The last few days of the year...

You know what? I had a GREAT Christmas!

I was a bit apprehensive about the weather and my scooter and the groceries but much to my surprise the scooter started quite easily and I got all my groceries in! Not too much of a wait in the supermarket and I found everything I needed.

Thursday the 23rd my mom and stepdad came by. They had visited my ex for his birthday and thought it a good plan to come visit me too ;) I got a lovely Christmas hamper from them, all luxury stuff I really really like but am too cheap to buy for myself :p Like wild Alaskan sockeye salmon, truffle oil, the choco and vanilla flavoured coffee I like...And a bottle of Christkindl Gluhwein, might I wanna get toasted :')

Stepdad accompanied me to the furniture store to get me a deskchair and there I got another Christmas prezzy! One pretty leather chair with aluminium armrests was on sale for only €50! Stepdad made me attentive of it, he jokingly said: 'Don't you want the pretty white one?' and I was like: 'Hell no!' but I looked and then saw the same model in black was €40 off! So that made things really easy: instead of the 'Conny' chair for €89,95 I now have a 'Stan'. Of course I put it together all by myself and it sits lovely :D

My son called me Friday, if I was ok with watching the whole 'Lord Of The Ring' series on extended DVD. Years ago, when they came out, we went to see the movies on his birthday and the Christmas after that, I got an extended DVD set for 3 years in a row. And we watched those too but we never tried to watch the whole series in one sitting!

So Saturday, Christmas Day, my son came and I gave him his prezzy, Jamie Oliver's America. I think he liked it ;) After that, we started our LOTR marathon, took some pauses to cook (kale mash, his alltime fave) and eat and drink. He went home at about 3 am!

When he was gone I went online and didn't have to wait too long for my darling to come online too, from the car with his internet-toy ;) He had been visiting family and was on the way home with his parents and little brother.

On Boxing Day or St. Stephen or as we call it: Second Day of Christmas, I decided on a luxury PJ day, put on a black satin nighty and my black velvet robe...oh and a legging for the cold :p I still had more than enough food, my darling had the day off so that was a nice day too.

And now 2 days later I am still feeding on the remains of Christmas! I was thinking about going out to do some shopping but hey, why go out in the cold without any good reason? Tomorrow I'll have to because I'll be out of milk ;)

Just a few more days and this year will be over... A lot has happened, it wasn't a very good year but neither a real bad one. I am still looking for a place of my own (very hard) and a job (still sort of in the running for one).

But I also had some good news, and my mom is doing fine... All and all, I can't complain!

Let's just hope 2011 will be so much better and bring all the things I would like...

For now I wish you all a VERY Happy New Year...may 2011 make all your dreams and wishes come true! And I am sure we'll see eachother again next year! (Thnx for the comment Rob, you made me feel like I am writing for someone ;) )

Ho ho hoooo...it's (almost) Christmas!

Hello y'all...bet you missed me, right? Well sorry but I have been busy getting all my holiday stuff done :p And that isn't very easy because I'm not sure if we're gonna have a white Christmas but we're having a very white pre-Holidays!

There's a LOT of snow here and I can say I am rather snowed in... The street where I live isn't on a main road so we don't get salted or sweeped and the cold weather isn't too kind on my scooter either, it takes me ages to kickstart it. Well, it took me half an hour to get it going yesterday, the days before it didn't start at all :p

But I got all my prezzies and enough food until Friday so in fact I am rather okay ;) Well I should go out to get me a new deskchair and I am still hoping I will be able to... My mom will be visiting me Thursday so if all goes wrong I'll ask them to accompany me to the store :')

I was also gonna buy me a big sheet and extra pillowcases to go with my pretty red satin duvetcover at the mall but I found out the store I wanted to buy them at delivers too, so I ordered them online! They're due to be delivered today, that is: if the weather cooperates ;)

I was gonna pass by Christmas this year again. All my pretty stuff is still with the ex and it's not like I have money to buy new. And what fun is Christmas on your own? But my son told me he's spending it with me, we're gonna eat kale mash, his fave, and watch movies.

My darling has to go to a family dinner so I won't be seeing him much I fear, although he promised to take his laptop with him and come online when he can.

This is gonna be my second Christmas since the divorce. Last year I was still numb and spend it mostly in bed and this year...well let's say the Christmas Spirit just hasn't visited me yet :p

That doesn't mean I don't wish all of you the very very best though! I have done my 'duty', sent out the cards and stuff and got prezzies for the kids and even some cute table linen and a pointsettia! (That was a big mistake though, the kitties think it's a special kitty salad!)

Well I am gonna try to start my scooter again ;) Wish me luck! And I promise to be back here before Christmas to wish you all wonderful Holidays :D

Oh wait: something nice :) Remember I told about Robbie in Scotland? He made the newspaper with his dogsled shopping trip and I have the article here:

He also had a race that same weekend and got a pic in the paper for that too:

Ok, I am really gone now ;) Cya all soon again!

Hello....hello....anyone out there?

Gosh, you know what? I think I am enjoying winter :p Of course I only have to go out when I choose so I can stay in when it's really slippery outside but I even like to go out in the wintercold :)

Yesterday I went to Sylvia's office to give her the letter I got from the Tax Office. She hugged me when I came in and said: 'Oh you're so nice and cold', lol. She had good news for me, said the Tax Office is gonna pay me back a (for me) considerable amount of money, and not in monthly installments as I understood from the letter but all at once, within 2 weeks!

Of course I told her I was very happy about that, since I will need that money for my next ticket to Chicago ;) She said to book in advance, that's always cheaper, but to wait at least until January because prices will drop considerably. Something to do with more 'pricefighters' on Schiphol Airport... But I'll still fly United :p

Today I'll be going out to buy Chitown a prezzy, I wanted to send him something for his birthday but it's gonna be a Christmas prezzy instead... I guess if I buy it today, take it home to be wrapped and send it tomorrow, it'll get there in time. I have my eye on a beautiful Zippo lighter...

And I will soon have to go out to buy something for my babygirl and her boyfriend too. So hard to buy presents on a budget :p Of course I still have no idea whatsoever, haha.

And guess what, I can't think of anything more to write :p So I guess I'll better stop now before I start to rant :')

Have a great day all! (Oh and react to my scribblings sometime...I really wonder if there are still people reading!)

Winter fun

It's been cold and snowy and fluffy for a while, but yesterday it started to rain and so most of the snow is gone now. Too bad the temperature is still low (0 Celsius/28 Fahrenheit) so the little bit of wet snow on the ground (and the roads!) will freeze up and make the roads extra slippery. But here is a pic of how the world looked on Saturday:

Today it was really foggy, it was like the world was wrapped in clouds. I like fog, I remember the long drives between Wageningen (where we lived) and Leiderdorp (where the restaurant is) in the fog...so cool! We drove into 'clouds' and out of them again, and the cows and sheep floated on the clouds, no legs :) Sometimes only their heads came out :D

Of course the snow and cold came with problems, for a lot of people and for me too. Somehow the spring on my scooter stand came loose (thank God it didn't break!) last Saturday. And no way in Hell I have the strength to repair that. Luckily I have a big strong son although as he says "I have two left hands." (Which in his case should be better since he IS a lefty but of course he meant really that he has two right hands ;) )

I asked him to come over and he promised me he'd be here today at 14:00 hrs. He was a bit early and we had a long chat, about Christmas Day he'll be spending with me, and he gave me his dinner 'demands': kale mash with bacon slabs, smoked Dutch sausage (preferably from the HEMA :p) and looooots of gravy. Not very Christmassy, I eat that at least once a week but I know he simply LOVES it so who am I to deny my son his favorite food?

