Month: November 2008

uitverkocht!

today i was bicycing along and was stopped in my tracks by … a pair of boots in the window of a store in the 9 straatjes.  it’s a large clothing shop on the same block with zipper, a 2nd hand shop i sometimes find nice things in.

i went inside to look closer.  they had 3 lacings, front and offset front left & right.  they had 2 zippers, one on each side entire height.  they had the perfect heel height – for dancing & walking. 

they were 990 euros.

!

!

!

i don’t think i’ve ever seen a pair of boots that were 990 euros.  but i had to try them on.  the women were really sweet – they went looking in the basement for my size (39) and came back, fortunately, with only a 38 and a 40.  i tried on the 40 just for fun.  gorgeous.  but too big.

they asked if they should call their berlin store to see if they still had another pair in 39.  πŸ™‚

how sweet.  but seriously, how can you be SOLD OUT of a pair of boots that costs 990 euros???? who spends 990 euros on a pair of boots?  how many did they have in stock originally?  maybe they only had one pair.  honestly, not likely.

are there really that many people around with that much to waste on one pair of admittedly DROP DEAD GORGEOUS boots?

and if you ever want to go into a store with way-over-your-price-range clothes and accessories and be treated like royalty regardless of your shaggy red dreadlocks and not exactly expensive clothes, then i recommend the lovely staff at…. van r…. i WILL remember the name of the shop and add it later.

nice nice nice warm fuzzy

last night was st. martin’s night.  i stocked up on candy, and there were TONS of children around our neighborhood, with glowing lanterns.  but no one rang the bell.  i kept all the lights on and everything.  maybe people have to know me better first.  but i only saw kids.  i didn’t see any supervising adults.  mostly kids between ages 7 and 13, from the looks of them.  they were really sweet to look at out the window.

then we went to see wim wenders’ king of the road.  it was excellent.  i started to lose track of it sometime around the long night that they spent at the home of bruno’s mother, but it was pretty late and the scene was dark, and i was pretty tired.  all in all, though, i really enjoyed the images and the feel of it.  i think now that i would have enjoyed other wim wenders movies i’ve seen better if i’d seen them in a dark theatre on a big screen.

and today…
well, have i mentioned lately that i really like my job these days?  i had a pretty rough 6 months or so, and then a month or two ago it started drastically improving.  i’m really doing research now, and i spend a lot of time browsing video sites and putting together mini-reports on them.  well, and a lot of time talking to our external IT department, because we seem to never have working machines.  but that’s something else entirely.

my boss just sprang for lunch, take-away from a very nice italian restaurant around the corner.  it was excellent, and my tummy is all full of warm yummy italian flavors.

blah blah.

more about yesterday’s post (zwarte piet)

When Matt and I lived in Prague, there was also a figure called "Cerny Petr" – also "Black Peter" but he did not look like a slave to my memory… I’m having some trouble (while at work) finding out more about him… anyone?

This is all I got from Wikipedia:

The Companions of Saint Nicholas (or Father Christmas) are a group of closely related figures who accompany St. Nicholas in many European traditions. The tradition is particularly strong amongst the Germanic peoples, with some regional expression in the U.S. (largely from European ethnic groups).

The most recognized companion, especially outside of Europe, is Knecht Ruprecht, which translates as Farmhand Ruprecht or Servant Ruprecht. Other companions include Krampus (Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Friul, Hungary [spelled Krampusz]), Klaubauf (Bavaria), Bartel (Styria), Pelzebock, Pelznickel, Belzeniggl, Belsnickel (Pennsylvania), Schmutzli (Switzerland), Rumpelklas, Bellzebub, Hans Muff, Drapp or Buzebergt (Augsburg), Hanstrapp (Alsace, East of France) and Le Père Fouettard (Northern France). In the Czech Republic, St. Nicholas or Svatý Mikuláš is accompanied by the Čert (Devil) and AndΔ›l (Angel). These servants are often associated with, but are distinct from Saint Nicholas’ helpers in the Netherlands and Flanders (called Zwarte Piet, meaning Black Pete(r) in English).

There is also a movie directed by Milos Forman, from 1964.  Maybe I’ll look into that later today…  for now I have to get back to work!
 

random obama congratulations

so i was at the cash machine on the corner just now, and waiting for the woman who was standing there to finish, when she turned around and said, "ben je blij over obama?" (are you happy about obama?) with a big grin on her face…

i grinned and said, "ja, ik heb voor hem gekozen!" (which i’m pretty sure is bad grammar, but whatever… "yes, i voted for him").  and she looked at me funny, so i added:  "ik ben amerikaans!"  so she smiled again and said she’s brazilian but EVERYbody’s happy…

then another woman walked past and the first woman said, "hey meisje!  obama!!!!" and the new woman gave her a big hug and they congratulated each other then me, then my welsh colleague who walked up just then.  then they walked off.

πŸ™‚  it was really sweet.

where is the little friend?

this morning i walked out the front door to a very foggy hazenstraat.  it was gorgeous.  i love foggy mornings, always have.  when i was a kid, the fog would drift over the valley and sink – specifically into the upper field across lincoln creek road from our farm.  i loved it.

when i got to my bike, chained on the lauriergracht bridge, i saw that i’d had a friend visit with a present sometime between last night and this morning, but i don’t know where he (or she) went… not under the seat, not under the straps of my saddle bags.

anyway, here is the present: