Tag Archives: UK

Under a bridge

Maybe it was the lunar eclipse seeping into our beer. Maybe it was me feeling exhausted and bummed after a long graduation day filled with me giving speeches, having flash-backs, and mini mental crises entitled “what the hell have I done with my days?” Whatever the cause – who cares; Yesterday evening/this morning- one of the most creative groups of Amsterdam ex-pats ever got together aboard Big Jim’s boat for one crazy fun jam session. Ingredients: Three guitarists, one French Hornist/singer, 3 to 4 singers and Crazy Dr. M as well. (yes.. researcher and he sings too!) It was raining you say? Not a problem – we floated beneath a bridge and remained there enjoying the acoustics and pigeons for half the night. Everyone was pleasantly surprised, as far as I can tell, by the French Horn, cause hey – how often do French Hornists sit on boats under bridges in Amsterdam and play anything from rock to country or jazz to Indian music. I swear we did an excellent Indian jam that Ravi Shankar would have wanted in on.(photos to follow tomorrow)

At some point in the evening… between the bridge and the ride through Prinsen Island.. someone shouts, “so how about those elections next week?” There was a collective “uhhhhg” in the air. And then someone broke into some Steve Miller, which I feel way to young for, since I don’t really know the songs. Looking back, this whole thing reminds me of the Accordian Guy and his adventures with the squeeze box on the street.

This morning Ms. Thingk and I did an impromptu “this ol park” which turned into “this ol island” as we wandered Prinsen Island and made some discoveries. But I’m too worried about my Halloween costume to properly blog about what a nice afternoon it was.

OK, this Bin Laden statement. How can I put this….. BULLSHIT! Anyone else have the urge to yell that? I was watching the Eminem video about the election where bin laden’s talking and suddenly the background falls apart and the Bush admin is standing there embarrassed, behind him. I think Marshall Mathers is a genius with a small g, and this video is a sign of the times. (OCG represent!)

What I mean by bullshit is both the timing and the content of this message. First off, I don’t believe this man is the all-powerful mastermind they paint him to be. I think he’s an opportunist with a symbiotic relationship with the US government. (ie: He needs them as they need him, to sell weapons and gain more power, etc) The other thing is I think this message was released to help the Bush campaign; Bin Laden says “Dont vote for Bush” so Americans will watch, get angry, and go vote Bush. If you don’t think the timing of this video and the manner it’s released are sketchy, let me step away quietly so as not to wake you.

Today’s Sounds: Laurent Voulzy – Avril

Take the A

If you’re going to the End of the World, you may as well bring good company. Last night a pair of Canadians and myself ventured over to the end of Java Eiland, where the wind is colder and the streets are silent. I led them to that long boat I have so often jogged by. From the outside is looks like everyone is sleeping, not a sound. Just as we were about to board the seemingly deserted boat, a group of giggly well-fed people emerge from the boat doors, and cross the plank back to land. After exchanging a few words with them, we board, only to discover the joy of the infamous squat restaurant the Einde Van de Wereld. I expected squat culture at its worst, cramped spaces, unclean. I expected wrong. This boat was huge, and the environment was a warm and friendly one. Never was there a feeling that we were new or unwelcome. We fit right in. I did my best to ask how everything works, so as not to mess up the system:

    – Go to Frank Zappa, tell him if you want the Veggie or the Meat entree.

    – Move down to Zappa’s sister, tell her what you want to drink.

    – Sit down and enjoy bread from the big plate of bread that remains on the table as each costumer comes and goes.

I’m pretty sure I’ll become a frequent customer at this restaurant-boat that is only open two days a week. I’ll bring many a guest there, and who knows – maybe get on a first name basis with the boat-people.

58,000… count’em… 58,000 missing postal ballots in Florida. And we all know that state isn’t alone. I think the UN needs to step in right now and declare these elections null and void. Send in the Canadian and Bangladesh peace keepers to secure the white house and remove the crown prince, until free elections can be held. In the meantime instruct all Americans to “go back to living their normal lives again” or the more popular “go shopping.”

NYC people, listen close, cause this concerns you. The MTA is celebrating their centennial. So when you get on the subway the next few weeks, don’t get upset at the ceiling fans and tweed seats – you’re riding in a piece of history! I’m super jealous, I’m missing out on riding in a wooden train car that was declared unsafe decades ago. The irony is most New Yorkers will pile in, tired and irritated from work, and will look at the old train cars and bitch about how shitty the MTA is.

xtx had a post that I was especially captivated by, regarding moms, babies, and play groups. Makes me realize how much I really want one……

…. my own play group.

One last thing, somebody tell me if this weblog course outline (.pdf) looks any good. I’m going to submit it to learn-ed old men who normally frown upon my youth and inexperience, and hopefully don’t read my blog too closely.

