Sometimes fun comes at the expense of comfort. Take high heels, for instance. Or roller coasters. Or eating a lot of pie. Or aspects of my weekend. On Sunday, Wouter and I went to see The New Pornographers play at Melkweg. The show was in the Oude Zaal (the Old Hall) which is the smallest [...]
Archive for May, 2010
Live: the New Pornographers @ Melkweg
Posted in Arts & Culture, Music, tagged live, live music, melkweg, music, show, the new pornographers on 28 May 2010 | 2 Comments »
IKEA has such power over me
Posted in Home, Shopping, tagged bookcase, books, bookshelf, cds, color, dvds, IKEA, living room, livingroom, makeover, spectrum, storage on 24 May 2010 | 2 Comments »
IKEA has such power over me! I am helpless in the face of that lovely blue and yellow giant! This power, combined with a quick lunch of Swedish meatballs, an understanding boyfriend, his understanding parents’ station wagon… you have just the right ingredients for a little livingroom makeover. It wasn’t a completely gratuitous makeover: the [...]
Taste of Wisconsin: Mac ‘n Cheese
Posted in Cultural Differences, Dining, Home, tagged cheese, cooking, dairy, eats, food, homemade, mac 'n cheese, macaroni, macaroni and cheese, pasta, Wisconsin on 22 May 2010 | 2 Comments »
I live a healthier life-style here in the Netherlands, hands down. I eat smaller portions. I eat out less. I go grocery shopping everyday and eat fresher meats, fruits, vegetables. I cycle more. But that doesn’t mean that sometimes… every once in a while… now and then… I don’t have a deep-seated urge for something [...]
Dutch Design: Tas-ka
Posted in Arts & Culture, Design, Shopping, tagged art, den haag, design, Dutch design, fabric, home, house, Tas-ka, the hague on 19 May 2010 | Leave a Comment »
I’m totally taken with the work of Dutch design duo Jantien Baas and Hester Worst. Their studio, Tas-ka, is based out of the Hauge and their work is based on the theme “House.” Perhaps it’s no wonder I’m into Tas-ka– House and Home have been on my mind of late as I begin to put [...]
Dirty dirty Amsterdam
Posted in Adventures, Bureaucracy, Neighborhood, Sights, tagged amsterdam, filth, garbage, strike, trash on 17 May 2010 | Leave a Comment »
On Queen’s Day (April 30th) the municipal waste removal workers in in the Netherlands went on strike in Amsterdam and Utrecht. Their demand? A contract (they’ve gone a year without one) and a 1.5% pay raise (basically a cost of living increase). The strike was originally supposed to last for 24 hours– just long enough [...]
Giro d’Italia in Amsterdam… Andiamo, andiamo!
Posted in Adventures, Neighborhood, Sights, Sport, tagged amsterdam, bicycle, bike, cycling, giro, giro d'italia, grand, grand tour, grandtour, italy, pro cycling, pro tour, professional cycling, protour, race, sport, tour, UCI, zuidas on 11 May 2010 | 1 Comment »
It is amazing how much stuff there is to do when one lives in a world-class city. Sure, no matter the size of the city, there is always something to do– it’s only a matter of keeping your eyes peeled. But it seems like fun just finds me here– like this Sunday when a world-class [...]
All hail the queen! (Koninginnedag 2010)
Posted in Adventures, Friends, Locals, Neighborhood, Parties, People, Sights on 7 May 2010 | 1 Comment »
Last Friday the 30th was Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day), the Dutch national day. It is celebrated every year in honor of the queen’s birthday… well, actually the queen’s mother’s birthday. One the first acts of the current queen, Beatrix, when she was crowned was to declare that Koninginnedag would remain on April 30th to honor her [...]
