The Rik Limonard Diary

Catching Up!

2010-06-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

Right now I have a few hours inbetween train transfers in Chicago. Wrote this on the train:

Hey friends & family...

Wow, what a long time since I posted a blog. It’s a good sing though: I was having a great time, and felt so at home. Now I’ve been on the train already since last Wednesday 7pm (Pacific Time). The trip is going well, although I’m having a hard time leaving LA and all the lovely people I met. I will miss the guys from the House of Happiness and the Portia house especially. And of course Maya & Nandy, and last but absolutely not least: Amy & Julie. They are both so wonderful, and I think I will maybe miss them the most. They are awesome. But let’s not talk about the goodbyes, cuz I’ll be back anyway.

I want to give a little update on the last week:

Wednesday June 2^nd: My Dutch friend Céline arrived in LA. She stayed at the Portia House, in the only empty room. It was a lot of fun with her. And she liked LA a lot she told me, and of course the people.

Thursday, June 3^rd: I showed Céline around the neighborhood, and we went Downtown. Shopped a little bit, and went to the MOCA museum on Grand Ave. Twas fun. At home we had a nice pizza with Oneil.

Friday, June 4^th: evening I threw my “I Will B Back Party” at the Portia House. It was (again!) a night to remember, a very, very special night. I was so happy to see some of my new friends all together. We had a lot of fun, made a lot of music, danced, and whatever more.

Saturday, June 5^th: I took Céline to Hollywood: Sunset Blvd, Hollywood Blvd, and later to the Grove. We had the amazing Burger & Milkshake at Johnny Rockets. There was also some kind of car show going on, with old-timers. There were some pretty funky and cool cars.

Amy & Julie picked us up to come with them to Culver City Artwalk, and to a gallery exposition opening of a friend of them. We saw a few galleries during the artwalk. And we sat down in one for drinks (and dinner for the sisters).

The party at the gallery was fun too!

And I just love driving along with Amy in her car…

Sunday, June 6^th: We (Amy, Julie, Céline and I) went to a ballet show in the Disney Hall, Downtown. It was an older ballet by Merce Cunnigham. (Oneil managed to get us tickets!)

It was a very interesting piece from about an hour. The sound was by John Cage. And it was all Irish sounds (and all surround sound). The stage floor was white, lighting simple but nice. And the dances were wonderful.

I enjoyed it a lot, and so did Amy & Jules. Céline wasn’t too excited, because of the John Cage “music”. He used sounds from all over Irelan: baby’s crying, violins, choirs, cars, alarms, gunshots, people talking, and so on. I liked it. It was almost if we were hypnotized at one point.

Afterwords we went home. And later back to Amy & Julies’ place to have dinner there and watch a movie. The dinner was SO GOOD. Julie is a wonderful cook.

After dinner, when we had apple pie, I called my grandmother to celebrate her with her birthday. We all sang for her.

During the movie there was a little earthquake tremble by the way.

Monday, June 7^th : After sleeping in, Céline & I went to the House of Happiness in the Hollywood Hills. To hang a little while with Will. And I was happy to see Trevor there too.

After saying goodbye to them, it was dinner time.

And then we walked some more on Hollywood Blvd, and took a taxi up to Griffith Observatory. The observatory was closed, but the view was amazing. AND we bumped into Dylan & Lauren! How crazy was that. We sat with them for a while, and they were so kind to bring us down with Lauren’s car.

Tuesday, June 8^th: Santa Monica time with Amy & Julie. We had an awesome time. Too good, I don’t want to put it online, but keep it to myself (ourselves).

WONDERFUL.

Wednesday, June 9^th: Amy & Julie brought us to the LA Union Station. And were at the train to say goodbye. Very emotional, but I really appreciate it that they were there. Couldn’t have been better (yes, it could, but only if I did NOT have to leave).

We will arrive in New York City on Saturday around 6-7pm local time. There we will have a place to stay thanks to my new friend Bobby. I met him on my way to LA, more than two months ago.

On June 15 Céline & me will be flying back to the Netherlands (different flights tho).

For Tess

2010-06-07T03:38:00.000-07:00

Little song for Tess. click on this link to view & listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWKb1dGJKgU

Everything's Alright

2010-05-31T18:44:00.000-07:00

Everything is going alright!! I am so busy all the time with so many different things...
Here just a quick update to let you know I'm doing well.

Last Monday we had some kind of dinner party, and watched a movie.
Tuesday I went to the beach in Santa Monica.

Last Saturday I've been to Das Rheingold opera by Wagner (Der Ring Des Nibelungen) in the LA Opera. Sunday evening I went to Hollywood Forever Cemetary where they showed Purple Rain, outside.

That were the main events from last week.

And that's it for now mates. Talk soon!

Sunny Sunday

2010-05-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I updated my blog!! But here I am. And it's exactly like my aunt said: "no news means good news".
I have a wonderful time. I'm enjoying it to the max!
Let me give you a brief update on the experiences from this last week:

Saturday I went to The Grove with Oneil. That's a real cool shopping place in Hollywood. We walked accross the market, and the street with all kinds of cool shops. Really Hollywood style.

We had the best diner experience ever! The milkshake was fabulous, and so was the burger. There were little jukeboxes on each table, so you could pick a song. I remember we picked a few songs, one of them being Papa's Got A Brand New Bag by James Brown.

Sunday Oneil & I went to a farmers market in Hollywood, accross the street from the Amoeba music store. That was nice, all that food. Oneil's friend Paula joined us. And took us out for lunch later. We had fun, although we had too wait looooong before we could be seated, and before the lunch was ready. Oh and at the other table, clos to us, was Jim Carrey and another actor who played Sirius Black in Harry Potter. That was fun to see them. There was some paparazzi following Jim, they were right in his face when he walked to his car. Crazy...

Monday evening was really great. Thanks to Oneil (who works at LA Opera) I could be a guest at the screening of Light of the Valkyries (http://www.griffithobs.org/lotv.html). It took place at the Griffith Observatory. Amy went along with me, and that was so much fun. The show was about 20 minutes and really cool. It was about the Northern Lights, and with music from Das Ring Der Nebelungen by Wagner. That opera is goint to be performed soon at the LA Opera. And the LA Opera partnered up with all kinds of cool art stuff too make it a kind of festival. So that's why Light of the Valkyries was made too.
After the screening the makers told us how they did it, and there was time for questions.
And after that we looked around in the observatory, and learned some interesting stuff. We even saw a REAL PIECE of the MOON.

Oneil and some friends were already back at the house, so Amy & I went there too. And it was a wonderful night!
OK, I'll jump to Friday now. That day Tom showed me around the LA Police Academy, very cool, haha!
We had a little party at the house Friday, only for the people who lived here or are living here. That was a good way to start the weekend.

