Hell froze over

My dad has a mobile phone!

It would have been even more shocking if he'd bought it himself, but I gave it to him. He said, he did not need it, but mom and us - his kids - have convinced him that it might come in handy some time. For emergencies and groceries. The man is nearly sixty, yet every morning - before work - he's on his bicycle delivering the newspaper, every evening he brings around mail. Sometimes he rides 40 km through the forest alone. Dad does not need a mobile, it's for our peace of mind he has one with him. Just in case.

Anyway, as my dad is not the biggest lover of new technologies, I wrote him a manual, and it's the same brand of phone as my mom's, so he'll be fine. I hope.

 

Warning: Girl Talk

"The following piece is not suitable for potential employers, ex-classmates, vague acquaintances and delicate people. If you even think you belong in one of the above categories or are below the age of 18, leave this site. If you stay, it's your own responsibility. Don't say I did not warn."

Since I have that Implanon thingy in my arm, my period is like a small town you pass with high speed: vague signs, not much to see and gone before you know it. Great for me, but MyLove really has to get used to this new chapter in the "How to handle Solly? Various examples, tips and tricks"-manual. After 7 years of one-week-a-month hormonal instability of yours sincerely, he now only gets 1.5 day (!!!) of slightly irrational behaviour. He sometimes isn't sure if it's hormonal, or if I'm just having a bad day. Even I am sometimes a bit confused - and that shocks him the most! "What do you mean, you THINK you had your period yesterday?!"

 

No posts today

... I'm reading

update 28 July @ 11.15 PM Done! I won't spoil anything, but the story is very good, very exciting, yet does not have a happy ending...

 

Update Outback Jack and Natalie

I was hooked on the show myself, and I was curious, too, how Nat and Jack were doing after the show ended. By popular demand, I have a very happy update:

Congratulations to Jack and Natalie on their recent engagement! According to Natalie, the couple hopes to wed this October in her home state of Kentucky, where she and Jack currently live. (source)

 

Darn car!

Halfway into the race, while driving in first place, Raikonnen's car fails - AGAIN! He really is the fastest driver this season, but his car is definitely jinxed. Next race, he has a loses 10 places as a penalty for changing his engine, too...

We're off to the movies now - Sin City!!!

 

Honey, I'm home!

The good news is: I completed my 15th Nijmegen Marches - with only one blister!
The bad news is: the crappy Dutch weather - grey, sometimes rain, windy, chilly -, the early wake up calls - 3 AM !!! - and the events before the marches, have taken its toll on my physique... I have the common cold. *sighs* Ah well, better now, than last week. Friday eve and yesterday I felt sheit, but I feel a wee bit better today.

And now for something completely different: two Dutch drivers in today's Formula One race, Raikonnen on pole... Guess what Solly's plans for this grey Sunday afternoon are. One hint: it includes a sofa and a TV...

 

Walk talk

I am off to Nijmegen, to participate in the International 4 Day Marches for the 15th time. There's no internet facility where I stay, so I'll see you all this friday, when I've - hopefully - completed my 4 times 50 km.

 

I Dance

After only 6 hours of sleep - which wasn't much after the only 2 I slept Thursday - it was time to prepare for the 10th edition of Extrema Outdoor.
It was warm, very crowded, but the atmosphere and the music were great! Mistress Barbara, Ritchie Hawtin, Remy, Derek Howell, John Aquaviva, Christian Varela, Josh Wink, Funk d'Void, John Digweed, Antony Rother, Marco Bailey... Been there, heard'em and danced to their music, too!

Images say more than words, so click here to get an impression of the festival!

 

U2 rocks!

A political gathering, a mass, but above all a rock concert - the best one ever! I was standing against (the fence in front of) the stage - 50.000 fans behind me - and I sang, waved, clapped, screamed and shed a tear - at 'Sometimes you can't make it on your own'... I can't wait for their next album - and tour!!


About the opening acts - this has to be in small print, U2 is the biggest band:
The Music played a mix between Live and Kula Shaker, but it was embarrassing to see the singer being high as a kite. Snow Patrol played plain rock, with good, fun lyrics. They did a pretty good job, 'cause I actually consider buying their album!

