Small update

Well... It's not really good news... but also not really all the way bad. Hmmm. So we got offered the mortgage that we want, with everything we need and stuff, BUT the bank is asking for a letter from our employers that states that our contracts will become permanent after a while. Problem is, whearas in any dutch company they have to write that kind of letter, the UN and the EPO are legally forbidden to write such a letter. There's the dilema.
I WILL get a permanent contract, maybe even as soon as January 2006, but if we get rejected now, we'll lose the house and then we won't need a mortgage in 2006. It won't be of any use. So we don't really know what to do. I asked my personel department if they could do anything at all, and they'll try and figure something out more or less. So I don't know. The Tribunal however does not even give any permanent contracts, since that is legally impossible. Angel got a letter saying something about that and that her contracts keep getting renewed, also in the future... so I don't know if that would be enough. Man, it sucks big time. If only we could talk to the bank personally and explain the situation. In the end any person can get fired just like that, if they screw up or if the company goes bankrupt, which does happen quite alot lately, so I don't really get why the bank makes it so difficult for us, especially since I have a very secure job in an industry that just keeps growing and growing exponentially. If any job is safe, it's here. Crap. Really, we're clawing at straws now and we need to know for sure, one way or the other in less than 2 weeks. This does wonders to my heart I'm telling ya, and nogood wonders that is... dammit.

Believe it or not...

... I've actually done some more artwork on my Untitled Designs page. The newest two additions are in the gallery. Here is one of them:


(click picture to enlarge)

Other than that, we are waiting for the mortgage (EDIT: yeah spelling again...) offer and if we'll get the money we need. To be honest I don't think I could survive not getting the house. I kinda already live in it, albeit in my head. Yeah, me be loopy.

PS: I just wanted to remind you, if you ever come across the new Battlestar Galactica TV series, or if they finally start airing it in our countries, WATCH IT! We already ordered the first season on DVD and the pilot because we loved it so much. I think the fact that the episodes circulate on the internet did the series much more good than it did harm, especially since it is so good and people outside of the UK and the usa have their mouth watering. It reall is the best Sci-Fi series I have ever seen.

Characterwise I'm sure you'll find favourites. The president is really cool. She is the middle-aged, strong and attractive woman type. She kicks ass with style. It's so realistic as to what could happen in such situations, how people would behave and nothing of utopia and we're all friends. Even on the brink of its extiction, mankind cannot seem to get along. Oh and the ancient roman/greek influences in their religion and culture make it even more interesting. Everything has a purpose, even the smallest detail. Oh and don't forget the continuety. For example, in the pilot of 2003, the only press surviving are the journalists who are on the Galactica at the time of the attacks and about 10 episodes later in 2004 they are brought back, even saying themselves that they are the last ones left.

And let me tell you, the season finale is the biggest cliffhanger I have ever seen. It is the most shocking and most unexpected thing and it just makes you scream out in frustration.

Van alles en nog wat (Stuffs)

Well, the Dutch Government has reached a new pre-kindergarden low and this country is yet in another crisis. Tom de Graaf, vice prime minister Democrat resigned last night because a bill he proposed got rejected. Not because of the idea of the bill, but because it was seen as too hasty and not detailed enough. He of course sees it as a defeat and leaves, against the will of a large majority of politians as well as citizens. Our governing coalition is made up of mostly right-winged Christians and a smaller amount of right-winged "liberals" ("the rich people party") and a very small, yet neccessary amount of Democrats. Without the democrats the government does not have a majority in the parlament. So now, after the resignation of Tom de Graaf, the Democrats are putting preassure on the government again and want to talk about the initial negotiations. I mean, I am myself more a fan of the social democrats, that's a different party, they are in the opposition, but in statistics they have th ehighest percentage now, if there were elections. Nevertheless the democrats in the coalition piss me off a lot. They have good ideas but the chicken out on a lot of things, they never push things through against the other two right-winged parties, so they never get their way. But the second it comes to boiling point people resign and the whole party threatens to leave the coalition. Happened before and it's happening again. The entire parlament in this country is a joke. The unwillingness of the christian right-winged and the rich people party to make any sort of concessions towards the rest of the country is ridiculous. The government collapsed in 2002 because of kindergarten-like quarrels and then there were re-elections, where all coalition parties lost votes, however they just re-formed the same coalition and just took the democrats in for the extra couple percent.

