Lorre-a-like too

He's another mock-up I did of the Lorre/Özil tandem. It's eary how similar they really look.

Lorre-a-like

During the football match Belgium - Germany I noticed something. I'm probably not the first one.
Germany's midfield star Mehut Özil is the spitting image of the legendary movie star Peter Lorre!

Where's mah bucket?

It seems this The Verve song was written especially for Dr Livingstone.
Here are some of the lyrics:

"All this talk of getting old
It's getting me down my love
...
Now the drugs don't work
They just make you worse"

His pain killers have the very annoying side effect of making you feel dizzy and vomit. He did have a good night's sleep, but this morning was kind of a rude awakening.
So I was off to the pharmacy for some anti-nausea pills and another kind of painkiller.
This one works without the unwanted queasiness. He's having an afternoon siesta right now.
I should have a some kind of power nap too. I've been accumulating sleep losses for two nights now and I'm feeling a down.
But first I must attend Dr L's needs. Poor thing.

I'm relieved he's not feeling desperately ill from my cooking.

The Doctor's back

Poor Dr Livingstone. He's at home. Lying absolutely still. That's probably a first for him. But it's the drugs that are making him drowsy, sleepy and numb. Without them, he'd be gritting his theath and potter about. It's for his own good. We were in ER last night.
He has severe back pain, shooting pains going all the way down to his shins. I've never heard him wince before, he's really in agony. It's quite terrible. And he can take a lot.
He's scheduled for an MRI on Wednesday.
Meanwhile I'm playing Nurse Racket. He needs to rest for four days in a row. Lying down. NOT in a chair. I have talked him out of doing that. So has his physio. And our doctor. And his squash partner (a nurse). And a collegue who's also laid up at home with back troubles.

He's drifted off into sleep now, I can hear a slight snoring sound emerging from the sofa which is covered with pillows.

Dr Müller's garden

I've been gardening, as long as my elbows permit me to do so.
Yesterday I've pulled out nettles. Too late I realized that one glove has a tear in it...
These nettle things are very cumbersome to get rid of, and I'm not using any weed killers. Mouser is always a few paces away, keeping an eye on me. And things rustling in the undergrowth.
The roots of the Urtica nettles seem to interconnect underground, like Vietcong tunnels. The trick is to get hold of the beginning of a root, gently pull it above ground, without having it snap.
I felt like Tintin pulling out wires in the garden of Dr Müller. However, I didn't discover red lights in the trees as Tintin did in The Black Island. I must say I was really disappointed. If there were counterfeiters active in the area, I would have liked to gotten my hands on a few bags of phony banknotes. Could have helped with a down payment for the house...

Househunting (part 4)

We didn't hear a word from the estate agent on Friday. Nor on Monday morning, so Dr Livingstone had to ring him up.
He gave us some cock and bull story about him being embarrassed to relay the bid to the sellers because it was an extremely low bid. Then he tried some strange story about they'd already got an offer from someone when the old price was still up. And that offer is supposedly 35K more than what we're bidding.

He's not a very convincing liar. He'd told us there was zero interest in the house when it was up for sale in July (with the old price) It is now being sold for 50K less than what it was costing in July. And now we're offering 45K less then the new asking price.

He's probably in a pickle as he probably promised these people they'd get a lot of dosh and it seems, frankly, no one's interested.
Well, we're the second people to go and view the house, the others never came back to him with an offer.

So there you have it. One house, on the market for nearly two months, one seller mortally ill and wanting to get rid of it before he pops it. And everyone else's purse is empty at the moment, as they've spent all their hard earned cash on holiday.

Dr Livingstone told the agent he should come back to us with a new price.

I wonder. I always lose at Monopoly. I expect this won't be any different.

Legacy of Death by Barbara Levy

I failed to mention another book arrived in the post this week (and yes, it was crammed in again, but the book emerged from the cardboard container unscathed).
I've been a bit absent minded, what with the house and everything.
Legacy of Death by Barbara Levy is the extra addition to my library.
It's a collection of anecdotes from the Sanson family. For seven generations they were France's executioners.
It's going to be a juicy read by all means. This book was recommended to me by Professor Bob, among other interests, he is a French history buff. I enjoyed Passionate Exiles (about the relationship between Madame De Staël and Madame Récammier by Maurice Levaillant) and this is something up the same alley.

Househunting (part 3)

We put in an offer on the house!

Househunting (part 2)

We visited the house for a second viewing today.
With some people who know a thing or two about building (Dr Livingstone's squash partner and a collegue of mine from the mill).
It doesn't have any construction faults as far as they could see (we'd even brought a ladder to mount the roof).
The only things we'd need to do as soon as our finances will let us is isolate the roof and walls. The electricity, heating and plumbing all seem in order. They didn't want to blow the trumpet too loud, but all their arguments boiled down to saying we should put in an offer and not be to slow about it either.
So we could move in right away when it is vacated (three to six months). Which would be swell. And be around february. (Just after we've been on vacation and I've finished my first semester exams).
We just need to adjust the cooking area. It's a bit on the low side. It has to go, but funds are lacking for the mo. I'll have to play the lottery now and then. I still foster the idle hope I will one day, eventually, win it.
The ugly bathroom (with brown eighties tiling and matching dreary coloured sink) has to go at some point, but we'll have to put up with it for the time being. I'll slap on a few coats of paint.
Once I've got my degree and start earning loads of money through organized crime (or line my pockets with state money), we'll fit one of those Italian design things in. (That's a joke by the way, for you touchy-feely people).
We can even rent out two of the stables to generate some extra dosh. I'm willing to muck out the boxes if I can live there and grow to a ripe old age with Dr Livingstone. Even though I am afraid of horses (they're so big!).