On Boxing Day the whole family Mascia ( Evan, his dad, his uncle, and two aunts coming over from Italy and the little son of one of them) are going to eat at the restaurant where my babygirl (still) works. My son isn't too pleased about that but hey, he'll go.

I heard babygirl is going to work at her dad's place too, she seems to have had it with the place where she works now. Her boyfriend will keep on working there, but they seem to have plans to open a restaurant of their own! Her dad is going to have babygirl and Evan study for the diplomas they need. Good news!

And my wonderful son OF COURSE managed to repair my scooter :) He also told me that because of the cold and the short trips I make, the battery doesn't charge, nothing out of the ordinary. So when spring is in the air, he'll come by with a battery charger to charge it fully so at least I won't have problems until next winter ;)

*Sigh*, I am still waiting for news about the job I applied for... I really hope to be invited to talk with them. If I get the job or not, it will be at least good exercise for me! I am so pissed, my ex-brother in law can get a job when he wants but he chooses to 'abuse' Social Services for a while, while I really really WANT a job but can't find anything! I really really hope to get the job at Social Services, it kind of gives me the feeling I can do something back! It's not their fault they pay me only so little now...


Well, it's almost time for me to cook dinner again...sauerkraut mash today! Another Dutch winter classic that I really love :D So all have a good day now, and stay safe if you have to go out in the cold!

White World...

Yup, it's November again and winter is early this year! It's been freezing for a few days now and we 'finally'got snow too... It's not that bad here where I live, close to the sea, but I wonder how the rest of the country looks right now. I'll ask my Omerta sister Orca later how the trains have been doing today...they have a history of stopping with any kind of bad weather, be it falling leaves or snow ;) She's a train conductor so she knows.

And here it's not as bad as in Scotland! One of my Omerta 'sons', Robsta, lives in Scotland. And they're having 17 inches of snow now, and about 2 feet in the fields! Robsta and his girl have 4 Huskies, and they work with them so they have a sled too. And since Robsta got a call from work not to come in, and his girl had the Landrover... He had to get some groceries and decided to use the sled :)) He was a little bit worried because they had to use the road but luckily there wasn't a moving car around.

Well, he got to the store and got his stuff and when he left, people were looking at him and taking pics :) I wish I had a pic of him with the full crew in front of the sled. But I have one of him in a race, and I asked permission to use it, so here we go : 

I think it's so cool he did that! Imagine, going shopping like that! Well, I'll be still going on my scooter, can't put the Dax girls in front of a sled alas ;)

Oh, I sent my application letter with my CV to Social Services, to apply to the job my casemanager told me about. Via email, so there was a bit of a mess up. I sent it to my casemanager too and she got everything, but HRM mailed me that they didn't get any attachments. Ooookay...so how did my casemanager get them? 

Well I sent everything again and got a nice mail back. My casemanager loved my letter, even asked me to revise her letters if she ever wanted to change jobs ;) And she sent my letter and CV to the head of the department I applied for, with a note from her full of praise ;) So now I'll just have...to wait. Super exciting! I hope I'll make it at least 'til the next round, don't even dare to dream of getting the job :p

That's it for today...dinner time for me now ;) Have a good day, watch out in the snow (if you got any ;) ) and cya soon!

Thanksgiving, and my thoughts about it

Yesterday was Thanksgiving in the US. I hope all my American readers had a very happy Turkey Day ;) I've seen some pretty funny shit regarding Thanksgiving on the internet. Well, pretty funny for a non-American, like 'The Pardoning of the National Thanksgiving Turkey'. Hey, it's a BIRD...and it's FOOD! No need to pardon it :p I'm sorry but I really had to laugh while watching that video. Oh well, all that really know me know I am 'allergic' to Holidays and I like to make fun of them ;)

It also made me reflect on what I am thankful for. First and foremost, and I know my kids are not gonna like it, I am very thankful for meeting Chitown. He was a good friend to me while I was still married and an even better friend after my divorce. And he made me see again what love is, something that was missing in my marriage.

Then I am very thankful that I have such a wonderful son. I know the whole divorce thing is hard on the kids, even though they're both adults. My son lets me live in his house for free now, until I find a job and can chip in. He lives with his dad now. I kinda feel guilty about it, it's the parents that have to take care of the kids and not the other way around and I know he has loyalty issues...which I find very understandable of course. He's gonna spend Christmas with me so I can't deny it this year :p

I am also thankful for my case manager at Social Services. She has always been there for me, got me to study, helps finding jobs...as a matter of fact she asked me to apply at the financial department of Social Services, they have a job opening for an administrative employee. I wasn't sure I could apply but she says I have all the skills they need, otherwise the restaurant would have gone bankrupt. See? That's what I mean, she believes in me :)

So yeah, I had my own Thanksgiving ;) Said a little prayer for all I am thankful for...

Bits and bobs

Nothing much is happening overhere, that's the reason why I haven't written for a bit. Sorry :( But I've been watching the news, especially on BBC...

Big news: Wills and Kate are getting married next year :p Prince William is gonna marry his girlfriend for 8 years, 30 years after his parents got married. Kate Middleton is a 'common' girl, although her parents are millionaires after starting their own business. Well, I am always a bit sceptic about the institute of marriage but of course I wish them very much luck, and love, and wisdom... Let's hope it won't end disastrous like the marriage of Williams parents... Hurrah for Prince William and Princess Kate...ehm, Catherine ;)

I also heard, from Chitown, that a new batch of miners is trapped underground, in New Zealand. I immediately said: 'I bet they won't be trapped as long as the ones in Chile.' And low and behold, they'll probably get out tomorrow! Guess it does matter where you live :p

We're having a bit of fun on FaceBook... Some friends posted a message and I have reposted it several times myself : 'From 15-22 November, change your profile picture by an image of comics, cartoons, or toys from your childhood and invite your friends to do the same. The goal? To not see any of the familiar faces on FaceBook but a true invasion of childhood memories!Let's do it!!! (Hey, we may even look better ;)' I found a pic of a vintage Barbie, much like the one my grandparents bought me in the US and several of my friends have posted nice profile pics themselves, like Pebbles and Samurai Pizza Cats... Too bad that not all of my friends are doing it, would have been really nice!

Miss Jadzia Dax and miss Ezri Dax, the kitties, have finally stopped fighting every day! They were driving me bonkers, I swear! Ezri still has some bald patches but it's getting better. I hope next spring we can get the girls on the pill or something, so they can get outside again and fight other cats, or at least come home too tired to fight ;)

Well as I said, nothing much happening here... I still keep looking for a job, still no success :( So all I do is cook and clean and stuff like that, and go out for groceries a few times a week. I am still bored as hell, and I am thinking of anything I could do to be self-employed, as my accountant friend suggested. But I can't come up with the 'golden' idea really. I emailed my case manager at Social Services but she's gone until the 22nd...

