Going Dutch

So, after 6 years living in Brussels, we’re finally getting around to learning Dutch (no, not Flemish). I won’t go into the endless complexities of the history of language policy in Belgium. Suffice it to say that the “Brussels Capital Region” is officially bilingual (although in reality it’s said that the majority of its inhabitants are [...]

Lyrical

What do songs mean? It’s not always obvious. Some songs are deliberately cryptic or ambiguous, perhaps because the writer wishes to tease or perplex, or encourage differing interpretations. And some songs have simply been misunderstood, for a variety of reasons. Lack of background knowledge. An American review of Thom Yorke’s album The Eraser expressed some puzzlement over the meaning [...]

Bits and sods

I’m so glad I don’t have to “date” any more. Fascinating story. I’m changing jobs sometime in January (same organisation; different department). Apart from the fact that the new job will be more interesting, and more in line with my past work experience, the location of the new office is more central, which means that [...]

National pride

(Please note that this post is not intended as America-bashing. I’ve met a few Americans and they seem perfectly pleasant and normal. Although they do talk funny).  The recent release of “American Gangster” got me thinking – Why so many movies with the word “American” in the title? There was the Oscar-winning “American Beauty”, “American Pie”, “American History [...]

Sarnie Party

A certain hillbilly has invited me to take part in what can only be described as a Sandwich Party As regular readers will no doubt be aware, I’m something of a foodie, even being willing to travel great distances to eat a certain product or visit a certain restaurant. What I do not do is [...]

Five favourite songs

Dark Therapy, Echobelly Mysteries, Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man Iceblink Luck, Cocteau Twins True Faith, New Order Blindfold, Morcheeba

Social animal

Where do your friends come from? School is an obvious starting place, although, as I noted previously, I’m no longer in contact with anyone I knew back then (unless university counts as “school”). People I know at work are friendly, but probably fall more into the category of “acquaintances”,(or well-wishers, in that they wish me no [...]