If I laugh, is it funny?

I haven't written enough about the adventures that Tom and I had during his visit. First, it wasn't all melancholy and crying, it was actually quite fun and funny, at least I hope so.

- Tom and I went to Melanie's house for a Sunday lunch on his first weekend here. Mel and Tom hit it off when he was here in July, so it was a lovely invitation. We arrived at 3pm and he was properly blown away by her apartment. It is amazing -- very art deco with an incredible view of a canal right in front of huge bay windows. She has over 100 antique radios all over the place and some of the best artwork I have ever seen on the walls. And the girl can cook! My coworker Peter was at lunch too, so we did the introductions and settled down to eat. Fast forward to 11pm when Tom and I get back to my house. There were many bottles of wine and port consumed over the course of many hours and a trip to the brown cafe on the corner as well. Great conversation and lots of laughing. It was the kind of Sunday you imagine having when you think about living in Europe and it didn't disappoint.

- When you invite people out to play pool, it is important to know whether or not that green table at your local pub is actually a pool table and not a billiards table. About five people showed up and all looked blankly at the table with no pockets.

- We went to the Holland Casino on Tuesday night because Tom kept pointing out casinos everywhere we went and I thought he really wanted to go. As we are leaving the apartment, I asked him if he thought he should bring his passport. He said no. When we get to the casino we are immediately asked for photo id. I tried not to gloat. So he left to go back to the house while I went in to play the slots. Cut to 15 minutes later when I am wandering around trying to figure out how to use my Euro cents on the machines. I hear, "Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Miller" and turn around slowly and a bit frightened. A man in Sally Rafael glasses and lots of hair tells me that my husband is waiting for me in the lobby. My "husband" forgot his keys and had been waiting for me to come by the lobby since I went in. Look at me keeping patient! Look at me being loving! I gave him my keys and sent him on his way with once direction: hurry. I went back into the casino and wound up asking the man at the cash desk how I buy tokens with my coins.

Here is our exchange:
K: Excuse me, but how do I buy tokens for the slot machines?
M: You use the token machines (pointing to machines that looked suspiciously like the machines you use to get golf balls at a driving range)
K: But those machines only take paper money. Where do I use my coins?
M: You can't use coins.
K: I can't use coins in the machines at all?
M: No.
K: Can I give you coins to change into paper money?
M: No.
K: So I can't use my coins anywhere in this casino?M: No.
K: So the smallest amount of money I can use in this casino is a five Euro note?
M: Yes.
K: Really?
M: Yes.

When in Rome...
So I put a 5E note in a slot machine and promptly lost it in two spins. Then I got angry because I didn't get 5E worth of enjoyment from those two spins and went to sulk at the front gate and wait for Tom to arrive. Note to ladies: a woman standing alone in the front entrance of a casino draws all sorts of paranoid attention from casino management. When Tom got there, looking flustered and out of breath, he got in line to show his id and pay the entrance fee. Unfortunately, the line was quite long and Interpol seemed to have some issues with some of the guests. After 10 minutes of waiting and not moving, he looked at me and said, "Let's just go."

I went through the gates to meet him and as we walked out he said to the man in the Sally glasses, "Sorry, but the line is just too long." The man smiled and said, "OK!" Tom was amazed that he didn't care. Silly boy. It turns out that Tom doesn't even really like casinos and only points them out because there are so many of them, so I am off the hook for all future ventures of this sort.