Rob: At your service.

[Dutch] Racedag

2013-04-17T12:07:52Z

8:00 uur, ik ben exact één minuut voor de wekker wakker. Op zondag nog wel. Shit, het regent buiten. Na het douchen trek ik kort-kort aan met lang-lang er overheen. De buurman loopt ook de 10km en zijn vrouw gaat mee als publiek, kan zij mooi ook op mijn rugzak letten. Een pasta-ontbijtje, kop koffie, emmer water, flesje water inpakken. Nog even in alle rust toiletteren en voortdurend dat ongeloof in je hoofd: "Holy shit, ik ga vandaag 10km rennen! En die afstand heb ik tot nu toe slechts 1x eerder gelopen! En gisteren heb ik nog vijf uur lang gewandeld in de Waterleidingduinen! Kan ik dit?"

09:40 uur *dingdong* Ah, daar zijn de buurtjes. Naar het metrostation alwaar andere mensen in sportieve kleding ook langzaam binnendruppelen. De metro is bommetjevol met toeschouwers en deelnemers. Alles stroomt er op Beurs weer uit.

10:25 uur. Ik waag het er op. Terwijl Lee Towers iedereen toezingt, trek ik mijn lang-lang uit en stop het in mijn rugzak. De buurvrouw wenst ons succes. Terwijl we achter het stadhuis langs lopen klinkt het kanonschot en vertrekken de marathonlopers. Ik stel me op in vak D, de buurman in vak C. En dan begint het wachten en komen de zenuwen. Smartphone checken. Endomondo standby? Muziek klaar? Nog een paar slokken water en toch nog maar een keer de blaas legen. *knal* Daar is het kanon weer en gaat de eerste groep van de 10km lopers. Ik sluit aan en wacht tot het mijn beurt is om in sukkeldraf over die startlijn te lopen. Nog even een foto van mezelf op Facebook gooien. Dan renmuziek aan, op random. Verras me maar. Gangnam Style. Mijn hemel. Ik grinnik, doe mijn oortjes in en haal diep adem. Bijna tijd.

10:55 uur. Daar gaan we. Wandelend, dan snelwandelend en uiteindelijk een soort van hardlopend! God is a DJ. Kippenvel die eerste paar honderd meter. Juichend publiek, ik word links en rechts ingehaald door gretige scholieren. I don't care, ik loop m'n eigen tempo. Linksaf bij de 'olietonnen' de Blaak op. In mijn oortjes klinkt de robotvrouw van Endomondo "One Kilometer, Time: 6 minutes, 55 seconds" Netjes. Binnen de 75 minuten finishen is mijn haalbare doel. Station Blaak komt in zicht, de kubuswoningen. "IK VIND JE LEKKER!" zingen De Kraaien me toe. Dat vind ik nu ook. Ondertussen is het hindernislopen begonnen. Snellere renners halen me in terwijl ik zelf de eerste wandelaars wil passeren. Ik vervloek drie meiden die midden op de weg ineens besluiten dat ze moe zijn en recht voor mijn neus gaan wandelen. Het zal niet de laatste keer zijn deze dag....

Linksaf bij het Oostplein. Enige commotie. Een vrijwilliger in een reflecterend hesje springt recht voor mijn neus, zwaait met z'n armen en schreeuwt naar de renners om mij heen "STOPPEN! DRIE SECONDEN!". Ik wil 'm ontwijken, maar meteen achter hem kruist een motoragent onze route met een eenzame hardloper achter zich aan. Ik ren weer door, me afvragend wat dat precies moest voorstellen. Op de Boezemstraat breekt de zon ineens door. "Welcome to St. Tropez." komt door op m'n smartphone. Hoe toepasselijk. Een DJ langs de weg probeert lopers en toeschouwers met de armen te laten zwaaien. Ik doe even mee. Om mij heen grijpen sommige lopers al naar flesjes water die door vrienden en familieleden langs de route worden aangereikt. Ik moedig een deelneemster van drie keer mijn omvang aan als ik haar inhaal. "Gaat goed!" roep ik en geef haar een fistbump. Ze lacht me toe en gaat verder met haar eigen race. "Three kilometers." hoor ik. En nog perfect op schema. Precies in de maat van "Year of Summer" stuiter ik verder.