Oh well, something will come up sooner or later, I just hope sooner!

Have a great day you all, and see you soon!

Moving...inside the house.

As I have told before, I live in my sons flat. He moved in with his dad, nice and close to work :p I am trying very very hard to find a place to live but that isn't easy here. 

The flat is a work in progress really. Since my son works at dad's restaurant, he always ate there already or took something home to warm up in the microwave. So he had a fridge, a microwave and a little snack oven in his kitchen! He got a very nice kitchen from friends that he has to build in, and he has to buy a fitting fridge for that. As long as the kitchen isn't in, there is no flooring either :p So I have a cement floor. One day my son came home with a prezzy for me: a gas cooker and I bought myself an electric oven and a crockpot from my 'graduation money'. 

During the year I am living here I bought myself some nice crockery every now and then and some kitchen cutlery. So now I have a functioning kitchen and it even looks nice from the living room :)

When we were talking the other day my son suddenly gave me permission to use his bedroom. Up until then I always slept on the 'guest bed' in the living room, under the kitchen window. And his bedroom was used for storage and to chase the cats out of :p So I had a lot of work to do there!

Took me two days, a lot of dragging stuff around and putting boxes on wardrobes...sweeping, vacuuming and mopping...and bringing all my 'sleep stuff' over to the bedroom but I managed to make it look quite nice if I may say so myself!

Of course there's still some stuff that has to be done, and stuff that has to be bought like sheets and pillow cases but that can wait until I have money again. But for now I am very happy with how it looks :D And it's great to sleep in a big bed again! Haven't done that for over a year...

So last night I 'christened' the new (for me it is ;) ) bedroom... I put the pictures of the Chicago skyline over my bed to inspire my dreams and some other nice pics on the nightstand so I have something nice to look at when I go to sleep and when I wake up ;)

And this morning when I woke up the sun was shining bright through the curtains...lovely! The blinds in the living room don't let the sun through so that was quite a while ago too.

It may sound strange but I kinda feel less...homeless now!

Ok, it's time to start cooking again, some nice hearthy wintermeal, it's still cold here!

Have a nice day...and for tonight: sweetest of dreams!

Girls talk...

Today I had a date with my best friend overhere in Leiderdorp/Leiden. She promised me to do my taxes so I had to bring her the necessary documents. (Well she offered to come get them but hmm, you know, house isn't too inviting :p.)

So I got up really early (so did she , lol) in able to be at her place at 10 am. I had something for breakfast (she hardly eats, she goes out to dinner every night), no coffee because I was sure she'd have that. I took my laptop with me to show her the vacation pics and of course the documents! Had to kickstart the scooter again, it's cold and damp and the battery doesn't load because I don't travel enough anymore. 

We had a great time...we had so much to catch up on! She told me about her kids... like her son left home now to go live with his girlfriend and the house stays so nice and clean! And I told her about my life at the moment. That was a short story because nothing much happens in my life :p

She had some very good news for me: I will (probably, I'll believe it when I see it ;)) get quite some money back from the Tax Office! Enough to buy me another ticket to Chicago...

When I got home the bell rang: my son visited :) It's always great to see him... He gave me permission to use his bedroom and I just think I may do that: no more kitties in my bed! I'll have to buy some new undersheets but that's for December, X-mas prezzy to myself :p And I should get a little lamp to put on the nightstand. And move all the boxes with my summer clothes, lol.

Oh well, gives me something to do right? Okay, I think I'll make a start 'moving' right now!

Have a great day all!

Autumn leaves...

And yes, there it is, finally. It's really autumn now! The weather is getting really stinky and cold, today was the first day beneath 10C (for all you americans: that's 50F :p). And it rained. Not just drizzle or a nice and short summer storm...no. Bigass drops, almost all day.

Of course (it's Saturday) I had to go to the supermarket to get my groceries for the weekend. And I have to admit, I was ready to leave twice but turned back when I came outside :(  Chitown said: 'Be careful sugar, and run inbetween the drops!' Funny guy...like I am as skinny as my babygirl, I bet she can do that and stay dry ;)

But I was lucky! When I was leaving (for real this time) it was almost dry and when I got out of the supermarket there was this weird light in the sky, I think I remember it from summer, it's called Sun I believe. So me and my groceries made it home totally dry.

I kinda like autumn, and even winter. The weather isn't always nice but you know that's only temporary. It get's dark earlier (especially after the end of Daylight Savings) so I can close the blinds early and sit in my 'cocoon' watching telly. 

And you know that now the leaves will be falling and the garden will be all bare and when you go outside, you dress warm with coats and shawls and gloves and hats, only your nose comes out! It may even snow like last year, I couldn't go to work with my scooter and the busses didn't ride either so I was really closed in. Like most of the country, most of North Western Europe really...

I 'hate' the cold, and I curse it (although it's easier to dress for the cold than for the summer heat, there's only so much you can take off :p). But you know it's all for a good cause... One day you'll wake up, look outside and see tiny little green thingies on the ground and in the trees. Promises of a lovely spring and a hopefully lovely and not too hot summer...

I'd like to go to Chicago either in spring or in autumn although according to Chitown Chicago has only two seasons: winter and road construction season. It would be nice to be there just before the little green thingies arrive ;) Or when the leaves are falling...

One day I am sure I'll be there even in the winter...

Have a good (and dry!) day you all!

The Taxman...

Yesterday I got a real good scare :p I found a letter from the Tax Service in my mailbox! They want me to fill out the forms for my income taxes over 2009 :( Income taxes? I hardly had an income that year!

So I emailed my only girlfriend here, who happens to be the accountant of my ex's restaurant and she's specialized in tax laws. She put me at ease right away luckily, told me I won't have to pay a cent since I had too little income but she's gonna sort it out for me anyway.

That lead to a visit next Tuesday ;) She offered to come overhere but I made her the counter offer to go to her place, I don't feel comfy inviting people here, it's not the nicest place you know... especially for someone living  in a beautiful mansion :p And I'll bring her everything she asked for to do my taxes AND my laptop so she can finally see my vacation pics!

She's leaving on vacation to Thailand on November 11th and finally took some time out for our friendship, we haven't seen eachother since February! But she's so busy with work, her 3 kids, her new grandson...

We used to see eachother every Friday last year, go out to dinner, catch a movie or just sit at her place watching DVD's and chatting about everything. I really kinda miss that, she's my only girlfriend in this Godforsaken town and in my situation it's not very likely I'll make other friends here soon. (Ok, this is not really a Godforsaken town, I even heard it's pretty lively, just not for a socially awkward person like me :p)

I really look forward to the visit, she asked me to come in the morning so we'll have a bit more time together and of course we have a whole lot of catching up to do! So from 10 am until 2 pm it's girls time :)

Of course I already informed my darling that we're not gonna 'have coffee' that day. We have the habit of being online when he gets up early in the morning, after he walked the dog. It's not gonna be a big a deal as I thought since daylight savings time ends this weekend in the US (well at least in Illinois) but anyway :p

Chitown is busy getting all his papers together so he can get a passport and travel (guess where he's gonna go :p). The State made a little mistake though: he does exist, that's for sure, but according to them he's born in 1978 :') So he's gonna be 32 this month, I have a toyboy!!! Too bad he still looks his own age though, lol.