Charming word

A charming word I came across: defenestration.
The act of leaving a building in an uncomely fashion: not through a door at ground level.

Dava Sobel - Galileo's Daughter

I finished Dava Sobel's Galileo's Daughter the other day. The book had everything I had expected te read. After reading Longitude, I knew I was in for another good read on science history.
In June I had also read Steven Shapin's The Scientific Revolution for a more philosophical approach to the whole matter, encompassing a few centuries of -his conclusion- a non-revolution.
I even had to recommend the book to someone teaching at the history department at my university. The lady in question had never heard of Torricelli. She mistakenly proclaimed Blaise Pascal to be the inventor of the barometer.
Luckily she had corrected her mistake before she forwarded the handouts to all of the students.
So I highly recommend reading Galileo's Daughter. It discusses (among other things) Galileo's Inquisition Trail plus all the events leading up to it.
And I highly recommend Longitude too, if you haven't done so already.

So I added a little cartoon for comic relief's sake. But it is inaccurate (if you read the book you'll know why). And if you haven't or aren't planning on doing so, here are the reasons:

- Galileo discovered the moons of Jupiter in 1610. He measured observed mountains on the Moon in 1609.
- The edict against Copernican doctrine wasn't issued until 1616.
- The pope 'in charge' as you will when the Inquisition Trial was in effect was pope Urban VIII. He didn't become pope untill 1623.
- The papal grudge against Galileo only took form around 1632 after the publication of his Dialogues.

Now I feel like a real pedant. And the cartoon isn't funny to me anymore. It is factually wrong.
Meh. Sometimes being a geek feels like a curse instead of a blessing.

Le Palais de Justice; humongously beautiful

I was on the train Monday. Next to me two American girls, in their late teens.
We entered Brussels. The Palais de Justice or Justitiepaleis veered into view.

Girl 1: - 'Wow. Look at that building. It's humongous!'
Girl 2:- 'Wow. Yeah. It's beautiful'
Girl 1: - 'What do you suppose it is?'
Girl 2:- 'I dunno. Maybe Congress?'
Girl 1: - 'Maybe the king lives there'
Girl 2:- 'We should ask Anne-Marie. She'll know. She knows everything.'
Girl 1: - 'Nah. She just pretends she knows everything.'

My heart warmed as they expressed admiration at the sheer awesomeness the colossal building by architecte artiste Joseph Poelaert radiated.
And beautiful at that!


I shall have to adjust my take on teenagers.

Househunting (part 1)

We've been looking for a house for well over three years now. Not that there is a lack of houses on offer on the market.
We're just so particular.
We've visited many over the last couple of years, having been very disappointed when physically viewing the piece of real estate. Everything looks so much better on photo.
Or we're just too slow and the property is snatched up immediately right under our very noses.

The househunting starts on the internet. Here are some criteria we use:
1) we want a detached house.
2) no near next door neighbours (they should at least be ten or so metres away from the communal property border.
3) out in the countryside or sparcely populated suburbia, not in mid city.
4) no rediculous pricing
5) I google the address to see what's near and what isn't (again neighbours! Because hell is other people).
6) No football or sports pitches nearby (light pollution)
7) No schools in the area (noise pollution). Descriptions like 'child friendly area' are definitely out!
8) Mouser has to roam around. So busy roads nearby are out.
9) Not too far from (or in a twenty mile radius) where we are now. We kindof like it here
10) Not in the landing approach corridor of the airport.

This evening we're looking at a very lovely bungalo. We're getting on a bit and Dr Livingstone's knees and my back are wasted, so having no stairs in the house would be a very big plus for future years, as we're not bound to physically improve over the years.
It has a nice space of green around it (the house stands on 19 acres), but not too much trouble for gardening purposes. Half of it is a field to stable a horse.
The house has a five year old new roof and heating. It has a ton of advantages over the house we've been renting the past six years. All rooms are bigger, it has double glazing, no fungus growing in the hall and upstairs, no stupid hedges to box us in like a green leafed prison.

Only drawback for Dr Livingstone is across the street: It is a wooded area, but they'll probably build houses there in the following years. And Dr Livingstone is worried about the pond the neighbours have. It will be infested with midges.
I'm not too worried about those, they only sting Dr Livingstone. I'm more worried if it is infested with Lithobates catesbeianus or bullfrog, an invasive species of toad that is very noisy and very dangerous to our native toads. The import has been banned in the EU (they used to be a very popular pond adornment). But those suckers can keep you awake at night, and I'm not known as a sound sleeper.