So, I'd say, kick ALL of them out, and start over altogether. I'm tired of all that BS and I'm not the only one.

Something different, yet not entirely off subject. The EPO is being treated like shit by the Dutch Authorities. As a result a huge amount of employees want the EPO to move and other countries have already offered the EPO a location and all sorts of priviledges that the Netherlands signed for but just plain ignores. And it's jnot the tax-related priviledges I'm talking about, it's the kind of stuff that concerns family members, residency permits, housing, ID cards, the basics.

Problem is, if the EPO moves, I'm out of a Job, and so would the future Angel. I'm not going to move to Italy, I don't like Italians. I mean I could move to Spain maybe, or to Munich or something, but I doubt that would be an option. So it sucks big time. I hope the Dutch government rethinks their attitude because if the EPO leaves, half the people who work here will lose their job because they are dutch and they cannot just move like that. So that's like another 2000 unemployed dutch people, and don't forget the HUGE and I mean HUGE amount of Money the EPO pays the dutch government every year. Add to that the large amount of rich people who don't earch their money in Holland but do SPEND it here. That's no good for the sick economy. If the EPO leaves, many of the other 20 international organisations will move. It will destroy a lot I can tell you that much.

Okay and thirdly, I wish all of you guys some Happy Easter Holidays. For us it's just 4 days (long weekend) but it's something and if the weather stays like this we might even move out buttocks to the beach or dunes or something. I know we should.

World Water Day

So what are YOU doing today for World Water Day?
Well I'm not gonna shower or let the water run when I brush my teeth. I'm still however gonna drink water during the day, but while I do so I will cherish it even more, since I know others might not have so plenty of it and you never know what the future holds.

I mean, we probably all had our parents force us into finishing off our brussle sprouts by saying "you know children in Africa don't even has this much to eat in a week! So you better be thankful and eat it all up." I wonder, does it make us better people when we actually cherish things we have more of than others? I don't know. Does it help for people like you and me to save water on March 22nd? Does it really make a difference? To the dehydrated people in the desert and to our dry-looking future? I understand that World Water Day is also a day for conferences, scientific and political and to make people more aware. I don't know if people read their water scales at the end of a month and realize how much liters they have actually used. I mean, I would also like to not use tabwater to flush the toilet but where to put the extra water tank to re-use dishwater or shower water? Too expansive, and too much of a hassle. Our toilet does not even have a stop button. Can we change that? No, there is no room at all to built in anything like that. Well actually there could be since behind it is the chimney shaft, but we are moving so we're not going to bother. Does it bother me that we're wasting so much water? Of course it does. Do I feel guilty for using that much water? Yes. Will I do something about it? I doubt it.

In Holland people usually don't recycle. I mean, we already collect glass and throw that in the containers, but paper, for example gets picked up once a month and we'd have to store it in our tiny house fo that entire time. Of course in our new house (if we ever get that) we'll have a shed and then we'd do it, but right now, again, we'd have to make concessions, so we don't. We throuw paper out with the garbage. We suck!

At least we don't pollute the air too much. The only things we do is breathe out CO2 and burn gas. We don't have a stinky car nor do we smoke. We also never throw garbage on the street or into nature. So that's good I guess.

Anyways. Happy World Water Day, if you can say it that way. I wonder what's happy about it. I don't know. Let's be good for at least one day a year.

Hero - another survey... :)

Who are your heros?

1) Political:

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan

2) Music/Art:

Jonsí from Sigur Rós

3) Activists: I don't know, Human Rights Activists I'd say. Animal Rights activists always do it wrong. Like when they take away animals, the people who abused them will just take new animals, so I think you'd have to do someting about the people, not continously take away animals without having a plan. I mean, I feel really bad for the animals but you also have to think of the big picture and not always just act on impulse, caus that make sthings worse.

