Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!

Queen's day (Dutch : Koninginnedag)!
According to this dictionary: a holiday in the Netherlands to celebrate the Dutch monarchy... Almost. It's described in a much better way here. Ah well, I don't have anything to sell, so I'll just dress up in orange clothing, wear my crazy hat and head up to Amsterdam. Participate in the activities, dance -there's music everywhere-, get drunk... Cross my fingers that it won't rain.

Check out the Empire State Building tonight: it is supposed to be lighted orange, to honour the late Queen Mum.

ps. Yes, my site always looked like this and is not especially 'done' for the occasion...

 

(...)

Right now, you are witnessing a very rare phenomenon in the life of Solly. I have nothing to tell you -nothing happened, nothing funny in the news you have seen or heard of yet. Yes, you heard me: I have nothing to say.

Two reactions are possible now:
*Shocked gasps, hands to chest* "A silent Solly? Hold the presses!" will be from the people I meet IRL.
*Raised eyebrows, frown, slightly tilted head* "Who cares, I never heard her talking" speaks for itself.
I will give a short explanation for the latter category - the first are excused, you are allowed to stop reading and proceed with whatever you were doing, or read on and maybe get a bit more insight in my complex personality ;-)

Anyway: I talk. A lot. Always and everywhere. I talk to strangers -since young age, parental warnings never worked. I talk to myself -especially during shopping: 'you don't need this'. I talk in my sleep -comment of first sleepover boyfriend 'I am not surprised, if you won't stop talking during the day, why would I expect you to be silent at night?' I talk more when I am nervous -and I can't stop myself.

I talk, yet say nothing. Just like I did now...

 

Raindrops keep falling on my...

As I am an organised person (and I have all the time in the world...), on this day in the week I clean my house in the morning and search for/respond at job ads in the afternoon. A weekly routine. Sometimes, not often, I try to break the routine by cleaning on Tuesday or Thursday. That just does not feel right. So, I clean on Wednesday morning. Kitchen, bathroom, toilet. Laundry. Dust, vacuum and mop.

This morning was no different, except for the fact that I thought about doing my windows, too. After a week of sun, I could no longer ignore my very own local fog bank. I filled a bucket with water and methylated spiritus, grabbed a sponge and shammy and... It started to rain.

Pff... That was close. It could have been worse, if I had decided to do my windows first! Anyway, the way I see it, this was a message from above: never -ever- change your routine!

 

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Extreme makeover

I went to the parodontologist this morning for some (scheduled) dental surgery. No, I did not get a mouth full of straight rowed, white and shiny teeth, but a partial reconstruction of my gums. The destruction was caused by acute parodontitus due to anaerob bacteria - pick one, I can prove it has inhabited my mouth- and today was the final step towards a healthy oral environment!

Anyway, a couple of painful shots of anesthetics were followed by a nice numb feeling of my lower jaw and lips. I felt nothing of the cutting, cleaning, scraping and stitching. I was a bit shocked when I looked in the mirror, but the parodontologist told me, that the swelling will go away... (I really wanted to illustrate this entry with "before" and "after" pics, but my love did not think it would be a good idea).

The surgery itself went fine -perfect, the assistant said when she handed me a prescription for painkillers. "Painkillers?", I asked, "I feel fine". "Just get them", she said. She was right. Tingling in my tongue and lips indicated the anesthetics had worn off. I ignored it, until the tingling changed into a very unpleasant feeling in my lower jaw. Finally I decided to take the pills. Two at once, as I was told. Unfortunately, I took them too late. I am in pain! Suffering! And in doubt: shall I take one more pill?
Or not?

update @ 16:00 PM The painkillers definitely kicked in! Wee-hooey! I am not in pain any more! In fact, I feel great. Though I look quite silly with that stupid grin on my face... (I could never understand why lots of celebs were addicted to painkillers. I can now...)

 

Happy monday!

 

A day in the park...

Good ol' grass
Green... Soft... Cool...
And when you lie on it...
The only way you can look is up!

(Thank you Garfield for this spiritual description of park life!)

 

Idol?!

