Chasing Orli

Tea

2011-07-10T01:46:00.001+02:00

Love my flowering Numi tea!

Fum and Gerba

2011-05-16T10:55:00.001+02:00

Hola familia! I know, I know, I've been shirking my "virtual bonding" exercises. I promise to post more! Here's something I saw today that I really enjoyed and thought it was worth passing on...

This is Fum the cat and Gerba the barn owl, who clearly have a friendly relationship. I want an owl like this.

Prague

2011-02-23T17:46:00.001+01:00

How cool is this...I think I've just found a way to keep my blog updated with my travels!! Email me with your thoughts.

Hero Worship

2011-02-12T11:25:00.001+01:00

Wow...I just realized it has been months since I last posted! I had all sorts of plans for Christmas posts, none of which ever came to pass. Oh well!

I really should be running errands or cleaning the house or something productive, but instead I'll blog about the men I love. Specifically, men I love but don't actually know. Here are three of my favorites, in order of my devotion: Bela Fleck, Steve Martin and Tony Trischka. They are, among other things, supreme banjo players and I'm including a video of them playing one of my favorite pieces ever.

Some of you may remember a version of this song from my Belgrade posting last year; I used Tony Trischka's version (featuring Steve Martin) from the ablum Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular. Steve Martin's album The Crow also has a version (a bit self-evident), which I love as well. To the best of my knowledge, Bela Fleck doesn't have a version of The Crow on any of his albums, and I'm pretty certain about this as I think I own every last thing he has ever done.

If you enjoy this music, I strongly recommend either of the two albums I mentioned above, and anything from Bela Fleck (although his music spans a number of different genres and not just bluegrass).

Music, please!

Ouroborromean Rings

2010-12-09T08:01:00.008+01:00

Over at New York Magazine there is an intresting look at doodling snakes and graphs in math class. Really interesting and worth sharing with the kids!

Fast Motion

2010-12-08T16:19:00.000+01:00

Here for your enjoyment today is a fast motion video in slow motion by Graeme Taylor over on Capn Design. He's used a high-speed video camera on a fast-moving train.

Dog is in the Details

2010-12-07T17:34:00.002+01:00

I subscribe to GoogleVoice and love it. I've had an account for years, going back to TBG (Time Before Google) when it was Grand Central. It does all sorts of nifty things, including allowing me to marry it up with Skype and get phone calls in Europe on a US number.

What I also love about GoogleVoice is its Entertainment Factor. All my GV voice mail get transcribed and end up in my email, allowing me to easily access messages on the road. And while the transcriptions are sometimes close, they're often way out in left field. Case in point: a call from my sister Jennifer, whose voice mail was transcribed as "Hey Boy it's Dad" (she actually said "Hey Lori, it's Jen"), or the one from Shelly, whose predictable "Hi Lori, it's Shelly" was transcribed as "Hi Tony, it's Shirley". In addition to Boy and Tony, I've also been called Doris; Laurie; Shhh and a Laurie; Prints; Princess, Laurie at screen; Cheery; Cherry...the list goes on!

To give you the flavor of a full conversation, here's one from someone who shall remain nameless. Suffice it to say the actual call sounds nothing like its transcription (it's about shaving a cat and a cat going bald--oh, and contrary to the transcript, the caller is NOT named Cheryl, she does not thank me, no Paul is involved, and there are no emotional balls at stake).

Princess, How are you never call me back. Hey, I just have a quick question, you know when you save your Cathy, Thank you. I just went out to get the deficit short, so I'm just taking my cat to get and saved and in the spring tonight. Students summer. Anyway, long story short, and she said to me. She's like you know if you can join the cats gonna go balls like it's gonna go. Paul so yeah give jana single ball like I have never had that before. Yeah. Bye. Oh alright. Yeah, I think I'll be careful. I mean, I'm, Cheryl and I'm like, Hi Yeah so I am calling is true story, like, hey, yes. This is an emotional balls. Anyway, I just kinda didn't believe it but so I'm calling you to see what you think. Bye.

Language Skills

2010-12-04T06:00:00.015+01:00

Wot?!

Christmas Spirit

2010-12-03T06:00:00.065+01:00

I generally don't get very excited by the more commercial aspects of Christmas. I'd rather ~~make~~ buy someone a hand-made doll than a Barbie doll, or ~~buy~~ make (this I can do!!) beautiful hand-made soaps as opposed to buying mass-produced, stinky Bath & Whatever Works soaps. So when I stumbled on this incredibly commercial Christmas bit for Nespresso, I was surprised and delighted by what I saw.