Well, I guess I better put all my papers together too (but I DO have a passport AND an ID card AND a drivers license for the scooter :p) so I'll be ready for Tuesday ;)

Have a great day!

Spank me, I've been a bad girl :(

I haven't written in a bit, I know. I have been a very bad and lazy girl :p But you know, my life isn't really that interesting! I am sitting here cooped up inside most of the time, only get out to do some shopping really.

I do have very nice plans for the future... But I don't feel comfortable to talk about them just yet, a lot has to happen to make those plans come true so for now I just talked to my mom and my little sister about them. And to Chitown of course but that goes without saying :p

I hope y'all had a nice Halloween! We don't really celebrate that here, at least not as big as in the US. On FaceBook I have seen the pics of the 'Haunted House' of one of my American cousins, really AWESOME! I'd really love to celebrate Halloween too the way it's supposed to be celebrated. Who knows, I just might...in the future ;)

So we've just finished Breast Cancer Awareness month. My profile pic on FaceBook is no longer pink, too bad because mom and I looked really nice with our rosey cheeks :) And now I heard November is National Diabetes month in the US. Since I am an insuline dependent diabetic myself, that's close to my heart. I have to give myself 4 injections a day and check my blood glucose levels regularly.

Diabetes, when under control, is a disease that's quite easy to live with. (Once you're used to travel around with your injection pens and needles, your glucose injection for emergencies, your test kit...) Last time I went to Chicago I had my carry-on luggage filled with medical stuff: 2 types of insuline, an extra batch 'for emergencies', boxes of needles, my test kit and extra lancets and test strips for that, 2 extra injection pens because you never know:p and a letter from my doctor for customs purposes. Usually you just carry stuff you want close on your trip, like books and an extra pair of panties in case your check-in luggage gets lost. But with all my diabetes stuff and CPAP in my carry-on (oh and of course my laptop) I had to bring an extra big 'handbag' too, lol. I have this Converse bag I used to take to work with my lunch in it, it looks like a small overnight bag really but the airline people and customs didn't make any trouble.

Talking about luggage...first time I went to the States I could bring two 50 pound suitcases, this time only one or I had to pay €50 extra for the second suitcase. Well I lived 3 weeks out of one suitcase and I guess it's doable for most people, but not for me :') So next time instead of being 'cheap' I guess I'll just fork out the extra money for a second suitcase. You know, that would mean an extra jacket, extra shoes...and more room for presents ;)

I still have no idea when I can go back to visit my darling again. I am trying very hard to save up some money every week but that's really difficult :p I really need a job with at least minimum wages. Oh and you people could try to help me by clicking on the commercial links on my blog ;) I get money for that, and for now I have already earned 10 cents! 

Well, it's time to go grocery shopping again... I am making Ragù today, the red pasta sauce with meat. And I forgot to pick up an onion and some parsley...

So have a great day, and please leave a comment if you drop by... I'm feeling a little bit lonely here ;)

Cooking and recipes...

I used to be a happy cook. And I say used to be because that was back in the day when there were still kids living at my house and I had people to cook for ;) Nowadays I still cook for myself but you know how it goes with for example Lasagna... you just can't make a 1 person portion so I end up eating the same for 3 days or so.

Have to say: I don't really like that :p But since I am just starting up a household of my own I still don't have a freezer which kind of limits my possibilities. I wouldn't mind cooking up a batch of Lasagna or Chili con Carne and freeze at least 2 portions of it...the smallest amounts of food I cook are based on a 3 person household. And the way Chi eats it would probably be just 2 :D

I know I promised recipes. I think I have a whole lot of them somewhere, maybe on my External HardDisk if I didn't throw them away during the divorce-rage :p In the restaurant we used to have cooking workshops and I always wrote the recipes for them, nicely illustrated and everything. At one point I even thought of bundling them into a cook book! Never happened of course...

All the recipes are written in Dutch though, so I'd have to do a lot of translating and, for my American readers: a lot of converting! So they will appear here in English, with both the metric and American measurements. I have done some shopping in Chicago but usually for fun things to bring home like Liquid Smoke and stuff like that. So I'd have to talk to Chi also to see if the ingredients we use here can also be easily bought in the USA, and for some: what would the names be.

But I really promise to look into that this week and pass the ingredients by Chi this weekend so I can start posting recipes. And I'll also try to take pics of food I made and post them too. I have to warn you all though: in my kitchen cooking isn't an exact science, one of the main ingredients in all recipes is LOVE and I use a lot of pinches and little bits of this and that ;) And a lot of my cooking is quite basic...but tasty! Oh, and Italian :')

Last time I was in Chicago Chi gave me a Polish cook book and I am looking into that too, and I have a lot of  Indonesian and Surinam recipes too.

So now I make a new promise: starting next week I will post some of my biggest successes, on a separate page, with pictures! I hope you'll enjoy them...

And now I have to go grocery shopping. I kinda feel like experimenting today so I think I'll try to make Golabki (cabbage rolls) today, with mushroom sauce, from Chi's cook book. I know he really likes them and since the way to a man's heart goes through his stomach I guess I better learn to make them good ;)

Have a nice day, cooking and shopping and whatnot...

Tasting chocolate *sigh*

I have the enormous task of tasting 5 bags of chocolate/caramel before October 27th :p Today the box was delivered... What a punishment! Hahaha...

When I still lived in Wageningen I worked for a company that organized different tastings. It was great fun, I got to taste stuff for free, filled in some questionnaires and got money too! One of my friends worked there too so we often went together.

One time we got to taste a totally new product, some flavoured yoghurt with a layer of fruitpreserve. We got little buckets of the stuff, 5 different flavours of which 4 were so absolutely YUMMY! Usually we got to take the stuff that was left home and we hoped this time we got that chance too. The representative of the yoghurt firm was running late and our boss tried to call her... Well he got her on her mobile and she said it was absolutely forbidden to take the yoghurt home, it was a new product in development and very hush hush... No need to say all tasters went home with belly aches from eating waaaaaaay too much yoghurt!

Too bad I moved, that would have been my dream job really! Oh well, I am getting to do some tasting now too every now and then, I already received a bottle of some kind of soda a while back and of course now the chocolate ;)

So I guess I better get to it! If you don't hear from me soon I must be in a sugar coma ;)

Have a great day!

Friends & Foes

If you have a wonderful man, who helps balance your whole world...who isn't perfect, but is perfect for you...who works hard and would do anything for you...that makes you laugh...who is your best friend...who you want to grow old with...and who you are thankful for...every day...then, post this as your status. I just did. :)

Another thing I found on FaceBook. And since I think I found such a man, of course I posted it as my status! I really thank the Lord on my bare knees for helping me find a guy like Chitown. He has proven to be a valuable friend when I needed one most and I have fallen head over heels in love with him. It seems that I am a lot more 'relaxed' ever since my divorce, people noticed that and told me. And I thank my darling for that too! Luvya sweetheart! :^


And then there was the loooong discussion with one of my blog-collegues! There is a program on the Dutch television, BNTM or Benelux Next Top Model. One of the judges, I won't name names for legal reasons ;), told a beautiful slender 16 year old contestant that it was clear she sucked her gut in, or else her tummy would be hanging on her knees. Excuse me?


