First of all: I HATE SCRIPT KIDDO'S!
When trying to 'upload' this entry via putty, I got an 'ssh host key has been changed' warning, pointing to some action by someone other than me, for I hadn't changed anything. Some investigation from Matthijs pointed out that an IRC server was running on ninni. The stupid hacker kiddo was on the channel and answered questions, admitting that he had hacked ninni.
After kicking him out we decided to re-install everything on ninni just to be on the safe side. But with failing boot-CD-roms and lagging installation windows it took longer than planned. If that guy hadn't been in Brazil, I would've gone to him and strangled him myself. Arghel!!! KEEP YOUR FILTHY PAWS AWAY FROM MY STUFF!

Fortunately there's not much of interest on ninni. Some websites, this blog, some files for the Nocona. But also the EE gallery, which took a long time to put back in place. Still not finished even since it is way too late now and I am quite pissed off.

Now, for the real post that I was trying to put online:

Did some more working around the house this week, with lots of help from Matthijs.

• We've hung a cord parallel to the railing of my kitchen balcony, close to the ceiling. From that string we've hung down 5 separate strings with beads, feathers, bells and pieces of CD till the height of the railing. All to prevent pigeons from sitting and shitting on my balcony. Stupid flying rats.
• We've bought 2 lamps from the Gamma for in both toilet and workroom. The workroom lamp is glassy green and the toilet lamp is made of glass beads, it's a chandelier. Ha! Now Olga is no longer the only one with a spiffy toilet lamp. :-p
• We've bought some flower bulbs, potting compost and a really cool wooden bucket (Xenos) and I planted most of the bulbs. Some of them already started to sprout little green or purple stems. They're all Dalia's, but different types.
• I did a mass cleaning today. I cleaned both toilet and bathroom, vacuum cleaned the whole house, finally threw away the remainders of the lamin board that were still lying around and did the laundry.
• I've been in the mood for bead work lately, so I made an element-hanger. It's two CD's pasted together with the shiny side out, in the middel hang 2 bells: one black (night) and one golden (day) and on the outside 4 strings of beads, one for each element. It hangs on my living room balcony now.
• I went to Het Goed today looking for a herb-rack (kruidenrekje) for in the kitchen or a nice lamp and I came back with a large wooden chest! It's about 1 meter wide and 70 cm high and I will put it at the end of the bed to store away the bedding. But first I'll have to scour it and paint it anew because it's an ugly grey at the moment and covered with stickers.

In other news. My mother is going to have surgery on her right hip, that has been bothering her for about half a year now. She will be treated in Gent, because there's a specialised hospital there. The 30th of this month she'll go there and the 31st she will be treated. Her sister will be with her for support.

Because it is in Gent my mom doesn't count on my brother and me to visit her, which would be rather difficult for us. With public transport it will be hell, and I am not yet sure enough of myself to drive all the way. The short trip I already did in Belgium was enough for now. But she will have internet there and in the rehabilitation centre, so we can stay in touch. And of course there's always postcards and such.

It will take her up to two months to recover and in that time I can borrow her car. Also, despite the divorce, she's still going to get her new car in September, so from that month on I'll have my own 'vroem'.

So, finally, with the sunny weather and all I've decided to try to shape up a bit (again). So that I won't look ridiculous in a t-shirt and short skirt.

I try to start every morning with half an hour of skating, when I'm in Enschede where my skates are, followed by 10 push-ups and 20 sit-ups. This week, when I'm in Ermelo, I will try 45 minutes of cycling followed by 15 push-ups and 40 sit-ups.
Since my work starts just at 09.30 I have plenty of time to get up early and do the exercises. Rising earlier than 09.00 also gives me more energy by itself because it doesn't feel like half the day has already escaped me.

Work is a bit hectic and draining at the moment. This week we have 4 deadlines and somehow it seems impossible for people to understand each other in one try. We've had about 3 meetings about one project and every time the idea of what to do changes. So I have now decided (and let people know) that I won't work on that project anymore until it is totally clear to me what they expect. I'm tired of starting things and hearing in the middle of it 'oh, but we want it differently'.

There are more frustrating things at work at the moment, but I won't spill them here. Let's just say that it is a bit tiring at the moment.

Last weekend was great. I spend it with Matthijs in Enschede, mostly in my home or in the city itself. Friday evening Matthijs went to Inter-Actief to do some nerding and he came into the bedroom at 06.00 in the morning, waking me in the process. I turned off the alarm that I had set but woke up around 08.30 anyway. Since it was way too early to rise for Matthijs, I let him sleep and went to the Kwantum and Leen Bakker to look for drawers for my socks and underwear. I did find some, and with my newly bought spin binders I tied the huge thing to my bike and went home again. There I payed my rent via internet, made some tea and woke up Matthijs with the smell of the tea. It was about 11.00 then.

After he got dressed and had breakfast we did some things around the house, got groceries for three days and then went for some shopping. Trying to find the Xenos in Enschede proofed difficult. The address that was mentioned in the 'Gouden Gids' appeared to be outdated but we saw people walking around with Xenos bags, so we knew it had to be somewhere. When we finally found it it was 17.05 and the store had just closed. :-(

We did get a nice kind of ivy as a plant for on my huge bookcase and some other stuff I can't recall at the moment. We went to Matthijs' flat to see the end of the Batavierenrace and the rest of the day was spend relaxing and reading.

Sunday we chilled with some Baldur's Gate, attempting to work on a new Symbols costume (failed horribly...), and more reading. Monday was Queen's day, so we went to the rummage sale in the centre of Enschede but we were back at 13.00 already. We bought less stuff than last year when we were in Harderwijk. But I did get a mixer for only 2 euros (and it works!) and a nice basket for my ivy. Matthijs bought some stuff for his Dummnoni and Symbols characters and a few nostalgic games.
Some more reading in the evening and then early off to bed because I had to rise at 05.45 this morning to get to Amsterdam on time.

Thus ended a leisurely weekend.