It is a little bit steampunk, a lot meringue, and entirely commercial. Still, I find it visually intriguing and I love the music that plays on the website. I'm including a video I found on YouTube for one of the three flavors and let me warn you that, while the video is nice, neither it nor the music is as lovely as what plays on the website. I've had the Nespresso website running this morning as I took care of other business just so that I could listen to the harps and flutes and angels fluttering around in the background.

Finally, keep in mind that this is the Belgian site I'm linking you to. I can not get to the US site, in spite of several attempts with proxy servers to get around Nespresso's routing. If you follow my links and can't get to the Belgian site, I can only hope that the US site is running the same thing.

Be sure to click on the arrows on the website on the right and the left of the screen, as these arrows take you to other activities and scenes. Cadeaux Gormands (not sure what this will be in English; Goodies, perhaps?) on the right-hand side will take you to various things like screen savers and some of the original concept art that was done to create this site.

Again, the video is below but the website can be reached by clicking here. Let me know if this doesn't work for you.

Security

2010-12-02T07:17:00.002+01:00

These are dangerous times we're in. Here's our solution.

Beck

2010-12-01T07:10:00.002+01:00

Both the cats have recently taken to laying on the corner of the rug in the living room. I don't know why; is it warmer? A better view? Better to trip up the dogs on their way to the water bowl?

Whatever their reasons, they look good doing it.

Paperwhites

2010-11-30T06:25:00.015+01:00

A few months ago I posted here about my paperwhites, which were just starting to sprout. Here they are now in full bloom.

The Weepies

2010-11-29T17:44:00.003+01:00

No, I don't have the weepies, notwithstanding my major meltdown today regarding my deceased iPhone and my inability to replace it (thank you, Mr Jobs & Mobistar, for your bizarre policies relating to iPhone distribution in Belgium. Oh, and thank you Mr Debrouwer for rescuing me from myself and finding me a phone! I love my husband in so many ways.).

Anywhoo, this post wasn't supposed to be about me...it's really about The Weepies and their subtly intoxicating folk-pop. Lovely, lovely, lovely. Judge for yourself; I hope you like it as much as I do.

The End Is Here

2010-11-13T08:56:00.001+01:00

This is an amazing video of Six Flags, in New Orleans. It shut down in preparation for Hurricane Katrina and never reopened. The video has a very post-apocalyptic feel to it but don't let that put you off; it is stunning in so many ways.

Things I Love

2010-11-07T09:18:00.001+01:00

Oliwia and Basia (pronounced "Olivia" and "Bashia") are two Polish girls we fostered this past summer. We adore them and visited them at their orphanage in Katowice, Poland this past week. Here's a short recap of our week with them. More to come regarding the orphanage itself.

But I digress...

2010-10-07T10:16:00.009+02:00

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to get distracted on the internet, how you start out looking for "cut on the bias" and end up with "quinoa for breakfast"? Take today's exploration, for example. A friend is attempting to make her own wedding dress, which will be cut on the bias. I have only the vaguest sense of what that means, so I decided to investigate. Within two (2) minutes, I was already investigating a quinoa breakfast recipe. It went something like this:

Google search: cut on the bias
Results: what is a bias cut garment; bias (textile); bias 101; the bias cut; understanding fabric grains; how to cut a carrot on the bias.

Seriously, carrots?! So off to the bias-cut carrots to investigate a simple tutorial on cutting slanty veg. Of course, beneath the tutorial lay links to various other topics, such as "Are fries really French" (no, they're Belgian or possibly Spanish); "Do I really need a digital instant-read meat thermometer (no, not in the way you need heat to cook, but as an owner of a digital thermometer I highly recommend having one); and finally, "Is quinoa a grain or a seed?" (it's a seed--and yes, there is a subtle difference between the two).

Clicking on the quinoa link eventually led me to--wait for it--quinoa recipes. Which then led me to emailing said recipes to interested friends, leading me to wonder why it is I was sending quinoa recipes instead of sewing, which then led to writing this blog entry, finally leading me to ponder the purpose of blogs (places for egotistical narcissists to bang on about themselves?).

And now the morning is almost over and I haven't accomplished a thing on my to-do list.

Belgrade

2010-10-04T06:00:00.000+02:00

Nearly two months later, I've finally put together a video for the Belgrade portion of our trip to Serbia. I have got to post more often!

Things I Love

2010-10-03T06:00:00.022+02:00

A recent trip to the "kringloopwinkel" (literally, the loop-around store or recycling store) netted a delightful china tea set. I've researched the mark on the bottom and discovered this set was made by the house of Mitterteich between 1931 and 1945 in the Bavaria region in Germany. It's the kind one's European grandmother might have...and now it's the kind I have.

