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  #191  
Old June 8th 05, 11:04 PM
LotteBum
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Default Wenting!!!


SteveA wrote

(one day I'll put the story of me, the Amsterdam railway station, th
junkie, the police and the can of beer on the forum

Please can that be now? I really want to hear this

--
LotteBum

Ads
  #192  
Old June 8th 05, 11:31 PM
oely
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Default Wenting!!!


LotteBum Wrote:
SteveA wrote:

(one day I'll put the story of me, the Amsterdam railway station, th
junkie, the police and the can of beer on the forum)

Please can that be now? I really want to hear this.


Im curious also. There are that many stories that come from this city

--
oely

  #193  
Old June 9th 05, 05:06 AM
SteveA
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Default Wenting!!!


oely Wrote:
Im curious also. There are that many stories that come from this city.

The (long) story.

Mid 1980's. I was backpacking in Europe. I had been travelling with
girl from Finland for a few days. We had checked out of ou
accommodation and went separate directions that morning. I was to catc
a train that night. I had a bad cold so I spent the day doing laz
things around the station area. Coffee, watching buskers, chatting t
other travellers. It started to get chilly so I sought the refuge o
the station waiting room where I read a book

While I was waiting, a chap about my own age with an American accen
approached me. He was in quite an agitated state. He told me a sa
story of having his wallet and all his credit cards, airline ticket
papers etc stolen and needing to get a train to Belgium where he ha
family and could get his airline ticket replaced.

He asked if I could help him out with some money which he would arrang
for American Express to replay to me at my next destination (of course)
I was sympathetic, but I am also naturally wary and cynical. I gav
him the equivalent of A$10. I thought that if he was conning me, I wa
not going to miss that amount, but if he really was in genuine distress
It might go a little way to helping

He got some money from other people who were waiting and then left.
went back to my book

20 minutes later, he was back. This time being held by the scruff o
the neck by a chap in a leather jacket and sunglasses. The leathe
jacket introduced himself as a policeman and told me that his charg
was a junkie who scabbed money off travellers to buy his next fix. Hi
parents were American and Dutch, hence the American accent. It appeare
that he was a pest who was known to the police

The cop asked if I would make a statement detailing what had happened.
I agreed and went to the police office in/near the station. The co
typed up my statement. In Dutch. He read it back in English and aske
me to sign it. I don't speak Dutch. I do speak German so I could gues
some of what was on the statement. Before I would sign it, I demande
that the cop also type "as translated into English and read to th
signatory in English by........" and that the cop put his signature t
the translation. He did, and I then signed it. While all this wa
happening I got coffee and biscuits from the cops. And I got to sit i
a warm police station

I then went back to the waiting room to read my book and wait for m
train. Half an hour into the book, my junkie 'mate' arrived again

He had come to apologise. I said "thanks for the apology now fec
off". He did

Another half hour later he came back, this time with a can of Heineke
as a peace offering and a lament along the lines of "I'm sorry, I wan
to be your friend" . This time I spoke much softer but when I told hi
to "Feck Off" he knew I was serious and he never came back

(And I never got my money back either

Steve

--
SteveA

  #194  
Old June 9th 05, 08:18 AM
Marty
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Posts: n/a
Default Wenting!!!

SteveA wrote:
oely Wrote:

Im curious also. There are that many stories that come from this city.


The (long) story..

Mid 1980's. I was backpacking in Europe. I had been travelling with a
girl from Finland for a few days. We had checked out of our
accommodation and went separate directions that morning. I was to catch
a train that night. I had a bad cold so I spent the day doing lazy
things around the station area. Coffee, watching buskers, chatting to
other travellers. It started to get chilly so I sought the refuge of
the station waiting room where I read a book.

While I was waiting, a chap about my own age with an American accent
approached me. He was in quite an agitated state. He told me a sad
story of having his wallet and all his credit cards, airline ticket,
papers etc stolen and needing to get a train to Belgium where he had
family and could get his airline ticket replaced.

He asked if I could help him out with some money which he would arrange
for American Express to replay to me at my next destination (of course).
I was sympathetic, but I am also naturally wary and cynical. I gave
him the equivalent of A$10. I thought that if he was conning me, I was
not going to miss that amount, but if he really was in genuine distress,
It might go a little way to helping.

He got some money from other people who were waiting and then left. I
went back to my book.

20 minutes later, he was back. This time being held by the scruff of
the neck by a chap in a leather jacket and sunglasses. The leather
jacket introduced himself as a policeman and told me that his charge
was a junkie who scabbed money off travellers to buy his next fix. His
parents were American and Dutch, hence the American accent. It appeared
that he was a pest who was known to the police.

