Well ...

... today is my final day at work, here, at the DMB. Though there were large gaps of nothingness in the day-to-day business of things, I can certainly say that, as a whole, the experience was a good one. I never had a regular job, really, so this was a strange change for me. I usually have clean-up jobs which to a certain extend I prefer, I can say.

There were some side effects of all of this I did not like very much but I met some nice people, had some laughs, totally brill.

Now I have to get through this whole saying goodbye thing ...

Civil servants. *sigh*

So ...

... my old man is in the hospital. With his foot. Actually, both of them, he can't just leave one behind, but the PROBLEM, for which he's in the hospital is his foot. Specifically, it's rather large. Like, 'no pumps for you'large. Actually anything below a moon boot (remember moon boots?) is going to be an issue ... so they're cheerfully filling the old man up with antibiotics. He's a bit grumpy, though. He just doesn't want to be there but recognises the need for it. The whole 'not being able to walk'thing tipped him off, I guess. I sympathise. Hospitals suck ass. Really. Big ass. They do strange things to the human body in there ...

In other news: we're rapidly approaching the time of my departure from the DMB. What that means on a day-to-day basis is that people from my employer (http://www.maandag.nl) are calling me a lot with possibilities for redeployment. I like that stage. Gives off the impression that I'm a hot property.

Aside from being just HOT!

The two mutsen who are to replace me will do so admirably. It's a shame that one of them already stated that she doesn't like administrative tasks. Made me giggle. Especially now that it has become clear that the ladies are supposed to sit in on meetings and take notes. thank the lord I never have had to do so ...

Amazingly ...

... enough, the other site has been updated AGAIN!

This time, my niece and I are on photographs. We're doing ze paintingz. We're ze coolezt.

http://beofauxto.blogspot.com/

Up ...

... on the other side/site: two new paintings. Not gay at all.

Anyway.

I put them up because today I got confirmation that someone actually enjoys it and that's always a good way to get me to do stuff: appreciation.

I got a letter today. An honest to goodness letter. No e-mail, SMS or something. A real handwritten letter. And, to be honest, I feel very happy and special because of it. In a sense a letter is a little gift, someone wants to share something with you and it's magical.

The letter was by Anna, my oldest and dearest friend. I know her from school and she has stuck with me through everything. I think that's very rare and very special. I don't see anyone anymore from those days, really, except her and honestly, I don't really feel the need to see anyone else from those days. I got Anna and that's enough.

So, I think that tomorrow I'm going to write back. Maybe not in handwriting because, well ... my handwriting is 'expressive' (=atrocious). But I hope to bring some fun in her home ...

In other news: I have a headache.

In other news: I worked with Sabine today, she of the lovely german accent, and everything went forth with an unbelieveable smoothness. And after today I shall never see her again. I hope she manages to stay afloat in that world of weirdness that is DMB but having met her twice now I'm quietly confident.

Well ...

... I asked.

As it turns out it's positively great to go all out and empty on one excercise. If you push yourself to do the extra number of repeats after your comfort zone expires you'll build up muscle. You just have to take care not to over-train so you should stay away from that particular excercise for a few days after going all out.

Also: continuing to train to the point of vomiting is bad. It means your body is not taking up oxygen as a fuel source but has switched to eating other stuff, like your muscles. And that would be rather counter productive.

Thus: it helps to have a knowing chiropractor. It also helps to have someone in your vicinity with a degree in bio-chemistry.

I painted, during the weekend. I'll post it on the other site, seeing as that is woefully neglected and stuff. It's rather pink, i.e. gayer than a bag of ferrets. (I love this expression. Gayer than a bag of ferrets. Anyone who has ever played with a bunch of ferrets knows what I mean.)

I also have come a huge way with Hellgate:London. I hope to finally lay the game to rest in the not too far flung future. When I finally have managed to kill 'big bad' whose identity, for now, is a mystery. But there are sigils involved. And sigils always spell sinister. For some reason. Dunno why, really.

Happy ...

... valentine's day, everybody. I know it's a totally invented holiday but I'm at peace with that. Any excuse to proclaim love, peace and goodwill to all men.

So there. Positivity has been spread.

Now I've got this huge space to fill with ... stuff.

