tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26084868892344147882024-03-12T20:33:40.625-07:00Bossche BlogWindmills and Clogs and Dikes, Oh my!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-35150543067011088132012-06-07T11:11:00.000-07:002012-06-07T11:11:30.105-07:00Back in the USA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
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At the beginning of last month, I moved back to the US from the Netherlands, so this will likely be the final post of The Bossche Blog. Or at least the first installment of perhaps a series of wrap-up/recap/reflection posts. It's been 2.5 years since my girlfriend and I first packed our suitcases to the gills and made the jump to the Low Countries. But we decided the time was right to make a big change, again.</div>
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The transition has been exciting, stressful and a bit of a whirlwind.</div>
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I finished work at the magazine at the end of April, having just wrapped up the May issue. The day after my last day on the job, the gf and I flew to Tbilisi, Georgia. We spent the next week hopping around from city to city in Georgia and Armenia, with the help of Lonely Planet, marshrutka (the network of rickety 15-passenger vans that serves as an economical form of public transportation for the majority of the region) and our limited knowledge of the Russian language.</div>
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After arriving back in the Netherlands on a Sunday morning, I had until that Tuesday morning to wrap up various leaving-the-country paperwork, pack, etc. Not a ton of time, but it all worked out; I made the plane, didn't even have an overweight bag charge.</div>
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I didn't hardly have time to unpack before heading out to my youngest brother's undergrad graduation. Within a few days was my middle brother's grad school graduation. Immediately following: Family road trip to the Midwest. Lots and lots of close-quarters family time.</div>
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Back to the East Coast, a few days later, where I had a couple free days before starting my summer job as assistant head coach of a community swim team. The first practice was last Tuesday, so we're about 1.5 weeks in. It's going well, but even once the meets get going, it's only a part-time job at best. And the season only lasts until the first week of August, so the full-time journalistic-ish job search is on. I'm starting another blog to chronicle that whole experience, which I'll post a link to here once it's up and running (in the next 24 hours or so). </div>
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<br /></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-49025919586417448892011-12-07T14:04:00.001-08:002011-12-07T15:41:57.140-08:00Back in Bier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
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You'd think that with the somewhat recently updated, seemingly more user-friendly blog post-creation format, that I'd have more regular updates on this blog. Well, there's plenty of proof already that that's not the case. Though I have been writing posts for friend's blog for the last six consecutive weeks. I guess when there's a deadline involved and I'm not my own editor, then I'm a pretty dependable writer. Doesn't bode well for a freelance career, necessarily, does it?</div>
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Much has happened since the last round of updates, not the least of which was my learning that there is a direct Dutch translation and usage mimicking of the saying 'the whole shebang': 'de hele mikmak'. I love it. Often with American-English expressions, there may be a direct translation in Dutch, but no useful meaning - it's just not the way the Dutch would say it. This one, however, I'm told, is good for both.</div>
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There's also been a bachelor party weekend in Prague, a pre-honeymoon 3rd-wheeling weekend in Paris and our rabbit Bob Ross continuing to gain weight, despite our feeding him significantly less on vet's orders. He prefers to be referred to as 'fluffy', but we try not to bring it up at all. Oh, and I guess there was a 'knowing each other anniversary' weekend with the girlfriend in Munich quite a few weeks back as well. That's me, Mr Jet-setter.</div>
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But enough chit-chat: let's get down to beer-ness. It's been even longer since I've featured a tasty brew. This one was more than deserving of my persevering through formatting obstacles and the like.</div>
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The <b>Texels</b> ("tessels"; a microbrewery on a namesake small island of the Netherlands so far north, it's practically Norway) <b>Bock</b> has been an award-winner in the Netherlands for the past two years and recently captured the overall championship at the 34th annual PINT Bokbier Festival in Amsterdam. I was at that festival, though sadly too late to sample the stuff. The kegs had run dry. Fortunately there were a few others to sample. And fortunately I happened upon a 75cl bottle on sale at one of the local Den Bosch liquor stores. It performed, well, like a champion.</div>
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It pours a dark, rich ruby-mahogany with a hearty tan head. At the festival I sampled several that fell on either side of this appearance - some more red, translucent and sweet, some more pitch black (don't get me started on the 'smoked' entry) and bitter - and for the style, there's not so much snobbery as to poo-poo a little creative exploration of appearance, texture, etc. But personally, I like the strong German-style lager about in the middle, and that's exactly where Texels sets their Bock.</div>
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Both smell and taste carry a strong amount of roasted and dark-chocolate/dull caramel flavor, striking a wonderful harmony of savory and sweet. A little unusual for a lager, I suppose, there's a tingly complexity to the 'mouth feel' that I more typically experience with a strong ale. The effect is taste buds do-si-doing with the flavors for a bit longer than they might otherwise. It also means it might be a little intense to drink vast quantities of, but we're living in an era of portion control anyway, right? Right?...</div>
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Though I haven't been around the US for the last two years to really be a part of the burgeoning microbrew consumer community, from what I have heard and seen, it seems creativity and diversity are the order of the day - from chocolate milk double stout IPAs to honey raspberry brown bourbon ales (ok maybe slight exaggeration) - rather than picking a handful of styles and just trying to do them really well. Texels has done the latter here. They didn't try to innovate, rather brew the best-possible continuation of a generations-old traditional style. Even Steve Jobs would appreciate this approach.</div>
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<span id="goog_952657397"></span><span id="goog_952657398"></span></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-41590474736485332632011-10-26T15:57:00.000-07:002011-10-26T15:57:46.437-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The fox trying to match the mouse's fleetness<br />
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I read tonight that Robin Pecknold is 11 months younger than I am. Man. Sometimes, I wonder if I shouldn't have just studied and gone to swim practice less in high school, and learned to play guitar and form a folk rock band instead.</div>
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Additional discovery of the night: the Grolsch 'Herfstbok' (autumn bock beer) is pretty much just as sweet and syrupy as last year. Still not a big fan. There's a bock beer festival going on in Amsterdam this weekend and I'm contemplating attending. So far, the best bock (not too dissimilar from a porter or stout, though a little lighter/sweeter) I've had in this little country is from semi-micro-brewer Hertog Jan.</div>
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It was sad to look at my last post prior to this one and read my optimism over a 2-0 Wildcat football team. Sad because that was the last time they've won this season, meaning they're sitting at a rather uncomfortable 2-5, losing to Army, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa and Penn State, in that order and in increasing strength of pain. This weekend they face a not entirely unthreatening 1-7 Indiana Hoosier team in Bloomington. (Their homecoming, I believe - people just love scheduling NU for their homecoming. Go figure.) Still, it's probably one of our last best chances of winning a game yet this season. A win will actually still enable the 'Cats to go forward and 'win out' to become bowl-eligible. With just 6 wins, it's not likely they'd be selected to go to a bowl, but, you know, it's nice to be available to be asked.</div>
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Monday night after work I was lucky enough to go to a concert by Throwing Muses at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. If you're not familiar, imagine Stevie Nicks fronting Nirvana. It was a little like that: short, sweet, angsty, angry, trancey, grunge-rock songs with very little speaking in between from lead guitarist/singer Kristen Hersh. She had these empty, yet intense, dark eyes floating in her cobra-esque constantly swinging head - you couldn't help but be drawn into her affected music-making. </div>
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<br /></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-2485930637127989332011-09-11T10:42:00.000-07:002011-09-11T10:42:21.969-07:00And then it was September<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mr Robert J Ross</span> <br />
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It's so hard to believe we moved to the Netherlands 19 months ago. Maybe because there didn't seem to be a summer this year (see multiple previous posts referencing lack of season-appropriate weather), the past season and a half have gone especially fast.<br />
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Since coming back from Mongolia, things have been pretty exciting, I have to say. Well, at least there have been many occurrences of note.<br />
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I played in a weekend-long ultimate frisbee tournament just outside of Amsterdam, called <b>Adam Hat</b>. About 70 players from the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, the US and assorted other countries were put into randomly assorted teams and played 7 games (not counting the final) over the course of the weekend. Each team was named after some kind of occult organization - I was called to be a member of the Free Masons. Everyone camped on-site and the weather was marvelous, unlike the rest of the month.<br />
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I met up with a friend from college and her younger brother in Amsterdam, as they were trekking around Europe together. One night we went to see the most excellent pop-folk-rock duo<b> The Avett Brothers</b> play in the Paradiso. They stopped the show in the middle of a song because a couple of guys in the crowd were fighting. Just stopped the song dead in its tracks and stared at the assholes, who were eventually escorted off the floor. The brothers picked the song back up where they left off and, incredibly, were at a point where the lyrics referenced learning to use words to settle differences rather than fighting. In addition, they had a cellist in the band who wore his instrument on a neck strap so that he could dance around the stage with it. At points, he held the thing completely horizontal and strummed it madly like a guitarist. It was Yo-Yo Ma meets Jimmy Page. Amazing.<br />
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Upstairs that night, we saw aging Dutch punk band <b>The Ex</b> perform in the venue's smaller hall. They were pretty good, helped out by a couple of younger brass players that helped add more of an exciting ska edge to the performance. My favorite number was when the group's female drummer came front and center, whipped out a cow bell and proceeded to sing and bang the thing in a rather surprisingly reserved manner. Still pretty badass, though.<br />
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The following Monday, my girlfriend (who had just returned from an adventurous jealousy-inducing two-week trip to Siberia, Moscow and St Petersburg) and a couple other friends went to see <b>the Arcade Fire</b> play at the Heineken Music Hall that's right across from the AJAX football stadium. Incredible show, so-so crowd. We ran out after the last number, partly because we had to catch a train or risk not making it back to Den Bosch and partly out of a light disdain for the modern encore. Not to mention the Dutch give a standing ovation to absolutely everything. Not that anyone was sitting for the show, but in general, there's something lost if bands just expect to deliver an encore every time.<br />
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Yesterday I went with the girlfriend's company on their annual retreat. This year it was to a nearby theme park called <b>Efteling</b>. Nothing really to write home about, but they've got a wooden coaster with dueling trains that's pretty fun. We also enjoyed just the experience of seeing co-workers out of the office and in the company of their significant other(s), especially those with children. You get a little sense of what their home lives are like, which I think any of us with office jobs (and I use that term loosely, admittedly) are generally curious about.<br />
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<b>Bob Ross</b>, or as we've occasionally taken to calling him: Bob-o Fresh, appears to be doing well and seems fully adjusted to having had his manhood removed a few months ago. He's still curious and energetic when given the chance to hop giddily about the apartment. If you don't know about Mr Ross, I apologize for the awkward confusion the previous sentences may have caused you. Bob Ross is a painfully cute lop-eared rabbit who has been leading a rather luxurious life in our apartment since early spring. He figures to be the sole subject of numerous subsequent posts: his behavior and personality are probably not uncommon for a rabbit, but they're still worth critically analyzing for undoubtedly comedic effect.<br />
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As of yesterday, my <b>Northwestern Wildcats football team is 2-0</b> on the season, after handily defeating the Eastern Illinois Panthers. Interestingly, EIU, in Charleston, Illinois, is west of Northwestern. But who's counting? It was great to see our recovering starting QB Dan Persa dressed to play, even though he never took a snap. Last week against Boston College he did even put on pads, so I guess that's progress. I stayed up after the game to watch the first parts of the Nebraska-Fresno St and Michigan-ND games. Evidently I shouldn't have turned off UM-ND, though I saw enough to appreciate that ND is developing skill at shooting themselves in the foot and Denard Robinson is really good at having freakishly talented receivers make up for him only heaving the ball in their general direction. Scary for our lackluster secondary later this season.<br />
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Finally (and congratulations and thank you if you've paid attention to this whole long and rambling scribble) some co-workers and I have been training to run a 16k race taking place <b>next Sunday</b>, called the <b>Dam tot Damloop</b>. It's a massive run between Amsterdam and outlying village Zaandam. I figure it'll take about 2 hours to complete, which is the longest run I've ever done. I'm not expecting any kind of high-placing finish, but it should be a fun challenge to work through and our company is running for a charity that works with helping girls in Africa get a formal education. If any of you happen to be reading this and are interested in donating to sponsor organization through my organization (i.e. helping our team's fundraising effort), let me know and I can facilitate that.<br />
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<br />Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-24510114395100290532011-08-28T04:19:00.000-07:002011-08-28T05:30:16.472-07:00Updates from a summer-less summer<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBRWTXmWnLpVO6-BkEBjDlcb5H9jQW3gS-Dmt7n3n1alew4E1mnuKaUCeZUf-yyjtwVCM4VkjE7S_6uziMNAO-LK_z_0zbPap4mtnm8iGVJMzN5-DyM-8RnB_H7u2wsRbvRchsHOcI3Y4/s1600/Photo0055.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBRWTXmWnLpVO6-BkEBjDlcb5H9jQW3gS-Dmt7n3n1alew4E1mnuKaUCeZUf-yyjtwVCM4VkjE7S_6uziMNAO-LK_z_0zbPap4mtnm8iGVJMzN5-DyM-8RnB_H7u2wsRbvRchsHOcI3Y4/s400/Photo0055.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645882550975695346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">My friend Jason modeling safe transportation for the East Coast
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<br /><span style="font-size:100%;">To all my friends and family in the furious path (or midst) of Irene, I hope you're all staying safe and haven't yet had to resort to flushing the toilet with stockpiled water from the tub.
