It must be summer...Time to repaint pedestrian crossings!

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Weapon of mass destruction?

A designer clutch-purse with spikes at the end: A must for every Fembot, available at your nearest Smets concept store! Now in Belgium as well as Luxembourg!


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RIP J.R. Ewing, the one we loved to hate.

Monkey in the middle

There's nothing like a brightly colored new Kipling bag to lift a girl's spirits -- monkey included!

Double trouble

Spotted today in Brussels: Two grown women dressed identically, down to shoes and handbags and even hair. Scary!


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Re-living history

This year's Battle of Waterloo re-enactment lived up to its promise of special effects and high drama. Though a bit chaotic, it was a great show with Nappy doing a good job at working the crowds.

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Weekend happenings

There is oodles to do every weekend in Brussels, from various outdoor concerts to festivals to eating al fresco (weather-permitting) to this weekend's Battle of Waterloo re-enactment. Life is nice!

Ready for Schaerneval

The Schaerbeek donkey is ready for this week's Schaerneval parade. Are you?



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Spotted in Brussels this week

Pouring rain did not stop a couple of fellas dressed as fruit & veg from trying to stop traffic in the EU district the other day!

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Funny veg

This celeriac was festively festooned at a neighborhood Delhaize grocery store -- not sure why, but definitely festive! (Seemed to be part of a beer display.)


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Gobble gobble

Happy Thanksgiving, fellow Americans! For those that are interested, Pumpkin and Pecan were the lucky turkeys who received this year's Thanksgiving pardon from outgoing President George W. Bush. Enjoy a bountiful Thanksgiving!

Burst of Color

A nice burst of red in autumn (looks like holly). Happy 50th anniversary of the Smurfs! A nice blue sky in Brussels for the occasion.

Smurf that!

Celebrity Smurfs unveiled at Brussels Meridien Hotel! Less than two weeks to go until the charity Smurf auction on Smurfs' 50th smurfday. Smurf there or be smurf! La, la, la, la, la, la, la...


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Song du jour

Song of the day (or month) for the start of a new month:
"September Morn" by Neil Diamond. May your September be mellow and smooth.

New World Monopoly

The votes are in: Montreal and Riga top the list of cities to be featured in the new Monopoly International Edition. All I can say is boofricketyhoo that NONE of the cities I voted for are on the list! Like, why is a certain city that starts with a C, ends with an O, and has HICAG in the middle not even on there?

Today's birthdays

Among others: Neil Armstrong, Guy de Maupessant, Maureen McCormick (Marcia of "The Brady Bunch") and Loni Anderson...

Song of the Day

"Total Eclipse of the Heart," by Bonnie Tyler, in honor of today's lunar happening. Enjoy!

Mike Myers

I couldn't resist forking up EUR 6.50 for the July issue of Esquire (perhaps my first purchase ever of that man's man's publication), with Mike Myers on the cover. Given the reviews of his latest movie I may skip it and simply re-watch Austin Powers I, II, III and Wayne's World I and II. That's how we drink it in Belgium!

And newsflash: LIKE, WOAH! There may an Austin Powers 4 in the works. If only Mr. Myers would ask me to collaborate....

You can leave your hat on...

Italian energy company Eni celebrates summer by inviting (male) employees not to wear ties until the autumn, which it claims will help reduce energy consumption by 9% as a result of saving on electricity and air conditioning. Not sure what the equivalent is for female employees. Memo to those males who DO go tieless: Please don't wear short-sleeved dress shirts.

Blues club

Smurfs rule! I had the pleasure of being in Ghent the day of the grand Smurf doing research for this piece. Haven't painted my own white Smurf yet, but it's a project in the works. Have a smurfy day!