But, nevertheless, I'm all exited, of course. We just need to raise a couple of funds to pay for the lot if we decide to buy.
I played the lottery and the Euromillions last Friday the thirteenth.
Dr Livingstone didn't want to fill in the numbers, so I used different random number generators.
How ironic three numbers that were drawn were the birthdays of his three teens. 13, 27 and 29.
So we didn't get those either. I only managed to get two number correct. But you need at least three to win 2,5€.
I didn't even break-even with the purchase.
Doesn't look very promising.

Maybe I should offer students at the university to write dissertations for them, just to generate some extra income...
I hear Jean-Pierre Van Rossem has been doing it for years up in Ghent.

Review: The Art Thief by Noah Charney

I finished The Art Thief by Noah Charney last week.

I have two words for you: utterly awful. I'd expressed my doubts before I started reading, based upon the reviews I read on LibraryThing.

So why do I have a problem with the book? Where shall I commence? I have rather a lot of remarks, but they are just to numerous to list, and I don't want to spend too much time ranting over a less than mediocre debut novel.I'll just leave you to ponder the things I found most annoying.

- When the author describes a phone conversation he does so literally, like you'd be in a room with someone, only being able to hear one side of the dialogue.
Nothing wrong with that. Makes it more realistic. This is what we experience in real life, unless you're skyping without any headphones on.
But its the 'uhu's' and other sorts of stopwords that annoy me.

- The characters are one-dimensional, caricatural and shallow. From a LibraryThing reviewer: 'Ultimately, The Art Thief misses the ideal balance between the thriller (like The Thomas Crown Affair) and a more character-driven story.'

- The book gives you what it says on the cover '... an unexpected ending'. But so unbelievable, it really wasn't worth writing all the pages before the climax.

- Whenever a picture is described, Charney goes all Art History 101 on us. Which is mostly irrelevant to the story and in one instance even takes up five long pages. Like some freshman writing his very first paper.
The book falls over itsself to explain the workings of the art market. Even if this a first time reader who knows nothing at all about these dealings, it can alianate you. He tends to elaborate on non-relevant details. If I may make an analogy: suppose you're reading an espionnage thriller set in the Cold War era and some action takes place on a nuclear submarine involving a reactor technician. If the book would have been written by Mr Charney he'd have indulged himself in explaining how crucial the insertion of radioactive rods would be in the reactor. Spread out over five long pages.
One reviewer on LibraryThing put it like this: 'There was a pretentious tone throughout that I didn't appreciate.'

Mr Charney is a graduate of the Courtauld Institute and Cambridge. You'd think he'd check facts when writing about history in his book. After all, that's what you do as an expert on art crimes. Examine the evidence.
So why does he boldly state on page 37 that in Ghent there is a medieval tradition that a cat in a bag must be thrown from a tower on the New Year?
There were cats being thrown from towers probably all across Europe for all I know, but the one Charney should have been referring to is the tradition held to this very day in Ypres. And it wasn't on the first day of the New Year, but on the last year market day.
In the words of Charney's Caribinieri character Claudio Ariosto 'What a mistake to make'.

- To top it off there is a reading group guide at the back of the book with a Q&A. Mr Charney states that The Ghent Alterpiece is the most frequently stolen art work in the world. A word about this: He says he's been researching this. I very much doubt it since the work has been ascribed to both Jan and his brother Hubert van Eyck (a fact which he does not mention). Plus I can't really count soldiers making off with the painting (French troops in 1794 and the Nazi's in 1940) as a true theft that occured in secrecy. I'd call that looting. The most famous fase of stealing (what I'd call a true art theft involving stealth) occurred in 1934 and remains partially unsolved.
If I'd call a work frequently stolen, I'd mention Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid by Johannes Vermeer. It was stolen twice. Once in 1974 by the IRA and the second time in 1986.

- Again to a true art history scolar it is plainly obvious just how unimaginative Charney has shaped the non-existant Caravaggio stolen in the book. Good job on the fictional church name, but the picture he describes is very similar to one that exists. I'd bet some money on it he had this on his desk while typing up the story. It is the picture accompanying my rant, The Annunciation by Jan Janssens which currently resides in the Ghent Fine Arts museum.

Meh. I'm getting all worked up about this detective story. Again.
Just to sum up I'm using another reviewer's conclusion:
'This book had the raw material to be very decent, but the author lacks writing skill, the ability to recreate real life, and real people, and has too much ego in terms of injecting himself into the book.'

That is all.
Have a nice day.

The Rape of Europe

At last another book arrived today! Although I was not very happy with the handling (it was forced into the letterbox by the postman, the excess edges of the container folded back to fit the receptacle). As a result of this box stuffing my mail was an easy pray for the rain. Plus all the letters shoved in before got all crunched up. Luckily when I opened up the book there was no water damage (and it wasn't wrapped in plastic or bubble wrap).
So I finally own a physical copy of Lynn H. Nicholas's The Rape of Europe: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War.