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<br />The only thing we're in danger of on this side of the pond is some general depression brought on by the lack of anything resembling typical summer weather. As September is coming up this week, all of us over here can't help but lament at least a little about a severely modest June-August bloc that had more than its fair share of chilly rain and clouds. Wah-wah.
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<br />1 August officially marked 1 year of full-time employment at the magazine in Amsterdam. Fittingly, I wasn't at the magazine at the time; my girlfriend and I decided to participate in a two-week Habitat for Humanity build-project in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, that took place the first two weeks of August.
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<br />The trip was inspired, in part, by my girlfriend becoming eligible this summer for her company's incredible 1-month, travel + lodging paid, sabbatical program. She'd done some work for HFH before in the States and we liked the idea of taking up part of the month with some kind of charitable work. As it worked out, I wasn't able to go traveling the rest of the month with her - funny that other companies (especially monthly magazines) are less inclined to let employees take a month of vacation at once. But my half of the trip was still absolutely amazing and unforgettable.
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<br />Building houses for two weeks certainly wasn't a warm & fuzzy holiday. We worked most days from 8am to 3:30pm with short breaks for snacks, water and lunch. The sun spent a lot of time being high and hot, but in reality I doubt it reached 90F and there was some shade available, especially once we had walls and a ceiling up.
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<br />Our group of 13 was split into two groups after it was discovered the first build day that there just simply weren't enough tasks or ability by the Mongonlian only-speaking lead builder to divide the labor to keep everyone busy. So we worked on two separate houses the first week. The houses are pretty simple, I suppose: single-family homes with four walls, a ceiling and a two-sided roof; wood-frame walls with styrofoam and fiberglass insulation; red brick exterior; either cement or wood floors; two to three windows and a door; minimal electricity and no running water.
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<br />But all the families were upgrading their living conditions drastically, either from tiny shacks or gers, the traditional round mobile home used by herders and other Mongolians living in the countryside. These felt and wood tents are handy for a nomadic lifestyle, but are terribly inefficient and therefore expensive to maintain for more permanent, urban dwelling. The Habitat houses are a big improvement. We were also told the next generation of HFH house in Mongolia is expected to be much more Green and efficient than the current model. Pretty cool.
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<br />Also pretty cool was that the families we were building for were very much present the whole time. Sometimes, if they were able, they'd help with various tasks like moving bricks or mixing cement, and others they'd offer us traditional consumables like meat and potato soup or fermented mare's milk. We essentially finished the first two houses we worked on at the end of the first week, so we were lucky enough to attend a dedication ceremony/party at each house at the end of the second week.
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<br />These were pretty emotional and moving. Having the families welcome us into their wallpapered and furnished 'homes' that we had seen on the first day as nothing but cement foundation and dirt floor was truly fulfilling and heart-warming experience. I get it now, President Carter.
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<br />During the middle weekend, our group took a 1.5-hour bus ride out of downtown UB up into the foothills and moderate mountains of Terelj National Park. We spent two nights in a camp of gers, went for a horseback ride, an incredibly steep but beautiful hike and spent most of a day traversing a 13th-century museum complex in the countryside: gers set up and decorated as they would have been while Genghis Khan was in power.
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<br />But in the countryside with the museum, we saw a number of 'modern' gers and natives herding cattle, goats, etc. You could see the person's whole life: their family, their home, their livelihood, their recreation (more or less) - all in the space of 1oo square meters or so. Despite the expansive sky and landscape, the world seemed very small looking at these people.
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<br />I've posted my pictures in galleries on the facebook. You can look at them by clicking on the public links <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.880381621035.2353791.2400165&l=4f51d89646&type=1">here</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.880391057125.2353794.2400165&l=8b049cf596&type=1">here</a>. There's still much more of the Mongolia story to tell and gaps to fill in, but I'm not sure which direction to go at the moment. If you, reader(s), have anything specific you'd like to hear about, leave a comment and I'll write a follow-up post. Sooner than two months from now, I promise.</span>
<br />Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-15635841557786284172011-06-26T08:18:00.000-07:002011-06-26T09:30:50.368-07:00Edinburr-uh<div style="text-align: center; font-family: georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkX6c-2Q12QY-WnCW-43vodqwtCoinyIxbC2hhyphenhyphen6p4U9LGs9SufNUnMauRAKS-tpiYcAIWOYlPoMeGtikNNHcPQsTNbewdyYeflHSQfeHI_HCQKtaEt1NUCMMR23OPhugr2xMYwO-OtEh/s1600/DSCN0243.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkX6c-2Q12QY-WnCW-43vodqwtCoinyIxbC2hhyphenhyphen6p4U9LGs9SufNUnMauRAKS-tpiYcAIWOYlPoMeGtikNNHcPQsTNbewdyYeflHSQfeHI_HCQKtaEt1NUCMMR23OPhugr2xMYwO-OtEh/s400/DSCN0243.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622556223939538594" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:85%;">Edinburgh textural intersection</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">It's been a very not-summer-like June in the Netherlands. Dutch people I've talked to just respond 'for how many Junes have you lived here?' Apparently, 50-60F and rainy is pretty typical. Other than for roughly a week in late April (or was it May...), we haven't had much of a semblance of summer. Of course, once it does eventually get sweltering (we had about a week of unbearability last year), I'll just miss the cool dampness. But along with an actually hot summer come elements I'm currently missing: more outdoor meals, 'beat the heat' cool and fruity drinks, regular shorts & sandals-wearing, etc - all things that help you appreciate the passage of time: you must go through a 'proper' summer in order to properly appreciate the transition to fall and winter. If you don't experience the hallmarks of the stages of the overall cycle, then you just end up feeling out of sorts - disjointed - like you slept through something important and regretted it later.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">And to 'get away' from this current non-summery climate, where did we venture? Scotland. Perfect. Good thing the trip wasn't actually intended as any kind of escape; rather, it was just, we've wanted to visit Scotland and this was good timing to do it. Three-day weekend, decent airfare, available b&b. We got pretty much what we expected: rain, mist, other degrees of mist and rain, but also delicious whiskey, cask ale, hard cider and hardy comfort food beyond our most stereotyped dreams.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">No Rick Steves this time, either. Portugal was great with Mr. Steves close by our side, dictating many of our stays, eats and doings with his pithy and experiential advice. But for the better part of three days in a country that for the most part speaks English, we figured we'd be fine exploring on our own.</span><br /><br />So explore we did, spending most of our time on foot, outside, trying to avoid getting sucked in to the super touristy attractions along the 'Royal Mile' of heavily trafficked street between Edinburgh Castle and the Queen of Scotland's residence.<br /><br />As always, we did some pretty solid food tourism. Katie tried some prepare haggis (with a cracking Pimm's Cup, no less) for lunch one afternoon, while at the same meal I went for a lamb shank shepherd's pie (mated to a tasty pull of Brewdog's 'Alice Porter'). Consulting our handy <a href="http://www.whiskybible.com/">whiskey bible</a>, we sampled a couple scotches that we'd only ever read about and aren't likely to find (at least as cheaply) in the NL or US.<br /><br />One of Katie's favorites was the lighter Dalwhinnie 15 year old, while I really enjoyed the heavier, spicier (but not too heavy or spicy) Glenlivet 18YO. A true find, though, was not a scotch, but a limited edition bottled beer: the Innis & Gunn (local Edinburgh crafter) Canada Day 2011 Scottish Bourbon Oak Cask-Aged Beer. In addition to being a pain-in-the-mouth to order at a bar (fortunately, we were seated and I could just point to the menu), it was incredibly tasty. Consistent with <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/7463">whiskey barrel beers I've had before</a>, it was dark, rich and robust, imparting plenty of sweet, smoky bourbon flavor without being overpoweringly boozy. It struck a great balance of its parts, which I think spells success in any drink.<br /><br />But back to the city: yes, we did more than just eat fried food and drink whiskey. We saw the street where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born, climbed lush hills, wandered through ancient parks, gardens and cemeteries, chatted with a precious gem excavator/jewelery designer-street vendor who lives in an actual tree house outside of Edinburgh, strode through a vintage Bentley car show, spoke of buying kilts and other tartan accessories but never followed through on the threats and reflected on how bagpipes sound much better from far away than up close (which must explain the popular iconic imagery of a solitary piper on a bleak highland bluff).<br /><br />Since I don't have that much space on Flickr yet, I've posted pictures from the trip on good 'ol <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.840061228425.2343986.2400165&l=3d763f1f21">the facebook</a>. </span>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-80275548114155656092011-05-28T08:21:00.000-07:002011-05-28T09:26:03.925-07:00Less traveled?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJ6d_uKYAAFH6ppm0ClEhBpwVRxJSh3Sja_51t-kAEhLTWb28a1bLZabWaxtrPBVS6N3boKmsNHTnSf9f4-PWRmU-0QLi4ScpZYkI-1TD49KJMIA11tXVeXN9oKrnALYLE42iR3Ru545O/s1600/DSC_0221.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJ6d_uKYAAFH6ppm0ClEhBpwVRxJSh3Sja_51t-kAEhLTWb28a1bLZabWaxtrPBVS6N3boKmsNHTnSf9f4-PWRmU-0QLi4ScpZYkI-1TD49KJMIA11tXVeXN9oKrnALYLE42iR3Ru545O/s400/DSC_0221.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611803258630623970" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We now interrupt your regularly scheduled Portugal programming. There are a few more days from the 'Week in Portugal' series yet to go and, believe me, they're on their way. If anyone reading needs instant Portugal trip recap gratification, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.822378145465.2336721.2400165&l=7830d5b548">here</a> is a public link to one of my many photo albums on the Facebook. Should keep you busy for a while.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"> In the meantime, however, I just wanted to wax ever so slightly philosophical. This morning I went for a long run (1 hour is pretty long for me) into the large, grassy park just on the outskirts of Den Bosch called <a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Het_Bossche_Broek">Het Bossche Broek</a>. I've walked and run around parts of it several times, though my typical, shorter route just takes me around have of Den Bosch itself. But that's not important. Since I had decided it would be a longer run and I didn't have anything for which I needed to be back home at a certain time, I decided to follow some paths I hadn't been down before and explore a little more of the 'broek' (which actually means 'pants' in Dutch, but apparently has a different usage here).<br /><br />Most of the paths crisscrossing the Broek are paved, though a few aren't - and seem like they may be less traveled by common recreationers because they more provide access to the grazing areas for cows and sheep than easy, flat, traversing. As I got to the back of the Broek (as it approached a major roadway on one side), I saw what definitely looked like just a service road of trampled grass leading straight into some trees. I kept on the paved path, even though I hadn't been on either before, and at the moment it reminded me of how basically every canned graduation speech I've ever heard has somehow referenced Robert Frost's 'The Road Not Taken'. More than almost any other time of the year, graduation time just gets me reflective.<br /><br />What interests me, I guess, is what graduates are really supposed to get (and are actually applying) from that poem. Right, right, we all know the closing: 'I took the one less traveled by,/ And that has made all the difference.' What I remember from speeches is kids saying that this is a metaphor for not just taking the easy way out, that once we graduate from whatever institution we happen to be sitting in the large athletic arena of, the 'next stage' of life isn't going to be easy and so, rather than just sit on our laurels and coast through this 'next stage' like, presumably, every one else, we should go for the less common approach of digging in, grinding our noses and not slacking off ever, and ultimately we'll feel better about that course of action.<br /><br />But it doesn't seem like just plain working hard to get ahead is so uncommon anymore. In fact, I can't say I know too many people in my generation I'd characterize as slack-offs or bums. Going somewhere is the norm. Don't get me wrong, I don't think people should stop going to grad school in droves or stop trying to rocket up their corporate ladders, continually striving to develop 'marketable skills'. I absolutely admire the sheer drive, motivation and execution I see in so many of my peers.<br /><br />Maybe the message from Frost for grads of the moment is about taking risks. Entering a new phase of life is never without built-in risks. You can choose to venture after them or shy away and do something that seems more familiar. I certainly can't say that folks who go the law school route or the TFA route aren't taking risks. Those roads carry huge risks, not the least of which for the former are the risks of loss of sanity and financial independence, at least according to law school friends. But none of them has said law school wasn't worth it; quite the opposite.