4) Millitary: I have none. Don't know anyone who qualifies for a hero in there. Blood on your hands stays blood on your hands... oh wait... military people that help out in natural disasters are hero worthy, though. They work really hard and stuff, like for example when the big flood was in Saxony a couple of years ago, my greatgrandfather died from a lunginfection because of it, but millitary helped out a lot there. So non-war related millitary could qualify as a hero.

5) Science: All people who develope new technologies WITHOUT purpose of millitary use, but with the purpose of making life better, for example medicine against Cancers or Aids etc or people who, despite the threats from the USA government and Oil countries, continue developing alternative fuel technologies.

6) Fictional: I don't really know. I'd say Janeway, but her character is flawed. So I don't know. When it comes to kickass-ness, I'd say Lara Croft. :P

George Dubbleya Bush: Dictator and Asshole

So, we all know that the USA is not a democracy. I mean it even refers to itself as a "presidential democracy" which means it is democratic, until the president says otherwise. And since that redneck Nazi Drug addict ass of a President has said so hundreds of times, the Nation has no say anymore. It therefore is a dictatorship.

Best example: the so much loved individualism and non-interference of the government which US Americans despise so much in Communism and Dictatorships, took place this weekend when George W. Bush signed a new law that makes a woman and her husband suffer even more just because the woman's parents are extreme christians. Go figure. I'm sure you've heard about the Theresa Schiavo case, it's been all over the news in the world.

Regardless of how you feel about the issue of cutting the live support of a permantly brain-damaged comatose of 15 years, the fact that a court has ruled that she was to be relieved and let go, and that George W. Bush leaves all his duties and rushes to sign a law that makes it a CRIME for her husband and doctors to turn off the machines, just vioaltes all sorts of US constitution parts and laws and human rights.
That woman, Theresa Schiavo, is supposed to have told her husband before she went into coma, that she would not want to be kept alive artificially and rot like a vegetable. Since doctors have said there was not the slightest inch of hope due to her extensive brain damage, that she'd EVER wake up again, or even if she did, that she'd be functioning, her husband has fought for 15 years to get some peace for his wife.

Her parents however, believe that "God" meant for her to still be alive, and that he'll make her better. They don't care what she wanted in her lifetime or what her husband, who knows her better than anyone else, feels is best. Most shocking thing is, that most US Americans support Bush in signing that "law".

There are so many hypocritic things in this!

First of all you Christian Idiots: She is being kept alive only with machines, well guess what, God didn't create machines, men did. Regarding the rules of your own belief you are going against God's will and you are keeping her from going to a better place and keep her in a hellish state instead. What's wrong with you???

Secondly, as I said earlier, Americans love their individual freedoms, however in such a personal matter, the governement, no, the president himself, interferes in your life and the life of your loved ones, judging only, based on his personal beliefs, overruling a decision made by recognized courts. If the other 2 branches can just be overules like that it is a dictatorship. Nothing else. If one sole person has all the power, that's no democracy anymore. Man, you people are so dumb!!! Wake up already!

And regarding the morale moodswings of the American public. First, you're against abortion, because you believe man should not judge over a human's life (baby only little clunk, no brain yet etc...) but then you support the death penalty. In many cases even innocent people get killed through that, and even criminals leave loved ones behind that loved them. Now what is worse, getting rid of a baby that exists because of incestial rape, which will never be loved and most likely even be disabled, or killing a person, who could be innocent and regardless of that, is still a developed human being, guilty or not.
So and now this: In Hollywood movies, it's always when a person is so sick that they suffer, and there is no way they can get better, in the movies someone will relive them and kill them. It's portraied as a heroic act of compassion. However when it happens outside of movies, and the real lives of people are being influenced, all of a sudden it's immoral and barbarric. What the heck??? It's barbarric to haver her lie there for 15(!!!) years, vegetating away. All she has left are basic reflexes, the rest of her brain is completely damaged. She herself has said to her husband that she woul want to be relieved and let go and not rot like a moron. Why is her wish being ignored???

Also, in the US, the husband has a say about EVERYTHING. The second a woman marries, her hubby is boss and her parents have no right to interfere anymore, you can see that in cases which are the other way round, like abuse cases etc. Then parents cannot interfere, but in a case like this, they all of a sudden can????

