belgianwaffle

Archives for 8 July, 2004

A life of crime


Posted in: Belgium

I was in the post office a while back and I saw a sign from the Flemish tourism agency saying “fill in a card and we’ll send you all our brochures absolutely free of charge”.  So, I did.  Brochure arrived and it was mostly advertising.  I was about to chuck it in the wastepaper basket when I see that they have a little note as follows:

“As we mentioned, the book of ideas and brochure are completely free: all we require from you is 2.50 to cover post and administration costs”.

The nerve.  However, we subscribe to test achat and we will shop them for their iniquity.  In the interim, I am inclined to pay, but Mr. Waffle is not.  It is not his misspelled name that is on the bill though and I fear that the commune police will come knocking on our door and haul me away for non-payment of debt.  I’m living on the edge here, I can tell you.

Comments
jackdalton

on 09 July 2004 at 01:03

Shop them; they deserve it.

belgianwaffle

on 09 July 2004 at 20:59

Um, HJB, no, Belgium is sort of like Switzerland, if Switzerland has lots of different police forces but it’s not clean like Switzerland and they don’t care about washing anything on the street as far as I can tell. The main task of the commune police is to ring your doorbell to check that you live where you said you lived when you registered with the commune. You think that I’m making this up, don’t you? Would you believe that they have guns to accomplish this difficult and dangerous task.
Jack, would have to compose a letter in French and am probably too lazy for that so it will just sit and taunt me on the desk for a bit, I suppose.

Lost in translation


Posted in: Reading etc.

Saw it on DVD at the weekend. Brutal.  What may have been artistic ennui on the big screen was plain old ennui on the little screen.  Didn’t help that herself was in roaring mode so we had to keep going off and tending to her. After a while we didn’t even bother pausing because shag all was happening anyway. Also because we’re still wrestling with pause and fast forward on the DVD and the Princess isn’t old enough to explain it to us yet.  Locotes, I blame you for raising my expectations.

More LRB personals:

“Heaven knows, I’m miserable now.  Emotional wreck, club-footed, anxious M, 33, living a half-life in a garret in London, seeks solace in the brawny arms of a charming man, 30 -40.  I’m afraid I loathe opera but love Morrissey, dodgy Brit sci fi, Barbara Pym’s novels.  Lower those expectations at box no. 12/15”

The pile of newsprint has built up in my absence.  We receive the following through our letterbox:

The Economist (weekly)

Saturday’s Irish Times (weekly)

The LRB (fortnightly)

The BCT magazine (don’t ask – monthly)

Test achat (a consumer magazine – please don’t ask – monthly)

Musee des beaux arts newsletter (quarterly)

Because this lot are not enough to keep us going we also get

The Observer (weekly)

Le Soir (weekly)

The European Voice (well – I have to look for my jobs somewhere – weekly)

The Bulletin (see above – weekly)

As assiduous readers will know, and if you’re reading this, you’re assiduous, I’ve been away for a week and the accumulated weight of stuff is threatening to crush me.

Mr. Waffle wants to know if we’d like to subscribe to the “The New Statesman”.  I don’t think so.

Comments
DruidX

on 08 July 2004 at 22:06

I think I just learnt a new word.
‘Assiduous’ means very often right? 🙂

jackdalton

on 09 July 2004 at 00:56

Yes, give LiT another try. It’s a wonderful and quirky watch. Hang herself out the window some evening in the baby bouncer or deploy HiredHelp. then give it another go. Or read it.
New Statesman is a good read too: I’d ignore you on this if I was MrW.
😉

belgianwaffle

on 09 July 2004 at 20:56

Ok lads I may try LiT again but maybe even at its best it’s a boy film.
DruidX, I think assiduous means very thorough but I had a moment’s doubt there when you asked me and I checked it in the dictionary where it says “showing great care and perseverence”. Am quite pleased with that now, I think assiduous was the very word I was looking for though I didn’t fully appreciate it at the time.

Locotes

on 10 July 2004 at 18:41

A boy film?? That’s just crazy talk…it’s a rom-com! Total girly domain. It’s just that Bill Murray is a legend, and it’s actually a really well-done humourous yet touching piece. And there isn’t much out there that gets me to say that…
As an assiduous cinema-goer, I urge you to give it another try.

belgianwaffle

on 11 July 2004 at 22:29

As a person who has become increasingly less assiduous in recent times, I don’t think I can face it. On the plus side I have booked the last installment of the LOTR on vid for when Mr. Waffle goes to Wales for the w/end for his brother’s stag. Am quite looking forward to it. Sad really.

Locotes

on 12 July 2004 at 12:38

Nothing sad about LOTR – it’s just won an oscar for chrissakes – so anyone making jokes about pointy ears and gay hobbit action is the outsider – not you.
😉

belgianwaffle

on 12 July 2004 at 13:01

I’ll revert on that Locotes. V. excited about Cork city win. Quite amazing.

Locotes

on 12 July 2004 at 14:01

Well I know we both do our best on a daily basis to promote the mighty Cork with our splendiferous writings – but I felt an actual post about the lads and their excellent win was required. I’m sure most if not all 20six is in awe.

belgianwaffle

on 13 July 2004 at 16:12

Loc, surely ALL 20six must be amazed and astounded.