Ladies night

Tuesday evening. Groups of women gather around the TV. Drink wine, preferably rosé, and watch dramadies - dramatic comedies - like Ally McBeal, Gilmore Girls and most importantly: Sex and the City. These TV-evenings have been an excuse for young, intelligent women to escape their busy lives and carriers. Once a week they can be just girls and chat about girl stuff with their best friends - only during commercial breaks, we don't wanna miss a thing!

Tonight the last episode of Sex and the City will be aired... (I know, I know, the show has finished a year ago in the US, but TV-show-wise we're a bit behind in this tiny country.) It's the end of an era. Off course, the evening will be filled with other dramadies, but it will never be the same... *sighs*
Tonight me and my bottle of wine will be on the sofa of my best friend Anne. For the last time we will tell Miranda to be a bit more sensitive, Charlotte to be less romantic, but to remain hopeful, Samantha to stay with Smith 'cause he's so cute and fight her cancer and Carrie... we will like her outfits - or laugh about them - we will tell her to leave New York and Big behind... though we started to really like Big. I have a bet with my mom: I say Carrie will live happy-ever-after in Paris with Petrovsky, mom says she can't live without New York or Big. Anne doesn't know yet. She says we just have to wait and see... and not spoil the fun! (I haven't read it, I just copied the link)

 

Why?

A friend of a friend, her ex in fact, committed suicide last week. A shock, off course, yet very surreal. First of all because I heard it by phone in the IKEA, next to a pile of bright colourful pillows. Second, because I did not think he was 'the type'. He seemed very stable, down to earth. Happy with himself, content with his life. Maybe stuff did not always go according to plan, but I never thought he would... Never a hint, never a cry for help...
He did not leave a farewell letter, yet in his journal he said he was not happy with his life, nor with himself. I guess I just did not know him good enough, he was 'the type'. Maybe he hinted or cried for help, maybe no one listened...

The funeral is this afternoon. I'll go, for two reasons. One: to support my friend. Two: to get answers. He could have gone to a therapist, yet he choose to leave this life. Why?

 

Venus vs Mars

Solly: "I've prepared your breakfast and poured you two cups of coffee, without you asking for it. You never bring ME coffee!"
MyLove: "Would you like some coffee then, sweetie?"
Solly: "No, but that's not the point!"

 

Crash course

Our babybird Mango can't fly properly. She's not paralysed, it's not a birth defect (like little Nemo's flapping flipper), we did it to her... We clipped one wing.*

She must know by now that she can't fly. She has tried and crashed a hundred times by now. But she is or stupid or really stubborn, cause she tries. Really hard. Most of the times, we place her on the floor, and after walking around for a bit, she'll start running and flapping her wings really fast. She'll take off alright, but crashes normally after reaching a height of 20 cms... Sometimes we place her on the wicker roller blind, with the others: Porgy and Ober. She happily climbs up and down with them, helps with deconstructing the blinds in order to get pieces of reed for Ober's nest, tsjilps to the others, they tsjilp back and after a while, Porgy and Ober will fly away. Uh-oh. Nine seven out of ten times we can reach her in time, but sometimes we are to late to catch her. She'll try to follow the bunch. She flaps her wings fiercely. She takes off. She flies!... for about a second and then she crashes. One meter down onto the slippery laminated flooring, so she'll often slide under the cupboard after her crash. We try not to laugh, but it is so funny! After we pick up the slightly disoriented bird we cuddle and comfort her and tell her - again - she can't fly. Then, we place her back with the bunch and pray we're on time for to prevent the next crash... Hopefully her feathers will grow back very soon!

*(Before anyone accuses me of cruelty towards animals: a crash course (LOL) in taming a Lovebird. If they are very shy, like Mango was in the beginning, its better to clip the wing, so she won't fly away from your hands every time you try to pick them up. Now she can get used to hands. Anyway, the wing itself isn't clipped, the inside feathers of her left wing are clipped unevenly. This way, she is unable to fly distance or great heights. By the time her feathers are grown back - yes, they grow back - she will be a tame Lovebird that we can pick up without frightening her).

 

She

He sat on the sofa, staring at the black TV-screen. Every minute he sighed softly... I recognised the signs: MyLove's in love with another. And I'm fine with it. Don't worry, I'm not the understanding type and we don't have a so-called free relationship. It's nothing like that. I know my man. It's never about a woman, but about an electrical gadget. Again...

I sat down next to him and asked him what's the matter. He sighed and looked up to me. "She's so pretty... and petite... and fast..." After a few minutes of silence, words and sentences suddenly started tumbling from his mouth. He needed her at work and DJ-ing and he could not live without her anymore. I was confused, that position had already been filled for a while. What was wrong with her? He looked away. She was getting old, slow and out of energy within minutes. She was holding him down in his professional and musical career. I could understand his feelings, but I wasn't sure if he could support a younger model... He admitted he couldn't, and looked at me with his puppy eyes. MyLove knows I can almost never resist those. I know, I'm weak, but I like to see him happy... and he was so happy when I gave her to him for our 81st month-anniversary today... I was kissed and hugged and moved aside.

I know my man. He will be under her spell for a while. I give it a week, and he'll be back with me.

 

Stupid blondes!

Blonde jokes are set to be banned in Hungary after blonde women staged an angry protest outside parliament. The protestors handed in a petition claiming they were being discriminated against in every walk of life by bad taste blonde jokes. And spokeswoman Zsuzsa Kovacs said: "Blondes face discrimination in the job market, in the workplace when they get a job, and even on the streets. "People are banned from discriminating against Jews, or blacks, so why not grant blondes the same protection." (source)

What happened to good old self-mockery?
Personally, as a naturally blonde, I can laugh my a*s off if I hear a good blonde joke...

 

Good Monday morning!

I woke up this morning with the delicate sound of drilling... Nice. After 15 minutes of trying to shut out the noise using 2, 3, 4 pillows, I got out of bed. I took a shower, got dressed and made coffee. All with the relaxing sound of nextdoor drilling. The minute I sat down to drink my coffee - very grumpy by now - the drilling stopped. It remained silent since then. I have been tempted strongly to go back in bed, but I'm pretty sure the neighbours will sense that, and get back to their noisy destructive activities.

 

Party hardy

What a night, what a night. I am still tired, though I've had my eight hours of sleep. I've lost my voice from all the cheering I did. My feet, my arms and my legs hurt, 'cause I danced my ass off at the pounding techno of the collaborating DJ's Chris Liebing and Speedy J!!!

 

Everlasting love

It's my grandparents 63rd wedding anniversary today. 63 years together. Can you imagine? Waking up next to the same person for 63 years? They have spend the majority of their lives - 70 percent to be exact - together. They are completely grown together. I don't think that if one of them dies, the other will live much longer.

Anyway, for them, today was a day like any other day. He brought her tea, she made him breakfast. They don't believe in giving each other gifts anymore - 'we have everything'. They say they won't do anything special on this special day... They lie, they do. She bakes him an apple pie and he buys her yellow carnations, just like he did on their wedding day. Thoughtful and sweet. Then the daily routine continues: a cup of coffee, lunch, she starts cooking diner. The routine is only disturbed by visiting children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
I once asked them for the secret to their success. Grandpa answered: 'It's all about compromise, argue whenever you want - don't bottle everything up - and make up as soon as possible.' Grandma added: 'Don't give up too soon. We've had our share of difficulties, too, but people nowadays file for divorce as soon as things get rough. Fight for your marriage and don't fall out of love with each other at the same moment.'

 

Schizophrenic

No appointments for today, nowhere I have to go and nothing I have to do. Finally I have several hours of me-time ahead, yet I'm not sure how to spend them. I am actually having an internal discussion with myself.
Part of me wants to block out the outside world, especially the rain. Just turn on the heater, curl up on my sofa, wearing my warm slippers. Read a book, listen to R.E.M.'s Automatic For The People...
Part of me wants to go outside and feel the rain. Put on my raincoat, rubber boots, umbrella. Go to the forest, splish-splash across the muddy paths, while listening to R.E.M.'s Automatic For The People on my walkman...
I could make a deal with myself - the key to a peaceful relationship: compromise! First I'll go to the wet, muddy forest, and then I'll get warm again on my sofa and a cup of hot coco. "We" will have a nice day!

 

Not!

Today's weather forecast on the radio: "In the southern half of the country it will rain continuously, and in heavy showers, too. Have a nice day."

 

Challenged

motor handicapped (mõ-ter han'dé kap'd) n the condition in which the transmission of impulses from the nerve centres to the muscles is interrupted unexpectedly. A side affect of this condition is bad eye-hand coördination.

This morning's score: one finger stuck behind the doorpost, one dropped sweetener dispenser (not broken, no spills), one dropped coffee mug with content (fell in sink, not broken, minor spill), one bowl of cruesli with yoghurt (plastic, on kitchen floor, cruesli yogurt combo splashed all over the place), one knee hurt against washing machine and a black eye when opening a cupboard at (doh!) eye height...

Personally, I really think this is one of my better days...