I mentioned to Mr. Debrouwer that I had seen some lovely china but I didn't tell him I actually bought it. I surprised him with it after lunch on Saturday (tea on a tray!) and he loved it. In fact, he loved it so much that at first I thought he was teasing me. I'm a bit suspicious when he gets excited over china, although I am always delighted that he's as delighted as I am about things I drag home.

For him, this china was like going back in time and having tea at his aunt's or his grandmother's house as a child, and he was suitably impressed with my find.

Also discovered were 3 dessert plates from a Norwegian porcelain producer (who knew?!), Tor Viking. I love, love, love this pattern. I checked eBay and they seem to be all over the US, so keep your eyes peeled for these at yard sales and loop-around stores as it's hard to do anything with just 3 plates.

Around the Garden

2010-10-02T10:55:00.000+02:00

My cousin D and my nephew M have separately prompted me to post a few photos of things going on around here. In a nutshell: we have painted the garage gray, I've rehung all the hardware and I've put out bird feeders/waterer. I don't know that they actually need the water around here (water, water everywhere and lots of drops to drink), but I figured I'd put one out anyway.

I've also planted several hundred bulbs. It was backbreaking work and the results are a bit underwhelming, given that all my work is invisible for the time being. But come February...I can't wait! I did plant some paperwhites to bring inside, although they're still sitting in the garage until they sprout a bit more.

Alone But Not Lonley

2010-08-17T10:08:00.000+02:00

From swissmiss via Brainpickings: Poet and singer-songwriter Tanya Davis and filmmaker Andrea Dorfman address the forgotten art of How To Be Alone — a beautifully hand-illustrated, simply yet eloquently narrated visual poem full of all these things we so often need to tell ourselves and believe, yet so rarely do.

Things I Love

2010-08-08T22:17:00.000+02:00

Our trip to Serbia was amazing. Here's a short video I put together with Kurt's photos; I hope you enjoy!

Oxen

2010-08-02T11:43:00.002+02:00

Hauling logs the old fashioned way.

Our Guides

2010-08-02T11:42:00.002+02:00

These were our personal forest rangers (seriously). They are part of the National Forest Service and they spent the week keeping us informed and safe.

Random Serbia Photo

2010-08-02T11:38:00.002+02:00

Still in Serbia for one more day...

Street art in Belgrade

2010-07-28T16:20:00.010+02:00

Clint and Vladimir.

Sunday market in Belgrade

2010-07-28T16:20:00.009+02:00

Straight from the family garden to the market.

Serbian herbs

2010-07-28T16:20:00.008+02:00

These women have very likely picked these herb from their gardens in the morning to sell at the open air market.

More street views

2010-07-28T16:20:00.007+02:00

Our lovely little street.

Serbian watermelon!

2010-07-27T14:24:00.001+02:00

Bosnia

2010-07-25T20:10:00.001+02:00

We are standing on Serbian soil looking at Bosnia and Herzegovina. This small shack built on the rock in the river belongs to the local kayak club.

Belgrade rain storm

2010-07-25T09:45:00.002+02:00

Heavy rains and thunderstorms in Belgrade yesterday. Kurt took this photo on his phone.

Our street

2010-07-25T09:42:00.001+02:00

Our hotel

2010-07-25T09:38:00.001+02:00

The walkway to the hotel

View from our window

2010-07-25T07:57:00.001+02:00

We are at Le Petit Piaf in Belgrade for the first night; here is the view from our room.

Belgrade

2010-07-24T20:52:00.000+02:00

We are in Serbia! We are off to the Tara mountains tomorrow to enjoy nature; in the meantime, we are enjoying Belgrade for a day. Here is the first (and very bad) photo.

Things I Love

2010-07-18T06:46:00.000+02:00

Everything Pixar. UP. This remix. Instant happiness; now how to box it...

Living Small

2010-06-23T06:00:00.000+02:00

I'm always wondering how to use space more efficiently, as we don't have a lot of it in Belgium. What we do have seems vast compared to life in Hong Kong; see what this architect did to maximize his space by creating 24 rooms in 1.

Flight

2010-06-22T06:00:00.009+02:00

Or like a poet woo the Moon,
Riding an armchair for my steed,
And with a flashing pen harpoon
Terrific metaphors of speed.

— Roy Campbell, 'The Festivals of Flight'

Photo courtesy of the New York Times.

