<b>Brief Scruffman Update
Dateline: Leiden, the Netherlands</b>

OMG, he is living with (apparently legal!) squatters in Leiden, the Netherlands, and they dumpster-dive for their food!!! From supermarkets, apparently. His hosts have told him he can stay as long as he likes, and since it's free, he's planning on staying through Christmas.

He has offered to buy me a Christmas present somewhere. I have of course reminded him that I collect bookmarks, but given his interests I don't really think he'll be coming across any of those. In the meantime, I can't think of anything of modest cost both to purchase and ship from the Netherlands or Italy. I'm open to ideas!

Fantastic news, it's great he has got friends to stay with at Christmas.

Should be a lot of bookmarks in the dumpsters!

:-)

nukesafe, other than the dumpster I imagine he's spending his time in bars, cafes (<i>those</i> cafes) and young folks' hangouts. Probably won't be in a bookstore, or a museum gift shop (where I often find the best ones). Ah, well. Maybe I should just ask him to send me the best looking morsel out of the dumpster? :))

I remember a Dutch morsel --- Oh, you meant food --

Seriously, I envy him being in Amsterdam. I can think of few cities I'd rather be in, particularly when monetarily challenged. Many years ago (35) I was stranded in Amsterdam, on my boat, almost completely out of money. Within days I had made fast friends, some of whom are still in my life. Later, I took the boat to England to try to sell her there, and left after a month without making a single friend. I fled back to the warmth of Holland.

I spent parts of two winters there, before going back to the States. I'm certain that Greg will find at least a temporary refuge there among fine folks.

:-)

anl, have him collect some fun paper coasters from a local bar... easy to ship, and since he's so good at connecting with people, if he asked for them to send, he'd get an armful : ) I just was cleaning out something and stumbled across a bunch I had from a trip somewhere and they made me smile. Not necessarily high decor item, but fun and would make you think of him...

loving the scruffy adventures. If only a scruffdog. or a flat scruffstanley~!

Here's to a Merry Scruffmas adventure for both Greg and Mom!Dumpster diving in Amsterdam should yield some interesting tid-bits this time of year especially outside 'those' cafes.
We will be thinking of you both and I am going to share the Scruffman thread with my little post-Scruffwoman who is busily building gluten-free gingerbread houses with the youngest of her homeless charges this afternoon.

How is Scruffman doing? Any updates?

kkukura, I have had nothing but monosyllabic (well, virtually monosyllabic) e-mails from the Scruffman since I posted last. I am holding out hope for a Christmas phone call!

It would be a real upper to hear from him. I'm having a rough patch of life right now and facing my first solo Christmas, and he's always a ray of sunshine. :)

Sending you a big hug, artsnletters, as I sure understand how you need to have a good conversation with your son. I so hope he calls you for Christmas.

Come on over to the Lounge and post and you will find lots of good thoughts and understanding with your situation as there are so many caring and loving people that post in the Lounge Forum. Best regards.

hi arts -
I sympathise with your plight - a friend of mine's DD is in Oz at the moment on her "gap year" [she's only 18], and another friend has her DD out in Saudi; she's 29 but still, it's a worry.

hopefully he'll phone, but remember - no news is good news.

best wishes for christmas,

regards, ann

PS - not sure of loveitaly posted that last post tongue in cheek!

Thank you LI for your support. Ann, I do spend some time in the Lounge, and people can be pretty brutal when it's political, but when someone are in difficulty, the outpouring of sympathy is very touching.

Maybe he'll show up at your door on Christmas eve, clean shaven with short hair and wearing a business suit. Of course, that wouldn't make for a very nice Christmas since you would drop dead from shock.

Ha ha, kerouac. He wouldn't seem like himself! I believe the only time he's worn a suit in his entire life was when he was 5 and served as the ring-bearer in a friend's wedding.

I'd love to see the dreadlocks gone, but his normal curly hair at some length above the shoulders would be just fine. (Oh how mortified he was when he hit puberty and his formerly straight-as-a-ruler hair turned into ringlets!)

And ya know, I miss him, but I want him to stay on his trip and continue his adventure.

Hi from Australia artsnletters! I've had one 21 yo son drive around Australia (where his post-puberty curly hair turned into dreadlocks) in '06. It took about 6 months and they (4 friends) took any jobs along the way (digging ditches/painting/furniture removals/ fruit picking) as well as the odd phone call "Hey Mum we've just arrived in Melbourne/Riverina/Maclarenvale/Kunnunurra and I need some money for the first night's stay in a hostel". The Kombi they bought was 1973 version that they had to push-start a lot! It died in the middle of the road in Melbourne, but they all piled into the one reliable van that took them the rest of the way (about 2/3 of Australia). (There were 3 in one van and 2 in the better one)

His dreadlocks were the longest hair at his graduation as a software engineer last week, and he got distinctions ever since returning to uni!
I think his trip was the best thing ever, as I know you also feel about Greg!

Another son (I have 3) spent 6 months going around the world last year (without a mobile phone) and I know how you feel when they don't contact you for ages! Cuba for 2 weeks with no contact was a bit nerve-wracking, but the best place on his sojourn after Burning Man!!

Keep up the news - we love to live vicariously through our brave young who are doing the things we perhaps were never game to do!

I'm still waiting along with the rest of you, but I had a brief Christmas e-mail from the Scruffman sending his love and promising a phone call "in the next few days," whatever that means in his circumstances!

While I know he's been staying in Leiden after a couple nights in Amsterdam, his log-ons to the couchsurfing site have indicated he's getting around a fair amount - I've seen Utrecht, Rotterdam, Flevoland, and this morning Apeldoorn.

I'm really looking forward to hearing a bit about all this! When I hear from him again (with some detail), I'll post another update.

I saw another post of yours, artsnletters, and wondered how our "Fodor's boy" was doing. Maybe you will get a phone call for New Years, I sure hope so! I hope Greg has been able to keep warm, gads it seems Europe is so cold this winter! Sending a hug and understanding how you feel.

Thinking of you, Artsn...greetings of the season and hang in there knowing there are others waiting with you for the reports from Scruffland. Hey, sounds like you`d better get planning your own next trip!

I had no idea dreadlocks were so popular!

I bet the Scruffman is having the time of his young life.

Watch this space .... According to an e-mail today, my long-awaited Christmas telephone call is supposed to arrive tomorrow morning!

Can't wait arts

Best wishes artsnletters..have a fun and informative telephone conversation with that great son of yours!

Got my phone call! Will update soon - maybe this evening.

Hooray! You must be pleased...

OMG! is that it??? That's where I have to sit and wait to find out what happens?

I just found this thread today... I wasn't paying too much attn to the date stamps obviously - I still thought it was early Dec that I was reading.

Excellllllent TR. I did the couchsurfing across the USA back when I was 22-24 (early 90s). It was harder to network back then w/out the web, so options were less avail to us couchcampers (I guess the verb changed, huh?) ...tho things are different nearly 20 years later, based on what I read, he could have made it in any decade!

I will most def check back to read this thread!!! :)

~Jay

I'm so glad you heard from him! It must have been wonderful to hear his voice.

Can't wait!

Yeah! I can't wait to hear how he is doing!

kerouac, could you please e-mail me if you're still interested in possibly meeting the Scruffman? He may be coming through Paris in the next few days.

So... how is he doing? Can't wait to hear more...

I have more to add, but have had a headache for three days and working extra hours (probably related). Get to work this weekend as well, lucky me. I'll write it up shortly.

Awww that sounds nasty... best wishes, get better soon!!!!

For the others: since it has been determined that I will not be in town at the right time, I absolutely hope that I will be in the city the next time Scruffman passes through Paris.

I hope that artnletters will be able to transmit to me his impressions of the city in its current 'frozen solid' state, so that I can make the necessary corrections whenever the time arises again.

I am of the school that believes that Paris can be wonderful at any time of the year, but it will be much easier to appreciate in clement weather. (I am flying to the U.S. in a day or two, and the weather is even worse!)

Actually, kerouac, plans are currently in flux, so it might come together after all. I will be in touch when I have an idea what's going on.

For the rest of you, I haven't forgotten about you ... more story coming soon.

Apologies if you felt urged by my question - the purpose was a) pushing up the thread and b) expressing interest.

I have never been as adventurous as your son and will never be, so I am reading your report with a mix of fascination, admiration and sometimes bewilderment.

Oh just you wait, quokka ... He's had a very interesting time lately - I guarantee it's nothing you would have done in your most adventurous dreams!

I never mind knowing there are still people following the story.

Am still following along with the story. Hope you feel better.

Another follower here...

I'm still here too. Looking forward to hearing about the interesting time - hope that's not the "Chinese" kind of interesting!

Inquiring minds want to know.....