dutch marginal

today was a tear water tea day. today a friend defended his doctor's thesis while being retired for a year now. its was of course fantastic, wonderful, beautiful and he did it so well, but .. but what? but it is so sad to conclude thus your working life when you finished teaching and researching. of course, a true teacher and researcher never stops, and i am sure my friend will continue. but just realizing that you no longer count for a lot of people, because of your age. maybe you have grandchildren to teach, still meet with your former students and continue with your research, at home, but ... do you know the story by arnold lobel, tear water tea? here you can listen to the story: owl likes a pot of tea water tea every now and then and thinks of things that make him cry. this day, this event, this event made me sad, wanting to cry. probably i realize myself what i would have liked doing in the time that i still count. but my life also gradually passes by and my plans an...

the story of the writing of this book, van gogh's ear, by bernadette murphy is inspiring for all wannabe writers and mystery lovers. what a dream to chase a myth, the unravelling of a mystery, the making alive of history and art. it stimulates your fantasy. i have a suitcase full of such unravelled mysteries that i would like to research and explore in stories, but i never take the time. maybe in the future? however, bernadette did it and how. to her penguin book bbc two documentary

the power of five, last book, called oblivion. if you are amazed and shocked about all the things we do to each other, all the wars and quarrels that keep on going forever. if you do not have a religion and search for the truth of live anyway, you may like to read book series like harry potter (the power of love), the rick riordan books (the power of gods and monsters and the heroes) or the power of five by anthony horowitz. they are children's books, so they have the positive energy in it that is inherent to youth and they have an explanation of the truth of life. not too serious but still they stimulate your imagination and give some comfort. evil powers and bad habits and feelings are inherent to human nature, but keep on fighting for the positive outcome of fights and struggles is their story. stay active and an activist for ideals or support others if they are stronger, but do not sleep or slumber on. do not search the oblivion of sleep and habits. do not be too sad because ...

having a period of real marginality. what really matters in live? maybe the small things you can do for your family? think of mrs jellyby in dickens' bleak house and know that it is not being generous to others and forgetting the close ones. so up and busy with the house, clothes, little crafts, plants and show a good humour and some charity to your beloved ones. and if you have time left or you do not have many around you, start finding others to help. and while being outside for this or that, pick up that bit of trash everyday. it really helps.

do you know the nutcracker fairytale in the version of sophie dahl. i just read the story in her cooking book 'from season to season: a year in recipes'. the humorous, modern version of the old story reminds of the 'revolting rhymes' of her famous granddad roald dahl. if you do not know the story or would like to read it again, here is the link to the story on her website . and might you have some leftover bread at the moment, or cake or panettone, you can make her fantastic recipe for panettone and apple bread-and-butter pudding .

ever read farmer boy by laura ingalls wilder, you know, one of the little house books? i never read it upto last week, only saw the tv-serie. but really, do not miss this book. you will get visions of everything homemade, from butter and sugar to fabrics, shoes and all kind of tools. never knew you could keep ice frozen through the summer by using sawdust. of course, going back to that time is no option, but it gives you more appreciation for craftsmanship. why spend so much time with your computer, television or other machines. slow living, with the seasons a modern trend was just the essence back in those times. if ever you are dissatified with things you do not have, remember this book and enjoy the things you do have or do. why buy pink lemonade if at home there is always apple cider from your own apples and milk from you own cows. enjoy the clean water in the tap. enjoy the more than enough clothes in your wardrobe. enjoy life.

the black cloud has faded and daily routines take their place again. everyone knows those days. one more than the other. once again the madness has been caged. did you know that mason currey wrote a book about the daily routines of artists. maybe in artists the madness is essential for their creativity but also a danger for living. on the blog of mason you can read the daily routines of famous artists and you will understand the importance to cage madness in these routines just to survive. of course not all artists are instable in their sensitivity and melancholy but a majority is. freedom has a price. the freedom of being an artist means also a struggle with madness and frustration. if you struggle in your freedom, take a look at the routines of others that know the same struggle and try to find your routine: tips van Boston University .

i was reading a calvin and hobbes book yesterday and recognized a lot now, while before, i just enjoyed it. so beware, before you have children, read calvin and hobbes and remember to enjoy it, realizing that you will recognize it later. do not loose your sense of humor and keep your patience. and if again, your house is a mess remember this funny quote from phyllis diller on children: 'cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops snowing.'

as my aunt is finishing her live this evening because of cancer, i am reasoning about death. without death, the world would be overpopulated or birth should neither occur. death is nature but a very sad part. at such moments you search for wisdom on life in religion, books or philosophy. i found this comforting quote by George Elliot

whenever you feel down, you feel like never getting up again. i can be jealous about the religious people who always have their religion at such periods. but recently, i read an interview with eric kaplan and read his philosophy. a quite comforting philosophy for the atheists in a dip. his theory says that we, humans, need a purpose in our days and in our lives. you have to know why you want things or not, often being just experiences you have. being a atheist does not mean you do not believe in something, mayby in santaclaus or just the flower fairies, a story, a myth, something your make up yourself. why not even though you know rationally it is not a proven fact. what is truth for a philosopher; only read sophie's world by jostein gaarder and you realize how surreal the world could be and is. philosophy in this world can be a survival skill with which you can find your intellectual and moral balance. it gives you tools.

did you ever read any book of jules verne, or do you just know the stories from childhood? anyway, i decided to read the two books on captain nemo, travelling 20,000 miles under sea. i had difficulties finding the motivation to read through the first half of the first book, but then i got caught by the verne fever. the books are filled with future, considering they have been written in the 19th century. they remind me of the drawings and sketchings of leonardo da vinci. and, what a coincidence. i just read an article in the newspaper on plagues of jellyfish, while verne already predicts that plagues will occur in the future due to the overfishing of other fishes and whales for example. the balance will become disturbed and so it is. how can we ever say now, that we did not realize the consequences of our fishing and hunting, if even more than 100 years ago it was already predicted.

ever wondered what to do with all those old books, you once read, or got through heritage maybe? i just saw this idea at the etsy website: vintage books as an interior art decoration a fantastic idea. and you know, recently i took such an old book, and loved the old-fashioned way it has been written in. how time changes.

who does not know stonehenge, the legendary neolithic stones in the south of england. in the third book of michael scott on the immortal nicholas flamel it is the location of important power and in many other books and films it is an mysterious historical powerful monument. and now, researches discovered remains of chapels that indicate that the stones were not in splendid isolation but part of a bigger structure. these mysteries of real life indicate for me, the importance to keep on dreaming, because real life has too many layers to be exactly clear. dreams can give you a peaceful feeling within this noisy and restless world. so go on and dream or read (often the same as experiencing someone others dream). more on the books of michael scott .

fairy tales are real life. maybe your happy end is just still to come. fairy tale people have rough times before the happy ending and maybe after the happy end they have new rough times. maybe seeing your live as a fairy tail will get you better through rough times.

being a fanatic in reusing as much as possible, i searched for more ideas for my fabric and thread scraps more than enough ideas can be found when you search on fabric scraps patterns more than 50 ideas for example  here and the smallest pieces i keep to fill up cushions and the like

just finished reading Luigi Pirandello's one, no one and one hundred thousand. we are not one person, but too many different persons as everyone will see us differently. this filosophy drives the main person in the book to radically change his life. humourous but cold and dark too. subjectivity is dictator in life just like in Charles Dickens Bleak House, where application of the law always fails to be fair for everyone.

just read Harry Potter and the deathly hallows for the second time. the power of love is a red thread throughout the whole series of Harry Potter books. remembering the power of love in every little dip of the day will bring a smile right away. Lenny Kravitz — Let Love Rule Love is gentle as a rose And love can conquer any war It's time to take a stand Brothers and sisters join hands We got to let love rule Let love rule We got to let love rule Let love rule Love transcends all space and time And love can make a little child smile Can't you see this won't go wrong But we got to be strong We can't do it alone We got to let love rule Let love rule We got to let love rule Let love rule

writers can be made to a certain extent, but then, to be one of the great writers, they have to have certain characteristics according to Orwell and Komrij. failure, loneliness and sadness in everyday live can be compensated by the creation of a private world through a facility with words. this means though also that you have to have an ability to handle with loneliness. you have to be patient enough to let yourself find the right words in the right sequence. by your experience with troubles in real life you have the ability to handle frustration and problems in putting down a world in words. sander kooistra writes on these subjects on his blog: writers are born (article in dutch) why we write

reading enhances your ability to sympathize with someone else's values, according to psycholinguist Jos van Berkum. he held his inaugural speech in at Utrecht University on 30 September on 'Zonder gevoel geen taal' (without feeling no language).

nothing so relaxing as reading children's books. kameleon, dolfje weerwolfje, harry potter, charlie and the chocolate factory, the wizard of oz. wonderful. compare that to the literature of luigi pirandello, adult stories of roald dahl. fantastic but depressing. what do we do when growing up to deserve these negative reviews of live.