Apparently celebrating New Year’s Eve is a big thing in Holland. It’s a big thing everywhere, of course, but here it’s a big family thing. Even little kids get to stay up to usher in the clock. That’s probably more of a reaction to events than anything, seeing as the Dutch like nothing more than to let off millions of loud fireworks on the street outside their individual homes.
I was unaware of the family element until the good wife informed me that it was going to be a big deal for her family that the two of us are now here on NYE. I cautiously inquired as to what this meant, and I was duly horrified to discover that there was an expectation that I present myself at a family gathering to usher in the new year.
This is after two full days of family Christmas gatherings, not to mention the new year’s day family afternoon tea that the good wife is hosting at our house for all of the relatives. To hear that I was required on top of all this to present myself to a long and drawn out evening with the same people that I would then be seeing the very next day gave me cause for concern.
For the truth is, dear readers, that I have never cared for NYE.
Month: December 2017 Page 1 of 3
Apparently celebrating New Year’s Eve is a big thing in Holland. It’s a big thing everywhere, of course, but here it’s a big family thing. Even little kids get to stay up to usher in the clock. That’s probably more of a reaction to events than anything, seeing as the Dutch like nothing more than to let off millions of loud fireworks on the street outside their individual homes.
I was unaware of the family element until the good wife informed me that it was going to be a big deal for her family that the two of us are now here on NYE. I cautiously inquired as to what this meant, and I was duly horrified to discover that there was an expectation that I present myself at a family gathering to usher in the new year.
This is after two full days of family Christmas gatherings, not to mention the new year’s day family afternoon tea that the good wife is hosting at our house for all of the relatives. To hear that I was required on top of all this to present myself to a long and drawn out evening with the same people that I would then be seeing the very next day gave me cause for concern.
For the truth is, dear readers, that I have never cared for NYE.
It’s the end of the year and none of us have got nothing. Double negative, bitches. I haven’t done any reading this week and I don’t have any links. All I have is a Darth Vadar recruitment poster. Did you all know that vader is Dutch for father? He was one subtle dude that George Lucas.
This week I’ve been to numerous family gatherings and sociable occasions where I did my best to come off as worldly and wise but probably just came off as surly and opinionated. So, no difference there.
Without links what can this possibly be? Why would you have any reason to click below the line? Because, dear readers, I have decided to dedicate this edition to the best of the hawt chicks of this year, in my own very humble opinion. So in no particularly order, I give you the best hawt chicks of the Friday hawt chicks & links for 2017. Yeah, baby. You know you want it.
It’s the end of the year and none of us have got nothing. Double negative, bitches. I haven’t done any reading this week and I don’t have any links. All I have is a Darth Vadar recruitment poster. Did you all know that vader is Dutch for father? He was one subtle dude that George Lucas.
This week I’ve been to numerous family gatherings and sociable occasions where I did my best to come off as worldly and wise but probably just came off as surly and opinionated. So, no difference there.
Without links what can this possibly be? Why would you have any reason to click below the line? Because, dear readers, I have decided to dedicate this edition to the best of the hawt chicks of this year, in my own very humble opinion. So in no particularly order, I give you the best hawt chicks of the Friday hawt chicks & links for 2017. Yeah, baby. You know you want it.
The one where I discuss the importance of social connections and a sense of place.
Also, I mock Star Wars fans and their belated realisation that their beloved series legacy has been trashed. You got the movie that you deserve.
A piece over at Men of the West on the return of the traditional study.
The Man Cave needs to die. What is it besides a place for never-has-beens to hide from adulthood and to relive and revel in the achievements of their betters?
The man-cave was a banishment, a place for men to escape their wives but only if they had first been given permission to do so by her. Typically, the man-cave would be grudgingly relegated to the lowliest part of the house. She would only give you that bit because even she couldn’t envisage wanting to spend time down in the basement or out the back in the rickety shed.
A very merry Christmas to all of my readers. I sincerely hope that your Christmas is safe and merry, and that you got something nice under the tree.
Last night we went with the good wife’s family to the local Catholic church. It was very nice, but I was unpleasantly surprised to note that the altar boys were in fact altar girls. Not to mention the fact that some woman did a lot of the readings in between the priest taking what I can only presume were regular breaks for Dutch courage.
Today the good wife and I travel to another part of Holland where we will celebrate with her uncle’s family. Then tomorrow we host a Christmas dinner for her family. And then on Wednesday I will probably spend the entire day on the couch reading a good book.
Best Wishes,
Adam.
Last week I gave you my preferred recipe for roasting a chicken. The chicken carcass should not be discarded. One of the things that you will need to adjust to when cooking for the first time is that you don’t simply throw everything away that you don’t immediately use. This is not because of high-mindedness regarding waste and “recycling”. Rather it’s because stuff that you have already spent time with can be used to save time elsewhere. Plus it also tastes good.
Chicken stock is one of my key ingredients. I always have it on hand, whether fresh in the fridge or frozen, and I always make my own. Forget about instant stock that comes in horrible cubes, and any good stock that you can purchase will cost you far more than if you simply made some yourself. There are many ways to make stock but I like to have a clear broth that doesn’t overpower dishes. That way it is much more versatile.
It’s been a tough old week for yours truly. A dreadful bout of man-flu has laid me waste for the past seven days. Thus my vastly reduced output. I had the time but I simply didn’t have the cognitive ability to string a few sentences together. It’s also been a tough week because the good wife and I put in our first ever offer for a house. We thought it was a competitive bid but it turns out that we were never in the running. The agent was simply using us to drive up the price with another buyer.
Lesson learned and from now on we are going to be absolutely ruthless in this regard. Every trick that is open to us through the law will be utilised, no matter how underhanded. We’re not out there to be nice and make friends.
Anyway, I have had time this week to read, so here is a nice little package of links that should be more than enough to see you through the next few days.
It’s been a tough old week for yours truly. A dreadful bout of man-flu has laid me waste for the past seven days. Thus my vastly reduced output. I had the time but I simply didn’t have the cognitive ability to string a few sentences together. It’s also been a tough week because the good wife and I put in our first ever offer for a house. We thought it was a competitive bid but it turns out that we were never in the running. The agent was simply using us to drive up the price with another buyer.
Lesson learned and from now on we are going to be absolutely ruthless in this regard. Every trick that is open to us through the law will be utilised, no matter how underhanded. We’re not out there to be nice and make friends.
Anyway, I have had time this week to read, so here is a nice little package of links that should be more than enough to see you through the next few days.
