kindness

What was this new girl's name?

I have some paintings I would like to sell. Aren't you interested. It's real, nice work. I can send a few pictures to Johannes if you want to.

Dens

Melinda if I'm not mistaken.

Arnon

Would you like me to inform Laura's grandmother about your existence?

Oscar W

Yes, please.

Mieke

I used the word "effort."

salesman

Thanks to your effort I bought J.M. Coetzee ‘Diary of a bad year’ today. I can say it is better than I had expected after reading some critics in newspapers. I never read a book of him till now. A sheer delight indeed.

@Arnon

I already thought that might be your reaction, still ...

If I describe it as a piece of art wich 'an sich' is the expression of primordial forces in nature, does that make a difference?

By its form it redefines the outer limits of painting and the start of sculpting.
The titel of the work is FE/MALE and you can even lick the female part and taste its essence.

Mieke

Licking artworks is not my favorite pastime.

Coetzee

Jan Thys,
I also bought the new Coetzee today and I agree with your enthusiasm!
Actually I bought it for the second time; left my first copy in the train, so I reached only page 20 or so.
I am reading the essays first now, and that is way better, for me at least, than to read the full page like I did the first time.

Johannes/ Jan Thys

I would recommend reading first the essays, then the rest.
Johannes, don’t leave your books on the train. This is sloppy behavior, unworthy for a dedicated personal assistant.

Arnon

Then why do you neglect to answer them?

Off duty

Arnon,
I was off duty. And leaving books in trains is actually one of my favorite pastimes.

Johannes

Is a personal assistant ever off duty?

Batta

What was your question?
Could you try to make the conversation interesting for outsiders?
Are you religious?
Do you have a Dutch passport?
Are your parents alive?
Have you ever been arrested?
What is your marital status?
Have you ever been denied a visa to any country?
Do you engage in lewd behavior inside or outside public bathrooms?
Have you ever been pregnant?
Have you ever terminated a pregnancy?
Do you take medicine?
Do you have allergies?
Have you ever been raped or sexually molested by family members?
Do you have bank accounts outside the Netherlands?
Do you have a driver’s license?
Do you plan to work in the sex industry?
Do you have family members working in the sex industry?
Would you describe yourself as a heavy drinker?
Do you rent or do you own a house?
Are you homeless?
Do you plan to become homeless in the near future?
Are any of our family members homeless?
Do you consider gypsies untrustworthy?
Do you shave your legs?
Do you wear glasses and/or contacts?

Some good questions.

I sometimes wonder if you guys have too much time. I consider myself to be too much online, but if I read all this, I think "nah".

I liked the question about the gypsies. I think they are untrustworthy, but because of that fact, they 're reliable, wich is more valuable.

Arnon

My question was if you ever visited your sister's village

Interesting collection of questions. I'm impressed.

Is there a reason that Melinda left out 'tobago' in her origin? Or was it your choice, Mr. Arnon? Does it have the same structure and cultural differences as, lets say, Flanders and the Walloons?

Batta

Yes.

Off duty

Arnon,
Yes, only a priest/reverend is never off duty.
By the way, what's next? Telling me to eat an orange every day?

@Arnon, Johannes
I indeed started reading the essays first, otherwise it thought it would be too confusing for me, as I feel easily confused. For example, a rather good book/idea by AFTh Van der Heijden ‘Schervengericht’ has an extremely confusing structure.

@Said Batta
Let us return to the subject, please give us some names and/or sites about Islamic philosophy to replace Max Weber, for example.

@IIanit
First. As you were a soldier of the IDF, I cannot buy you do not posses any self disciple.
Second. If I are interested in mysticism and the occult, just inform yourself by reading (from Eliphas Levi to Aleister Crowley, from Dion Fortune to madame Blavatsky and so on – perhaps you can drop some names too). I do not believe you will become a simple ‘one book’ reader. I say this because I have spent a few years in those misty lands myself. Marshy moor lands, fascinating but dangerous too, use your military skills to wonder around. Beware of some eternal smiling creatures over there, they tend to hide greed and great anger.

@ Arnon re. Batta

The answer to all your questions is very simple: he feels superior to you.
Don't forget, in his very first comment Batta stated you suffer from narcisstic personailty disorder. But perhaps his feelings of superiority is simply a coping mechanism to deal with what is in actual fact an inferiority complex.
Batta, you live in Amsterdam. You said Israel should stop bombing Palestine and taking away their land. You said you studied Islamic Philosophy. And now , please continue. You're demeaning yourself by playing word games.

correction

I meant: the answer to the question why he's not answering all your questions.

Request to Sander Voerman

Could you add a 'search' button to this website? Sometimes I'd like to refer to earlier comments but considering the multitude of them it's getting hard to retrieve them.

Arnon

Did you feel comfortable there? Is it true they have swimming pools?

Isn’t sanity the ability to limit yourself?

Yes, Arnon and the contrary is promoted everyday.
Be spontaneous! Be passionate! Extreme sports, extreme sex, extreme make over. The sky is the limit! Etcetera, etcetera…
Nowadays, it is not a popular statement, to limit ourselves and to know our limitations.

foot oil

I like finding llamas on trains. doesnt happen much though.

@Said Batta
Please inform us (me) about Islamic philosophy. Who do you recommend (names, sites)? I am truly interested.

I will be back Monday on this site.

@Jan -I tell you, he's not going to react to us. He'll only 'answer to' (pun intended) Arnon - but rhetorically.
And perhaps the mere fact that I'm claiming he won't react will make him react. But only to your questions, not to mine, obviously.

