We celebrated New Year's Eve with my mother and brother (and his girl friend) in Koekange way out in Drenthe (in the east of The Netherlands). We expected a quiet evening but were in fact treated by the local farmers at the most and loudest bangs in my life :-)
The photographer Jeroen Kramer has done a "study" on how Arab men interact with each other and guess what? They are far more intimate then we Western guys are... :-)
One of my favorite writers and poets is Leo Vroman. Even now in his middle 90's he writes and makes jokes as usual. He is also a famous biologist in the USA, where he and his wife Tineke (whom is a character in many of his books). My favorite book so far: "Het carnarium". But now he has published his biography which as many ingredients to make it a sure winner. E.g. Vroman fled as a Jew the Netherlands before WWII to the Dutch Indies only to fall into the hands of the Japanese a little bit later...
Yesterday we had the last of the Xmas dinner series: with "the girls". We had an excellent dinner at The Grand (yes again...). Mother Mien is getting a new hip in April and she is already starting to worry about that. I guess that when it is done she forgot what the worry was all about :-)
After a quiet day we had dinner with No&Go and kids. I had prepared traditional fare with a modern touch (Lobster warp with cocktail sauce, Turkey burgers with cranberry sauce etc.)
While watching the Jane Mansfield DVD collection, I keep on thinking of her husband: Mickey Hargitay, former Mr Universe... I don't know why :-))
Last Thursday we had Christmas dinner with the funda team at The Grand. It was a great dinner, good food and even better company.
Detectives continue to search for as many as seven men suspected in the Sunday beating of Jean Rolland, 28, and Andrew Frost, 19, as more people voiced their support for the victims of the hate crime. The couple were leaving dinner at Frasher's Steakhouse near McDowell and Scottsdale roads when they were assaulted by a group of men shouting an anti-gay slur, police said
On secondlife my nick is Marque Renegade and usually I am wandering around in Amsterdam and surroundings. Funda is building its own ski hut fro our new years reception. It's almost finished.
We thanks to emule, I just got my hand on the ultimate Matt Bianco MP3 collection. With all my favorites but some new tracks as well.
So the funda offices are swamped with good intended "presents"... Here Joost is showing our latest addition :-)
OK I admit: I did photoshop it a little, just to make it even more tastier...
Is it Marijn or Josine van Dalsum, recovering of her cancer radiation therapy...?
After Savelberg, Bokkedoorns it was time for yet an other star restaurant: La Rive in Amsterdam. We had partridge which was unfortunately not more then reasonable...
Together with No & Go we celebrated today that we are twenty years together (and 5 years married) The Bokkedoorns prepared a wonderful meal and we received nice presents.
Adobe just made available the Photoshop CS3 beta preview. It has some very pretty amazing features like auto align and auto blending which I used to put Noelle and me finally right with the VCV statue at Nijenrode. A trick that would have been almost impossible and very time consuming with CS2. Look at the details and you will not be able to see that I blended Noelle into my picture... scary stuff! :-)))
With the new HP xw4400 Workstation with dualcore processor, two 21"screens and a wacom tablet (work)life is getting a lot easier - and faster!
The famous Dutch gay singer/composer Robert Long died yesterday. I immediately thought back of the time that I was 15 and a couple of friends and I went to Amsterdam for the night. Kees (Long's boyfriend of 18) was the driver and the car was a huge Mercedes (Longs')
I had to eat in three restaurants at a row today. First a perfect lunch at Henk Savelberg with Marianne whom I had worked with 15 years ago and who is now responsible for KPN communications. Then a light meal in the CasaBlanco then on a boat through the Amsterdam channels and last dinner at The Waag. When I crawled home (to) late that evening I could see any food anymore...
A new movie went in roulation today: Een beetje verliefd. (A little in Love)This is a sort of a sequal to "the schnitzel paradise" It could be a funny movie.
The Jabra bluetooth headset so I can listen to my Mp3s at work at pick up the phone when necessary.
Today I received the movie box of Louis de Funes which contains his best films other then Le gendarme de St. Tropez.
There were some pretty strange buildings being build in the Soviet period....
Thanks to emule I got my hand to the new Splintercell game Double agent. Luckely I have no social obligations this weekend so I can play as much as I want.
At the reception of my niece Henriette to celebrate her new company van der Pal Recruitment I came across my nephew Hans and Ruud. Here you see me in a picture with Ruud.
My new hero in soccer is called: Stein Huysegems.
Today, as always Santa Claus was visiting the funda Amsterdam office. Everyone got a present, a surprise and a poem. The black Peters were not that black at all this year... strange...
Jan Smit, Hollands favorite torch song singer started his own underwear line with C&A. He's on posters all over town. Dear Jan: please leave that sort of stuff to the professionals, like Troy (hmm...)
On December 4th the yearly Teddy Bear Auction will be held at Christies, London. Some of these guys have an estimated price of more then 20.000 pounds...
Trough the photo service of good old Albert Heijn I am trying to arrange cards to wish our friends and family a happy New Year. I am using this picture of Eddie and Me at Disney World, Magical Kingdom. I am anxious to see what they can make out of it....
Went to the new James Bond this morning with Eddie and Ingo. It is one of the best Bonds ever!
