Here you are, on my fairly new blog. Fairly because I put all my old logs on here as well (especially the Lowland’s one seemed such a waste to throw away), new because of the new name, layout and logs if I can be arsed.

For the ones who’ve known the old blog as well: yes, I have *finally* finished the Lowland’s report. ^_^

Have fun here, I’ll have fun elsewhere now. I’ll be at the pub if you need me.

TV hasn’t been of much interest to me lately, and that isn’t just because of my busy schedule. The main reason is the sheer lack of decent shows. You can spot one occasionally if you try really hard (CSI/Sex and the City addict speaking here) but most of them are plain pulp. The saddest part is that the most popular shows are based on only a few formats, which result in a lot of similar, crappy shows. There’s the usual talkshow, the home video show (which should’ve been forbidden when Bob Saget started hosting one), the crime show (*nothing* beats CSI) and even the nanny show (“professional” nannies telling parents to tell their kids to stop screaming and molesting the household pets, just brilliant). But the genre I want to discuss in this log is the saddest of all in my humble opinion: the (whether extreme or not) make-over show… Not the we-are-going-to-fuck-your-house-up kind, but the human version.

Sadly, we are all familiar with these shows. Usually they depict frustrated, sagging housewives with noses like potatoes, no tits and/or teeth with the colour of a fine Scotch. But now Dutch TV station Veronica changed the format a little and made the show Perfect: instead of the better potato removal they broadcast plastic surgery on twenty-something, pretty damn good looking girls, so they can get jobs as models. I mean, I can somehow (don’t believe in plastic surgery at all myself) see why the earlier mentioned Mrs. Potato Heads undergo such extreme operations to feel just a little bit better about themselves. But I would just like you guys to take a look on the show’s website, http://perfect.sbsonline.nl , take a look at the pictures of the girls on the frontpage and please give me an answer to this question:

What the fuck is happening to this world?!

Full review/report will “soon” appear here. But for now I can tell you that I once again had the most amazing time at Lowland’s Paradise. Next year 5th Lowland’s anniversary for Loes people!

Some of you may know that the month of August always has a particular climax for me: Lowland’s festival. With the last day of August 2005 only hours away, and Lowland’s 2005 only days ago, I decided to start on my second Lowland’s report ever. Hoping to finish it sooner than the previous report (which took half a year to produce, ugh…) I do realize that this year will be an awfully busy year, with me off to a different university and all. [Quick update: I will be a Classical Languages freshman at Leiden university in a couple of days. Yay.] However, I will try my best to finish this piece at least BEFORE Lowland’s 2006. Just not now. Need. Sleep. Fast. Bye.

Rrrright, I had the whole first day covered a few days ago until I pressed some button and all text somehow magically disappeared. Well, here goes nothing AGAIN.
We didn’t know this would be the earliest start of Lowland’s ever for us. Sure, we left home early enough and everything, but that was because of previous Lowland’s exeriences: the long, loooong lines for everything. Trains, buses, entrances, you name it. Guess it’s a logical consequence of 54,000 people going to the same paradise at the same time. But this time, we got into our train easily. We even got into our bus easily, it was practically waiting for us when we got out of our train in contrary to previous years, with an average waiting time of 2 hours for a freaking bus. But then the bus dropped us off near the entrance, and we quickly realised the gates hadn’t opened yet… If there were already 54,000 people waiting to go in, we were numbers 53,998, 53,999 and 54,000. Quite frustrating, I can tell you. But still, once the gates opened and everybody starting moving towards the entrance, we got about halfway through the line and it took us about 3 hours to get in. Half of the group we had gathered around us in the meantime wanted to go to Campsite 3 (poor fools, every experienced Lowlander knows you won’t have any place on Campsite 3 unless you are amongst the first 8,000 people or so in the line OR willing to perform sexual favours for the staff) and the ohter half wanted to go to Campsite 1 just like last year, so we compromised and declared Campsite 2 our temporary home. Our tents were set before sunset. A personal record.

Just a quick list of the bands I’ve seen: Apocalyptica / Blue Van / Coolpolitics / Death From Above 1979 / Enge Buren / Foo Fighters / Incubus / Korn / The Magic Numbers / New Cool Collective / Social Distortion / The Subways / 2nd Place Driver / Dropkick Murphys / Franz Ferdinand / Marilyn Manson / Maximo Park / Millionaire / Nightwish / Queens Of The Stone Age / Racoon… I could’ve sworn there were more… :/

She’s mine. Need I say more? <3

Edit: fine. OURS.

