The Attic

Sat, 05 Sep 2026 17:24:28 +0100

Until now tweet.app is showing off nicely

📝😳The Other Half

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:36:01 +0100

Some people just seem to drift through life as if everything around them is simply there for their convenience.

They order three rounds of drinks before suddenly discovering they can’t pay by card. And this isn’t exactly the sort of place that screams contactless payments and modern tills. Surely, before ordering the first round — let alone the third — you simply ask? Apparently not.

They rearrange furniture in places where they’ve been explicitly asked not to.

And apparently, hiring a table and a few chairs means chairs in general are now included. Need another one? Just take it. After all, they paid for chairs, didn’t they? Or something like that.

Then, when they leave, the space around their seats looks like a small disaster zone: empty cans, cups, fruit stones, peel and bits of plastic scattered everywhere.

And I always wonder: do they live like this at home too? Perhaps they do. At least that would explain it.

There seems to be a peculiar confidence in people who simply take up space, make a mess and assume somebody else will sort it out.

They say the cheeky ones take half the world.

Fortunately, we still have the other half.

📝🐦Giving Twitter.now a Try

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 10:41:11 +0100

I have a bit of a weakness for trying new places on the internet.

Micro.blog started that way for me too. I joined mostly to have a look around, experiment a little and see what happened. Somehow, I never left.

So when Twitter.now appeared, I was curious. It is very early, rather empty and there is certainly no guarantee that it will still be around years from now. There is also the rather large question of whether they will actually get to keep the Twitter name.

But that is part of what makes it interesting.

I like the idea of a more straightforward social timeline, and I am curious to see what they do with VERA and their approach to trust and reach. More than anything, though, I simply enjoy seeing a new little corner of the internet taking shape.

So I paid my $20, claimed my spot and moved in for a while.

Maybe it will become something. Maybe it won’t. I thought the same about Micro.blog once.

And I’m still there.

📝👹Headspace Control

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:25:29 +0100

Last week was all about headspace control. Something that many people struggle with, and I always feel that I struggle with it more than most.

The trouble is that it makes me a less pleasant person to be around. Not that I get nasty towards people, but I crawl more into my own world. I stop taking part in the joyful moments that are happening in the here and now, always busy thinking about days that don’t even exist yet.

It helps when my partner asks me about it. She often does, and I am very thankful for that. I also understand that sometimes she doesn’t want to. I need to untangle that knot myself. But it always helps if you can get that knot out of your head and put it out there. Get another opinion. Test whether the monster is really 10 feet tall and has five heads to cut off.

I had such a monster 👹 at the beginning of last week. I chopped off four of its five heads myself, but by showing that beast to my partner and getting her opinion, I was eventually able to strike it down. I am thankful for that.

The day when the beast might (!!) appear, might is the magic word, is still to come. We will see if it is as big and monstrous as I imagined it to be. If it appears at all.

For now, much of my headspace is back. And I fully need it to enjoy the present moment.

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 21:14:41 +0100

Why is all the swearing necessary in the last Ted Lasso season??

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 21:23:58 +0100

We adopted Cotton 5 months ago from an animal shelter. 3 years old she is. She is a nice little white feline. We had several cats over a period of 21 years. But Mrs. Cotton is the first one that is running around the entire house at night too. Even our bedroom. We never did that with the other cats we had in our house. She just nice and quiet at night. She is active. No doubt. I find toys on and around the bed when we get up. But she leaves her sleeping. She just a nice little cat around at night. No idea 🤷 why someone have put her in the shelter.

Sat, 08 Aug 2026 17:11:56 +0100

Modern Love - 2018 Remaster https://song.link/s/3gxEZXUjrNbl3TlSrTGbR5

Just a great artist. Mister David Bowie 🎶

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:08:14 +0100

The morning commute again. Really quiet today and the coming weeks. All have vacation. Except……

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:46:07 +0100

As far as we already knew. This guy is sick in the head.

Trump threatens Canada with tariffs over ‘dirty air’ from wildfires
© Reuters

👞SOREL Update: The Money Has Finally Been Refunded

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 08:13:00 +0100

A brief update to my earlier post about my experience with the SOREL online shop:

micro.mjanssen.nl/2026/07/1…

After almost two weeks, the money has finally been returned.

This is despite SOREL repeatedly telling me: “We did not capture your money” and “Sorry, we can’t access the financial systems right now”, as well as the earlier confusion surrounding the Dutch term “betaalverzoek”.

I have no idea whether my final, rather angry but still polite telephone call made any difference. Perhaps it did, perhaps it did not. I received no clear explanation. Coincidence does not exist, they say but suddenly, the money has been refunded.

What I do know is that the money which had supposedly never been “captured” has now somehow been refunded.

Huh huh…

My opinion remains unchanged. SOREL Caribou boots are excellent. I have worn them in Lapland at temperatures of around -25°C, and they performed brilliantly.

However, SOREL’s online sales process, stock management and customer support? No.

My advice is still to buy SOREL products from a reputable local retailer or established online shop instead. I ordered the boots from Bol.com the very next day and then began the rather lengthy process of trying to resolve the payment issue directly with SOREL.

Having since seen how many other frustrated customers have shared similar experiences online, I sincerely hope they too have managed to get their money back or otherwise resolve their issues with SOREL.