Too bad this little creature is not in the Idols... His version of the Scorpions' hit single "Still loving you" brought tears to my eyes... (thank you Komma Punt Log)

 

Talking bins

Talking rubbish bins have been put up in Berlin to help keep the city's streets clean. The bins, which come in five different types, have a solar panel that provides the energy for the electronic voice. A photo sensor registers rubbish thrown into the bin and sets off the recorded message.

The types of bin include Susi Schlau (Smart Susie) which thanks passers-by for throwing junk into her in English, French and Japanese. Hitlist Harry rewards tidy people with a song, while Siggi Sport rewards anybody who uses him with a stadium-style "Goal, Goal, Goooooooaaaal!" scream. (source: Ananova)

Pfff... That's nothing new. For over 20 years, maybe even longer, talking bins exist in de Efteling. They are shape like people, with huge bellies and an enormous opened mouth. They shout: "Paper here!" and when you throw something into their mouth -feed them, as I used to think when I was younger- they shout: "Thank you!" It encourages kids -and adults- to seek for more trash to throw into them! Unfortunately, overenthousiastic kids might throw in their moms handbag... (why are you looking at me? I would never, ever...)

 

Modern talk

"Hello?" (...)
"Sorry you got my voicemail earlier today." (...)
"My phone crashed" (...)
"How? Well I received a text message and an e-mail while surfing, and it did not like that at all" (...)
"I got a white screen and I tried to reboot it, but that did not work" (...)
*laughs* "No, I don't have ALT-CTRL-DEL on it" (...)
"I got it back online by uploading new software from the manufacturer's site" (...)
"Duh! Of course it works, I am talking to you, aint I?" (..)
"I just lost some photo's, a couple of appointments and unsaved settings" (...)
"No, I still have all my phone numbers, but I know now I should make more back-ups on my memory stick" (...)
"OK, talk to you later" (...)

Yes, they are talking about a mobile phone, not a computer or PDA, but who can tell the difference nowadays...

 

Excusez-Moi

For most people, the question "Ou-est le coffeeshop?" (pronounce:"Oo-ay luh coffeeshop", translation:"Where's the coffeeshop?") will sound as an innocent question -once you figured out the French. It is not. A Dutch coffeeshop is not Starbucks. Sure, they will serve coffee. Or tea. Or milkshakes. Or beer (only in Amsterdam). But their core-business is selling soft-drugs (hash and marihuana) semi-legally (bit complicated, but the Dutch drugs policy is explained here).

Anyway, every weekend and holidays my town is flooded by young French persons, as it is the first major Dutch city you encounter after crossing the border when traveling via Paris. I live in the center of town, so I will be asked the above question several times per day -well, when I am outside, that is, it's not that they'll ring my doorbell and... Anyway, I stray off the subject. Focus, Solly, focus! I really don't mind answering the question. To be honest, I like to help people and I have become fluent in giving directions in French to the nearest coffeeshop - a droit et apres deux cent metres, a gauche.

I just think it's so sad for all the French who visit our town for it's non-narcotic tourist attractions. We have a beautiful church, a castle or two, a forest... But as soon as they approach some-one in the street to ask for directions to that church, or castle and begin their sentence with: "Ou-est..." people will automatically give them directions to the coffeeshop. I have done that too.

Therefore, on behalf of my fellow citizens: Sorry.
We don't want to be stereotyped, so we should not do the same to "our" tourists!

update @ 11:00 AM I just noticed I am discussing actually several subjects I graduated in at secondary school... Time to declare "Solly's Secondary School Graduation Subjects-week"!
(...)
Any suggestions for tomorrows subject?

 

Final justice

Too bad my English teacher probably will never read this weblog...
<shoulder padding> "You are a GRAMMAR GOD! If your mission in life is not already to preserve the English tongue, it should be. Congratulations and thank you!" </shoulder padding>

If you want to find out how grammatically sound you are, fill out this Quizilla test.
(via meisjemeisje )

 

Advanced math

Blue skies, cumulus clouds, sun
Singing birds in the morning
Leaves in every shade of green you can imagine +
Spring 2004
Still no job +
Empty bank-account
Slightly bored Solly +
Very clean house

 

update @ 06:30 AM Inhaling when putting on a "fresh" nicotine patch... Definitely withdrawal!

 

Hold the presses!!!

Who cares that David Beckham admits his affair to Posh, that Diego Maradona presumably O.D.'d and McDonald's CEO died suddenly and unexpectedly...

