One of those days

Yes, it's one of those again. Those days where you don't really have much to tell, so you keep quiet. Yet at the same time you're busy doing stuff. Like trying to make another book and failing. Like making another blog to try and sell your stuff (up and running now, I've already sold two things as well). Like doing the laundry. Oh, and like working of course.

But with all that busyness, I still don't think I have anything to tell. Although... there is another give-away coming up. Not talking about that yet though. Ah well, never mind, I might as well tell you now, seeing as how I've got nothing else to talk about.

As you know I've made a book of my ABC's (which is about 100 pages by the way), but I've also made another one: The Weighty Kitchen, which is also for sale. However, I will be giving away one hardback copy of 'The Weighty Kitchen'. It contains stories concerning food and of course recipes I've posted on my blog (although some are new). For a chance to win? Easy: just leave me a comment, telling me about your favourite food  or a foodie memory. Entry to this give-away will be closed next Sunday midday CET.

Good luck!

I am sailing...

My mother told me this morning that there were a lot of photos of my parents floating about on the internet. When I heard that I was quite surprised, since I don't know about that. But, since my mother is quite the digitally challenged I had to wait for my dad to be home so I could find out exactly what this was all about.

When he phoned me back about an hour later it took me a while to find out what they were talking about and even my dad couldn't find the photos at first. Until something clicked with me: photobucket. Back in the days of my very very first Dutch blog (around 2005/2006), I had put up quite a few photos of some of the trips I did. Also several photos of little outings with a singles club which I thought were lost in the big crash (the one where I hit my computer and killed it stone dead). In the end I downloaded them all on my computer again and then deleted them from public view.

So, which photos did I find? Well, the one at the top for example. This was taken sometime in 2006 or 2007 when I took some sailing classes with that singles club. Day one had been cloudy and there had hardly been any wind. Day two had the sun come out and the wind pick up. I tried and tried to do some proper sailing, but I never really got the hang of it. I am great with the 'doing as you're told' bit, but doing it by myself proved a lot more difficult. I think I will stick to driving a bus!

Vampires

I wasn't bothered by vampires last night. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not usually bothered by them anyway, but last night I definitely wasn't. Because I had chicken for dinner. No ordinary chicken though, chicken absolutely covered with garlic. We could smell it from the restaurant and we were sitting furthest from the kitchen!

The job I had to do yesterday was to drive some insurance company to their annual new year's reception. While waiting before we were due to leave again I and several other drivers plus the support staff had dinner at a chicken restaurant. Starting off with rather a bland chicken soup, followed by garlic with chicken wings, accompanied by nice chunky fries and salad. Afters was a tasty yet quite boring ice cream. Although I wouldn't really have like a chicken chocolate mousse instead!

Fortunately I'm off today, so all that garlic can work itself out of my system, even if it does come in handy for warding off vampires!

I can feel my tongue again

I had to go to the dentist again today. To have those cavities filled. I had thought of asking my Mum to come along, but felt that at 39 I should be able to do it alone and I am glad to say: I was! Mind you, if I hadn't had the anaestheasiasiaas-whatever, they could have scraped me off the ceiling, but the dentist is a nice man and gave me two little pricks in my mouth. Of course, once he started drilling I realised I needed more knock-out stuff, but even that was fairly okay.

He drilled, he brushed, I swallowed and nearly choked, he filled, he sanded, he hoovered and I nearly choked again. Right now I am still half drooling, although my tongue has gone back to normal and my lower lip is on its way as well. My top lip however is still numb and not even tingling yet.

Do you know, when looking back at what the dentist did, it sounds more as if he was a carpenter and not a dentist!

The Alphabet

My first book 'The Weighty ABC' is about to go global. Well, as long as people buy it I mean, otherwise it will only be a book by me and for me. Interested? Click on the thingy on top of the sidebar and off you go...

I managed to figure out the paypal thing and the other thing about the book and combine it all and ah well, you get the idea!

Waking up is never easy to do

I hate getting up early. Which is why I have an alarm clock at either side of my bed (two in total). So I won't oversleep. I have learned over the years that the snoozebutton is a great thing, since it allows me to wake up a bit easier I guess. Hitting that snooze button is the best part in waking up.

