Category Archives: random

I Can Explain, Really

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So I was away for a while. Things happened. Don’t worry, I’m not getting into horror movie mode. I started my Master’s program just a while back and I had so many papers to write (not that many, they just demanded loads of attention) that I couldn’t get blogging in anywhere. Then, just when things were cooling down, miss Missouri came to town and we had an official pre-wedding celebration party. Because it’s really hard to get my whole family to come to the States in August, we decided to throw a Dutch party as well. Because I feel a need to include my loyal readership in the festivities as well, here’s a picture of miss Missouri and yours truly, taking the most out of the beautiful sunset that was taking place at the beach. Take it as an apology for not even texting you guys where I was.

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I know I said picture, but how can I not include one picture from the 'wooden shoe' photoshoot?

I know I said picture, but how can I not include one picture from the ‘wooden shoe’ photoshoot?

Blog Loving: Bizarroword

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Let me quietly introduce this. I like wordgames, both Dutch and English. I like being bilangual, so I can always play my second-language card. I never lose wordgames, half of the time because of that same card I keep playing. This is way I got pretty excited when I read about Bizarroword on Jenn’s page.

It has a button, too.

It has a button, too.

Today is the last day to play, so if you’re bored and looking for a way to vamp up your Friday, feel free to click the button above. I hope to win (and if I don’t, it’s because English is my second language), just to see how a box of apple muffins will make it here. Below, you find my entry:

Exodthem
1. Exodus
2. Forcing grammarly handicapped people to leave the building.
3. If them would speak proper English, them could stay a while, but now I’d rather exodthem.

Bettheyen
1. I got nothing
2. Ponder upon what to eat for dinner.
3. How about pasta? That’s okay, we can still bettheyen.

Conclthemion
1. Conclusion
2. Coughing up that green stuff that had been blocking your throat for days.
3. ‘Hold on, I think I may finally have my conclthemion.’

Constitthemion
1. Constitution
2. When a bus or train is so crowded you cannot pass easily.
3. ‘Let’s take the next one, this one is constitthemion.’

Ththem
1. Thus
2. A minor, unplanned surprise.
3. ‘What a ththem, there’s a $10 bill in my pocket!’

Theyre
1. Still not a clue
2. Archaic English for ‘deer’.
3. Shan’t we be humble, lest we stumble; thyself thy heir, evermore thirsty, like a runaway theyre.

Theme (pronounced as something between thumb and tomb; don’t ask why, I didn’t make the rules)
1. Use
2. When your little toe slams the door.
3. I feel a little lame, maybe it’s because of the theme yesterday.

Themurp
1. Usurp
2. In a family with many kids, themurp is almost the youngest.
3. ‘I have one younger sister, that makes me themurp.’

 

Gee, There Are So Many People I Want To Thank

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I just received a blogger award from Jenn. At first, I thought I escaped the compliments that she so rightly gave to others and that I inevitably would have nothing to say on except for a ‘thank you’. I don’t really like getting compliments. I have learned to say ‘thank you’, and appreciate it, but my critical nature keeps me from living them. See? I’m still doing it. But evidently, she would have none of that and gave me my own blog post. Thank you Jenn, I appreciate it.

A great reader will let me know when they enjoyed a blog post, and more importantly, what they liked about it. I really like how I can see the great readers here join me in watching (mostly their own) American culture through the eyes of someone who never had to make it his own, but is now finally trying. They understand that a different culture always comes from your own perspective and provokes amazement, rather than a condescending tone (even when the two can be hard to distinguish or sometimes even come in a hybrid form). If you’re looking for examples, my great readers are to be found in about every comment section.

It's not the fourth of July, it's the Wonderful Team Member Readership Award; that other occassion to have fireworks.

It’s not the fourth of July, it’s the Wonderful Team Member Readership Award; that other occassion to have fireworks.

I would like to celebrate some sort of ‘reader appreciation day’. Don’t get too excited, this is not going to be an annual thing. I’ll list five people who stand out in appreciation. Actually, make that three. I’d like to give an honorary mention to Jenn, who I can’t give back the award, because that seems kind of rude and non-appreciative (I would). The second honorary mention goes to Orange Spice Drop, who was always a faithful commenter, but seems to have deleted her blog, so I cannot link to her. Finally, I’d like to mention that I appreciate every comment, either on here or informal. But then again, protocal requires me to list five readers. I happily announce the other three mentions:

Maria Thermann, who is without a doubt my most loyal commenter. She knows  her cultures, her migration stories and her fantasy writing. Please go and check her out.

This is a funny one, because I don’t know her actual name. I hope she never mentioned it. Let’s CUT the Crap! No, that’s her blogging name. One of the things I really like about blogging is how you come across people from all sorts. She is a very talented writer and funny, too. I love reading about a world that is quite different from my own (yet).

Daniel Mitchell. It seems I’m steeling ideas and mojo here, but he actually contributes a lot to this blog and is not afraid to call me out when my ideas have gone too far. His sharp insights and witty nature are evident on his blog, too. He’s a good one to have around, even if just virtual.

What makes a good reader to you?

Further Engaging In Missouri

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Even though my travels to Missouri have everything to do with my girlfriend, I rarely mention her. Today, that’s a whole different story. As you’ve probably seen from the countdown on this blog, I arrived in Missouri last Monday. Or at least, that’s what miss Missouri thought. In reality, my plane landed Thursday night on Saint Louis International, where I was picked up by one of her co-workers. I stayed the night at another co-worker’s house and sneaked into her apartment right after she left for work.