 My love quit smoking today!!!

I will include daily updates of his withdrawal symptoms ;-)
update @ 17:30 PM One empty Pringles cylinder, 6 chewing gum wraps... I think my love's hungry...
update @ 20:45 PM He volunteered to do the dishes immediately after diner -even before he finished his coffee! I think he tried to suppress his cravings for an after diner fag...

 

Ground control to major Andre

Since this morning, at 5:19 AM CET "we" have a Dutch guy in space! I wish I was there, to watch Earth from above... Anyway, its a big happening over here, live coverage etcetera, but for the Russians it's routine: they have seen 1700 of these launches already...

 

Run Solly, Run!

I walked 30 km yesterday, in preparation for the Nijmegen Marches. For some people, anything above 1 (yes: one) kilometer is too far too walk, and they consider me a bit crazy in the head. I can relate to their feelings: I was watching the London Marathon and I just can not imagine how you would wanna run that far! By the way, I bet I could out-walk some of those runners...

 

Half-naked men (part 2)

I woke up this morning at 3:30 AM. Disoriented, yet convinced I had heard someone shouting outside. I got out of bed and peaked through the curtains. On the road below I saw a man. He was wearing shoes, a shirt and a jacket. No pants. Definitely no pants. I pinched my arm, rubbed my eyes and looked again. The man-without-pants was still there, yet hiding in some bushes now. I giggled, while thinking about my piece on Ironing men. Suddenly the man got out of the bushes and ran towards a passing taxi. "Stop!" he shouted "I was robbed!" he shouted. The taxi slowed down and stopped. The man talked to the driver. I couldn't hear what was said, but after a while the man said "never mind" and walked back into the bushes. The taxi took off. Hmmm, strange, very strange indeed. I phoned the police and described the situation. They promised to send out a car. Sure. I went back into bed, cause a half-- naked guy hiding in the bushes across the road gets boring in the end. 15 Minutes later, I hear a van outside. I peaked through the curtains: the police. They slowly pass the bushes, car lights trying to penetrate the dense vegetation. They did not stop or get out of the van. The man was not found. He had hidden from the light. When the police left empty-handed, he left the bushes. He looked around and up. I closed my curtains. 5 Minutes later, I peaked out again, only to see the half-naked man walking around the corner...

 

92 years ago...

(complete song can be found here)

 

Iron, man!

According to a survey by Philips Electronics -in association with a Dutch fabric softener brand- men iron half-naked (if they iron at all) and women iron less often then they did 10 years ago. (source: BNdeStem, in Dutch)

Personally, I don't find these results shocking at all. There's a logical explanation: sexist emancipation. I only iron my own stuff when I really have to, but I do it the day before. My love only decides he has to iron clothes, when he's already wearing them. The result is an "ironing-induced striptease" with me as audience. :-)) Nothing turns on modern women more than half-naked men doing household chores! Cunning, you say? Cheeky? Sure. Does it work? Definitely!

 

Enjoyed the silence?

Past couple of days have been very, very busy. Family on Thursday, my official birthday party on Friday -that everyone but two cancelled *snif* -because my love organised the surprise (and it definately was!) party on Saturday, Techno with DJ Marco Bailey late Saturday eve, eggs and Easter brunch on Sunday, birthday of sister-in-law and niece yesterday... Very busy, yet lots of fun!

update @ 17:00 PM Here's some photo's!

 

It's a bugs life

Yep, me too... Breedster is fun! I eat, shit, copulate (sometimes without even knowing it!), lay eggs...
I killed my Tamagotchi several times, I promise to do better this time!

 

Easter games

Enough of the painting, hiding and searching of eggs? Here is something to keep you busy when it rains, or to play when you wanna get away from your family: Attack of the killer pigs (requires Flash)

 

8=4+4

Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday dear Solly! Happy birthday to me!

As you might have guessed, it's my birthday, today... So bring out the cake, pressies and cards!

By the way, I told you yesterday about name-related coincidences? The things that happened on this day in history also have similarities: Buddha was born in the 6th century BC, and found his Nirvana 35 years later,
Kurt Cobain (of Nirvana) was found dead in his garage 10 years ago... (ruined my 18th birtday completely!)

