J. VAN PELT: Honestly, guys, I give him a rock every year. You know I’m in.
31.10.2025 20:30 — 👍 19 🔁 6 💬 0 📌 0@bnetherlands.bsky.social
A writer and photographer from Oregon who lives in the Netherlands. Posts range from serious news to micro-sized movie reviews and random photos of Dutch stuff. Someday I'll fix the cowboy banner. Someday...
J. VAN PELT: Honestly, guys, I give him a rock every year. You know I’m in.
31.10.2025 20:30 — 👍 19 🔁 6 💬 0 📌 0Happy Halloween!
31.10.2025 13:44 — 👍 3808 🔁 975 💬 124 📌 61Good to see Leiden officials are at least talking about the dangerous situation on the Pelikaanhof. 
People have to walk in the cycling path to get around all the bikes parked on the sidewalk. I've been avoiding that area for years.
#Leiden #bikes #cycling
www.leidschdagblad.nl/regio/leiden...
Happy Halloween?
Seems like these two are no longer on speaking terms…
#Halloween #Netherlands
Micro Movie Memo # 129
If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You 
A stellar drama about a therapist’s life slowly unravelling. Conan O'Brien co-stars and gets a chance to show off his acting chops. Also: you’ll never look at hamsters the same way again.
#Blueskyfilm #Conan
8/9
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywFD...
Today's Google Doodle is a playable Halloween version of Pac-Man. instead of fruit, he eats candy corn and other treats. The power pellets are mints. 
Well, there goes my productivity for the rest of the afternoon...
www.google.com/webhp?ddllb=...
#Halloween #PacMan #videogames
A lot of international coverage today falls into the trap of viewing the Dutch election in binary terms. In the US or UK, elections have a clear winner and loser(s). So it’s only natural that anglophone observers see a chart showing Rob Jetten on top and think…
30.10.2025 18:05 — 👍 17 🔁 2 💬 2 📌 0Halloween voter 2025 sticker with a pigeon wearing a witches hat and holding a pumpkin lantern with bats and a witch in the background
New Yorkers vote today if you haven’t and you get this
31.10.2025 09:56 — 👍 2026 🔁 521 💬 29 📌 93Halloween 2024 > Halloween 2025
31.10.2025 11:04 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Also: the pumpkin I bought for carving went from fine to rotten overnight in our garden on Wednesday. Blurgh...
2/2
Turning into a bummer Halloween 'round these parts. My partner has a flu bug, so we had to return our tickets to a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at The Movies in Amsterdam tonight.
It's sold out, so I hope our seats get nabbed by some Rocky geeks who will show up in costume. 
1/2
D66 has narrow lead over PVV with Venray and expat votes to come www.dutchnews.nl?p=259384
31.10.2025 09:20 — 👍 6 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 2Pumpkins = carved.
Pumpkin seeds = roasting. 
For the latter, I highly recommend Dinosaur Dracula’s recipe. So spicy, so good!
#Halloween #pumpkins #flavourtosavour
dinosaurdracula.com/blog/roasted...
Halloween is saved!
And nice reference to the Pope’s annual Easter speech.
#Halloween #Netherlands
Micro Movie Memo # 128
Raiders of the Lost Ark 
Still the best action film ever made in my book. Are there problems? Is it dated? Yes, but the thrills of the rip-roaring journey from the Well of Souls to the courtyard market cannot be denied. “What truck?!!”
9/9
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh_B...
D66 or PVV as biggest? Final Dutch election votes trickle in www.dutchnews.nl?p=259344
30.10.2025 13:37 — 👍 1 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0If you need a break from Dutch politics, my writing project for today has led me to this 2023 video of Jack Black's encounter with the good folks at the Dutch Pinball Museum in Rotterdam. 
They brought him a Guns 'n' Roses machine to try during a gig at Ahoy.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DtQ...
Halloween falls on a Friday this year, but there are plenty of ways you can enjoy the holiday before or after October 31. Here’s thirteen ideas that will help you have a Terrifying Thursday, a Scary Saturday, a Spooky Sunday, or…you get the idea.
30.10.2025 11:02 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0NOS now give PVV a lead of 1382 over D66.
But 19% of Amsterdam's votes, the Caribbean islands and 135,000 overseas ballots haven't been counted yet and they're likely to break for D66.
It's very tense and government talks won't start until the official results are in.
nos.nl/liveblog/258...
What happened?
Last night’s “Dutch voters reject Wilders!” storyline has been broken. 
The final result is incredibly close - they’re still counting but there’s 1200 votes nationwide between PVV and D66. It’s a real Bush/Gore nail biter.
D66 leader Rob Jetten gets a huge cheer from party reception in Leiden. "It's going to be a tense wait for the final results, but one thing is certain: millions of Dutch people have turned the page and turned away from the politics of negativity, hate and endless 'we can't.” #TK2025 #DutchElection
29.10.2025 21:26 — 👍 6 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 0Let’s hope so.
#Netherlands #Dutchelection
Guess D66’s election night party is in Leiden this year at Nobel. No idea why, but here’s how things looked down there a few minutes ago.
#D66 #Dutchelection
I googled this, because it couldn't possibly be real.
It is.
#WITAF?
Lines at the Anne Frank House are always long, but rather than tourists, this time it's locals voting.
29.10.2025 16:23 — 👍 9 🔁 4 💬 1 📌 2It's my goal to one day vote in a windmill. We've got De Valk sitting smack dab in the center of Leiden. Seems like the perfect place to me. Who cares if it's pretty tiny in there?
29.10.2025 16:24 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0At the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, voters can cast their ballots in front of the 2,000 year old Temple of Taffeh. 
I spoke with the museum's director as the staff were dealing with voters and school groups.
You can read more on the Dutch News Election Day live blog:
www.dutchnews.nl/2025/10/the-...
It's the Netherlands so of course you can vote in a windmill.
29.10.2025 12:57 — 👍 29 🔁 13 💬 1 📌 1I think this is a brilliant idea.
At a time when the far-right are attempting a comeback, where better to host polling stations than those places that focus voters on what the fuckers did last time around?
Am I curious how this guy is killing time until the election results come in?
Maybe a little bit.
My guess: he’s at Gamma checking out the latest power tools.
All I know is that I wouldn’t want to be a tree on his property this time tomorrow.
#Netherlands #Dutchelections