Scherp rechts, Boezemlaan - Kralingse Plaslaan. Een bandje speelt, kinderen staan klaar om high-fives uit te delen, sommige huizen hebben de voordeur openstaan met een bordje "TOILET" in de tuin. Voor mij haakt een dame af en loopt zo'n huis in. Een andere loper - een Aziatische dame - wordt op de huid gezeten door haar fotograaf. De man rent rondjes om haar heen en schiet tientallen foto's vanuit elke mogelijke hoek. Ik zou 'm allang een schop hebben verkocht. Het zigzaggen tussen wandelende, bellende en WhatsAppende scholiertjes begint weer. Doe dan NIET mee! Ik mopper even, maar gelukkig is "Cassius in the house" en mijn humeur wordt weer beter. 5km bord in zicht, ik hunker naar die waterpost!

De Kortekade op. In een slagveld van karton en sponsjes grijp ik naar een bekertje water. "Revolutionair drinksysteem" mijn reet! Geen sponsje in mijn beker. De helft van mijn water gaat naar binnen, de andere helft naar de grond of m'n shirt. Blij dat ik geen AA-drink heb genomen. Maar goed, er is wat vocht binnen, we zijn over de helft! "Catch 'em by surprise!" moedigt Busta Rhymez me aan terwijl ik de Oudedijk op ren. Het is warm, maar mijn lichaam protesteert nog niet. Geen steken, geen pijntjes, ik ben verbaasd!

De Oostzeedijk Beneden is lang. Ik zweer dat ik sommige gezichten en shirts al vaker heb gezien. De eerste vermoeidheid zet in. Op de tanden bijten en een lang stuk helling omhoog. Rechtsaf de Slaak op. "Seven kilometers". Het jezelf-aanmoedigen begint. "Je gaat dit verdomme uitlopen zonder stoppen." knarsetand ik. Precies op dat moment kom ik langs een ambulance, scherm er om heen, politie erbij, ingestorte loper. Ik schud m'n hoofd leeg en zet m'n blik weer op oneindig. Niet aan denken, doorgaan. Gerdesiaweg, Boezemweg, Goudsesingel. Hey, dit was die plek waar daarstraks die ene hardloper met motoragent langskwam. Holy shit! Terwijl ik net de 2km aantikte kwam die malloot al voorbij richting de 8km! Bizar. Een eerste steek dient zich aan in m'n zij. De Swedish House Mafia trekt me de Mariniersweg in. Een stel idiote tieners staat langs de route duckface-foto's van elkaar te maken. Ik besluit er zo dicht mogelijk langs te rennen en met een gilletje springen ze op het laatste moment achteruit. Met een valse grijns vergeet ik even m'n klagende lichaam.

De kubuswoningen dienen zich voor de tweede keer aan! Oh god, niet ver meer! Ik ga dit halen! Terwijl ik bijna hijgend de Blaak afren zie ik vanuit mijn ooghoek de Marathonlopers in tegenovergestelde richting gaan. Die hebben er al ruim 30 km op zitten op dat punt. Wie ben ik dan nog om te klagen? Ik spreek m'n laatste beetje energie aan. Een percussieband trommelt me richting de laatste bocht de Coolsingel weer op. Ik doe mijn oortjes uit. Nog 500 meter. Al dat volk links en rechts van me! "Kom op, Rob!" "Je bent er bijna, Rob!" "Hou vol, Rob!" Degene die heeft bedacht om je voornaam op de 'bib' te laten drukken verdient een prijs. Wat een runner's high! Ik wil grijnzen en juichen en mijn handen de lucht in gooien als ik die finishlijn over ga, maar ik heb er de kracht niet meer voor.