<br /><br />I don't recall any outgoing seniors drawing this conclusion, but maybe Frost is saying that it's ok, actually commendable, to do something completely bat-shit crazy as you traverse, something people rarely do - really rock the boat or create something unique out of your action that's characterized by premeditated abandon ('I doubted if I should ever come back'). Because, like I said, forward progress to gainful employment and higher-higher education is much more the norm than it is 'less traveled' and certainly not 'not taken'. Not that there's anything wrong with that: I am DEFINITELY NOT taking a shot at anyone that may fit into one of the categories I've mentioned; NOR am I trying to indirectly boast that I think my decision to quit my job, move to Europe to follow my girlfriend and try my luck in a completely different career field is any better life choice to make or closer adherence to any of the interpretations of what we've so often made out to be an encouragement from Mr. Frost than anything my peers have done.<br /><br />Maybe, Frost's poem just isn't cut out for a graduation speech. Maybe, there just aren't that many 'not taken' roads that lead to what most people set out to achieve when they graduate: financial, vocational, spiritual, domestic success - in a word, happiness.<br /><br />I'm curious if anyone out there has any other thoughts about Frost's poem and how it relates to graduation, where folks go and what they do afterwards, and if Frost is actually trying to give advice, how should we follow it?</span><br /></span>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-55077866665268144852011-05-15T12:16:00.000-07:002011-05-15T12:20:35.916-07:00Obidos to Nazare<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAz-UFwJd-70biBijS_z-a3T-F5o6HwNVaSxvLnl8nshrasUvc-3DUBSFJFQ-Zwo2NaK5DPgvuu7XZ337jblqRizktV43PKeu2vR5CwnY6YYu-Hd1v_Utz6aYVdgQRN4H__GGP2q8d9q4/s1600/Percebes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAz-UFwJd-70biBijS_z-a3T-F5o6HwNVaSxvLnl8nshrasUvc-3DUBSFJFQ-Zwo2NaK5DPgvuu7XZ337jblqRizktV43PKeu2vR5CwnY6YYu-Hd1v_Utz6aYVdgQRN4H__GGP2q8d9q4/s400/Percebes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607024891186357554" border="0" /></a><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->Monday, 25 April – Obidos to Alcobaca to Nazare <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">Best shower of the whole trip, hands down. Never have I opened the door/curtain of a shower to look directly out a (albeit small) window on to a luscious, green Portuguese countryside. It was just a magical, naked way to greet the day.<br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">Since we hadn’t had too much daylight to go exploring in Obidos upon our evening arrival, we took this bright, quite warm already, opportunity to romp around the walled, historic city. There wasn’t a ton to see, to be honest, but the views from the ancient castle walls were pretty incredible and it was entertaining to walk amongst the obviously Spanish (‘Venga! Vaminos!’ – numerous feisty abuelitas) tourists who were also enjoying the sunshine and scenery. </p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">After an hour or so, we packed up and hit the road, northish towards the beach city of Nazare, named for Joseph’s Nazareth. (Note: I’ve omitted copious amounts of accent marks, one of which should come on the final ‘e’ of Nazare – I’m sorry, but it just takes too long to do the symbol=>insert.) On the way, we made a brief stop in the city of Alcobaca (‘all-co-bassa’) to check out their massive monastery. Rick Steves suggested giving the city a day, but, again, that was for a two-week itinerary. We managed it in under two hours. We were going to the beach, after all.<br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">Alcobaca, like so many appropriately named cities, was named, appropriately, after the bodies of water running through it: the Alco and the Baca rivers, which meet right around the city limits. We came upon each as we strolled back to the car from the monetary. Churches, cathedrals and monasteries we visited all contained pretty historic bodies: this one bears the tombs of King Peter I and Ines de Castro, Portugal’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’.</p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">Around lunch time, we roll into the one-time fishing village of Nazare. Our hotel was less than a block from the ocean, as can be seen from pictures I took looking out from our room (some are towards the sea, some are looking up at the cliff-top city of Sitio.<br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">At Mr. Steves’ encouragement, we had our first (of many!) picnic of the trip out on the beach: chorizo, fresh white bread, light white cheese and, of course, cold vinho verde. It was hard, actually, to conceive of the reality of the situation. We were hardly two days removed from our ‘real lives’ in Den Bosch, with daily commutes and apartment cleaning and work. It felt like we’d never been on vacation before, like this was a whole new world of relaxing experience. Maybe that’s just the green wine talking.</p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">After the picnic, we strolled the boardwalk, admiring the young, impossibly ebony-haired women and the outfits of the short local grandmas: we saw pairs and trios of them walking together, each with layers of really loud, plaid skirts over basic black frocks – all doing a little bit of strutting. We changed into swimsuits and went back to the beach, enjoying some late afternoon sunshine and a little more of the VV.<br /></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">For dinner, we took the ‘funincular’ (hill-climbing trolley) up to Sitio to check out a few of Mr. Steves’ restaurant recommendations. At the top of the hill, we went out to some observation points and bought a few appetizers from some street vendors, including corn nuts (corn nuts, it’s been so long!) and ‘percebes’, sea barnacles that’ve been cooked just right for consumption – the edible parts are basically little strips of muscle you must crack out of a thin shell; Katie and I agreed they just take like the sea, like an oyster: delicious and fresh.</p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">We walked past a bullfighting ring (unfortunately we really couldn’t see into the ring and there wasn’t a fight going on [apparently it’s slightly less violent and embarrassing for the bull than Spanish-style]) and a rather short and stout palm tree before settling in for dinner at a seafood restaurant. Suffice to say, being next to the ocean, we had copious amounts of delicious fresh fish. </p>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-31048071683383033882011-05-03T13:17:00.000-07:002011-05-03T13:51:51.657-07:00A week in Portgual: Day 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JhV8RoY0ucaukXDEq0uVSxwtkitNoqlGm9w2lMHzqV-g1s4mnw4XFS1ETSYoEF5J7b2MBDhyphenhypheniQSPdareig2j99TfKenzgQkfLbhdYi7LPK_n1Zr50wDeZ-4fqjhlZ5xurPzGkaj5TZJf/s1600/jesusbridge.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 359px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JhV8RoY0ucaukXDEq0uVSxwtkitNoqlGm9w2lMHzqV-g1s4mnw4XFS1ETSYoEF5J7b2MBDhyphenhypheniQSPdareig2j99TfKenzgQkfLbhdYi7LPK_n1Zr50wDeZ-4fqjhlZ5xurPzGkaj5TZJf/s400/jesusbridge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602595201977102258" border="0" /></a><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;">Checking in tonight from the (walled) city of Obidos, Portugal. This morning we work up fairly early (checked out before 10:30) and walked from our hotel down into down-town Lisbon (the old center or Baixa). It was great to walk up and down hills again. Katie and I each remarked several times that the whole area is reminiscent of California: green, hilly, by water, has Golden Gate bridge (complete with Rio-esque giant Jesus statue at one end - apparently the architect of the actual GG is also responsible for this replica)… We could live here, in other words.</span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Along one of the main plazas looking out on to the Tejo river, Katie bought some hand-painted porcelain for a friend from a street vendor while I looked on and was continually asked if I wanted to purchase cheap imitation sunglasses or hash marijuana from sketchy fiftysomethings clad all in black. I thought this might be a one-time occurrence but it turned out to be the norm. Sorry, no hash for us. Strangely, I couldn't find these guys on the one sunny morning I forgot my own Fake-Bans.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">We worked our way up picturesque hilly streets until finally arriving at St. Jorge Castle. Jorge is an incredible old fortification in the Alfama neighborhood overlooking much of the city. For lunch, we stopped at a restaurant recommended by our trusty guide, Mr. Steves, where we enjoyed a fish lunch (Katie had grilled sardines and I had a swordfish fillet) and a bottle of ‘vinho verde’.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Up until then, I’d only read about the ‘young’ wine, which is white but with a fruity effervescence ('green' just means the wine-making-to-drinking process transpired pretty rapidly. It’s definitely one of the most refreshing things I’ve ever had to drink, despite the fact that we’d already been up and walking for several hours and were probably a little dehydrated. The food was decent but the restaurant also featured periodic ‘fado’ guitar + vocal performances. Actually, one of the more memorable aspects of this lunch was that from our seating to asking for our ‘conta’ (bill), there was one female proprietor (she never actually waited on us, though she did help set our table, manage seating traffic and sing a few fado songs herself) who just made great, discreet, cool eye contact with us to move things along efficiently. Katie remarked a number of times that they seemed to run a tight ship, despite the super French couple next to us apparently not getting their entrees fast enough and shoving off after just an appetizer. Aww, muffins. Hat tip, Mr. Steves.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">We didn’t spend the entire day in Lisbon, however. At the suggestion of Mr. Steves, we rented a car from the Lisbon airport and drove one hour north to the walled, becastled city of Obidos. We may think of Den Bosch as ‘walled’, but this place has (or at least had) an honest to goodness Roman aqueduct running on to its premises. Sorry, Dutch canals, but this was something else.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">It’s amazing – it looked like we were driving up to Camelot. The streets are cobbled and curve around one another in a hilly maze, making it one of the most interesting driving experiences I’ve ever had. They were definitely not built with cars in mind. Or knees, for that matter.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Our GPS didn’t actually know where our hotel’s address was, but based on a few educated guesses and a lap or two through the city to get our bearings, we eventually stumbled upon our quaint little hotel and parked, next to a castle wall, just a dozen or so meters away.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The city is really kind of a time capsule: it almost seems wrong that there’s running water and electricity in our room. Why aren’t the street lamps candlelit? We had a great dinner in a side of the road restaurant – Katie had grilled black pork and I had grilled squid and shrimp – and then we retired to a Ginja bar that we’d passed earlier. This hole in the wall had all the best old, musty, generations-old glass and stone smells, in addition to large quantities of the Portuguese-special cherry liquor ('jean-ja'). It’s close to port, I suppose, but with a very fresh, natural cherry sweetness. It had me longing for New Glarus' Belgian Red. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Back in the hotel now, as mentioned previously. Tomorrow the plan is to wake up, again fairly early, do a little more walking around and picture-taking in Obidos (which, by the way, is missing an accent on the 'O' and is pronounced ‘oh-bee-dosh’) before hitting the road and going a little further north to the city of Nazare (missing an accent on the 'e'). Naraze is known for having amazing views and pretty nice beaches, even for a coastal country, and since it’s been pretty warm (70s, probably 80s), looks like we might even get to do some beach-bumming (Katie’s dying to try out her brand-new swimsuit). That’s the plan, anyway; then spend the night in Nazare and move on to Coimbra (a little further inland, then farm for the next day/night. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Amazing day, this, though. Feels like we were in at least three different cities. Portugal has already won us over with its charming mix of big/small cities, friendly people, hills, close proximity to a large body of water, greenery, amplitude of fish and delicious wine and less expensive standard of living/touring than basically any city/country we’ve ever been in. And we’ve only been here 24 hours; bring on Monday thru Sunday! Of course, it didn’t hurt that today was seriously God’s gift, weather-wise. We've already been spoiled in the Netherlands with long, sunny days, but this was something else. The lazy sun, life-affirming breeze, big sky clarity, coastal freshness – it was just awesome. You can’t, just can’t, ask for anything nicer. This vacation could end now and I would be 100% content with what we’ve done, what we’ve seen. So everything that happens from now through the next 6 days? Bonus.</span><br /></span></p>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-42614705161394484012011-05-02T14:12:00.000-07:002011-05-03T13:17:01.562-07:00How to spend a week in Portugal: Day 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-1rGwfFWEeWQdCYWC7f1CoHwjstXZQgYhBOSvSFDuHrt1LoCT-us05JOutl6otZfCZTk9zA-yAQ0bd2VTMygtMGazTYACluc0DmGBzGnT9Vox377PPdefJdFKjCzsf7w_jbiDDB495Bz/s1600/TAP.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-1rGwfFWEeWQdCYWC7f1CoHwjstXZQgYhBOSvSFDuHrt1LoCT-us05JOutl6otZfCZTk9zA-yAQ0bd2VTMygtMGazTYACluc0DmGBzGnT9Vox377PPdefJdFKjCzsf7w_jbiDDB495Bz/s400/TAP.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602233544874330594" border="0" /></a><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:85%;">We didn't have many of the intertubes available at our various lodgings, so I'm just going to post one of my journal entries per day for the next week in something of a recreation of the adventure. So here's what we have for Day (night) 1:<br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Saturday, 23 April, 2011: Amsterdam to Lisbon</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"> I’m currently writing from the Hotel Fenix in Lisbon, Portugal. We just checked in for the night about an hour ago after taking a short cab ride from the Lisbon airport. We’re taking a week-long holiday around this little country, stopping in several cities between Lisbon and Porto.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"> Since our fight didn’t get into Lisbon until after 9pm local time, by the time we got to the hotel and settled in, it was basically too late to go out and do any exploring – that’ll happen tomorrow. We’re spending most of the day either in down town Lisbon or the nearby area Belem, before picking up a rental car in the evening and driving north to Obidos. </span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"> We’re basically following a truncated version of Rick Steves’ recommendations for a two-week Portugal trip. We’ve each read (or mostly read) his guide book for the country already, but I think the plan is to reread sections in the car on the way to each new destination and pick out landmarks, restaurants and ‘walks’ to do and see on the fly.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"> Definitely haven’t seen much of the city of Lisbon so far, but here’s what I’ve learned about Portuguese: ‘thank you’ is ‘obrigado’ (literally, I’m obliged, I believe); and the language sounds almost Slavic because pretty much any time there’s an ‘s’ in a word, it’s pronounced as ‘sh’, making the language very, well, mushy-sounding.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"> The hotel is nice enough. We didn’t pay a ton for our first-floor room, which we only booked about a week ago, so it is what it is. The stay we’re really looking forward to is further north; we’ve booked a night in a ‘traditional’ Portuguese farmhouse B&B, where we’re doing dinner as well. Should be really cool. I don’t know any more details, but my plan is to do a little light journaling each night. And hopefully it will be a little more interesting, informed and insightful than this entry.</span></p>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-19322104157266549522011-02-08T16:14:00.000-08:002011-02-08T16:25:18.633-08:00It's February. Better start posting again.<div align="center"><a href="http://www.farwellian.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Mahler3.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 296px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.farwellian.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Mahler3.jpg" border="0" /></a>All the Austrian cool kids had canes </div><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Sure, January 2011 already happened, and here's some fruit from labor that occuring during that month: my feature story for the classical section of our February issue:</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">With a running time of about 100 minutes, Gustav Mahler’s ‘Symphony No 3 in D minor’ is one of the longest pieces in the orchestral repertoire. Performances are visually and sonically overwhelming, often with a stage-busting orchestration of more than 100 instrumentalists, two choirs and a vocal soloist. It’s not surprising that a live concert doesn’t happen too often. This month at the Concertgebouw, listeners will be treated to the work’s melodic magnitude <em>twice</em>.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Amsterdam’s all-amateur CREA Orkest and the professional Berlin Philharmonic will each embark on the six-movement behemoth, by no small coincidence: 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the late-romantic Austrian composer’s death. Over the course of the year, various ensembles will offer additional performances, each with its own vision. Amsterdam, however, needs no special occasion to love Mahler; the city and the composer go way back.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Drawn to the acoustic superiority of the Concertgebouw, around the turn of the 20th century Mahler premiered his own creations in the prestigious hall 11 times over the span of seven years and developed a strong professional relationship with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s long-time chief conductor, Willem Mengelberg. These premieres were generally well received by audiences that were altogether excited by Mahler’s fame as a composer, allured by the high-profile aura of the Mengelberg connection and conditioned to appreciate (or rather, desire) Mahler’s style of complex and layered music from like-minded Dutch composers of the time, such as Alphons Diepenbrock.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">These weren’t short musical sketches Mahler was sharing with Amsterdam, either. Many of them were brand new symphonies, vast emotional works that he agonised over and revised for several years. ‘We’re talking about huge sound poems – sometimes based on the texts of Goethe or Nietzsche – not the easiest to digest,’ explains Sven Arne Tepl, artistic manager for the Stichting Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, ‘but Amsterdam was ready for that challenge. In the culture of that time, people were very much searching for deeper meaning in things.’<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">A tradition of repeated Mahler performances developed as trust between artist and audience grew. This was helped by Mengelberg passing musical values (original scores with notes from the master himself and revolutionary conducting theories) of Mahler on to his successor, Eduard van Beinum. From Van Beinum, Bernard Haitink inherited the Mahler influences and continued to keep the composer as a part of the orchestra’s core business.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Even today, seasoned Concertgebouw performers still feel the Mahler love while in the hall. ‘The audience knows just what they are hearing,’ says Andreas Wittman, oboist and orchestra chairman for the Berlin Philharmonic. ‘It changes the quality of the concert, the atmosphere is different and it’s an inspiration for the artists.’<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Tepl agrees. ‘It does something to you as a performer, when you stand exactly on the place where Mahler stood 115 years ago,’ he says.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">A new generation of young performers will get to feel that when the CREA Orkest performs a Mahler symphony on the historic stage. Jonah Stunt, a 25-year-old anthropology and medicine student who plays first violin, says she’s particularly excited for the deeply emotional and eerily beautiful final movement titled ‘What love tells me’. ‘It’s so great, I get chicken bumps,’ says Stunt.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The CREA Orkest will feature the symphony by itself, while the Berliners will frame it with short works by Hugo Wolf and Brahms.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Mahler’s music has an independently captivating essence that hasn’t lost anything in 100 years, proving our city’s classic good taste. ‘It’s always the situation of how you come in and listen to it,’ says Tepl. Hearing the soul-searching struggle in Mahler’s epic ballads of harmony and discord, ‘you get confronted with your own struggle, with yourself,’ he adds. ‘It will always meet you at exactly that moment and open you up to reinvent yourself.’</span>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-63177960374413460502010-11-08T12:07:00.003-08:002010-11-08T13:46:27.405-08:00More November pieces<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Here are two smaller pieces I wrote for the 'Totally Non-Boring Museums' feature in our November issue. To be fair, this first one did not actually appear due to space constraints. Here we go:<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hemp Gallery</span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">While the ever-popular Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum Amsterdam is getting an overhaul so that it might become a bigger, badder, hashier version of itself in February 2011, its adjunct Hemp Gallery (owned by the same folks) provides a nice alternative high for those still burning with cannabis curiosity.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>This cosy ground-floor-only extension showcases hemp’s many uses through the centuries, though the tour can be a bit disorienting. Ostensibly, it tells the story of hemp’s utility from braids of hemp that served as ship hull caulking between 400BC and the 19th century, to elixirs and tonics based on hemp oil (a spoonful of one was known to cure a horse of colic). A laminated guide, available in seven languages, describes the corresponding objects in the vitrines. That said, its numbering system doesn’t actually give you a logical tour of the gallery, so it’s almost better just to wander aimlessly. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>The far-out trance soundtrack and laid-back ticket-taker set the mood in this surprisingly well-lit gallery. The main draw (taken both ways), though, is the popular attraction on loan from the Hash Museum: the vaporiser. Live demonstrations are offered by a lanky, bearded Ohio native who identifies himself only as Joseph, who tends to the conical metal machine six hours a day, five days a week, giving visitors a chance to take in THC vapour under the pretext of historical research. In between puffs, he’s happy to talk weed politics (i.e. current developments on the legalisation front) give tips on chemicals used for growing, or just blow some smoke.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">De Pijpenkabinet</span></p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">When is a pipe not a pipe? When it’s collected, fetishised and displayed for its artistic, cultural and historic value; when it becomes an artefact. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Some 2,000 local and international pipes fill grand wooden display cases lining the pristine sea green-walls in this circa-1680 canal-side time capsule. The Pijpenkabinet, with its worn wooden floors and burgundy ceiling beams, contains a collection of pipes that narrates the story of smoking in style. For those touring: smoke ’em if you got ’em (that is, if you brought ’em) but don’t think about lighting up one of these beauties, they’re just for show.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>The museum really comes alive when you’re greeted by the lone tour guide Benedict Goes, a lean silver fox from the southern Netherlands, whose crisp tenor voice practically sings the history of each of the museum’s objects. Follow him up the steep, creaky stairs and emerge, face to face with some rare gems of Dutch history: dozens of meticulously arranged white clay long-pipes dating back to 1600, made of clay imported from Belgium. As we make our way through the exhibition, Goes comfortably rambles off topic but re-situates us in our tour with the refrain, ‘Back to the pipes…’</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">In the next room, there’s a long formal dining table surrounded by rigid, high-backed chairs that suggests a guild hall with regal airs – but which apparently isn’t much used. Each cabinet in this space houses hundreds of pipes, organised by specific region and time period, from rare cactus-shaped bowls made by Mexican Indians dating back to 500BC, to ornate Chinese opium flutes decorated with hand-painted floral designs. Additional trophies include hard-edged pink agate pipes from Austria and pearly luminescent seashell-based pipes from Australia. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">However enamoured Goes is of these as objects, he’s more interested in talking about how each one was used in its society, for ritual, political purposes and expression of personal style. This month, the museum hosts a mini exhibition from New Zealand’s Maori tribe: 12 wooden pipes carved with tattoo designs from 1900-1920. You can look, but no smoking the artefacts. </span></p>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-73547094697678676782010-11-02T15:59:00.000-07:002010-11-08T12:06:56.426-08:00Cello-brate good times<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB">Yes, that is actually the title that I half-jokingly proposed for this story, and that actually ended up running in the November issue of the magazine. Here is the text:<br /></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB"> The cello is not exactly a spotlight instrument. But at this month’s third Amsterdamse Cello Biënnale at Muziekgebouw, its rapidly growing solo and ensemble repertoire is getting an overwhelming amount of play, quite literally.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB"><span style=""> </span>‘You may only hear a great cello soloist a few times a year,’ says Maarten Mostert, the event’s founder and artistic director. ‘Suddenly in one week, we have 36 top soloists and ensembles.’ </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB">When he was a student, then later professor and performer, Mostert always felt his instrument was getting short-changed, in spite of the skill and music acuity required to play it. There have been national violin and viola competitions in the Netherlands for years but nothing for cello; even at the IJsbreker Café, Amsterdam’s one-time primary (albeit tiny) contemporary music performance hall and predecessor to the Muziekgebouw, the visionary Jan Wolff programmed highlight weeks focusing on different instruments <i style="">other </i>than the cello. For its 2006 inaugural run, Mostert called in all the friends and favours he could manage to create a weeklong cello-bration so epic it would need two spotlights.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB">‘Everyone knows the cello but they don’t realize how beautiful it is,’ says Mostert. ‘It’s close to the human voice, has a great range and a warm sound. You can love the flute but you can also hate flute at times. There’s not so much reason to hate cello.’ </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB">This Biënnale will give listeners 37 reasons not to hate the cello. It will show off the cello as an artistic, virtuosic and versatile element in its own right, from its warm, croaking low notes to the silky smooth upper range that retains a cool, dark character.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB">The staggering number of performances and master classes jam-packed into nine days and nights (5-13 November) span generations and genres, from an evening with Beethoven’s ‘German dances’, performed by the Frans Brüggen-directed Orchestra of the 18th Century, to an afternoon with Melo-M, a Latvian cello trio that plays special arrangements of pop songs. From respected classics to freshly inked experiments, the theme this year is maximising exposure to all styles of music for cello ensemble, including brand new commissions. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB">Since its 2006 inaugural iteration Mostert has just about doubled the composition premieres every two years: 4 the first year, 8 in 2008, and this year 15 brand new pieces. ‘I’ve dared to programme more of them, knowing the audience is there,’ he says (2008 saw roughly 20,000 visitors). ‘Now that we’ve been around, I have the confidence to go there.’</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB">One world premiere is by Chiel Meijering, a 56-year-old Amsterdam composer who’s credited with more than 700 compositions. His piece ‘Arco Arena’ is scored for two solo cellos and a full mini orchestra of ASKO | Schönberg ensemble members. The soloists are meant to be ‘fencing’, metaphorically competing as their two parts overlap to create the piece’s central melody. In the piece’s second part, ‘The actual fight is the most noticeable: who has the smoothest muscles, best conditioning, endurance, etcetera,’ explains Meijering. ‘It’s the moment of truth.’</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB">In addition to new compositions, the Biënnale’s inner series of ‘Take Five’ concerts is intended to showcase the festival’s spiciest modern music, each evening at 5 pm. Otherwise, Mostert’s structure remains largely unchanged, apart from a few critical upgrades: a hot meal (included in ticket price) offered before each morning’s ‘Bach & Breakfast’ performance of a single, unaccompanied cello suite and an open lounge following each evening’s final performance, at Muziekgebouw’s Star Ferry restaurant. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB">‘The atmosphere was good the past two times,’ says Mostert. ‘But how can you keep it from going down? Like Nero: give the people bread and games.’