A BOY AND HIS BIKE!

Since I've been back in Amsterdam, I have been unable (too lazy) to get a bike. My old one, is dead somewhere near GabeB's place and I can't find the key. Marc had another bike which he lost the key to outside my house since August. Good condition though. I finally got around (was awake and in the country, and remembered that I could) to going to the bike shop across the street to get the lock taken off. They do this between 10 and 12 on Saturday. I mean seriously, when you go out on a Friday night, the last thing you think about is getting a bike lock sawed on a Saturday morning. I finally got to it, and Marc even threw in a new seat for it. What a great friend! He has a video and some great pics on his blog here. I can't tell you how nice it is to have a bike again in Amsterdam. After cleaning it, throwing on some stickers (need to customize your bike in Amsterdam always), and putting the seat on, we went for a ride in the VondelPark. I was so happy, like a kid who just got a new bike for Christams. That's really how it feels. Even in these rough times, it is with a little help from my friends like Marc that help me through. MARC YOU ARE MY HERO!!!!

@Maarlooz and the twitter Love at 140conf

My roommate Marlooz gave a presentation today at the 140 conf by Jeff Pulver. Back in Kinnernet, Pulver and I where in a group talking about twitter and I shared my TwitterDate experience with Marlooz. Now Marlooz and I are roommates. He said he wanted that story at the 140conf. So Marlooz was able to go becuase it was with her vacation with her family. She is such a wholesome girl. I was helping her out with the presenation till late last night. Then this morning I see a brief twitter about her laptop being stolen.

@marlooz

"#140conf My MacBook Pro looks like this: http://mobypicture.com/?ea0wih Please keep an eye out for it. It got stolen at Touch."

Then I started to see donations flowing in after that. Briefly I was able to skype chat with marlooz, all of 3 sentences before she had to go. I had no idea how the laptop was, the presenation would go, nothing. Presentation comes and I start to see a slew of comments about it come up in my search. As the presenation was about twitter love, when people heard that Marlooz had raised some €700 for a new laptop, people started understanding love in another way.

Let me tell you something about Marlooz. She is the best roommate. We don't have much money at the place, both struggling, but she knows how to shop cheap and make money stretch. And even though I have other clients, having worked for Marlooz and get paid from her, she was fast with payment. Something I don't see often in the freelance business. And that laptop of hers was her life. Once already she had spilled water on it, and borrowed my old laptop while it dried for a week. Then just before she had to goto London to film a project, her laptop died. Luckily I still had mine, but the battery is completely shot on it, and no new batteries help. Then she was able to fix her old laptop herself, (all kinds of screws on the kitchen table and stuff). Just before leaving for the States. THEN IT GETS STOLEN!!! I can't wait to see her when she gets back and I hope that there was enough money donated so that she could buy a really great laptop while she is in New York.

An Awesome Geek Chick like Marlooz, needs a laptop!

---Update---

She has raised enough money now to get her laptop.... I see here. I guess I should start to love twitter again as well. This story has brought me over from my twitter hate.