Everything's Ducky

2010-06-21T06:06:00.000+02:00

I've had a few questions lately about my disappearing act and lack of posts. There's no specific reason: just busy, and not at the computer, so it's hard to keep the updates flowing. And when I'm inspired by something I seem to be without a camera, so I need to work on having that at hand more often.

For today's post, here's a shot from a hotel in Berlin last month. I had a comfortable, modern room complete with a traditional rubber duck. What is not to like about this?!

Things I Love

2010-06-20T08:59:00.000+02:00

We--the dogs and I--often pick up Mr Debrouwer at the bus stop in the evenings. They anxiously await his arrival, waiting for him to "apparate" at the passenger-side window. Jeffy, who was sitting on my lap when I took this shot, actually knows Mr D comes from another direction entirely, and he watches out my window instead.

One of my favorite things...

2010-06-07T13:52:00.002+02:00

I spied this little Citroën this morning in front of our local butcher's shop and couldn't resist a photo. One day I want to own one of these and drive it around town to do my errands.

Things I Love

2010-05-23T17:09:00.001+02:00

Having grown up in a place that is sunny for more than 300+ days of the year, I sometimes find it hard now to live in a country that is overcast for 300+ days a year. Days like today--sunny and warm--are few and far between and need to be savored. Look at the center of this photo; there is a dog there who is doing just that as he drinks from this firehose of a fountain.

More Timelapse Tilt Shift Goodness

2010-05-17T10:48:00.001+02:00

A nod to Dirk, who saw the earlier circus tilt shift post and forwarded me a link to this. This is lovely to watch and also captures the frenetic mania I feel at these events--the best part is always getting HOME to peace and quiet.

Note for quality viewing: there is an option to view this in High Definition. You will see a small box in the lower right-hand corner that says "HD is OFF". Click on that and it will give you an option to watch this in HD...it's much better.

Einmal Kirmes und zurück in 1 Minute from bums on Vimeo.

It Starts With Us

2010-05-13T17:10:00.031+02:00

I was recently introduced to It Starts With Us by one of my Postcrossing contacts. I hadn't heard of it before so I've taken a few minutes to find out a bit more.

It Starts With Us is a grass-roots organization with a goal of making a positive impact in the lives of other people. If you're interested in understanding how 15 minutes of your time each week/month is enough to make a difference, click here to read more. Click here to hear an interview with the founder, Nate St. Pierre (you will need to scroll part way down this blog to find the audio link), and if you're interested in learning more about dropping a Love Bomb on someone (really, who can say no to dropping a love bomb!), click here.

Zircus Timelapse Tilt Shift

2010-05-12T08:00:00.000+02:00

If you have 88 seconds to spare (or 88 seconds to fill for your children), here's a tilt-shift time-lapse sequence of the Zirkus Knie circus tent going up in Sankt Gallen, Switzerland. It's fun to watch this process.

Zirkus Knie Timelapse tilt shift from SanktGallen.ch on Vimeo.

Fun with Fonts (and Flow Charts)

2010-05-11T14:52:00.001+02:00

I like fonts and find myself hunting them down from time to time when I'm looking for something different or unusual. And although I don't love them, I spend a lot of time professionally with flow charts, and find myself following if/then paradigms more often than I'd like.

This chart, by Danish design student Julian Hansen, is an interesting and entertaining marriage of the two (fonts and flow charts, in case you've lost the plot). I must say I'm particularly fond of the flows that lead to FF DIN, OCR, Helvetica and Comic Sans. Click here for a larger version.

Things I Love

2010-05-09T06:40:00.008+02:00

For those of you who follow Konnor and Jeff's blog, this is a repeat. For the rest of us: here is an opportunity to see all of the artwork on display in the MOMA on 10 April, 2010, in just 2 minutes. Don't be afraid to pause if there's something you want to see more of; it took me quite a bit longer than 2 minutes to watch this video, and I am sure I'll be back to watch again.

How to Wrangle a Cactus

2010-04-28T10:35:00.002+02:00

I've been deeply engrossed in spring gardening for the last several days and this morning I looked up a few things on the internet relating to pruning an overly robust viburnum. Of course, this is after I actually pruned the viburnum (did that yesterday) so my timing is a bit off, but I decided I had better find out if I had mortally damaged the plant or if it was going to survive my efforts to tame it. It seems it will survive--this is the time to prune--and I should end up with a viburnum that better fits its location.

As I perused the various videos out there, I discovered this one: How to Wrangle a Cactus. I couldn't resist watching it and thought I'd share it here in case anyone I know has a cactus to wrangle but isn't sure how to go about doing it. I don't have a cactus but I wish I did, just so that I could use "wrangle a cactus" in conversation. "How was your day today, dear?" "Oh, fine, the usual. I pruned the viburnum and wrangled a few cacti before lunch. And you?"

Click here to learn how to wrangle a cactus!

Happy Birthday R & E!

2010-04-27T23:22:00.000+02:00

Happy birthday to two delightful sisters, born exactly two years apart. I wish I were there to enjoy these with you!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-04-14T08:54:00.001+02:00

Thinking of you on your birthday (even though we get to spend this one together!).

A photo at last

2010-04-08T19:54:00.000+02:00

It has been ages since I've posted a photo from my travels. Here is one from my train ride this morning: an old-fashioned carriage with old-style seats. What a nice change from the usual modern fare!

Things I Love

2010-04-04T08:00:00.017+02:00

Postcrossings is a site dedicated to exchanging postcards with people from all over the world. Take a moment to visit the website and, if you like it, sign up to send and receive postcards from across the world.

Who knows: maybe one day we'll find ourselves exchanging postcards!

Come On, Floppy!

2010-03-31T08:22:00.000+02:00

I'm not sure how it is in your parts of the world, but it's not every day that we pass bunnies in the street (that's a real rabbit, by the way, and not a stuffed animal).

Things I Love

2010-03-28T06:00:00.001+02:00

The Easter Tree, from Benita over at Chez Larsson. Easy to make and, if you can find the twigs, you surely have the rest of the items around the house.

Things I Love

2010-03-28T06:00:00.000+02:00

A pear terrarium. Clean, fresh and it brings the outside in.

WAR ZONE

2010-03-23T06:15:00.009+01:00

I must make time to post things a bit more frequently. My phone is filled with things I've wanted to share but I struggle to carve out the time to move them from my phone to my blog.

The latest news is the war zone we normally call a street. Exhibit A shows Mr Debrouwer last Sunday (9 days ago) on the street. Exhibit B shows the street this past week: big pipes are going in, paving stone is coming up, and we're currently trekking over and through the piles of dirt and mud (it's hard to see here, but there are large mounds of dirt we have to navigate). Unfortunately for us, this past week has been a very busy one with the upper kitchen cabinets going in, curtains being delivered and hung, and myriad other activities that involve workmen (and us) hauling things over and through this obstacle course. No one is pleased. Ugh!

Happy Birthday to a special someone...

2010-03-22T06:00:00.000+01:00

Happy birthday to my dear niece SC! Buffalo, Frodo, Jeffy and I picked out this special birthday cake just for YOU!

Things I Love

2010-03-21T09:05:00.000+01:00

This photo with one of my sisters, taken by another of my sisters, while we were fooling around during a family photo shoot several months ago. And let it be said that I love my sisters more than the photo...by far.

Things I Love

2010-03-14T07:00:00.001+01:00

Tea. And this teapot for one. I liked it--a lot--but exercised restraint and limited myself to taking pictures.

Happy Birthday Madeline Keydan!

2010-03-13T21:07:00.000+01:00

Happy Birthday to my dear niece! Have a great day today, and some yummy cake.

His 'n Hers

2010-03-09T07:00:00.001+01:00

Granted, the lighting is bad here, but you should still be able to see what I'm seeing. I am not a petite person and my feet are not small, but mine look positively tiny next to the gunboats Mr Debrouwer wears.

Happy Birthday JJ!

2010-03-08T20:21:00.001+01:00

To my dear, sweet sister, on your special day. May you enjoy your day today and celebrate life and living. I wish I were there to do it with you but as I'm not, here's a birthday cake I picked out in your honor.

Things I Love

2010-03-07T07:00:00.002+01:00

I've been trying to control myself all week and not post this before my usual Sunday "Things I Love" post. I came across the Missed Connections site this week and I am completely, utterly enchanted.

Sophie Blackall has a site dedicated to the poetic posts on Missed Connection websites. To quote Sophie: "Messages in bottles, smoke signals, letters written in the sand; the modern equivalents are the funny, sad, beautiful, hopeful, hopeless, poetic posts on Missed Connections websites. Every day hundreds of strangers reach out to other strangers on the strength of a glance, a smile or a blue hat. Their messages have the lifespan of a butterfly. I'm trying to pin a few of them down."

I love the concept, Sophie's design, the unconsummated romance/friendship/relationship aspect, the yearning, the hopelessness of it all. I am smitten. Click here to see her work.

I Love...

