belgianwaffle

Archives for July 2005

Perspective


Posted in: Siblings

I used to be the extravagant sibling but I think my sister in America has just taken over.  She won an all expenses paid trip to the Indianapolis Grand Prix thingy involving meeting the teams and first class accommodation. It was a very expensive prize; let me put it this way, in the US they have to pay tax on prizes and the tax on this prize was $ 5,000. Her interest in racing prior to this was nil. The Grand Prix was not as exciting as it might have been either as they had some problem I don’t fully understand with tires and a lot of the cars had to withdraw. Nevertheless, she is keen to go back.

We had the following conversation the other day:

Her: Our loving brother didn’t understand this at all but I am sure you will.
Me: Try me.
Her: I was thinking that once every couple of years it would be good to pay $4,000 to go to the paddocks when you go to the Grand Prix.
Me: WHAT?
Her: I was sure you’d understand. You get as much food and drink as you want and it’s only 2,300 euros.
Me: WHAT?
Her: Well not every year.
Me: YOU’RE JOKING.
Her: You’re not as extravagant as you once were.
Me: Splutter. Can I blog this?
Her: Hmm.

And at the time, I thought that “the Paddocks” was some fabulous hotel linked to the race course but as far as I can work out from a quick look on google, it seems to be an enclosure for cars. With food and drink. Oh yummy. Good Lord.

It should be noted that at the moment she spends most of her money on buying and posting presents to the Princess, so I may have ulterior motives in not wanting her to spend her money in the Paddocks.

Comments
sister in America

on 18 July 2005 at 21:24

A key difference betwen siblings – Belgianwaffle is spends to have the best everything. I, on the other hand will be quite sane and sensible and save up money to do crazy things.
I will add, if you haven’t been to the Paddock club, you cannot have the full picture. I liken it to a cruise – its not for every holiday but the odd one here and there is nice.

jackdalton

on 18 July 2005 at 23:27

Hello Sister in America. That would indeed seem to be a basic – perhaps even bi-polar – difference in world view. But while I can understand (really – truly & deeply) your tendency towards what a more flat-shod* sister might see as the profligate, I can equally understand her predilection towards the maturity of searching out the substantive and material. BelgianWaffle is one of those people who builds dreams. You (on the evidence of previous postings to this blog) are someone who chases them. There is no reason why you can’t each be true to your own style and capacities. And anyway, she’s probably a bit jealous.
*currently

Friar Tuck

on 20 July 2005 at 04:21

I can understand the appeal of the Paddocks. I just cannot understand the appeal of paying for it. Now if Sister in America were to go, say, every six or eight years and pay my entrance as well, yes that would be very appealing.

belgianwaffle

on 21 July 2005 at 19:53

SF, ok, if you say so…
Sister, I do NOT. I am very restrained.
JD, see previous, and yes, probably a bit jealous.
FT, welcome back. Have you been sitting around thinking dark thoughts about the new pope?

Friar Tuck

on 22 July 2005 at 03:44

RE: dark thoughts, I suspect it is the other way around.

belgianwaffle

on 23 July 2005 at 12:46

Gosh, FT, he is all powerful. Trust all is well with you all the same.

Gender Equality


Posted in: Belgium, Ireland, Reading etc.

From a national organ of record

“When it comes to fellow citizens, Ireland falls into the conservative category. A massive 81% of people think it’s more important a boy is university educated than a girl. But the Irish also feel that women have an equal right to a job” The Examiner, 20 July 2005.
Well, that’s all right then. Those women probably don’t need jobs either, sure all they do is go off and have babies. Speaking of which, my maternity leave starts tomorrow.

And a happy Belgian national day to you.

StarCorneron 21 July 2005 at 20:30Happy Belgian national Day to you too!! Maybe the Irish think women just want inferior jobs – a wee bit like the golf club I heard about, they don’t let women in until after 3.30 at the weekends cos they should be busy doing the washing and housework till then!! *Tsk!*
Bobbleon 21 July 2005 at 22:02Happy Belgiumness to you dearie x
jackdaltonon 21 July 2005 at 23:42That’s just a load of old bollox — the Examiner’s idea of a survey is to ring a few grannies in East Cork. Don’t take it personally ‘waf. You can hold onto that old UCC parchment for another while. mind you, when McDowell is TeaShock, then you may have to return same…. but that’s a day or two away yet.
😉
suson 22 July 2005 at 11:30Hope your first day of maternity leave is going swimmingly.
belgianwaffleon 23 July 2005 at 12:51Olivia, no, no, no, it means loads of blogging! Ah, Starcorner, you’re so right. I should have thourght.
Thanks Bob.
JD, I am torn between a desire to agree with you and a desire to defend the Examiner’s honour, very trying.
Well, today is technically my first day and very pleasant it is too. Thank you very much.