</span></span></p>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-57337733516763597192010-09-12T04:18:00.000-07:002010-09-12T05:05:27.469-07:00Allegaartje<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMbSVTIJuJDW0YWQJgd39x0s0bm4KFC-2a103ZJHtldWvXlHVqFdRCnvTyJHjyBi8gXy6XfiKR26bIGGnpkDoWDfEnoK2HcBaeCG9Zc3y3FkduE-H9JQ2Zwo3YJ_x4sErqMFOm8ojsuNR/s1600/'cats09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMbSVTIJuJDW0YWQJgd39x0s0bm4KFC-2a103ZJHtldWvXlHVqFdRCnvTyJHjyBi8gXy6XfiKR26bIGGnpkDoWDfEnoK2HcBaeCG9Zc3y3FkduE-H9JQ2Zwo3YJ_x4sErqMFOm8ojsuNR/s400/'cats09.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515996753370823010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Yes, an old image, but apparently pics from Saturday's game cost $<br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />Google translate tells me that means 'mixed bag', and I'm typically inclined to believe GT, though there are plenty of translations that are pretty far off the mark, according to Dutch-speaking friends.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Yesterday my beloved Northwestern Wildcats 'American football' team downright pummeled the Redbirds of Illinois State. Despite lots of googling and a fruitless attempt to see the game by buying an internet TV subscription (I got desperate), as well as tireless efforts by a good friend to pursue his known methods for internet-based US TV watching, we ended up simply listening to the game through much more dependable sources: WGN and WNUR radio. This actually allowed us to sit on his porch and grill brats while enjoying the game away from his TV - all in all a great and satisfying experience. In fact, we got even more enjoyment out of hearing the Chicago accent-heavy WGN announcers ('and Deeanny Peersa' drops back to peeass') and the truly unbridled enthusiasm of the student broadcasters ('How DARE you throw a screen while Corbin Bryant is in the backfield?!'). Sorry, ESPN and BTN, it's tough to duplicate those intangibles. We did find a (slightly) more dependable method for watching ESPN without having to throw down any euros, and thus were able to catch the first half of the OSU-Miami game (during the sloth-slow second quarter I began succumbing to a veritable beer-brats-post-Wildcat-victory-coma). It was a great night, remotely.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">This is a bit behind, but shortly you'll see the second section-leader story I wrote for the August issue of the magazine. The Grachtenfestival it references is an annual music event that features a week of performances at various spots on and nearby Amsterdam's main canal district (just recently named an UNESCO 'World Heritage Site'). I know it's not timely any more but I'm still proud of the few things I've gotten published - my blog so my prerogative to post things when I want ;)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">From Classical & Opera, August 2010<br /><br /></span>Four violas, four tubas, four baritone saxophones, two marimbas (with four players), eight cellos? Is Grachtenfestival 2010 partnering with Sesame Street’s Count von Count? No doubt the caped purple number-cruncher would be giddy over this programme, but festival organizers claim not to have enlisted his help in booking five groups that play up their identical instrumentation <span style="font-style: italic;">to the fore</span>.<br /><br />Though the over-arching theme this year is ‘Undercurrent’ – <span style=""> </span>which is defined by organisers as a reinterpretation of the musical status quo – several subsidiary themes lend a little more structure to the more than 150 performances and events. In the past, for example, the festival has featured ‘Voices in Residence’, a popular series presenting groups with shared vocal parts, at the Amstel Hotel. This year organizers decided to apply that same concept to the instrumental world and showcase it at a new festival venue, the Museum Werf ’t Kromhout.<br /><br />Concertgebouw tubaist Perry Hoogendijk formed the Amsterdam Tuba Quartet last year specifically for the Grachtenfestival and made quite a splash. Festival organizers jumped on this success for 2010. ‘That is indeed no coincidence,’ says Grachtenfestival spokesperson Ilonka van den Bercken. ‘The quartet series was deliberately set up because we thought it would be interesting to see what is possible.’<br /><br />The four homogeneous quartets include: the Zemtsov Family Viola Quartet, Amsterdam Tuba Quartet, the Four Baritones (saxophone) and a marimba quartet featuring famous Dutch percussionist Niels Meliefste. The Cello8ctet Amsterdam will perform separately in front of the Hotel Pulitzer, but even Big Bird would agree: they are like the others.<br /><br />Typically ensembles require a variety of instruments to cover the broad range of pitches and colours necessary for a balanced sound. But these groups are discovering how the right instrument can cover all the bases. ‘The baritone is the only sax in the family which has the advantage of the low register as well as the most beautiful upper register,’ says the Four Baritones co-founder Niels Bijl, being perhaps a little tongue-in-cheek.<br /><br />Not only are these groups transcending performance norms for their respective instruments; their mere existence has opened the door to all kinds of new compositions. ‘At our first concert people in the audience were so blown away by the quality of the ensemble that they immediately started writing for us,’ explains Bijl. ‘Within 48 hours we suddenly had an hour’s worth of extra repertoire, transcriptions ranging from Josquin des Prez to Led Zeppelin. That’s when we realised we were on to a good thing.’<br /><br />Cello8ctet Amsterdam has inspired similar creativity. Starting in 1989 with only two pieces on the books written for cello octets, they’ve since arranged and transcribed their way to an extensive catalog ranging from Argentine tangos to Philip Glass symphonies. In all, the group has debuted more than 70 works from 20th-century elite including Glass, Pierre Boulez and Arvo Pärt.<br /><br />Even with such an impressive library, the octet really thrives on stage because of its ‘collective’ mentality. Member Stephan Heber explains there is ‘slightly more competitiveness than in a mixed-instrument ensemble; we all know the instrument so well and what the others are capable of. But moving past the initial tension allows for greater potential: the cello can play all parts of an arrangement, so then we operate like a perfect team composed of imperfect individuals.’<br /><br />Their afternoon Grachtenfestival concert will feature mezzo-soprano Karin Strobos and spirited 20th-century dances from Argentina’s tango master Astor Piazzolla and Spanish classicist Manuel de Falla. There may not be much room for actual dancing, as the group performs <span style="font-style: italic;">op de pontoon</span>, but don’t be surprised to see more demonstrations of the cello’s versatility if the seas get rough.<br /><br />‘It’s probably the most expensive, ineffective boat you can imagine,’ says octet manager Brendan Walsh. That’s eight ruined cellos. Ah, ah, ah.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-79785453363846304582010-08-29T07:35:00.000-07:002010-08-29T08:16:44.537-07:00Where have you gone, Zommer?<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIharrdi8pAv5Pkv3rIPKZyLlnwIVCzkgvmytaXYqQkmiMcC6_IpWoqpetzv4BjAG5Tv2RFZY64a6j0ZRxLDfhqV2_B9sefREW-S-BfIKfYGjfIk_i9YP_M0jIxZmJITM_0qaB8RlSi0o/s1600/dogblur.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIharrdi8pAv5Pkv3rIPKZyLlnwIVCzkgvmytaXYqQkmiMcC6_IpWoqpetzv4BjAG5Tv2RFZY64a6j0ZRxLDfhqV2_B9sefREW-S-BfIKfYGjfIk_i9YP_M0jIxZmJITM_0qaB8RlSi0o/s400/dogblur.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510849305811662610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Yet another wildly successful Google image search!</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">It seems like June, July and August have just been a blur. And a short one at that. It doesn't help that summers in the Netherlands never rise much above 80F - this year was no different - so though we had about a week of "heat", in that way it's almost as if the season never happened at all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Now as August is on its last legs, the weather oscillates between beautiful, sunny ('sparkly' as Katie likes to say) fall-like cool splendor and cloudy, cold and wet depression. But hey, that's Holland for you. I'll take the sparkly days I can get.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />A great many things have happened since I last wrote, weeks ago. One of the greatest, and the reason I'll be able to afford to stay in the Netherlands for at least a little while longer, is I was offered a full-time editor position at the Amsterdam magazine I've been interning at since April. I'd be lying if I said this hadn't been a far-off hope of mine - that they'd offer me something more serious - but things being as they are I wasn't really expecting anything beyond perhaps the opportunity to be a contributing writer. But here we are. And no offense to Nordstrom, but I'm really excited to add the job experience of 'intern-managing copy editor' to my resume. Look out, Boilen and Glass, I'll be knocking on your door soon enough.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">With that, here's a piece I wrote for the August issue's 'Worth Leaving Town For' section: </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />This month, the bantamweight town of Zeist – situated right outside of Utrecht, just a 45-kilometre jaunt from Amsterdam – transforms into a musical heavy-hitter. For two weeks, it is hosting scores of conservatory students and professional musicians who will perform in chamber music concerts for the public. The goal, according to artistic director Alexander Pavlovsky, is to open up the chamber and let in a fresh breeze. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">‘Many young people think that classical music is boring and depressing,’ says Pavlovsky. ‘But there are many lessons we can learn from classical music for our lives. We just have to find a way to bring them in and make them interested in what we do.’ </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Pavlovsky and organisers of the Stichting Zeister Muziekdagen, the foundation behind the festival, are bringing in a talented, youthful cadre of ensembles and packing the programme with a nice variety of composers, from Romanian folk dances to jazz-inspired preludes. Reduced ticket prices for anyone under the age of 28 won’t hurt either.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Although chamber music is often a string-heavy genre, Pavlovsky has invited several players of stringless instruments to perform. Clarinettist Paul Meyer will join the Warsaw-based Szymanowski Quartet for a Brahms clarinet feature, for example. Pianist Robert Kulek signs on with Pavlovsky’s own Jerusalem Quartet for Schumann’s ‘Piano Quintet in E flat’; and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw’s oboist Alexei Ogrintchouk will perform on the ‘Fantasy Quartet’ by Benjamin Britten and the ‘Oboe Quartet in F’ by Mozart.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />The Szymanowski Quartet will also bow in with lively pieces by Haydn and Mendelssohn, adding a contemporary flourish to the bill with works from Argentinean tango composer Astor Piazzolla and the group’s Polish namesake: composer Karol Szymanowski – both from the early 20th century.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />‘It’s our responsibility to play the current music to see what’s good, interesting,’ said Grzegorz Kotów, one of Szymanowski’s two violinists, ‘and then show the audience there’s something new to discover.’</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />Pavlovsky and friends haven’t neglected very young patrons, either. The Dutch Matangi Quartet, known for its genre-blending crossover projects, should cater to the kiddies (the programme notes indicate it’s good for age six and under) performing Claude Debussy’s lyrical ‘Children’s Corner’ suite. They’ve made their efforts transparent: they want to prove that chamber music can be as entertaining and attractive as any genre, to any audience. </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />Although it dates back to medieval times, the back-and-forth, intimately collaborative nature of chamber performance keeps it very current, says Kotów. ‘It is really a mirror of our lives,’ he says. ‘In a quartet, four living people are sitting there playing music, and they are discussing, talking with each other.’</span></span>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-51890693089875339792010-07-06T12:22:00.000-07:002010-07-10T01:20:32.701-07:00Profilific<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mSPXXKzP9zggRX-fg24Fpq8IWxBIT2KMcOYebDUtbwJz35Qf46X3hvI-nO9_u9KWvmmWYvuvvpJGNxhLmqD-FN3_LC1LZty2KdrXw-NQ96yUu9TJ5Wv-j9QhdfH151tN4EoOwg56iuZV/s1600/murphys.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 352px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mSPXXKzP9zggRX-fg24Fpq8IWxBIT2KMcOYebDUtbwJz35Qf46X3hvI-nO9_u9KWvmmWYvuvvpJGNxhLmqD-FN3_LC1LZty2KdrXw-NQ96yUu9TJ5Wv-j9QhdfH151tN4EoOwg56iuZV/s400/murphys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490880450058756082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A delicious not-Dutch beer
<br /></span></div><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CTim%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">My 'Profile Writing' assignment for class:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;">
<br /></p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CTim%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Georgia; panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">He was already seated by himself in a quiet bar, in the striking inverse shadow of a lit-up <st1:place st="on">St.</st1:place> Jan’s Cathedral. ‘The Rode Pimpernel’ is not a premiere night spot in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. But like his home town of <st1:city st="on">Kerkrade</st1:city>, <st1:place st="on">Limburg</st1:place>, the faces here are familiar and the not-Dutch beer is very, very good. It’s the only place that serves Murphy’s Irish Red <i style="">op de tap. </i>