Yesterday, Saturday, I went to the Silver Lake Jubilee festival (http://silverlakejubilee.com/) with Oneil and two friends. It was alright. The best thing was I ran in to Amy there, with her sister and friend Kali (with cute Cocker Spaniel). It was a pretty cold evening, but alright.
Back home I watched part of a mini-series that Nick & Tom were wacthing. It was about the war in Iraq. Interesting.
Todat I went out for lunch at Chango, with Oneil.

By the way, I received this sweet card from my grandparents in Holland. DANKJEWEL OPA & OMA, ik vind het kaartje te gek! En ook de twee krantenknipsels.

So I'm still doing well, and loving it here =)
Talk to you soon!

Updates

2010-05-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

The open mike night at Sunset Junction was funny. Mainly because of the many comedians performing there. It was a small cafe, not that busy, but the people who where there were regulars, and fun.
I tried performing one of my own songs on Oneil's keyboard, but didn't really went that well. The technical things weren't that great, and there wasn't that much space, so I couldn't really make that right, haha. So the second song I did a different thing: I sang something A Capella: Smile (by Cahrlie Chaplin). That was better!
Oneil & Tom were there with me, that was very nice.
Okay, that was Wednesday.

Thursday evening there was a film screening event in Burbank, called Tight Chicks Short Flicks. The Twinz told me about it/invited me, because they were one of the musical acts performing there.

In the beginning it didn't really was that much fun. However, when it became dark, and Maya & Nandy arrived, and Amy (who I invited) came too, it became a lot more fun. The event was outside, that was nice.

I was so happy that Amy was there, she's so awesome. And it was really cool to see Maya & Nandy play an acoustic set of some of their own songs, and 2 covers.
After the event I had an even more amazing time. And as I said before, some things are better left unsaid, and this is SO much better left unsaid, so I'm going to keep it to myself. lol :P
On Friday, Amy took me along to Yoga class in the park. That was a lot of fun, although it hurt me too, hehe.

And wow I was so tired from all the fun and talking and stuff, that I slept until 11 something today.

Today I went strolling around on W Sunset Blvd, down the street. Had fun! And in about 30 minutes I will go to the Grove with Oneil. Exciting!

Monday there's a very cool thing at the Observatory. Oneil invited me, cuz he works at the LA Opera, and it's for employees & friends. And Amy will come along with me.

I don't want to go to the Netherlands any more, ha. I do want to see my friends & family, but wish I could live here for a longer time. There will come a day that I will live here, sooner or later. I'll create the possibility.

Alright. Bye for now.
Lots of love!

Performing at Sunset Junction Open Mike

2010-05-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Wednesday May 12, I'm performing 2 songs at Sunset Junction Open Mike.

730pm At Tsunami Coffee House
4019 Sunset Boulevard (at Sanborn Ave)
Silver Lake, CA 90029

http://www.sunsetjunction.org/index.php/typography

S A T U R D A Y G I R L

2010-05-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

Here's my video for the new song Saturday Girl. What do you think? Watch it in HD here: >HERE<.

City of Angels

2010-05-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

City of Angels that's what they say. And to me it's true, cuz I already met a lot of Angels here :-)
Alright, let me update you realk quick:
This first week at my new home has been great! I really enjoy me new spot, and the people around me. I love to go to the stores with Tom (one of my housemates) and look around and just do the "normal" things.
Monday I walked around in the neigborhood, and sat down at some great place on a corner of Sunset Junction.
Tuesday I went downtown with the Metro Bus Line, took me only 15 minutes! Great! I walked around there, and went back to Macy's, where they had a T-Mobile store. I uploaded my phone there. After that I walked around and came accross this cool newstand. Had a fun chat with the owner.

Next stop: Union Station. I took the Metro Rail to Union, and exchanged my traintickets for real now.
Back on the Metro Rail to Santa Monica/Vermont station. And I got out and walked around, and ended up in my neigborhood. That was a pretty good walk, but alright!
Wednesday morning I had a meeting with a guy about designing some T-Shirts. I'll keep ya posted. Hope that will work out (he's on Holiday right now).

And because of it being Cinco de Mayo then, there were some party things going on around town. I went to LA Live (an area downtown), the Nokia Plaza. There were some performances, including Sheila E & her family. Tom went along.

We got there I think an hour before Sheila E started. And guess who I saw standing at the side, backstage!?? Yep, Maya & Nandy and Ann! Haha, didn't expect to see them there. It was fun. They've been hanging out in the Conga Room, and they would go to the (21 & over) after party too. And they were there to dance some Salsa on stage!
Sheila E & her Fam were AWESOME (of course), and it was SO much fun to see the Twinz dance. I made some videos. Maybe I will put them online too.
Thursday & Friday were chill out days. Days to write, make songs, sing songs, go to some cool spots in this hood, etc.
Saturday evening I went along with Oneil to a party, except we never got to the party because the Metro Bus we needed didn't show up. So the party was almost finished while we were still waiting for the bus hahaha.
This morning, Sunday morning, I went to a service at the Angelus Temple (very close to my house). I was invited by Maya & Nandy, cuz they were performing with the band.
It was a big (new - for European style) church building looking like a theatre with nice glass windows. I think around 2000 people fit in that hall. And before the show started there were white curtains hanging on stage, so it kind of looked normal and a bit boring. But after the intro talks, the curtains opened up, the spotlights went on, and then BOOM the Rock concert started. WHAT? Yes. It was like a rock concert. They had everything except the fireworks hahaha... It was so cool, it cracks me up :P
So the band and some singers played a few songs, and one of them was with Maya & Nandy doing the (lead) vocals. The song was called "The Climb". It was wonderful to see them perform like this, they looked GOOD at the stage, the place to be.

The whole service was very rapid, hip and interesting. After the service I talked with some people, then Nandy dropped me off back home.

Pablo & JC (the housemanager) came by with their kids, so we hang out with them some time. And in the evening I went to a groceries store with Tom, and then all of us made dinner, and enjoyed it.
And Oneil just showed me an episode of Glee. Haha, fun, but not my style ; )

And here you go! : )

You know, I'm filled with so much love and happiness right now. All these experiences, all these wonderful people I meet, and the sharing, loving, music and whatever more that goes on... it's so amazing it makes me wanna sing, dance, give, share, love, and cry : )

Teaser

2010-05-09T00:43:00.000-07:00

Hi folks!
No news is good news ; )
I planned on writing on my blog today, but as usual in LA things go different then you expected! I'm very tired and I have to wake up at a good time tomorrow, cuz I'll be attending a service at the Angelus Temple, at 11am. Maya & Nandy will perform as part of that service.
I WILL write more on my blog tomorrow. For example I will post something about Cinco de Mayo, when I saw Sheila E & her Fam performing!
Goodnight or Goodmorning, or afternoon, (wherever you may be on this planet)
Rik

(the Portia House, where I'm at!)