Nee Naw


Posted in: Family, Princess

On Friday, my poor mother-in-law fell and broke her hip while out walking in the Wicklow hills and had to be airlifted to hospital where, mercifully (and slightly incredibly), she seems to be her usual perky self and she tells us that she is scheduled to start walking about tomorrow. Can this be right? We’re all most relieved but a trifle unnerved all the same. The Princess is torn between worry about her Grandma (sore leg, poor Grandma) and excitement that her Grandma has had a ride in a helicopter.

Comments
belgianwaffleon 25 July 2005 at 10:28

She does seem to be extremely well all things considered. I guess trekking about the mountains has made her tough. Still, all a bit grim.

Technical


Posted in: Reading etc.

We went to a garden party in the suburbs yesterday. It was all very civilised. And leafy. Our host was a man I knew when I was in Bosnia for a couple of months in 1996 and ran into again in a Brussels café last year. Small world and all that.

I was chatting to this woman and I asked her how she knew our host and she said that she had a blog. Ran into some blogging etiquette difficulty as I waxed enthusiastic about her very well-known blog in a polite way but havenÂ’’t really read it; so was frantically trying to remember whether she might have children etc. while wittily telling stories about the pleasures of being pregnant with twins.

I suppose it was inevitable that she should be the mother of twins. It turned out that a lot of people there were bloggers who knew each other, including our host. It was all very weird but the weirdest bit was when I was chatting to this Irish girl whose blog I cannot now find and she said to me “YouÂ’’re
belgianwaffle are you? I nearly keeled over from shock. “What� How did you know?” “Well, you’Â’re pregnant with twins.”

And while I’Â’m doing geeky, everytime I try to link to the sarcastic journalist, I get a message saying “You’ve been very, very naughty! You are the weakest link. Goodbye. What the hell is that about? If you are at all in the mood to be kind, you
might see if the link works for you and, if it does pass me on her email address so that I can see whether I have been blocked by accident or what. Oh come on, you know I havenÂ’’t been leaving nasty comments.

And finally, please admire the Princess’Â’s new hair style.

Comments
disgruntled

on 24 July 2005 at 17:16

Not sure if it helps, but I followed the link you gave and got the same thing. Even googling and following the link came up with the same message. So I don’t think it’s you, I think it’s a problem with that site. (Google still has it cached though)

dmts

on 24 July 2005 at 17:29

I got the link okay so I’m obviously an A lister.

Nicholas

(Homepage)

on 24 July 2005 at 19:29

Small world, isn’t it!!!!!

zed

(Homepage)

on 24 July 2005 at 20:14

It was lovely meeting you yesterday and you have the gift of the gob, my dear! I couldn’t even ask you a question 😉 There again, you may realise that in reality (although you don’t read my blog) I am, in fact, terribly shy. I had some tips for you that I was thinking about last night if ever you wanted some, re: twins, so do email me if you feel the need 🙂 I hope we meet again before the sproglets pop out – let me know and we can organise a BBQ chez-moi.

jackdalton

on 24 July 2005 at 23:01

Hey ‘waf.. that woman whose blog you don’t read is calling you a mouth!! 😉

belgianwaffle

on 25 July 2005 at 10:33

HJB, not only are you an A lister, you’re a saint as well. Disgruntled, it’s no wonder we’re disgruntled, frankly.
Nicholas, alarmingly so. Thank you for a lovely afternoon – more formal thanks to follow!
Oh dear, it’s not that I don’t read your blog, it’s just that I subscribed with bloglines and it never updates so I gave up on it. I would love to say that I am only very, very talkative in the presence of celebrities but this is completely untrue. I could talk for Ireland (and that’s saying something). Thank you for kind offering of advice re sproglets, I will be back to you. Am on first day of mat leave and gethering myself together to torment people.
Jack, what can I say, it’s true.