2010-03-06T09:07:00.001+01:00

Paris in the winter...when it drizzles. Although last weekend it wasn't drizzling: we were in the midst of hurricane-force winds, in which over 50 people perished in France. Luckily for us Paris wasn't deathly, just miserable, and we spent the weekend coming up with strategies for staying indoors. Dinner with friends on Saturday; church with a friend singing in the choir at the American Cathedral on Sunday; lunch at Anahuacalli, the best Mexican restaurant in Paris; a mad dash from the restaurant to the metro for the train back home.

On the way to the metro station there was a quick stop for a photo op in front of the Notre Dame, where Mr Debrouwer proposed to me all those years ago ;). We ended up huddling under the umbrella for protection instead of romantically posing (kudos to our photographer, MJC, for braving the elements).

All in all, a lovely weekend with good friends.

Understanding Belgian Sales

2010-03-05T11:09:00.005+01:00

I've complained to Mr Debrouwer on more than one ocassion that Belgian sales are just not worth the effort. They don't reduce the prices much and you have to brave an already densely populated area to get to them. As I made the rounds of the grocery store yesterday, I stumbled across something that epitomises this: the one-cent reduction on chocolate mousse.

To the marketing geniuses from whence this idea springs, I have the following questions: Seriously? Are you going to sell so much more chocolate mousse with a one-cent reduction that it will offset all the effort that went into preparing for the price reduction? And what does that say about an audience that gets excited over saving a single cent?

Having said that, Mr Debrouwer insists I don't understand the Germans or the Dutch very well if I think they will be anything less that ecstatic over this new development (the grocery chain in question is found throughout much of Europe).

Things I Love

2010-02-28T08:00:00.009+01:00

It is an untruth that one can find anything on the internet. I have searched high and low for a video of the Branford Marsalis Quartet performing The Lonely Swan and I can't find one. I've given up on finding any sort of visual aid and am pointing you instead to a personal account of mine that will--I hope--let you listen to this piece. So turn on your speakers, click here, and sit back and enjoy one of my favorite pieces of music.

Xue-fei Yang playing Narciso Yepes

2010-02-26T08:00:00.002+01:00

More by Xuefei Yang (I love this particular piece). I recommend you minimize the video itself and focus on the music, although there is a short interview with her at the end that's interesting.

楊雪霏

2010-02-25T21:34:00.000+01:00

楊雪霏, otherwise known as Xuefei Yang in the west, performs Butterfly Lovers. She hails from China and has studied extensively in the UK. If you like lush guitar music, she's someone to follow.

Alison Balsom

2010-02-23T07:00:00.001+01:00

I'm always a fan of the trumpet (as long as it doesn't involve a marching band), and I'm enjoying the women trumpeters I'm seeing lately. Here is Alison Balsom performing the Hummel Trumpet Concerto. For another fun (but very commercial) clip of Alison, click here.

For a version of the same piece by Tine Thing Helseth, click here. Which is you favorite of the two?

tenThing

2010-02-22T07:00:00.001+01:00

This is the tenThing brass ensemble, made up entirely of women and originating in Norway. Tine Thing Helseth leads the group. For some other wonderful performances of Tine's, click here, here and here

Things I Love

2010-02-21T07:00:00.002+01:00

Kicking off another week of music we love, here is the Richard Galliano Trio featuring Gary Burton. As always, thanks to our musical consultant KWD for finding many of this week's clips and/or artists

No-Pants Subway Ride

2010-02-20T08:00:00.000+01:00

Improv Everywhere has an annual "no pants subway ride" event in NYC and other cities. Here are highlights from the 2010 event. Pay close attention to the faces of those who are NOT participating; there are some priceless expressions. To see more on the no-pants subway ride, including clips from previous years, click here.

For another, less risque example of Improv Everywhere, click here to see Rob pretend to get lost at a Knick's game, and how the crowd gets involved in getting Rob back to his seat.

Carnavale Collage

2010-02-19T08:00:00.004+01:00

One more post from Carnavale...this is a collage of my favorite photos from my Carnavale outing on Tuesday. Oh, how I wish I had had a better camera with me!

Carnavale in Venice

2010-02-18T10:32:00.000+01:00

I went to Milan on Sunday to visit an old friend from home who was in Europe for a few days. We took a side-trip on Monday to Venice, which put us in the capital of Carnavale on the day before Mardi Gras. For anyone wanting to know more about the history of Carnavale, click here. For more photos of our fun-filled day of fantastic people watching, click here. I am definitely going back again one day, armed with a terrific costume and a real camera (all photos here were taken with a phone camera).

The view from my classroom

2010-02-11T10:06:00.001+01:00

Things I Love

2010-02-07T12:09:00.000+01:00

Born to Run is one of the best books I've read in, well, ever. It is the tale of how one man's quest to understand his painful feet led to his understanding of human biomechanics, a greater awareness of what it means to be a better person, and how the two are inextricably linked. If you are or ever have been a runner, you must read this. And if you are trying to be a better human being, you must read this. In short, READ THIS BOOK.

