How the heating seriously hampered my climb on the social ladder, the curtains offended my deep sense of symmetry, jobs are weak and the drachme is strong, although VAT is on and off, automated responses aren’t and the Greek government is. Let’s see, what happened this week? In random order, since there is no...
Read more →Maastricht is ne brede Maar Maastricht ‘t is lang Maastricht is de leukste stad Gesellig aan de zang – Maastricht Karnival Song Maastricht is not broad But, Maastricht, it is long Maastricht is the finest city Gesellig* on the song – Translation Maastricht is eene groete cafe – Maastricht Karnival Song Maastricht is one...
Read more →The programmer begins in gladness… Well, the day is done. I’ve made my money and eaten my bread dipped in olive oil, so I can begin. That day, that day in the fall of 1984, in Maastricht, Limburg, The Netherlands, had just begun. I had come from my flat on the Hondestraat to my...
Read more →It was half past nine in the evening and they were six — in their early forties — at a table when I entered the “kafeníon”. No other customers were present except those men. I sat down at a table a little bit out of the way and ordered a “karafáki” and “mezé”. The...
Read more →This morning we had a little white surprise. I told you already that it had been relatively cold in the last couple of days. Instead of the 18 to 20 degrees centigrade we had in the first weeks of my arrival, we have been at around 10 degrees or less lately. As you can...
Read more →Joseph Conrad, a fellow not unlike Luc Dubois, adopted the practice of writing prefaces to his novels. I have often wished other writers would do the same. A preface allows the reader to understand the motivation of the writer and otherwise gives the reader the context in which the novel was conceived and provides,...
Read more →This is I, Luc, the subject of this narrative. I owe Tom at least an introduction. Here is my paltry attempt to it. Read it and forget it. It only gets interesting from the next chapter onwards. What do you say to a man who proposes to write your biography? “Thank you” does not...
Read more →It’s been fridgin’ cold for 3 days now. Not so much outside, but inside the apartment. There is some problem with the central heating and either the technicians haven’t been able to fix it, or they haven’t been. Period. I had been chilled to the bones for the last couple of days, so today...
Read more →This doesn’t look good: a fresh month without posting. I have to admit to you that I have been a little bit preoccupied lately, but that’s no reason for neglecting you of course. So please accept my apologies if you came here loyally every day and didn’t find any news. I promise I will...
Read more →After skimming through the adverts for apartments at what had become my habitual morning hangout: coffee at Carola’s, I went to see 2 more apartments and one real estate agent. Minoanland the name was. Upon entry of the offices I immediately spotted something highly unusual in this part of the world: the whole office...
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