Finally I got my Alibris bookmark that contains all the coupon codes for discounts.
Just a month short of it being of any help...
I'll have to get a new one.

Hard Copy ≠ To Copy

A fluff style trend piece in De Standaard newspaper (07/08/2010) scribbled together by Lieve Van de Velde talks about Granny Chic. Grey being the new blond.
A load of wimmins' mag drivel filler.

And surprisingly at the end of the item Van de Velde calls our attention to the two streaks of grey hair of Sandra de Preter and Christina von Wackerbarth...


Remember folks: You read it here first! (two weeks ago on 23/07/2010).

Don't do it teens!

Finally went to a doctor today who can help me get rid of my painful elbows. My physiotherapist had advised me to go and see someone but I'd been putting off visiting one (for over six months) because of the interference it would have with my school work. But it has severely been impeding the way I live. Everything hurts. Ironing, holding a book, gardening work, sleeping, stroking Mouser, holding a pot, typing,... You name an activity that involves using arms (or not), it takes ever so long to get work done.
So I rung up for an appointment last week, went in this morning at 9.20 am, went to the other hospital in town to get X rays and echo and by 10.30 I was driving back home. I love living in Belgium and its super duper health system.
In two weeks time I'll be hearing the results and then it'll probably be shock wave treatment (yeah baby!) to get rid of all the unwanted bone that has been hampering my tendons and what not. Shock wave therapy is a newer form of nonsurgical treatment. It uses a machine to generate shock wave pulses to the sore area (the same principle they use to crush kidney stones).

She reaffirmed what I'd heard from other doctors: I'm put together all wrong. The story of my life.
Hyperextenstion. My body bends ways it's not supposed to.
It did help with the Rhythmic Gymnastics I did as a teen. But probably is also responsible for all the problems I've experienced now that I'm older.

Sports: don't do it teens!

It's not like you're using it

Mouser has developing a curious habit over the last couple of months. I have some empty flower pots on the patio. I didn't fill them with flowering vegetation this year, because I had a very disappointing experience with non blossoming plants last season. And frankly, I didn't have time to do gardening work because of my school work. Kitteh has been sleeping in them, it looks very homely and comfy.

Mona Lisa and Monuments Men

More lovely jubly booky wookies showed up on Friday morning. The postman rang the bell, but I was still in bed. He just left the parcels on the doorstep. Good thing it wasn't raining, the books would have been soaked through, They only came in a cardboard wrapping, just like the book I received teh last time. Must make a mental note of booksellers SpeedyHen and The Saint Bookstore. And try and avoid shopping with them if at all possible.
Again two more gems waiting to be read. I bought these two because I heard lectures on the books given at the National Gallery of Art in Washington (which were later broadcast as podcasts).

The first one is Mona Lisa in Camelot by Margeret Leslie Davies. It's about the political machinations (especially Jackie Kennedy's efforts) to get France's national treasure (the Mona Lisa) into Washington for an exhibit. Such a gesture at one of the key moments in the sixties is not void of any pejorative meanings. I remember the gist of the book from the lecture Leslie Davies gave at the museum, but I'd rather have a copy here in the house and re-read everything down to the last detail.

The other book is Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel. It's about the MFAA (Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section) of the Western Allied Forces. These people enlisted during World War II, were shipped to Europe to prevent the destruction and disappearance of some of the world's greatest masterpieces. A lot a the art works stolen by the Nazis across the continent were found and returned to their proper owners. But a lot are still missing. Which is an interesting read for an art detective wannabe.
Fun flicking through the pages and seeing a picture of the Madonna Michelangelo made and is still in Bruges today being removed from the salt mine in Altaussee.
The Mona Lisa, just like other works now securely in a museum give us the impression they've been there forever.
Not so. Most cultural property is easy to move and can arouse deep passions within a person (or even an entire nation). Not just in an art loving sense. Sometimes a darker motive for wanting to have a particular piece can cause strange things to happen.

Adventures in Cat Sitting (Finale)

My adventures in cat sitting came to an end on Wednesday evening as the Bartman and Shanghai Lilly returned from La Douce France.
They showed up on the doorstep to collect the key for the back door. I got a little present for my troubles. Two heart shaped smooth stones with Chinese inscriptions on them. One translates into 'Love' and the other 'Friendship'.
More tat but a nice gesture. A bottle of French plonk would have gone down nicely too.
So a quick update on how the rest of the cat sitting went:
* I ran out of cat food on day six. This could only mean either of two things: 1) I'd been feeding them too much. 2) They didn't buy enough before they went. I was quickly reassured when our Chinese friend reprimanded the Bartman by letting out a short but sharp 'See!'.
* I had to tell them about the big dead rat I had to clear away. The cats had been gnawing on it for a day or two, but it became nauseating, so I got rid of it and chucked it somewhere in their garden. I hope it has fully decomposed before they start looking for it.
* They were surprised at the fact that the two kittens have switched to solids. And I very clearly told them they need to take the mother kitteh to the vet to have it treated, because they'll have another bunch of kittens if they don't.
* The two little'ns were very active the last couple of days and had gotten used to me, my voice and my shoes. The specled one even tried to crawl up my leg to reach my lap. Which was rather painful, as I was wearing shorts at the time.
Dr Livingstone is glad I don't have to give them noms any more. He has a thing with cats. Can't stand them. Knee jerk reaction. I suspect trauma from a previous marriage.
But he loves Mouser. And Mouser loves him. Kitteh even brings him fresh hare straight from the field. And puts it right in front of the workshop. As a treat. Very thoughtfull, but very scary to find a decapitated hare on your doorstep.
Well, better than finding a decapitated horse in your bed anyway.

