Love actually

Tomorrow my love comes home, in two weeks it's Valentine's day... Makes you think about love...[sigh].

For some reason - don't ask me why - love is associated with your heart. I know this doesn't sound very romantic, but maybe because the belly butterflies were mistaken for heartbeats? Anyway, I don't know more about this rather important (not even heart shaped!) organ, except the fact that it pounds, thus pomps oxygen rich blood through my body, faster when I am stressed, exercize or think about 'him' and that it has been broken several times in the past... On this site, I have assembled my heart again. I also performed open heart surgery, but, oops, the patient did not survive ;-(

 

O.K. Computer

Jippy, I have a healthy laptop, though slightly clogged - over 250000 files and folders... What the hell am I storing in here?

Anyway, I still wish you could check a human like that, as my stuffed nose is accompagnied by an annoying, pounding head ache. I took a pain killer some time ago, but it does not seem to work. Maybe the head is not part of the common cold symptoms and is the aching stress related: my love comes home in two days, after 6 months in India. Exciting, butterflies, yet slightly scary - like when you slowly drive up a rollercoaster.

 

Ill communication

I can't believe in how many Outlook address books I - apparently - am! Norton destroyed at least 10 e-mails today, containing the W32.Novarg.A@mm. worm/virus. All of them came from people I don't even know, in India and the US... I checked at Symantec and found out its a serious threat. It's that MyDoom virus thingy everyone is all freaked out about. Even my granpa asked me, if I was protected against virusses (and yes, he meant the computer threats, not the human ones). Anyway, although I have my updates for this week, I'd better do a virus scan, as one of the infected e-mails appeared to have my own e-mail address as sender...

I wish they invented a "removal-tool" for the common cold... (sneezes)

 

Too young...

I just heard on the news that Guusje Nederhorst, actress and wife of rockband Kane singer Dinand, died of cancer today. She was only 34, just married, baby... A big shock, because just two weeks or so ago, her manager announced she was almost cured and ready to get back to work again. On the site of Kane is a beautiful poem for Guusje, written by Dinand...

 

An owl or a howler?

My man goes wild when he hears about orks, elfs and hobbits (he's depressed now, because "the journey has come to an end!"), but I am a sucker for Harry Potter. I am eagerly awaiting movie #3 and book#6. So I am glad to read, that thousands of Bulgarian teenagers are bidding for a lead role in the fourth Harry Potter film, because producers revealed they want a real Bulgarian to play the part of Victor Krum. I gope zey keep gis vunny accent. Read more!

[source: www.ananova.com]

 

Let it snow

Yesterday evening, the weatherpeople announced overnight snow. This morning I opened my curtains, expecting to see a white winter wonderland, but no. Huge disappointment, bad start of my day.

However, while I am typing this complaint, I see a few tiny snowflakes. Slowly they get bigger - in size ánd in number. The rooftops, trees and fields are covered with a thin layer of snow. Now it is really snowing! It won't be long before I can make a snow angel (that's a personal tradition thingy).

 

And the winner is...

This afternoon, the nominees for the Academy Awards have been announced. I was very pleased to hear, that the beautiful Dutch (post) WWII drama "de Tweeling" (translated to Twin Sisters) is nominated in the category "Best movie in a foreign language"! Go here for the full list of nominees.

 

How to burn your money

I quit smoking 7 months ago. I have to admit that I had my difficult moments and I have taken two puffs in the meantime, but I am not the typical ex-smoker. People can smoke near me, in my house: no problem at all. In fact, I strongly considered to start again at the beginning of this year, as a protest against all the ridiculous anti-smoking measures the Dutch government has suggested.

Anyway, I am glad I haven't started, because would not have been able to afford it. The price of a packet of cigarettes or rolling tobacco is going to rise enormously (25%) at February 1st. The biggest portion goes directly to the treasury, a small part is a normal producer induced rise. When I started smoking (10 years ago), a 20 packet of Marlboro was Dfl 3,10 (1,50 Euro). Now it is gonna cost approximately 4,- Euro (Dfl 8,80)!!!

 

I don't like mondays (part 2)

I am not quite sure if i'm gonna make this a weekly reoccurring topic - but its starting to look like it: my struggle with mondays in general and its morning part in particular. For some reason, mondays just don't do it for me. As my alarm goes off (at 7:15 AM) I have difficulties getting out of bed, I fall asleep in the shower, the coffee does not kick in, the way it should.... While reading the newspaper (thinnest of the week, as if nothing happens on a Sunday), it finally hit me: a new workingweek has started... but not for me anymore! My body was trying to tell me that. No reason at all for getting out of bed at all!


mental note:
Listen to your body, Solly!

 

Love

Only 8 sleeps to go... and then I will be reunited with my man!

 

One Mb of fame

Quite funny to check out other people's blogs (via the weblog directory Blogarama for example). See what they write about, what their blog looks like and which script they're using. Though I ám starting to get more comfortable with HTML and scripts, I don't feel confident enough to use "real" weblog tools like Perl, Greymatter or Moveble Type. I think I'll stick with Blogger for now.

Anyway, because I was peeking in to other people's lifes - and enjoying it a lot- I decided that others should get that opportunity too! So, I am now listed in the directory. I am curious who's gonna peek into my life...

 

I was down for a day...

But now I'm back! A new and improved Solly. Well, you might not notice any difference but I changed to another server and I'll have to admit: the whole process (not only technically, but the paperwork also) went very smoothly!

 

Happy New Year!

Today is the start of the year 4701 or year of the Monkey, according to the Chinese Zodiac. To be more specific: it's the year the Wood/Green Monkey "Jia Shen". A Year of movement, discussion and the exchange of ideas.

While each sign repeats every 12 years, the specific combination of Sign (earthly branch) and element (heavenly stem) occur only once every 60 years. The Wood element represents the first 12 years of life, the time of rapid development, idealism and youthful innocence. Where there is recession, this Monkey year will tend to halt it in it's tracks (good news for me, then!).

However... 60 years ago, 1944's Wood Monkey brought a climactic year of the second world war and Monkey years have also brought their share of natural disasters, as the high strung Yang+ Monkey ushers in it's naughty mix of deception and environmental temper tantrums.

Anyway, 2004 is gonna be the best for Snakes and a very good year for Rats and Dragons (that would be me!). For Goats, Rabbits, Oxen and Monkeys it could be better. It's gonna be a complex year for Roosters and Horses and difficult for Tigers, Pigs and Dogs.

Wanna check under which sign of the Chinese Zodiac you were born? Or a more extensive view on 4701? This Chinese astrology page has all the answers!

 

I wish I had a job, then I wouldn't be this busy!

Who said, that being unemployed ment sitting on the sofa watching soaps all day long?! I am busier today, than I ever was when I still had a job! The "worse" are friends and family, who know I can't use the "busy, work" -excuse when they need an extra hand during moves or renovations. So if you'll excuse me: I have to install someones stereosystem!

ps. Nowadays, I always start to giggle when I hear or see George "double-you" on tv and this site is to blame for that smile.

 

Pink elephants

"At least four wild Asiatic elephants that went amok after getting drunk on rice beer were electrocuted in Meghalaya, Northeast India. A forest official said the herd went on the rampage on Sunday night, looking for their favourite tipple, in a remote area in the West Garo Hills district. 'The elephants, after getting high on rice beer, started dashing against an electric pole,' the official said. 'A live wire fell, killing four elephants instantly,' he added. The casualties could have been more but some 20 elephants moved away from the site sensing danger."

Hmm, the locally brewed rice beer must be really good if the elephants go that far for it....

Wanna know more? Read the complete article here.

 

I don't like mondays!

While I am here, in this "lovely" weather:


my man, presently in India, is enjoying this:



mental note:
Do not check India weather on rainy monday morning, instead check New York weather on this site.

 

Saturday night / Sunday morning

I have just discovered a part-of-a-day that I had not seen in a while: Sunday morning. Strangely enough, the only way to find it, is if you miss out on another part-of-a-day: Saturday night. The two are completely opposite to one another: dark, vibrant, noisy versus light, quiet, silent. Everything happens on a Saturday night, nothing ever happens on a Sunday morning. Jing and yang to the max...

 

Cold feet

I have been outdoor all day long, defying Dutch winter weather (gale, rain, cold) to provide the long-distance walkers participating in my marching club's walking event with hot drinks, halfway on their route. So if y'all will excuse me: I'll be in my NEW bed with Nicci French's Secret Smile.

 

Sweet dreams

This is my new bed:

It is the "Lillehammer" from IKEA (by the way, have you ever got the feeling, when browsing through the IKEA catalog, that you are actually checking out male escorts, because half of their stuff is named Billy or Ivar or Stan?).

Anyway, I assembled the bed all by myself! Ok, it took me two hours, and i now have three blisters on the palm of my right hand... but: hey! I thought we agreed yesterday that i am genial, not technical.

 

It's life Jim, but not as we know it (or is it...)

(C) Intermediair magazine #03 2004

 

Am I a genius?!

Yesterday evening I participated in BNN's National IQ test I had 58 of the 65 answers right, which is equivalent to an IQ of 135..... Why did it take me 7 years to finish uni then?

 

While my guitar gently sweeps....

Best music to listen to while cleaning:
Guns'n'Roses - Use your illusion I or II*
Not only because Axl Rose is definitely the only singer on this planet who can imitate a vacuum cleaner, but also because the drums and screaming guitars make you do your chores at a higher pace (ever tried to clean "on" Coldplay?)
(*personally I think #I is the best one, but some people strongly disagree with me on that issue....)

 

:-))

Every day I receive the latest Garfield cartoon - fresh from the 'drawing' table - by e-mail. Most of them are funny, some are hilarious and a select few are briljant. Here's one of my favorites:

 

My First Weblog

This is gonna be my first post ever, I have just lost my blogger-virginity... First time I get personal on the web. Not even sure what I am gonna write about - probably whatever comes to mind- or in which language.... Dutch? English?