01) Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
- although it started off well, I soon found myself paralysed with not caring about any of it...the main characters seem to me to lack any kind of depth and the plot relies on too many improbable coincidences, and the whole is steeped in far too much of the Victorian bathos for my liking.

02) Jean Auel, The Land of Painted Caves
- the concluding part of her Earth's Children-series, and one that she would have done better not to publish. A sad disappointment for the conclusion to a story I'd been following for three decades.

03) Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey - Austen spoofs the gothic novel while exposing the Bath season as a meat market. Light-hearted in tone and funny in places, this is probably her fluffiest book.

( 29 more titles )

When suze2000 and her husband Darren visited The Netherlands last month, we met up for the evening, and these pictures were taken:

( me and Suze: )

( me and Darren: )

They were posted to Darren's Facebook but I'm re-posting them here for safe-keeping; to remind me of an excellent evening spent with two wonderful people who I hope to see again some day (in Australia, perhaps)!

I received a phone call from Verizon a minute ago. Despite the very 'positive overall impression' I had made in my interview, they had decided they weren't comfortable with the fact that I had no previous experience in Sales and so, wouldn't be taking the process any further. I was sorry to hear it, as over the last few days I had allowed myself to dream that my search was almost at an end. Also, the company seemed like one I would enjoy working at...international, technologically innovative, dynamic...

On Sunday, I went to see The Avengers in 3D. It was a spur of the moment thing, and therefore not the kind of film I would have queued up for if I'd given the matter any thought, but I enjoyed it greatly - despite the fact that I've never read any Marvel comics and (apart from the Hulk, who I knew from the 70s TV-series) have no idea of any of these characters' back stories. Robert Downey Jr. starred in it though, and that was enough to keep me happy. Joss Whedon's name popped up in the end credits as the director and gave me a little jolt of recognition and surprise, but the person I went to see the movie with isn't familiar with the Buffyverse and so I didn't comment on it. I understand some people on my flist are looking forward to seeing it and so I won't spoil them with any thoughts on plot or character development, but will only say that it is marvellous good fun (the audience erupted in gales of laughter at several points) and well worth the price of admission.

The skies were leaden and the temperatures low all throughout the whole of last month, but as if by magic, on the very last day, traditionally known as Koninginnedag or Queen's Day, the sun came out, the skies turned blue and the temperatures soared to the mid-20s.

I'd gone up to Amsterdam to join in the festivities with a friend of mine, but because I'd forgotten to charge my phone, and had foolishly left my camera at home, I can only give you the most fleeting of impressions.

( Have you ever seen so much orange? )

Unfortunately this morning, the weather's gone back to being cold, wet and miserable.

Oops! Seems I've been away from LJ for two whole weeks - how did that happen? Oh Facebook, you've got a lot to answer for!

I think this 100 things to blog about-challenge is a brilliant idea! I'll have to have a think about what topic I can possibly devote 100 entries to...100 Rubbish Ideas I've Had, perhaps?

I had an interview with Verizon Business yesterday, for a position in Sales Channel Management. I think I did well, but won't know for certain until the end of next week when they said they'd let me know, as they still had a few more candidates to interview. Be interesting to see what decision they come to, as the other two both appear to have a background in Sales, but I'm the only one with previous experience in the field of Channel Management.

Earlier in the week, I met up with suze2000 and her husband Darren in Amsterdam for an evening. They'd expressed an interest in getting acquainted with traditional Dutch cuisine, so I guided them to a small bistro that specialises in just that. Darren showed himself fearless of sampling our jenevers and (liquorice) liqueurs, and suggested we end the night in Wynand Fockink's, a distillery and tasting room dating back to 1679, where we arrived just before closing time and then enjoyed half an hour's worth of a lock-in.

Meanwhile, I'm pleased to report that my face has almost gone back to normal again; obviously I'm now sporting a scar, which is very noticeable to me (mostly because there's some pain and discomfort there), but as long as I keep from smiling too widely, you wouldn't know I'm missing a tooth.

Other than that, I can't think of anything else noteworthy to relate, and so I'll say goodnight.

This coming Sunday, it will have been 4 weeks since my accident. My bruises have faded, the swellings have gone down significantly, and my lip, now sporting a fresh red scar, seems to be healing well. The deep gash on my shin has also finally scabbed over, and will probably leave a scar there, too. But my teeth...oh Lord have mercy! my teeth are in a right state.

I'd knocked one out, or so I thought. I haven't found it, and so at first I assumed I'd swallowed it. But as my face started to heal, I became aware of something hard and painful stuck up my upper jaw. This morning, my dentist confirmed my suspicion: instead of the tooth having been knocked out, it's been knocked upwards.

I expected him to start making preparations to extract it from its current position. It is causing me a (minor, but still) amount of pain and discomfort (it exerts pressure on the side of my nose, which is a most uncomfortable feeling), but he's decided to leave it in and let nature take its course - eventually, he told me, "the body will dissolve and absorb it" - though it may take a while.

We also found out that the tooth he put back when I saw him last month, hadn't re-rooted itself sufficiently secure yet, and so the splint holding it in place couldn't be removed. He recommended leaving it in for another 8 weeks, then check again. So in the end, and much to my chagrin, all my dentist was able to do for me today was clean and polish my remaining teeth, which needed this attention desperately, due to the side effect of the mouthwash I've been using for the last 4 weeks: it stains the teeth a particularly nasty-looking dark brown.

But at least my palate is healing nicely and I can now open my mouth wide enough to admit an electric toothbrush, and once it's finished charging (I went and bought one especially), I'll be returning to a more conventional method of dental hygiene. The horrid mouthwash is in the bin.

It seems like everyone on my flist is participating in the FIRST meme, making me want to meme, too; but unfortunately, the questions in that particular meme seem to refer to a strictly American setting. Proms, sleep-overs, first grade teachers, first alcoholic beverage as some sort of rite of passage...none of these hold any particular meaning to someone living this side of the Atlantic (OK: my primary school teacher was called Mrs. McGillivray and she was 100 if she was a day, or looked it; and I tasted my very first (watered-down) glass of red wine with my 6th birthday dinner - but I don't see how I can make a post out of that). So instead, I decided to look for a meme that I could find answers to, and found

( 15 Question Book Meme )

There, I've memed.

It's been 9 years since I put up my very first, and very tentative, LJ-post. At the time, I had no conception of how much this journal would come to mean to me in the years following: more than simply allowing me to keep a(n infrequent) record of my all too mundane life, it has allowed me to encounter people, knowledge and ideas I never would have encountered otherwise, and consequently has helped me broaden my horizons.

Now it's Easter and I've had quite a busy few days in terms of church attendance, starting with a long evening Mass on Holy (or Maundy) Thursday, followed by an equally long one including Veneration of the Cross on Good Friday, after which I even stayed for the prayer vigil until midnight; Easter Vigil Mass including four Confirmations on Saturday night, and the festive Easter Mass including two christenings on Easter Sunday. I was actually quite relieved to find there was no Mass scheduled for today.

What with all of the to-ing and fro-ing, I haven't had much of a chance to spend any meaningful time online, and so I missed my chance to wish enigmaticblues a happy birthday on the day, for which I'm heartily sorry. Obviously, I wish her a very happy belated one today, and hope that this belated happy birthday will last the entire year until the next one, when I hope to present her with my birthday wishes in time.

Meanwhile, I was saddened by the news (received a couple of weeks after the fact) of the death of Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Church last month. I met him in Leiden a few times, when I was a student of early-Christian utilitarian architecture and he, accompanied by some of his fellow priests, visited our University to look at some ancient manuscripts. He struck me then as a warm and friendly shepherd of his flock, as well as quite a jovial man in his dealings with us students.

Liturgical colour: red.

For Palm Sunday (and the beginning of Holy Week), Mass began with a procession and the blessing of palm fronds and crosses outside; and ended with a rousing chorus of 'Happy Birthday' for our parish priest, who will be 52 tomorrow. The church was filled to the rafters for the occasion, but I've noticed in the last few weeks that even on ordinary Sundays, attendance here is high - such a difference to how things were in my old parish. After Mass, I participated in a sponsored walk across The Hague to the ICC, to raise money for providing a proper healthcare in Kenyan refugee camps as part of our Lenten campaign. At the ICC, we were given a short but very interesting presentation about the Court and the cases that are brought before it. There are 4 crimes within the Court's jurisdiction, namely: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes committed after July 1st, 2002 and, under certain circumstances, the crime of aggression. The ICC differs from the ICJ in that here cases are brought against individuals, rather than against nations. There are currently 7 investigations and 8 preliminary examinations underway; all in all, 15 cases have been brought before the Court since it was established in 2002, of which 6 are currently at the trial stage.

I got chatting to one of my fellow parishioners, and she turned out to be working in HR. She's asked me to mail her my cv, which I will do...but without expecting too much at this stage.

But now: a recipe, courtesy of one of my French Facebook friends, one that I will certainly try next time I have a dinner party - although it's actually a traditional dish for Easter (apparently).

( épaule d'agneau boulangère )

1. Leave a comment to this post - specifically saying that you would like a letter.
2. I will give you a letter.
3. Post the names of five fictional characters whose names begin with that letter, and your thoughts on each. The characters can be from books, movies, or TV shows.

enigmaticblues gave me "M":

1. Maid Marian, in Robin of Sherwood: Robin of Sherwood is, and always will be, my favourite reimagining of the Robin Hood-legend, and Michael Praed my favourite Robin Hood bar none. Also, this was probably the first time that I was introduced to a Maid Marian that could hold her own and fight as well as the rest of the gang, as opposed to the delicate flower Marians in the earlier Hollywood films.

2. Maid Marian, in Maid Marian and her Merry Men: one of my favourite CBBC-series ever, so funny and original in turning the Robin Hood-legend on its head. This Maid Marian is passionate and idealistic, and consequently often blind to the bungling incompetence of the Merry Men she leads in her fight against injustice. I do like her, even if she can be a bit full-on at times. (Of course, I like the Sheriff of Nottingham even more in this series, but his name doesn't begin with M).

3. Merlin: most specifically, as imagined and portrayed in Mary Stewart's Merlin-trilogy of the 1970s, but also as the powerful, slightly sinister wizard of the mediaeval romances, and his latest incarnation, as the jug-eared, cute Merlin in the current BBC-series.
I loved the Arthurian tales as a child, and the figure of Merlin intrigued me from the start.
When Mary Stewart combined all the disjointed legends into a flowing narrative, I fell in love with the character forever.

4. Maedhros: I love flawed heroes, in literature and in films. There are many such in Tolkien's The Silmarillion, but Maedhros is the one that springs most readily to mind. Capable of steadfast love and friendship, and fiercely loyal, he is not above treachery and deceit when the oath he and his brothers swore demands he act against his better nature. I cried when he ended his torment by killing himself.

5. Mark Darcy: Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy was already a much-loved romantic hero of mine when Colin Firth took on the role in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and put his indelible stamp on the character. Helen Fielding's reimagining of the character as Bridget Jones's love interest, and Colin Firth's portrayal of him in the films (as if Fitzwilliam Darcy had made it anachronistically into the 1990s) make Mark Darcy my favourite matinee idol.