The cop asked if I would make a statement detailing what had happened.
I agreed and went to the police office in/near the station. The cop
typed up my statement. In Dutch. He read it back in English and asked
me to sign it. I don't speak Dutch. I do speak German so I could guess
some of what was on the statement. Before I would sign it, I demanded
that the cop also type "as translated into English and read to the
signatory in English by........" and that the cop put his signature to
the translation. He did, and I then signed it. While all this was
happening I got coffee and biscuits from the cops. And I got to sit in
a warm police station.

I then went back to the waiting room to read my book and wait for my
train. Half an hour into the book, my junkie 'mate' arrived again.

He had come to apologise. I said "thanks for the apology now feck
off". He did.

Another half hour later he came back, this time with a can of Heineken
as a peace offering and a lament along the lines of "I'm sorry, I want
to be your friend" . This time I spoke much softer but when I told him
to "Feck Off" he knew I was serious and he never came back.

(And I never got my money back either)


SteveA



"Beggers" seem to be fairly common in European train stations. At Bern
in Switzerland the youth hostel is behind the parliment house and there
is a park area where drug addicts hang out. At night time you have to
"run the gauntlet" and hope you don't lose your wallet in the process.

Marty
  #195  
Old June 9th 05, 08:37 AM
John Pitts
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Posts: n/a
Default Brake lever handedness?? (Was Wenting!!!)

On 7 Jun 2005 23:11:02 -0700, nebakke wrote:


John Pitts wrote:
Pardon my ignorance Nebakke, but this is bothering me - do bikes have
the front and rear brake levers on different sides in different parts of
the world? Is it a European/Australian thing, or a drive on the
right/left side of the road thing? Or is it just your bike that's odd,
or have I completely misunderstood what you're saying? :-)


Just to double up on what my Scandinavian brother ;O) had to say, yup
they are indeed reversed, and I believe it's a left/right side of the
road thing...


Live and learn...


--
John Pitts
(Unscrew to reply by mail)

  #196  
Old June 9th 05, 09:21 AM
Kim Hawtin
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Posts: n/a
Default Wenting!!!

TimC wrote:
On 2005-06-06, Tamyka Bell (aka Bruce):
Bleve wrote:
I wonder if Tam knows what "Fsck" really is?

not exactly, just give me a sec... !man fsck ... yep now I do.


Who gives a fsck?

Not me! I use a journal!


you've obviously never experienced a system with multiple 2TB volumes
say goodby to the power mid-reboot?

you'll pray your fsck is the best thing there is... and is as fast as a
very fast thing.

cheers,

kim
~ /me is very glad for new shiny UPS type things
  #197  
Old June 9th 05, 09:35 AM
Tamyka Bell
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Wenting!!!

On Wed, 8 Jun 2005, oely wrote:

Cycling and geekery is a mix that is working for me. Ive been lucky, I
brought the nerd to my relationship while my girlfriend brought the
cycling bug. Now it seems to be the reverse, im the one out on the
bike, and about to wipe myself out up Ventoux while shes is on the pc
nerding it up. Shes sexy and intelligent too! well....by my sarcastic,
jaded, people are all arseholes view of the world. Now if only we
could solve this soon to be problem of being opposite ends of the earth
not knowing when we will see each other again.

Some advice for all prospective suitors of Dutch men or women.

- He/she stands a better chance of living in Aus.

snip

Hehehe so even better than cycling geek girls are DUTCH cycling geek
girls... well I am halfway there...

Tam
  #198  
Old June 9th 05, 09:59 AM
TimC
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Wenting!!!

On 2005-06-09, Kim Hawtin (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
TimC wrote:
On 2005-06-06, Tamyka Bell (aka Bruce):
Bleve wrote:
I wonder if Tam knows what "Fsck" really is?
not exactly, just give me a sec... !man fsck ... yep now I do.


Who gives a fsck?

Not me! I use a journal!


you've obviously never experienced a system with multiple 2TB volumes
say goodby to the power mid-reboot?


Heh. We currently have ~16TB or so. And every 6 months on average,
when the computers are rebooted for something or other, then the
computers decide it's been 180 days or more, so gotta get the fsck out
of here for a good long coffee break.

--
TimC
 *** System shutdown message from root ***
System going down in 60 seconds
  #199  
Old June 9th 05, 11:04 PM
Plodder
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Wenting!!!


"Marty" wrote in message
...
SNIP STEVEA'S BIT

"Beggers" seem to be fairly common in European train stations. At Bern
in Switzerland the youth hostel is behind the parliment house and there
is a park area where drug addicts hang out. At night time you have to
"run the gauntlet" and hope you don't lose your wallet in the process.

Marty


One of the funniest beggars I saw was in Florence. An old dear, walking
along. As she approached a group of tourists outside the Duomo she pulled
out a collapsible walking stick, bent almost double to use it and hobbled
pathetically around the group, rattling her paper cup. Once she got her
'donations', up she stood, folded up her walking stick and strolled away.
And they wonder why you become cynical!

Me


 




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