Categories for General

A beautiful day

The cats wake me up this morning, scratching at the door. I get out of bed and give them something to eat. Then i get back in bed, i read some blog feeds in Newsify and then i fall asleep again.

Around 11 i get out of bed once again. Mieke is lying on my bed, sleeping. I empty the litter box, clean up the floor around it where there are specks of white litter spread around. I take my pills. I got a light form of diabetes, which i can handle so far with pills only. I fill the water pot in the room with new water. I give the little plants from the supermarket water, also the grass for the cats.

Then i make breakfast. I bake some bacon, whisk an egg with some pepper and salt and add it to the bacon. In a minute it was baked. I put it on two slices of rye and spelt. It’s the first time i’m having this bread, and i love it! I love my bread with egg and bacon. Yummy!

I listen to some music. Just my mix tapes on spotify shuffled. I look outside, i see the blue sky and the sun shining. I get up, brush my teeth, dress up and put on some sunscreen. I go outside. It is lovely!

I walk slowly through the center to the West Kruiskade and go inside Kiem Foei. I order a small saoto soup with no egg and sit down inside. Then i see someone else saying that he will go and sit outside. I thought about it for a few seconds, then stand up and sit outside too, in the sunshine.

My soup is served. I chat a bit with that rather lovely guy. About the soup, about the weather, about the things to see happening on the street. He is cute.

When i am done i sit for a short time, then i stand up and walk to the Nieuwe Binnenweg through the park next to the oriental supermarket. Towards the end there is a green grass field where i walk on. I lie down for a bit. My head on my bag.

It is beautiful. I close my eyes and feel the sunshine warm my arms and my face. My arms are spread out. I feel the short grass. I take a little wooden stick in my fingers and twirl it for a while between my fingers. I look to the left, to the back of the houses, to the gardens. I can hear the traffic around. The deep hum of all the machinery and cars moving around. But in between there are birds whistling. Insects flying around. A soft whirl of wind cooling my face. I turn to the right. I see people walking on the paths. I can’t hear what they talk about. I don’t care.

I sit up. I see a small red beetle in the grass. He was like two three millimeters large. With a stick and some small dried up leaves i made a shelter for little beetles like that. Not that it will last. But i enjoy doing it.

I stand up. Walk out of the park at the Gouvernestraat. Walk past the old Lantaren Venster. Turn towards the Nieuwe Binnenweg. Walk to the Oude Binnenweg. Cross the Coolsingel and walk besides the Hoogstraat to the market and to the Pannekoekstraat. My intention is to go and drink some coffee at the Coffee Company, but i change my mind and go to Charlie’s Kitchen. I order a latte and cheesecake. Since a week i don’t drink coffee at home, so i do allow myself a bit more coffee outside. And the cheesecake was a bonus.

I sit there, outside in the sunshine quietly eavesdropping on some talks going on around me. Miss half of it.

I walk home. Around the corner. Basically. I checked e-mail, looked a twitter and facebook. Read some posts. I wrote an e-mail to a friend who i would like to interview for this website. I link the two interviews i already did and write a bit about the questions i want to ask. I watch the Great British Menu. It’s a rerun on dutch tv. I have already seen it, but i do like it. So i watch it again. After that i watch Gino’s Italian Escape on belgian tv.Then i lie on the couch and listen to some music.

Around half past six i make a salad with tomatoes, spring onions, cottage cheese and a roasted pepper. It is fresh. I watch De wereld draait door and after that i start to write this post. I give myself 45 minutes, until The Avengers start. The last movie i saw in the cinema. I am still a Joss Whedon fan. I actually saw Buffy the Vampire Slayer at the Rotterdam Film Festival in 93. It was a nice fluffy break in the rather serious movie schedule. I do remember enjoying it. To be completely forgotten of course for a couple of years.

I did enjoy seeing the Avengers again.

And now i’m here, finishing this post. I actually go through the whole post and rewrite most of the verbs i use to the present tense. I like the present tense!

It is a beautiful day.

Published on April 21, 2015 at 6:00 by

A tired day

For tomorrow’s post i did have some ideas. I did want to do a beauty post and make up my eyes. But i do feel really tired, and it shows, so yes, that’s a bit vain, but hey! it’s a beauty post! So that will be a post on a later day.

