July 16, 2009
Just finished doing the windows, mopped the floors in the bedroom and bathroom and tomorrow or Saturday morning I'll finish doing the hallway, kitchen and living room.
Working the last night shift of the week tonight, getting home at 7AM tomorrow (hopefully), hop into bed for a quick nap, do some shopping (clothing, linen, food,...), meet my 4PM appointment/consultation at nipacenter after which I'll be heading over to M. to meet up with the one that stole my heart.
July 15, 2009
Close to 7AM, time to hit the bed, sleep for a couple of hours and then go steal about an hour's worth of kisses and cuddles and not regret it tonight when the lack of sleep catches up. Yeah, definitely sounds like a plan I'm willing to execute :)
July 14, 2009
Ash, could you mail me? I can't seem to find your e-mail address on this machine and the one I thought it was, bounced. Thanks!
Rather tired after a long night, will sleep soon, dreaming of pleasant things. While driving home this morning I suddenly had an urge to post the Hillary joke and the Koala Bear joke to this blog once again. I guess I just like those :)
Oh, what do you think of when you read this description : "That first bite into the fuzzy exterior giving way to such soft flesh and juices bursting forth is sublime."? Apparently, some think of peaches. I think of something entirely else that also fits the description perfect ;-)
July 13, 2009
Today I drove about 400km to spend the evening with the family and have a nice get together, and it was worth it. Bit tired now though, so I'll be off to bed soon (after taking out the trash).
While with my family I told them all about what's currently going on in my life and they were all pretty happy for me, which was fabulous. I can't really say that their reaction surprised me, but I still would like to let everyone know that they are fabulous. Word.
This week will consist mainly of working night shifts, sleeping during the day, cleaning up the apartment a bit more, hopefully picking up my HTC Hero (scrap that, once again delayed, now to July 24th!), a trip to Nipacenter for a consultation and having an awesome Saturday evening/night.
If you lack updates for the rest of the week, just assume I'm doing all of the things listed above :)
Update : Already cleaned the toilet (100%) and have done a part of the bathroom (60% completed). Off to do some shopping now, night shift later. Tomorrow I plan to finish the bathroom and hall, then start on the bedroom.
July 11, 2009
That's about the best way to describe the evening. On the way home I stopped to get myself two bottles of Aquarius (Ice Blue and the new Green Splash) to rehydrate, lol.
Off from work tomorrow, on Sunday I'll be heading to Houffalize for an evening with the family, on Monday I'll start night shifts again and I'll be counting down the days till the 17th (end of night shifts) and 18th (more whoa!)
A close friend said it best a couple of days ago : "It's been a long time since we've seen you this happy", and I suppose he's got a point.
July 8, 2009
Off to do some shopping, need a gift for an upcoming birthday party, will be checking out the sales as well - hope it ain't too crowded.
Suddenly the release date for my pre-ordered HTC Hero mobile phone was changed from July 10th to July 17th while Amazon UK went from July 15th to 24th. Can't say I'm pleased with it.
Possibly heading out to the sauna later today, depending on the weather and Joco's workload.
Generally speaking, good things are going on right now and that makes me a happy camper.
July 7, 2009
Had a couple of hours of sleep and went to get a haircut. A trim would be more precise because you can't cut much hair if you ain't got it. Shave and shower to follow shortly, after catching up on my mail and such. Will be heading over to H. near M. later today, which is something I've been looking forward to for the past two weeks.
Raining again today which will suck the last heat out of the rooms hopefully. Can't say I dislike this cooler environment.
July 5, 2009
Fat drops of water falling from the sky, gusts of wind sweeping the streets clean and thunder rolling in the distance - all hail the mighty clouds! Too bad it only lasted for about 10 minutes :(
The temperature dropped a couple of degrees though, so I'm pleased nonetheless.
I walked back into the building when my colleague immediately told me that I had just missed two calls on my mobile. Not that many people have my mobile number - I keep it relatively private - so when I'm being called on it, I know something is up. Especially when being called at 04:13 - the wee hours of a Sunday morning.
Spent close to 30 minutes mostly listening, only speaking when I had something to say. I do very well realize that this once again is one of those vague posts that only one or two people will be able to understand, but for the time being, that's how it is. Something finally happened and I suppose it's a step towards something else, but for the time being I have no clue whether it is for better or worse, and even the definition of better and worse entirely depend on whom you ask.