 

Time table

In 24 hours, five months after I bought the tickets, I will finally see U2 perform live in Amsterdam!!! *)

Yesterdays concert apparently was one of their best - and the best concert of the year(review in Dutch), so I'm very anxious for tomorrow!
MyLove will drive me to the venue tonight, so I'll have more chance to stand close to the band. I can't take my camera with me, but I'll try to take pics with the mobile...

*)By the way, don't expect updates on Saturday, 'cause I'll be at Extrema Outdoor festival... Great timing, ain't it? Busy? Not at all... By the way, have I told you already, I'll be participating in the Nijmegen International Four Day's Marches next week?

Did I hear someone say: 'hyperactive' or 'crazy'?!

 

MyLove counts down: geeky style

"Three, two,
two-and-a-quarter... "
(Solly: "You can't go up again" "Yes, I can, it's MY countdown")
"two, one-point-three, one, a half..."
*moment of silence*
"one-256th"
*geeky smile*
"one-512th, one-768th, one-1024th, one-2048th, one-five thousand..."

 

Bag lady (part deux)

A friend of mine saw this pretty bag in a shop and immediately thought of me. I truly love her - the friend, the bag, both, who will tell? -, and she will be listed in my will! (Yep, a serious case of handbagaholism)

 

F*CK!

A series of terrorist attacks in London this morning. Antiglobalists? IRA? Al Quaida?
Bastards!

 

How things change over time

50 years ago, the local newspaper featured the following article, entitled: Asbestos, nature's miracle!

If a house wife places a thin asbestos plate on the furnace to prevent her food from burning, she probably does not realise the fact, that this material once was extremely precious. In ancient times, asbestos was more expensive than gold and even considered to be a sacred material! The Greek and Roman emperors wrapped their precious treasures in asbestos sheets to protect them from nature's most destructive force: fire. Emperor Charles the Great once invited his enemies for diner and threw the table cloth into the fire place afterwards. When he took it out a while later, it was not damaged. The enemy, who did not know a thing about asbestos, thought Charlemagne was a magician, got scared and blew off war.

Nowadays, things are very different. Magic does not scare away the enemy - terrorists, president Bush, poverty - anymore and men in white suits from specialised companies have to remove the 'sacred material' from buildings...

 

Party in the park: an introduction

Since 2003, Tuesday evenings in July and August mean: Valkenbergconcert! It's our weekly 'Party - slash picnic - in the Park'. If it's not raining - sun and warmth are optional - we go. During the day, e-mails and text messages are sent to and received from friends. Who goes? Who brings what? For example, we always provide the picnic - one side is fleece, the back is plastic : ideal for wet grass -, seatsing for four; Xtal always brings great tapas, everyone brings a bottle of rosado...

Anyway, at 8-ish PM, I take the bottle of rosado out of the fridge, put it in my 'Valkenbergconcert-grab bag' (with cloth, plastic cups and - very important - an opener for the bottles) and jump on the backseat of my bicycle. MyLove drives, off course. On the way to the park, we both ring friends to check their whereabouts. Normally, we sit at the same spot every week.

There's two groups of people around, very easy to distinguish from each other. The music lovers and the ambiance lovers. We belong to the latter, without doubt. The first group stands, or even dancespreferablyly close to the podium. The second group sits, on their cloths, behind the first group. As long as the music can be heard, we're ok. The music lovers buy their drinks at the bar, the ambiance lovers bring their own. Bottles of rosado, cans of beer... In fact, they bring a lot of stuff, anything that enhances the ambiance. Food - mostly pringles and tapas, but last year I've seen BBQs and lobsters - candles aincensence sticks - smells nice and annoys the mosquitoes.



At 11 PM we went home, slightly tipsy. The music was very 'Buena Vista Social Club', the ambiance was chill. We said hi to several friends, the conversation varied between very profound and absolute nonsense. We had a great eve.

Same time next week?

 

The Return Of The Solly

I wasn't in the best mood the past couple of weeks. Outside I smiled, played happy Solly, but inside... I don't want to go into detail, lets just say the bucket flooded. Anyway, I did not want to "share the joy" with y'all, hence the silence on this blog. I have picked myself off the floor and promise to log as often as possible - daily, or at least a couple of times a week!
update @ 13.00 PM: As a token of my good will, I have given this log a mini-make over. What do you think about it?