belgianwaffle

Archives for February 2005

Bookclub book


Posted in: Reading etc.

” Thank you for the messages! I just wanted to let you know that I will probably have to skip this book. Unfortunately my English is not so good to cope with a “fake 18th century slang”. There are too many words that are not even in a dictionary and the whole exercise, given the size of the book, becomes extremely difficult for me.”

Email from existing founder member (TM)  to new member “Here’s the info. It’s a v.long book, by the way.”

On the plus side, the publishing exec has sent me an exclusive article on how the author gets his ideas, so not all bad. I just wish he
had fewer of them.

A small prize will be available, if you correctly guess the book we have chosen to read.

Comments
Friar Tuck

on 10 February 2005 at 21:28

I’ll take a stab at it…
Is it The Oxford English Dictionary?

belgianwaffle

on 12 February 2005 at 15:39

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Pshaw. It was David Mitchell’s “Cloud Atlas”

Why not blog about the job?


Posted in: Work

Dooce

Have a look at her masthead, why don’t you?

Also, have a look at Woolamaloo

I like my job and I would like to hang on to it.

However, today, as I sat in a meeting where we considered the best conduct of meetings (what Mr. Waffle calls a meta meeting), I lost a
tiny bit of my enthusiasm. On the plus side we don’t have to do meta-training which is a regular part of Mr. Waffle’s job. That’s training on how to apply for training.

Comments
Friar Tuck

on 10 February 2005 at 03:57

Oh, and you forgot to mention Diary of a Flight Attendant

belgianwaffle

on 12 February 2005 at 15:40

Am very bitter that you got to see Dooce on the telly, I want to see Dooce on the telly. I deserve it…

Friar Tuck

on 12 February 2005 at 23:46

Perhaps if you got a ladder and helped her up…

belgianwaffle

on 16 February 2005 at 21:36

Oh very funny.

They start school at 2 and a half in Belgium


Posted in: Belgium, Princess

Me: Hello, I’m wondering about how to register my little girl for school.
Snooty lady: Was she born in 2005?
Me: What, in the last month?!
Snooty lady (coldly): Yes, in 2005 as we have a couple of spaces left
for the younger siblings of older children in our school. Does
your daughter have an older sibling in the school?
Me: No.
Snooty lady (in tones of deep satisfaction): Well, I’m sorry, you’ll have to try elsewhere.

I’m beginning to get nervous. Still, it’s not like England where a (catholic) friend of Mr. Waffle’s got involved with her local protestant church with a view to getting her children into the good school attached to it. She is chair of the flower arranging committee. But they didn’t accept her child for the school. And she’s still stuck on the flower arranging committee.  And I bet she’s no good at either because, let’s face it, flower arranging is a protestant virtue.

Comments
belgianwaffle

on 12 February 2005 at 21:25

Hmm, but suppose she screams or is otherwise unadorable?

princessfairytoes

on 12 February 2005 at 21:47

noooooooooo she’s tooo small to be given over to the education system

Friar Tuck

on 12 February 2005 at 23:42

That’s odd. The Belgians don’t seem noticably more educated than other Europeans to me.

belgianwaffle

on 16 February 2005 at 21:36

Ah, but they are.

Leading by example


Posted in: Princess

Princess: Bye bye Mummy (waves and walks to door).
Me: Bye, bye sweetheart.
Princess: See you soon Mummy (shuts door – glass – and waves from far side).
Me: See you soon, honey.
Princess: Nice day Mummy.
Me: Thank you, sweetheart.
Princess: Bye bye
Me: Um, where are you going darling?
Princess : Work.

Comments
princessfairytoes

on 12 February 2005 at 21:47

arhh how sweet

Friar Tuck

on 12 February 2005 at 23:44

Not surprising given the age they start school there.

belgianwaffle

on 13 February 2005 at 14:17

Eh, I don’t think so Jack. Thanks PFT. FT, well, yes, I suppose so.

poggle

on 14 February 2005 at 12:13

Contributing to the household budget already … Is that legal?

belgianwaffle

on 16 February 2005 at 21:34

Pog, evil snigger from here.

Oliver James in the Observer


Posted in: Mr. Waffle, Reading etc.

Mr. Waffle says he will write to him and ask him to stop torturing me. Otherwise Mr. Waffle will horsewhip him.  My hero.

Comments
jackdalton

on 13 February 2005 at 15:40

If you had a dog this sort of thing wouldn’t happen….

Friar Tuck

on 14 February 2005 at 05:13

He’s obviously a momma’s boy.
BTW, great two-liner.

belgianwaffle

on 16 February 2005 at 21:35

Mr. Waffle still hasn’t written to Mr. James. But I have bought him a horsewhip. And maybe we should get a dog..

Rugby


Posted in: Mr. Waffle

With one thing and another, we decided to video the second half and take her out for some cultural excitement. Of course, the fact
that the BBC in its ultimate wisdom decided to cover the first half of the match on BBC 1 and the second half on BBC 2 meant that didn’t work very well. Mr. Waffle was much chagrined especially since, inevitably, we were much better in the second half.

Comments

belgianwaffle

on 16 February 2005 at 21:33

Hmm. Maybe, it certainly seems as though she’d like it.

jackdalton

on 17 February 2005 at 00:41

Clearly a future sports woman.
Have you bought her trainers and a hurley yet?

belgianwaffle

on 20 February 2005 at 15:22

No, although there is hurling available in Brussels, you’ll be delighted to hear.