July 4, 2009
I've spent my day sleeping till noon, then looked up some information on the internet and headed out to pdashop.be to personally play around with the HTC Hero smartphone that I've written about a couple of days ago. It pretty much impressed me and even though there seems no easy way to swap the virtual qwerty keyboard for an azerty version, I remain convinced that it can be done.
That same virtual keyboard was giving me a bit of trouble at first - my fingers are too fat I assume - but after a couple of minutes I was getting quite used to it quickly. Even more impressed I was by the 5 megapixel camera that took excellent video and still shots. I looked up a video on youtube and had it play on the phone without any issues whatsoever. The wifi connection worked flawlessly and I think it won't really come as a surprise that I pre-ordered an urban brown HTC Hero.
I think it'll make it easier for me to stay into contact with others, using various means, going from text, call, video, twitter, facebook and all. More when I actually have the phone in possession and it's fully configured (probably in about a week, possibly two).
Off to work a night shift in a few hours, hope that it'll cool down tonight and stay like that tomorrow.
July 3, 2009
If you like art, especially photography, and have an open mind about various lifestyles or choices people make for themselves, I can definitely recommend the new 2009 summer website and portfolio by Jerome Abramovitch. Jerome is all about passion, dedication and more passion and it clearly shows in his work : even if you don't agree or understand exactly what is depicted, the sheer beauty of the composure and talented photography will get under your skin.
Time to let the images speak for themselves : chapter9photography.com - new 2009 summer site & portfolio
July 2, 2009
I've just made a couple of small changes to the schedule on the right, as I'll be swapping one extra night shift in and a 10h training day out, though that shouldn't really affect things too much.
Yesterday, I received note from my employer that the two days off I had requested in December - Rammstein concert - were denied due to operational reasons. I don't think I have to explain that I was (and partially still am) pissed off. They are incapable of correctly assessing the operational needs for next week, how would they be able to do so 6 months in advance?
Anyway, when the field manager showed his face and asked me how things were, I threw the letter on the desk and told him that he'd probably could guess, since his name was one of the underwriters of the declined holiday request. He claimed it was the first he heard of it, maybe the other field manager handled it... Doesn't matter to me really, I won't be at work those two days for the following reasons :
- They waited too long to answer my request (+14 days)
- I was not scheduled to work those days anyway
- They have no case to claim operational needs 6 months from now if they can't even assess next months needs correctly.
Should they stick to their decision, fine by me. I'll claim operational needs at home every time they call on me to fill in for someone, work extra hours or come in early. Guess who'll run into trouble first? Karma can be a bitch... too bad she's riding with me, suckers.
update : I received a confirmation by mail that the decline has been reversed and that I'll be having those two days off in December anyway. (Goes to put Karma back in her cage... for now)
July 1, 2009
Grilled steak, potato salad, grilled mushrooms and beer... all before 11AM on a working day :)
June 30, 2009
It's been a pretty busy day at work with quite some stress but also with periods of relative calm. Looking back on everything that happened today, I think there is room for improvement - ain't there always? - but we did pretty well overall.
Based on a first oral interaction with our customer I think it's fairly safe to say that he was rather pleased, though he listed some issues that didn't really go as planned. A couple of those I also marked for improvement, which means I did my job as an observer well I suppose.
After getting home - aargh, hot car, hot sun, phone call while driving, sweaty - I took a nice cool bath and headed out for food. As I was walking home, I noticed a Muslima and her little daughter walking on the pavement towards me. The child was reaching for the flowers all the time but mom kept on telling her not to pick them. As I was about 2 meters away from them, I took a couple of steps to the left and picked a flower from our garden and gave it to the little girl when they were close by. Both mom and child thanked me, I smiled and wished them a very nice day.
Sometimes random acts of friendliness are excellent countermeasures against close minded racist propaganda - that unfortunately also decorates the street here. I hope they feel welcome in this neighborhood.
Since I couldn't sleep at all (various reasons, but the damn heat being the most annoying one) I hopped back out of bed around 2AM and finished the check up on that computer from a colleague. I think it's pretty close to running as smoothly as it'll get without popping in extra RAM and such.
While I was finalizing updates and patches on that machine, I used mine to browse the exciting new Android phones a bit more. Sure, I still have my trusty Motorola RAZR V3 and it does what I expect it to do (make and accept phone calls and messages) but my geeky heart aches for something new : a smart phone.
They're relatively expensive when compared to a regular "make calls and no frills" phone, but then again they also keep you in touch all the time, which seems fun. On the shortlist for the time being are the Apple iPhone 3G S, the HTC Magic, the HTC Hero (expected in July) and the not yet released Samsung I7500.