Opinionated and controversial

I just love waking up in the morning, having heard the postman's van and while my coffee water is boiling collecting the mail and finding ... another parcel!
I wasn't too pleased with the packaging though. It was wrapped in cardboard only, no bubblewrap. And it was a soft cover so it has little dents at the bottom of the cover.
The book is Prejudices: A Selection. It's a collection of works by H.L. Mencken. I got the 2006 John Hopkins UP edition. I can't believe I'd never heard of the man untill a couple of months ago. And I am a huge Mark Twain fan. And a sceptic. So this should be right up my ally because (as it says on the cover) the thirty-five essays in Prejudices are a stick of dynamite with a burning fuse.
Kabooom!

It's a conspiracy!

Another book in the mail today! An extremely large package from PostScriptBooks. I thought it contained two books. I was a bit dissapointed when I peeled away the cardboard. BUT. What a book. Again one that was on ARCA's reading list for the Masters course. The Medici Conspiracy: The Illicit Journey of Looted Antiquities. From Italy's Toms Raiders to the World's Greatest Museums by Peter Watson and Cecilia Todeschini.
I like a bit of interesting investigative journalism.
Theft, smuggling, dealing, corruption, war, intrigue, illicit trade,...
And the book was a real bargain. I got a new 2006 hardback copy for only 7,69€. The price tag on the back said 15,99£!

On Ugliness

On Monday evening I finally plodded through Umberto Eco's On Ugliness. And a lot of plodding the book needed indeed.
Bear in mind before commencing that Eco is a semiologist, not an art historian.
As to the art history he has a stab at: it lacks both depth and accuracy. When I say he, I mean the other writers. The book was edited by Mr Eco.
It rakes up old suppositions and mismatched theories that have been debunked long ago by thorough research. It reflects more of Eco's own tastes instead of the consensus now generally circulating among historians. Granted, it does not try to present itself as a scolarly work, packed with references etc. But it does adopt a tone very much like it.
Even to the casual language savvy reader words like pancalistic, goliarchic, hypertrophic, demiurgic and antipetrarkism (yes, I did make a list of words I'd trouble understanding) are a bit much at times when he's simply stacking up the adjectives. (On a side note, I'm not the only one wondering about them). But then again, I'm reading a Dutch translation. Nevertheless, the book might appeal to someone needing an introduction to whatever kind of history in the humanities they’re into. For me, an art historian in the making, it was frankly, a waste of time.
I did enjoy a lot of the text excerpts Eco added to show some of the sources he bases his overview on. But, sadly, some of them give away the plot or crux of a novel because he cites the key passages. Luckily, most works are on my shelves and I have already read. (For the lulz: he reprints the end of Shelley’s Frankenstein).
It does include a bibliography at the end of all cited works, but, alas again, they are the translated titles with publishers mentioned and the last print date. Which is very annoying. It says thing like for instance:
Shakespeare, William
De storm
Bert Bakker, Amsterdam 1990

But the book has tons of pretty pictures to make up for it.
(I added that just to say something positive).

Number five is in da house

This time the postman (or woman, I couldn't tell, our hedge still hasn't been trimmed by our lazy landlord so I can't see out, feels like living in a vegetated prison) didn't walk up to the front door. Everything fitted into our letter box.
It was only a tiny parcel this morning. Another paperback, another thriller. Not a scientific one, but an art theft one. It is The Art Thief by Noah Charney. He's founder of ARCA (The Association for Research into Crimes against Art) and it's his first novel. It has an average of 2 1/2 stars on LibraryThing. So it has had a very mixed reception. And it's not just a case of 'you love it or you hate it'. There have been a lot of reviews posted by readers...



Something just occured to me. Noah. Arca. 't Iz très funny.

I can be such a child sometimes.

Pass the parcel

More books have arrived!
The postwoman was late today, but she brought three packages.
I'm looking forward to a mix of things. From the titles you will conclude I have too much diverse interest for my own good.
Fist up I opened the smallest one. It contained Final Theory by Mark Alpert. It's a scientific thriller (oh yes!) to do with Einstein's last secret that can save mankind... It's a what if novel. The blurb on the cover reads: 'If science is the new religion, Final Theory is the new Da Vinci Code.' That's a quote from the Times. Now, if I didn't know any better that quote would put me right off picking up that paperback. But I've heard Mark Alpert before on the SciAm podcast and read some of his (non-fiction) stuff, so I'll trust this will be a thrilling read and does not need a reference to a bestseller. You can even read the first chapter for yourself on Mark's website.

