by spookje on Jun.30, 2009, under Work
Spellborn, the company that I worked for, is no more. Lots of things to say, to think, to feel, but no words to express it right now. I sure am going to miss it. The people, the environment, the fun. Apparently it wasn’t meant to last 
The green fairy
by spookje on Jun.20, 2009, under Drinks
Last week we had a little absinthe-party at work, trying out different kinds. For those unfamiliar with absinthe, Wikipedia describes it as follows:
Absinthe is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic (45%–74% ABV) beverage. It is an anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, commonly referred to as “grande wormwood”. Absinthe traditionally has a natural green color but can also be colorless. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as “la fée verte” (the Green Fairy).
We tried out four different kinds, kindly provided to us by a friend & colleague of mine:
- Mad Cat: a Spanish coffee-flavoured absinthe, 48% alcohol
- Apsinthion: a Polish green absinthe, 55% alcohol
- Kübler: a Swiss white absinthe, 58% alcohol
- Pernod: a French green absinthe, 68% alcohol
Me not being much of a coffee person, I skipped the Mad Cat. Don’t think it’d be my thing. A dutch absinthe-site warned about the Apsinthion being cheap factory-stuff, which it probably is, but to be honest, it wasn’t as bad as I expected. Certainly not a great absinthe, but I found it to be reasonably drinkable. The Kübler I already knew since I have a bottle of it at home. It’s supposedly the closest to “the original” Absinthe and Kübler is responsible for lifting the ban on Absinthe a couple of years ago. Finally, the Pernod was quite good actually. I’m not an absinthe expert by far, but I liked it better than the rest.
Pernod Absinthe
I went looking for a bottle of Pernod for myself. To my great surprise my local liquor store here had a bottle on the shelves, and for a reasonable price too. Who knows, I might start a collection of absinthes 
The man from earth
by spookje on Jun.19, 2009, under Movies
I finally got around to watching some of the films on my ‘to watch’ list. One of them was “The Man From Earth”. It came highly recommended by a couple of people, and I must say: well deserved. At first it doesn’t look like much, but it’s actually quite excellent. Definitely a must-see