Today’s Sounds: Off the Hook on 99.5 WBAI-NYC

In the State of Swing

I’m going to need a Bosnian to Spanish translator in order to communicate with a majority of my fantasy basketball players. Thankfully I’m fluent in French and Spanish, so I can still talk to my other scrubs and my favorite Puerto Rican point guard who I did get to watch in the Olympics. Funnest part, however brief, of yesterdays fantasy draft was getting to chat with Tony Pierce, who’s family is visiting, and who had a seemingly cool birthday party. It has gotten to the point where I’ve seen enough photos of his apartment, via the blog, that I know my way around. Weird you say? COOL I say.

Speaking of the busblog, I was reading Danielle’s “keeping it real” this morning, as I so often do. Sometimes that girl just hits it right for me. Like some wonderfully-crazy gonzo-journalistic-poet. I see hers as one of those blogs, like anyone’s actually, which is only for certain tastes and might be loved by some and hated by others.

An opposite example would be the man with a blog-god complex, the instapundit. I try my best to be open minded and blog respectful, but reading that blog is like riding a bicycle with no seat and flat tires. I literally gave my monitor the finger as he scoffed at the Brazilian space program and proceeded to give detailed summaries and photos of Bushie’s Florida rally. Who gives a flying fuck if the American dictator appears in a denim-blue workshirt with his sleeves rolled up and talks about how much he loves florida and america needs to give him 4 more years and a few billion more bucks. One of the most read bloggers in the sphere you say? A column in the Guardian you say? No thank you sir.

On a brighter note, courtesy of the most famous Canadienne ever to grace the pages of this blog, I now have a costume for Halloween. I just need some brown shag carpet – extra shag, a varsity jacket, some novelty teeth, and a friend named styles. I hear NoCoins was considering topping last year’s Zombie John Ridder by going as Zombie Christopher Reeve this year. What? Too soon?

Today’s Sounds: Kings of Convenience – Silence is the New Loud

Our Portuguese Loser

I was speaking with a slightly Drunken Dutchman and a Spaniard last night, enjoying the conversation about the tiny Russian exclave Kaliningrad, when Crazy Dr. M jumps in and dramatically warns, “Watch out! This whole conversation will end up in his blog!”

Touch? Dr. M, and yes.. it was me outside your window on Thursday night, standing on the edge of Big Jim’s boat trying to tip over your badly painted houseboat.

So it has now been a few months that our former Portuguese Prime minister got promoted and moved to Brussels as the new President of the European Commission. At that time, anyone could have told you that Dur?o Barroso had always been a Portuguese foot stool. Our lamest politician, with little personality, and not much left of a spine. But alas, Brussels wanted him, presumably since nobody had ever heard of this multilingual brown noser. They loved it when he arrived and spoke French with the Frenchies and then English with the Englishers, and you can bet he gives good Spanish. Hell I could do that job, except that I don’t like the taste of boots on my tongue.

But our hero continues to be a disaster, wherever he goes. His latest comes with his cabinet selections, for minister of justice and security, the imfamous Italian asshole Rocco Buttiglione… aka Butt.. aka Ass. The Ass recently declared that to him, homosexuality was a sin and that families existed for women to have children and be protected by a man.

Isn’t that just inspiring? This man will oversee justice in the EU. Nevermind Dur?o’s choice for competition minister, the Dutch Neelie Kroes, who has already lied about her dealings-on-the-side with Lockheed Martin.

But don’t give up on the EU yet, because what these chumps don’t realize, is that you have to get by some of the frumpiest and critical socialist and liberal representatives around, the EU Parliament. And amongst these folks, anti-gay and anti-woman rhetoric is never acceptable. All i can say is hooray for our entrenched Euro Greens/socialists/liberals, who may be lazy and pampered, but at least reflect a smidgen of our cultural values. (yes, I said our, cause remember, Im a citizen and a resident)

I’ve been following the pride of Toronto, the Accordian Guy engagement, via his multiple blogs. Good news, he discovered what the bulge is under Bush’s jacket.

And finally, good news – A Line in the Sand and Chris Missick are back. He’s moved camps, and he’s back to blogging.

Today’s Sounds: Caetano Veloso – A Foreign Sound (have you heard it? the mans a genius)

This Guy

Everyone else had already boarded the rather large and spacious boat, the engine was running, and the beer/wine was securely stowed. The Torontonienne was attempting to keep what was left of her balance after one of those unbeatable Amy-dinners. As she stepped from the random boat that we were double parked with I whisper, “I’m so blogging about this!” To which she smiles and replies, “Your such a nerd.”

And so it is, and so it was, courtesy of Big Jim, a man who knows about water, and a veteran Jersey exile who once again – makes me proud of the people coming out of my homestate. He took us around on the fantastic vessel which had actually been salvaged, a once sunken treasure now decorated with church candles, random expats, and the beer I spilled around 2am.