I was able to toy around very briefly with an iPhone from a colleague a couple of days ago (older model) and was impressed with some of the features and widgets it had. I haven't been able to lay hands on any of the HTC handsets yet, but the Android platform appeals to my "open standards" belief.
I'll be keeping an eye on some of the online shops to see what the final cost of these phones will be, but I expect they'll all sell in a €0 to €400 range depending on provider and tariff plan you get stuck with. I'd most likely go for a simlock free phone as that doesn't tie me down to a specific provider.
2call.nl lists the HTC Hero (with Sense UI on top of Android) Urban Brown for "only" €443,- whereas PDAshop lists it for €479,- and Phoneshop lists it for €469,- all of them without being tied to a provider. Expansys lists it for €520,- so there seems to be quite a spread. Maybe prices will fall in line a bit more as it becomes available? If you are able to get your hands on an HTC Hero for a better price - definitely let me know. I'm not interested in stolen or misplaced phones though :)
I am very aware that it is possible to get the phone for "free" when signing up for a 2 year plan, but for the time being those options are still rather limited in Belgium. Check out HotGSM for some bundles though (they don't have the HTC Hero on the page yet).
June 29, 2009
It's just past 8AM, I worked an hour later then originally planned and I just finished reviewing a scenario that has been written out in the past couple of months. I called in to work to give my feedback and view on some of the issues at hand and will shortly head to bed to catch some Z's. Tomorrow I'll be back at work around 6AM, Wednesday and Thursday it's late shift again, Friday a short 3h task is planned and Saturday and Sunday nights/graveyard shift again.
One would lose all sense of time and place with a schedule like that, but the sheer excitement and sense of appreciation drives me for the time being. Goodbye world, goodbye readers : I'm off to bed!
June 26, 2009
Seems like June 25th was a bad day all around for celebrities. After Farrah Fawcett replacing the now for the eternal, Yasmine singing her last notes, now The King of Pop has popped out for an eternity.
I brought home the computer of a colleague because he wants me to check it out. I specifically asked him to bring everything with him and I must admit that all cables are there : screen, mouse, keyboard, power cable, the works. The one thing missing though are the account passwords. I could relatively easy just hack my way through or around that obstacle, but I won't. I'm gonna head off to bed and give the fool a call later today.
June 25, 2009
Zangeres en presentatrice Yasmine overleden (Dutch)
I haven't been an avid follower of her musical career as such, but over the past couple of years I came to appreciate her "easy listening" songs for the beauties they were. Most of her songs I found to contain multiple layers that you only started understanding when really listening to her music. Who takes the time to really listen to music anymore nowadays?
I'd recommend Pret-a-porter (1997) and Blauw (1999) in case you know nothing of her repertoire.
I just received my schedule for July and have made the appropriate updates on the site. Just so you know, the schedule posted here is just an aid and no guarantee you'll find me at home on days marked as "off". It just gives you a slightly better chance to be able to reach me, lol :)
Anyway, I hope it continues to prove useful to those that need/use it.
June 24, 2009
When I woke up this morning, head filled with snot and a sore throat, I decided not to waste my one day off from work by giving in to some illness. Instead I finally am doing preparations to get that bedroom wall redecorated after I had some issues with excess water pouring out of my walls a couple of years back.
Back in the days my insurance company kindly offered me a settlement to get the whole room redone, but I decided to keep the cash and do the work myself. Sounded like a very good plan, but it has left me sleeping in a bedroom with a ruined wall for years. Not that I really minded, when you're asleep you don't really notice, do you?
Anyway, about a year or so ago, I picked up some new wallpaper and had set my mind to redoing that wall. It ended up in a corner where it sat... till now.
I've already washed down the bare wall - it's drying now - and am now collecting everything I need to get the job done. I know I own most of the tools, but where exactly they are seems to be another issue altogether, lol.
So I'll be spending an hour or two fighting with 2.5m long bands of heavy wallpaper next... or I could head off to the sauna and relax instead. Damn, why did I think of that just now?! Now I'm very tempted to just put the job aside and go do the fun thing instead :(
Note : I'm very well aware that a certain someone has offered to come give me a hand several times over the past years to get that redecorating job out of the way, for which I still am very grateful. However, if I can't even make myself do this simple thing, I ain't worthy of any help offered.
Update : I'm covered in wallpaper glue head to toe, but the result seems rather spiffy, if I say so myself. I'm not claiming to be a top of the bill decorator, but I'm pleased with my work so far. Hopping in the shower in a couple of moments, after cleaning up the room and tools.
