Next Friday is Mischa’s CD release party in Groningen. He’ll be playing live on stage and I’ll probably join him on one song. The release party of I tried to melt the snow, but ran out of matches will be in café Karakter in Groningen www.cafekarakter.nl (Kleine Pelsterstraat 6). The thing starts to get interesting from 20.30. Admittance is free!

Re: the subject of this message: I just wrote a new song. I figured I should try to tell more stories in my music so I wrote one about a girl who’s life has gone quite wrong. I guess it’s basically inspired by my teaching because I see all these young children, whose lives could go either way. They haven’t decided on what they’re going to be like yet. Now their lives haven’t gone wrong yet obviously, and I certainly am hoping they won’t. But it certainly makes you wonder what they will be like later in life. The song is about not knowing what you’ll be like in 10 years time.

Then again, I had to put in some introspective lyrics for the I-person in this song. It’s not necessarily me, but I wanted the song to have a bit of hope in it as well, so I thought up an I-person that may or not bring the girl back to a proper life. But that I-person isn’t perfect either. The song is called Bigger Things (working title) and I’ll try to record it during the holidays. And then maybe I can put it on Myspace.

By now I’m becoming a teacher in Dutch language and literature. I’m not yet entirely convinced this is what it’s gonna be this life, but I like it so far, so I might as well hold out till the end of the year, when I get another big nice looking paper with expensive words on it.

In the meantime, Mischa’s CD is done and dusted and will hit his own virtual shelf on Friday 24 April 2009. Pre-ordering as well as listening can be done via www.mischasings.com.

Next Friday is the big graduation party. I am very much looking forward to it… It should be a great success. We’ve got a lottery, great music and hopefully great guests as well .

’till then!

I also hope that by then I will have reclaimed some of my long lost social life – because there hasn’t been much of that since the start of 09…

I’ll keep you posted.

Today I watched ‘Auf der anderen Seite’ (or: ‘The Edge of Heaven’), a nice German / Turkish film about people trying to help other people they don’t know and how this turns out for them.

The film is kind of slow, yet I found it to be very touching. Despite not being a rollercoaster ride, I felt very involved with the story at all times. By filming on very beautiful locations that never overshadow the story, the director sets the perfect mood for the film: it’s not a story, but it isn’t reality either. It’s the balance between them. I’m very glad I watched this.

So if you’re looking for some quality cinema… Watch this.

Edge Of Heaven [2006]

*runs around the room hysterically happy*

Yet I might still go and see it… Just for the fun of it… I have fond memories of the anime series (until the final 20-25 episodes (boo saga etc.) which I never saw because they started to annoy me).

The film could have been great if they had decided to keep the tongue in cheek nature of the series, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.

Right now the only good thing about the movie appears to be Emmy Rossum, the lovely girl from The Day After Tomorrow. She plays Bulma, the strong female lead – but not love interest – of the film. James Marsters plays badguy Piccolo (who, as everyone who watched the series, should turn good at some point during the trilogy – considering this first installment doesn’t bomb), normally a good thing but his make up and voice are really ridiculous in the trailer. And Piccolo was green and spoke in a low grunting voice in the series, but this is just too much.

I really would like this movie to be great, but right now I predict this movie will be an average superhero action flick without the liveliness and humour that made the series worth watching.

I hope I am wrong.

But that’s long term. I’m no good at long term projects.

That’s why thesis writing is stupid.

But giving up is stupid as well.

So I’ve got two stupid options and right now I’m going for the first.

For that option upsets the least few people.

And it’ll probably give me some satisfaction in the very long term.

Ha! The very long term… Like I care about that on a rainy Sunday morning.

a) it’s been a good week – Of course Obama isn’t the second coming, but he certainly isn’t as antichrist as McCain. =) All I’m saying is that I like the fact that Obama has been elected above McCain and that I now hope he does at least SOME of the things that NEED to be done.

b) I’m seeing Elbow and Laura Marling on Thursday night – which should be GREAT.

c) Ray LaMontagne is stopping by Amsterdam in February – again: AWESOME!

d) I’ve signed up for the studies trip to Edinburgh, only to realise the next day that this might conflict with my master degree ceremony (which would mean I’d have to wait some more before I actually get the certificate. But I’m trying my best to reschedule this thing.

e) Today me and Mischa shot some short videos for his upcoming album thing. I had to film it with a photo camera and we had very little time, so quality is probably not that great but we’ll make it work. I guess. The album is almost finished. We’re not going to make the (first) deadline of 23 November, but hopefully it’s all done in January.

f) I’m going to do some additional work as student-assistent. Which is good because I can use the money and the work sounds like fun (recording pupils pronouncing language).

g) Thesis is back on track, though I feel like I’m running a lot lately.

Still if you had asked me before starting university that I would need a calculator again in the future… Well I would have laughed long and hard. Yet this is the best way to finish my thesis research in the near future.

In other news I’ve been blogging for three years in Dutch this month. Much has changed, much has stayed the same. Much has happened. Etc.

I find it a comforting thing that I’ve actually been doing something consistent for the past 3 years without real reason. I’m not that disciplined, normally.

Hence my thesis research not being finished. Hence I need a calculator.

I took the day off and for the first time I had no feelings of guilt about it (which usually come standard with the concept). And it paid off.. I was a bit nervous when the ceremony actually started, but at the end I came out smiling, carrying my Bachelor of Arts degree. So that’s good. Now let’s hope there will be another day like this in Spring…