It’s a fifteen-minute walk from her apartment to where she works, so I walked over to her car and attached a note to her door. She was sent over to Starbucks, where a new note directed her to the florist around the corner. The florist gave her a rose and a card, asking her to come home. Of course, that’s where I was nervously waiting from behind the door, surprising her as she walked in. For some reason, the handwritten notes weren’t even enough to convince her I was in the country, so she was more than a little surprised. Before the shock-and-awe had worn out, I led her to her bed and seated her down. I got down on one knee, smoothly got the little black box from under the bed and posed the question.

As she agreed to marry me, this next year will be the last of me visiting Missouri. I’m about to go and live here, so that’s exciting. For next week, I’ll just turn back to the more regular updates (in case you were worried) and because every girl has been wondering what the ring looks like ever since she read the word ‘engaging’  in the title:

Miss Missouri Visiting

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You know what that means. A sorry excuse for a back-up post. Don’t worry, I’ll provide you with something that I meant to link to for ages, but somehow forgot. It is, narcissistically enough, a guest post I have written for Tinkerbelle, who you should check out anyway. I’ll be back next week with a regular Missouri post, for now: have a great week!

Click here!
http://laughteriscatching.com/2012/02/27/guest-post-girls-gossiping/

Guest Post: 5 Things That Are Not Romantic In Real Life

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This is the most popular post from my other blog. While I’m taking a week off, please enjoy what other people value as my ‘other best stuff’. Probably also because I have a sexy wet man drawing a lot of Google searches.

Remember those movies? You are on the edge of your seat, watching how hopeless love turns into a spectacular beginning of a very unlikely romance. Ugly people turn so beautiful that everybody is jealous, all people around you are fully participating in any stupid gesture you have thought out and worst of all: they all work!

1. Cheating

Of course, Hugh Grant could have seen it coming...

Best example: Notting Hill. Hugh Grant messes up Julia Robert’s shirt and offers to help her out. A romance begins, until he founds out she has a boyfriend. It doesn’t bother him, none of the following things come to his mind: Why on earth would she not have told him she was dating someone in the days they spent together? Does he not realize she was also cheating on him? He really shouldn’t be this interested in someone this trustworthy, but he seems to think boyfriends are only obstacles to finding true love.

2. Long crushes

Don’t take this the wrong way: I like highschool sweethearts as much as the next guy (my brother is married to her (his sweetheart, not mine) and that works out great), but the following plot is used quite often: let’s say a boy has a crush on a girl. Girl isn’t interested, but boy makes sure she will be in the end. Does he put any effort into making himself more likeable? Is there anyone else who would date him? Nooo, he just waits and sees what works. This is not romantic, it’s creepy. If she’s not interested, make sure you’re interesting. The desperate examples in the used plot are rarely datable at first, it’s their annoying determination that helps.

3. Stopping the plane

Imagine this would be just your fault

This is a real good one. Although, one might wonder who cares. How much money would it cost to stop a plane from going down the runway? How big a chance is there the flight attendance will just knock you out when you get up and start screaming? Nobody try this in real life, I’m pretty sure you’ll get sued by the air company for the money they lose on your romantic gesture. That’s some debt to start your life together with. Also: people around you will be more than just annoyed and the recipient of the gesture is never there. She might not even believe you. ‘No really, I stopped a plane for you. – Sure you did, freak.’

4. Fighting for your girl

I’ll give you a picture: this is Mark Darcy, a character from Bridget Jones’s Diary after he just had a fight. Now realize how normal people look after they’ve had a fight. Fighting over someone is petty, you obviously lack manhood and have no normal ways of channeling your testosterone. If you know you’ll have her, there would be no need to punch it into someone’s face. I’m not saying you should never fight FOR a girl, I’m saying it’s rarely romantic or appealing.

5. Making out in the rain

Stop crying over The Notebook, it’s not real. Also, a make out session in the rain will most likely get you a cold, a running nose, maybe even diarrhea and force you to spend days in bed, where you see the one you were grinding two days ago in a manner that will get all the sexiness out of your relationship. In the long term, opt for going indoors and then make out. Lastly, squeezing an orange for her every day is romantic and will help keeping those running noses outdoors. It’s bi-winning!

Romantic AND nutritious, you can't go wrong here

Any suggestions for big gestures that are not romantic at all?

Intervention: Missouri visiting

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This is a special week. Yes, it’s Christmas! Whooooo! Not what I meant. Instead of me visiting Missouri, Missouri will be visiting me. This means I will not spend any time blogging. At all. Instead, I’ll bring out a reversed report in the style of my own blog. That’s right, a series on Missouri Visiting. Also, I’ll introduce a new feature in 2012 to replace Casual Friday. The thing I do once a month and nobody reads. You wouldn’t know, really nobody bothers to read it, so you’ve probably never heard of it. It combines Mario and food, the two topics that people seem to find most intriguing. Somehow, this could be seen as a last edition of Casual Friday.

This is how excited I am about next week, next year and all of my followers.

To sum up, I’ll be back January 4th with a new, regular topic, new posts and you all get to share my excitement for my upcoming trip: January 10 – February 8. Note to self: take pictures to support the blog. For those of you who are thinking of unsubscribing because between now and January 4th would be too long, don’t worry, next week I have a guest blogger planned. Okay, it’s really me, but a post from my other blog. To my hardcore fans who read both (not that much, I can see you): I’m sorry. You should have just taken advantage of Casual Fridays when you could have posted suggestions. I’ll see you all next year, thanks to every single one of you for reading, liking and commenting my posts. There’s more of you than I would have guessed three months ago and I am truly thankful. Let’s see each other next year. Have a very lovely Christmas!