Back to the old-school

Pingu has a very retro girlfriend. No funky Flash thingy, 'Popcorn' in the audio-player, collect enough hearts to get to the next level... It does bring back memories and my love a.k.a. the -self acclaimed- 'King of Supermario' is already addicted!

 

Mine? Mine! Mine?

Finding Nemo is out on DVD (and video, but that's for puftas) today! Yes, I know. This is supposed to be a kids' movie and all, but: who cares? I watched the movie together with my mom on a (hot) Summer's afternoon in an almost empty -every one else went to the beach, or Spain- yet air conditioned movie theater. My mum has rheuma, I lost my job, my love just started his semester in India... We desperately needed a good laugh. And we got more than we expected: we giggled, laughed, shrieked, tears in our eyes, close to hysteria... That's why today I was the first in the shop to buy my copy: it instantly brings a smile to my face!

 

Midnight game time

Bored? Still awake? Considering a ceiling-paint-job? Better than counting sheep : playing with nuts!

 

Psst...

I have a little confession to make. The reason why I overslept:


via MKT

 

Clocks

I knew this was going to happen sometime this week. I overslept. I woke up one hour too late. Well, actually, I woke up at the same time I wake up every day of the week, but since Sunday, this suddenly is one hour too late. Damn. In theory, oversleeping is not a big deal for me, since I am unemployed and all...

But it still messes with my daily routine. So I had too skip laundry and ironing ("damn") and move straight towards my sofa to watch the funeral of Princess Juliana. She was a sweet royal grandma, and I did not want to miss her last journey. Weird: I woke up just in time to wish our former queen a peaceful eternal sleep...

 

M*day

Turn the volume on and celebrate the start of a new week with me!

By the way: how about the introduction of "Solly time"? Once every month, we skip Monday and/or consider it to be a second Sunday. This will result a 25% decrease of Monday morning nagging by yours sincerely...

 

Jet lag

Due to the introduction of summer time, I am coping with some sort of jet lag. I truly hate it, when they steel away an hour of my day, just for energy purposes. Daylight saving, they say. It just means one hour less drinking, one hour less sleep, hungry one hour after diner... By the time my body has adjusted to this bloody summer time, it's winter again!

 

Almost summer...

One missing hour and I got my first mosquito bite!

# posted by Solveig @ 02:01 AM

 

Spring is in the air

There's no escape... There's no excuse

• The sun is shining,


• My love 'has' the bike,


• My bum needs some fine-tuning,


• My mum will kill/disinherit me, if I don't show up today:

Time to rollerscate!
(No the sporty in-line type, yet the more stable and very retro 2X2 ones!)

 

Age ain't nothing but a number

There are moments in ones life that you feel (much) older than you actually -physically- are. During puberty, or after too much torture at the gym. At some point in ones life -in my case it started a couple of years after my 20th birthday- something weird happens: your mental age starts to get out of pace with your physical age. In fact, your mind seems to age slower than your body. I am pretty sure I do not have my first midlife crisis -too young ;-)- yet I feel younger than I am according to my I.D. Awkward? Definitely! Example: students address me with "mizz" or talk about "that lady". I wonder whom they talk about... When I notice, I turn pink... and start wondering when I became "mizz" or "lady"? Another one: you still wanna party on a Saturday night, yet the people in the club where born in another (read: later...) decade. Frustrating, but, according to some friends, this is just a stage and luckily enough, I am not the only one. It will go away. When? I do not know. I do know that the feeling of "young mind, old body" will return a couple of times -midlife crisis!- and that it will remain frustrating: my grandpa turned 89 (!!!) yesterday and is not happy with his hair turning gray... What am I moaning about, then?!

 

Massage for you, mam?

Is it a hair dryer? Is it a sanding machine? No, it is the 1930s cure against female hysteria... ;-)

 

Sunrise

A bit of aroma therapy- roses and violets-, a giggle with Will and Grace and lots of kisses of the man I love did the trick. I fell asleep with happy thoughts. And this morning, when I woke up, the sun was shining.
It is going to be a lovely day anyway, rain or shine.
Why? Well, me and my man celebrate our 73rd month together, my best girliefriend celebrates her first day of maternity leave a my grand dad celebrates his 89th birthday.

 

"Might you have thought that Winter's woe was past..."

You most likely might not have noticed it- I do not have a webcam and unless you are psychic...- but I have been behind my laptop for the past 3 hours. Surfing the net, checking other blogs, linkdumps, news, quirkies, quizilla... And still I haven't come up with a subject to write about.
Something happy, I mean. Because I really do not want to write about the remains of wheelchairs and riots in Gaza. Nor did I want to write about possible nuclear explosions in Russia. I definitely did not want to write about the Spring storms and how night frost almost destroyed the first apple blossoms...

I think, I have a Spring depression related writer's block. There's too much crap going on in this world at the moment. If you have any happy news, please tell me!

(title is a quote from William Morris's poem "Earthly Paradise")

 

Pep talk

Hooray! It's Monday! The start of a whole new week, in which anything can happen! The first Monday of Spring, too!
(...)
I tried. I really tried it, this Monday morning. But it is not working. I just do not like Mondays, especially when the weather looks very Autumn-like. Please wake me on a 25 degC Tuesday-morning, please?

 

A Royal angel

Former Dutch Queen Juliana died this morning. The Queen Mother aged 94 died at 5:50 AM in the Soestdijk palace where she lived.

May the country's common grandma rest in peace.

 

Occupational therapy

Things to do when you are really, really bored (and slightly sick-minded).

 

It's the end of the world as we know it

According to NASA a small near-Earth asteroid (NEA), discovered only Monday night by the NASA-funded LINEAR asteroid survey, will make the closest approach to Earth ever recorded. It will pass us at 11:08 PM CET at approximately 43.000 km - one eight of the distance from Earth to the Moon. Apparently, there is no danger of a collision with the Earth during this encounter. Off course "they" will tell us that, to avoid chaos and anarchy. They might have made a miscalculation. Hopefully, I'll speak to y'all after 11:10 PM tonight.

update @ 11:15 PM We are still alive!!! I am so glad the damn thing missed us!!!

 

The frustrated house wife

Yesterday was the first officially warm (hence: 20+ degC) day of the year. Lots of sun too. Too much sun, cause it revealed just how dirty my windows actually were. For you information: I was surprised on a regular basis, when I went out, that in fact it was NOT foggy... So I cleaned my windows. Thoroughly. Birds crashed against the glass: that clean!
This morning I woke up early, still proud, relishing the memory. I opened the curtains with happy anticipation of a fog-less view at the buildings behind mine and... it rained. Off course. I knew it. It's a fact. "The Law of Recently Cleaned Windows": Even when it's not forecasted- even if you live in the Sahara!- it will rain the day after you cleaned your windows.
Right. Forgot about that one - I don't clean my windows often enough.

 

Give peace a change

When the Bangles wrote "Is this burning an eternal flame?" they weren't referring to this one, I hope... Yet another sad victory for capitalism over idealism...

 

No milk today

According to a US scientist , people should avoid milk and cheese as much as tobacco, as there is strong evidence that dairy products promote breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men... Speaking at a lecture on diet and cancer, the professor said: "My advice is don't have any dairy products in any form whatsoever. Just cut them out completely."

Great. I am sugar intolerant, nearly vegetarian, I quit smoking 9 months ago and now this... Do we have to start an anti-milk lobby now? Ban cows from the Dutch fields? Allow only black coffee? Give milkshake bars the same semi-legal status as coffeeshops? Place an enormous warning on all dairy products - "Eating or drinking of dairy is injurious to health, it causes cancer" And... Where do we stand with breast feeding, then?!

 

Fluffy

Curious about the life of Yaks? (And who isn't...)

 

Bleh!

Ever felt like the toddler inside you wants to take over? For example when you have that important, yet incredibly boring, meeting? Or when you're asked if you have "a minute" to do something "small"? Especially when your parents ask you to install/repair something at their place? In all these situations you answer with a polite:"Yes". You even manage to smile. But inside you, deep inside, you really want to say - better yet: scream - "No! I don't wanna!" preferably including the rolling around on the floor, and the pounding of hands and feet to the ground... Too bad. You can't.