The story itself is a terrific one and will keep you engaged until the very end (I read the last pages of this book at a surprise birthday party with my eReader hidden inside a magazine--I couldn't bear to wait six hours to finish the last three pages). But beyond the story of the race is some of the story of mankind, of the human condition, and our ongoing quest not only to survive but to do it as better human beings. As I said earlier, read it. You won't regret it.

Things I Love

2010-01-31T07:00:00.001+01:00

I love this new site that ponders why the photographic subjects of Dwell all seem to be Unhappy Hipsters. Here's an example:

You can come out when you can properly explain the differences between Modernist architecture and postmodern ornamentation.

Objectified

2010-01-21T18:06:00.000+01:00

We rarely consider where the objects that populate our lives were made or who dreamed them up in the first place. Yet our relationship with the manmade objects around us is complex, sometimes conflicted and often profound.

OBJECTIFIED, by filmmaker Gary Hustwit, is the second installment in his trilogy on design (his first was Helvetica). OBJECTIFIED encourages us to stop and notice our surroundings and to think critically about creativity and consumption. Who makes all these objects, and why do they look and feel the way they do? How can good design make these things—and by extension our lives—better? What about the environment and the social and environmental costs associated with global manufacturing and planned obsolescence?

Featuring interviews with some of the world’s preeminent industrial and product designers, OBJECTIFIED is an exploration of the process at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about the designers who reexamine, reevaluate and reinvent our manufactured environment daily. It is about personal expression, identity, consumerism and sustainability. What can we learn about who we are and who we want to be from the objects with which we surround ourselves?

PBS aired a shortened version of Objectified in the US in late 2009. From what I can see the show is not currently airing, nor does it seem to be available on the PBS web site. However, it is available for purchase from a number of sources, including the Objectified web site, and you may find you can rent it as well.

Mystery Revealed!

2010-01-20T07:00:00.002+01:00

This is ... wait for it ... a clock! The tree trunk displays the hour and the minutes are represented by the balls. The butterfly is just for fun.

And the winner is...JEFF! Thanks to everyone else who participated in the pursuit of the recent mysterious object (including the combined efforts of 3 of you who managed to--in an excruciating fashion--figure this out with the help of a 7-year old; you will remain nameless and keep your dignity intact!).

As far as the personalized prize to the winner: Kurt was in favor of a FREE module of Dutch grammar! I personally think that's cruel and unusual punishment, so I'm thinking some good Belgian beer on our next visit home. Or maybe some yummy cheese; I know Jeff is a fan of Old Brugge. Whatever it is, it is well deserved: no one else even came close.

Regarding the design and the designer: this was designed by Kaori Kojima, or Kojiko, a designer from Japan. Take a minute to visit his site and see some of this other work, including other interesting clocks, another of which is displayed below:

The Last of the Mystery Photos

2010-01-19T20:30:00.001+01:00

One last mystery photo before I tell you what this is. Remember: the butterfly is extraneous, and this "thing" actually has a function. Put the three photos next to each other and see if that provides any food for thought.

Did you know?

2010-01-19T08:00:00.005+01:00

Interesting information. Not surprising, really, but because most of us don't spend a lot of time pondering these things, some of it is information we probably haven't considered before. A special thanks to our technical consultant, KWD, for sharing this.

What can you do to help?

2010-01-17T13:27:00.000+01:00

If you're looking for a way to support the relief efforts in Haiti, here is an organization I've known of for several years. They, like other relief organizations, can use our help now more than ever.

Things I Love

2010-01-17T07:00:00.004+01:00

My husband.

What is this, Part II?

2010-01-16T18:30:00.001+01:00

Based on a few comments I've received, I think there may be a need for a bit more of a frame of reference for this mystery photo. Here's a shot that may provide a bit more context.

What is this?

2010-01-16T07:00:00.004+01:00

Two questions, really: what is this, and what exactly is it telling you? There is a prize to the first person to correctly answer both questions (prize customized to the winner, of course, so I can't be specific about the details).

Hint: it is giving you information of some kind, and the butterfly is really only there for its good looks...it's not part of the information.

Oh the fun you can have!

2010-01-15T18:57:00.003+01:00

When all else fails, stay at home and take photos of yourselves! We have an application that will take four photographs in a row and then put them into a photo booth-like composition. Our goal was to do 1 (us smiling); 2 (I kiss him); 3 (he kisses me); 4 (we smile again). The previous attempt had been a bit disastrous because we took too long between the takes to kiss. So this time we were too quick--and confused--and ended up kissing each other the lips instead of each of us kissing the other on the cheek. Not quite as orchestrated as we planned, but a whole lot more fun!