Argh you people are so disgusting and barbarric you make me want to puke or kick something!!!!

I know that there is many US Americans that are against it, and who feel differently. Well then do something about it. I know it's hard, because the governemnet controlls everything, from Media up to what you do in your own bedroom. But that's exactly WHY you guys have to start fighting. You cannot just be against that shit with all your being and then just give up because it's too hard.

I mean, US Americans are so proud of defeating the imperealistic English back in the days, you fought for your freedom and to live a great life. You idiots had that freedom taken away again, by the government you elected. Take that freedom back or shut up forever! But just stop with that hypocritic shittalk already!!!!


There, I feel much better now! :D

When you're bored...

Here be a list of some of the online adventure puzzle games that we have enjoyed:

The Doors
Ray's Room (Chinese)
Samorost
Sangar Sabriina (Swedish)
sabrina in North Pole (sequel)
Hapland
My Diamnond Baby(Japanese)
Escape the Room
Quest for the Rest
Linsnail's Room
Shift
Crimson Room
Viridian Room
DROOM
Milki W
Chasm
Indiana Jones and the Sacred Fortune

Do you guys remember...

...The Mysterious Cities of Gold ? I was addicted as a child. I loved that series. I just did some research on TV shows from my childhood for my German Blog and I came across the name and I instantly remembered. It was a show about the boy Esteban who finds himself in the world of the Inka and lives through all sorts of supernatural adventures. They were using solar engery and golden spaceship things. Awesome!

Lentekriebels

I think today is the first springday of 2005. It's sunny and temperatures are around the 10 degrees Celsius. That does not seem much, but compared with the -20 two weeks ago, it feels really warm. Especially since the sun on a black coat warms you up even more. It feels great.

I don't know what it is. As soon as the sun's rays give some extra warmth and the temperature starts to rise again it makes my heart feel light and happy. Even if it's still quite cold I open my office window and just let the tiny bits of sunshine in and I sit and freeze but I'm happy. How strange is that? I mean it's just sun, but somehow the way the light falls is different or something. Just looking outside the window gives me that springy feeling. I must be getting springfeelings. Also it calms my nerves. And that is really welcome right now, with the mortgage and all, which is still very uncertain and also a close-call finance-wise.

On Saturday it's even supposed to rise close to 20 degrees. And hardly any rain chance! Whee! I can go jaket-less! Whoohoo! :D

Snowboarding - indoors?

As known by all of you Holland has no mountains whatsoever and with the exception of 2 weeks ago, also no snow. However there are many indoor snow-parks like de uithof in the Hague where you can rent snowboard or ski gear and go down a fake hill of fake snow. Now for me that's probably as far as I'll ever get regarding wintersports so I guess it's good. I know it's nothing like real snow and real mountain air, but it's good enough for me.

I have 2 coupons for free gear rental and free entrance for a day session so I guess I'll try it out. I snowboarded once before, it was the best fun! I'm not sure if I still know how to do it but I guess I'll find out, hehe.

So, Dana, seeing how you now have freshened up your snow-skillz how about we two go there for a day while you're here, since Angel does not wanna go and then I have a come-with-guy. You can chose wether you want one or two boards. :)Whatchasay?

I cannot guarantee, though, that I won't embaress you. So that's the risk you take. :P

Edith Bowman wins Celebrity Fame Academy 2005!!!

YAY!!!!

It's so cool that she won, I liked her best from the start! She sounds so great and she is so funny!!! Whee!!! And the money those Brits are raising is amazing!!!! It's such a shame that we can't phone, vote or donate since we're not British.

I kinda doubt something like comic relief or red nose day would ever be possible in the Netherlands. Mainly because the BNers (dutch celebs) don't give a shit. Even with the tsunami song they recorded, for most of them it was just an a rescue from fading stardom. In the UK, however in the beginning of March EVERYONE who is famous helps out. Even people like Hugh Grant or Eric Clapton make an apperance to save money.

Also what seems to work so well is that all that money goes to Africa AND the UK. So they help aids victims in over 40 African countries as well as the kid that gets beaten up in their neighbourhood around the corner.

In the end they raised nearly 40 million pounds, in one night.

