September 3, 2005

The Amsterdam Notebooks—Page 34.

It's Day 34 of this 35 day project. Tomorrow's the last one. Here's the set thus far.

This page records my venture onto one of those tour boats that show you around the canals. After avoiding them through my entire trip, I yielded to the inevitable on my last day in the city. I loathed the experience.

The guide with the monotone voice had one theme:

Amsterdam Notebook

(Enlarge.)

7 comments:

ALH ipinions said...

Ann - your "Amsterdam Notebooks" series remains intriguing and entertaining (and, lately, a welcome diversion from the horrors of New Orleans).

Now, is yours a psychological aversion to tour boats or a social disdain for city tours in general (like those doubledecker tours of London)?

Ann Althouse said...

Let me say I love the movie "The Cruise" about a NYC tour bus guide. If I could have a guy like that I'd love it. But you get on the thing and you're trapped with whatever character happens to be there. My aversion is to giving up my escape route in virtually any situation. You get on some boat and you're stuck there until they've decided it's over. I hate to get on an airplane. I would never go on a cruise ship. I hate to be at the sort of meeting or social event where you can't slip out when you want.

Ann Althouse said...

Paul: It's a woman, not a man. None too attractive, unfortunately. I can't remember if I tipped, but I felt ripped off by the whole thing and then to be stuck paying more, confronted with a damned wooden shoe aimed at me as I'm finally provided with egress. The outrage of it all!

Ann Althouse said...

Paul, you could make that your trademark. When I was in Central City, Colorado, I saw a set of murals in the bar at the Teller House. Each one had a mistake (like a person with two left feet or a woman's head on a man's body) and people would spend time looking for the mistake.

Ann Althouse said...

Thanks. I have tons of old notebooks and other drawings, but none that are this coordinated. I could come up with a regular feature of some kind.

Robert said...

You could call it DigitAlthouse (or is that too cute?), and just start digitizing and archiving the various paper ephemera of your life. We would be your acolytes slash platonic groupies.

Second the desire for more; this has been an interesting series.

Ann Althouse said...

I had a "doodle of the day" feature for a while about a year ago. Maybe something like that again.