Update from Echo Park

2010-05-02T23:21:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!
Here's my new blogpost, from a new location. I'll tell more about that, but first let me give a brief overview of my the last days, starting Thursday:

- Thursday Wandia came to Santa Monica and we had a wonderful lunch at the Urth Cafe. After that we went to a store (Staples) to try and get some business cards printed, but that didn't work. We did manage to get some other stuff we needed.

Then we drove up to Malibu, and just went up a mountain. Took some pictures there. It is so beautiful in Malibu.

- Friday I moved to my new location in Echo Park. Amy Hobish took me there. It's really a cool neigborhood. And the house is great, including the piano!
That evening, just when I wanted to go to bed, Oneil came in (of my housemates). That was the first time we met, and we started talking. Good conversation. It was around 2 that I went to sleep.
- Saturday I ran some errands with Wandia. It was a real relaxed day: we were both tired - but we had fun! We went to La Brea down Sunset (Sunset Boulevard is right down my street, so very easy connections), and went to Target. Yay, my first Target visit. I bought some batteries, memory sticks, sheets, a pillow, and an inflatable mattress.

We had so much fun, and discussed some cool ideas we had.
In the evening I went to Vons (grocerie store) with Oneil. And there were a loooot of police cars, and a helicopter. And they stopped to cars, next to the Vons store. So we saw it happen: People were lying on the ground (got out of a car) and the police was pointing a lot of (shot)guns at them. Very strange to experience this. Eventually it didn't seem that bad, cause they were all chatting and laughing a bit, and the arrested guys (and girls) were still standing there talking to the police as we got back out of the Vons. Interesting.

When we came back home, we started playing piano & singing (Oneil is a musician too) and we had some good jams going on. And later we listened to many songs, by Nina Simone & Joni Mitchell for example.
It was around 4 when we went to bed.
-Today, Sunday was cool day. I was drawing and playing guitar and around noon I had this great conversation on Skype with my dear friend Lotte, from the Netherlands. Good to talk with her again! We will do that more often!

Amy (the cool dance Amy, Julie's sister- remember?) called me in the afternoon. She was close, with a friend, and was wondering if there was a chance that we could meet up. Of course!
They came over, looked at the house, and then we (Amy+friend and cute Cocker Spaniel!, Oneil, and I) went up to Elysian park, right up the street. It was a good walk. And it was a pleasure to see Amy again, and to talk with her. So happy that she called. She's going to Miami for a week on Tuesday (Julie's already there, and will stay another 3 weeks). We'll meet again when she's back. Yay!

I had my first Ice Coffee, thanks to Amy! And I liked it very much.

Alright folks, that was it for now.
See ya later!

Look at this and this.

2010-04-29T01:03:00.000-07:00

Everyone who doesn't know already, I'm on Twitter. And I tweet (write) almost everyday about what I do or feel or whatever more. This is the link: www.twitter.com/riklimonard

And here's a picture I found on the web, of one of my biggest inspirations at the Santa Monica Beach (where I've spent a lot of my time these last few weeks).

Echo Park & A Very Special Moment

2010-04-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone.
How are you all? I'm doing much better, yay!
Today I went to Echo Park, to look at a room. I went there by bus, and it took my 1 and a half hour, yes. It was worth it though. Echo Park & Silver Lake (that is next to Echo) are fun neighborhoods.
The room was good. Not furnished, but fine (i can put an inflatable matress in there and I'll be fine). The house was wonderful. Good vibe. And the most important thing: A pretty good tuned PIANO!
So I hope that works out, hope to move in soon.

After the room visit I walked around. First to Echo Park lake, and took pictures.
Then walked further West on Sunset, and I was thirsty. So I looked for a place to get some tea. And in the first place I walked in were two people. One lady left, one lady right with a nice hat. SURPRISE, that lady with a hat was Francis Conroy! WOW! I was surprised. First I didn't want to bother her, but as I order she got up to the counter and was about to leave. So I had to say something.
First I asked if she was really it (I already heard when she started talking she was it), and then told her how I love the series Six Feet Under, in which she played Ruth Fisher. She was very sweet and it was such a pleasure to meet her. I didn't want to ask her for a picture or something else, cuz it looked like she wasn't having the best say. So that was it. A few minutes later I saw her drive away.

This is amazing. I really was overwhelmed. Never expected to meet her. The Six Feet Under series has been a big inspiration for many years. And I really carry it near to my heart. So to meet this wonderful actress, who is such a big part of the show, was something special.

That was it for now.

Talk soon! : )

Cold

2010-04-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hey people!
I've got a cold or something. That's why I felt so numm at the beginning of this week! It was very chilly at the beach, and in the wind, so that was part of the reason I got this thing. Whatever, I'm in LA. I'll relax until I feel better.
Amy (not the one from the party but the bit older lady, this one: http://www.amyhobish.com/ & http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/amyhobish ), she has the same thing. I talked to her yesterday and she felt not good, luckily today a bit better. Amy told me this afternoon I should just go and sit at the beach, in the sun.

So I went to the Urth Café, bought a tea & chocolate cake and went down to the beach. Sat close to the waves and relaxed in the sun. I'm glad the very strong wind was gone, and the sun was shining. I listened to some music. On my headphones I turned on Pia, singing Ich Gehor Nur Mir and some other stuff. Ha, that felt so good.
Just had diner at Novel. I'm stilling sitting there, while writing this actually.
I saw an interview on the web today, with Joni Mitchell. I guess from the late '80s. But the cool thing was they were interviewing her in her studio in Santa Monica, where I am right now. That's so cool.

Tonight I'll chill, watch some tv, eat some more of that chocolate cake, sleep good, and hope to wake up tomorrow feeling better.
Peace People.

What a Weekend!

2010-04-19T23:57:00.000-07:00

OK, I', don't feel like writing. However, I still want to keep you updated, cause i know there are people out there who are reading this & I don't want to dissapoint you!
So , here's a very brief look at my weekend:

Saturday: party at Maia & the guys, because she was supposed to leave today Monday. However her flight got canceled, because of the ash aftermath (let's hope it stay an aftermath, without any future problems. Although it is kind of interesting to see the nature get in our way like this, feels sort of good too, don't you think?)
But we weren't aware of the cancelation on Saturday of course.
It was a real fun party! Especially thanks to the DJ Daryl, who really had some good songs blasting out of his speakers (James Brown, Prince, Jamiroquai).
By the way, if on any picture so see a shiny nail on my right hand: a guy who works with Gaga (her nails) and some other artists, also did one of my nails.
And I have a freakin funky cool new RED hat!

I had the most fun with Amy (I met her on the first day I arrived btw at the first party) on Get Up Off Of That Thang, by JB. And some few other songs. She's a really cool girl. Hope to meet her soon again. Oh and this is not the same Amy as the one who called me last week.
The party lasted until 5 or something. Then the people that were still there just fell asleep on every available place. Except Maia & me, we were awake and cleaning up. And we were on a roll, because we even swept the floors and stuff. At 6 Maia made some food. At 6:45am or something I went to sleep.

And at 8am I woke up again. Took a shower, ate some bread, said bye to Maia, and jumped in Ann's car. She picked me up and we drove to Maya & Nandy's place again.
It was their birthday!
We had a lot of fun! Even though I was tired, and kind of had a bed day (probably because I was tired, haha), but it wasn't really bad: how can it be bad when you spend a day with Maya, Nandy, Ann and some friends? Uhu, impossible.
The eight of us went to Knott's Berry Farm, a theme park. When was the last time I did that? lol! And errr, it was very cool actually to walk around there, but I'm too scared to go on any real stuff. Howeverrrrr: I did go along on the ride where the trees are in the water (everybody knows that one right?). And I sat in the front, with Nandy behind me (thank her so much for that! hehe). So there we went: up, into a cave, a little bit down, and then it got real dark, and whooosh we fell down. Haha man I was scared. "The big one's yet to come said Nandy". And there it was, after going up, we came out of the cave and dived down from 20 meters or more?! Ooh scared the shit out of me, lol! And I think I squashed Nandy.
Still, I'm glad I did that.

After the park visit we went back to their home, and had diner with more friends. That was so great too.

And the most important thing is that the girls enjoyed it, and I believe they did.

PS Because of this being a public place (the web), I will be careful with what I post, because of privacy reasons for various people. Just so you know : )

Weekend

2010-04-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

Today is Saturday. I did some shopping, and I'm about to take off to Hollywood. I'm going to Maia and the guys, because there's a leaving party for Maia.
I'm looking forward to that!

I'll stay there, and then Sunday it's Maya & Nandy's birthday! We will go to Knottsberry Farm (a theme park), and we'll have dinner that night. I'm excited about that all! And Ann told me it was a fun group that we're going with.

I'll leave my laptop here, because I already have to much to carry.

Lots of love,
Rik

Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid

2010-04-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

Tuesday and yesterday (Thursday) I had some amazing experiences. And as you will all know, some things are just better left unsaid. That's why I didn't really write about it on my blog.
Of course, I can't let you stay in the unknown so I will open up a little bit, lol!
Tuesday I met Ann for the first time when she picked me up to go to Maya & Nandy's home, and in the evening to a charity project. Ann is the manager of the girls. I've had contact with her on Twitter and by e-mail. It was so great to finally meet her in person. On ur way to the apartment we picked up guy named Collins (a producer & mentor). He is such a cool person! And he has so much experience in the Industry: I learned so much from him that day.
We hang out at Maya & Nandy's place. So that's where I first met them. That was so much fun. Earlier that week, they invited me to a course on Thursday, so Maya started telling me about that. And it blew me away. It sounded very interesting. Landmark Eductaion is the name of the organisation. I won't really say a lot about it, because I'm so new to it, and there's so freaking much to tell about it, I wouldn't know where to start. Let me just say it felt right.
That evening Collins & Marcie (a songwriter) gave the first workshop (of a series) to homeless kids, to show them that they can make something of themselfs. Take a look here: www.jovenesinc.org
That was so good to see. Collins working with them on producing a song, Marcie on the lyrics.
What a day, what an experiences.

There're only 1 or 2 people I've met in my life who had the same energy and vibe as Maya & Nandy. And of of them is Pia. It's so special to meet those people, and they really inspire me to become the "same", as a human being.
And I really want to do a forum at Landmark, because I know it would change my whole view on life, and create many possibilities. The Landmark will help you het nothing. And what is nothing, my friends? Think about that, it's very simple.

Thursday Ann picked me up again, in the afternoon. And we went to the girl's place. It was so nice. I talked a lot with Nandy, about Michael Jackson, artitsts, life, Landmark, Toy Story, Revolutionary Road, and so much more. It was a lot of fun. And I had my first piece of Conrbread. And that was delicious!
Nandy made a little rice with fish, and after that we went to the Landmark course. Where I (and the other guests other participamts brought along) sat with the group for about 30min to hear some experiences, and after that me & the other guests went to another room and we had a little introduction on the whole course.
It was so interesting. It feels like this is exactly what I want to know right now, at this moment in my life. It's crazy that this comes on my way now. Never expected this knowledge.
I really hope I can do a forum soon. (money is what I need for that haha)

After that wonderful experience I went with Maya & Nandy (plus another friend who also came along to the course. I forgot his name!) to LAX Airport to pick up their cousin from Orlando.
As we were sitting in the car Nandy told me to look into the car in front. And in that car, on a little screen, was playing Toy Story!! Can you believe it?
Another sign (yes the signs keep coming), that I am really in the place and time where I need to be right now. Yes, that feels weird, but oh so good.

I'm so grateful that Maya & Nandy and Ann are so open, and teach me so much. It really is amazing, insightful, incredible and fun!

Today will be just a chill day. Tomorrow evening I will go to Maia (from the house, not to be confused with Maya) in Hollywood, cuz they're giving a party, because she has to leave Monday.
Sunday I'mn invited to celebrate the twins' birthday! They're going to a theme park and after that they'll have dinner at their place. I have to choose (!) if I will go along to the theme park too. I just need to know how and when I will get home from the party Saturday evening.

Amy just called me. We'll probably meet today! That sounds good.

AMAZING

2010-04-13T23:52:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing, inspiring, wonderful, insightful day today, with Ann, Jack, Maya & Nandy.
That's all I have to say for now.
Love.

Monday April 12

2010-04-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I didn't meet with Amy, too bad! In the evening I sat somewhere on Main St, and I'm sitting in that same spot right now.
Today I went to 3rd Street Promenade. It was so great! I really enjoy that place. The only thing is: there weren't as many artists performing as when I was there with Wandia. But it's Monday, so what did I expect? Haha, I guess you can expect anything in this city.
I called a Ann-Katrin. I have had a little contact with her through e-mail and Twitter, but it was great talking to her on the phone for the first time. She had a few ideas for tomorrow, let's hope they can go on. She'll give me a call tomorrow morning. And otherwise I can always go with Wandia to a meeting, and have diner at a Jazzclub! So either way, tomorrow looks good. But you never know what happens in LA.

When I was on my way back from 3rd Street to Main Street this afternoon, I met an interesting lady called Luma with a wonderful 12 year old dog called Lucky. What a beautiful dog she was. We had a very positive and interesting conversation. It really got me a bit more back in the groove.
She gave me her card, so I already sent her an e-mail with my information. I should really print out my bussiness cards soon!
It's just too bad I forgot to take a picture, because we were so busy talking. You know those moments? You have a great time, and then suddenly it's past. And you realize that you forgot to do or to say something, and you feel a bit bad for forgetting that because now the moment is gone, but on the other hand it's kind of interesting that you didn't do or say it. That feels kind of like magic.