The second one (middle size) was a book I'd been meaning to get my hands on about two (or it could even be three) years ago. It was used by Professor Bob in his French Revolution podcast series (or was it famous women?). The Passionate Exiles by Maurice Levaillant (a translation). It's about the friendship between Madame de Stael and Madame Recammier. It is a bit dated (1958) but the book is in pristine condition, although it does have a slight whiff of mustiness about it. The book is based on a series of lectures Levailland gave at the Sorbonne before the Second World War on the ladies and their salons.
As I've completed the chronological art history courses at the university up till the eve of the French Revolution, it'll give me some background for next semester. Lovely. Can't wait to get my teeth into this one either.

And last of all, I opened up the biggest parcel. It's The Lost Masters: The Looting of Europe's Treasurehouses by Peter Harclerode & Brendan Pittaway. It's on the recommended reading list for those who were lucky enough to attend ARCA's Masters Program in International Art Crime Studies. I so desperately want to go to, but I simply just can't afford the tutorial fees. Which sucks. A lot. Belgium is a treasure trove for art thieves. I'd like to be one of the caped crusaders who tackles art crimes. There are currently only four (!) art crime inspectors dealing full time with art thefts. Anyway. I ordered more books on the list too. So I don't feel left out of the post grad course.

So you'll know where to find me over the course of the next few weeks. With my nose wedged up some musty books.

Same ambitions, same hair?

Sandra De Preter and Christina Von Wackerbarth similarities:
* Sanoma magazine management.
* Managing functions at the Flemish public broadcasting company.
* A streak of unsubtle grey hair.

Galileo's Daughter

I couldn't restrain myself from ordering books again. But I did try (honestly guv!). I was a very good girl and ordered (a very small amount) of what was on my wish list. I've never had such a speedy delivery. I'm using alibrisstrore.co.uk. They have a lot of old books out of print and work with different sellers who ship through them. I ordered them on Wednesday morning (21st), by evening I got a notification 6 of the 12 books had already shipped.
And this morning (23rd) the first one of them already showed up on the doorstep! \o/
Very chuffed.
It's Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel. I really enjoyed her book Longitude and read raving reviews about this one.
Here's a good plot summary:

This is the story of Galileo's life with actual historical record commentary from Vatican documents and the letters written by Galileo's daughter in a convent, the nun Sister Maria Celeste. We follow the development of Galileo's ideas and writings and how they were thwarted. We see Galileo support his children, especially this daughter, who supports him in return and comments on everything from the planets' revolution around the sun to what his housesitter should do with his wine while he's away at trial in Rome.

Can't wait to get started. But first have to finish The History of Ugliness by Umberto Eco.

Adventures in Cat Sitting. Day 4.

The little dears were all ready and waiting for me around 8.30 this morning.
It seems they do want to come into the house. I have a key to the back door to get at the noms and dishes, but it is getting kind of difficult to open and close the kitchen door without a cat sneaking in. And I don't want to be chasing a naughty lolcat round a stranger's house. Would feel pretty awkward.
And I'd probably knock something out of place, break a priceless vase or set the house on fire while groping for a kitteh playing hard to get. I can picture myself in one of those Inspector Clouseau-like scenes.
Yep. Bumbling about. That's me.

I do have to confess I took the Saturday news paper supplement with me.
I'll put it back where I found it when I've finished.

Well, it's not like their using it right now.

Adventures in Cat Sitting. Day 3.

Went to check on teh kittehs early this morning. The dark kitten was eating noms in the shade of the inaccessible plant. Lovely, freshly caught, delicious mouse! So it's on solids already.
All cats gathered round me when I went to sit in the grass and the fluffy family had finished their brekkers.
I'll look in again on them in the afternoon. Glad they're outdoor cats and I needn't clean some kind of cat toilet. I've seen PéPé making good use of the flower and vegetable beds.

Adventures in Cat Sitting. Day 2.

As it was a +30ºC day the kittens kept themselves out of view from midday on, sheltering under an inaccessible plant.
I managed two snaps of the brother and sister act (PéPé and TomTom in my book). TomTom is the cat with the eyes that look in different directions. He doesn't really like me. Or he can't see very well. Every time I want to stroke cross-eyed kitteh he darts off. Maybe my gently stroking gesture comes across as a threatening, violent lurch.

Adventures in cat sitting. Day 1.

The Bartman and Shanghai Lily are on vacation and they've asked, just before leaving for the Mont Ventoux, if I could feed their cats.
Things have changed around here since I first posted about Mouser's moonlighting. Kitteh is no longer welcome there. The Bartman has taken two kittens in from his daughter. Now one of them has mothered two more lolcats. They are 5 weeks old.
Very heartwarming.
The Bartman knows he shouldn't ask Mr Useless Farmer™ to look after his kittehs, as he is frankly -er- useless.
So Mrs B is cat sitting for the next 10 or so days.

One of the adult cats is called PéPé (I'm sure that must mean something in Chinese), I don't recall what the other one is called. I just call it TomTom.

So I just went up to feed them for the first time today. They didn't seem very hungry. It is incredibly warm again today. The kittens seem to be enjoying themselves. They are exceedingly sweet and fluffy and adorable and much more sugar-coated adjectives.

