The Paris Catacombs April 19, 2007
Posted by Niels in : Beauty and the Geek, Personal , 7 comments
Every visitor to Paris should see the catacombs. They are an incredible sight. There are over 200 miles (350 km) of tunnels beneath Paris from centuries of quarrying. When the graveyards became too full, thousands upon thousands of bones were moved to the catacombs. Skull and femurs are stacked artistically in a solemn homage to the dead.
My visceral emotional reaction was that something was wrong here - that the bones of the dead shouldn’t just be put on display for visitors to stare at. But as I walked through the catacombs, it was clear that was just a cultural preconception. The catacombs are a respectful memorial to the dead and treats their memory is a far more dignified manner than, say, “Bodies: The Exhibition”.
Oh, and the Canadian couple that recognized me from TV and asked me to pose for photos did so before we entered the consecrated area, so that’s cool, too.
Your thoughts?More “fan” mail April 10, 2007
Posted by Niels in : Beauty and the Geek , 3 comments
Anyway, the reason I’m typing up this message is to tell you what I’m very sure many people have probably told you already about how fake the show is.
[snip]
But meh who am I kidding you’ll probably just read this and toss it into the trash like all of the other millions of bullshit emails you get from fans.
Sincerely,
David
Pretty much. Thanks for the info, David.
Your thoughts?Ask Niels: I want to be part of the conversation April 7, 2007
Posted by Niels in : Ask Niels, Beauty and the Geek, Dating coach, How to , add a comment
I watched you in the last episode of BATG and noticed a similarity with a problem I am currently having in life, I was wondering if you have a way to get rid of this…
The issue is when sitting amongst friends, while they chat and laugh and stuff, I just sit there looking “gormless” as they put it :( and I smile every now and then…and talk every no and then…but not like them…
-Dave
First of all Dave, let me introduce you to the number one rule of social interaction. It is this:
SMILE!
Smiling “every now and then” is not enough. Slap a stupid smile on your face and don’t take it off all evening. I was in Paris recently, out with a bunch of people whose language I didn’t speak. I had no idea what the conversation was about. So I just smiled. All the time, no matter what. And guess what? People came up to talk to me. If you’re a fun person, people will work to include you in the conversation.
But it’s not their responsibility. It’s yours. If you want to be part of the conversation, then start talking! I talked about keeping a conversation going in my post How to Keep a Conversation Going. Pay attention, and jump in when you have something to say. Have the confidence to believe that your thoughts are valuable. Listen to other people. It’s easy to sit back and let the conversation just wash over you. Or you could put some effort in and become a better conversationalist.
It won’t happen overnight, but it happens faster than you would think.
Your thoughts?Famous in Phoenix March 28, 2007
Posted by Niels in : Beauty and the Geek, Personal , 5 comments
Phoenix was a little ridiculous. Usually I get recognized a couple times a week. In Phoenix, it was a couple times an hour. I guess when it’s 105 degrees outside, there’s not much you can do but watch reality television.
I was asked for autographs for the first time, was mobbed by people every time I went out to a bar, and had ten year old girls scream when they spotted me in a mall. For the first time in my life, I had the experience of people in a bar watching me all night long, looking to see what I was doing and who I was talking to. Girls I didn’t know would come up to me and paw me and grind against me and generally molest me.
The funny part was, as much as it looked like attraction, it wasn’t. It was something else. More on that soon.
Your thoughts?I’ve made it to IMDB March 26, 2007
Posted by Niels in : Beauty and the Geek, Personal , 4 comments
My IMDB page has appeared. Neat!