Thursday night Trevor, Will, Dylan & Robbie will perform in Hollywood. And I really hope I can make it! Because I would love to see them!!
God, I need to perform somwhere too, soon!

Sunday

2010-04-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend was kind of a down weekend for me. After Maia dropped me off here in Santa Monica, I went to the beach and walked along the boulevard. In the evening I went to a café and wrote in my Moleskin. I sort of fell into an empty space. I went from the always energetic House of Happiness, with a lot of friends and people coming over, to this quiet house in Santa Monica. And just to overstate it, I'm staying in a dark basement, with one little light and without any window or whatsoever. And the vibe in this house just doesn't interract with my groove. Too bad. I'll just keep looking for something else, because this is kind of lonely.
I bought a beach cruiser - maybe just to console myself?

Yesterday it was Saturday. I went to Abbot Kinney Bl. It is such a great street, with so many original and interesting shops and a lot of galleries and art.
Today is a grey and windy day. After having a good talk on the phone, with my parents in Holland, I drove across the beach in the Malibu direction (north). I stopped at a beach café, and had a lunch there. Too bad there was a strong wind on my way back!
Yesterday and this morning I watched some "De Wereld Draait Door", and right now I'm listening to Radio 1. Love it!
I will probably meet with Amy today. That's the lady I met last week, when Wandia took me to Venice & Santa Monica.

Lots of Love,

Rik

New Room in Santa Monica

2010-04-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm in a house at Pacific Street in Santa Monica!
I'm so happy I could move here, and I'm staying on a week lease, so I am very free. It's a lovely house, and I'm staying in the basement. It's so close to the beach, and to Venice Beach, and 3rd Street... So I'm happy with that. Maybe I'll get a second hand beach cruiser to make the getting around easier.

Maia drove me here in her AWESOME Lincoln Continental. She just got it back from the repaire shop this morning. It was such a pleasure to drive in there. It's not driving, but cruising actually!
I'm really, really, really going to miss Maia so much! And Trevor, Will, Dylan & Kiel too... It has been such a great experience staying with them. I miss them already. And even worse is that Maia's going back to Europe on April 19, and will be back in the beginning of June. So she's going to be far away! Hope there's a possibility to meet her before and maybe in June. We still have to exchange some stuff, like pictures of her earrings, etc. And I really hope the guys can come and chill on the beach one day, or something like that.

Hollywood is pretty far away from here. When you drive accross Santa Monica Blvd it's about an hour. And by taking the freeway it's maybe 30min. And by bus it's about an hour to Downtown LA, and then the Metro Rail until Hollywood/Vine is 20-30minutes. So it's not close. And I will miss it, but the Hollywood money/fame crazyness is not for me.

Yesterday was a chill day at the House of Happiness. Only in the evening we took a walk to the Hollywood reservoir again, that was fun. BUt too bad for all those freakin bugs bugging us!

Alright, I'll put some pictures on here, and then I'll go out for a lunch + exploration.

April 7

2010-04-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

Goodmorning, it's April 8 already.
Yesterday I went to Venice Beach with Dylan. It was a big exploration, because Will (from the house) dropped us off somewhere, and we thought it was close to the beach. But it was NOT. So eventually we took a bus (two actually). We arrived in Venice at around 4pm. We strolled on the boulevard and beach, and after that we walked to the pier of Santa Monica. There we had a little (too expensive) diner. And around 8pm we took the bus back to Downtown LA, and then the Metro Rail to Hollywood.

April 6

2010-04-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a little lunch in Hollywood. While having lunch I met a musician from France, and a comedian from here. It's so good to keep on meeting people. And here, everyone is a musician, actor, comedian, dancer, or model or whatever. After lunch (hm I love those bagels!), I went to the Amoeba music store on Hollywood Blvd. It is an amazing shop! It has CD, Vinyl, Casette, DVD, Posters and more. So much music in one place is so great! Never seen anything like it before...
Of course I bought some CDs and a LP, but there's so much, that I will be back there for more!
On my way down to Hollywood I finally took a picture of the Capitol Records building. I walked by that building the 1st day I was here, and I've already passed it many times, but never took a picture. But here it is!
Yesterday evening I went down to the 101café down the road to get myself some diner. And as I was waiting for my "to go" diner I saw Trevor (from the house) & Dylan (a friend from Will, also staying at the house) sitting there having their diner. That was a funny situation. We talked about experiences and changes... very cool. Then Dylan, my diner & me walked back to the house, and Trevor went to a friend's place.
At the house I ate my lovely diner, and we listened to music, and talked the whole evening.
This morning I woke up early, because I was going to help Maia with making pictures of her new earrings & necklaces. Then Maia went down town. Some of the guys went to their school... and I walked a long way down Hollywood Blvd. It was very crowded, and hot. It was a great experience.

Hollywood is crazy, and all about attention and fame. It's cool to experience but not my style. I love Santa Monica & Venice so much more. I had lunch in Hollywood, and then walked back to the house. Where I just chilled, and slept for a little while. Dylan & Will were also here.
Now I'm getting hungry, so I think I'm going to get diner somewhere.

Changed Train dates

2010-04-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

I called Amtrak and I changed my return ticket. At June the 9th I will travel from LA Union Station back to New York Penn Station in 4 days. So I will arrive in New York June 12. Then I'll have 3 nights there. And the flight back stays the same.

April 4

2010-04-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

It's already April the 5th now: I just woke up, but I need to show some pictures of yesterday.

Wandia picked me up yesterday morning. It was awesome to finally meet her! She drove us to Santa Monica. There we had a lovely lunch, something with grilled chicken. We spoke about so many things, and we both had so many ideas that kept on coming. Great!
Santa Monica has this great feeling to it. It is wide, but big. The houses all look cool, really beach style, because it's close to the beach! And it has many colors, and original shops.

We walked a little while close to the beach, with the Santa Monica pier in sight. We walked through Santa Monica a bit, and saw some cool dancer, and musicians. I really got a creative boost from that.

Then Wandia drove us to Venice (which is next to Santa Monica, so very close). And that was such a cool place too! We walked along the boulevard, with palm trees and blue sky. It was great. A bit touristic, but it reminded me of Amsterdam also. At the end of the boulevard Venice passes over into Santa Monica, and that difference was so funny to see. It was just there, suddenly an invisible line. There we met a lady who has been living there for a while. And we talked about the US, Europe and more. She told us she lived in Europe too, in France. And she was heaving trouble with this place, LA (or the US in general). It was a very interesting conversation, we swapped phone numbers. And I hope we'll meet soon. She is an artist too, a musician.

It was such a great day. We talked so much about so many things and we are so on the same line. The plan is to hang out again Tuesday. can't wait!