Maar ik finish. Ik heb het gehaald. En kan meteen geen kant meer op. File richting de medailles, de toiletten, de banaan, het water, de AA-drink. Ik ben heet, duizelig. Die banaan is de lekkerste die ik ooit gegeten heb. Ik staar als een zombie naar m'n medaille. 10 kilometer, het staat er echt. Als vee worden we richting de uitgangspoort geduwd. Ik wil m'n wachtende vrienden en de buurvrouw bellen, maar het netwerk is overbelast. En de graveerstand is nergens te vinden. Chaos. Uiteindelijk komt alles goed. Bij het graveren hoor ik dan eindelijk mijn tijd. 1:14:09. Stiekem had ik beter verwacht, maar ik klaag niet. Met alle hindernissen toch constant gerend, niet stukgegaan, niet gewandeld en binnen de 75 minuten gebleven. Ik teken er voor. Met medaille om de nek en startnummer nog op de borst ga ik met een groepje uiteindelijk de metro weer in. Naar huis, naar bad. Terwijl ik uiteindelijk lig te weken, droom ik over m'n volgende doel. Bruggenloop? Dam tot Dam? En ineens realiseer ik me iets. Ik ben verslaafd. Help......

Eye caramba.

2012-06-04T12:07:30Z

A few weeks ago I went to my optician for my annual checkup. Once again my eyesight dropped. Contact lenses are now a whopping -13 and -11.5. As a precaution, the optician advised me to get a more in-depth checkup with a doctor of optometry (who looks at the entire eye in stead of just the front of the eye).

Last friday, I had that appointment. Eyes were sedated, I got pupil-dilating fluids and the doc shoved some sort of microscopic lens against my eye so he could look me deeeeeep into my eyes (harhar).

Long story short: my right eye has a few retinal tears (tear as in rupture, not the stuff you cry) that need lasering to repair. To prevent the possibility of retinal detachment. So tomorrow I'm going back for basically the same show, with the addition of a friggin' laser shot right INTO my eye to fix those tears. This is not the same as lasering to correct your shortsightedness, that's just the front, the cornea. This is a laser going right INTO my eye.

Needless to say I'm very anxious. Yes, this has been done millions of times before, but if there are two areas I REALLY don't like doctors messing around, it's my eyesight and my hearing.

You did WHAT?

2012-02-22T13:25:50Z

I just signed up for a 6K Charity run. Sept 30th, The Hague. For the kitties!

Thank you's

2011-12-26T00:01:48Z

Thank you to hiryu, thaily, her brothers and especially her mother for a wonderful Christmas dinner and their enjoyable company.

I am blessed to have friends like you guys.

Shit getting done! (update)

2011-12-19T12:01:47Z

~~- take measurements of the decorated ceiling elements, then find decent lamps/armatures, no more sad little lightbulbs on the ceiling. (I still have 6 of those, WTF.)~~ Of the 7 places I want new lights and armatures, one has been changed, for two others I have the lights but still need installing.
~~- take measurements of my fireplace and find appropriate bio-fuel burner to install (no wood-burner or electric one)~~ Design burner bought, cleaned 3 pounds of ashes out of the chimney (thanks, previous owner!), now it turns out I need to level the backwall of the fireplace before I can hang the burner in its place. Argh.
~~- get old bike fixed one last time before it dies.~~ I'm too ashamed of the current state of my bike to bring it to a repair shop. New valve stems bought, hope that will solve the problem. Still have to change it.
- reach my weight goal so I can buy the new bike I promised myself. (This week no treats!)
- find cheapest planeticket to New Orleans for any time in 2012 and book it. (More specific: second half of November, just had an invitation to celebrate Thanksgiving in the US)
~~- find a good solution for hiding the cables that are currently running along the walls of my livingroom and bedroom~~. Cable 'serpentine' bought, now I have to stuff my cables into that thing.
~~- get 2 decent beds for my guestroom, get rid of the old ones (will happen on dec 11)~~
- see if I can find more furniture for guestroom
~~- move all non-essential sh*t from 'ironing-room' to attic~~
~~- Study for part 2 of ITIL V3 training.~~
~~- Fill out job-evaluation questionnaire.~~
~~- put up the bird feeder on the balcony again~~
~~- smash the current wireless doorbell to pieces and buy a set that DOES work properly.~~
~~- Buy a new (cheap) suit at C&A or Makro (deadline: dec 12)~~
~~- Bring bag with old coffee capsules to Nespresso-shop for recycling~~
~~- Check if I should switch healthcare providers. If yes, make it happen.~~
~~- Send scans of taxpapers to tax-advisor.~~
~~- File ALL the paperwork!~~

