With an Accent from Holland: July 2006

30 July 2006

Diergaarde Blijdorp Zoo

K, so here are the pictures as promised: http://www.flickr.com/photos/charda/sets/72157594216524772/

Guild Wars, Last Weeks, New Job Application

Wow, I didn’t know I hadn’t updated anything in ten days now. I thought it was less…
As you can see in the pictures, I am kind of addicted to playing Guild Wars now. Martijn also really likes the game, which is nice, so we can talk about it together and look at each other playing. My Mesmer/Ranger is lvl 15 now and my Elementalist/Monk is lvl 11. I’ll try to make a better screenshot some other day, but now you get a chance to see what I look like. The objective of the game is to reach lvl 20 by murdering monsters, such as Grawl, Charr, Fire Imps, Hydra’s and anything else you can imagine. By murdering monsters you gain experience which eventually takes you to the next level. A couple of years ago I played Everquest, which is a bit alike Guild Wars. I really like this game now, because it doesn’t have a monthly fee (I think I mentioned that before) and it’s fairly easy to play. I can even get myself better armour or a better weapon. I always found that much harder to do in Everquest. The maximum lvl in Guild Wars is lvl 20, while in Everquest that’s lvl 60. That takes a lot more hours to reach. The fun of playing these games is also that you can do it together with other people. I really like that, even when people make mistakes or just leave in the middle of something important.
And for the rest, I’ve mainly been working. That’s about how I spent these last two weeks: working and playing GW. Since my computer is the only computer that has Guild Wars on it, sometimes I couldn’t update my blog because Martijn would be playing GW on it. It’s much too hot over here to do anything else. Nothing too spectacular happened actually. I picked up my study books about two weeks ago. I still need to pick up two more, probably Tuesday if I have time and if I want to go. I did find another job to which I may be applying. It’s a job behind the reception/cash of a theatre about two blocks from here. The job is only for 20 hours a week, but I love the theatre and I think I would enjoy working there. I just don’t know if they’ll have me, since I go to the university two nights a week and I don’t know if I want to leave the photo shop. We’ll see how that goes.
Today Martijn and I went to the zoo, I’ll post the pictures later tonight or tomorrow. I’ll try to update my blog more often from now on…

20 July 2006

Today Work, Yesterday Study Books

Here’s a really short update from me. I really should be in bed right now, but I thought I’d update a little before I went to bed. Today I worked all day. I worked with my new colleague. It’s fine to work with her, as long as it’s quiet without much work (that’s the same, isn’t it?). Luckily, today was a really quiet day. It was way too hot to shop or do anything. In our shop it wasn’t that bad, because we have good air conditioning. Tonight I just prepared some food for myself and I watched TV. I watched some stupid TV-movie and an episode of ‘Crossing Jordan’. The actor who played Philip Banks in the Fresh Prince also played a character, that’s always fun to see.
Yesterday I picked up my new study books. I also received the schedule of what I have to read for literature in what week. It seems like a lot, but I’m glad I’ve already started and I’m still reading for this course. And tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, I’ll have to work. *sigh* Sometimes it might be nice to stay at home and do nothing.

17 July 2006

DSCF0330

DSCF0330
Originally uploaded by Charda.

One sample picture for you :-)

Summoning XI 2006

Hey, I'm back, I survived and I actually had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures, I'll tell the stories and I'll add the comments later. http://www.flickr.com/photos/charda/sets/72157594202628106/

14 July 2006

First Aid Weekend

I should be going to bed right now, as Martijn is asking of me next to me here. I just wanted to update before I go away on my First Aid weekend. I am pretty nervous about it. We’re going to take the train to Apeldoorn tomorrow at 10 o’clock. That’s not too bad, I guess we’re going to leave our house at around 9 o’clock. I’m gonna wave at Fr Roderick as our train is going through Amersfoort. Apeldoorn is about half an hour away from Amersfoort by train. I think I packed everything. I just figured that I also packed the t-shirt that I need to wear tomorrow, so I’m gonna unpack that. Now I’m going to bed, to see if I can get one night’s sleep before I sleep awfully in a tent the next few days. Please wish me luck and think of me this weekend.