Thank you, SOREL, for finally refunding my money. But as they say: once bitten, twice shy. After this experience, SOREL will never again be my go-to shop.

Take care, and as I said earlier “Be aware”, Marco

👞SOREL Caribou Boots: Great Product, Disappointing Online Shop

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 19:03:03 +0100

I recently ordered a pair of SOREL Caribou boots directly from the official SOREL online shop.

The Caribou boots themselves have an excellent reputation. They are warm, sturdy and well suited to cold and wet winter weather. Unfortunately, my experience with SOREL’s online shop and customer service was considerably less positive.

Shortly after I placed my order, SOREL cancelled it because the boots were apparently no longer in stock. The boots were therefore never dispatched or delivered.

The payment, however, had already been taken from my bank account. My bank confirmed that the transaction had been completed successfully, while SOREL continued to maintain that they had not received the money.

Although SOREL claims to provide Dutch-language customer service, communication proved difficult. The representatives I spoke to appeared to be English- or German-speaking employees with some knowledge of Dutch, but they did not properly understand the Dutch banking terminology being used.

In particular, a Dutch “betaalverzoek” — a payment request commonly used to transfer money or split a bill — was interpreted as merely a “payment attempt”. Based on that misunderstanding, SOREL concluded that no payment had taken place, despite confirmation from my bank that the money had left my account.

This resulted in an unnecessarily frustrating situation in which I repeatedly had to explain that the payment had been completed, while SOREL continued to deny having received it.

Only afterwards did I discover that there are numerous similar complaints online concerning SOREL’s ordering process, stock administration and customer service.

My conclusion is therefore straightforward:

SOREL Caribou boots appear to be an excellent product.

However, I would not recommend purchasing them directly from SOREL’s online shop.

It would be wiser to buy them from a reputable local or third-party retailer. That way, you can still purchase the boots, while also benefiting from a proper point of contact, clearer communication and a stock system that accurately reflects whether the product is actually available.

Based on my experience, SOREL’s handling of this order and payment was deeply disappointing.

Take care, and be aware! Marco

UPDATE: micro.mjanssen.nl/2026/07/1…

👞SOREL Caribou Boots: Great Product, Disappointing Online Shop

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 19:01:35 +0100

I recently ordered a pair of SOREL Caribou boots directly from the official SOREL online shop.

Shortly after I placed my order, SOREL cancelled it because the boots were apparently no longer in stock. The boots were therefore never dispatched or delivered.

This resulted in an unnecessarily frustrating situation in which I repeatedly had to explain that the payment had been completed, while SOREL continued to deny having received it.

Only afterwards did I discover that there are numerous similar complaints online concerning SOREL’s ordering process, stock administration and customer service.

My conclusion is therefore straightforward:

SOREL Caribou boots appear to be an excellent product.

However, I would not recommend purchasing them directly from SOREL’s online shop.

Based on my experience, SOREL’s handling of this order and payment was deeply disappointing.

Take care, and be aware! Marco

UPDATE: micro.mjanssen.nl/2026/07/1…

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:57:12 +0100

It’s already warm enough to feel like a holiday… but apparently we’re still going away to be hot somewhere else. ☀️😄

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:40:04 +0100

Very much true. ☕️

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 15:10:54 +0100

Oh and very important too: Sea, Salt & Paper looks fantastic with the origami-displays. 🌊, 🧂& 📝

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:52:21 +0100

I just played a few rounds of “Sea, Salt & Paper”. I must say for a simple “in-between-games”-game, it’s quite enjoyable. It’s not heavy-duty tactics. But is realy nice with all the choices you have to end a game and to beat your competitors on the table. 🌊🧂& 📝

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 17:53:27 +0100

This just crazy…. ⚽ #worldcorrupt 2026 Another proof that money and power will buy just about anything for them.

FIFA will not consider the appeal filed by the Belgian association against the decision to overturn Folarin Balogun’s suspension.

Balogun received a red card in the match between the US and Bosnia & Herzegovina, which meant the American would miss the game against Belgium due to an automatic suspension. However, the FIFA disciplinary committee decided to convert the penalty into a suspended sentence. President Trump said he had asked FIFA President Infantino for a review of the suspension.

This led to a storm of criticism and an official Belgian protest. UEFA stated in an unusually fierce declaration that “a red line has been crossed.”

Sat, 04 Jul 2026 21:03:01 +0100

🎶🚗🇲🇦

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 05:31:08 +0100

Early morning commute …. Again 🚂

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 20:37:49 +0100

Design thinking!

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 21:12:18 +0100

Nothing is amiss. Huh huh. 🤔 🌱

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 07:50:47 +0100

Good morning Mrs. Cotton. 🐱

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:44:06 +0100

Mrs. Cotton is taking things to new heights. 🐱

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 21:27:37 +0100

It is that hot, the water from the shower doesn’t even reach the floor.

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 18:39:21 +0100

Eigenlijk niet okay dat RTLboulevard ‘t intrekken van het rijbewijs van Donny Roelvink normaliseert. Door er een leuk filmpje van te maken hoe Donny met fiets en OV zich op een grappige manier verplaatst. Ik snap wel dat inmiddels het intrekken van een rijbewijs ook niet veel voorstelt bij jeugd.