Sarcastic Journalist

(Homepage)

on 25 July 2005 at 17:00

I’m sooo sorry!!! I hope we can get this straightened out.

belgianwaffle

on 26 July 2005 at 14:52

All sorted, thank you kindly, SJ.

Aoife

on 26 July 2005 at 18:31

Sorry to make you keel over with shock! Nicholas had invited a stack of bloggers so I assumed that’s how he knew you.

belgianwaffle

on 27 July 2005 at 10:28

But no! And you know how dangerous it is to make someone in my condition keel over…Anyhow, where is your blog? I’ve tried Habseeligkeit in livejournal but it sneers at me.

Aoife

(Homepage)

on 08 August 2005 at 20:14

Sorry, have been internet cold turkey for a while and haven’t been blogging. Most of the journal is locked – you can sign up to livejournal without bothering to post anything and I’ll “friend” you to read posts.

belgianwaffle

on 08 August 2005 at 21:54

It’s ok, I found you, Nicholas gave you away! Will sign up to live journal when feeling strong and let you know…

Oh the pain


Posted in: Belgium

I broke a tooth eating a frozen Mars bar.  Do you really want to know?

Anyway, due to amazing Scandinavian dental technology, my tooth is slightly better than new. But the bill came to, oh dear, 285 euros only a small portion of which I fear will be refunded by our insurance. Oh the pain.

Comments
Bobble

on 25 July 2005 at 12:48

Back away from the freezer and lie down dear.

belgianwaffle

on 26 July 2005 at 14:51

No, bobble, frozen Mars bars are delicious, truly (Norah, back me up here, please). But expensive.

Locotes

on 27 July 2005 at 15:46

Christ – sorry about that. But who goes biting into Mars Bar Bricks? At least a bit of thawing was surely in order?

belgianwaffle

on 28 July 2005 at 11:09

But they’re nice frozen. Though expensive.

Klaus Jensen

on 28 November 2005 at 16:54

“Gold Palle” is the nickname of this dentist, because he(Palle Hansen)is the most expensive dentist in Bruxelles.

Klaus Jensen

on 28 November 2005 at 16:54

“Gold Palle” is the nickname of this dentist, because he(Palle Hansen)is the most expensive dentist in Bruxelles.  belgianwaffle

on 29 November 2005 at 15:46

Mr. Jensen, thank you, this is a superb piece of information…

I’m not a feminist but


Posted in: Work

The other day, I heard a young woman say I’m not a feminist or any of that rubbish, but I hate it when older men patronise me. She went on to explain that for all of her career, she had worked for older men. What, she thinks that the rest of us have spent our careers working for teenage girls? Does she feel that it’s necessary to qualify her criticisms in this way so
as not to annoy older men or does she really believe that feminism is rubbish and it’s important to say so at every possible juncture? I found either interpretation very depressing. What did I say? Nothing. I am a feminist, but I’m a coward. Sigh.

Comments
belgianwaffleon 26 July 2005 at 14:55

It is supremely annoying, isn’t it? I wish I could pull myself together and say something. Perhaps next time I’ll say, “you know, it sounds to me like you might be just a teensy bit of a feminist, are you worried about that?” and watch for squirming. Or, more likely, I won’t.

Jeithzorroon 26 July 2005 at 15:07

That does seem to be the all-purpose-loophole-to-offend . I’m not racist but, I’m not being mean but, I don’t think the earth should be run by aardvarks with telepathy but.
Regrettably I too can only vent my spleen behind the safety glass of blogging.

NorahSplogon 26 July 2005 at 15:24

I’m not a blogger or any of that rubbish, but I happened to be passing and I have to agree that it is rather depressing.

jackdaltonon 26 July 2005 at 19:43

You should have decked her… she doesn’t deserve to get away with that level of sloppy thinking.

StarCorneron 26 July 2005 at 20:58

But if she’s not a feminist doesn’t that mean she would believe in a more patriarchial (sp?) society and therefore deserves to get patronised by men – silly cow!!! (sorry about language but people like that annoy the hell out of me too!)

belgianwaffleon 27 July 2005 at 10:29

Good point JZ. Norah, beautifully put. JD, is this the academic in you coming out by any chance? StarCorner, you restore my faith in human nature!

jackdaltonon 27 July 2005 at 21:40

Probably.