I have to go and learn how to drive a car now (you might have guessed that I really don't wanna...)

 

Silencio

 

Mystery solved

I checked the calendar today - it's hanging in the kitchen, on the cabinet I have to open to get my brekky (very 'can't miss' location) - and noticed that the "birthday season" has started again. Between now and, say, half April, I have 12 birthdays amongst my friends and family, including my own. Very festive and all, but also a rather time- and money consuming period.
Anyway, the number of names on the two-month calendar page made me curious: what annual "event" triggers this baby boom? Simple mathematics (...) tells me, that "we" were all conceived in June, July (maybe August too, for the early babies). Ah-ha! Summer: sun, holiday season, freedom, short skirts, romance in the air...

Iew. I just had a vision of my mum and dad flirting on the beach... Better get back to the writing of birthday cards - still analogue!

 

Need coffee

Breakfast at Casa Solly:

 

...When I am twenty-some

It's Saturday night. But I am behind the computer instead of a beer. Moving my mouse instead of my body. Reason: no money.

At least, that's what I tell my friends. The truth is: As I am still feeling the aftermath of the common cold, I am in the mood for a night with wine on my own sofa, with my feet on my man next to me. Watching Idols and a DVD. Go to bed early... Fall asleep much later... Hmmm, nice.

Uh-oh - am I getting old?!

 

912 days later...

On the news: images of the "Millions march against murder" in Madrid. Goose bumps all over. Tears in my eyes. ETA or El Qaida; who cares. No mas!

 

Shock

Exactly two and a half years after 'September, 11':
a European capital, 10 explosions in trains, nearly 200 people killed, over a 1400 wounded... The role of the ETA is not ruled out yet, but it is thought that Al-Qaida is most likely behind this useless violence.

New York, Afghanistan, Iraq: all horrific acts, yet far away. This is my back yard: Europe - hell, I have visited Madrid. Like the Spanish, the Dutch support the US in Iraq. I am worried, scared... What's next? Bombs in the Amsterdam metro?

 

I thought I thaw a...

ESA have found a possible explanation for Beagle 2's strange disappearance: a UFO!
What's next? That ESA figures out that Beagle 2 was destroyed in an act of terrorism by the Martians, because these green creatures have a long term and exclusive contract with NASA?!
(via Fok)

 

You stupid woman

Phone just rang: dad. "Where are you?" Oops, I forgot... I promised him to help with the annual Jantje Beton house-to-house collection. I peek out the window: still snowing. Damn. I look at my love, he shakes his head and smiles. No help - read: providing an excuse - from his side. "I am on my way, dad, I just put on my coat!"

Moral of this story: Not all collectors are volunteers. Give generously!

update @ 08:47 PM "I don't have patty cash", "I will make a deposit", "My parents are not at home", "I do not give to charity", not-ringing door bells and people that don't open the door and just stare at you through their window...

 

Revenge of the dubya

Right now I should be cleaning the house or doing the dishes or go to the supermarket. Or I could e-mail some friends I haven't mailed in a while or look for that perfect job... Off course I have a 'to do list' with lots of stuff on it, but I just couldn't be asked.

Blame it on the weather - it is halfway into March and still snowing, so blame it on the winter too!
Blame it on the day of the week: wednesday - halfway in the week, but the weekend is still too far away.
Blame it on the web - I could not find anything fun to post, even this site did not do it for me, today.

I think I'll retreat to the sofa and regroup, while watching old episodes of Friends and Sex and the City.

 

Spam

Monty Python eat your heart out - Spam is doing a roaring trade at a Manila restaurant specialising in the tinned pressed pork meat.

You can order a a Spam hero sandwich, Spam club sandwich, Spam spaghetti, Spam macaroni, Spam potato chowder, bean soup with Spam, Spam Caesar salad, Spam poppers and Spam meals with rice for the Filipino palate..... All you can eat Spam!