Tomorrow morning I'll bring my camera when I give them a feeding.

For now you'll have to get by with a few snaps I made with my phone.

Btw: the who kittehs haven't been named yet.
All suggestions welcome.

Not enough hours in a day

My apologies for the light posting not posting at all during the last month.

I have some very good excuses:

- I had a ton of exams (Everything went swimmingly. Got a first @ Antwerp & Louvain. Looking forward to next semester already)
- I went on a three day hiking holiday in Germany with Dr Livingstone and Middle Teen™ (will post later about that)
- Wimbledon was on (My computer was hooked up to the plasma screen because we don't have cable tv and all we could get on the digital antenna was flaming footie. So I had to stream the matches)
- Dr Livingstone is currently moving his workshop (ZOMG our garage is huge! Will post later when all is finished)
- Still have to write a thesis for my course in Antwerp. Been doing research (The Uni library is very quiet now. No students!)

Had Still have 1000 things to do:
- collect my new Airbook tomorrow (and visit my mother in law)
- help Dr Livingstone out with the workshop (I have temporarily assumed the name of Mrs Spic & Span)
- clean my Mini (the poor dear needs a good scrub down and a bit of love and attention)
- do a spot of gardening after the huge storm we had yesterday (and I haven't mowed the lawn in two weeks because of the oppressive heatwave)
- visit my grandmother (she's had another severe gout attack)
- get a bit of reading done (I'll have to brush up on my non existent Latin and Italian)
- clean our house (everything is caked in dust because of the extremely dry summer)
- get some sleep (and lots of it).

Dick Cheney Oil Spill

Google key words "Dick Cheney" and 'oil spill" and teh intertubes give you a lot of speculation about Dick Cheney's ties with top oil dogs, Halliburton and the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
Funnily enough in the newsfeed of our Flemish paper De Standaard two headlines showed up which struck me as rather funny:





06.25 am BP starts crucial tests oil spill
06.38 am Dick Cheney got heart pump

Dear Mr President

President Obama gave a televised talk yesterday about the oil spill situation in the Gulf and how it is going to be remedied.
This begs one huge question: has anyone ever told him those curtains in the oval office are a faut pas?

They keep on coming

One of Mr Useless Farmer's™ horses popped out another wee one. Hope this one lives longer than the one last year. It's been up and about for eight hours now. The Killer Pony™ already had a go at the little nipper. The other horses are quick to defend it. It's still a bit unsteady on its stick legs. It has some trouble reaching for the udders, it kind of looses its balance now and then, or when it looks around the yard.

What would the BP oil spill be like if you lived there?

I'm a sucker for maps and all things map related.
I've transponated the area of the oil spill in the gulf of Mexico unto Belgium.
As it stands now the entire region of Flanders and the Low Countries are completely covered by it if I set the centre of the spill to Heist-op-den-Berg.
See what area the spill covers in your area at ifitwasmyhome.com

Trappist operated from Belgium

Scientists really have a thing for giving awesome names to the expensive high-tech stuff they are allowed to toy with.

Cop a load of this:

A new robotic telescope has had first light at ESO's La Silla Observatory, in Chile. TRAPPIST (TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope) is devoted to the study of planetary systems through two approaches: the detection and characterisation of planets located outside the Solar System (exoplanets) and the study of comets orbiting around the Sun. The 60-cm telescope is operated from a control room in Liège, Belgium, 12 000 km away.

Telescope. Trappist. Operated from Belgium.

I love science!

From more on the TRAPPIST project and pictures got to the research web site.

Image credit

Amfibian breakfast

This little creature gave me a slight scare this morning. As I was trying to jump start my mushy brain with some coffee this morning, I heard a banging noise behind me. I spun round and saw this Rana temporaria jumping up against the back door.
Poor thing. I couldn't quite fathom what was going on, still being very sleepy-eyed. I think it must have come in through the garage or something and during the night hopped up the stairs into the kitchen.
Mouser's bowl of water was all muddy, Kermit must have used it as a bed or something.
I had to shoo it out of the house. It abligingly hopped as fast as its tiny frog legs could carry it to the nearest moist grass.

A day out

Well, not really a day out.
It was a day out for my hair and my car.
First the hair gets the full works down at the hairdressers and then the car gets a treat too.
The Pakistani car wash is on the way back.
Oh, and I stopped to blow up the tires again.
Must go to that tire shop to let them put a new tire on. The rear right tire must be punctured somewhere. It loses 1.2 bar of pressure overnight.

Rubens, van Dyck, Jordaens @ Hamburg

Works by Jan Brueghel, Quellinus, Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens are being crated in the Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp for the forthcoming exhibition in the Bucerius Kunst Forum in Hamburg which opens on Friday 11th June and runs until the 19th September 2010.

I must say I cringe slightly at the use of the words Antwerpener Schule in the exhibition text.
Even if they are between brackets.

