The New Picasso

He's in his blue period.....

Hurrah for non-toxic fingerpaint ....one of the great inventions of the 21th century.

De Meester

Als je met twijfels zit, is er niets beter om je tot rust te brengen dan schitterende gedichten te lezen, zoals deze

"O, ik weet het niet,
maar besta, wees mooi.
zeg: kijk, een vogel
en leer me de vogel zien.
Zeg: het leven is een brood
om in te bijten en de appels zien rood
van plezier, en nog, en nog, zeg iets.
Leer me huilen, en als ik huil
leer me zeggen: het is niets."
- Herman De Coninck

Youthful Innocence

Delight can be simple.

Yesterday, I was searching through online databases for good recipes for the upcoming farewell party for Veronica, our summer's au pair. When Veronica joins me in the search and is thrilled about my fast, 'blind' typing on the keyboard. Veronica, who's fourteen, cannot type without watching the keyboard and was amazed by my ability to type withing peeking.

I felt quite the typing hero. Bliss can be so simple. Bless the typing classes I took in eight grade. They were wearth it.

Belgian Chocolate

Belgian Chocolate is still the very, very best.

OK. I admit. I'm biased. But when everyone here in the US I've given chocolates to (neighbors, colleagues, friends) is raving about it, take their word. They're not the type of people who'd just push compliments if they didn't mean it. And this wasn't even the top of the line of Belgian gourmet chocolate, but good, old reliable Cote d'or 'Boucheetjes'.
Discard the Hershey's and that other junk. Belgian chocolate rules!

Another win for quality ingredients (cocoa butter anyone) over cheap quantity (vegetable oil replacements). Goes for a lot of things when you think about it, not just chocolates, but most material items, lifestyle and friends. I'm firmly in the quality camp.
That's a direction I wish society would follow more: quality and depth over quantity and superficial materialism.

Summer Cold

It figures. Just back from Belgium and I develop a summer cold. You know the deal: sore throat, stuffy head, ears clogged, all-round lame feeling. Not Fair. Aren't people supposed to be energies after their vacation. full of vibrancy and ready to jump back into the grind?
Come to think if it. I don't believe I've ever known anyone to be happy to come back from vacation. If I were superstitious I'd say, it's a sign; a sign I don't want to go back, either to work or to the regular hassle and bussle here.
A friend suggested becoming independently wealthy so we wouldn't have to work anymore and could do what we wanted, when we wanted. Sounds like a great idea. If anyone has a good strategy, let me know. Right now digging for gold or playing the lottery are the only ideas we've come up with that don't require a ton of upfront capital investment. And marrying rich for money is out too, since we're both in our thirties already and while not bad-looking, not stunning either. Oh well, we'll keep working at it.

Kevin's asleep. Bless his heart. He develops so quickly. Is almost talking. In fact, he is talking in his own babbeltaal, we just can't understand him yet. He can make himself understood though. When he wants to go outside and play, he points to his sunhat, then to his head, then to the door and makes the dooropening sign. Smart kid. Hope we're not screwing him up too badly to talking to him in two languages. I so hope his Flemish is going to be decent. I keep on consistently talking to him in it, but since I'm the only one, I'm not sure if that will suffice. Hope so. Till we move back of course.

dagje rust

vandaag geen gezeul met peuter en amerikaanse familie naar Vlaamse hoofdsteden, oorlogsmonumenten of brouwerijen, maar een dagje welverdiende rust. ttz spelen met Kevintje, de was en strijk doen, helpen eten klaarmaken en af en toe eventjes op de zetel zitten. Klinkt misschien niet aantrekkelijk, maar deed ontzettend deugd. Het moet niet altijd avontuurlijk of nieuws zijn om je goed te voelen. De Vlaamse huiselijkheid doet soms wonderen.
En vanovond andijvie met witte saus als groente. Eeuwig geleden. Moet je ook in de VS niet zoeken.
Schrijnend wel die beelden van London. Gelukkig is mijn vriendin Su OK. Ze had net vandaag de dag vrijaf gehouden, dus lag ze nog in bed toen de explosies afgingen. Wat kun je tegen dergelijk terreurgeweld? Behalve mensen een beetje opvoeden, en een wat meer wereldser beeld geven, zodat ze de religieuze propaganda niet als koek binnennemen. Maar dat is een werk van lange adem. Toch de moeite waard om mee verder te gaan: