12.12.07
It Tastes Like Burning
If I don’t get it off my chest now, I’m afraid I may never have the chance. Here goes:
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12.11.07
Trivia Time #2
I’ve been meaning to make these trivia posts more frequently, but I’m lazy and forgetful. (Did you notice I didn’t post at all in October? You should have. I mentioned it in November.)
Anyways, for Trivia Time #2 we’re going to talk about fall weather, location and daylight.
Fall Weather
In the fall, it rains. A lot. Not torrential rains or constant down pours, though that happens, but more light rain and drizzle. It’s overcast most of the time, too. It’s a lot like Ohio, but not as crazy. Where in Ohio it’ll go from 40°F to 65°F to 38°F over the course of 3 days, in Amstelveen it’ll go from 6°C & overcast to 7°C & sunny to 7°C.
Location
On the globe, Amstelveen is located:
Altitude: -4m (-16') 1
Latitude: 52° 17' 60N (52.3000)
Longitude: 4° 52' 0E (4.8667)
Latitudinally (yes, that’s a word), Amstelveen is roughly the same as Berlin, Germany; Shannon, Ireland; Warsaw, Poland; and Birmingham, England. Longitudinally (yup, this is also a word), Amstelveen is roughly even with Brussels, Belgium and Lyon, France.
In comparison, Columbus, OH is located:
Altitude: 234m (770')
Latitude: 39° 57' 40N (39.9611)
Longitude: 82° 59' 56W (-82.9989)
Daylight
Because Amstelveen is ~12.5°N of Columbus, in the summer we enjoy more sunlight. However, as expected, we get less in the winter. A comparison2 of the longest and shortest days of the year reveals:
| Amstelveen, NL | Columbus, OH | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 21, 2007 | Dec 22, 2007 | June 21, 2007 | Dec 22, 2007 | |
| Sunrise | 05:17 | 08:47 | 06:03 | 07:50 |
| Sunset | 22:05 | 16:27 | 21:04 | 17:09 |
| Sunlight | 16h 48m | 7h 40m | 15h 1m | 9h 19m |
And that concludes today’s lesson on fall weather, location and daylight. Next time, we’ll be talking about recycling, marijuana laws and booze.3
1. Yes, that’s a -4m (-16') for altitude. Below sea level. When global warming melts the ice caps and raises the oceans, this place will probably be underwater baring some great engineering achievements. ↩
2. Information found at sunrisesunset.com ↩
3. I’m pretty lazy, as you can tell from the length of time between each of the trivia posts thus far, so don’t think that I’ve actually planned out the next Trivia Time post. Those might be the topics or they might not. (Ooh, suspense!) You’ll have to come back to see for yourself. ↩
12.02.07
Ohio State vs That School Up North – 2007 Edition
One of the great things about being a Buckeye is that you get to yell O-H! just about anywhere in Columbus and someone will respond I-O! That doesn’t happen here in Amsterdam, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the game (Staci would say I enjoyed it a little TOO much, but that’s not important right now) with some fellow Buckeyes (ok, so it’s Jon & CJ again, but so what.)
Like the Buckeyes, we traveled to a distant location for this game, though unlike the Buckeyes, it was a friendly field (Jon & CJ’s in Belgium.) Following the concert, we stayed with them. We awoke at the crack of 10A for Kegs & Eggs. Yup, Kegs & Eggs, and the beer wasn’t shitty Milwaukee’s Best or Bud Light. We started the morning with Jon making some bacon and eggs just like they do at the campus bars: cold and tasteless, while enjoying some Stellas. CJ didn’t, as she seemed it was important or necessary or something to remain sober for the sake of their 10mth old son, Marcus. (They’re coddling this kid. Hows he every going to make it if he doesn’t learn to do things for himself.)
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