Then i thought of these two old agenda’s i still have. Or well, i actually do have more, but these two have pictures in them of my favourite bands. They are from 78/79 and 79/80. But i didn’t come around to photographing them, so that will need to wait for a later date too.

Then i played a little world of warcraft. On Friday my subscription will end. I have already said goodbye a few weeks ago. I did collect a few more music scrolls for the music box in my garrison. The Ghost one, where you need to be dead. The one from the vendor walking in Grizzly Hills. I don’t think i will log in again.

Then i started to feel really tired. While i was playing wow that is. So i stopped and lied on the couch. I didn’t sleep, but i was starting to relax a bit more. Which is good! To be honest, my sleep is still very irregular. But today, when i do relax, i start to feel the tiredness creep up in me.

I bought some wine. I made a pasta with veggies and chicken thighs.

And now it’s nine o’clock. I might just see if there is anything interesting on tv. But i don’t think there is. I might dance a little. That’s been like more than a week ago – i would like that.

And then i go to bed. Trying to fall asleep. It’s OK anyway, i don’t mind too much not sleeping that well these days. My mind is still racing.

Good night lovelies, have a good weekend!

Published on April 17, 2015 at 6:00 by

Deacon Blues

Today, Easter Monday, i visited my mother and her husband. I went with the train to Amersfoort, a one hour trip from Rotterdam. I listened to my favourite tracks.

The Netherlands is this very specific country where almost everything is defined and delineated. Even the country side in the west has the lines of the water around it. I do love it, in its way.

One song i turned louder, Deacon Blues.

Steely Dan – Deacon Blues Lyrics
This is the day of the expanding man
That shape is my shade
There where I used to stand
It seems like only yesterday
I gazed through the glass
At ramblers, wild gamblers
That’s all in the past

You call me a fool
You say it’s a crazy scheme
This one’s for real
I already bought the dream
So useless to ask me why
Throw a kiss and say goodbye
I’ll make it this time
I’m ready to cross that fine line

[Chorus]
I’ll learn to work the saxophone
I play just what I feel
Drink Scotch whiskey all night long
And die behind the wheel
They got a name for the winners in the world
And I want a name when I lose
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide
Call me Deacon Blues

My back to the wall
A victim of laughing chance
This is for me
The essence of true romance
Sharing the things we know and love
With those of my kind
Libations
Sensations
That stagger the mind

I crawl like a viper
Through these suburban streets
Make love to these women
Languid and bittersweet
I’ll rise when the sun goes down
Cover every game in town
A world of my own
I’ll make it my home sweet home

[Chorus]

This is the night of the expanding man
I take one last drag
As I approach the stand
I cried when I wrote this song
Sue me if I play too long
This brother is free
I’ll be what I want to be

Songwriters: BECKER, WALTER CARL / FAGEN, DONALD JAY
Deacon Blues lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Published on April 7, 2015 at 6:00 by

Busy busy busy

A day my mind simply races forward and nothing comes out of my hands. I do need to stop doing that!

I have so many things i could be doing right now. And i don’t do any of it.

I have a cat sitting beside me who wants to be petted.

I’ll just go and make a cup of tea and have a fruit cookie. I’ll pet the cat, watch a bit more tv and then go to bed.

Nothing of this shit tomorrow though! Work!

Published on March 26, 2015 at 6:00 by

Home

I stayed at home today. Dreaming away. Halfway the sun came out. I was thinking about what to make for tomorrow, i wasn’t sure. Then i saw the sun and the light reflecting on the water shine on the wall. I had to charge up the battery in my camera for a bit. Then i made some pictures. It reminded me of the ones i made in art school. Photographing the flat surfaces with little details popping in at the edge. Apart from the top picture, which is simply one i really like.

So well, this is it. I had loads more, but these are the ones i picked. Enjoy!

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Published on March 23, 2015 at 6:00 by

The post after sex

Yesterday, Monday, i spend around 5 hours writing the previous post ‘Sex’. Afterwards i felt very tired. I got the idea in the morning, and for some reason i liked it. I still do. I don’t have much trouble talking about these so-called private things. But writing and getting the response to a post like that takes a lot of energy. So today it’s gonna be a bit of a nothing post.