 

Do you ever wonder

... how they place the "don't walk on the grass" - signs on the lawn?
... why kamikaze pilots wore a helmet?
... why Noah did not kill the two mosquito's on his arch?
... if the people at the Pickwick factory have coffee breaks?
... if a rabbits tail is a lucky charm, what happened to the rabbit?
... how a thermos flask knows whether the drink inside should remain cold or hot?
... why sheep don't crimp when they dry after some rain and my woolen sweater does?
... why you have to make an appointment with a fortune teller?
... if there's another word for synonym?
... if married people really live longer or just think they do?
... why they put an expiration date on a cup of sour cream?
and just out of curiosity: do you ever wonder why I wonder about these things?

 

Drive

I have not driven a car since I got my drivers license almost a week ago... I don't own a car, so I have to depend on the charity of others. Yet, people don't want me to drive their cars - at least not during the day. I've been asked by several people to drive them home after a party next week, but I refused. Not that I don't want to be the designated driver now that I can legally do so, but... I just want them to trust me with their car. When I ask why they don't want me to drive, they say that it's because I only got the license a week ago. I'll have to practice more... Hello! I can't practice if they don't cooperate!
*sighs depressed*
Does anyone of you have a spare car? The lessons are still fresh in my memory, I know and follow all the rules, I won't speed and I will drive safely...

 

Zen and the art of...

Extreme Ironing...

 

Exteme sport ?!

An Australian diving club has claimed a world record in the extreme sport of underwater ironing. Some 43 members of Melbourne's Bay City Scuba Diving Club ironed in 10ft of water in Port Phillip Bay. Club spokesman Alan Igoe said the 25 minute dive, using cold non-electric irons, also raised £250 for charity. "We always try to do something to get our members diving after the winter break, but this gained momentum and took off as a chase for a world record," he said. The Australian divers snatched a six week old record from a sixteen-strong New Zealand group of ironists. Underwater extreme ironing was invented by German extreme ironist, Iron Lung, when he took his iron and board into the Mediterranean sea off Majorca in 2001. Extreme ironing founder, Steam, says: "I never realised how competitive the Aussie ironists were - as soon as the Kiwis took the record, they were there."

Some things come to mind after reading this:
What the f*** is the use of underwater ironing? It seems to me like a contradictio in terminus...
And when did ironing become an extreme sport?! I do it every week! (O.K., not in 10ft of water, but still.)
Isn´t this just a hoax - considering the name of the German (`Iron Lung`)and founder (´Steam´)? There are pictures of the action, though...

 

Today is...

... St. Martin's Day. Children walk around the streets after dark, carrying lanterns, and singing special songs. A bit like trick or treating: they are rewarded for their singing and the beauty of their lanterns, with sweets and other goodies.
... The start of the Carnaval season.
... 40 days before Christmas.
... My 'little' brother's first wedding anniversary.
... a happy day. Period. No fires, no bombs, no terrorism.

 

Spiral of Violence

I'm afraid to turn on the TV or radio these days. Afraid that I'll catch the news. This country has some very un-Dutch news nowadays. In fact, we have turned into world news! It's incredible how one f*cked up fundamentalist can destroy the delicate peace between the 'religious tribes' of this country. Tolerance: we're famous for it around the globe, but it's a habit sadly fading into the past.
Since Theo van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death as he cycled to work, a wave of arson attacks has targeted at least eight mosques, including one in my hometown! A Muslim school in Eindhoven was badly damaged in a small bomb blast on Monday and another one in Uden was set on fire last night. Graffiti on the last school indicated it was an 'act of revenge'...
Some Muslims signaled they are ready to strike back. Fire bombs were thrown at two churches in the central Netherlands in the early hours of Tuesday. After the attacks on Muslim buildings, an Islamic group has threatened to strike this country. We had already been the subject of several threats by Islamic extremists due to the presence of 1,300 Dutch troops in Iraq... This time, the statement said: "Stop the attacks on our mosques, schools and the Muslim community in Holland...before you pay a heavy price!". It is attributed to the Islamic Tawhid Brigades, which claimed responsibility for bombings last month in Egypt. (read more)

I just turned on the radio, hoping to catch a happy song or so to cheer me up. Big mistake. I heard the news about three Dutch police officers have been wounded in an explosion during an anti-terror raid this morning on a house in The Hague. There was a grenade blast and shots were also fired during the raid...

I can't take this anymore. This is not the country I grew up in... This is not America, or some 'religiously challenged' country in the Middle East... I wish I still was that little girl, who woke up in the middle of the night, scared and disoriented and her Mommy told her that it's all just a bad dream... 'I don't think, we're in Kansas anymore, Toto'.

 

vrOOm

Weeeeeeeeh! I have my drivers license! Finally! The exam did not go as perfect as I wanted, yet it was good enough. Baby can drive a car now - well, I could, if I had one (they still don't hand out free cars when you come to pick up your license...)