Also done:
* Glued/hammered metal keyhole covers on my cupboard doors
* Brought suits to tailor for modifications, bought new dress shirts as well.
* All X-mas cards sent!

New and updated to-do list:
* Find a way to get backwall of fireplace egalized (maybe put ad up on werkspot.nl)
* Find 4 more lights to replace the sad little lightbulbs
* Get the 2 bought lights installed (one requires extra work and 10-inch-long screws....)
* Put cables in 'serpentine'
* Pick up suits on thursday night
* Get a haircut thursday night
* Gather additional data for tax advisor to adjust my monthly payments
* Finish the photoalbum of our Scotland trip before the end of the month
* Digitalize the notebook from my Namibia trip
* Fix bike
* Book planeticket for New Orleans, november 2012
* Mayyyyyyybe get a ticket for Sziget (caveat: Liz & Erik's wedding is very close to that week)
* Pray for frost so my handymen get frost-leave from their construction work and can come install my new secondhand kitchen

December

2011-12-05T11:37:37Z

I hereby announce December as Getting Sh*t Done month. My list of said sh*t, mostly for own reference:

- take measurements of the decorated ceiling elements, then find decent lamps/armatures, no more sad little lightbulbs on the ceiling. (I still have 6 of those, WTF.)
- take measurements of my fireplace and find appropriate bio-fuel burner to install (no wood-burner or electric one)
- get old bike fixed one last time before it dies.
- reach my weight goal so I can buy the new bike I promised myself.
- find cheapest planeticket to New Orleans for any time in 2012 and book it.
- find a good solution for hiding the cables that are currently running along the walls of my livingroom and bedroom
- get 2 decent beds for my guestroom, get rid of the old ones (will happen on dec 11)
- see if I can find more furniture for guestroom
- move all non-essential sh*t from 'ironing-room' to attic
- Study for part 2 of ITIL V3 training.
- Fill out job-evaluation questionnaire.
- put up the bird feeder on the balcony again
- smash the current wireless doorbell to pieces and buy a set that DOES work properly.
- Buy a new (cheap) suit at C&A or Makro (deadline: dec 12)
- Bring bag with old coffee capsules to Nespresso-shop for recycling
- Check if I should switch healthcare providers. If yes, make it happen.
- Send scans of taxpapers to tax-advisor.
- File ALL the paperwork!

Lounging and flying

2011-08-28T15:55:18Z

So, here I am in the KLM Royal Crown Lounge at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport. 4 hours from now my flight to Bangkok wil depart, and the next three weeks I'll be working in an office at a shipyard 2 hours south of Bangkok, 6 days a week, 10 hours a day.

So this trip is not gonna be a cakewalk and certainly not a vacation. I'm gonna have to work my ass off and only have 2 seperate days to have a look around in a province where there's hardly anything to see (unless you're into transsexuals and underaged boys and girls, in which case you could visit Pattaya). Still this'll be my first ever visit to Asia, and if there's one thing that would ever draw me to Asia, it's the food. And the tigers, but no time for those on this trip.

I started my culinary discoveries yesterday in a Thai Restaurant in my hometown together with thaily and hiryu. Never again will I stoically try to munch on a big slice of chili pepper. Unless I check it for seeds first. Yowza. But the food was good!