This judge is kinda 'big boned' himself. He's a self proclaimed 'Famous Dutchy', and a stylist whitout any style for himself left, judging from the way he dresses. And he has the NERVE to call an almost size 0 aspiring model FAT? Does he realize how many girls watch that show, and think they are fat too now? And does he realize the dangers of anorexia nervosa? Guess not.


My friend got kicked out of this guys friends list on FaceBook and even got an email from his lawyer! Apparently, as she said, because she made a spelling mistake in the name of the show. Well boohoohoo! Really, I don't understand what such a sad example of a human being has to do judging others...

Another friend of mine is having problems with the UK government... They are cutting back BIG on defense and it looks like the base where he works and bought a house near, is gonna close. He won't be out of a job but still... His house will be worth sh*t soon, and has the government even thought of what closing the base will do to the economy in the vicinity? Again: guess not...

Lol, I was gonna skip Christmas again this year. Like, I don't have any money to celebrate or people to celebrate with (well, people close :p). That's what I thought at least ;) Yesterday my son came by and we were talking and suddenly he said: yeah I need to know what you do for Christmas, I wanna be here with you for one day! So he's coming by and we'll be probably watching movies or something... but I won't be alone ;)


And I was at the garden centre today, guess what. They're preparing for Christmas already! People, it's OCTOBER!! Saint Nicolas hasn't even entered the country yet :p Oh well, by the time it really is Christmas we'll all be sick and tired of all the stuff :')


Ho ho ho, have a great day ;)

The world's a beautiful place....

...it's just the people that muck it up!

Haha, okay, I see you guessing: what's she on about? Well a friend of mine wrote on FaceBook that she thinks this world really stinks! And it might be, if you look at all the wars going on and poverty and whatnot. But really, is that the fault of 'the world'? Of course not! It's the fault of some people that think they're right and that they have all the power... and so they ruin it for the rest of us :p This world is beautiful, and it would be a much better place if all people worked together instead of against eachother!

Another thing I read on FaceBook this week that really touched me. (It touched me so much that I copied and pasted it as was asked!) :

My parents were MEAN to me when I was a kid! They made me do chores, go to school and help others. They gave me a curfew, made me get a job and work for the things I wanted. They insisted that I did my best at school  and job and took pride in my work. I grew up with morals, a good work ethic and respect for the law. I thank God every day for my MEAN parents! (copy and paste, if you agree)

 

Didn't we all have days that we thought our parents were mean to us? I know I did and I am sure my kids thought at times I was the biggest sorry b*tch around! Because I was the 'oldfashioned' parent, and I really tried to bring up my kids the way I was brought up. I don't wanna point fingers or name names but we all see not everybody is doing the same! I see so many kids today that are really spoiled, they have mobile phones, computers and/or laptops and loads of other stuff they never had to lift a finger for, just whine long enough!

 

The 'world' has really changed since when I was a kid. I remember us kids playing outside in the sandbox without any parents present...they were just a shout away at home. We didn't need to be watched all the time. Now many kids hardly ever play outside, they are glued to their computers playing videogames, or even worse: surfing the net or chatting. Their parents think they're safe so often they don't even supervise what their kids are doing. Do I really have to point out the dangers of the internet?

 

I pride myself in having brought up two beautiful kids, and they grew up to be nice, respectful and responsible adults! They're 26 and 22 now so it won't be too long before they may get kids of their own. I really hope they will be 'MEAN' parents too...

 

You know what they say: Change the world...and start with yourself!

Woohoo I have my REAL computer back!

Finally, after two months of absence, I have my computer back. It once was a really good one, fast and heavy enough to play games on. It belonged to my son, and when it got a bit old-ish for him he bought a new one and gave me his. I was thrilled to get it because it was so much better than my old computer :p Like, it had Windows XP! Lol...

At the beginning of this year, when I was still employed, I bought a laptop, thought I needed that for my studies. I got a real nice one, on sale, because it was from the summer before. It still had Windows Vista but I got a free upgrade to Windows 7 with it and I had enough money to buy me Office too (especially since Social Services chipped in as well ;) ) And I got a cute little laptop mouse, and a pretty bag, and a very pretty laptop cover...

I did use it for my studies. Wasn't really needed, like, not like I had to bring it or anything... And I took it with me to Chicago, to store the pictures I'd be making, watch a movie on DVD when bored and to enjoy the free WiFi at MacDonalds during breakfast, a perfect time to connect with my relatives at home. Somehow I managed to forget my mouse so I had to learn to make do with the mousepad. And as a prezzy from Chi I got mobile internet for my stay there too! Which I used to the last bit of course :p

When I got home my pc started to bug a little. Nothing major, it just protested whenever I turned it on. So...I never turned it off again. Until I had to go to my mom's place for a week (with the laptop). I got home again and my pc was...dead. Or at least terminally ill I thought. So I contacted 'our' pc guy and he came to the rescue! Initially it looked like it was the motherboard that broke, and apparently it was so old that it couldn't be replaced with a new one.

Luckily it turned out to be the video card, that could be replaced quite easily and, very important: cheaply! Pc guy made a special price for me that I can even pay in rates so no worries. (Of course I hope I get a job soon so I can pay it all at once ;) ) He installed the pc for me so I am back in business!

In the time my pc was gone, I was 'forced' to use the laptop fulltime. And although I was having some difficulty adapting to the 'straight' keyboard opposed to the ergonomic one I use with my pc, it was a good experience. I almost thought I'd tell pc guy to retire my pc! I had everything on it backed up on my external HD, so I wouldn't miss it too much. I got really used to the laptop and Windows 7! But my pc has an older version of Messenger for example, something Chi and I like very much because we can just use the webcams without having to resort to videochat immediately.

So I have a choice again! And my laptop can go back in its cover soon ;) So I can take it to my friend Syllie to show my vacation pictures:p

Have a great day, on your laptop or on your pc :D

Just put a catchy title here ;)

Sorry I didn't write yesterday... I found out that I officially live under the poverty line and I was kinda overwhelmed by that news since I have never been poor in my whole life and it scared me to even think of myself as poor :p Of course I know I only get about half of minimum wages over here and I know too that I'd like to get 1.25/1.5 times of that same minimum wage to live quite comfortably but poor... BRRRR...I was imagining myself as a bag lady or morningstar already :')

Luckily for me Chi had his day off yesterday so I spent most of the day whining at him on Messenger, poor guy. He is so patient! And tries to lift me up when I'm really down... Very sweet but unnecessary because it's just something I have to go through. I like to just go with it for a bit and come out good again. And today I am feeling a lot better and more determined than ever to find a job. I sent my case manager an email telling her about the ProRail job being filled in already and my doubts about the WerkCenter and she sent me back an uplifting email. Even though I think I am really alone, there are people out there thinking of me! Which includes of course all my readers here :)

Yesterday I also emailed a friend of mine. I haven't seen her since February and had brief contact with her at times via text or email so I wanted to know where this friendship was going really. She hasn't even seen my vacation pictures yet and I've been back a while :p Well, much to my surprise she called me today. We talked for about half an hour and I asked her rather direct if she's avoiding me because the restaurant (my ex and I owned) still is a client of their accountancy firm, or because I am 'poor':p

Well, seems like the bad economy is good for them, they got a lot more work and of course she is busy with the kids and grandkids and her husband. She's going on vacation to Thailand in November and has a lot of work to finish before that. So from her side it's just lack of time. She asked me why I didn't come to their October 3rd party (ehm, I wasn't invited?). So there's a little lack of communication there too... I don't wanna impose but maybe I should just pass by her place some weekend. She's gonna try to make some free time to spend with me real soon though ;)

Always good news to get from a friend. And as I always say: 'A person that asks gets answers'. If I wanna know something, be sure I'll ask. And I don't mind whether I like the answer I get or I don't, at least I know where I stand!

