I don't know if any of you have ever been to the Netherlands, but I can tell you we're a funny bunch. I don't mean haha-funny. I mean why-on-earth-would-they-do-that-funny.

Take my traveling to work every morning for example. Now I know that perhaps the early hour isn't making me the most hospitable, but the things that people do really gets on my nerves. This can vary among many things and many different people with one exception; getting of the train. You would think this is pretty straightforward. You let the people who need to get off at a certain stop get off (hihi, yes my mind just went there) and then board the train yourself. Except this is not the traditional Dutch way. It's not like they just get on and push you aside, although to be truthful some do. No, they actually stand in front of the open doors waiting for you to get off, but leave no room for you to actually step onto the platform. Thus you're forced to half push people away who then give you the evil eye.

I understand it's annoying if you have to stand on the train instead of sitting in one of the grubby 70s style seats, but really can I just get off the stupid train already? You're just gonna end up sitting next to some unwashed woman who feels the need to pick her nose and flick the result of her hard work away or the next to the 16 year old who will not stop talking to his "homies" on his cell for the entire duration of the trip.

Dear god, did I need to vent or what? ; )

(for more of such Dutch weirdness - although why on earth would you want to know more? - you should read The Undutchables)

Please keep in mind that I wrote this entry 2 days ago, but being the complete dumbass and Movable Type n00b that I am it took this long to get logged in. (thanks Jules!!!)

So, this is the first time I've written an entry for my new blog space, which was so graciously provided layed out (out laid??) by Julie. What took me so long you ask? Sheer, plain and utter laziness. Butthis time the laziness has a source. So it's not the regular procastinatory and self indulging laziness. It's a brand spanking new "work just leaves me so frikking tired" laziness. Which is actually a really fulfilling feeling. Something I did not know work could instill in someone (well me).

Some time ago Jules asked me what it actually is that I now do. We're about a month on from then and maybe it's about time to answer her. I work for the parent company of a large chain of bookstores. The branch I'm in is called distribution, but besides that aspect of the work I also deal with data control. All ISBNs are stored on our server and we make sure they have the right delivery routes, prices and something as simple as the right author attached. The department I work for is also the sevicedesk which is a nice way of saying we're the drain where all the unsolvable shit coagulates. And I frikking love it! Who can say they get to spend the day solving puzzles concerning missing books?

Right now it's also "the season", which means it's the time of the year when we order all the books for the various universities and colleges. There's a special method of buying, storing and distributing them which basically makes everyone very jumpy and prone to say "but it's the season!' I'm actually one of the main middle men concerning this entire deal for the stores and our distributor, but to be honest it's really not all that hard. Although real delivery doesn't start until next week, so maybe the shit will start hitting the fan then. Well, at least it will be different from the shit coagulating in the drain.

On a sadder note, I'm actually already on the train home (it's 2.30pm as I write this) because I have to get my cat to an appointment with the vet. After getting antibiotics two weeks ago for breathing problems and quickly being her old bouncy self, she actually got a worse case of sneezing/couching/all round difficulty breathing again. She looked at me with such sad yet very blurry eyes as I left to go to work this morning. I'm actually rather worried about her. Hmm it looks like we're nearly there already. Time sure flies when you're blogging. : )

Update: the cat was actually really sick and was close to pneumonia, which was rather odd since it's been like 30 degrees here for the last several days. Luckily she responded really well to whatever the vet shot up her backside and she's happily snoring away here next to me. And I'm hungover..but when am I not? : )

I am just so frikking tired.

Last week was the first week at my new job. I love it! The people are great, the office is fun but people actually work (as opposed to my last job where everyone seemed to try their hardest to do as little as possible) and the work consists of basically trying to figure out what went wrong. It's like doing a puzzle all day long. I'm sure once I get the harder assignments it won't be as much fun but more frustrating but that is of future worry.