Today, Wednesday, i will cast my vote for the provincial election. And this evening there is a VvE (Homeowners Association) meeting in my house, so i gotta clean up a bit and get some coffee and cookies.

Tuesday was a lovely day. I went to the market with no coat on. All around were people sitting on the stairs and chatting and enjoying the sunshine. Lovely. I might do a walk today. Depends on the weather. I still want to walk around the island below the Van Brienenoordbrug. Take the tram there and walk around and then see if i walk back or take the tram back. I’ll decide tomorrow!

I’m gonna watch a bit of tv now and go to bed early.

*hugs*

Published on March 18, 2015 at 6:00 by

A busy week

Exactly that, a busy week.

Finding myself taking things a bit slower than i would have liked. But hey, that’s just how it goes.

Last week i had an interview, which i recorded. I’m still in the process of translating and writing the article itself. I do enjoy it, but it’s moving on a bit slow.

Last week, after the interview, my initial thought was getting straight at it, but instead i made a long walk in the sunshine. I got really tired. That tiredness didn’t move away the next days. Today i still feel it.

I will start cooking soon. Two sausages. Simmer them in red wine with shallots, mushrooms and bacon. And a mash with parsnip and potato.

But yeah, it was a busy week. Even though i’m moving on slower than i wish, i’m taking steps. They might be tiny, but they are in the right direction.

Gonna go cooking now. I do hope you enjoy your monday.

Best wishes.

Published on March 16, 2015 at 6:00 by
A lazy sunday

A lazy sunday

Today i was terribly lazy. I got out of bed around ten. Hmm, i should say it differently. The first time i got out of bed it was around nine. I fed the cats. I turned on my heater. I went back to bed. I watched some youtube video’s. I sort of dazed of. Then i got out of bed. Around ten.

Made my breakfast. Two slices of bread. An omelet with cheese and parma ham. I turned on the television and zapped around a bit. Watched some classical music, saturday best bites, the news, a bit of Buitenhof. I wasn’t that into the people being interviewed, so i turned the tv of.

Listened to some music. My own MIX tapes on Spotify.

I started to think a bit about the post i knew i had to make today. Maybe about my hair washing ritual. Or i could go for a walk? I had no idea.

Around three i stepped into the shower. By that time i knew i wasn’t gonna go for the hair washing idea. I didn’t feel like photographing myself. I also knew i wasn’t gonna go for a walk. I wanted to stay in. I had a slice of bread with the more than a week old avocado, which was still good.

I washed my hair. I washed me. When i got out of the shower, i used some of the homemade body butter. For my feet, legs and arms. I turned on the television, watched some skating. More thought about what i should write crept up. Something about an old present. About the book i was reading? About my first classical love, Rudolf Escher?

I heated up the risotto i made yesterday. I watched the classical music show from Paul Witteman. After that i watched the vtwonen get-your-home-changed-for-you show. I made some chocolate milk for myself. Maybe Joss Whedon? My eyes went to my bookcase. Cooking books! Or sci-fi? Or the design work on this website?

I had to make a decision. Even though i do have until six tomorrow morning. I wasn’t gonna spend the entire night writing or making something. No idea was sticking. I danced a little. With my headphones on. Not really going out of my mind.

Watched a little Miss Congeniality. Which i have seen twice before, maybe even three times. Or four! Maybe i should write about today. About this lazy sunday. About the thoughts i had about what to write.

The idea stuck. And Homeland started. I got me some red wine, left over from yesterday. I don’t download anymore since tvtorrents.com went down. But Homeland is on Dutch television, so i’m following it. Not sure what i’m gonna do when Game of Thrones and Mad Men start. We’ll see.

And after Homeland had stopped, i poured the last red wine in my glass. Sat behind my computer and started writing. This piece. About today. I made an image first, with a gradient from orange to magenta/red.

A new month has started. My fourth week on this website. Time flies.

Good night lovelies.

Published on March 2, 2015 at 6:00 by