And I finally got good news about my computer! Of course you don't know this but I am using my laptop ever since 'the big one' broke down. It's coming home tomorrow, with a new video card and one less physical HD. Computerguy even made me a nice price since I have been totally honest about my situation. Been missing my pc for over 2 months now. In a way I am glad though because I had to get used to my laptop and the 'straight' keyboard (I have an ergonomic keyboard on the pc).

So after one day of total sh*t life is surely looking better already :p And I wish all of you a great life too, or at least a great day ;)

Shopping therapy!

After a few quite shitty days, I decided it was time to cheer me up again. And how better than with 'shopping therapy'! Ok, this will take some explaining, because people that know me well do also know I hate shopping! I only like grocery shopping, and the best grocery shopping is in a supermarket abroad. If Chi ever wants his hands free for several hours when I am in Chicago, he can drop me off at Dominick's and I'll be as happy as a bug in a rug :p

But sometimes, when I am really depressed, shopping therapy can help. It's always better than binge eating ;) (Yes, I have B.E.D., binge eating disorder). I do have one little problem though: hardly any money :') And waaaaaay too many clothes and shoes! So I decided to look online at the websites of the cheapass supermarkets I frequent and bingo! One of them had some great deals! So I took some extra cash out of my Cash Cow (well it's a piggy bank in the form of a cow, hence the name I gave it :p) and jumped on my scooter. With the firm belief I was gonna be a good girl and only get what I really needed.

On the website I saw that they had tableware I bought last year and I broke two bowls of. Too bad the bowls were all gone but they had a new pattern plate and mug. And this year they even had aprons and potholders in matching patterns! So I am the proud owner of a shocking pink apron with white polka dots and the potholders to go with it. Yay! 

And the little plastic baskets were on sale too, so I got a set of 3 silver ones. They also had mixers and baking tins, guess what? Got a mixer, a cake tin, a pie tin and a muffin tin :D And they had the scented candles I like so much too so I got one of those and a totally useless thing: a scented battery operated LED candle :') Hey, you HAVE to get something useless when on shopping therapy, right?

Of course I also got some groceries and at the cash register I noticed I was €5 over budget. But I did have fun! And I'll go even back on Saturday to get the cookie sheet :p Poor Cash Cow will have to cough up the extra €5 so I can get my cigarettes :p 

But it was totally worth it! I am feeling way better now and I am gonna try out my new mixer and bake a batch of brownies! (And call my babygirl to ask her if she wants some I guess :p) At least I have the 'courage' now to send some mails around to my case manager at Social Services, and to a 'friend' that I feel left me hanging.

My day is half over already, but it's a good one! And I wish all of you a great day too!!

Sad day :(

Yesterday I got the news that the cat of my babygirl and her boyfriend was ill. Toby, that's the cat's name, was in the animal hospital here in Leiderdorp... He had an IV and was in an incubator. He had severe renal problems, infections in his mouth, and was totally lethargic. According to babygirl he just laid on the floor with his little nose to the ground. I texted for news last night and heard his temperature was ok again and that they would get more news in the morning. And this morning I got the dreaded text: Toby is no longer with us :(

Tomorrow babygirl and her boyfriend are gonna get Toby from the animal hospital and bury him in their -and his!- backyard. Toby was a really funny cat. Like, he didn't drink his water from a bowl next to his food like most cats, noooo... mr. Toby wanted his water in a glass, far away from his food :) I once looked after him when babygirl and boyfriend were on vacation. He came running in when he heard my scooter after a day or two. I fed him, and we played a little. Usually when I returned home, he came back out with me too :)

In a way it's a blessing Toby died. He was a real outside cat and next summer babygirl and boyfriend are moving to the apartment they bought. This way Toby won't have to adapt...and he can play outside in Kitty Heaven for all eternity! RIP sweet Toby! I am sure you'll be missed...

My interview with the job hunter didn't go too well. The kind of jobs I want I don't have experience in and the kind of jobs I do have experience in I shouldn't even want :s I really wanna look at the bright side of things but it is getting a little bit hard. It seems I am at the wrong place for a medical administrative position here, people that want them just fill the job with 2 or 3 medical students from the university. But hey, I am flexible! My CV apparently needs some work too. He was missing my competencies and my ' real'  schooling and work experience. Like, I shouldn't leave a hole but fill in that I took care of my kids full time. And even though I didn't graduate, I should also put in I did 3 years of gymnasium (highest level of education with Latin and old Greek) at high school. I graduated on a lower level because I totally sucked at math and the other exact subjects :p But he IS gonna look into it, change my CV with my approval and I will hear from him.

After I got home I had to go out to get groceries. Thought I'd ' treat'  myself to my fave supermarket, and not the cheap one :p So I got some Pastrami and delicious bread and some other stuff I needed. But when I finally got home and unpacked my groceries, I found out the little bucket of my fave blueberry muffin yoghurt was broken :( *Sigh* Blueberry muffin yoghurt everywhere... Sad ending to a sad day!

You all have a way better one please ;) Cya soon!

So, who is reading all of this anyway?

Another beautiful Sunday. Been out to get some fresh air and sun, and I have a load of laundry going. Good little housewife huh? :') 

Today I read Solomon Burke died, here in the Netherlands. He just got off a plane coming in from LA, and he was here for some concerts with a Dutch band called De Dijk (The Dike :p) with whom he made a record. And I was shocked by the news of the suicide of a Dutch actor I liked. He was only 44, and leaves 2 small children and a wife. I kinda liked him, saw him grow as an actor. Seems he suffered of severe depressions...

Yesterday a friend of mine got married. He left for Canada to be with his true love and they ' finally'  tied the knot. Of course I am very happy for him and his new wife but I can't help feeling a little pinch of jealousy :p I know, I am a bad girl! Anyway, my darling and I dedicated this song to them, as a little wedding present : True Love - Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly

I'm really wondering who all are reading my blog. My sweetheart says he does but he never leaves any comments ;) The group at FaceBook has 37 members already...but are they all reading me? I wouldn't mind some feedback you know... ;) And I was thinking...as some of you know I am not a bad cook, would you like me to share some of my recipes? On a different page of course ;) Let me know!

And let me know what else you wanna know about me... I'll just go along babbling like I have been doing the past week in the meantime ;)

Hmm laundry is ready, let me get to that now... Y'all have a great day, I hope your Sunday is as pretty as mine :)

Boooooooooring....

*Sigh*...I am so bored :') The problem with living below the poverty-line (and I am, I read that to my horror in a magazine!) is that you don't have any money to go out and do stuff, like go to Bagels&Beans for a nice Latte and some cheesecake.