 

about:blank

I tried. I really tried. But I just could not find inspiration. I stared at a white screen half this day; I typed, retyped and deleted text - posts about birds, laundry and white fluffy clouds - the other half. I think its a Monday thing. Or maybe I just have a boring life. Who knows. I just wanted to let you know at the end of this empty day, that I'm fine. I'm still alive. I'm over the common cold. I was just out of inspiration.

I considered deleting this useless filling-the-screen post, but hey, this is my life-log and I can post crappy stuff on it whenever I feel like it!

 

Too smart?!

A Bulgarian woman rated the world's cleverest wants a British firm to give her a job after spending two years on the dole. Bulgarian Daniela Simidchieva, a mother of three, has five Masters Degrees and an IQ of almost 200. She's listed by the country's Mensa office as the world's cleverest but despite sending off hundreds of applications she still hasn't found a job. (more)

I won't draw any conclusions yet, as I am a lot dumber than her...

 

Fun on Friday (9)

At the end of this weird, surreal week (murder in the Lowlands, unlogical voting in the US, chaos in Palestina) I think it's time for something silly. Something to laugh about. The 'give-Dubya-a-Brain-game'!!!

 

Electoral deception

No... This can not be true... Not four more years of ´Dubya´...
This is really a crappy, depressing week so far...

 

The next president of the USA:

..... . .....*
(* fill in the blanks)

I stayed up till 1 AM, hoping to see the results of the US elections. Neck and neck all evening, slight advantage for George, but nothing to worry about just yet. It looked like it was going to be a long night, so I went to bed. When I woke up this morning, I immediately turned on the TV, hoping to see a smiling John Kerry and a depressed George Bush. I did not. "Too close to call" in Ohio, and it seems like it's gonna take a while to count all votes. However, it looks as if Bush is going to win the elections.
What? How? Why?
Can someone explain to me what the American people see in or know about George Dubya, that we - obviously - just don't see or get in Europe?

 

Silenced...

Controversial Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was shot dead this morning.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Controversial Dutch filmmaker and newspaper columnist Theo van Gogh, who made a film about violence against women in Islamic societies, was murdered in Amsterdam on Tuesday morning, police said.
Amsterdam police said Van Gogh had been stabbed and shot in the center of the city. Some Dutch media said Van Gogh had been planning to make a film about anti-immigration populist Pim Fortuyn, who was gunned down by an animal rights activist in May 2002. Van Gogh received death threats after "Submission" was broadcast earlier this year.(more)

I am shocked. Though, he WAS very controversial - he tackled subjects no one dared to burn their fingers on - I never expected this. He had a lot of enemies, received hate mail, death treats, but he laughed all the danger away. He did not want protection of any type. "I live in the Netherlands," he said, "You can have an opinion here, there's not censorship, we have freedom of speech!" ... I am afraid 'Freedom of Speech' died a bit today, too...

update @ 4 PM The killer has dual Dutch and Moroccan nationality. F*ck. I hoped it was 'just' an idiot, a psycho. Now the whole brutal killing gets a scary undertone of Islamic extremism (terrorism?)
update @ 6.30 PM Today it is exactly 911 days ago that Pim Fortuyn was murdered... And 11/2 is the Dutch emergency phone number... (coincidence? conspiracy?)
update @ 8 PM 20.000 people gathered at Dam Square in Amsterdam to commemorate Theo van Gogh. Not in silence, but with a lot of noise. A loud tribute to freedom of speech!!!
update @ 7 AM The suspect arrested for the killing of Theo van Gogh had ties with Islamic extremists and was a friend of a terrorist suspect, Dutch newspapers said on Wednesday. (more)

 

Vote for the right guy

Today is a very important and historical day. As you all might know (if you don´t, you must have been without any media for the past year or so) the people in the US will vote for their next president. It seems to be the closest election ever, though recent polls show a slight advantage for John Kerry. I´m not getting too happy yet, lots of voters will only decide in the voting booth. I just don´t get it. Is the choice so difficult? Why vote for Bush? Why vote for another four years of war about oil? Do the people in the US miss information or do we miss some? If the elections were held here, John Kerry would win with large numbers!

I´m hoping that Florida won´t mess up like in 2000 and that John Kerry becomes the 44rd president of the USA!!!

 

Snuffle, snort and sniff

Running nose, teary eyes, popping ears, sore throat... Oh, oh: It's common cold time - again...

I'll be in bed - I already spend the weekend in it - you just keep your distance from the screen - I'm spreading the virus... Atchoo!!! - and read some inspiring poetry.