Get out your grass skirts. Mi blogging amigo, Puño, has graciously posted 12 downloadable, danceable uke ditties for your listening pleasure. Most of 'em by that fez-wearing stalwart of the LA lounge scene, Tiki King.

In stark contrast to the tropical paradise conjured up by these tunes, I'm heading for chilly Amsterdam today for a weekend of non-export Heineken, Rijstafel, and possibly, a cup of coffee. I'll follow that up with 5 days of loitering by the smelly canals of Utrecht where I'm teaching a class.

I normally stay near the city center, so I'm within walking distance of Utrecht's many fine restaurants and museums, but with the recent budget cuts at work, it looks like I'll be stuck at a hotel in a tiny village near an industrial park this time. Fortunately, I'll have a car, but in Dutch cities (and most cities in Europe) finding a parking spot is an almost insurmountable challenge.

Dutch cuisine is "interesting" as well: Erwtensoep (pea soup with sausage), Hotchpotch (a variety of meat, potatos, and veg all smushed together), and of course, 10,000 varieties of Pannenkoeken (pancakes!).

The Dutch also have a sweeth tooth. It's not unusual to see them eating white-bread sammiches filled with large amounts of butter and chocolate shavings or cupcake sprinkles. When asked about it, they often get a little defensive, like it's some sort of guilty, secret pleasure similar to masturbating.