I could do something at home, but my arts&crafts materials are still at 'the old house' and guess what: no money to buy new stuff :') Well, I guess I could bake cookies or brownies? But I am alone, so will I eat them?

I really need a job. And not just for the money, but to fight the boredom! Money is a nice bonus (and a very welcome one too :p). I remember when I was working at the call center, every Saturday I had to do all my shopping and Sunday was laundry and cleaning day. I didn't even have time to get bored then! After I got laid off I was busy studying and preparing for my exams and my trip to Chicago. But now...

Oh well, Monday is job hunter day. I know there's a job for me, ANY job, right around the corner! I don't know how or if I can prepare for the interview with the job hunter ...guess I still have a lot to learn. I never had to apply for a job really, I just knew the right people and they gave me jobs :p

And during this weekend...well I can always bug my sweetheart on Messenger, and do laundry of course...or watch some telly. You know what the weirdest thing is? I always needed 'alone time' but now that the only people I speak to are the cashiers at the supermarket...I think I need 'people time' :')

Have a great day...and don't get bored ;)

Why are plane tickets so expensive?

Hmmm the real question is: Why the heck did I have to fall in love with a guy that lives in Chicago? ;) Silly, silly me! It's costing me an arm and a leg every time I wanna go see (hm, well, touch!) him.

I met this wonderful man about 4 or 5 years ago, in an online role playing game called Omerta. He had a lot of spare time then, he was out of a job at the moment. And I am a real nightowl so it didn't really matter to me he was online late usually. We happened to be in the same family (Omerta is a mafia game so the players are organised in families) and we chatted a lot in the family channel on irc. I have to admit that at the time I had quite a short fuse and could blow up about almost everything. And always there was this guy around, Chitown, who could calm me down and make me see things differently.

We talked a lot, about life, cooking, the game...and somehow we became close friends, for as far as that is possible on the internet. For example, I like to be honest about myself, or better: I am too lazy to come up with a bunch of lies having to remember what I told to whom and why. But I know there are a lot of people out there that DO make themselves look a lot better than they think they really are. And who was to say Chitown wasn't one of those people?

Oh well...I had overcome a lot of health problems and was promised a vacation on my own, anywhere I wanted to go. And for some strange reason I decided to go visit Chitown. You know, just to go visit a friend. 

There was another friend of ours, Kiemlicz- my brother in the game, that said he'd fly over for a few days too. 

So there I went, on a two week vacation to Chicago. And I have to say, I fell in love immediately...with the city :) Don't know why but I felt so at home in Chicago! Chitown was a wonderful host. He had to work but after work he took me out to dinner and in the weekends we went to Millennium Park and Navy Pier and so on. Kiemlicz joined us for 3 days and we had loads of fun! I ate my very first lobster ever, we went to a jazz club...I had the time of my life!

And I went home again after a wonderful vacation. We lost touch with Kiemlicz, alas. But Chitown and I became even better friends. And I mean: friends. No 'benefits' or anything :p

The year after that vacation was rather tumultuous. My (ex)husband and I were building an apartment over our restaurant, we moved there to live together after having lived apart for over 10 years, and we ended up divorcing after having been together for 28 years, after 21 years of marriage.

So that was quite a shock! I had no friends here to talk with, only had my online friends Andrea and of course Chitown. And although my feelings for him had grown a little before the divorce, when I was 'free' I fell truly madly, deeply in love with the friend that was always ready for a chat, always had good advice...

So this summer I returned to Chicago. This time for 3 weeks. I had finished my studies and done the exams and I wanted to be far away from home on my birthday. 

Again, I had a wonderful time in Chicago. For me, mostly, because I could finally be with my 'boyfriend'. We have done a lot of nice things again, a lot of 'firsts' for me like my first rootbeer (you guys do know it tastes like mouthwash, right? ). On my birthday my darling took me to Medieval Times, in a limo! I kinda felt like Cinderella :)

After 3 weeks I went back home. But I left my heart in Chicago! And I have to go back there as often as possible to see if my sweetheart is taking good care of it ;) I am already looking forward to my next vacation! I wanna go in spring because I have seen Chicago both in summer and in fall now.

You know, I think I could live there... But I'd have to get a visa and that's not so easy. So for now I have to settle with vacations. Maybe if I get a job I can save enough to go twice a year. Because one thing is sure: Chicago is my kinda town ;) And not only because I fell in love with one of it's inhabitants!

Y'all have a great day!

Karma's a b*tch :p

*Sigh*... Got an email today from ProRail, remember, I applied for a job there. Well 'the job was recently filled in' and they would keep me informed about any other jobs that fit my profile in the future. Yeah, great. I bet they say that to all appliants :p

But I have to stay positive right? I know my sweetheart has taken all my bad Karma for October and November (I told him not to do that, I think that's just dangerous!) so probably this was Karma's way to tell me there are better jobs around for me and I have a date with the job hunter of WerkCenter on Monday so all is good really?

Darling told me today he thought the title 'job hunter' was funny, that it usually applies to the people that are looking for jobs. Well, I do partially agree with him, I call myself a job hunter too, but this person professionally hunts for jobs for people like me (idiots that can't find a job by themselves :p). Oh well, I do have some excuses, like my age (like it or not I AM middle-aged :p) and the bad economy at the moment. And the fact I don't have any experience in the field I am trying for doesn't really help either of course.

But, I am flexible. At the moment I'd go for any job really, as long as it pays at least minimum wage (which happens to be twice as much as I am getting from Social Services!). I'd even go back in the hotel/restaurant world...

Guess I should try very hard to make the most of my 'no bad Karma days.' Haha, maybe I should even buy a lottery ticket ;) Who knows, I might even win a little something! I just hope it doesn't backfire on my darling...

I'll just go on job hunting for now...and for all of you: have a great day!

Reintegrating...

Today I had an appointment at the reintegration bureau for Leiderdorp. Kerstin, my reintegration casemanager at Social Services 'finally' set the date for it, although I am still waiting for the answer on my appliance at ProRail ( I applied there for a job as travel informer, sounds good: different shifts, nice pay...).

So I had to be at WerkCenter at Voorschoten at 10 am. Voorschoten is a little town at about 9 kilometers from Leiderdorp. I was sure I could do it in half an hour on my scooter with the directions I got from the internet but to be on the safe side I left at 09:15. Well, the directions totally sucked! Took me 50 minutes to get there, was lost and stuff...*sigh*. Luckily the lady I was going to see was otherwise engaged when I arrived so she didn't notice me being late ;)

We had a nice talk. For starters: they don't make garden fences there, as I was told :p Seems they do packaging and shipping and work for DHL. Not really the kind of jobs I want on my CV of course ;) She asked me about my motivation, my life as it is now (seems it takes 3 years to get over a divorce, yeah, like I have that kind of time!), and how I see things for the future.

Told her I prefer a job in the medical administrative profession, but that I'd also do other jobs working for or with other people, things like for example receptionist. Also told her I don't have a 9-to-5 mentality, that I can work at odd hours.