Source: Sydney Morning Herald via Fok.nl

 

Victory at last

The biggest trauma in Dutch football history - the lost world championship final against Germany in 1974 - might be over soon. There is legitimate reason for, at least, a rematch. Apparently, one of the German players (Rainer Bonhoff) was officially Dutch! It's all a bit complicated, but according to international football regulations, the Germans have two option: to give back the World Cup or play a rematch (with the original players).

Read the complete story (in Dutch) here.

 

Pink!

According to the What color is your energy quiz I did on Quizilla:

"Your Energy is Pink. You have achieved a perfect balance between spiritual awareness and material existence. You are usually affectionate and warm, showing compassion and love for others. Others find you genuine, cooperative and friendly. You are a humanitarian and you possess a deep understanding of life. You may aspire to philanthropy, or you may find yourself heading or volunteering for agencies that create change for the good of the whole. You are a leader and are willing to take on much responsibility"

Freaky fact: most of the above characteristics do apply to me... and my favourite colour is pink...

 

Night and day

You know, that you have crossed that thin barrier between night and day, when you are kindly greeted by the paperboys on your way from the club...

 

Need for speed

Coming Sunday brings the first Formula 1 race of the season! So, I got my beer, notebook and alarm clock (Melbourne, thus 5 AM start...) ready. I am hoping for an exciting start of the new season - last year I fell asleep 10 laps before the flag... No real favourites for me, though I always cheer slightly louder when Michael Shumacher crashes and / or Kimi takes the lead / pole / podium.

 

Show me the money

If they did a "Forbes 800 million list", I would be in it! I am the 756,895,214th richest person in the world! Check out where you sit on the Global Rich List.

 

Iron maiden

If I was a robot, I would not have the common cold. Instead, I would be a:



(thanks to Kingjay)

 

Snif, sneeze, cough

I officially have the common cold and I hate it!

Three reasons:
First, with common cold, you only have a minor fever. Not high enough to stay in bed for, but enough to make you feel absolutely crappy.
Second, you look sheit (red and running nose, watery eyes... ), you feel sheit (light, yet annoying head-ache, popping ears, obstructed nose), you sound sheit (nasal, hoarse voice) and you act sheit (an ill Aries... Run for cover!).
Third, the only real cure for it is rest, lots of (non alcoholic) drinking and healthy food. No nice pills, nothing actually cures common cold (they only suppress the symptoms). I checked it on commoncolddotorg (I like those simple, yet effective site-names!).

A "get well soon" card ( /comment / mail) will be greatly appreciated (hint, hint).

 

JFK II

So, John Kerry won 9 out of 10 states on Super Tuesday. Why? I do not have a clue. Up till "Iowa" we - people of the old world, hence, Europe - had not even heard of him - even if we had heard his name, he was mentioned "just one of the guys at the sideline". Today, John F. Kerry might just be the next (thus 44th) president of the USA....

As I have done over the past weeks, I will keep visiting Stephen Elliot's blog and Electablog to get an inside (read: American's) view into the USA elections. Apparently, thing were pretty lame and tame till now. The Democrats have chosen the best man - or men, if Edwards becomes the running mate - for the job, the Republicans - with dubya dubya - are ready to strike back... Let the throwing of dirt begin!

 

Mars volcano

ESA has released spectacular 3D pics of Mars' giant (5300 meter high) Hecates Tholus volcano, the northernmost of the Elysium group of volcanoes. The crater has a diameter of 10 km and a depth of 600 m...

If you kept your 3D goggles from the latest Spy Kids movie, you can truly "experience" the volcano! She's so pretty! (Sorry, occupational deformation...)

 

:-b

Wanna laugh / smile / have corner of your mouth movement? Go here!

 

...and the Oscar goes to...

I did not watch "The Show" myself, because I was at a party to celebrate Leap Day... But I was glad to find out that "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" made a clean sweep of the Oscars with an epic 11 awards out of 11. I agree with Peter Jackson, who said: "This is just unbelievable and I am so honoured and touched and relieved that the Academy has seen past the trolls and the wizards and the hobbits in recognising fantasy this year."

Minor downer: the Dutch nominee "de Tweeling" did not win... A Canadian movie won "Best Foreign movie". Here are all the winners!