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">When choosing our interview spot, the 25-year old <st1:place st="on">Limburg</st1:place> native simply texted, ‘meet u at the pub, 21.30?’ We’ve been to a number of bars in the city, yet I knew exactly where we were going to meet. This is his place.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">His head full of spikey, dark brown hair was bent over a black laptop computer. Atop his bright orange t-shirt emblazoned with a company name, the computer’s supplier, he looked like an absurd PEZ dispenser. A strange description, but not quite so much as his action here: working outside of office hours. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The Dutch are supposedly known for keeping their 40-hour work week well in check. He may be an exception, but perhaps working late is how to keep a decent job in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Holland</st1:place></st1:city> these days. ‘It’s a big shift for me to have a job that’s actually a bit challenging, that takes up some time,’ he says, comparing his current work with the temporary positions he held back in the languishing <st1:place st="on">Limburg</st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Dutch Limburg has been experiencing both significant ‘brain-drain’ and ‘<i style="">ont groening;’ </i>both educated individuals and not necessarily educated youth are all leaving the province. He is part of the former. He loves where he’s from – he just couldn’t get going there economically. The Dutch government is neglectful, and the Dutch public, disrespectful. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">His old apartment was ten minutes from <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Now he lives in Nord Brabant, where few, if any, consider his home part of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Holland</st1:place></st1:city>. What’s a person from <st1:place st="on">Limburg</st1:place>? A Belgian who thinks he can speak German. Given negative regional stereotypes, this is not exactly complimentary. Despite what everyone thinks about their beer.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Not directly harmful, <st1:place st="on">Limburg</st1:place> jokes evince a deeper lack of respect for the governed province. Many revolve around the coal mining that features in its economy, along with gravel and peat. Limburgians mined, North-Hollanders owned the mines. You do the math. But the low, low-landers are having their voices heard louder than ever, as <st1:place st="on">Limburg</st1:place> native and Dutch Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders has been on a fast break in recent Dutch elections. ‘That’s a result of having a province where there are a lot of people without jobs,’ he says. ‘They’re not satisfied with what’s going on. They’ll just latch on to the first demagogue who offers them a solution.’ But so far the offer is just words. In Dutch.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">At home he speaks a dialect, a mixture between Dutch and German, almost unintelligible to either. ‘Dutch started as a dialect of German and what we speak is still stuck at that phase of being somewhere in between the two,’ he humbly explains. From social interactions prior to this interview, I actually thought he was German. ‘Many people do,’ he jokes, still with an air of pride. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Members of each town have their own version of dialect, changing about every ten minutes by car. Locals can detect slight differences from around the province but he feels a special kinship regardless, as long as you’re speaking the language. ‘Even if you’re being pulled over by the police - if they speak dialect and you do, you’re probably fine,’ he says. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Dialect may not be as strong a unifier as ideology a divider, he observes. ‘For every Dutch-German marriage - two people that met in a bar or club on either side of the border - there’s been huge fights, almost like battlefields between young Dutch Socialists and Germans on the Right. But Limburg has Neo-Nazis as well as <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> does.’ The re-emergence of <st1:place st="on">Limburg</st1:place> as an international gateway location has only helped fuel these interactions as such groups routinely cross each other’s borders in search of drugs and paraphernalia.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">But he still regularly visits his hometown. The warmth of his boyish face is genuine as he describes it, for better or worse. ‘It’s where I grew up. It’s where my family has been for a long time. It’s nice to speak dialect with people who have spoken it from birth, and not be mocked by people who happen to overhear you.’ The waitress brings him another Murphy’s. He shoots her a wide and true grin and he thanks her, in proper Dutch.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;">
<br /></p><p face="georgia" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p face="georgia" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CTim%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-19537173697644441442010-07-05T03:59:00.000-07:002010-07-05T04:11:58.532-07:00Gaga Redux, WP-style<span style="font-family: georgia;">My mother just sent me </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/01/AR2010070107260.html">this article </a><span style="font-family: georgia;">from the Washington Post about our dear highness, Lady Gaga. I really like the article, mostly because I think Robin and I are pretty much in agreement. An outfit describer after my own heart, Robin really gets after the costume concept and makes a mountain out of the obvious comparison between Gaga and Madonna. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">All well and good, except I don't remember hearing Gaga refer to herself as an 'icon.' Givhan references Oprah pretty much bestowing icon status on the Lady that gets blasted for the rest of the article. But where is the attack on Oprah, icon-status bestower? Givhan acknowledges that Gaga is exactly what she set out to be - a pop superstar with shocking fashion - and nothing more. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">The thing is, I really don't see a lot of people looking to her as a fashion icon. Madonna's looks were attainable and so girls copied her. Gaga's 'Thanksgiving parade float?' Not so much ready for the streets. And people love that she's just a spectacle. No one really cares to get their style tips from her. They just enjoy being thoroughly entertained.</span>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-74257838265204887902010-07-05T01:10:00.001-07:002010-07-05T02:23:24.164-07:00Fireworks?<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEwHG5rdg3_hUI0SJDmV09C_8BK5mB31uB-bTkGKTyza03D5wRWCtCEYyFJl4WXnCMtSSCtjJTJupv7GZ40eNcxhFbAQPipKOAQYdwlgK6OuKwqWYPwdXoexfBKxCBtT9BZrFcFe7LGA0/s1600/blackkeys1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEwHG5rdg3_hUI0SJDmV09C_8BK5mB31uB-bTkGKTyza03D5wRWCtCEYyFJl4WXnCMtSSCtjJTJupv7GZ40eNcxhFbAQPipKOAQYdwlgK6OuKwqWYPwdXoexfBKxCBtT9BZrFcFe7LGA0/s400/blackkeys1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490331604735231890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Dan's hair was a little shorter<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >Happy Belated 4th of July! The holiday still means a lot to me, but I'll be honest, the day loses a lot of its charm and excitement when no one else around is involved with the celebrating. Like drinking alone. Besides spending the entire day relaxing on the couch with Katie and Season 4 of Dexter, a highlight was chatting with one of my best friends who is currently serving in Afghanistan. Through the Facebook. God bless technology, right? He wasn't in the field yet so had an opportunity to spend some time in an internet cafe on base, across from a TGIFridays. Sounds like a hard life. We didn't talk for very long, just some quick blurbs about this and that. But it was a little surreal to feel connection with him at the 'front', actually in the war. He wasn't doing anything special for yesterday, just getting on the road in/to Kandahar, I believe. </span><span style="font-size:130%;">He seemed nonchalant, just business-as-usual. It was both calming and frightening. I can't imagine going in to work in the desert in a humvee, in violent hostility. But I'm not him. It's not my job and it's not my war. I pray for him and the others. We wished each other a happy 4th, and happy Canada Day, and that was it.<br /><br />A week ago - better late than never - Katie and I went to the city of Nijmegen, the Netherlands, for a second week of Summer concert festival. Previously it was 'Dirty Dutch vs. The World' dance-stravaganza (blogged it a couple posts ago) and this time it was </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >'Rockin' Park'</span><span style="font-size:130%;">, a Sunday full of concerts. A couple big names: Ben Harper, Stereophonics, Rise Against, a little band out of Seattle named Pearl Jam. But we went for The Black Keys.<br /><br />'I didn't realize how nerdy they are!' was Katie's first response to seeing Dan and Patrick walk out on stage. They were pretty signature: Mr. Auerbach in a western-check oxford shirt and Mr. Carney in a tiny vintage 'Ohio State Nat'l Champs' tshirt. And glasses. Yes, they looked a little nerdy. But nerds harbor some of the most angst in society. And nerdy angst is like lighter fluid for guitars and drums. These guys have been on fire for several years delivering soul-deadening blues-rock to the underground masses, though the world finally began to like them about a year ago. It's always bittersweet when a beautiful lesser-known group blows up but, greedily, I love that I could see them play in Holland.<br /><br />The show was perfect. Their set lasted for an hour in the early afternoon of an unusually hot Dutch day. Everyone was already pretty dirty and sweaty, which is probably why folks didn't bunch up close to the stage like at the previous week's dance fest. It was nice to have space to rock out, mere feet from Mr. Auerbach himself doing the same. But the heat and grit went perfectly with their industrialized blues. Theirs is not a clean music, musically. And not necessarily fast. Katie remarked 'It's the kind of music you want to dance to somehow, but you just can't.' You can only bounce, juke and nod your head.<br /><br />Theirs is the great-great-great grandchild of the Devil's music. Inspired by Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Junior Kimbrough and the like: the soul of gospel with the driving repetition of slave songs and the profound hurt of love gone bad; The Black Keys electrify the sounds of their founding blues fathers in a simple yet full way that just makes your soul heavy. Which happens to be the name of one of their songs.<br /><br />They played a great mixed set, opening with half a dozen tracks from various albums. Later they were joined by a keyboardist and bass player to run down some tracks from their latest, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Brothers</span><span style="font-size:130%;">, then closed out with another half-dozen with just the pair again. No encore, no stupid dialogue with the crowd, just filling up the whole hour with as much rock as possible. Later, from the beer table we saluted them, souls on the floor.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span></div></div>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-49995906592852311292010-06-25T00:49:00.000-07:002010-06-25T01:37:09.997-07:00Gaga recap<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bmGTlopjHfYsj8cA_Y69XiC_tvQiRypHP8Ty5gA-oWI8sYFhz0YE6G7Q8Qzgp96RY8j7akNyGe-9D6pnZJqZNt_dz2vDBmunUC4Be4BpvUwqEsIhGueXbtYVYtbWkkCQch8956Dblw9H/s1600/gagabadro.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bmGTlopjHfYsj8cA_Y69XiC_tvQiRypHP8Ty5gA-oWI8sYFhz0YE6G7Q8Qzgp96RY8j7akNyGe-9D6pnZJqZNt_dz2vDBmunUC4Be4BpvUwqEsIhGueXbtYVYtbWkkCQch8956Dblw9H/s400/gagabadro.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486616967731388786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Gyroscope! I knew I forgot an abstract descriptor!</span>
<br /></div><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >
<br />My assignment for 'review writing':
<br />
<br /></span><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link style="font-family: georgia;" rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CTim%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"></o:smarttagtype></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">‘What do you need me for? There are enough blonde wigs and tight skirts here to make plenty of Gagas!’ Melodramatic self-effacing is part of her paradoxical charm. By now she has concocted the perfect formula for pure, unadulterated pop fame but allows only her flamboyant faux nouveau costuming and mega vixen stage presence to convey her celebrity. She is quiet and shy in interviews but she is a diva.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">She is the czaress of pop. This was no concert; this was a coronation. Her purple bus driver’s hat and enormous-shouldered purple blazer in the opening set enhanced her royal-militant image as reigning pop dictator. She does not offer you her sexy lyrics and Lycra; she demands you ingest them and come back for lip-smacking seconds and thirds. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">And she brought a camp cast to help with the force-feeding. ‘Posh,’ a rippling black Adonis with a glam loincloth lead a troupe of choreographed followers: backing her, in awe of her. They are her fan-friends; what we all aspire to be - just with impossible bodies and actual dance ability.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">On their way to the Monster Ball, a tornado ripped the group asunder and there is Gaga, alone, before an unadorned black grand piano. With a costume of just a square PVC foot, she was similarly black and unadorned. Suddenly, a truly beautiful thing happened: she began lightly fingering the instrument and eventually bled into her heart-broken ballad ‘Speechless,’ minus the synth-fluff. The result was also black and unadorned. And it was beautifully powerful. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">For all her pop pomp and electro-sex circumstance, Gaga has maintained her <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">NYU</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Tisch</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">School</st1:placetype></st1:place> musical chops. Her shrill voice soared above the masterfully tickled ivories. Before we were entertained; now we were hers. Now, we wanted her bad, her bad romance.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The audience knew when it was finally time. There would be no encore, only finale. They began to chant the song’s opening lines. Then from the electric darkness, the full glory of the ‘electro-pop orchestra’ shone upon us: ‘Bad Romance’ blasted the arena with full-frontal pop power. The arena shook with every pounding chorus of the super-song. It was like every little monster present had forgotten then simultaneously remembered how good the song truly is. And no one could command such an army like her. We needed Lady Gaga. </span></p>
<br />Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-87356881223675078242010-06-22T14:57:00.000-07:002010-06-22T15:09:41.064-07:00Classy<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fR0mDyzfBx20aa6HrhOZbePofZp1JrdvfT7uzaTX_wfEMZkDS87QGORJ8mASQ8p_Jf0b-i0O8QWvpmjrvIalJDuLJDNOPGWCRijA-hTkozh47houghBPx6uW4LfQVXnTukdT7a2ruQ8H/s1600/cultural+journalism.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fR0mDyzfBx20aa6HrhOZbePofZp1JrdvfT7uzaTX_wfEMZkDS87QGORJ8mASQ8p_Jf0b-i0O8QWvpmjrvIalJDuLJDNOPGWCRijA-hTkozh47houghBPx6uW4LfQVXnTukdT7a2ruQ8H/s400/cultural+journalism.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485722759691545666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Relevance? No, this is just what came up from a Google Image search for 'cultural journalism.'
<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br />For the past five weeks I've been taking a class offered through the magazine I'm interning at. The course title is 'cultural journalism.' Each week we've had a different assignment: interviewing, profiling, reviewing, etc. While I'm working on the write ups of the past month's travels I'm going to go ahead and put up the pieces I wrote for each week's assignment.