(cross posted from The Art Detective)

Food is cheep

Mouser gave me a scare today. I've been trying to give one of those Drontal cat pills to make the worms clear out of the cat-hedral. (Geddit? Cathedral, Worms)
Kitteh ate everything, even licked all the jelly off the cat food, but left the tablet. I've refused to give any more food until the bowl is finished.
My personal lolcat has been going in and out all day, I'm at my desk studying Byzantine Art. Every now and then a 'meow' comes out of the kitchen and Mouser's next to the dinner bowl, mentally pointing at it.

Just now I heard some strange noises yet again, but didn't turn round as I wanted to know what happened at the council of Nicaea in 787. Then I heard pleading moans uttered from the hall.
I went to look and found Mouser devouring a chick. It was already headless and missed a leg. The carpet was full of insects and a small snail. Apparently the bugs had not been digested yet.
My guess is it must be one belonging to Mr Useless Farmer.™
I had to fling it out into the garden to get rid of it. Mouser sped out of the house in pursuit but then didn't bother to search for it. It just gave me the 'you know what I want, that'll teach you' look.

All I could think of was:
'I feel like chicken tonight'

And of course I'm stuck with that Ella Fitzgerald song in my head.
It has a line in the song that goes 'So please be sweet, my chickadee'.

I'll have to be more vigilant and close doors and windows so Mouser doesn't come home with those pocket sized chicklets again.

Change? Sure!

I've made an alternative slogan for a right wing party. The original one on the left reads "Nu durven veranderen". Dare change now.

I've made a slight alteration "Nu durven vermageren". Dare lose weight now.

/snigger


Udapte: A facebook group has been suggesting we plug the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico with Mr De Wever.

All quiet on the blogging front

I've rather run out of flippant remarks this week. And time to blog. As I have the usual exams preventing me from leading a normal life. James Randi is giving a talk in Utrecht on the 11th, I'll have to miss that too. Two of my internet acquaintances are going. So, yes, I will sacrifice myself on the altar of education (again).
Dr Livingstone is out with the usual former cocaine guitar playing millionaire so I have the house all to myself.
Except for Mouser who keeps me company at all times. I still need to put ointment in its left eye four times a day. It looks like it is healing properly, although quite slowly. Kitteh ran into something and her lens has been damaged (again). It's similar to like last time albeit a very deep scratch. I think I'm going back tomorrow to our strange neurotic vet to have a check-up.
So it'll be all quiet on the blogging front for a while.

Untill then, I will leave you with a final look-alike match. As I was viewing the red carpet pictures from the Robin Hood premiere at Cannes I came across the unshaven face of Russel Crowe. He looks like that Verstrepen guy that hopped parties a while back. They sport the same foppish hair. My guess is they'll be using it to mask a rapidly receding hairline in a short while; actors and politicians tend to be very self-absorbed and share a common trait: vanity.

A collection of Leonards

I've always had trouble telling the two apart: Leonard Nimoy and Leonard Cohen.
They look so similar with aging. And I must admit, I find Mr Nimoy's work far more entertaining than Mr Cohen's.
I'm sure I'm not the only one on the planet.
Highly logical.

Wishing wel

I am opposed to using strong language on this blog, but:
Yves Leterme should just STFU!

On Wednesday he said:
In naam van de regering en de Belgische bevolking wil ik u oprecht feliciteren met uw verkiezingsoverwinning als leider van de conservatieve partij en met uw benoeming als Britse eerste minister.

I do not wish to congratulate newly elected PM David Camoron.™ Or anyone else for that matter.
If Calimero opens his lying trap just once more I shall have to get really, really cross.
I do not wish to have someone speak on my behalf, unless they have been specifically appointed by me.
Not by some laughable mandate from the masses masquerading under the umbrella of unconstitutional elections.
What a mess.

Oh wait. I do wish to congratulate someone today:
Happy Birthday Dr Livingstone!
Love you so much!
Sorry I passed on that horrible runny nose and sore throat to match.
Mouser has been very sweet and allowed me to put the salve in its eye twice already and kitteh has brought home two kinds of mice.



Kissing like a bandit
Stealing time
Underneath a sycamore tree
Cupid by the hour sends
Valentines
To my sweet lover and me
Slowly
But surely
Your appetite is more than I knew
Sweetly
Softly
I'm falling in love with you

Greek sacrifice

In light of the economic crisis hitting most European countries, I've been raising both eyebrows when hearing the words 'Greeks' and 'sacrifice'. My imagination has been clouded because I've been studying the Ancients the past couple of terms.
But from the statements found in the media it is very obvious:
“I don’t believe things will get better,” said office clerk Anastasia Griva, 49. “I am not prepared to make more sacrifices because I don’t think these measures will get us out of the crisis."

The office clerck is the voice of the Greek skeptic.

The Greek PM in his speech however: "People stop me on the street to say they are willing to make sacrifices if it can help our country".

Hmmm.

"These sacrifices will give us breathing space and the time we need to make great changes," he added.

Hmmm.

“People are asking for blood,” ALCO pollster Costas Panagopoulos told Reuters.

Blood! Blood!

What kind of sacrifices are we talking about here? Piglets? Rams? Bulls?