In today’s physics experiment, we have learned that a glass bowl filled with red cabbage does not survive a fall from 1.5 metres (5 feet). The bowl shatters on impact and shard of glass are launched into every corner of the room. Most of the cabbage remains near the site of impact, but some pieces may end up a couple of metres away.
Next time, I’ll have to hold on better to whatever I’m trying to put into my microwave. Having the bowl of cabbage explode on the floor was definitely fun, but it creates an awful mess.
A girl on a cell phone: “No, I’m already in Leiden. I’m right at this bridge.” Well, there are only a hundred or so bridges in Leiden, so I’m sure that’s a helpful comment.
On another topic, what happened to all the canned mandarin oranges? I need a can for a witloof (a.k.a. Belgian endive or chicon) salad I’m making tomorrow, but both of the nearby supermarkets were sold out.
Dutch people are tall. On average, anyway, since there are also plenty short folks around here. On the whole, we’re now actually the tallest people in the world, according to researchers from Princeton and Munich in the latest issue of Annals Of Human Biology. We have overtaken the previous record-holders, the Americans, whose junkfood culture is believed to play a role in their decreased growth rate. (That is vertical growth, obviously. Americans might well be the world’s horizontally largest people.) The fact that health care is more easily available to poor people here than it is on the other side of the Big Pond also seems to boost our average height.
Ever heard anyone talk about peanut butter for six minutes? No? Bring on Dr. Peanutbutter! Did you know that PB was invented in 1839? Or that it comes in many variations, from smooth to crunchy? He will tell you, and much more! And be sure to stay awake for the video’s full run, because at the end our Doctor discloses his secret method for creating the perfect PB sandwich. You don’t wanna miss that, do you?
Lekker hoor, even een weekje op vakantie. Samen met Danièle, Ron, Dianne, Galvin, Philip, Petra en Michiel heb ik zeven nachten gebivakkeerd (oftewel: luxe geleefd) in een huis in het dorpje Noiseaux, nabij de iets minder kleine plaats Hotton, in de Belgische Ardennen. Bij aankomst vorige week vrijdag kwam de regen met bakken uit de hemel, maar het klaarde al snel op. De rest van de tijd was het goed weer, afgezien van nog een onweersbui ergens halverwege de week.
Zondag zijn we met z’n vieren naar het stadje Durbuy gegaan, waar ik vijf jaar geleden ook al eens met familie was geweest. Toen hebben we er geklommen en geluncht, nu gewandeld en ijs gegeten… en dat was heel erg lekker ijs! Maandag hebben we een kayaktocht van vijftien kilometer gedaan, onder een dusdanig zonnige hemel dat zelfs Petra iets van een bruine kleur kreeg. Woensdag stond een bezoek aan de stad La Roche-en-Ardenne op het programma, waar we een kasteelruïne, ijswinkel en friterie hebben bezocht. Donderdag zijn we nog even naar de rivier gegaan om onze dam af te maken en te kijken hoe passerende kayaks daar vervolgens langs/overheen gingen.
Tussendoor hebben we veel niks gedaan, afgewisseld met een hoop eten, drinken, Muppet Show, Living with Fran, Kolonisten van Catan, Carcassonne, Boonanza, Coloretto, badminton, en nog meer eten en drinken. Het is maar goed dat Galvin net z’n rijbewijs had gehaald, dan hoefde Dianne tenminste niet steeds mee.
En een vakantie zou geen vakantie zijn zonder foto’s, die natuurlijk terug zijn te vinden in mijn fotoalbum.
Barbecuen is natuurlijk hartstikke leuk, behalve als het plenst van de regen. Hoewel… Vanmiddag hadden we op de VU ter afsluiting van het collegejaar zowel een BBQ als een heleboel regen, en dat was toch hartstikke leuk. Gelukkig stond de BBQ zelf onder een partytent, zodat het vlees en de koks redelijk droog bleven. Binnen (in de Tuinzaal) was de sfeer prima en het collegejaar is dan ook op uitstekende wijze afgesloten. Wel weer jammer dat ik nog een weekje langer door moet voor ik ook vakantie heb…
Random stuff… Today there was this guy at lunch eating a sandwich with nothing but butter and salt… Well, I suppose everyone has their own taste :-)
When I was at the university library today to look up a paper on PAH chemistry (see the entry for March 3), I browsed around a little… They really have some old journals there :-) Nature, for instance, went back to the 1880s, but the oldest one I saw was a German pharmaceutical journal from 1824. That’s probably the oldest bit of print or writing (it was actually written, I believe) I’ve ever held in my hands :-)
Yesterday, there was a traffic jam almost from university to the highway… It’s perhaps a kilometer, so not that long, but annoying nonetheless. Today, there was this same jam again (oddly, there’s never been one before)… I’d already taken a look yesterday if there was another route to the highway, and there was. So… I turned around and took the other route… only to end up in another traffic jam :-) I guess next time I’ll just take my usual route again…
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Posted by Ruud
A girl on a cell phone: “No, I’m already in Leiden. I’m right at this bridge.” Well, there are only a hundred or so bridges in Leiden, so I’m sure that’s a helpful comment.
Dutch people are tall. On average, anyway, since there are also plenty short folks around here. On the whole, we’re now actually 
Ever heard anyone talk about peanut butter for six minutes? No? Bring on Dr. Peanutbutter! Did you know that PB was invented in 1839? Or that it comes in many variations, from smooth to crunchy? He will tell you, and much more! And be sure to stay awake for the video’s full run, because at the end our Doctor discloses his secret method for creating the perfect PB sandwich. You don’t wanna miss that, do you?