And today I'm experiencing another first: sitting in an airline lounge. Perk of travelling for a petrol-related company, they have special deals with airlines because of the many flights they book. So if you ever wondered what it's like to sit in one of those posh lounges, I will now divulge its secrets.

First: hundreds of spacious comfy chairs, all with their own power socket for charging laptops and mobile phones. A rack with all the international newspapers, 10 shower rooms for transit passengers wanting to freshen up during their brief stay on the airport, a service desk for all your flight-related questions (you want to upgrade to Business Class? Change your seat? It can be arranged), lots of TV's ranging from CNN to Eurosport to MTV(??). If you really need a nap there's a separate "deep rest" area with small cubicles, lie-down reclining chairs and dimmed lights. In the lounge there's soothing music playing in the background (Pavarotti, now Elton John) and there's a free bar and buffet. Everything self-service, but if you want to pour yourself a quadruple bacardi-and-coke no one's stopping you. Beer and mixer spirits are freely available: brandy, gin, whisky, rum, wine, just step up, pour and enjoy. Wow.

And the food? Everything from salty nibbles to old cheese to soup, stew, salad, bread and of course fresh fruits, fruitjuices, coffee, tea, soda's and mineral water.

But still... despite all this, I still wonder why business class tickets are four times the price of an economy one. Sure, you have this lounge, you get your own check-in desk, priority loading and unloading of your luggage, roomy seats on the plane, better food created by top chefs, more service, champagne, etc. etc. But think of how much more value you could get out of your (or the company's) money by spending the price difference in your destination country instead?

I'm an idealist and a dreamer. I know. Money makes the world go round, I know that too. Maybe I'm experiencing "vicarious shame" for sitting here and knowing I'm out of place? Oh well, might as well pour myself another fresh OJ while I'm here... No gin. Alcohol and flights don't mix well.

Hey Ionotter!

2011-05-04T13:20:51Z

Spammy replies

2011-04-14T10:42:43Z

Anyone else getting these spammy replies to their journal posts? Along the lines of:

- I normally never follow a blog, but yours is great, lol.
- I agree with what you're saying. Great post.
- I don't bookmark sites, but I will bookmark this!!!

They're bloody annoying, especially when they're non-replies to the posting of Chewbaaka's passing.

Goodbye Chewbaaka

2011-04-04T08:10:22Z

A letter from Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund:

My dear friends,

With the deepest sorrow, we said goodbye to Chewbaaka today. In late February, a rabid kudu jumped into Chewbaaka’s enclosure. Despite being almost 16 years old, Chewbaaka attempted to kill the kudu, suffering bruises that covered his entire abdomen and hind legs. He did not appear to have internal injuries, but I think that given his age and the age-related kidney disease that was diagnosed last year, the insult to his body was too much for him to overcome. Despite our best efforts, he did not recover.

Chewbaaka has been my best friend since he was brought to me in 1995, only 10 days old and seriously ill. Even as young and ill as he was, he was such a fighter that he pulled through, and he and I developed a deep bond that lasted his entire lifetime. We trusted each other completely. We were partners.

I’ve said before that Khayam, the first cheetah I raised, showed me the problem facing cheetahs, and Chewbaaka showed me the solutions. As a team, he and I demonstrated to tens of thousands of Namibian children and adults that we could live together peacefully. He made Namibians proud of their natural heritage. He convinced men who had killed cheetahs all their lives to put down their guns and work to protect this fascinating animal. He was featured in television documentaries and articles in National Geographic, Smithsonian, Africa Geographic, and Readers’ Digest. People all over the globe knew him or knew of him.
Even for a cheetah, Chewbaaka had a special bearing, a regalness that people often commented on. It was as if he knew he was the king of CCF. In my heart he will always be king of CCF.

