9.28.2008

Torch Steak


Torch Steak, originally uploaded by jimturbert.

Marleen and I went to Amsterdam to see a performance by a group known as Dogtroep. It was quite an elaborately orchestrated presentation of rigorously planned chaos. After the performance Marleen told me that the performance was supposed to be based on Hamlet. My 9th grade English teacher Mrs. Tresky would be sad to hear that I didn't get that, but I thought the performance was very cool. Also, it was visually exciting. I don't have any pictures of the actual performance. First of all, I was busy watching the performance. Secondly, my crappy cell phone camera/fixed position seating position would not have done it justice. You'll have to believe me when I say that the spiral staircase with a ballerina on it which was suspended above the performance area by a giant crane was a sight to behold. What I do have pictures of is the concession area after the performance. It was an outdoor performance that finished after 10pm. We were cold, but imagine our delight when we stumbled across these two ladies cooking steaks with blow torches. Warm red meat is very satisfying after watching strange theatre in the cold night air.

Best,
Jim

9.21.2008

this is an example of the public art in my new neighborhood.  i believe that it is the only public art in my neighborhood, but at least we have some, right?  i think it's a dear little sculpture relief thing on the wall.  i'm looking forward to posting more images like this.  being a large format man, i haven't done too much off the cuff shooting of my friends and surroundings since my massart days.  i don't even own a digital camera - gasp!  i just got a swell new iphone though, and it has a meager camera built in, so if i can force myself to remember that i have the capability, i will take some pictures of my new surroundings while i'm engaged in unemployed meanderings throughout rotterdam and the rest of the netherlands.  keep in mind that those meanderings are quite frequent, so there could be some interesting posts in the coming days.  
speaking of being unemployed, i've decided that once i have employment clearance from the very precise and rule abiding dutch government i would like to have a job naming dutch products that are supposed to sound american. this profession may seem unnecessary in a land filled with people who speak english almost as well as they speak their own language, but after today, i've decided that this new profession is a viable option.  the dutch tend to name things that are kind of big or have chocolate chips in it "american."  that's just lazy and obvious.  i recently encountered a brand of ice cream from the albert heijn supermarket chain that is supposed to compete with or offer a reasonable alternative to a product like ben and jerry's.  i'm not sure if it's marketing genius or a serious oversight, but they call one of their ice cream flavors "nut explosion."  i find the name hilarious, but am i the only one who believes nut explosion is an inappropriate name for a sweet creamy and delicious dairy dessert?  think about it. this is a family product. 
anyway, it's not that i don't find the name nut explosion funny, but i think they should hire me to come up with appealingly inoffensive names for their flavors of ice cream among other things.  

best wishes,
jim
p.s.  we got albert heijn ice cream for later tonight, and i was going to take a picture of the packaging for you.  marleen thought she grabbed nut explosion, but she got the boringly named cookie caramel instead.  i'm still looking forward to eating cookie caramel ice cream this evening it should still be quite good even if the name is not as racy.  

9.18.2008

i'm not going to say much other than i am alive; b is alive, and we are in holland.  i'll let you know more later.

best, 
jim 

9.09.2008

this is going to be the last post for at least a week.  i'm getting unplugged from the computer tomorrow.  the movers are coming in the morning.  the late morning.  i've been living in a mess of boxes and trash for weeks now, but i'm almost there.  instead of getting messier, it's getting cleaner and more orderly.  every moment gives me another square inch of floor.  i still need to drain the gas out of the motorcycle.  i can do that in the morning.  i also need to fill out the insurance papers.  i must do that tonight.  it's hard to believe that this is my last week living in boston.  it's so hard to believe that i am currently unemployed.  it's so hard to believe that i'm going to be a foreigner next week.  there are lots of things that it is hard to believe.
if you've recently e-mailed me, i will get back to you.  i can't really do that right now.  i shouldn't even be writing this because i haven't finished packing yet.  i figured it would be okay to post while i ate my trader joe's mojito salmon.  now the salmon is gone, and i have no excuse to keep writing.
i had a yard sale yesterday.  it was moderately successful.  i was, and still am, utterly shocked by some of the stuff that got sold.  on the other hand, i am also shocked at some of the stuff that didn't sell.  people are hard to predict.  so yeah, the next post will be from an expatriated man living amongst the vulcans of the human race.  i hope they don't mind meld me too much and turn my brain into mush.  that happens you know...

i'll talk to you later, 
jim