I got my new glasses

I got my new glasses (picture) from the shop. Well, I got the extra pair. The other one wasn’t ready yet. Why are things never ready when shops say so? I even called before going. (‘yes, ma’am, they’re ready’) Do they think an extra trip will make you buy some more? I don’t think so. They’re nice blokes though and were sort of apologetic. So I’m wearing my ‘spares’ now. So far they’re a lot more comfortable than my old ones which I never wore (because they were uncomfortable.)
Also went bike hunting. My bike was stolen a few weeks ago. My neighbour told me there was a bicycle repair shop round the corner, and lo behold, yes, there is one. Bicycle repair man is a young bloke, not the old grumpy type they specialise in around Utrecht. Their 2nd hands are expensive (you can get a stolen bike for around 10 dollars from junkies, but I’m not a fence) but they’re good. Unfortunately, they didn’t have one my size. I am way below average height in my country. But, the guy is going to MAKE ME A BIKE. How cool is that? He’s going to dig through the wrecks in his backyard, and fix one up for me. ‘It’ll be ready by May 10.’ It’s going to be way too expensive for a city bike (which get stolen average once a year), but I’ll buy a hefty lock with it and hope for the best. Dutch bikes rule.

When I read Tom’s entry

When I read Tom’s entry for the 24th with all the street names, I want to up and move to Lond-in. I love London with all the innocence of someone who doesn’t know a city all that well. Yes I’ve been there loads of times, but you don’t really know a city unless you’ve lived there. What about Dublin, I hear you say (well, I don’t hear it really, I just imagine that’s what going through your mind as you’re reading this). Well, I have lived in Dublin, and in Ireland. 6 weeks up North. And a month in Dublin. It’s not very long, but living in a house with people is a lot different from staying in a hotel, and I was working even if it wasn’t a regular ‘job’. Anyway, London… yeah, it’s funky, it’s alive, it’s happening, it’s mad. I love the places Stuart takes me too in Soho, and having coffee in the street in high summer and eating out in Chinatown. I hope there will be a reason to visit again, like last year’s incredible Harry Smith night in the QEH.

Many thanks to Matt, who

Many thanks to Matt, who very late last night (well, my timezone anyway) said some positive things about the redesign I’m working on, which 1. helped me decide what to go for 2. gave me confidence to continue. Matt’s doing some pretty cool stuff himself as we speak, you’ll see. Soon. ‘s Funny, I keep thinking of him as ‘hoh-he’ rather than ‘howie’, the former being the Irish way of pronouncing his surname. Wonder if he’s in any way related to Charlie, former Taoiseach of Ireland.

Heather’s not a Friends fan.

Heather’s not a Friends fan. Hallefuckinglujah, neither am I. I fail to see why some of my friends are so obsessive about it they tape every episode. It’s just not funny. It’s a bunch of ugly and stupid people making a lot of noise. I never liked Cheers either, though I must admit it’s aged well – I sometimes enjoy one of the reruns. I’m not into Frasier, not into Mad about you or any of these sitcoms that are so popular around here. I’ve enjoyed Roseanne, the Nanny and sometimes 3rd rock from the sun.

You see?! Let’s all fire

You see?! Let’s all fire up Napster and download some MORE, because it’s only good for the music industry. Seriously. What I see a lot on line is that the people who are heavily into downloading MP3s, and I mean the kind that downloads indiscriminately – just to have MORE, are the people who aren’t big music fans. They’re not the ‘must have that CD NOW’ kind. They hoard, they don’t need music, or the art of music. They need to fill disks. Now if, while downloading, they start listening to what they’re hoarding – this can only be a good thing. Because they might like something, they might go out and buy a music magazine to learn more, they might go out to see a gig the next time the band’s in town. Etc. As for me, I’ve spent my life in record shops, I sold my soul to rock and roll, I spent extraordinary amounts of my time promoting musicians for free, and I buy CDs every other day. So, like everybody else, I’m going to continue downloading mp3s and not feel bad about it at all.

I haven’t been following the

I haven’t been following the Elian thing. In fact I haven’t really kept up with the noose much. Since I quit my job at VARA I don’t hear or read much of what’s going on in the world. (VARA being a broadcasting company, we had the dailies in our office, and TV and radio and oral input all the bloody time.) I don’t read the papers at home. If there’s any news broadcast I see, it’s going to be the BBC news – because that’s the channel I have on most of the time, hardly ever any of the Dutch ones. Even when I did read the papers regularly when I was a student, I always started with the cultural supplement. They’re handy things, papers – to look up cinema times and wrap fish in.
I don’t know if it makes me a freak, but on the whole, I’m not particularly interested in ‘news’. And since the Gulf War, I am skeptical about the press. <paranoid>We only read and see what the elusive THEY want us to know anyway.</paranoid>