Yesterday evening I went along with Maia to a concert of her friend Amy. It was fun to see. Afterwords we went to a Japanese jazzcafé. It was a weird place, but cool.

Sittin in the Kitchen with a View

2010-04-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm at the small table in the kitchen of the house. It has a view on LA too. Let me tell a bit about yesterday and today.

Yesterday afternoon we had a little jam in the house. That was so good. In the evening I took a stroll on Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard. And it was great. The funny thing was that I saw a lot of stores like the Amoeba music store, but I didn't enter, because I forgot that it was real. I ate at a typical fastfood restaurant, just to get the fun feeling (not because of the food), and after that I sat down at 101restaurant down the road. There I took a great salad!

After that, I went home(!), and it was a chill evening. Maia cooked something delicious. And we were just talking and relaxing and having fun. Molly came by also, she's an actress/model, and I already met her Thursday.
Around 3am I went to bed. Too late!

Today in the afternoon we had ourselfs another jam. And after a pizza we went up the hill, to walk around the Hollywood reservoir. That's a lake inbetween a few hills, and it's so beautiful around there.

I already loved the city so far, but now with such beautiful nature just around the corner, I love it even more.

Inbetween I checked my e-mails and looked on Craigslist.com for some room to rent.

When we came back Trevor and I recorded and made some more music. And now it's already 10:52pm, and everybody's cleaning... and I believe it won't be long before I go to bed.
Looking forward to tomorrow: finally I will meet with Wandia!

Talk to you soon!

Sitting in a Cafe, in LA

2010-04-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

12:27 pm

I woke up around 10 this morning. Maia was awake already. We sat in the kitchen and she made some coffee and bagels as breakfast. The coffee was really nice (it didn’t taste like the coffee in Holland), sweet with cream. Will & Trevor (also a guy from the house, who came back from a trip yesterday evening - that was the reason for the party) woke up too.

I took a shower and the rest went to the pool. Right now I’m at a cool café down the street. And I thought they had wireless internet but my laptop hasn’t spotted any connection yet. Alos at the house they have wireless, but I couldn’t find that one too.

Alright I was stupid haha: I accidentally switched off the button for Wi-fi on the front of my laptop!

Tonight I'll maybe go to Chris is Santa Monica. He texted me about a party...

I already started looking on Craigslist. Hope to find something soon.

Lots of American Love,

Rik

Notes April 1

2010-04-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA

This morning Sis would wake up Joan & me at 5:30 am. However, for some reason Joan & me got out of our room at the same time before 05:20am! It was still dark, just like when we went to sleep.

We went to the diner, Joan sat at a table with a nice lady, and later on when the lady left a couple from Chicago sat down. I sat down at the table next to Joan, so we talked a lot of course. We were lucky to see a bit of the sunrise.

Then we went back to our room. I took a shower (great experience on a train).

We started packing up our stuff, because it wouldn’t be long before we would arrive in LA.

Joan and I reflected on the trip, while we were enjoying the view. Freddie was so nice to take a picture of us two, down the hall.

Around 9am we arrived at Los Angeles Union Station. And we said goodbye. Joan was going to San Diego for 5 days and we said that maybe we could meet each other there. We’ll see, it would be a lot of fun.

At Union Station I called Maia (the girl from the house, where I can stay) and she tried to explain how I could find my way to the house, but the phone connection was bad so I could not really understand. But I knew that I had to go to the Hollywood/Vine station with the Red Line (metro), so that’s what I did. As I got out a man from Aruba asked where I got my bag from, cause he has one two. And as I told him I got it in Holland, he started talking Dutch: he came from Aruba.

It was a very unreal feeling, getting out the station and walking into Hollywood. Awesome!

After a few more calls I met William (also from the house) and we walked up the hill to the beautiful house. I was so surprised by it, because it is such a pretty home, in a fantastic neighborhood.

Will is a really cool guy. He kind of reminds me of my Czech friend Groovy! Will is really laid-back, and he was really open and kind to me. He studies at the Musicians Institute. He plays guitar and a few other instruments. We drank something at a lounge/café down the street.

Maia got home and started making lunch. It was such a good lunch. We sat down at a sort of like terrace close to the house, and it has a magnificent view over LA.

Maia really has her own style. She’s a fashion designer. I never met anyone like her before!

She does remind me a bit of myself, she’s chaotic and always busy, a lot of energy.

She took me to Downtown and that was cool! I first bought a SIM card for my phone, with a month fee. Then we went on a bus, and to a fabric store to pick up an order for her.

We walked through Fashion district and went in a view shops where Maia got some stuff. She told me a lot about a lot of things. I really enjoy it.

LA is huge! It’s overwhelming, but in a good way. I really need to get used to being in a city again (and even more to being in a city like LA), and being able to walk and do things. On the train it was just all so chill, you sat, eat, talk, chill, look.

For the dinner we went to China Town, where we met a friend of Maia called Amy. Amy had two Spanish guys with her. We took some Chinese along and drove to Amy’s house.

At that time I really started to feel how tired I was.

(on the picture: shopping in fashion district. left is Maia)

Right now it’s late evening and we’re back at the house. They’re having a party and I was really looking forward to it, but I’m just very, very tired.

Notes March 31

2010-04-02T13:59:00.001-07:00

10:28am

Raton, New Mexico

We just made a very short stop in Raton.

We’re up high in the mountains. About 75minutes ago there was an announcement that we were on about 6000 feet high. I can feel it in my head & ears. The views are breathtaking. It’s so beautiful they bring tears to my eyes.

This is what life is about, exploring, seeing the earth, meeting people, connecting, sharing, giving, and everything. All this and more makes me feel so alive.

Tonight I slept on the lower bed. Fred prepared the upper bed, because I have my luggage in my room too, but I prefer the lower bed because I can look out the window. This morning I woke up, took a shower and had breakfast in the diner. I sat at the table with Phil, a man from New York. It was his first time on this train too. He’s going to the Grand Canyon, he has some friends & family there. He’s a fun guy, likes to laugh and make jokes, very positive. We talked about the train, and the scene. It was a great conversation.

After breakfast I went back to my room and called my dad in the Netherlands. He was about to prepare diner. Haha, crazy the time zones! The scene got better and better, like all those Western pictures & movies: AMAZING. So I headed down to the Sightseer. There I sat down at the table with the lady who has a room next to mine. She really is so kind. We started talking about the train and how wonderful it is onboard (especially compared to a plane). Her name is Joan. She was surprised to hear that I came from Amsterdam, because she didn’t spot my accent (yet). What a compliment!

As we were talking we were riding along mountain tops, sometimes along a freeway. Even snow was on the rocks. Brown, yellowish, black and beige are in beautiful contrast with the blue sky, filled with white clouds. Ghost towns, big ranges, big cars, a lot of black cows are not rare here! Where the cowboys and Indians at?