June 22, 2009
A new week is about to start and I'm still more or less recovering from that night out on the town on Friday. However, as much as I hate to admit it, you all were correct : it was the right thing to do.
Off to work, will keep you updated on news as it happens.
June 19, 2009
As a countermeasure against all you irresponsible people that believe I should be going out instead of going to bed, I've arranged that I'll get a phone call tomorrow at 4:30AM on both my home as well as mobile phone in case I don't answer the first one.
Sorry, I can't just put aside my character flaws and tell everyone to go fuck themselves (and risk not to show up at work).
Statement : "Men don't break out the vacuum cleaner and tidy the place up unless they think it helps them score pussy."
Agree, Disagree? Discuss.
More importantly... does it work?
For those of you that have been hiding under a rock for the past couple of days, this entry is all about Kimberly who supposedly got tattooed with 56 stars instead of the three stars she requested. If that still doesn't ring a bell, click here for a ton of links, photographs and other fun.
Being tattooed myself (about 12h in total) - not in my face though - let me set some things straight :
I can't imagine anyone falling asleep during a tattoo session. There's needles poking ink in your skin at a rates of up to a 100 punctures per second. Some describe it as the worst pain ever, others compare it to being scratched by a cat. Everyone is different and yes, the pain does fade a bit as endorphins are released and your body gets accustomed by the sensation of the stinging, but when another section of your skin is being worked on, it starts all over again.
(Update : Kimberly now claims that she didn't fall asleep, but that she passed out, caused by the tattooist putting the needles too deep into the skin on her head. Right...)
You don't fall asleep, unless you're drunk or under the influence of drugs or whatever. Should that have been the case - seriously, I don't know - the tattooist as well as the customer deserve to get shot. Don't take permanent decisions whilst under the influence. Don't tattoo on people that are not within their mind (which includes people being unconscious). Not too hard, is it?
Now Laurette Onkelinx (PS) wants to change current tattoo law following a number of questions/suggestions posed by Katia della Faille (open VLD) :
* The size of the tattoo must be documented in the contract between the tattooist and client beforehand.
* All tattoos should be thought through during a one (or more) day period in which the client can change their mind.
Sure enough, these new proposals sound balanced and not too ridiculous, don't they?
I've never visited a tattoo artist to get some "off the wall" flash art tattooed into my skin, so what I'm describing here is how things usually go for a unique piece of art, also referred to as "custom" pieces.
The customer walks into the tattoo shop, usually with a very detailed idea about what they want, and where they want it. A long conversation with the artist follows in which a couple of things are verified : is the idea technically possible? As an artist, am I capable of doing it? Is the customer certain about their idea and placement? Does the design (in case one is brought in) fit the intended placement? Does it need alterations? Etc...
Most of the time, the artist has nothing but a couple of rough sketches to work with, descriptions and ideas, and that's when the real work starts : not by picking up a tattoo gun and going to work, but by drawing out the full piece on paper, often over the course of several days after which the customer is contacted to come in to take a look. This may very well happen a couple of times before everyone involved is satisfied.
Once the drawing is approved, it is transferred to the skin and last minute changes may be done to make sure the lines and images flow properly with the body structure. Only once all that is done, the actual tattooing can commence.
I've always found that I need a bond with my artist in order to be able to work with them - I don't just walk into a random shop or artist asking for this or that tattoo.
All that taken into account, the new proposed laws won't change much for those who have thought things through and are getting custom work done.
The "I'm-on-vacation-and-the-sun-is-out-and-that-tattoo-looks-so cool/cute/sexy/hardcore/badass" kind of people though will be affected. No more walking in and out 30 minutes or an hour later.
Laws don't prevent stupidity, believe me. If an idiot wants to get tattooed, they'll find a way. If they find out that they'll have to wait and come back a day or two later to get that tough "Taz" tattooed on their butt, they won't come back at all. They'll end up at a shady scratcher that works in the living room in conditions that are far from sterile and whom doesn't care about the law. The idiots will just end up with worse tattoos, which in itself is a good thing : it makes them easier to spot.
Maybe I should support those new tattoo laws after all?
June 17, 2009
Go out on Friday evening/night, all night long, probably have loads of fun, and suffer for it in the morning, or...
Stay home, taking into account that I'll have to wake up at 4AM on Saturday to give training for 10 hours straight (06h00 till 16h00) and that it'll be the first shift of many to come?
Advice anyone?