We have been working to develop a planned giving program in Chewbaaka’s honour, called the Chewbaaka Society, and I will provide more information about that in the next few months. But for now I wanted you to know the sad news of the passing of this legendary animal, my great friend Chewbaaka.
Thank you to everyone for your concern and support during this sorrowful time.

Farewell, you beautiful creature.

Game of Thrones

2011-04-01T16:04:32Z

Need 3 more followers! Be my acolyte, and I'll become a Maester. Sign up at http://itsh.bo/e20JkL #gameofthrones #themaesterspath

You'll get sneak previews from the upcoming fantasy TV series based on George R.R. Martin's "Song of Fire and Ice" series in return :)

Ohhh Ionotter!

2011-02-23T22:21:57Z

Writer's Block: Not again

2011-01-28T12:58:12Z

Home Alone. Nuff said.

Writer's Block: Cover me

2010-11-12T06:32:29Z

Foo Fighters - Band on the Run (Original: Paul McCartney and the Wings)
Editors - Lullaby (Original: The Cure)

Beep

2010-11-01T06:45:23Z

Hey folks,

as you might have noticed, I'm not really all that active on LJ anymore. I do read it on a daily basis, but the writing has shifted to quick blurbs on Facebook and Twitter

Just to fill you in on the past two months:
- Living in Schiedam now. House isn't finished yet, but progress is steady as well as slow. See pics HERE (First: How it used to be, then how I'm tearing it up)
- No news in work-, health- or relationship-matters.

There, now you're filled in :) Seriously, the house is taking up most of my spare time, luckily I have friends who occasionally pull me out of the house to go catch a movie or see a band. Next weekend I have three workers coming over for more big jobs in the house, new windowframes are incoming, floor can get sanded and lacquered after that, and once those things are done, I can finally move the heavy furniture in and start decorating. In any case, don't have time or room for a B-day bash this weekend. I'll probably postpone it a couple of weeks, until the house is ready for one.

Rob the Builder

2010-08-27T09:51:13Z

Hah, I made a funny. Rob the Builder. I'm so easily amused.

Aaanyway, a lot has happened these past few months. Visited Israel, bought a home, pretended to be press at the GamesCom in Cologne and now... Now I'm in that new home. Last monday was the final check-up followed by the signing of the papers at the notary. Of course Murphy and his law had to rear their ugly heads, creating torrential downpour and a big traffic accident on the highway I needed to use to get to my new place.

So... my real estate agent did the final housecheck for me, gave it the green light, and I could go straight to the notary where I arrived only 10 minutes too late. Took me 1.45 hours to get from Katwijk to Schiedam. Ugh. Papers checked, papers signed, I got keys and a bottle of wine and off I went, all by myself, opening the door, giving it a loving SHOVE to open it properly, then I ascended the 32 steps to my living floor. I used that stair a LOT the first few days, dragging up all kinds of DIY and cleaning equipment, a plastic table, 4 fold up chairs, coffee maker, laptop, you know: the essentials :P

I had gas, water and electricity from the first moment, internet access a few hours later, then the whole plotting and planning started for real. What did I still need? What do I need NOW and what can wait after the big DIY weekend with helpers (sep. 11)?

Now it's Friday, the kitchen was thoroughly cleaned, found some electrical deathtraps (two OPEN extension cords, lovely) and took care of a lot of paperwork. I'm already officially a resident of Schiedam, I have a new GP and dentist, I had my first dinner with friends (take out pizza, of course. Haha) and I bought a shitload of stuff at the DIY store (they should know me by name by now).

The couch is gonna be fun. It's wider than my staircase, so eventually it needs to go in by elevator and open window. For the moment it's gonna be stored in the hallway at my old place (delivery expected in a week or two) until I've bought all the big and heavy things that need to follow the same route. The logistics of moving to an old house, wonderful.

Today I'm expecting the cable guy (who has 15 more minutes before he's officially late) and the electrician who's gonna install my new fuse box (he's 4 days late, by the way). In three weeks I'll be getting a new kitchendoor and -windows, things are coming along.

Which leaves me with the DIY stuff I need to do myself. I finally made a start this morning, cleaning all the wood and windowpanes in the bedroom with a water/ammonium hydroxide mixture (OHGODITSTINKSIMGONNADIEEE). Then I started sanding. I took a break to write this post. I have paint/wooddust everywhere in/on/over my body. Wheee! Thankfully I got a dustmask. Might still buy safety glasses though.

If anyone feels like dropping by and give me a hand (most likely sanding and cleaning) gimme a call. Your help and company is appreciated.

More updates as they follow.

Congrats Spain

2010-07-11T22:08:58Z

Soccer World Cup

2010-07-06T20:59:54Z

The new place

2010-06-14T08:54:42Z

During the weekend I frolicked around with floorplanner.com and here is the result. There's 2 floors (2e etage & 3de etage) and floors can be viewed both in 2D and in 3D (buttons in the top right corner) 3D has a glitch when it comes to the stairs, but hey, you get the idea.

What'cha think? :)

House get

2010-06-07T12:20:03Z

This morning, in a moment of decreased sanity, I think I said yes to the sellers of an apartment in Schiedam.

Barring any unforseen circumstances with mortgages and building inspectors, it looks like I'll be getting the key to my own property on September 1st.

Here.

I'm still in a state of shock. I suppose the gravity of it all will only really hit me when I'm at the actuary signing official looking papers.

Wow.

Seriously.

Wow.

Steampunkers, head for Dordrecht!

2010-05-28T07:05:26Z

I never knew this, but I've just been informed that there's a festival in Dordrecht once every two years where everything is about steam. Boats, trains, machines, caroussels, it's all there. Plus a lot of people will dress up in late 19th century clothing.

And when does this happen? This weekend.... I can't make it, but if you do, TAKE PICTURES!

Robbie D in da house

2010-05-27T06:13:06Z

Every great journey begins with a single step, right?

Well, yesterday I stepped into the office of a real estate agent, asking her to help me in buying an apartment and getting the best deal for it.

The apartment in question? See pics here: http://ow.ly/1Qu4F

So, I feel like I just got on the rollercoaster and it's slowly going up to the point where you drop down and the wild ride starts. Tomorrow, I'm talking to a financial advisor about mortgages (don't worry Yanks, we don't have sub-primes here ;) and next Tuesday I'm going to visit the apartment together with my real estate agent and maybe my parents if they feel like driving up here. Depending on the agent's assessment, we'll work out a bidding strategy, get a building inspector to crawl down to the foundations, up to the roof and check everything in between. If THAT doesn't bring up anything serious, it's just me getting approved for the mortgage and before you know I'll be at the notary to sign the various contracts.

Wish me luck. Still many hurdles to take and no solid outcome yet, but at the least this is gonna be a learning experience. Worst-case scenario: no apartment but more experienced in the whole process of bidding and buying. Best-case-scenario: moving in to new apartment Sept 1st. But let's not count chickens before they're hatched..... Or as we dutchies say: don't sell the hide before you've shot the bear. Which is kinda strange since we don't have bears in The Netherlands, but you catch my drift.

What to do with 3 Couchsurfers in NL

2010-04-25T21:21:47Z

Thursday:
You pick them up at Schiphol Airport, drive them past the flower fields where all the tulips are blooming and take them to Madurodam.

Friday:
You take them to Amsterdam, visit the Van Gogh museum, introduce them to FEBO, watch them eat special muffins and smoke in a coffeeshop, get on a canal boat with them while they're still under the influence, take them to the Anne Frank House after the effects wear off, eat falafel, spend a few hours in the famous Gollem beercafe and walk through the red light district

Saturday:
You drive to Limburg, get stuck in a traffic jam, let them help with removing all junk from grandpa's workshop, have them eat grandma's soup, dutch hot sausage rolls and home made beef salad (Huzarensalade), drive them back home so they can freshen up when all work is done, then get them to Delft for a Medieval dinner with lots of food, drink and merriment.