The lady told me she is traveling to San Diego, where she’s living. Her son passed away a few years ago. He was mentally ill and committed suicide. He was only 30 years old. I’m so sorry to hear that. He was her only child, and he always asked for a brother or sister, but she bought him a dog. (sounds familiar?)

Talking with her is really interesting and fun, it feels very comfortable, as if we already know each other longer. At the beginning of our conversation she told me she thought I was a musicians/artist, just something the way about I look like or something. Isn’t that cool?

We connect on a music level also. She brought a few CD’s – she has a portable cd player – and she said I should listen to Kanye West, so she put him on and gave it to me so that I could listen. I like the first 4 songs of the album. And I gave her my mp3, and put on the latest Erykah Badu, cuz she didn’t hear it yet!

At 11:30 I went to lunch and sat at a table with a married Republican couple. They were okay. They knew a lot about the country, they love to travel. Lunch was good. Still in New Mexico btw.

Now I’m back at my room, and my neighbor put on Corinn Bailey Ray’s album, and it fits the vibe of the train ride so good. She’s off to lunch now.

Think I’m going to listen a few more songs, and then when I’ll go to the sightseer lounge.

6:02 pm

I did go to the sightseer, and transferred some images from the trip onto my USB stick. I didn’t stay long. Back at my room, my mother called. I was just chilling and enjoying the view, writing some lyrics, listening to music.

And then we stopped at Albuquerque. We had some time to stroll on the station. The weather was good: sunny and warm. At the station there was a tiny market from the locals, selling mainly jewelry. Joan was looking at it all, as I took some pictures. Eventually she bought very cool glass earrings, with wonderful colors. It’s funny how we have the same taste in a lot of stuff…

Back on the train we talked more about music. I really enjoy talking to her. She listened to a song of mine & she really liked it. So I’m very happy with that, because she has a good music taste ; ) haha

Oh wow I’m starving. But I made my diner reservation for 7:15pm!

The landscape here is absolutely amazing. It’s so wide, grand and mysterious, but also so old, but present… No way to describe it.

I went to the lounge bar before dining. And there was Joan playing solitaire. She explained it to me very quick, but she had to go to dinner and she said I should finish it. There I was staring at the cards, and I don’t know the rules, I don’t even know the names of the cards. Luckily, behind me people were playing cards too: a father with his little daughter and another little girl. I asked if I could watch them to learn some, and they asked me to play along. I can’t remember what we played, but it was fun. The one little girl (not the daughter of the man) was really outgoing, maybe a bit too outgoing, but fun. And when the father and daughter went to go and have dinner, the little girl helped me learn to play solitaire for a little while. She was really smart, and she had a lot of stories. Until her mom came and picked her up. Then I was called to dinner too.

At dinner a guy called Chris sat next to me. I introduced myself (said I was from Holland) and he went like ‘Alles goed?’ with a big smile on his face. It was crazy! He could talk Dutch a bit, because he lived in Zwolle for a few years, and he loves Holland. We talked a lot, we couldn’t stop… we talked about music, modern technologies, the Netherlands (compared to), the US, life and so much more. We laughed a lot!

They actually had to throw us out of the diner, hahaha… We moved to the lounge, and I listened to some of his music, and he listened to mine.

The lounge has all those big (and many) windows, and they were just like black holes, with little light dots here and there. So that was weird, seeing nothing.

Joan was playing with her cards, Jerry (I already spoke with him earlier) was sitting there, and “Sis” (daughter of one of the staff) was chilling there too. So we kind of came together, because I everybody knew someone from that circle. We sat and talked and laughed about so many things. I really enjoyed it.

At one time, in Arizona, we looked into the darkness and we saw that snow was coming down: big surprise to us all.

Jordan, Jerry’s granddaughter (8 or 9 y.o.) joined the group too. It had already been like midnight 2 times for me and a few. That is because we went through like another two time zones. We were the only ones left, except for a guy in the corner at his laptop talking to his wife, and a woman sleeping and a man was there too.

Oh and a drunk, very uncool guy, came and sit with us too, and he tried talking along with us, but that didn’t work. Eventually he left.

Jordan was playing cards with Joan & Sis, and I talked more with Chris and another guy who sat and Joan’s table. As he left I sat down there and played along. It was fun, I learned something!

About 1 or 2 we all went to sleep. We swapped contact information, so that we could stay in touch. And we took a picture earlier too.

Notes Tuesday 30 March 2010,

2010-04-02T12:55:00.003-07:00

Onboard the Southwest Chief 8:30 pm

What a pleasure, what a wonderful experience. This train is absolutely awesome! Why? Let me tell ya: It’s as long as a street, it’s as high as two trains on top of each other, because it has two stories, pretty little staircases, shower cabins, a sightseer lounge/café (the upper level is has huge windows, also in the ceiling, it has different chair settings, also faced sideways, on the lower level is the store where you can buy food & drinks), a big diner (the prices already included with my roomette ticket), and the roomette is wonderful; large comfortable chairs, a space to hang up your clothes, your own light, table, air conditioning, BIG window, and a bed can be pulled out from the ceiling and one can be made from the two chairs, and on top of that it has a magnificent whistle (horn?) and the train knows how to use it; everytime we pass or cross another train or a road it blows the whistle. Oh and one of the most important things: the service is fantastic (and that was very different on the train from New York to Chicago). It began that because of my sleeping car ticket I could stay at the Metropolitan Lounge at the Chicago Union station. There they offer big chairs, a tv, drinks, bag storage and wi-fi. And on top of that they offer a transportation service to the train. The red-capped guy (the red-caps are the Amtrak station assistants) asked if I could use a little help when I was getting my bag, and of course I could. So he took my bag and I followed him to this fun little car-thing (you know that airport-golfcart type of thing) and I could jump in at the front, and sit opposite of two gentlemen who were also assisted. Thank the red-capped guys for existing, because it would have been one hell of a walk to the train car we were staying in – as I said, the train’s as long as a street, and when I got off the Lake Shore train this morning I really had to walk a loooooong walk before I arrived at the end of the track. -.

Fred is our Sleeping Car Attendant, and he’s a charming men (almost all the staff on this train is very charming & kind). He came by to introduce himself, and once in a while he checks how everyone’s doing (right at this moment I can hear him say “Evrythang ahraight sweety?” to a lady in a roomette down the hall. The roomette I’m in is on the second floor by the way, just as the diner, and the sighseer. I’m really glad there’s such a good staff, you can feel their passion for the work that they’re doing. The staff on the Lake Shore wouldn’t even look at you or say a word when they came to check your ticket: you didn’t feel welcome. Maybe that’s a difference too between the East / Midwest, and the South / South-West.

This afternoon around 4pm I went to the sightseer, after I took the shower I’ve been needing since 2 or 3 days (how does time work again?). At the sightseer I talked with a proud grandfather first. He’s with his wife and their 8 year old granddaughter on the train. At the table next to me another couple set down, and they started talking with us. They were very talkative and outgoing and a lot of fun. The grandfather went back to his wife & granddaughter, and I stayed talking with Wayne & Nicky. They’re from Hutchinson, Kansas, and they’re a lot of fun. We talked about a variety of things, like the country (Midwest, South & West), the houses, water tanks (like balloons on a stick), propane tanks, Dutch & American politics, family, Europe, music, poetry, faith and more.

A pleasant surprise was that Wayne is a poet, and he’s good at it. He told me some, some of his own, some of others, but all very passionate. Another person with passion, that’s a lot of passionate people in only two days. Keep them coming!

At 7:15pm I was called to diner in the dining car. I sat at a table with Tiffany and her son (I thought they were brother and sister, especially because of the way they interacted), and next to me was a lady traveling from New Orleans to a conference in Kansas City. Tiffany & her son were headed out to the Grand Canyon. They came from Chicago. They’re such a cool team.

After diner I went back to my roomette and Fred told me how I could prepare it if I wanted to sleep. And then I started writing this.

It’s now 9:02 pm, and very dark outside, and the train wistle blows. I was told tomorrow morning there will be some greet scenery… can’t wait for bed.

Chicago & Boarding on the Lake Shore Limited

2010-03-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

The last post before my 42 hour ride to Los Angeles.

I went into Chicago for a few hours, first with Bobby. He told me to go to Millenium park. He had to go, so we said goodbye. I went to the Millenium park and sat down.
Then I met with Fei. I met him at the Union Station, he came from the same train. We talked, and walked and grabbed a good big sandwich at Subway.

I AM LOVING IT HERE. Unbelievable great...
it was a shock the greatness, but I already love it!

Here some pics to get an idea. I have to go get my bag now, because I will be boarding soon on the train to LA. Local time is now 2:30 pm.

Love!

On the train from New York to Chicago (19 hrs) Monday 29 - Tuesday 30 March

2010-03-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

In Albanay, round 6:30pm: get some fresh air as the train is standing still for about an hour.

I met Bobby, a nice man from 55 years old, yoga expert, actor and much more.

Thr rest of the journey I sat in my chair, just chilling. No window chair left.

At 8:30pm went to diner. I sat at a table with a very kind couple. It's a shame I forgot their names, although I recall the woman's name was like Sevilla. We had an interesting conversation, about Amtrak, music, artists, and capitalism. It was such a good experience. A pleasure to meet those two!

They were even so kind in paying my diner bills (even if I told them they wouldn't have to).

They were very excited about this musical called Fela in New York, about a Nigerian woman. And they said that if I had the chance to see it I should. I think I will, because I'll change my train travel dates for the return trip, so that I can stay a few days in New York. Also because the time window I would have the the train/plane connection I have now would not get me there on time.

Wish I could tell more ; )

It's amazing to realise I am finally here....

Alright here some pictures:

On the first picture there's Bobby & me, second picture the couple from Chicago.

one more thing ; )

2010-03-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

I will go into the town in a few moments... Need some fresh air and some excercise ; )
I wrote another post, on the train, but I will post that later today or Thursday when I'm in LA.

I'm loving it here!

Rik

First Post from the USA

2010-03-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I'm in Chicago now, at the Union Station. I'll post the text I wrote while in the air yesterday...

Blog text March 29 2010, 2:39 pm Amsterdam time/ 8:39am New York time

‘Come in from the Cold’, by Joni Mitchell is playing on my headphones. I just made a 56minute playlist to listen to. The second movie is playing on the screens, but I watched the first one and that was good enough for me. It was that one with Sandra Bullock, the role she won an Oscar for this year. Haha, how can I not remember the title already. Let’s blame it on the medicine I took. Come to think of it, I think it is working fine, because I don’t feel so scared as usual. I’m able to relax more!

Sittin next to me, on my right is Henk. He will visit a friend (he knows her since high school) near New York. Henk has a manage; he rides horses (4span). And the funny thing is, the uncle of my cousins is also into that sport. He even knows him! Here we go already with saying: ‘What a small word’.

The plane is pretty large by the way. 2 chairs left – 3 chairs in the middle -2 chairs right. I have a window seat (Erykah Badu made me choose that seat…), but I have the blinds(?) closed. When I looked outside a few hours ago (during the Bullock movie) I saw two layers of clouds, and that was high enough.

I can’t wait to arrive in New York. The flight should take 8hrs and 3min, that’s what they said, so if I’m correct we have only 3hrs and 35min to go.

Now playing from my playlist: ‘Oh, Caroline’ by the Beach Boys.

Oh I should tell a little bit about how things went, this morning: I got up at 5:45 am and after walking my sweet dog I had a little(!) breakfast. Then got my bags downstairs. I gave my dog a big hug (she was loving it haha) and then gave my mum a hug too. My mother had to stay at home, because a new washing machine would arrive around 8 am. So I went to the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport with my father, by train. At the airport (around 7:30) was Lotte, a very good friend of mine. She came to say goodbye too. From there it all went quicker than expected. I had to say goodbye, because I couldn’t go back after passing the baggage drop-off. Tears were there, but it wasn’t too bad.

After dropping off my check-in bag (just one bag? yes one bag!) I waived to my father and Lotte, went though the passport check, walked to gate E6, and waited just a little while before boarding. Every passenger was taken to a little table (a bit like those high party tables) and all of us were asked a few questions about why were traveling to the US, etc. Was no problem… Then through another kind of security check: bag scans, body scan (for metal or?). In the lounge there we waited until we could get on board.

Now one of my favorite songs is playing: ‘Babyfather’ by Sade.

It’s now 3:40pm Amsterdam time / 9:40 New York time. Traveling 706km/hr.

About 3hours and 20min to go.

3:48pm (ams)

Wow haha I just read and looked at the tiny book Lotte & her sister made me. It’s so funny, with very creative pictures and more… Fun! Love it, thank you girls ; )

Just got Pretzels, and a new movie started. Think I’ll try to watch it.

Checked in!

2010-03-28T03:08:00.000-07:00

Alright, I've checked in online.
And I have found a place to stay (at least for a few days, but probably longer) in Hollywood. Awesome!
Back to printing stuff, packing my bags, and buying some food for along the way...

One

2010-03-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

One Week 2 Go.

Less than 2 weeks

2010-03-16T05:44:00.001-07:00

Only less than 2 weeks before THE trip...
I'm trippin' already : )

Travel Diary

2010-02-08T04:29:00.000-08:00

Hello!

At this blog I will keep you updated on my stay in the USA (March 29 - June 16).

I will post pictures, stories, and more..

I'm already preparing for the trip. So I will keep you updated on that too.

I already posted the page with the travel information (on the right>>).

Write to you soon!

Rik