Even though I have always been a ‘carpe diem’ type of person, living life day for day, I can now say I have found someone I want to spend the rest of my life with. We have just reached our ’6 months of dating’ milestone, and still no sign of him or me wanting to escape the commitment, as usually happens. I’ve been feeling awesome lately, knowing that he’s got my back and I his, that he’s crazy about me and I about him, that he’d do anything for me and I for him.

Here’s to us, baby. You rock my world!

On a less happy note, I said goodbye to a 16 year old friend of mine today. Adieu, Grijs.

For those who can be bothered: a quick description of the most recent happenings in la vie de la Loes.

Quick because there isn’t that much to describe. I’ve reached a quite pointless phase it seems. I’ve dropped out of uni, in case you didn’t know yet. Well, I wouldn’t call it dropping out… It sounds so harsh, as if I’ve decided to abandon the “sweet joy” of education and work as a checkout girl for the rest of my life. I’m just quitting Psychology. It has been boring the shit out of me practically all the time. I started feeling worse and worse because of uni. So yes, I’ve decided to quit studying Psychology and to study something completely else next year/after summer, something else being Classical Languages. It was a second choice of mine for this year in case I wouldn’t get elected for the Psychology course. I have always enjoyed studying Latin and Greek in high school, so I figured why the hell not.
Anyway, the pointlessness of it all concerns this gap between two studies. Since I can’t be arsed to go to uni for Psychology anymore and my new study won’t start until September or so, I have been feeling pretty useless lately. Besides working and, well, socializing (read: hanging out with friends, heh) I haven’t been of much use to society lately. Sorry society.

But hey, I do provide people of their daily bread (ok ok just on Tuesdays and Fridays) and I did vote yesterday! I hereby want to thank my fellow Dutch ‘no-voters’ for flipping the bird towards the Dutch government and, with that, showing their sincere lack of trust in JP and his buddies.

About a week ago, the first names for the line up of my most precious festival, A Campingflight To Lowland’s Paradise, were released. Nothing awfully exciting just yet, but I’m sure that will change. Just naming the bands I’ve previously heard of here!

Apocalyptica: interesting. A few years ago, who would’ve thought chellos and metal could be combined? I haven’t seen them live yet, so there’s a good chance I will this year.
Bad Religion: I thought they died?
Brainpower: Dutch hiphop. Not very interesting.
Death From Above 1979: I personally don’t know them but they’re recommended by Tidy from the lovely Danko Jones forums, so will probably check them out, even though he told me to die after I called the White Stripes a bad band.
Dropkick Murphys: a steady Lowland’s name, and a steady mega party.
Foo Fighters: WOOOHOOOOOO! Me <3 Dave Grohl
Franz Ferdinand: been there, done that. Saw them last year, they weren’t too bad, but I’d go see any other (unknown) band while they would be playing.
Incubus: again: been there, done that. I saw them at Lowland’s 2002, if I remember well. They put up a pretty good show, but I don’t remember Incubus releasing something new, refreshing, funky lately. I might go to see them out of sheer boredom. I know I have one of their cd’s, just because it’s good stoner music mkay. ^_^
Kaiser Chiefs: very, very annoying music based on what I’ve heard of them so far.
Korn: again: I thought they died? Seen them once in Ahoy about 2 or 3 years ago and they were already passé back then, so I don’t think I’ll check them out.
Marilyn Manson: wow! Not that I’m a big fan of them (personally I think their image is bigger than their music), but I’d certainly check them out. Haven’t seen them before and I’m curious by nature.
Millionaire: don’t know them too well, but a gut feeling tells me these guys rock. Will definitely check them out.
Nightwish: not quite my cup of tea. Might be forced to see them to avoid slapping from Bruce as soon as he finds out I didn’t go see them when I had the chance, hehe.
Heather Nova: *barf* -.-
Le Peuple De L’Herbe: again a familiar name on the Lowland’s line up, but definitely worth listening. You don’t know the Lowland’s feeling till you spend a sunny afternoon lying back in the grass with a big spliff and several cold beers and with this band playing in the background.
Prodigy: see Bad Religion and Korn. They just have to stop trying, man. It’s getting slightly pathetic.
Queens of the Stone Age: YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!
Social Distortion: always interesting, nothing new.

The reason I think this list just might get more interesting later is this:

August
19 Austria, Frequency Festival
20 Belgium Hasslet, Pukkelpop

Those are confirmed dates for, believe it or not, DANKO JONES. Just having left Europe after the Jack Daniel’s Rock Nights, they are coming back this summer for the festivals. Respect for the guys! These two dates are the only ones confirmed so far, but more are on their way. Will Lowland’s be one of them? Guess it’s unnecessary to say that I most certainly hope so.