Yesterday I met one of the people who are going to take over my position with this 'firm'. Sabine. And she's nice. I asked Suus whether she'd mind if I took her on on the side and she gracefgully accepted. So now I have to break the news to Sabine.

I doubt this will go over all that well. However, I think it's worth a shot.

Anyway, she's nice and capable. And has an incredible german accent. Really, it's like a classic episode of 'Allo, 'Allo. Very funny. I now have more confidence in what will happen here when I leave.

In other news: I trained yesterday and it was sort of fun. It just led to a discussion with Francisco. Now, he's hardcore, no doubt. He trains a lot and his trainings include things that I never want to be submitted to. His idea is that you need to go full-out, blasting, over the top sometimes, so that you don't have any energy left. And then you should go on some more. And I question this. I feel that you should not dip into your reserves all that often. They're reserves. They're there for a reason. Problem is that this is a feeling. I cannot proof it as such. I might be wrong. If you can explain this ....

So ...

... anyway.

I have this woman looking over my shoulder at all ties these days, at work (so as not to give the impression that there's one hovering all the time, because that would be really, truly frightening) so that precludes me posting much of anything. Said woman will be taking over my job in the not too far flung future (thank the lord) and she's really trying to absorb as much as she can, bless her heart.

That said, I hate it when people look to me for guidance. I have the incredible knack of sending people in the wrong direction and I am just not convincing enough to ... convince 9lame sentence) people that my course is the right one. This is why I avoid this sort of thing like the plague. However, the plague did make a stop this time.

She's nice, though.

Weekend was filled with training. And with HellGate:London. And with garden duties. And there was the final footballgame of the season, so from now on the sundays are free again. Luckily House has started again. One needs to have some obsession to be able to get through life.

It was a lovely weekend.

So ... what's with the 'word' 'detox'? Why does it annoy me so much? Of late I keep hearing people talking about it like it's the Holy Grail to saturate your body with sparkly water. And it's such an ugly word. A prefix with a shortened word stapled on to it as if it's an annoying by-product of the OED assembly line.

It did get me thinking.

If you can do it with the prefix 'de-' others must be possible to. Thus:

Pretox. Taking of toxins before the actual taking of toxins.
Freetox. Happy hour at your local toxins dispensary.
V-tox. Virtual taking of toxins. Second no life.
E-tox. Taking of toxins with online friends.
Post-tox. Hangover from taking of toxins.
Atox. Never taking any toxins at all.
Retox. Taking of toxins after a bout of detox.
Metox. Taking of toxins alone.
Teentox. Unlawfull taking of toxins on account of youth.
Ecotox. Taking only environmentally friendly produced toxins.
Eurotox. Taking only european toxins.
Greentox. Taking only toxins that are green.
Nu-tox. Taking of hip toxins.
Old-skool-tox. Taking of toxins just like your daddy did.
Comatox. Taking of toxins until keeling over and lying still.
Tockstox. Taking of toxins amongst the chickens.

... if I think of more I'll add them ...

Or, you know, you can, if you want to.

Through ...

... circumstances beyond my control I am now trying to teach someone my job. And, to be honest, I think it might turn out that one month to do that in is a little too little time. The lady is nice enough (there's two, I still have to meet the other one) but it's just too bewildering to take in. Oh my. Well, it's not as if I didn't mention that this process is torturous at best when I went through it so if anybody listened they would have caught up on that.

Ha.

Anyway.

A little while to go and I'll be severely out of here. And if good fortune smiles on me Maandag will be slacking in reappointing me to another position so that I'll have a little vacation time in between 'shifts'.

One thing I will miss though ... the view from the window. There's nothing quite like seeing Amsterdam from the fifth floor of a building ... except maybe seeing it from the sixth. Or the seventh. Or the eighthth. Or ninth. Tenth, maybe. Eleventh ...

You catch my drift.

Is nice out. The sun is shining and the grass is green ...

So ...

... today, the Superbowl was played and my father has his birthday.

To start: last night I was up until 4.30 to see the patriots lose the superbowl to the giants. Not what I had hoped for. But, honesty is important, the giants were the better team today. Because it's the best of one they win. So, congratulations to them. Comiserations to the losers. Better luck next time.

The patriots had a much better team throughout the season and 18-1 is awesome.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my father who tu know, I sort of like him. He's like brilliant. You know, I sort of like him. He's, like, brilliant.