I mean, when I see the state this country here is in I think a day like Red nose day would be great but I just don't believe Dutch people would give money, especially to help other Dutch people.

Also, we don't have an Edith Bowman who can sing us off the couch... hehe

Trabi Tuning

Well... I got kind of into "making old cars look nice and drive good again" TV-shows and I did some research on the good old "Trabi".

Well guess what, of course in Chechia it's the tuning car number 1! The car itself costs absolutely nothing and you can do with it whatever you want! I love that idea! I want to make a Trabi in 3D anyways, because it's a simple shape, nothing fancy and it has sentimental value, so once I am done with that, I can also make a tuned version. All fancy shmancy and most of all, made out of METAL. hehe.

Kinda makes me wish I knew stuff about cars so I could just get my own trabi for 50 Euros and start tuning it myself. LOL. I actually only like the shiny colours and the pretty chrome thingies, I could care less about the engine sort of issues. I am and stay a woman who knows nothing of those sort of things. It kinda is a shame but at least in 3D I don't need to built no engine. It's just gonna be the outer shell. :) Now only find time for that ;)

YAY!!!!

Well you guys can stop crossing fingers now because:

WE GOT THE HOUSE!

We paid (or rather, will pay) a little more than we had wished but it does not matter because we'll get the house per July 1st! We'll both take the entire month of July off to move and fix up and enjoy the house a little..

oh wow...

Now the tough stuff starts. We'll have to get the morgage from the bank and also sell this place. But I'm confident that all will go well. It has to!

So thanks again for all those crossed fingers and sqished thumbs we owe you! :-D

Wheeeeeeeee!

*all hyper is*

:D

Gimme de "kakis"

(carkeys)...

I'm done with lessons now and as soon as I get my liscence in the mail we'll rent a car and cruise around the country... or so I think. We'll see how freaked out Angel will be when I sit there behind the steering wheel. Eversince I've known her, she's done all the driving. But times change... mwuahahahahaha! Beware!

No news on the house yet. We're waiting and waiting and waiting... and flop... there I have an ulcer... and waiting and waiting... oh wow, I just lost all my hair... and waiting and waiting... I think I have to puke... see ya!

*runs off*

I'm not stressed!

So well... we're waiting and waiting now. The house just has to be ours! We love it so much it's not even funneh! The real estate agent has to do his work so all we can do is wait and pick our noses. Needless to say that lack of control over the situation is frustrating and stressing both of us out majorly.

In our minds we have already furnished the entire place. We know exactly what will go where and I can't get the image out of my head of me DDRing in front of the doors to the garden and the dogs lying toastily in the sunshine and Angel sitting on the couch reading manga and looking at my flayling limbs every now and then, shaking her head.

I hope the owners don't stretch anything with the bidding. If we are the first ones to make an offer, I hope that they will just haggle with us and sell it to us and not wait and see if someone else will bid higher. Cause that would most definately pump up our dopamine levels and we all know what that will result in and it ain't pretty (see picture).

Oh and also, I know you guys are busy with your websites and the twelf is overseas but we are so nervous, any sort of reassurance and comments would really help.

Contrasts

The house we looked at last night was a nightmare! It was in such a bad state that you'd have to tear out EVERYTHING. And with everything I mean, literaly everything down to the bare bricks and beams. It was such a mess. The people that live there now are such... argh... I can't even describe it. The children's rooms were horrible. Dirty, untidy and aslo dangerous. With rusty nails through the walls and stuff and in the living room the ceiling was an old ceiling that is now not allowed in houses anymore if you still want an insurance. For the state it was in, and the fact that they don't say anything truthful in the ad online, the price it's going for is way too much. The Tefkaak also already knew the second they stepped through the frontdoor(s) that the house sucked big time. I doubt anyone will just buy it. Maybe a contractor who will fix it up in his freetime and sell it again for a big profit. But man, was that an aweful house... yuck!!!!

So we're still keeping our fingers crossed for the house we like (well, which Angel likes and I still have to see ;).

Schneeflöckchen Weissröckchen...