People who know me well most likely know all about my cd addiction. I spend way too much money on cd’s. Music obsessed as I am, the collection grows with an average of 2 or 3 cd’s per month. This month I actually bought 6 of them. Or 7…? I can’t even remember.

Here’s a list of the cd’s I currently own. This is mostly for myself, to have my collection listed somewhere. But I figured some of you might want to have a peek, knowing most of my friends generally have the same taste in music. Guys, all of these titles are highly recommended. Expect this list to be updated quite frequently.

Currently 95 titles

Anouk – Are you kidding me EP
Apocalyptica – Plays Metallica By Four Cellos
Audioslave – Audioslave
BCP – Birth Control Patrol
Bloodhound Gang – One Fierce Beer Coaster
Bloodhound Gang – Hooray For Boobies
Blur – Best Of
Jeff Buckley – Grace
Jeff Buckley – Mystery White Boy
Johnny Cash – At San Quentin
Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison
Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company
Coldplay – Parachutes
Coldplay – A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Jamie Cullum – Twentysomething
Danko Jones – I’m Alive And On Fire
Danko Jones – Born A Lion
Danko Jones – We Sweat Blood
Danko Jones – The Magical World Of Rock (spoken word)
Danko Jones – Sleep Is The Enemy
Miles Davis – Tutu
Deep Purple – 24 Carat Purple
Deftones – Adrenaline
Deftones – White Pony
Deuce – The Organisation
Dire Straits – At the night (live)
The Doors – L.A. Woman
The Doors – The Best Of
Dropkick Murphy’s – Do Or Die
Dropkick Murphy’s – The Gang’s All Here
Dropkick Murphy’s – Sing Loud Sing Proud
Flogging Molly – Within A Mile Of Home
Foo Fighters – Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters – The Colour And The Shape
Foo Fighters – There’s Nothing Left To Lose
Foo Fighters – One By One
Foo Fighters – In Your Honor
Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have It So Much Better
Fun Lovin’ Criminals – Come Find Yourself
Fun Lovin’ Criminals – Loco
Gorillaz – Gorillaz
Gorillaz – G-Sides
Jimi Hendrix – Greatest Hits
Incubus – Morning View
Jamiroquai – Travelling Without Moving
Jamiroquai – Synkronized
Jamiroquai – A Funk Odyssey
Kyuss – Wretch
Kyuss – Blues For The Red Sun
Kyuss – Welcome To Sky Valley
Kyuss – …And The Circus Leaves Town
Lenny Kravitz – Mama Said
Lenny Kravitz – Again EP
Muse – Showbiz
Muse – Hullabaloo
Muse – Origin Of Symmetry
Muse – Absolution
Muse – Absolution (Japanese import, had to have bonustrack “Fury”…)
No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom
The Offspring – Ignition
The Offspring – Smash
The Offspring – Ixnay On The Hombre
The Offspring – Americana
Pearl Jam – Ten
Pearl Jam – Vs.
Queen – Greatest Hits 1
Queen – Live @ Wembley, 1986
Queen – Platinum Collection
Queens of the Stone Age – Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age – Rated R
Queens of the Stone Age – Songs For the Deaf
Queens of the Stone Age – Lullabies To Paralyze
Radiohead – My Iron Lung
Radiohead – Ok Computer
Rancid – Bloodclot EP
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Mother’s Milk
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Bloodsugarsexmagik
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication
R.E.M. – Best of
Rolling Stones – Forty Licks
Nina Simone – I Got Life
Nina Simone – The Essential
Soundgarden – Superunknown
Stone Temple Pilots – Thank You
System of a Down – System of a Down
System of a Down – Toxicity
System of a Down – Chop Suey EP
System of a Down – Steal This Album
System of a Down – Hypnotize
System of a Down – Mezmerize
Velvet Revolver – Contraband
Weezer – Blue Album
Weezer – Pinkerton
Weezer – Maladroit

I noticed most of the pics on this page are of a selection of my rock ‘n roll heroes. Well, here’s another one for you.

This little fella here is Tommy. I spotted him when I went to watch some bands with my boyfriend last week. He’s the son of the guitarist of the last band playing, Dicemen (highly recommended by the way). We had seen him running about in front of the stage while the other bands were playing, looking cute. As soon as I heard he was going to play a song with his dad and his friends on stage, I melted. Ditto when I saw his tiny guitar being carried onto the stage while the band was soundchecking. When he started playing that little thing and singing, I just couldn’t help wanting to kidnap him.

We’ll hear a lot from Mini Elvis here in the future. He will take over the world with his guitar!

The tickets are in. March 4th, I will be facing the sexiest fucking rock ‘n roll band ever.

Danko Jones, here we come!