The only tiny hitch with this new job is the travel. Well that's not entirely true. I don't mind spending an hour on the train to get to a job I love. It's the frikking early hours that are killing me. I like sleeping. So I've been really tired whenever I got home this passed week. Hopefully though that's all a matter of getting used to it. Cos I'm definitely not giving up this job!

To my fellow SPM-ers I would like to say that Twilight was just delivered here so I'll commence reading it this weekend so I'll be able to recognize what the hell you are all talking about. :p

Update on the cats: still fighting, avoiding and sleeping. More emphasis on the sleeping than on the fighting however so we're on the right track. Yay!

Just a quick post to let people know I got a second cat.

Basically the vet said that my first cat, Daantje, was miaowing so much because she wanted social contact and advised to get a second cat. Which I immediately did of course. I say it's for Daantje but secretly I wanted another one anyway.

So I went to the rescue center and got Mila. She's 8 months old and was found completely shaven and painted! You'd think with a background like that she'd shy away from people but that's definitely not the case. She would be the perfect play mate for Daantje.

There's just one flaw in this otherwise brilliant plan...

Daantje doesn't seem to like Mila being in 'her' territory. Lots of hissing and growling ensued -only from Daantje with Mila just looking confused- and they had to be separated. So now I have a slow relationship-building process to look forward to. Lots of treats, soothing words and valerian herbs for Daantje (yeah dope that baby up lol) and lots playing with Mila to let her know it's alright. I have to make this work cos I'm already attached to Mila and I couldn't bear having to return her to the rescue center. Everyone keep their fingers crossed for me!

I'm reading Douglas Adams and John Lloyd's The Deeper Meaning of Liff. It's an encyclopedia with words that don't actually exist for situations that are all too recognizable.

So imagine my surprise when I come across the name of the town I was born in..Deventer. Apparently according to the esteemed gentlemen it actually means:

A decision that's very hard to take because so little depends on it - like which way to walk around a park.

Hmm I wonder what that says about me....

But this one definitely seemed rather familiar:

Duleek - Sudden realization, as you lie in bed waiting for the alarm to go off, that it should have gone off an hour ago.

I have the day off and it's bliss! Just got up, the sun is shining, I'm eating freshly baked croissants and I don't have to do anything.

Well, that's not actually true. I have an appointment at the veterinarian. Not for me no, but that was a very funny joke you made there. There's nothing actually wrong with my cat (besides the mentalness and as far as I can tell) but I thought it would be a good idea to just have her checked out. It'll be hell trying to get her into her carrier though. Like most cats she's not especially fond of it.

I live near a park. A very big park. A park that also has a football stadium. And rock-concerts. And festivals. Which means that I can want to go to sleep early on a Sunday night, but Kiss has different views about that. Seriously though..Kiss..who knew they were even still performing? Wait, isn't that the band with Gene Simmons, the guy with the massive tongue? Oh god, I'll have nightmares about being licked by Gene Simmons now.

Yesterday I had the worst hangover in a long time. Which was to be expected since the Netherlands trashed France in the Championship and nothing says I'm really happy about that more than downing 5 liters of beer. (That's probably an overstatement, but I'm not exactly sure) Be that as it may, this hangover was definitely not helped by Tokio Hotel sound checking. Androgynous 16 year-old Germans..what's not to like?

Hey. They're playing I Was Made For Loving You Baby. That's kinda cool. But still..

Dammit! I want to go to sleep!

We won..yay..my head hurts..beer is bad.

Hey look it's a second post..I might actually keep this up. ;)

So what's on the agenda tonight you ask.
The European Championship Football of course! For all my American friends that's soccer, although if you're my friend you've probably heard me ranting about that little semantic tidbit many times before.

Tonight's the first game for the Netherlands and we're playing Italy. Unfortunately we're in the Group of Death as it has been so nicely renamed. Besides Italy we also have Romania and France in the group. It'll be a tough one.

And now a quick rundown of the evening.