Scratch 2005

*scratch, scratch*
Thanks to the mosquito community inside my apartment - who kept me awake all night with their annoying buzzing activities!- , I hereby declare the mosquito-season 2005 officially open!
*scratch, scratch*

 

DIY Geology

Apparently, my kitchen is a geological laboratory. I have coal in my electrical oven and a glacier in my freezer. This morning, I discovered at least 8 millimeters of carbonate deposition in my kettle. What's next, the formation of a delta in my sink?

 

Job Ad

Despite my geological background - M.Sc. and mud logging experience with Halliburton - I can not seem to find a decent job that area. I am ready to switch carriers, but I have no clue in which direction I should look - most non oil/gas companies have no clue what to do with a geologist either...
I have strong communication skills - written and verbal-, excellent analytical skills, I am a problem solver, well organised, flexible, creative, enthusiastic and eager to learn new stuff. I want a challenging job, preferably projects, maybe a bit of research... I am not exactly sure what I want, but I do now that I don't want to do the same thing every single day.
Any suggestions?

 

Life at the Solly mansion

After several attempts to shout a question across the apartment to MyLove, I walk the 'distance' from my desktop in the study to MyLove - and his laptop - in the winter garden. "Could you please log in to Messenger?", and return to the study.

*ping*. MyLove has logged in.
*ping*. "Coffee?"
I smile. MSN Messenger really makes conversation easier... ;-)

 

Heroes of Techno

After last weeks dance deception, we desperately needed a proper dose of pounding techno. And we got it! Last night, we danced six hours non-stop (!!!) to the industrial, original and uplifting techno beats of Michel de Hey, James Ruskin and Ben Sims at P60. Here's some photos...
I can go to sleep now - with a smile on my face!
Boom-takka-takka-takka, boom-takka-takka-takka, zzz...

 

Update

1.
I walked 30, 40 and 30 kilometers on respectively last Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
2.
I went to see a certain 100% female DJ last Saturday and - how do I say this nicely - it wasn't what I expected. The music she played was flat, uninspired, there was no contact with the audience... Elevator music. The 'warming-up DJ' was much better!
3.
The outdoor party I went to on Sunday was much more fun! The music was not really my favorite, but at least it was uplifting and energetic. Plus there were lots of friends and happy people.
4.
I spent yesterday morning with Sonne, my one year old baby sit kid. The afternoon was filled with five hours of painting a two-story window frame, at Big BiL's. I had lots of fun painting and chatting with X10, my pregnant - of two!- sister in law.
5.
As I had a pretty busy couple of days, I have decided to do nothing today. No e-mails, no paperwork, no nothing. I am booked again for various indoor and outdoor activities from tomorrow till the end of next week...
6.
If anyone wants to clean my apartment, feel free. I can not seem to find the time for it myself.

 

It's a boy!

Yesterday at 14:35 PM, two weeks earlier than expected and via a c-section due to a breech presentation, my oldest friend Anouk gave birth to a son, named Mattis. I just went to the hospital to see her, the (still in shock) father and the little boy wonder... No photo's - sorry - but I will place the birth announcement card (designed by Anouk and MyLove) here somewhere next week.

 

Ignorance is a bliss

Yesterday was Thursday the 12th, tomorrow is Saturday the 14th. That makes today Friday the...
12+1th or 14-1th.
I refuse to admit it is "that certain number". All goes well on "that day" as long as I don't say or think the day/date combination exactly. As soon as I say - write or think- 'Oh dear, today's Friday the hummana-hammana', I realise what mayhem could happen to me on this date and all hell breaks loose immediately.
I will be attacked by a black cat, hit by a falling ladder, trip over a broken mirror and tons of salt will fall on my left shoulder.
But not today. I will just pretend today is Friday the 12plus1th. Period.
Superstitious? I sure am. Cautious? Absolutely!

Anyway, how do you survive this particular day?

 

Desperate housewife...

