Politicians Don't Wear Knickers

The Universe moves in such strange ways.  I mean, really, it amazes me.  I've always been a magnet for strange things, strange happenings, strange people.  I suppose the only real secret to this that I crave these strange things, and when they come I revel in them.  When it comes to the strange people, I think they really appreciate it, and maybe they see in me someone who will accept them in all their strangeness.  Maybe the strange things and the strange happenings feel the same way.

Nothing amazingly strange happened today.  Koos and I went to the market to buy more portobello mushrooms (which are quickly becoming our favorite weekend treat) and other veggies.  The grocery store near me doesn't carry lentils OR chick peas, so I was searching the market for these things and found a treasure:  black beans!  In Europe, black beans are extremely rare.  I've been searching for them since I arrived here (since black beans are a major staple of my diet) and today I found them!  I went to the stand that sells the Middle Eastern stuff (rightfully assuming that they'd have the other things I wanted) and boom, black beans!  Alhamdulillah!  (They also had some of the most amazing olives I've ever tasted!)  So I came home with all sorts of dried amazing foods: lentils, black beans, couscous.  :-)  Good day!

Koos and I also got some strawberries and koffie and he spoke Afrikaans to me while we ate.  He spoke Afrikaans to me pretty much all day.  He's trying to teach me, and though I fear I'll NEVER be able to pronounce it (Afrikaans = one of the most impossibly unpronouncable languages ever, for me at least.  I can't even say Koos' name right...) I can understand it more and more.  Koos gave me two Afrikaans books as presents so I can practice.  He's even reading one of them to me so I can hear the language more often.  So cool!  :-)

But, yes, the Universe is strange.  Koos and I were standing outside of a store that had just closed, looking in the window when a man came up and started talking to us.  It was pretty clear pretty quickly that he was odd.  Possibly slightly insane.  But these are my favorite people, so Koos and I chatted with him for quite a long time about Delft, and Russian women (he had just been stood up by one, and wasn't too pleased with them as a species.)  The man kept pulling strange things out of his bag; an atlas, a CD of African music, a jar of instant coffee.  In the end he gave me the CD, gave Koos the coffee, pocketed the atlas, and told us we MUST go to Delft to "start over again."

If that isn't the voice of the Big U, I don't know what is!  Koos and I have decided to check out Delft next weekend! 

Tarika is the band, and the music is pretty great!  (It even has a song with talking drums!  They say weird things like "Wide boy!" "Cabbage" and "Politicians don't wear knickers!" but who am I to judge?"