Last night as I went to bed (after first rescuing the big ginger monster who I had locked in), I set my alarm clocks at 4am. Which really means 3.50am, but never mind that. For some reason though, I didn't hit the snooze button on my radio alarm, but the off button and when I woke up again at 4.20am by my beep beep alarm I was in a bit of a panic. I realised I was running late. So, after a quick wash I got dressed and made my way downstairs. I fed the monsters, I got the drinks out I wanted to take to work with me and looked at the kitchen clock. It was five minutes to five. I wasn't due to start work until 6.30am. I had gotten up an hour early!!

I had breakfast at home (oatmeal) and was even able to write this post. Now I have to psyche myself up again for a full day's work (I won't be finished until 7.30 pm tonight!).

To be married or not to be married, that's the question

One of the things I often hear is 'are you married/in a relationship' and the next question is almost invariably: 'why not?' (since the answer to the first question is obviously no). But I am lying a little really. As a matter of fact I did get married once and I also wore a wedding dress. Though not at the same moment. Have you got question marks in your eyes now? Are you looking at the screen now and thinking: what on earth? And she never told us?

The thing is you see, I kind of forgot all about it. Because it happened quite a while ago. About 33 years in fact. The marrying part that is. The wedding dress was about 29 years ago. Totally unrelated.

Now, don't think my parents gave me up for a camel and three goats (although they might have done, we didn't go to my grandparents' farm that often). In fact, I don't even think my parents knew about it. SURPRISE!!!

So, since you are all great mathematicians and you can count and you all know of course I am at this moment 39, you have gathered that I must have been 6 when I got married. Well, that wedding. It was great. I think it was attended by my brother and the groom's sister and it happened in my bedroom. I think I wore a veil, although it has been so long ago, I can't quite remember. His name was Kees and he lived on a river freighter (a boat). I had seen him once before and our 'wedding' was the last time. We never did officially get divorced though...

More counting fingers proves that I was about 10 when I wore the wedding dress. My teacher wore the grooms' outfit (albeit only the top, the bottom was a soccer outfit) which caused quite a bit of hilarity. This time my parents knew of it: the dress I wore was my mother's actual wedding dress. Shortened a bit of course. 

Of course in latter years I have been proposed to three times (one drunk, one for sex, one for money, all turned down) and I have had some very dodgy boyfriends or nearly boyfriends. A Northern Irish guy who looked great. Even in the Interpol 'Wanted' photos after he held a couple at gunpoint while robbing their hotel. And a baker with a sideline in stripping (didn't stay with him long enough to actually see that). 

So, now you know! Any questions? 

I blame Gattina

And what do I blame her for? Well, I went to bed at 2.30am this morning, that's what! And all because she mentioned the dreaded B words: Blog to Book. She wasn't the first one and I had been thinking about it before as well, but it had gone a bit out of my head. Until she mentioned it. Now, any normal person would have decided it would be a great thing to do and since I have the weekend off... But no! Not me. I got started last night. And finished it last night as well. My first blog-book!

I didn't put in all my posts. If I had, I wouldn't have made it into work today! I only did the ABC's and that was enough work in itself. But I have to admit, it turned out beautiful. If I say so myself. It's on order now and you should be able to order it as well. As soon as I have this whole paypal thing worked out that is, but I felt that was going a bit far last night. Nor will I be doing it tonight, since I have to get up tomorrow morning at (help) 3.30am! This coming weekend though, in between the biathlon races, I might be able to sort everything out!

Down in the dumps

According to a newspaper article I read this morning, today January 17th is the most depressing day of the year. Because Christmas is past, Easter, Mothering Sunday and spring are still far away and the only thing looming in front of us is winter, cold, snow and other dreary things. Are you depressed now yet?

Well, I won't be going along that depressive path. For starters I like the winter with its cold and snow and ice. Not rain though, that's horrid. But snow and cold, yes, I can handle those!

And to prove that I am not an unhappy chappette, a little proof that I like cats. I don't know who's it was, certainly not ours, but I liked it then and I like them now!

Happy January 17th!!!

Laugh

Something that made me laugh today as I was watching an old black and white German film from the sixties. A father made his son brush his (longish) hair out of his eyes and said: "Aushilfs Beatle". Now I don't know the proper English word for it (Gattina, help!), but it means something like: extra Beatle help. I think.

Well, it made me laugh anyway!