@ Noa

We know the content of this site is burried too much inside. We are working on a solution, but it will take some time.

Thanks for making this request though, we love to get feedback. Actually we are working on an update, so other requests will also be considered.

@Sander

I could use a draft button,so you can save your comments before you send them.
Sometimes I want to look something up while I'm writing.

@ Johannes

To read Coetzee's last I recommend to read first one essay, than the second voice for the lenght of the essay and than the third voice in the same way.
I used that method and it was almost a perfect match. To know why the second parts of the essays sound softer you have to read the second and third vice first.

@Arnon

You're not obliged to lick the painting. Just look at it and remember that it tastes like a woman or is that too threatening to you?
Aren't you curious what I did whit the male part?
There you can make your hands durty. Isn't that what males tend to do in this worlld? Making their hands durty.
But on the whole you can call it abstract minimalism.

Coetzee

Mieke,
Thanks, I'll try that!

@ Sander

And I could really use a correctbutton. you know to correct typo's and grammatical errors.

I think it's sad that the "copy-paste" option has gone away. Before I could copy anything, but nowadays nothing. Maybe it's because of my new browser (that's really old), but maybe it's an update of you?

I'd like an option where you can read Mr. Arnon's post as well as the last comment.

Batta

Not answering my questions is so jejune.

Johannes

Devotion means never being off duty.

@ Dens

You should be able to copy-paste anything. Maybe not as one block, but no technical effort is made to prevent copying.

I'll think about a method of following discussions in another way than refreshing endlessly.

Arnon,
But 'dedicated' is not the same as 'devoted'.
Like I said, only a priest/reverend is never off duty.

Johannes

In my opinion a personal assistant is never off duty. See also: The devil wears Prada.
But because I’m a gentleman I will allow you to be off duty now and then. I’m not sure what’s the purpose of you being off duty – I don’t expect my personal assistant to have a life outside you work – but well you are entitled to your freedom sometimes -- with all due respect of course.

Arnon,
What's the purpose of me being off duty is off course my own business; that's one of the benefits of being off duty.
I am not a gentleman, I am a bastard, but now and then I will do some spying for you when I'm off duty.

@ Arnon

Is Armani on the same level as Prada?

Jan Thys

First. 'said' is the past tense of the verb ' to say'. It is not part of my name. I request you to address me with the right name, even though it is a fictitious.

Second. I can completely relate to your crush on arabs. I am at the moment in Cairo, reviving mine.

Third. If you want to know more about Islamic philosophy, I recommend you to read Michiel Leezenberg's ' Islamitische Filosofie. Een geschiedenis." It is accessable and written by an expert. I don't know anything abiout websites.

Noa

Get yourself a therapist.

or

Come to Cairo and get yourself an Egyptian fling.

Mieke

I was referring to the 2006 movie based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger. (I’ve never read the novel.) If you were joking I would recommend to you getting serious in the near near future.

Batta & others

Could we please stop making these statements, I have a crush on Arabs, I have a weak spot for Hindus, I tend to love Venezuelans, Parisians always make me horny, I adore Australian men, I cannot live without older Jewish women, I really need to touch a mentally ill patient once a day. Could we please stop? Thanks!

Arnon

I am interested to know about the settlement where your sister lives. I used to live in a village just outside Ramallah where we had water shortages in summer. When people hadn't taken a bath or washed their clothes for several days, they would lspeculate about the living standard under those red roofs on the hill top. I'm just curious to know your impression of the place.

If you can explain the rationale behind your questions to me in a similar way, I will be happy to answer them.

Batta

Dolev cannot be seen from Ramallah and vice versa. I’m sorry. The rationale for my questions can be found within the questionnaire. I repeat: not answering these questions is rather jejune.

Arnon

Having a crush on Arabs is natural. I refuse to apologize.

Arnon

Have you been to any settlement that can be seen from Ramallah?
Would you say your impression of Dolev may be valid for other settlements as well?

Arnon

I will give you the answes in a random order:
No
yes
no
I can't be bothered
no
yes
no
no
maybe
no
rent
no
no
no
no
single
yes
no
no

Batta

Your answers are flippant, your remark that it is natural to have a crush on Arabs is racism disguised as irony.
Regarding my sister and her settlement I can only urge you to read my book “Grunberg around the world” in which I write about my sister and her settlement.

@batta

Sorry for disturbing your tete a tete with Arnon: I'm interested in the Egyptian fling thing. Is there anyway I can find myself one here in Amsterdam? Johannes has offered himself to me as a pet, but I believe an Egyptian fling may be a more effective cure for my self-obessessive navelgazing misery.
ps: I already have a therapist.

Noa,
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was in fact you who asked me to be your pet.

@bout Mie getting serious very soon

There are only two things I never joke about.
1. I take my artwork very serious
2. I never joke about my cat

and in your case I was just asking myself if it isn't : The devil wears Armani.

PS

Noa,
If I were to become your pet, you can give me another name. That's an offer.
I don't like the idea you shouting my name through the Vondelpark when I am running around.

@Johannes, true: I asked you. My vocal cords are pretty screwed up so you don't have to worry about me shouting your name. I'll train you to answer to a fog horn.

@Noa

Keep in mind that Johannes is really cute and very handsome. So if you give him a new name I think it should somehow reflect that.Meanwhile I'm always willing to come to the Vondelpark and cheer you on.

Mieke,
Do you love me?

@batta
Thank you for answering.
Calling you by accident ‘said’ is a for worse Freudian slip (it is sounds like ‘all Arabs are called Ali’ – sorry for that)