11 July 2006

GW, Church, Busy Work, Rosaries

I’m sorry it has yet been another week since I have last written. I just seem to go to bed real late and then I don’t want to write anymore. Or I just have little to write about.
Like last weekend. Basically, all I did was play Guild Wars. I had great fun doing so, although sometimes at night I still dreamt about playing. The fun part is that Martijn and I kind of do it together. Usually I play and then Martijn sits next to me and gives me hints and helps me. I also played with my father the other day. That was really fun. My dad was at his home behind his computer and me over here. I also teamed with other people now and then, and that’s also cool, although I die a lot when I do that. My Mesmer/Ranger is now lvl 10, which is as high as my Elementalist/Monk.
Yesterday when I went to church I went to a different church. They existed 75 years and the bishop was there to celebrate mass. It was really busy, like 400/500 people. In a regular mass, there are about 100 people. I liked seeing the bishop and being part of that celebration.
Today at work was a really really busy day. I was with my colleague who was also on the 12 of 12 of last month. I was really glad to work with her, because I couldn’t have done this much work with anyone else. We had a good turnover, so it was worth the effort, but I was a bit happy when I was at home tonight and was able to sit down and watch ANTM.
Tomorrow I have Pilates class and little else to do. I might have to prepare something for next weekend, but I’ll see that tomorrow. By the way, the rosary on the picture is one I dyed myself. I thought, the World Cup is finally over, so I can make some orange again as if I'm proud of my country. I ordered some twine by Michael of the Rosary Army Forums and it was really great. The American twine is different from the Dutch twine. It's much thicker and softer and the knots look a lot better. I also received some crucifixes for my own use (I ordered them) and I got some twine donated by a mysterious/anonymous donator. That was really cool. Today I sent my first rosaries to the Rosary Army, 8 pieces. I hope they’ll be of some use to them, cause I know they aren’t perfect yet. I already have 5 more ready right now. Don’t know what colour I’ll make them yet. Talk to you soon!

04 July 2006

Pilates, Bad Sleep, Shopping

It’s still so very hot over here in the Netherlands. I think in the daytime it is around 30 degrees Celsius. This morning I went to Pilates. It wasn’t the last lesson of the course as I had hoped, and we didn’t practice with the ball. We did all the exercises very easily because the temperatures are this high.
When I came home, I tried to sleep some more. I had an awful night last night. I was awake till at least 4 o’clock. I wasn’t really awake, but I kept falling asleep and waking up every 15 minutes, or it felt that way at least. Then at 4 I thought I heard a mosquito and I turned on the light, but I never saw it again. Then I saw my book and I decided to read for some time. After I went to the bathroom I finally got some sleep until 8 o’clock when my alarm went off.
This afternoon I went shopping. I hate shopping, especially when it’s 30 degrees outside and even more when I have to buy jeans which I have to try on. But I went anyway because I really needed a new pair of jeans and in the end I found and bought two. I also bought some slippers, because with this temperature I needed some open shoes. I also bought some things for Martijn which he needed and some supplies for our camping adventure next week. I was only too tired and late to buy the groceries, so Martijn had to them after work. I’m a bit ashamed about that, but I don’t think he really minds. Tomorrow I’ll have to work, in my new jeans and shoes, and in the air-conditioning, so I hope things will be better then.

03 July 2006

Miscellaneous

Since it’s been more than a week ago since I last updated, here I am. I’m not so sure what I’m going to tell you, but we’ll see.
Last week I placed 2 orders via the Internet. I ordered a CD by Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys and the game Guild Wars Factions. I found this cheap website and I’m waiting for them to arrive. I also ordered some rosary-supplies yesterday. I ordered 15 crucifixes so that I can finish some of my own rosaries and see how they look with a rosary on them. I also ordered some twine. This store sells twine by foot, so I ordered about 5 different colours and I get some reduction because I am a Rosary Army forum member. I actually read more than that I post, but I am gonna use this twine to send it to Rosary Army, so that’s fine. I was talking about it with Martijn that it’s nothing short of a miracle that I can shop in the USA, pay it via credit card and then have it delivered to my home, in about one day time. Well, the delivery takes a little longer, but the ordering takes only that much time.
Yesterday I finished my new SHP script about Remus Lupin. I posted it on the SQPN wiki, but I haven’t gotten any reaction to it yet. I hope they will like it so that it can be recorded and then finally published on the Internet.
I’m still reading ‘Sense and Sensibility’. I still like it very much. I’m about more than halfway through it already, so I will at least finish it before September.
Today I worked with our new colleague. She’s helping us out for a couple of weeks in the vacation. It’s sometimes hard to work with someone new, because I have to watch her every step and I need to look after everything she does. I hope we will find someone who’s going to stay with us so that I can teach that person how everything works and they can take some of this workload off of me. The store where I work now exists 8 years, so we’re kind of celebrating that with some sales and reductions. My boss heard today that he will need a complete knee-replacement, but his knee still needs to heal from the last surgery. He also needs to lose weight, but that’s nothing new. He might have the surgery in about 3 months.
Tomorrow I’ll have my Pilates class and I should go to the mall to buy some jeans, but it’s way too hot to go shopping. I think I’ll stay at home, read a bit and play some Guild Wars. I started a Mesmer/Ranger character yesterday and it’s fun to play with. Maybe some of my packages will be in the mail tomorrow.
Martijn and I are very much looking forward to our First-Aid event next week. It’s already next week. I’ve read the story-line online, but it’s still a bit vague. It’s a good thing I’m going to be First-Aid staff and not a participant.

With an Accent from Holland