Today at Riekerhof

Today while I was doing something with another resident, an old woman grabbed my ass. As I looked around at her, she looked blindly into the distance. It had to be her. But was it an accident. Later, I was standing with Gre and Margot and I told them what had happened. The old woman is always touching my arm when I take her order. Gre said, in Dutch, "She's always doing that. Wash your hands if she touches you again."

There's a woman at Riekerhof who is SO Jessica Tandy in Driving Miss Daisy - at the end of the movie. She's very sweet, a little confused, completely washed out except for a little red around the eyes. She gets great enjoyement out of almost anything. Her face is a little sunken. I bet she was quite a looker in her day.

Before people sat down today, a man walked in and asked if he could sit with Mvr. O, who seems to be always sitting in her chair, before, during and after the meal. After about a half hour, I asked if he would be eating there or in his regular place. He said, in Dutch, "I can't remember where I sit. Is it there? Or over there?" I thought I understood him, but I asked Gre. She escorted him to his right table.

Today Gre told me that she like the way I worked. It was when we were talking about Freddy and the new girl. She said, in Dutch, "He doesn't do his work with his heart." I agreed and said, in Dutch, "I think that whatever you do, you have to do it with your heart." So we agree on that. I think Freddy thinks he is more prepared for "better" work than waiting on old people. But I firmly believe that you have to do whatever you are doing well in order to get promoted. It's my firm belief in the Peter Principle as it applies to life.

De lange vrouw in de rolenstoel - the tall woman in the wheelchair - called me a "Lekker Dingetje" the other day. Suffice it to say that at 39 I am still a PYT (Pretty Young Thing) to an 84-year-old Dutch woman. It's all about context.