How entertaining is it actually?

Looking at it a year after dedicating this name to my blog, how entertaining is life actually?

I am now forcing myself to come up with at least one aspect of life that is 'entertaining'.

First problem; what is entertaining again? God, I really need to get back to Austin and get my ass into those soft office-like chairs again, to listen to Michael Barnes, explaining me what 'entertainment journalism' is again.

How I wish I could go back to those good old days, wondering around in my sunny outfit on the campus of St. Edward's University, just wondering why I turned out to be the Dutch student studying at this wonderful campus full of nice people, blue skys, interesting classes, parties, roommates and above all; blogwriting.

Sounds pretty entertaining..

Make me write

Time for a change, time for a new template, time for new blogs!
I should be ashamed for not writing anything on my blog since the moment my plane took off. I left Austin, TX, with this really satisfied feeling: I wrote, wrote and wrote. I developed writing skills and I used to be inspired to play with my computer keyboard every single day. The feeling of 'having to write' makes it - at least for some people - much more difficult to write. I used to think I was part of that group. Though, now that I got back to the Netherlands I haven't been writing anything since I don't 'have to' anymore. So please, make me write. Read my blog, offer some challenging comments that will make me 'having to write'!

Dutch music in Austin part II: Driving with 'Guus Meeuwis'

The first day I arrived in Austin I got to know a Dutch man that lives in Austin. Actually, he turned out to be a far cousin. He and his wife are very warm and hospitable and they made me feel like home immediately.
Last week I was allowed to use his car for a couple of days, just to be able to visit some things I couldn't go to without having a car. Without thinking I turned on the music and guess what I heard. "Er is een nacht, die je normaal alleen in films ziet.." ("Some nights only exist in movies..") by Guus Meeuwis. I laughed so bad, that my friend sitting next to me had to tell me we had to turn right.
Normally, I hate this song, and not just a little, I deeply hate it. You know those clubs, where everybody is throwing beer at each other and is singing odd songs? This is one of those songs, those typically, stupid, easy songs.
Though, hearing the song made me laugh. It made me realize how good it is to be somewhere else and to be able to laugh about things from your own country without missing them or without getting sad.

Please laugh about this movie and realize, if you ever want to go to Holland, avoid this.

Dutch music in Austin part I: Blof -- Oktober

Dutch music was never my favourite. The language has so many rough sounds that I just couldn't call it romantic.

Though, since I live in the United States I start to appreciate it more, it is one of the few ways through which I can hear my own language.

Blof is a band containing of four men; a singer, a bass, an electic guitar player and a keyboard player. Originally they all come from the same island in the south of The Netherlands, the same island as where I was born. Since my mom is really fascinated by their music, I started to listen to it when I was pretty young.

Blof produced a lot of albums, which are all very different but create the same atmosphere. They have a duet with the American band 'The Counting Crows' called 'Holiday in Spain' and they recorded a cd full of duets with people from every continent called 'Umoja'. Blof is going international but they stay local at the same time by recording songs about the island, the beach and the sea; their home.

Their last album is called Oktober, and released, yes, last October. Since my mom visited me in Austin at that time she gave me the album. Blof is planning on releasing another album in spring '09. 'Oktober' is a slow album with a lot of deep and thoughtfull texts, the perfect background album for serious conversations but also very relaxing. Although the music is repetitive, the lyrics are creative, sometimes even incomprehensible.

My favourite song of the album is called 'Eilanden' ('Islands').

It says:

"Eilanden in oceanen zijn lang niet zo eenzaam als wij,

Eilanden komen weer samen, als de zeebodem breekt en verschuift,

Laat me niet morgen pas lachen, maar vandaag."

" Islands in oceans are not that lonesome,

Islands come together, as soon as the bottom of the sea breaks and moves.

Let's not wait until tomorrow, I want to laugh today."

Since I am leaving in eight days, I apply texts of every song I hear to my stay here. It may sound kinda sentimental, but that is actually how I feel about leaving.

'Eilanden' can be interpreted on both a small and large scale. Different islands in The Netherlands, but also, different islands on Earth, different parts of the world. They will come together.

"Let's not wait until tomorrow, I want to laugh today." Yes, I am going to enjoy my last days to their full extend.

Here you find short a video from Blof performing 'Eilanden'.

The end of thanksgiving

It dances.

It is like a feather.

It is like that sculpture called bird.

On my way back to Austin after a wonderful thanksgiving weekend with my friend, I realized how little things create happiness. How good it was to be the guest in a warm family and to be thankfull for everything I experience here. This little piece of nature got stuck on the window of our car and stayed there until we entered Austin. It symbolized our hapiness and the simplicity of simply being lucky. It symbolized how fragile memories are and how bad I want to keep them when I return to Europe.

Hairy fingers on the floor

My friend had dreadlocks.

Correction: my friend had green dreadlocks. Green, fuzzy, short and awesome dreadlocks.

But yesterday, in less than an hour, they were gone.

"Am I going to look like a boy? What if my hair doesn't curl anymore when I cut it? And how short is it going to be anyway?" But from the moment she sat down on the chair at the haircutter she knew everything was going to be alright; no itchy hair anymore and she was looking forward to use normal shampoo again.

When the little brown and green sticks fell on the floor, one by one, they reminded me of the green, hairy and pointy fingers of The Grinch. The dreads were filled with memories from adventures far away and they wanted to hold on to my friend's head. No wonder the haircutter gave her a glass of wine in order to get rid of the pain they caused.

Now, one day later, I noticed relief; healthy hair, natural curls and an amazing chocolate-brown color. We left the Grinch's fingers in the bin and started to build new memories that go along with a cheerful and lively haircut.

"Change is never bad."

2010: Sex and the City II

I admit that sometimes, in the right place and at the right time, I appreciate harcore girly-movies. You know those nights when you planned to go out but it rains so badly that it makes you feel like staying home? On those nights, when you have some friends around, when you make some hot chocolate and sit down on the same place at the same couch until three in the morning. On those nights, I love Sex and the City. No complicated storylines, no complex personalities, just watch and shut up.

After the succes of Sex and the City the movie, Sarah Jessica Parker announced she is working on Sex and the City II, which will be out in 2010. Parker, who plays the famous character of Carrie Bradshaw, is working on the storyline of the movie. After an unexpected and chaotic wedding in the first movie, I wonder what the second is going to be like.

Probably it will contain enough material for a dismissive friday night without any other plans.