Monday July 11, 2005
Rob the housemaid
- Posted by Rob (#1) on July 11, 2005 10:35 CEST
Couldn't resist some pub fun this weekend and catching up with some old buddies, but that's business as usual. Also did a moderate amount of sunbathing at the balcony. What's a lot more exciting to write about because it rarely happens, at least not in such a thorough way as I've been doing it yesterday: I've been cleaning my apartment.
That's right: cleaning. Not just tidying up (as in actually doing so as opposed to moving stuff around) but actual, housemaid-quality cleaning.
It all started when my vacuum cleaner died (months ago, ahum). Sunday afternoon I bought a new one with a nice detachable container and I got all excited. I moved the furniture, put on some rock music and started vacuuming! And scrubbing! I even threw out tons of old crap that was just collecting dust or looking messy.
The result so far:
The cleanest and tidiest couch area of the living room ever! But as the moved table and various crap on the side reveal, a very untidy rest of the house - so far. The crud on the couch are actually concert tickets, I'm thinking of putting them all in the frame with the HorrorPops poster.
Tonight I'm going to finish the living room, clean the kitchen and throw out years and years worth of clothes. Every morning I go through my wardrobe and for every nice shirt or pair of trousers there are at least five that I throw back in the closet because I wouldn't want to be caught dead in them. It's time to throw it all away!
Mom should be proud of me. And I promise there will be a nice picture of Rob the housemaid soon. MySpace-style.
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Conservatives are too progressive
- Posted by Rob (#1) on July 11, 2005 19:29 CEST
Some of the developments in Pakistan worry me:
According to a draft of the bill, the mohtasib will be required to ensure people pay adequate respect to azan (call to prayers), pray on time and do not engage in commerce at the time of Friday prayers.
The mohtasib will also stop unrelated men and women from appearing in public places together and discourage singing and dancing.
Fortunately the bill has already been called unconstitutional, but it's just incomprehensible that people want to enforce such primitive and restrictive social values.
Sure, of course I get a bit jealous when a girl I like makes out with someone else. Seriously, who wouldn't be? But I'm also big enough a person to think: I'm glad she's having fun. I will most likely be wishing it were me, but I'm still happy for the lass.
That means I won't call for laws to destroy her social life in favour for a system where - most likely - her father decides who and when she marries, or at least which candidates are suitable or not. At least I'm assuming that's what happens in a society where you can't meet single members of the opposite (or same) sex in public, let alone to sing or dance with them.
Most arguments in favour of social values include some sort of benefit for society. But I wonder if conservatives realise that government mandated social values are actually very progressive from a small/big government point of view.
I normally stick up for conservative USA because even Bible Belt views tend to be far more relaxed than those of conservative Islam, but social values are one of those things those two have in common: they are too judgemental. That's also why I think that currently the UK offers me a better balance of economical freedom and personal freedom than most of the US. The UK is a country with relatively low taxation, strong opposition against terrorism and a lot of social liberties.
Sure, of course I get a bit jealous when a girl I like makes out with someone else. But the only dignified way to deal with that is to try and steal her heart, not her liberties.
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Green Day at Ahoy
- Posted by Rob (#1) on July 11, 2005 20:07 CEST
Despite the terrorist attack on London, last Thursday Pimmez and myself went to see Green Day at Ahoy right here in Rotterdam. It was a nice change of pace compared to the disastrous news.
I can't really be enthousiastic about the show itself for I've seen the American Idiot tour four times in six months and all the special bits were the same as before: Shout, We are the champions, the bunny suit, pulling people up stage, supersoakers..
However I can be enthousiastic about the music because Green Day remains Green Day. So here it is: woo! Hearing Jesus of Suburbia or Basket case live never gets boring!
It was a bit of a shame that a number of teenies were criticising me when I started a mosh pit on my own during Jimmy Eat World and even when Pim and another bloke joined we kept hearing comments such as:
You must have drank too much Red Bull.
God forbid that anyone actually has fun during a rock show. Then again, noone seemed to even known Jimmy and indeed not too many people responded when the band asked if anyone had seen them in Amsterdam earlier this year (obviously, I did!).
People started waking up for Green Day though and I had a lot of fun moshing, dancing and singing.
When I went home I felt a bit sad realising that my next big gig isn't due until September. I should really try and do some festivals and smaller gigs in the meanwhile or I'll have withdrawl symptoms!
Update: Erm, Lenny Kravitz in two weeks, in London? How could I forget?
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