tweeto ergo sum

No, Andrew didn't think I was Belgian. But my point was that Belgians more commonly capitalize the "v" in a surname.

And it's not all that strange to think I'm Belgian, apparently. When I went back to the Netherlands two months ago, even people from just one town away thought my Dutch accent/dialect was Flemish. It's like saying someone from Boston sounds like someone from New York.

Maybe it's because I'm starting to use English sentence structures in my Dutch?

I did indeed study and do indeed live and work in Chicago, and I think I am American in all eyes but the law's. Still "just" a permanent resident without voting rights.

But besides that technicality, thanks for the shout out!

And lastly, although I do see, and personally experience, a shift from blogs to twitter and other social networks, I don't think we're quite done with blogs just yet. But maybe the shift will weed out the "lesser" blogs and somewhat professionalize the "better" blogs. Time will tell. I agree that "the straws in the wind are not uninteresting."

p.s. Andrew, don't cap the v! Although I do get confused for one on many occasions, I'm not Belgian! (I'll stop nitpicking now)

NL replies. A Belgian? He lives in the same city and he thought you were Belgian? Does nobody check anything any more :)

Interesting observations as always, Norman. But two emendations:

Marc Van Bree is Dutch-born and -raised, but he is also American and studied, lives, and works in Chicago, USA.

And Alex Ross has indeed shifted his regular blogging activities to The New Yorker's webpages, but he has *not* "shut down" his own renowned site. As he writes there:

"The present site will remain intact, with a focus on my books and related material. I'll continue to augment the audio resources and post fresh material from time to time. I'd like to give ardent thanks to longtime readers for their kind and close attention to this blog. The noise will never die."

Best wishes,

NL replies: Andrew, many thanks. I shall adjust Marc's nationality accordingly.