<br />
<br />Preview writing:
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<br /></span><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CTim%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CTim%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Plenty are outside enjoying the sunlit patio, lounging through the late afternoon. But down the spiraled steps, the cool, dark inner chamber of Den Bosche’s Plein 79 is noticeably quiet and uninhabited, by comparison. An expansive wooden stage and raised bar flank the room and give the distinct impression that quiet is absolutely not something one comes to this place to experience. Like the basement recording studios of Motown, these ancient walls - the basement of one of the city’s oldest buildings, <i style="">D’Morrian, </i>dates back to the 14<sup>th</sup> century - actively reverb from years of acoustic bombardment. It is a lively yet contained darkness, ready for its next coating of sound.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">When <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">South Africa</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s own <i style="">BOO! </i>band blows into town at the end of August, Plein 79 will be anything but quiet. Musically self-described as ‘monki-punk,’ this trio’s mix of bopping horns, slapping bass and high-pitched yipping admittedly has a raucous, jungle fever-type vibe at times. But the details in their songs - delicately timed bell tinkling, multiple melodic section changes and whimsically harmonized vocals - prove they are far beyond primitive bush people. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The closest genre umbrella is the horn-heavy ‘ska,’ which is basically fast and angry reggae. BOO!’s sound has that feel on the surface but often deviates with slower tempos, actual melodic lines and just few absurd interludes. Lyrics are simple but catchy: ‘<i style="">You’re my wishboan, you’re my shooting star, walk with me’ </i>evokes a bit sweeter imagery than your typical punks. Then blaring trombone, thrashing percussion and grand synthesized keyboards drag you back to thoughtless irreverence. <i style=""><span style=""> </span></i></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Before disbanding in 2004 BOO! had racked up an impressive seven albums with roughly 800 gigs, spanning 17 countries and 14 states in the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">USA</st1:country-region></st1:place>. Some might think such numbers are paltry for a career that lasted all of seven years, but fear not: these boys know how to work the stage after performing with the likes of hulking headliners The White Stripes, Slipknot and Franz Ferdinand. They were even recognized by their mother country with the South African Music Award (SAMA) for ‘Best Pop Album’ in 2002.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">What better for the continued celebration of the group’s February 2010 reformation then, than the packed intimacy of Plein 79? The close proximity of the stage and backyard barn proportions should be perfect for a truly interactive band-to-audience experience. Expect clapping. Expect dancing. Expect ‘boo’-ing.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Creative head and featured electric bass player (read: ‘slapper’) Chris ‘Miss’ Chameleon will undoubtedly receive the most admiring ‘boos’ with his trademark cross-dressing and powerful voice that can go from soulful croon to inspired wail as if with the turn of a dial. Chameleon took some time after the band’s break to pursue a solo career, so be prepared for a fully fresh take the old body of work as well as completely new cuts from their upcoming album release: <i style="">The Three of Us. </i>Doubtless it will celebrate the renewed creative energy of the band’s reunification. Doubtless it will be loud.</span> </p> Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-43190259904930880132010-06-21T05:29:00.001-07:002010-06-21T06:13:35.716-07:00And then a month went by<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xLmPg8cxQ1YeoBkCtSLOd920fw_iBTVIF9sOJhg1qT3kKI0v6znUEEKfSuwN5DvogzuI-ga9RVj1JA69axWOJn_lVCWnjnSs1DVJ5w38Wd1jvHp1BuFXDVUfnkuoznoFQ5hKmbpQii1W/s1600/dirtydutch2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xLmPg8cxQ1YeoBkCtSLOd920fw_iBTVIF9sOJhg1qT3kKI0v6znUEEKfSuwN5DvogzuI-ga9RVj1JA69axWOJn_lVCWnjnSs1DVJ5w38Wd1jvHp1BuFXDVUfnkuoznoFQ5hKmbpQii1W/s400/dirtydutch2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485203914811308466" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">A month ago I started a whirlwind of concerts, traveling, and family time. Probably the most active start of a summer as I've ever experienced. Multiple countries, multiple states, multiple adventures. There is quite a bit to write about so for the sake of ease of reading/writing I'll just do one event/trip per post for the next couple days to make up for this month-long post drought.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">First up: Dirty Dutch vs. The World 2010, Almere, The Netherlands, 19/6<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;">This annual dance festival has moved around the country in previous years, but this edition occurred on a beach located about an hour north of Den Bosch by train. As we're approaching the longest day of the year we were planning to dance the night away in warm comfort and calming wake. Of course, Holland was Holland and it rained off-and-on all day, and got pretty chilly as the sun sank (not completely dark until about 22.00).</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">The festival featured several DJ stages with large wooden dance floors covering the sand.<br /><br />This was probably for the best considering Dutch concertgoers don't really understand the concept of garbage cans. Plastic cups, frites cones and little bottles that once contained shots of neon pink energy-booze (called <span style="font-style: italic;">Flugel) </span>carpeted the joints.<br /><br />Over the course of the day we ventured from stage to stage and back, stopping periodically for a drink or a </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >broodje</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">. Though I enjoyed the various DJ sets, none were particularly memorable. Just plenty of good beats to move to. </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />One objective was to be in a decent spot under the event's main stage tent for famous DJ David Guetta and a surprise appearance by the hip-hop collective N.E.R.D. The latter weren't even on the program we got at the entrance but had been just recently added to the website, so we were pumped. As it got closer to the time for both of those performances we inched our way closer to the middle of what had become a tightly-packed, tent-covered mass of humanity.<br /><br />I was reminded of the bars from Carnaval; people didn't really value personal space here. It wasn't the ideal situation for being able to dance. And people were continually trying to push through the group, often with sloshing drinks, even though it didn't ever seem there was room for them to do so. At one point we were behind what appeared to be a gang of overgrown druglords. They did not move when other people pushed in to move past them so the movers were deflected at us. We decided to push-out ourselves before the inevitable electrical fire and mass-hysteria trampling. Guetta had started performing by this point and it was just no fun not being able to dance along.<br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />We found quite a bit more floorspace at the rear of the tent. Guetta played out his hour-and-a-half-long set with masterfully mixed tracks and a number from his latest album, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >One Love.</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> They were a bit more melodic and sample-based than most of what we'd been listening to so I thought it was a bit more entertaining to dance along with. Afterward we went back out to the smaller stages for even more dancing room and fresh air. We found both, as well as a beautiful, albeit cloudy, sunset.</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOd1lhhoS3iUnEifbN-gKJ884-GouO00xz8jJg9PjaxXgR5_X2plx5aVn87sTAq73XIyh6avQUwXjtQNSoikYsDnb7bvsKxPERsaqXh87VTt__MLduT63JBjdh4YF8ok1nNIxrNUiXPbb/s1600/Dirtydutch1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOd1lhhoS3iUnEifbN-gKJ884-GouO00xz8jJg9PjaxXgR5_X2plx5aVn87sTAq73XIyh6avQUwXjtQNSoikYsDnb7bvsKxPERsaqXh87VTt__MLduT63JBjdh4YF8ok1nNIxrNUiXPbb/s400/Dirtydutch1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485203455611146258" border="0" /></a>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-91048837065796273232010-05-16T05:50:00.000-07:002010-05-16T06:25:07.500-07:00That boy is a monster<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK58UhLDnAnnwQGF9lc7_AOItUHGlNmjmh4WcCgg6skcdTNZ9nmXlIEUsZetnc01kTJEXY1y_kY0Yl6AA6c3Op4D4bD5N4zF-xuZbGRJRH1hgcYpZLfSGwlw36eiNxrekd6vb9itwKsk6-/s1600/GAGApvc.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 381px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK58UhLDnAnnwQGF9lc7_AOItUHGlNmjmh4WcCgg6skcdTNZ9nmXlIEUsZetnc01kTJEXY1y_kY0Yl6AA6c3Op4D4bD5N4zF-xuZbGRJRH1hgcYpZLfSGwlw36eiNxrekd6vb9itwKsk6-/s400/GAGApvc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471855281283792466" border="0" /></a>
<br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CTim%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Dear Lady Gaga,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Katie and I are going to see you in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Paris</st1:place></st1:city> next weekend. Long story but we were originally going to see you for a surprise Christmas present in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Chicago</st1:place></st1:city>. Things didn’t quite work out but while sorting through that situation a good friend checked your tour dates and casually suggested we see you in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Paris</st1:place></st1:city> instead. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Paris</st1:place></st1:city> is just a few hours’ train ride away from here. Aces.
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">When researching your tour dates and locations, I came across a press release that closely followed the release of <i style="">Fame Monster</i> album. You referenced the tour and described it as the world’s first “pop-electro opera.” We couldn’t be more excited to find out exactly what that means. You also said you expect all your guests to dress accordingly. A request from the artist to come in costume? YES PLEASE.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Weeks passed as we discussed the options for what kind of attire would be appropriate for her Gaga-ness. From the opera theme and our love for opulent evening wear, we initially thought some kind of vintage Victorian ball-wear would be good. Of course, we should also be zombies. Another idea we developed along the way: Space Vampires. Why? They’re sexy, glittery, and a wonderful negation of the Twilight series.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Your songs and costumes are all about exploiting as much pop-fluff as humanly possible; How far can you push the established trends of entertainment’s erotic bubblegum with lyrics and lycra (or the lack thereof)? We wanted to tap into this irreverent poppiness and still be comfortable jostling about a crowded concert venue. Space Vampires still works as a theme. But how do we achieve it? And on a budget?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">As you can imagine there aren’t too many costume retailers in Den Bosch, the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Netherlands</st1:place></st1:country-region>. There are sneaker shops and posh furniture boutiques aplenty, but we needed to get outside the city’s fortified walls for this. A virtual survey of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city> gave us a number of options, including some vintage shops and a pair of serious-looking costume joints.
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">We decided to check out Alternatief Kostuum on <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city>’s north side. They do rentals by outfit or individual piece, key if you want something ridiculous to wear once and not worry about throwing away later or taking home on a plane. We found them to have an entertaining array of costume elements organized by decade and theme, making things fairly easy to navigate. Naturally, we went straight for the 80s.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">You should know that ‘Space Vampires’ was just a thematic idea we had. Neither of us really knew what they should look like in person. I imagine some kind of cross between David Bowie in Labyrinth and the alien villains from Superman II.
