Eddie Izzard Live: Force Majeure

Tonight we went to see comedian and “Action Transvestite” Eddie Izzard at the Heineken Music Hall, my second experience of the high-heeled madman’s performance. The show was a bit short, it seemed, but I only noticed that in retrospect. He’s an acquired taste for some, but I’ve always found him an utterly intoxicating raconteur. He […]

Seamus’ birthday (and workshop move)

For his birthday, my friend Seamus asked that we help him move his workshop into a new space he’d rented. Way to party, dude. The space was an abandoned primary school attached to a still-functioning daycare centre. The school looked marvellous; lots of floors connected by spiral staircases, loads of open space that begged to […]

Pasar Malam

Dad decided to celebrate his birthday at the Pasar Malam, an Indonesian market, which was held at Burger’s Zoo. He helped an old friend run her stall, where she sold hand-made batik clothing and ornaments for the benefit of Indonesian schools. The market was set up across several floors in the zoo’s tropics habitat, so […]

Pampus Fort Island

A few weeks ago, David and I visited the small island of Pampus, a fortress created in the 19th century to defend against German ships that, it later turned out, never proved to be a threat anyway. This fort never saw real action, just thousands of extremely bored soldiers. The island has a caretaker who […]

Golf: Sunset on the Green

David took up golf this summer, so I joined him and our friend Arnoud-Erik for an afternoon on the green. Our city, Almere, has a nice golf club. The hills, of course, are a contrivance. Even if Holland weren’t flat as a mirror, this whole province is an artificial island. This was sea floor a […]

Aunt Trees’ Birthday

This weekend we celebrated my aunt Trees’ birthday. A multitude of Janssens and extended clan members descended on the city of Lelystad to enjoy rare sunny weather and the company of far-flung relatives. It was wonderful to see everyone in such good spirits, and it never fails to amaze me, during these gatherings, how much […]

Railroad Museum

On a rainy sunday, David and I went to the National Railroad Museum. David has a passion for engineering, the cast-ironer the better. It was about time that I took him out for a nice adventure. Regrettably the museum’s website had deceived us, promising that the the Arend, a 1939 replica of the first (together […]

Jeannette & Brian’s Rehearsal Dinner

The happy couple had flown me out to California for their wedding, but I was by no means content to idly bask in their hospitality during the days beforehand. I’ve mentioned before that my favourite part of a wedding is the preparation, when families and friends come together to make decorations and share the anticipation. […]

Elf Fantasy Fair

Today, with the boyfriend and some buddies, I visited the Elf Fantasy Fair. It turned out to be a little more expensive than we’d thought, and we didn’t really take note of any events or special speakers. It was lovely just enjoying the weather, the beautiful scenery at Kasteel Haarzuilens and of course the jaw-dropping […]