This is not one of those “here’s what I did last night” posts. This is about a new goal or a renewed goal in my life which Big Jim accomplished in the mid nineties. The man rode a Yamaha motorcycle (he says he’s not actually into motorcycles) from the UK to Saudi Arabia and then thru Asia down to Indonesia. I’m sure some other dinner guests saw me drooling for more of his stories. I kept stopping him in certain countries, shouting things like “Did you make it down to the Atlas mountains?”, “What was Sarajevo like, all destroyed?”, “Did they give you shit at the Israeli border with Jordan?”, “Did you see mount Ararat?”, oh and the all-important “Had the entire Nepalese Royal Family been gunned down yet?” He seemed to welcome the interruptions, and told stories of bribing middle eastern border patrols with German porno mags given to him by random truckers. Or the futuristicness of Dubai and the UAE.

The journey took him 3 years. 3 YEARS! I kept thinking… could I? Will I? I can definitely say this, when I do, I’m going to my new friend Big Jim to plan my route. But I suspect it won’t be as long. I think the first thing I’m going to get working on is re-doing the Guevara/Granada trek from Argentina down and around the South American cone. And no, I doubt I’ll go by motorcycle.

Like the Fenway Park, the Communiqu? has been setting attendance records this week. I hope that means new readers, be they old or new friends, or simply folks I haven’t met yet, I like having discussions, welcome to the blog!

AND – This is an announcement: After lengthy discussion, and still standing by most of the points I have made, I have decided to put the blogs electoral support behind JFK.


    Because I wish his wife could be president.

    Because I intend to be his biggest critic once his worse-than-Clinton ass gets into office.

    Because I listen and respect the experienced opinions of good friends like Drock and blogger friends like Professor B and all the other people.

    Because I reserve the right to change my mind and be a hypocrite where and whenever I please.

    Because I still love Nader, Peltier and Cobb, and I’ll defend them at any dinner party.

    Because yeah, I want to see Bushie shrivel up and be forgotten like his loser father.

    Because I keep thinking of that Simpsons episode where the two Aliens take over the bodies of Clinton and Dole, and they make campaign promises like: “Abortions for everyone!” (boooooo) “Abortions for no one!” (boooooo) “Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others!” (yaaaaay, commence flag waving)

So that’s it, I’m laying down my guns until this election is over, which according to past experiences should be sometime in December right?

And And- Happy 111 years of age, to the man who inspires me to blog.

*NOTE – This ol’park might return next week. I’m too beat and busy today.*

Today’s Sounds: Joe Strummer – Streetcore (damn I miss him)

Ice Cream Princess

There was that day where I was crossing the Nieuwendijk chatting away with Mathemagenic, upon our first (of many I predict) offline meeting. Speeding by on her bike was the heiress to the Chilly Philly Ice Cream company. I didn’t realize she was still in the dam, apparently on her own self-imposed exile. I shouted “hello” and kept right on walking, engrossed in good conversation.

Sure enough last night I get an email from the heiress that basically says:

“Hey BM, glad to see you’re still bopping around Amsterdam. I was wondering if you already voted, I’m sure you have, but if not, I happen to have an extra federal ballot, and it could be yours if you want.”

Now, it has been documented that this year I just couldn’t get my absentee ballot in gear since I despise both alleged candidates, but still, I admit to being disappointed with missing the local races. Especially since I’m obsessed with looking at different states’ absentee ballots. So I told the heiress that I would like it, but to be forewarned, I’ll likely vote green and not for her boy JFK. She replied expressing her disappointment, stating that this election was really important. DAM RIGHT, I thought, it’s important I vote for the party or candidate who best represents my ass. And not for the horse I think is going to win the race. But to her credit she is still bringing me the ballot – a federal one, I’ve never heard of such a thing? Credit this fine city and it’s great people, all I did was walk down the street and say hi, and the daughter of alternative ice cream moguls reached out a helping hand.

(PS – If you’re in Philly, tell me if their shit is any good, go to any of these places)

Now, they say Indonesia has a corruption problem. If they’d only add me to the payroll, I might not blog about it. But alas, Wahid didn’t pay me, and neither did Megawati after him. But I was charmed by her long family tradition of politicing and ruling over the world’s largest Muslim democracy. (though we should all know its much more than only Muslim.) Still it’s an impressive thing from where I sit, how smoothly and often Indonesians change presidents thru elections. So welcome Mr. Yudhoyono, now its your turn. Take note Tony Blair, you three term whore.

There are a whole lot of bloggers writing about colored sox today. Especially those who normally write about baby bears.

Today’s Sounds: Outlook on the BBC worldservice – Running Around St. Petersburg with Returning White Russians