to Eindhoven, my "home away from home" in the Netherlands, in one piece.  Shortly after getting off the train from Amsterdam this morning, I stumbled across a new find:  "Sizzling Restaurant."  While I couldn't bring myself to eat there, the name alone is intriguing.  The cab driver tells me it has a good reputation.  Then again, maybe he just meant that everything is well-done ...! 

DULL, DULLER, DULLES ...!

Here I am in Dulles, Virginia, where I'm awaiting my flight to Amsterdam.  I just had the privilege of flying over my old office at AOL (pictured here).  I guess it's only fitting that I occasionally stop here on a layover.  After all, my career slipped into a brief layover here, too.  Anyway, it's onward to Eindhoven tomorrow and I can hardly wait to see my friends and colleagues there! 

SIMPLICITY IN NEW YORK ...

Here I am in the Big Apple, where my company hosted a "celebrity" event promoting the concept of "Simplicity."  Besides Bebe Neuwirth (on stage, photo #2), our products were the stars of the show, including: a kiddie catscan (#3), an automated planter (#4), a tree-shaped air freshener (#5) and a coffeepot that filters its own water (#6).  My personal favorite?  A touch-screen mirror that lets you send audio-visual messages to your loved ones!