Am living in Denmark, as mentioned before – but visited the home country recently, and have stacked up on pepernoten (I’m an addict). I’m really impressed by my Danish in-laws, who have embraced the Sinterklaas tradition wholeheartedly. This year, we’ll celebrate it for the eighth time – with the often slightly sarcastic poems, the ‘sur-pre-suh’ gift wrapping… the works.

Best wishes for een vrolijk Sinterklaasfeest to all you noble Velominati out there, and your loved ones.

Happy ssdidjsiyegeflik , forgive my pronunciation

Most of my memories of this activity involve me hiding behind the couch, crying. This would also be a great time to remind Young Frank of  Rule #5.

The Kermis is a success just for this line alone. Damn that made me laugh. 

@wiscot

Don’t get me started on Christmas “traditions” FFS.

A-Merckx brother. 

Gesundheit.

@Ron

Score.

Other religions sweep away the embarrassing early scriptures that don’t fit with current orthodoxy (like those pesky additional Commandments including the one that says “Get over yourself”). We however don’t consign our original non-canonical wanderings to jars in forgotten desert caves – we publish them again so everyone knows how we got here – wherever that is.

Then on the day of Sinterklaasavond there would be live TV coverage of the ship arriving and tying up to the pier.  The ship would be crewed by several dozen of Sint Nicholaas’ little Moorish helpers, the zwarte Pietes,  all tossing oranges and candies to the children on the dock.  Later a ramp would be lowered from the side of the ship, and Sint Nicholas wearing a white and yellow embroidered robe and miter hat, would ride his white horse off the ship and to city hall where he would meet the Mayor and get the key to the city.

Even then I wondered where they got so many black guys to play the zwarte Pietes because they weren’t in black face, and you really didn’t see very many folks of African descent in Belgium or Holland at the time.

Anyway, I’ll be putting my shoes by the front door tonight.  Gelukkig Sinterklassavond to all!

Di2 cross bike? I’ll take one! Since Piet might not be bring me one this year I’ll have to settle for something less. How’s this? My right Force shifter broke on my cx bike two weeks ago. I’ve been patiently awaiting a new one, but growing increasingly pissed it hasn’t arrived. I got a call from the LBS today. SRAM has never heard of or seen my broken shifter. Bastards. Plus, they have no Force shifters on hand.

Thus, they are forced to send me…a pair of RED shifters. Hotfuckingdog!

Grazinken Sinterklaas, or whatever it is…

Hope to meet you sometime at Brandford’s

Here in Nova Scotia Canada a local politician of Dutch descent learned a lesson about being in the public eye and found himself apologizing for posting a photo of him with Zwarte Piet at a local celebration of the Dutch tradition. A tearful Joachim Stroink (owner of an outdoor equipment shop and recently elected Member of the Legislative Assembly for Halifax Chebucto) stated “I do acknowledge that the whole blackface culture, there is no place for that in Nova Scotia, nor in our culture. There was no malicious intent. This is a Dutch tradition I grew up with and never in my deepest heart thought that this would be portrayed in this manner . . .” Local media reported: “But Jessica Silversmith, director of the Anti-Discrimination Bureau for Amsterdam, said it’s time for the Netherlands to move on from the tradition. For many people at least in Amsterdam it’s not acceptable anymore,” she said. “He’s seen as a slave … his role is also a problem.” Silversmith told CBC’s Maritime Noon that her group heard 240 complaints about Zwarte Piet in 2012. It’s so strange to see a Dutch immigrant living in Canada and he’s introducing Black Pete while in his former home country we don’t like Black Pete. It’s remarkable,” she said. Traditions are most of the time never innocent. You have to look behind the tradition.”

Tradition? Sensitively to others? Happy holidays!

Don’t get me started on Christmas “traditions” FFS.

Tradition?  Sensitively to others?  Happy holidays!

Shimano Di2 cross bike? My how things have changed.

Isn’t that funny? The way I built the Kermis precludes me from editing the content (for good reason) without editing the original. Really felt a tinge of WTF when I re-read that.

Ah, so blackface is okay if it is traditional?

Three things: My modern interpretation, its soot from the chimneys he’s clambering up and down – not blackface; its fucking Europe; and its The Fucking Netherlands. The normal rules of reason don’t apply.

Good idea kereltje. Have a good one!

Here’s audio of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYdpte1W0vk