 

What's in a name?

With a first name like mine, it's always weird to meet some one else who has 'my' name. Though it's a very common name in Scandinavia, you hardly ever hear of it in the rest of the world. A couple of months ago, I saw 'my' name on a flyer for a party. A French DJ. Male. His full name is Martin Solveig. "Funny", I thought, "I was Mrs. Solveig Martin in Delhi." (If you want to be respected by Indians, you can't live together with a man without being married -even if you're engaged. Due to the unpronounceable Dutch last name of my love, we used his middle name: hence, Mrs Solveig Martin). Anyway, Martin Solveig (the DJ) released an album. It's called 'Sur la terre' (On Earth). "Funny", I thought, "I have an M.Sc. in Earth Science." And now his newest single is out. On the radio, on MTV, in clubs, I can hear his 'Rocking Music'! It's not funny anymore! I am 'Solly as a Rock'! Just a coincidence? Or 'Nomen est omen' (a name is an omen)? A split personality, maybe?

 

2 Love Birds

All bloggers -at least, the ones I read on a nearly daily basis- seem to have cats. I don't. I used to have one- red, named Bugati- but she moved to my parents (garden), when I moved from my dorm to my love's floor- including allergic roommate... Now we live in an apartment without garden: not cat-friendly at all. However, we have birds instead. Therefore, even when we move to a house with a garden we need to wait till the birds die before we can accommodate a cat. Sounds awful, yet the other way around -bird dies due to accommodation of cat- is even more cruel.

Me and my love have two Lovebirds a.k.a. African miniature parrots. They are the cats amongst birds. They are cuddly, cute, hand tame, yet very self-willed and cheeky. They are the best paper shredders and wake up calls around. They try to build nests everywhere now -I guess Spring is in the air!- and protect me against RSI...

Anyway, following other blogger's example: here are some pics of our cats birds (click to enlarge!).

  

 

Proof

Monday, Monday (The Mamas and the Papas) :-S
Manic Monday (The Bangles) :-(
Come Monday (Jimmy Buffett) :-S
Monday Mornin Blues (Breathe) :-(
Thank God It's Monday (NoFX) :-)
I Don't Like Mondays (The Boomtown Rats) :-(
New Moon on Monday (Duran Duran) :-)
Blue Monday (New Order) :-(

Thanks to Listology: songs about Mondays. 2 neutral, 2 positive, 4 negative ones. I rest my case...

 

Sporty Sunday

I did not go out last night, because I had to get up early today for sporting. Walk 25 km and be back in time for lunch and the race in Bahrain. And what is the reward for this sportive behavior? This:

I am not the 'only when the sun shines'- sporting type, so I'll go. Though, there better be a hot choco ready when I get back!

 

Man vs compu

Inspired by me (maybe it was not that subtle to run around the house, while shouting 'Who's your ICT mama?!'), my love decided to clean up his computer rigorously... I haven't been able to get near my laptop -used as a backup for the desktop- or him since last night. Occasionally I hear grunting, lots of 'No! No!' and a 'tiny' bit of swearing.
It has been silent for an hour, now. Diner is almost ready, but I am too afraid to check in the study who won: my love or the computer. I aint gonna tell you, who -or what- my money is on!

(in case you wonder how I could type this piece, when all my computers are unavailable; we have an internet cafe around the corner...)

 

XML, baby!

It cost me whole morning, but my blog has a Site Feed now! <shoulder padding> I am really starting to become a blog pro... </shoulder padding> Anyway, I tried to explain to my love why Atom and XML are cool and handy for me, you and my site in my own words, but I failed. Here they do a much better job. Gotto go now, I have to add some funky buttons to my site and download a feed reader !

 

Your shoe laces are untied....

It's April Fool's Day! Personally, I am not a -Bart Simpson like- prankster, but I definitely like the big media hoaxes. Check out this Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of all time. Anyway, keep me posted about your personal pranks and jokes and please tell me, what's this year's funniest or most convincing -media- hoax.

update @10:25 AM Ananova has collected all jokes from the British Press. The most convincing one is a full-page advert in The Guardian, that says new technology from BMW means drivers can now cook their dinners from their car as they drive home from work. The advert directs readers to a website where the realisation of being duped on April Fool's Day dawns.