Things I Love

2010-01-10T07:00:00.003+01:00

My Parents Were Awesome is a delightful web site dedicated to proving that our parents were once free-wheeling, fashion-forward, and super awesome. Take a moment to visit the site and enjoy some coolness (and possibly make a contribution of your own...now where are those old photo albums, anyway?). There is also an NPR interview you can listen to on the site.

Things I Love

2010-01-03T11:05:00.003+01:00

In spite of having heard good things about this book, I have delayed reading it for some time primarily because I found the title a bit off-putting (potato peel pie? what good can come of that?). Imagine my surprise and delight when, on page one of the book, I knew I was going to thoroughly enjoy it. And now, having finished it, I count it among my favourites.

I spend a lot of time speeding through books, reading them with a blowing glance so that I can be spared the mediocre writing and get on with the story. Not this book: I read and savoured every word and went back and read them some more, just because they were lovely and so well written.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society takes place in London and Guernsey just after WW II. It is a series of letters between a London reporter/author and her editor/friend, and eventually between her and some new acquaintances from Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands and the only part of Great Britain to be occupied by Nazi Germany during WWII. The letters go on to describe how the Society came into being (and why the potato peel pie), and ultimately result in a number of deep and moving friendships.

I found it caught my interest more than a book has in a long time and perhaps it will catch yours, as well. Be forewarned: some reviewers hated the book and found it mediocre (one felt she was being condescended to with the history of WWII being spoon-fed to her yet again, and that the writing was plodding and mediocre). At any rate, I found it informative, moving and worth reading and recommend it to anyone interested in exploring a good book.

Reader's Request

2010-01-02T10:41:00.000+01:00

A fan my brother recently asked about the wallpaper used in the back of the cabinet we refurbished last summer. Here's a close-up of the paper we used. It may be a bit difficult to see in this shot, but the large dots are flocked.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T13:48:00.003+01:00

We celebrated the New Year in style in bed (asleep), which is always a good place to be at midnight on a cold winter's night. We had our real celebration this afternoon when Kurt and I made the butter nut squash and pomegranate galette we had planned to make last Sunday. You may recall we were missing the pomegranate then; we've managed to find one in the mean time, although we were out of red onions today so we substituted them with shallots, which I generally prefer to red onions anyway.

This galette turned out to be too much for two people (it's good for four), but we liked it a lot and now that we know what we're doing, I suspect we'll make it again, especially for our vegetarian visitors.

Lovely Lights

2009-12-31T22:31:00.001+01:00

I love these three star lamps sitting in my entry way (and the silver dish in which they sit). I think I'll leave them out all winter.

Genius

2009-12-30T07:00:00.001+01:00

For those days when it's -8 outside, this little hack with empty water bottles creates a great set of wind shields for your hands.

One of my fellow Dutch students came up with the hack and I had to get a photo to share.

Proof That He Loves Me

2009-12-29T07:00:00.002+01:00

And by "He", I mean my husband. Like many men, his is a love-hate relationship with DIY furniture, and this is the part he hates. But he does it for me!

Violetta

2009-12-28T07:00:00.007+01:00

Contrary to anything I may have emailed my family on Sunday monring, I did not make butter nut squash and pomegranate galette. I will eventually but I first have to locate a pomegranate, which is hard to do in my area on a Sunday morning. Instead we went with left-overs from a chicken I roasted earlier in the week, and some freshly roasted vegetables: carrots, sweet potatoes and black potatoes, to be precise. Aren't these gorgeous?

We found them at a small neighborhood greengrocer in Lille, France, earlier in the week. It's one of those small shops where you can't touch any of the food; you just ask for what you want and they get it for you. Among the various interesting things available were these black potatoes, which are violet inside and taste exactly like a regular potato. I'll be picking these up regularly, as I really like the colour and I'm often in that neighbourhood. What do you think of these lovely pommes de terre?

Happy Birthday!

2009-12-27T07:00:00.003+01:00

irthday wishes for the world's best brother!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T10:15:00.001+01:00

Rememberance

2009-12-22T08:00:00.010+01:00

Remembering Eli Connor Clark and his family. We love you all.

Life Before Frodo

2009-12-14T08:00:00.002+01:00

Things I Love

2009-12-13T19:23:00.000+01:00

Happy Birthday Jeff

2009-12-12T20:53:00.000+01:00