Day 248 – February 9, 2012 – We want the airwaves…

Number of days in Amsterdam – 248

Number of days without a bike theft – 244

Days since it last rained – 6

On another frigid winter day, I set out for the tram at 6AM.

Let me say that not much is happening in the ‘Dam at 6AM.

I think it’s the earliest I’ve been out and about in the city since our arrival. And nobody else is out either, not at this hour. The tram was all but deserted, just a small handful of people headed to Amsterdam Centraal, intending, like me, to catch another tram elsewhere in the city, or a train to Den Haag, Rotterdam or parts further out.

The tram wound its way through the sleeping city, past dark apartments, pubs and restaurants still very much closed, a Dam Square empty of anyone but a single cyclist cutting through on her way to work and a single couple at a bus stop, passionately kissing goodbye.

Station Centraal was busier by a factor of ten, being the hub for commuters, but a factor of ten when multiplied by desolation is still a sparse population. I quickly hopped from one tram to another, and began to wend my way parallel to the River Ij, on my way to Pakhuis De Zwijger for my guest spot on English Breakfast Radio.

Once inside, I settled into the chair inside the studio. Having been in radio studios in Kalamazoo, Detroit and now Amsterdam, I can honestly say that they all look the same. A sealed of room with microphones and headsets, and a producer in the control room. You could be anywhere in the world, and the studio will look the same.

The hosts – Susi (Australia) and Matt (UK) were very accommodating and welcoming, and in the small world that is the expat scene in the ‘Dam, I discovered that Susi and I had met before, at the party where Kitten had met her boyfriend, and we’d met her boyfriend’s mom, who referred me for this show and also shared her babysitter for the morning so it could all happen. Serendipity.

The show flew by – following a talk, news, sports, weather, traffic, now here’s a song format – but felt awkward – for me, anyway. Susi and Matt had this chemistry, having worked together for a while, and the talk just flowed. Every time I said something, it felt like I was stilting it, dropping a rock in the river, creating ripples that disrupted the flow. Listening to the two of them work was like watching a pair of chefs at work after they’d spent years together, side by side in cramped kitchen, and it felt like I was a third wheel on a date with a couple who was getting along famously.

While it felt out of sorts, Susi assured me it was going well, and that she felt the same way the first few times she had done it – it will get easier.

So at 9 am, I got back on the tram to make my way back to the Pijp, this time much busier than a few hours earlier. I made my way back to the flat to find the Kitten, fast asleep in the arms of the babysitter.

We spent a lazy day in the flat – for her – I worked and she sat on my lap for most of the day. Nicole came home from work with a story of a party with a DJ and bar set up on the ice of the frozen canal. Even if the Elfstedentocht isn’t happening, folks are out enjoying the ice.

So that was my exciting morning out and about. I have to admit, it was nice to get out, nice to talk to people – even if it wasn’t always saying much – nice to talk music.

But it’s also nice to come home to this: