Saturday, November 6

Belle D'Opium

I am at Terminal 4 yesterday morning and far too early for this add. I take my blackberry photo above four women in hajib whose look suggests something between disinterest and smirk. And just where does soft-porn begin? I wonder. Eric's reply: "apparently at Gate 10."


The model BTW is Mélanie Thierry, who began as a teen model in France, then moved into acting. She scored an international crossover hit at age 18 as the love interest of ship-bound Danny Boodman T.D. Lemon 1900 in 'The Legend of 1900.' She also featured in two episodes of the BBC costume drama 'Charles II: The Power and The Passion' where she played the kings french mistress Louise de Kérouaille opposite Rufus Sewell. She made her Hollywood debut in the 2008 film Babylon A.D., as Aurora. Mélanie born in 1981. Kind of a bummer that she has a long-term boyfriend - French singer Raphael Haroche. The add suggest so much more.

I fly to Rotterdam for one meeting and spend the day there. My plans to visit the Edvard Munch collection thwarted as our schedule moved forward one hour. Everything goes well until the end when we learn that the potential investor can do €5 million or €10 less than initially indicated. While this a lot of money, it is peanuts on an €800 million fund-target and not worth the amount of effort to get here. The thing about the money business - you really learn who is hot air. It takes a couple turns but eventually I learn where to apply my time. I end my afternoon with a run along the port river and then a car ride to Amsterdam's Schipol airport and home where Sonnet waits up for me (10PM).