A mother-of-three is to spend three months in jail instead of paying a parking fine to get a rest from her 'demanding' children and 'lazy' husband. Maria Brunner waved to neighbours as police drove her away for not paying a £50 fine that had risen to £2,500 because it had been left unpaid. The 38-year-old said she had had enough of scraping a living for her family as a cleaner every day while "my lazy husband sits on his backside doing nothing". She added: "As long as I get food and a hot shower everyday, I don't mind being sent to jail. It means I can finally get some rest and relaxation without having to cook, wash and clean for everyone." (read the complete story on Ananova)

 

A rainy Saturday...

... and I walked 25 kilometers trough and around 'Het Amsterdamse Bos'.

 

Celebrate good times, come on!

Today, the Dutch celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the liberation of Holland in May 1945 by the Allied forces.
Also, today is the 40th day after Easter: Ascension Day. Though this is a religious holiday, here, in my town, it marks the start of the annual Jazz festival!

Pfff... Not one, not two, but three very good reasons to celebrate, dance and have some fun, only days after the last festive occasion. I hope I'll survive, I am not that young any more...

 

BiL power

L'il BiL *) has Becker Muscular Dystrophy: a genetic disorder that causes muscle weakness and affects only males. It is a milder variant of the better known Duchenne type of MD. Unfortunately there is no cure at present, but Becker is generally slowly progressive - yet he might end up in a wheelchair around his 40s or 50s... Right now, he is recalcitrant, frustrated about his physical limitations and refusing to accept his disease. In short: a very normal adolescent ;-)

L'il BiL started college two years ago. First he tried Civil engineering, but that was terribly dry material. Now, he studies Bio-Informatics, but the extensive computer programming is too much for his muscles. He has developed RSI. So next year, he wants to enroll in Media & Entertainment Management. I looked at the brochure and it seems perfect for him! Creativity ánd management: that's L'il BiL.

Unfortunately, the college has an intake selection. In order to make a smashing impression on the selection committee, he has decided to not only write a catchy application letter, but also design a flashing website. Great idea, but how about the realisation? The guy has RSI, remember? That's why we have come to the rescue. We love him *coughs* very much *coughs*, so I type the letter, and MyLove designs the site - with L'il BiL's instructions of course. In order to find the perfect background for his site, we looked on the net. I clicked here, and there, and where ever he pointed at.

I clicked a couple of clicks to much: this morning I woke up with a very painful right shoulder blade muscle. Every word I type hurts and I click left-handed now.

However, I will finish his letter of application today. Pain or no pain. My muscle aches will go away after a bit of rest - and a proper seating position behind my PC. L'il BiL's won't.

*) MyLove has 3 brothers: one is older (32), two are younger (23 and 20). Hence, I have 3 Brother-in-Laws, or BiLs. According to the annotation of famous trios in fairy tales (the Three Bears, Three Little Piggies), I call them Big BiL, Middle BiL and L'il BiL. Capice?

 

Grey

At first I thought my alarm clock was ahead of time. Then, I thought the sun had forgotten to rise, or maybe she was on a strike? When I heard the thunder, I realised it was just your average Spring morning in the Netherlands: heavily clouded, pouring rain and cold!

 

BBQ Season 2005

Sunny, blue skies, 27 degC....
Today we celebrate the official start of the BBQ season!!

 

Orange

This year's Queensday was a ball! Unlike last year, me and MyLove did not go to Amsterdam, yet we spent it in our home town. I had two six-packs of Schultenbrau half liter cans in my backpack, some money to spend and a cell phone to find our friends. When the sun started to break through around noon, nothing could go wrong! First we went to the Vrijmarkt in the Town Park. I bought U2's October - I only had a vinyl version, full of scratches - for two euros, and MyLove bought the complete works of Dr. Alban - sentimental reasons, I hope - for one euro a piece. Then we met up with my brother and his family and chilled a bit in the grass. Our friends joined us a bit later. Somewhere around diner time I had a large portion of chips - with lots of mayonnaise (see Pulp Fiction) - and the whole gang strolled to the Central Square. We did a little dance, had a lot of fun and finished the beer. MyLove had a gig that night, so he left the party at 8. I went to bed a midnight and had happy, orange coloured dreams!