Sunday:
Take them to the Efteling all day. Make them cook you dinner.

Monday:
Put them on the train to their next location. Be braindead for the rest of the day.

Gods, we had fun though.....

Where has the time gone?

2010-04-17T14:04:46Z

Wow, has it really been three months since my last real update? I guess it has. Maybe Twitter (@rdriessen) is partially to blame for it, but on the other hand I've been busy. Really busy.

So, where to start? I guess you guys have heard enough about my trip to Namibia and the knee surgery. I spent six weeks with my parents, recovering and getting physical therapy. I spent a few hours here and there behind a laptop to keep some projects going that were developing at work. Eventually in the second week of February I was allowed to drive a car again and walk without crutches. And I was happy. Happy to go home and happy to be away from my parents. Now don't get me wrong, I love my parents and they went out of their way to get me to and from therapy, cooking my favorite food and all that. Yet you'll always be a child in your parents' eyes, so the well-meant questions and comments began to get on my nerves after a while. "Did you manage to get some work done? Have you been on the home trainer yet? Isn't it time for your walk?" It made me realize I wouldn't be able to live with my parents anymore. Which I suppose is a good thing. I'd get strange looks if I said I was still living with my parents....

So in February and March I've been mostly busy with work assignments at the main office, helping the training people from the Academy with their backlog updating courses and making new ones. Also finished the Hotelgame and eventually managed to write a text for an accompanying flyer. They want me to write an official article about it as well, but I feel very insecure about that. I didn't sign up for that when I agreed to finish the game.

Aaaanyway, eventually work managed to find me a new assignment at Boskalis, the world's leading company in dredging. Their Asset Management division needed help building a new central database for all their equipment and spare parts and that's what I'm doing right now, turning 20 separate databases (from the 20 biggest ships) into one central database where one screw or o-ring only has one ordernumber instead of 20 different ones. Eventually that central database will have 250.000 items. Needless to say I'll be stationed there for a while. And in the mean time I'm also training colleagues in the fine art of Functional Management one night a week. So next to the daytime job, I have two therapy sessions a week, one night of training and two (sometimes three) radioshows to host. Because I'm not a machine, I knew I had to cut down a little and so I'll be stopping with my shows at Monsterhit Music after next month's 80s-day.

The new assignment has also rekindled my search for a home. I've visited a few apartments in Schiedam but it seems as if everything that looks interesting has a skeleton hiding in a closet. Either the apartment is still in its 'original state', complete with seventies wallpaper and kitchen, or the backside of the apartment borders a huge blind wall 4 stories high which kills any chance of daylight coming in. Furthermore, half of Schiedam is at risk of slowly sinking due to the old foundations being dragged down by hardened clay. As you can guess, I'd like to avoid the risk that one year after buying an apartment I have to take out an additional loan or mortgage to pay for foundation renewal. Oh, and the fact that the government's subsidy-fund for new buyers has dried up doesn't help much either. With new National Elections on the way, every party has something to say about cutting tax-benefits for home-owners. All in all, a very uncertain time to buy property. Luckily I'm in no hurry leaving Katwijk.

What else is new? Uhm, gonna visit Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in June (thanks to an aunt winning plane tickets and her husband's fear of flying), and next weekend I'll be playing host to Nick - one of the other volunteers at CCF. And next saturday the family is coming together at grandma's place to clear out the house of everything non-essential with regards to her coming move to a nursing home. It's going to be awkward emptying grandpa's rooms....

But first.... party tonight! Won a free ticket to go see a Jazz-concert followed by Kraak & Smaak spinning the wheels of steel. I'll be dragging jonesybunny along, since bander had to go accept a job in the UK ;)

P.S. If I ever *do* manage to find a new house and move there, (and after an allergy test) I'm am so going to get me two ferrets....

listening to "Gorillaz - Some Kind of Nature" on Blip

2010-03-11T10:40:49Z

My tip for the second single from Plastic Beach.