about concerts...

Live concerts (as such) cannot, in my opinion, be classified in the "better than shoes" category of things... We all have dreadful experiences to share of that time that the girlfriend of the brother of our boyfriend (or something of that sort of relation...) said "Let's go see "roasted potatoes" playing, they are awesome!!!!"
... and we went... and they were not... In fact they were horrible, the music was crap, the sound worse and that tall guy in front of us failed to hide them from our sight the whole time... which would be a blessing as the singer, the bass player and the lead guitar were f-ugly... and that was the whole band...

So, now, a generalization is not appropriate... But sometimes, even in this part of the world, we find ourselves attending one of the good ones... One of those concerts that you know and love the band (or the artist) and you know the songs and you are there with a bunch of like-minded friends, who also know the band and sing the songs along, and you end up dancing and laughing and applauding like crazy and shouting "more, more" and it's great!!! It's like being a teenager for a while again... Or at least I guess it is like that as I did not go to too many concerts as a teenager... I do compensate now though :)

The other night I went to see Pixies playing live in Amsterdam... And though I can't say that I new a lot about their music (ashamed to admit that I though all their songs are like "Here comes your man"... more or less as bad as believing that all song by The Cure is like "Friday I'm in love"...) I knew a bit and in any case at the end it didn't matter!!! I was with a great group of people, in fact met a new neighbor who's super cool, and I was dancing and singing (the ones I knew the lyrics...) and laughing and I hag a blast!! And yes, as the totally wasted guy next to me said (repeatedly...) "whoa, Pixies, man... how cool is this..."!

Though I was just wearing a pair of running shoes (that matched perfectly the rest of my... well, shall we say, "casual" outfit and leave it there...) and did not see anything more interesting shoe-ways then Doc Martins at the concert, no, Prada was not present, I kid you not, the whole deal was better than shoes! And I would do it again... in fact, I will do it again :) And so should you! I promise you you won't regret it :)

PS. and in the improbable case that a band called "roasted potatoes" really does exist: I'm not referring to you, I have never been to one of your concerts and I'm sure you are really awesome and incredibly handsome!

sunshine :)

It's a truth universally acknowledged... you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone! And yes, the song was a big hit too, but I tend to believe that the truth came first... Anyway, I lived for 26 years of my life in a country where the sun shines continuously from April to October and then again in February for a couple of weeks and certainly about 3-4 days a week for the rest of the year... which is goooood! Because, human beings, like plants, need the sun to survive (goodness, this is very scientific...) and when we don't have it we become gloomy like the weather...

Then, I came to The Netherlands... where the sun, normally, doesn't shine... feel free to make the connection with all the other places where the sun doesn't shine... Mind you, this past summer has been a one-off thing and for those of you having come recently here, well, enjoy the exception while it lasts, dudes, because an exception it is! My experience, after 9 years, is that when it starts raining here, it forgets to stop... and there have been many summers spent carrying an umbrella and wearing wool cardigans and shawls and boots... usually Ugg boots in light camel and... oooops, lost track of my thoughts, sorry :)

And then winter comes and it's worse... dark and wet and depressing and cold and... not nice! So, yes, what I missed in these 9 years is the sun. And I did regret bitterly all the times I complained (back in my old life) about the heat and the sun burning and the long summer season that tired me... I guess I had to lose it to appreciate it... thank you Universe!

But every now and then, recently more often admittedly due to the exception I was telling you (or global warming... ) I wake up in the morning and the sun begins to shine (this is a song as well, aint'it... ) and everything looks marvellous! The colours, the people, the city, everything is better! The mood is good, dressing up not having to worry about mud and rain is a bliss, taking out those old sun glasses from their case (where they have been sleeping peacefully for, oh, very long) and putting them on to go out in the bright sunshine is... yes, it is better than shoes! And not only it is better, but it combines greatly with shoes as well!! Because it is on those days that one takes out of the box that pair of Chloé suede-and-leather pumps and wears them with pride...

roasted pork and caipirinhas

Living in The Netherlands, when it comes to food, is very often... well, let's say challenging... On one hand, decent restaurants where we, people coming from countries with a rich food culture, can enjoy a nice meal, are usually expensive for what they offer... which means that an inner conflict as to whether spend the money in a good meal or a pair of black patent leather Jimmy Choo slingbacks is often present...

On the other hand, going to the supermarket and just buying (for example) a kilo of lamb or kid to cook at home is usually wishful thinking... most likely, we go to the supermarket and just not find the lamb (and certainly not the kid... who am I kidding...) or when we find it, it costs 8€ for 200gr... and we leave it where it is while cursing... Mind you, very often it is not about not being able to afford it, it's about refusing to pay this insultingly ridiculous amount of money! It's just lamb after all not gold!!!

But, being brought up in the south, and having learned since childhood to enjoy and appreciate food, creates a need to have it... and the need gives birth to resourcefulness... which results in solutions :) Shops are being opened with products from Portugal, for example, importers are being recruited to fulfil group orders of Greek products and Italians and Spanish are not left behind in the quest for good, craved produce from our home countries. So, we manage :)

If I were told that I would be enjoying freshly roasted baby pork in this flat landscape, I would most probably laugh... But, indeed it happened! And was soooooo delicious words don't even begin to describe... juicy and tender and perfectly seasoned and... lots of it, more than enough for a lively and incredibly interesting (not to mention large...) group of friends, hosted in a warm and cosy household of those that make you feel at home from the first time you visit...

And imagine that you savour this divine taste while accompanying it with the best caipirinhas this place has to offer, prepared by a Brazilian friend with freshly cut lime and lots and lots of cachaça... indeed, words were rolling out of ones mouth far more easily after two of those ;) And it was better than shoes! Every bite and every sip and every laughter... more desirable than a red sole... and you, my fellow shoe fans, know very well what that means ;)

P.S No, regretfully I can not promise you that you will be invited next time...