On the Precipice of a Sea of Orange.doc

I'm squeezing this blog entry in before committing to 48 hours of revelry here in Amsterdam. Tonight is Queen's Night and tomorrow is Queen's Day. Think Canada Day in Toronto multiplied by a factor of ten to account for the drinking culture here in Europe and the 'lax' social policies here in the Netherlands. Every day this week the city has been abuzz with plans for the next two days, orange garland has been strung around buildings, and eight or so outdoor music venues have been set up around the city. Clearly, it's a big deal.

In preparation for the festivities, the past three days have been spent madly trying to complete all my work so the only thing I have to worry about coming this evening is how much orange clothing I have to join the roves of hooligans from all over the country who have migrated to the capital. These days spent at the library were in promise of completely giving myself over to the Dutch way of life for their favourite holiday. Thankfully, I was able to complete all the assignments and readings necessary. I finally sent off my thesis proposal this morning after meticulously working over it for the past six weeks. To say it's great to have it off my desk and in the hands of the powers that be is an understatement.

Today was technically my last day of classes for the course proper here in Amsterdam and actually for the whole of MAIPR. We have portfolio presentations in next week's time, but the major instruction is officially over. Save for the major assignments to compliment the course work, and a week of summer school in Finland, the in-class portion of the work is done. And I couldn't be happier. The focus now shifts (after a break in June and July) to climbing the thesis mountain until mid-December.

Tonight we plan to rove around the city taking in the Queen's Night celebrations. We're leaving ourselves open to see some of the more happening spots, but will stop by two Dutch parties we've been invited to. Once would think that this evening entertainment would demand a good sleep in tomorrow, but it's not possible on Queen's Day! I've invited 15 or so friends here in Amsterdam over to my place for a 10am breakfast to get the day started right. We'll be having breakfast and mimosa to gear up for a full day of Netherlands fun. It's not quite a Pancake Kegger of the old Queen's (University) days, but it's as close as I can get.

Of course, a full description of the day's activities and photos will follow in due course.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: To live vicariously through my experience, google image Queen's Day Amsterdam - it's a mad house. Wear some orange today!