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJE3DeDvpfISMZpvc0q9qgTX9S3CM8gKOjC2Hqvop7gwzbayX_9y4zPyANHSZkQIUG9uxMuVdfHbUJfZY84vW3DsDg4HenkMdi6Qv_0VciWLZ04lc6orDUULoO8NIAaubNzWL7MdSiZCI/s1600/jareth.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 307px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJE3DeDvpfISMZpvc0q9qgTX9S3CM8gKOjC2Hqvop7gwzbayX_9y4zPyANHSZkQIUG9uxMuVdfHbUJfZY84vW3DsDg4HenkMdi6Qv_0VciWLZ04lc6orDUULoO8NIAaubNzWL7MdSiZCI/s400/jareth.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471856108349555746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">+</span></span>
<br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUmjpNquS81jOWEDMf-Sqp0Zg35TuCYAFuOru8ZBqHoDxAQot58IrZ7QR1eXimbVO5d3zkBj0LwHo_qZOHgeDfWoV3i315kw0jcHPKT6BUcamYJxP2t3K5BQMJ9NchHSM9CKxBdOWB_1U/s1600/SII+villains.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUmjpNquS81jOWEDMf-Sqp0Zg35TuCYAFuOru8ZBqHoDxAQot58IrZ7QR1eXimbVO5d3zkBj0LwHo_qZOHgeDfWoV3i315kw0jcHPKT6BUcamYJxP2t3K5BQMJ9NchHSM9CKxBdOWB_1U/s400/SII+villains.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471856209288130994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br />Seeing lots of Michael Jackson jackets and glittery jumpsuits didn’t exactly help our lack of specific vision. After some frustrating minutes we found a couple of solid items to build around. </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">When we get all the pieces together pictures will follow. For now: Katie found this incredible…thing, that I can only describe as a star-points torso-wrap. Silver and glittery, it goes behind the head, in front of the shoulders, then under the arms and connects across the back. It gives the dazzling effect of halo, popped collar, and planetary radiance, all at once. It was a must have. To complement the piece she found a shimmery dark silver Marilyn Monroe-esque top. It’s a killer combo. She plans to top things off with a creative up-do and pencil some colorful angles and shapes onto her face. Oh, and of course there will be vampire fangs.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I found a tight sleeveless top that looks kind of like it came from the <i style="">Tron </i>costume bin. There are thick black bars of black and silver, and the jury is out on the intended gender. It’s quite marvelous. We also found a black leather jacket full of hardware with a tall collar. The shirt is definitely spacey, and the jacket gives off more of a modern Vampire (think Kate Beckinsale’s pvc duster in <i style="">Underworld</i>) punk-toughness than your typical stateliness. Trust me, it works. To complete my look we decided some black jeans, bright converse hi-tops, and ridiculous shades would all go nicely. Yes, my mom did try to convert me from black sweatpants to jeans in elementary school and I resisted. Now I live in my <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Levis</st1:place></st1:city>. Full circle and all that I guess.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Vampire fangs: We didn’t want your typical “mouth guard” style of plastic teeth. No, we and the costumes deserve better. We found another costume shop basically around the corner from the Anne Frank House. This place was loaded with makeup, masks, props, and hats. And fortunately for us, some rather real-looking vampire fangs. Individual caps that go over your canines. Complete with dental-grade putty for achieving a flawless fit. Now we’re talking. These things look downright vicious.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Also at the shop we picked up sparkly black tights and elbow-length gloves for the Space Vampiress, and some turquoise metallic Kanye shades for me. One can never have too many pairs of sparkly black tights. And fake blood. We knew we were in the right place when the nice-enough-but-still-pretty-nerdy clerk explained the different ways you could apply the stuff based on his personal use of the same product. He also reference different blood products I could choose from depending on the type of blood effect I was going for. Experience makes a great salesperson, and real-life fantasy role-player. I love it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city> took care of us yesterday, even though everything is only open until 6. We’re starting to understand the curving streets that change name as you go across canals. What makes less sense is the continuing standoff between the city and its sanitation workers. Not the cleanest of cities to begin with, the ‘<st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Venice</st1:place></st1:city> of the North’ has gotten simply rotten over the past couple of weeks. There are piles of trash throughout the city that just keep getting bigger. Not so in Den Bosch. Glad we could come back to our own clean, quiet little city for the evening. And blast <i style="">Alejandro.</i> One week and counting, your highness, until we join you for a monstrous evening.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;">
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<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Your loyal little monsters,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" face="georgia"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" face="georgia"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Tim and Katie</span></p> Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-74950216774361948482010-05-13T04:33:00.000-07:002010-05-13T04:37:03.178-07:00Asperges Maand!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.jiexutrading.com/admin/chanpin1/up_images/2009911103010.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 468px; height: 347px;" src="http://www.jiexutrading.com/admin/chanpin1/up_images/2009911103010.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CTim%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Updates:</span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Things are still going swimmingly at my magazine internship. I’m working in to the <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city> office thrice a week and enjoying getting a few more heavy writing responsibilities. Through some less-than-honorable experiences I learned the value of old-school fact checking. Now I’m on the straight and narrow, calling sources left and right. There’s been a little trial-by-fire but it’s good to have real experiences setting the tone for how the job needs to be done correctly.</span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">One of my latest projects was finding out about the “new” and “hip” aspects of the tattoo scene in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city>. After doing some background research I went out into the field and interviewed a number of local artists. It was a great experience as I fancy myself a strong people-person, but not necessarily a talented journalistic interviewer. It can be hard getting people to give you a colorful quote. Especially if English is not their first or primary language. But I learned and got better as I went. The folks I talked to were all terribly nice and interesting to get to know. Several offered coffee and invited me back for less official hanging out. Friendly, talented people all. If only they didn’t smoke so much. But everyone around here does, so I guess I can’t fault them.</span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Last Saturday was National Asparagus Day (Asperges Dag) in the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Netherlands</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Why? Not sure. Apparently May is National Asparagus Month. I guess Den Bosch was putting special emphasis on the vegetable that day. In the Markt there was a plethora of white asparagus, the larger, sun-deprived cousin of green asparagus. Known for its harder skin, more tender and bland flesh, the white often gets used in soup. Apparently the white color is achieved by packing extra soil around the base so little or no sunlight penetrates, thus preventing the plant from performing photosynthesis and turning green. The things remind me of the Bunnicula books we read in elementary school. But how does the vegetable grow without sunlight? Well, my friends, since the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Netherlands</st1:place></st1:country-region> is effectively one big delta most of its “reclaimed” (water pumped out) soil is full of juicy, delicious nitrates. Perfect for growing all kinds of good stuff. Like white asparagus. We bought a sizeable bundle of it and then ended up cooking this a few days ago:</span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gratin-of-White-Asparagus-358429">http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gratin-of-White-Asparagus-358429</a></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">I used crumbled croutons instead of bread crumbs and cilantro instead of parsley because, well, that’s what we had. And the grocery store didn’t seem to have bread crumbs for sale. Apparently <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Holland</st1:place></st1:city> is practically in the culinary stone age. Bread crumbs, people! </span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Bread crumbs are not the only major food element missing from Dutch grocery stores. I still have been unable to find a replacement for the staple of my diet over the past several years, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Hollanders love cheese and have plenty of pasta. They also exhibit a proclivity for creamy sauces and salads. How have they not discovered the Blue Box? It escapes me. Then again, they don’t but peanut butter and chocolate together either. What?! I’m sure they would go nuts for either combination with it put before them. I could probably make some serious dough establishing a trade deal for peanut butter M&Ms and the Blue Box. All I know is I’ll have more than a few boxes in my suitcase when I return from my <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> visit in a couple of weeks. More on that trip soon.</span></p> <span style="font-size:85%;">
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<br />Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-71596077968218187202010-04-25T04:56:00.000-07:002010-04-25T06:52:03.851-07:00Less Than Rainy Zaterdag<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZzO3w2xWs3OQSXun4g0Q0BCOsgj4TRX5Q4zgCZbGs7LJZr0oi4tJtqP4n0bBAu-bT3wxKA5B2v6qJVW2mx3UnZ-dJGKRpqTnXZHmNUCF2Wc0_9C1RLMvBJdUqx5eAuvtR11xBNKOfRwM/s1600/DSC_0814.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZzO3w2xWs3OQSXun4g0Q0BCOsgj4TRX5Q4zgCZbGs7LJZr0oi4tJtqP4n0bBAu-bT3wxKA5B2v6qJVW2mx3UnZ-dJGKRpqTnXZHmNUCF2Wc0_9C1RLMvBJdUqx5eAuvtR11xBNKOfRwM/s400/DSC_0814.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464043412038973106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">April has not been particularly rainy, as you can see. I couldn't be happier, but I suppose May may not be as lush as a result. Oh well. I'll take beautiful now.<br /><br />Things are heating up for Katie's area of her customer's project. She went in to work yesterday, Saturday. Believe it or not, being able to go and work in privacy seems to be good for her. So I didn't argue. Me, I went out to pick up some foodstuffs so we'd both be productive.<br /><br />We didn't need a lot but I wanted to go walk around the Markt anyway. 'Snacks' was on my list so I stopped at a booth we visited last week, a Greek, Dutch-residing man with various homemade breads and tapenades. Really marvelously fresh stuff. We chatted a little about the differences among home, travel, and vacation. I excitedly asked him about living in Greece and to my surprise he commented that going back there to see family is actually a little boring. He has family also in Russia, California, and the Netherlands. Those places are all more exciting for him to spend time visiting than his native Greece. No offense to my Virginia home but I understand his points.<br /><br />I paid the man and moved on to the grocery store. It was close to 5pm and the sun was just starting to take on that 'late afternoon' burnt gold hue. It was going to be a beautiful evening and I had plenty of time to get out with my camera after bringing home the groceries.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">I grabbed the camera and my current read and biked out to one of the filled-in, brick-walled bastions on the city's outer ring. I snapped a few shots and enjoyed some page-turning under a tree. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2235415&id=2400165&l=a5ef793af6">Here</a> is my Facebook album where I've been putting pictures from the Netherlands. They go from old to new.<br /></span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><br /></span>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608486889234414788.post-17660498166513421942010-04-20T09:24:00.000-07:002010-04-20T09:45:33.763-07:00Updates Galore<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CTim%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Here are a few updates on my new life in the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Netherlands</st1:place></st1:country-region>:</span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">1. On Mondays and Wednesdays I have been going to Ultimate Frisbee practice with some friends I was lucky enough to meet through my girlfriend’s work. My prior experience with the game was purely recreational and much less organized than this game. For Pete’s sake, there are warm-ups and drills!</span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"> The formalized game play was a little overwhelming at first, but I’ve been getting the hang of it. It’s been great to play a team sport again and the whole practice is a great workout. Since most of the other players are native Dutch the practices are also a good opportunity to try out my Rosetta Stone language skillz.</span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">2. I found a sports complex with a pool where I can swim fairly cheaply. Unfortunately the open hours are 7-9am and 12-1pm. Fortunately my current state of unemployment makes it pretty easy to fit these times into my schedule. But anyway, the pool is great. It’s not terribly crowded, which is great because they don’t put in lane lines during the open swim.
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<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Going at the 12-1 window has been cool because it’s kind of like a group practice. I’ve seen a lot of the same people there regularly – we all go for the whole hour – and we all are showering and changing at the same time. This has given me the opportunity to meet some more Dutch people, make friends and practice the language. I even got a haircut location recommendation from my latest friend.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">While learning something new is always exciting, it can also be humbling and frustrating. As much as I like playing Ultimate and learning new words for things, having a lot of new come at you at once can be altogether draining. Going to the pool has helped in that respect because swimming is something I already know how to do well (I’m no Olympian but years of training and coaching weren't in vain). Being able to go to the pool and be one of the more experienced and fast swimmers feels good. It’s OK to enjoy an ego boost to balance all the inexperienced newness. At least I think so.</span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">3. At the beginning of the month I started an unpaid internship with an excellent arts and culture magazine in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city>, written IN ENGLISH! <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city>, you say? Isn’t that on the other side of the country from Den Bosch? Yes, but it’s like traversing <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Maryland</st1:place></st1:state>.
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<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Most Dutch people, especially A’dam’ers, are used to a cross-town bike commute so the hour-long train ride it takes me to get there from Den Bosch earned me a couple of quizzical looks along the way. I don’t mind. It’s a far cry from the two trains + bus I had to take from <st1:city st="on">Chicago</st1:city> to <st1:place st="on">Skokie</st1:place> when I first worked at the Nordstrom’s there. This is a piece of cake. I got myself a discount train card (pays for itself after just a couple of uses) and the smooth ride is great for reading, writing and the occasional crossword puzzle.</span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">I’ve really enjoyed the internship thus far. Initially I was asked to come in once a week. Now they want to see me thrice. Progress! I’ve had the opportunity to do some nuts and bolts work for them but some bigger writing opportunities are looming on the horizon. In addition, I might get the chance to do a little photography! Though it isn’t exactly gainful employment, I really like the magazine and the service it provides to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Amsterdam</st1:place></st1:city> residents and tourists. I was told that in some instances interns get the opportunity for a paid position of sorts. That’s my goal.
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<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">4. Since I am still waiting to hear back from some part-time Den Bosch jobs I decided to use my recent birthday as an excuse to realize goal of learning to play guitar and become the third member of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVnBU3tIci8&feature=related">Black Keys</a>. Having no experience whatsoever I decided to start from the very beginning.
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<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Fortunately there is a small sales/repair shop at the end of our street and I found its sole proprietor to be helpful, friendly, and altogether cool. Having been a salesperson for a number of years I have a sense about selling personalities. This man is a musician and instrument repairman, not a seller. I figured I could trust him.
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<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">After making an initial visit to see options and prices I could compare against the online community, I decided to go back and pull the trigger on a folk/acoustic: Greg Bennett Design Samich D-5 with beautiful cherry-stained neck and sides. Of the guitars I tried it also made the biggest sound without sacrificing tone. If I’m going to play acoustic blues-rock some day that quality will come in handy.</span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">In just a week and a half of lessons with various YouTube instructors I’ve learned about 9 major and minor chords, the pentatonic scale, and how to pick out Ode to Joy and Let It Be. Slllloooooowwwllllyyy.</span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Learning an instrument is no foreign concept to me, but it’s definitely a different beast from piano, French horn and mellophone. I’ve noticed my fingers and hand get tired quicker than my lips, though it was many years ago that I first buzzed on a mouthpiece. Endurance should come with time and practice.
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<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">I’m definitely enjoying the process, and I need to because I’m not to the point yet where I can enjoy the sounds that are coming from the guitar. But I do like practicing, which is a sensation I don’t remember having earlier on in my musical career. Maybe that’s also just maturity talking.</span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">If you've made it this far, I appreciate your time and patience. I promise to write in smaller doses and more often to prevent the need for long comprehensive updates like this one.</span></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">I've added some more pictures to my Facebook album that you can also check out <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2235415&id=2400165&l=a5ef793af6">here</a>. For pictures of my visit to the Keukenhof, famous Dutch tulip garden, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2241642&id=2400165&l=a2f326712b">here</a> is the album.
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<br /></span></p> Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07424730909490796764noreply@blogger.com2