So today half of the Netherlands is down. And with down I mean like, "down for maintenance" or "ligt plat". That is because last night it snowed a little.... about 50 cms in places up north. So now it's chaos on the roads, schools are closed, people can't get to work, busses can't go etc. However... over here in the city there's no excuse not to come to work since I just left my bike at home and took the tram since it would have been too unsafe on a couple of places on the bike (there's one part where it goes downhill into a busy intersection). I still hated the tram.. as usual, but what can I do with weather like this?
To answer that question: I can lean out of my work window and take a photo of our inner courtyard full of snow. And yes, that is indeed loads of snow for Dutch coastal standards. And it just won't stop snowing...

So today we'll check out 2 houses. One tonight and another Angel will see in about 20 minutes in her lunch break. It's exciting, I tell ya! I'll update later tonight with some reports :)

Other than that I'm in a lot of pain (yes, again) because I overstretched my legs... you know... those exercises that you do to stretch... gradually get your legs further apart? For example for "spagat"? Well that I did and those "strings" in my inner thigh are now killing me with my every step... Own fault, so I'll shut up now. :P

PS: Oh and we nearly forgot Homer's birthday again yesterday. Well but we didn't so.... our cute little Homer baby is 5 years old now!!! Which is... erm... 35 in dog years? Wow... he's older than Angel... :P

Update 1 (13:00): Well so Angel says the house she just looked at was so cool that we are going back there on Saturday with a houseperson dude. The house is perfect with only 2 faults: doors to the garden are broken and have to be totally redone, and the bathroom is kinda oldish and cramped.

The house has a garden, 3 bedrooms (+ 1 bedroom/potential walk-in closet) an open living room and kitchen and even a basement where we can stuff all our useless stuffs! It's really close to where we live now, just on the other side of the kanaal and there are enough walking things for the dogs. The people that live in there now also have 3 dogs so the carpets and all have to be replaced, but we're used to that with our own doggies :) So we'll try to find out of the price (very expansive, nearly on our max limit) is worth it (with the doors broken) or if we can push it down more so we can at least still get out th emoney we'd need to fix them doors.
Also all the other people who are interested must not bid on it before us, because then we'd be screwed. And lastly and most importantly we need to get the actual money from the bank and stuff. So it's all crossing fingers and stuff... and also, let's not forget I have not seen it yet, plus we still have another house-touring tonight, of a house which is nearly 100,000 cheaper... but does not have a garden... we'll see. I'll keep you up to date.

Update 2 (15:45): So... we're going back Friday afternoon with a real estate agent and if I like it as well and the agent knows the value etc of things we will make an offer... so let's hope that till then nobody else buys it already. I'm not gonna post pictures of say the adres because that's bad luck.. :P So you'll have to wait and see if we'll buy it. :) Dana, the bedroom we picked for you is really nice and big so you should be happy there too :D

So now we'll still look at the other house (two-houses-in-one-construction) because you never know. I'll report about that one later, when we come back tonight. Whua... I'm all giddy and hyper and I dare not hope... but I secretly do anyways...

Priorities

So it turns out, if the Tefkaak was willing to sacrefice the city life and move to some village, the Tefkaak could live in a giant free-standing house with a huge garden and pool, 11 bedrooms, giant livingroom and kitchen, but for the same money, in the city we can barely afford 5 bedrooms and a small backgarden.


There was a house were you'd have upstairs neighbours, but the garden would be yours and it even had a hut in the garden which we already placed Dana into with a wireless Internet connection, but it got sold right away before we could even make an appointment to look at it. So we now widened our range from 1 family houses (all the ones we've seen so far were too small) to houses that you'd stil share but which would be bigger with a garden still. The Hypotheek guy yesterday told us a higher amount than we initially thought so we have more options. We'll see. I think it's a matter of time and the right house just has to be put on the market and we have to see it first... or something. :)


I guess we won't ever compromise on the city thing, eventhough we could by a villa in some village. It's just horrible to live in a place like that, where you have no public transportation, no stores, no movie theatres and stuff like that. Plus we'd be far away from the beach. So we'll keep looking and looking and the Kuschi will keep hyping about every house she sees... We kinda did put the "blokhut" for Dana in our "requirement list", though. So what do you think, crazy CaRrOt? Hut = good? Or appartment above the garage better? :P