Cologne was brilliant. (I’ve always wondered why that name sounds so ridiculous in English. Then again, I suppose it would’ve been more ridiculous if they’d named it Colon or something. Anyway. I digress.)

Some moron was messing around with (probably, I’m not sure) pepper spray in the New Yorker, so we had to flee the store (that is, we fled the store, and Lin, who was in the fitting room, fled a little later). It was weird. Anyway. Bought tea (yum), the second Discworld book (cos it’s brilliant), Simon’s Cat’s book (hurrah!) and another book simply because it has the most insane title I’ve heard in a long time… Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks. The rest of the time was mostly spent buying everybody birthday gifts. :P

( Madness from Cologne, niet vertaald op verzoek. Heh. )

Oh, and also…

Foster: “So if you have to write a James Bond like book, and you call your 6 ft tall, wearing a suit, masculine character… ‘Valerie’… that’s a violation of the naming game.”

Have decided on a whim that my LA5 essay is going to be about Tom Lehrer’s songs. I wonder how that’s going to go.

comeshootwithme

*is off to watch QI*

Michiel: "You still here?"
Me: "Yes. Am watching clips of Tom Lehrer. He's hilarious."
Michiel: "Whahahaha, get a life."

Ignore the image of the first one. It's confusing. Anyway. I shall shut up now and finish my Sinterklaas poems for tomorrow. Well. Today. :P

- Beer is disgusting
- So is getting half a glass of orange juice and vodka down your cleavage because of some enthusiastic dancers
- Parties are fun, but I still prefer the ones where one's speech isn't drowned by the boom-boom noises some people regard as music
- I'm useless as "the cleaning crew" at work (everybody was cleaning liek woah, and all I did was sweep and mop about two square metres before throwing half a bucket of water in my shoe)

Also, wills are confusing, and I totally need to re-watch all of M*A*S*H (which, come to think of it, is a lot).

Kyra: “I’ll bring my very big umbrella.”
Me: “I’ll bring my own very big umbrella that I got at Xenos. Where did you buy yours?”
Kyra: “I didn’t, it was a gift.”
Me: “Oohoooh, where’s it from?”
Kyra: “Samnaun.”
Me: “Oohoooh, what’s on it?”
Kyra: “… a pocket knife.”

Also, I accidentally downloaded Victor/Victoria, which of course means I have to watch that now. :P

Just got back from work.

Part of checkout thing: *comes loose*
Me, waving aforementioned shiny metallic thing in direction of colleague: "Um. Is it supposed to be doing this?"

Presentation didn’t kill me, yay. Am still worried though. Our presentation was about a quarter of an hour long or something, and I only spoke for ONE MINUTE. It was supposed to be… slightly longer. xD

Anyway.

Foster on coming to the Netherlands: “I also learnt that it was not a good idea to throw my rubbish off my balcony.”

Foster on American professors walking around the room and making sarcastic remarks when someone wouldn’t know the answer: “And why would I do that, anyway? That wouldn’t be gezellig.”

Foster: *discusses 1984, room 101 and the things that one fears most*
Michiel: “Karin van der Zeeuw…”

Paulien, reading a presentment: “Item, we present the Skole Mayster because ther hath bene juste provse that he hathe abussed his skollers with suche unressonable correction that fewe skollers will tarry with hime.”
Porck: “This means?”
Paulien: “That he’s a bastard.”

Porck: “A tippett is a kind of… thingy.”

Porck: “So who has done this?”
Some of us: *raise hands*
Me: “Three whole people…”

Me: *stabs foot with umbrella*
Sander: *unsuccessfully tries not to laugh at me*

Wartoehie: “Ew, a snail!”
Laura: “Da’s een chocoladekruidnoot.”

Me, looking through Teus’ window at the building on the other side of the street: “Seriously, what are they doing? I’ve seen eighty colours in half a minute.”
Michiel: “That’s the telly.”

Survived presentation, it seems. People even laughed. I’m such a rubbish academic, though. I should be serious next time. Must try. Although stick-figure Jaws and stick-figure Moby Dick sound tempting. :P

Also, just watched new Top Gear. It’s brilliant! “Of course Hans is wet, he’s standing under a waterfall.” And… Jeremy versus the cardboard loo. Bahahahaah.

Also:

Ilse, to me: “I’m almost as good at writing illegibly as you are!”

Foster: “If I ask you what sound you associate with going to the dentist, and you go ‘ooh!’ you’re in the wrong part of the vowel d- unless you’re an owl, of course…”

Foster: “… but the musical version wasn’t as Joop van den Ende as-… Joop van den Ende is an adjective…”

Foster: “It is, as the Dutch would say, ‘nogal wiedes.’”
Ilse, to me: “I never use that. I’d say something like… ‘D’OH!’”

Foster: *quotes A Midsummer Night’s Dream* “… may now, perchance, both quake and tremble here… Nou, niet dus. The audience ligt in een deuk. Lies in a dent.”

Foster on some line in Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale”: “When we called out for another drink, the waiter brought a tray. I mean, when people ask for a drink, we usually mean one glass. These people are getting seriously pissed, aren’t they?”

Foster on the Vestal Virgins mentioned in the above song: “They were virgins, they were professed virgins. Professional virgins, even.”

Me, presenting Dallam’s memoir: “So how many of you actually read it?”
Nobody: *raises hand*
Me: “That’s… slightly worrying.”

Me: *finishes fast-speed presentation, nearly breaks computer when yoinking USB stick out, and finally sits down*
Martijn, taking over: “What I will be telling you is probably only a third of what Erika just told you, because… I can’t even think that fast.”

Porck: “Then you’d have to explain why women use more loanwords, like… because they like fancy foreign things.”
Paulien: “Like David Tennant!”

Philo discussion: *concerns handwriting* “The Secretary Hand.”
Wartoehie, possibly in other conversation: “I saw one the other day. It was beautiful!”
Me, confused: “What, a secretary?”

Me, writing “Mary, Queen of Scots”: “I mean, look at this. Can you read this? I can’t.”
Lis: “Mary…”
Paulien: “Oath?”
Me: “Mary, Queen of Socks.”

I found out this morning that the Beeb are broadcasting The Waters of Mars TONIGHT. *insert absurd fangirly squee*

On another note, I nearly broked two radios this weekend. Not going particularly well. :P

Aaaaanyway. *goes back to Dallams past participles*

Edit: OMG accidentally clicked on the PowerPoint tutorial link on Blackboard and now the woman from Microsoft won't stop talking, AAAAAAH

Just went for a walk. I think the wind froze my ears off. Am now having hot cocoa.

Eek, Philo.