Dries Buytaert

Anouk - Lost

I just love this song.

Movember 2011

It is that time of the year again: Movember!

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. One in two men will be diagnosed with cancer in his lifetime, and one out of six with prostate cancer.

Like last year, Acquia's "Mo Drupal" team wants your support as we put our faces to work for this great cause. The Acquia team mo'ed its facial hair on November 1st and for about a week now we have practiced the virtues of fine moustachery, immaculate grooming and growing a moustache for Movember.

For the entire duration of Movember, no hair shall be allowed to grow in the goatee zone - being any facial area below the bottom lip. The complete moustache region, including the entire upper lip and the handlebar zones, will also remain completely shaved. Rest assured, photos will follow!

By growing a moustache, we become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. We raise awareness by prompting private and public conversations about cancer. In addition, we raise funds by seeking out sponsorship.

If you'd like, you can join Acquia's "Mo Drupal" team or you can support me in this cause.

It’s hard to get men to talk about prostate and testicular cancer, yet many of us will be diagnosed with it in our lifetime. The brilliance of Movember lies in its appeal to some basic masculine qualities, such as playing on a team, and competing with others. As a man, it’s easier to show your support for such an important cause if you’re doing so with a group of other men, all wearing a silly moustache. Give these guys a break and make their efforts worthwhile by supporting us! Thanks!

Craving a taste of home: Belgian lunch

I've been living in the US for over a year now but am currently in Belgium for a short vacation. For the past year, I've been craving a taste of home; not all Belgian food is available in the US and even when it is, it can taste differently.

When we arrived in Belgium this weekend, my mother prepared us lunch. It tasted so good. Nothing like eating at home. The foodie in me was reminded of all the things I miss, and the photographer in me wanted to take some pictures to remind myself once we're back in the US.

Which foods do you miss from your home country or home town?

Counting Crows - Colorblind

This song and I go way back. To me it's one of the best songs ever made.

My week in review: week #2

I'm tracking my work related activities because people often ask me what my days look like. For one month, I'm posting a weekly summary of my work week (e.g. Monday - Friday, not including weekend work). I'll post four summaries in total as that should give people a good sense. This is the summary of the second week. You can compare it with the summary of the first week, if you like.

Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind

One of my favorite songs in the past 12 months. What a monumental tribute to one of the greatest city in the world. Love it!

My week in review: week #1

Every week, people ask me what exactly I do and how I balance my time. As such, I've decided to keep track of my work related activities and to record the time that I spent on them. The next four weeks, I'll try to post a weekly summary of my work week (e.g. Monday - Friday).

This week may have been slightly more busy than normal. Also, most weeks I spent more time reviewing Drupal patches -- this week most of that time went into starting up the Drupal 8 initiatives and catching up with things after DrupalCon. Other than that, this was a pretty common week.