She told me she doesn't really see a future for me directly at WerkCenter but that she will put a job hunter on my case. I have an appointment with him next Monday at 14:30. After that they will decide whether to offer me the ' A-contract' (3 months, mostly mediation) or the ' B-contract' (12 months, work at WerkCenter and get a real job out of there). Personally I'd go for the ' A-contract' but we'll see what the job hunter decides.

Of course I am really still hoping that ProRail will at least ask me to come for an interview so I can bedazzle them with my wonderful communicative skills and my 5 languages ;)

I was so nervous last night that I didn't sleep a wink...Well, I slept for an hour and a half almost. So after I got home (wonderful trip, just took me half an hour :p) I went grocery shopping, had coffee with my darling and crashed...Slept for 3 hours, made something to eat, writing this blog and I feel a crash coming on pretty soon  really :') Good to find out I had nothing to be nervous about!

Ok, as I said I feel a crash coming on so I think I'll lie a bit on the couch with my book... Have a nice day!

The Dax girls

Ever since my divorce about a year ago I have been living at my son's apartment, getting a house here is a real drag, especially if you're still job hunting like I am... My son went to live with his dad in the beautiful apartment over the restaurant. 

But I am not living here all on my own, I share the house with 'the Dax girls', Ezri and Jadzia. Two cats, totally different in appearance and character, but loads of fun (most of the time :p). Here, I'll show a pic of both, Ezri in her signature 'facepalm' sleeping position and Jadzia...well camouflaged ;) :

I think this already gives away a lot of their character, Ezri a bit messy but sleeping soundly on my bed (always on the blankie like I taught her!) and Jadzia camouflaged, one eye open, ready to jump anything that moves ;)

Their names come from the Star Trek Deep Space 9 series. Jadzia and Ezri were the 8th and 9th hosts of the Trill symbiont Dax. These symbionts can live for hundreds of years inside humanoid Trill bodies, but when the host dies, the symbiont has to be 'implanted' in another body. The hosts share their memories with the symbiont. My son is, like me, a Trekkie...So it figured he gave his cats Star Trek names ;)

Strangely enough (?) the kitties share some of their character feats with their 'name givers', like Ezri is the more insecure cat and Jadzia is wiser and more 'fun-loving'.

Ezri was the first to come live at my son's house. She was born in a loving home and she grew out to be the big black-and-white bunch of cuddles she is today. She does have issues though, for some weird reason she thinks she has to pee in the hallway. At first we thought it was because the girls shared a litter box, so I bought a second one. That helped for a bit. Then we thought it was because the boxes were dirty, so I clean them every day instead of every 2-3 days. But she still keeps on doing it, now my guess is she doesn't like to be bossed around by little Jadzia. Nothing I can do about that though....

She's the more social cat. Likes to sleep on the foot end of my bed on the blanket I put there and loves it when the pillows are put there too. And she really likes company, and loads of cuddles. She'll jump anyone that visits here, begging for hugs...Ezri is also a bit of a scaredycat though. When the girls were still allowed to go outside, Ezri would just walk around in the garden and maybe pay a little visit to the neighbours. And she was always the first to be inside again :)

Jadzia...ooooh Jadzia ;) She's our little street slut. Her color here is called tortoise. And it's perfect camouflage! As we heard from the people my son got her from, she was found in the streets when she was 3 weeks old. Her behavior was immediately sooooo different from Ezri's! Even though she came in a few weeks after Ezri, she tried to establish her dominance and believe me, she won! Jadzia is the inquisitive type. When people come to visit, she'll try to jump into their bags or coats, to see if there's anything in there she fancies. And just try to take it from her if she found something! She likes cuddles too, but on her time. She'll never come to beg, if she wants attention, she'll just jump on your lap and will make sure you'll do whatever she wants!

When I was in Chicago this year, my son took the kitties to the vet and they told him Jadzia wasn't too healthy. She has a heart murmur. Which she can grow VERY old with, since she's active enough! It does have some less nice sides though. Like, my son wanted both cats to be sterilized, but Jadzia may not survive the operation. So they're not allowed out anymore. Ezri doesn't mind much, homely girl as she is, but Jadzia is really really pissed. She'll be mewing really loud in front of the doors or the open window (which has a kitty proof grating :p) and when in heat she'll try anything to escape. That is quite easy since she's really small and super fast! Once outside she'll roam the streets...Luckily, when she's close enough to hear me, she'll come when I call her name ;). Inside it's hard to find her sometimes. I found out she likes to sleep on top of the coatrack for example, and on the digital decoder for the telly, or just well camouflaged on my son's old desk inbetween the magazines and DVDs.

So, now you know the ladies I live with a bit better and you won't be surprised to find their names in my blog. And yeah, they do make my life a living hell at times, but they have also kept me company in one of the harder times in my life...I will sure miss them once I find a place of my own! 

Have a great day and permit me to quit for today, the Dax girls are having a fight and I need to intervene!

Beautiful Sunday...

It's a lovely day today, really. Sunny, 23C (that's about 73F), hardly any wind...just...lovely.
I'm glad for the inhabitants of Leiden, makes their yearly festivities so much better. They're celebrating that about 400 years ago the city got liberated from the Spanish invaders. And they do so eating herring and white bread, hutspot (that's a root vegetable mash: carrots, onions and potatoes) and drinking looots of beer. There's a lot going on in Leiden today, but since it's not my party (I only live here for about a year and a half) and since I don't like crowds very much, I just stay home with the kitties and my sweet love on Messenger ;)

My son came to see me today. He's been in Ireland on vacation, Cork to be precise. He's been back for a bit but he's a lot like me, so he waited 'til he had time... He said Ireland is damned expensive, like a bottle of wine in a supermarket costs about €20. That's insane! Well, the prezzy he brought me sure didn't cost that much, sweetheart left the pricetag on :') But that's how I like it! (And so does he.) He got me a fridge magnet with a Claddagh, a real four leaf clover or Shamrock, and a very sweet text: 'Mothers hold their children's hands a while and their hearts forever' Here, I made a pic of it:

At least the Claddagh and Shamrock show, I tried so hard to get the text clear too but alas! I just love it, it's a nice little keepsake I will treasure forever... On the back it says 'A Little Irish Luck', haha, I'll need that ;)

He said he'll be going back to Ireland one day, it's a beautiful country. But first he's going to New Zealand in 2012 with a friend, for about a month, and he's getting his thigh all tattooed then, one of those special tattoos they do there. Kid's addicted to ink ;)

Well, I think I'm done for today. Can't tell everything in one day, right? Remind me to tell something about the kitties that make my life a living hell soon! Have a great day!!!

Ok, I finally did it :')

I've been thinking a lot about this, had some valuable opinions and information from friends and family...
And now here it is, my own blog!

Have to say, I started it, did some designing on it, but don't have a single friggin' clue about...WHAT TO WRITE!!!!

But I'm sure that'll come to me soon enough...like, I am still job hunting and can elaborate about my adventures in that... I still have kids (hahaha and they'll NEVER go away ;) ), I have friends, a relationship...

See? Enough to write about really... and I can always 'bother' you readers with my opinions on the news, like how that guy Emmanuel is doing in his run to mayor of Chicago for example ;)

Just let me think a little bit, let me make a profile for this blog, get the feeling of the whole thing... And I am sure the writers juices will start flowing!

Thanks a lot for reading this already _o_