Ask Laane

11 October 2009

Plant bulbs for christmas now

I want some flowers at christmas.
When do I need to plant the bulbs?
Or am I too late already.

The next two to three weeks is the best time to plant bulbs.
Some people begin as early as september 15 to be sure to have flowers all days of december. They keep the pots outside for some time and move them inside when it gets too cold.
But you can plant them and keep them inside all the time.

Get some good compost for potting or special bulb fibre that you soak well.
Use clean, fresh smelling, bulbs without a trace of fungus. (That goes for the compost too).
Put the bulbs close together or in layers, but make sure they won't touch each other.
Make the tip come above the sand just a tiny bit.
Keep the pots cool for a few weeks. No need to keep them dark, just cool, but not in the freezing cold.
You will enjoy to see the shoots grow.
When they're 5 cms you can raise the temperature a bit, but not too much at once.

Depending on the growth and room temperature you can move them to the livingroom.

Maybe you have to experiment a bit the first year.
Write down which bulbs you have used and what you have done.

I'm sure there will be a christmas you'll make some photographs to send to me to. :)

Give-away for scrappers

Want to get in the mood of the december month?

Go to Paper Cakes Finds and take part in the give-away for scrappers.

It's a december daily album kit from Shabby Chic Crafts, which will bring you a lot of fun during the whole month.

When you enter don't forget to wish them a happy thanksgiving weekend, because in Canada thanksgiving is celebrated now.

06 October 2009

Gold, dollars and euros

Never ever before has gold been so expensive.
1 ounce, just a little bit more than 31 grams, was sold today for more than 1040 dollars.

For quite some time now investers have been selling their dollars; buying gold, because gold is considered relatively stable. They are afraid of inflation of the dollar...and by their behaviour they're making it a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Today some newspaper reported that the Golfstates are considering to stop using dollars for the oiltrade, and using euros and yens instead.
Even though there were as many articles denying this step, this couldn't prevent a further fall in the dollar.

Right now a euro is about 1.47 dollar, which is almost the topvalue

04 October 2009

Mercedes Sosa

With her deep warm voice she could cry, yell and dream.
When we were young, my friend and I, she was used to teach us the perfect way of singing with full use of our airways, deep, while the sound ran round through the depth of our being.

She died in Buenos Aires.
74 she was.

Ending her life after traveling around the world and after a life full of commotion.
At the beginning of the military dictatorship in Argentinia she was arrested during a concert, and a large part of her audience with her. After that she went to live in Spain.

She gave concerts with Luciano Pavarotti ,Shakira, and many others, at the most prestegious places.
She won many prices and was nominated for the Latino Grammies of this year.

She will be missed by many.

May she rest in peace

29 September 2009

Calling to work that he's ill

Because everyone is so afraid for the mexican flu my working son is told he's not welcome at his job, a shop, when he doesn't feel well.

So this morning I woke him up at 7 because he had to call work in time so they could ask someone else to cover for him.

No one there.

8.30 Colleagues have arrived, but none can handle a call about illness. But someone would be in at 8.

8.01 Another call. No one has arrived yet. But someone knows management will be in at 9.

Let's hope so.
It'll be too late to call in a substitute, because the shop is already full functioning at 8.

27 September 2009

Alicia de Larrocha

It's fascinating that some people have such a talent and commitment to music that they really touch the lives of others.

She was 6 when she first performed, and 4000 performances later she retired.
But music stayed with her as a dear friend.

Today she died. 86 years.
Leaving us lots to remember her by.

Alicia de Larrocha.

21 September 2009

Earthquake Bhutan and Assam

Today Bhutan and the north Indian state Assam were hit by an earthquake of 6.3 on the scale of Richter.

The epicentre was 180 km east of Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan, and 125 km north of Gauhati, the capital of the Indian state Assam.
Reports of feeling the quake come from as far as Bangladesh and Lhasa, but no damage was done there.

Not many reports are in yet, but from Gauhati we hear about buildings with cracked walls.

20 September 2009

old age is fun

There are days that the passing of time really frightens me.
Getting old seems to be a curse, when I should believe politicians and economical oriented fellow citizens.
It's like old people are good for nothing and it's so depressing to read the papers and see how people consider old age.

My gram was a very energetic person until she was beyond 90, so I should be able to balance all the bad news. But I keep forgetting that.

Now I've found something that will make me smile whenever I see it.

18 September 2009

Remembrance of WW2

In the area around Arnhem and Nijmegen in The Netherlands many veterans, their family and dutch people are gathering this week to remember those who lost their lives during Operation Market Garden and to thank those who fought the terrible battle to free Europe from the German occupation.

It's now 65 years ago that thousands were dropped at different places above the area with the aim to take the bridges over the Waal and Rhine and secure them, so the roads would be open to free the rest of The Netherlands.

The operation wasn't completely successful, so the people in the north half of the country suffered the hunger winter, while the people in Nijmegen faced massive bombings and shell attacks as a frontline city.

Queen Beatrix and Prince Philip of England will be present at the memorial service on sunday and the festivities of gratitude afterwards.

15 August 2009

Smoking

I don't understand why people still smoke.
They know all the dangers, they know it will harm them and the people around them.

Sometimes I come across people who are just not using their mind.

Like a pregnant woman nearby who told me she didn't mind that her child would be smaller than usual, so she wouldn't stop smoking. In fact, she said, she was helpign herself, because delivering a smaller baby would be easier.

Well, the brains of the child will also be smaller, with lesser chance of survival.

01 August 2009

demolishion doesn't always go as planned

No, Ramon, demolishion doesn't always go as planned.

In turkey this happened:

10 July 2009

Right contactadres

Helen, can you give me the rigth contactadres so I an answer your question immediately.

04 July 2009

Ryan-paid-air

We were supposed to travel with this organisation!

01 July 2009

How to make a link

Lani asked how it's possible to put a link in a comment section.

Because blogger would take away the fun and display only the link here I've uploaded a graphic with the code.

The quality of the graphic was OK, but blogger blurred it.
But I'm sure you'll grasp the meaning.

Have fun commenting!

05 June 2009

which laundry machine

Astrid asked which laundry machine is best for a large family.

Well, that depends.
When you dry your clothes in a dryer, it's best to have equal heavy loads.
That way your wet laundry won't stay in the machine too long, causing smell.

When you dry on the line I prefer a washing machine with as large a load as possible.
I can't afford an industrial machine, because it requires large wardrobes, so I opt for a 7 kilo one.

I don't care for many buttons.
Just the temperatures, full and half load and the possibility of centrifuge only.

It needs to give a good balance between clean clothes and saving energy.

For me a front loader is best, because I can put the basket under it and just pull the laundry out.

The filter needs to be at a level that I can put a small bowl underneath it to let the water out.
A filter that's too low is a problem, because it means using towels or stuff to catch the water.

01 June 2009

beautiful

14 May 2009

For you

A friend called to tell me he will be here this summer.
He asked for some musicians and then my memories just started to flow.

11 May 2009

thousand hands

Thousand hands...creating beauty from single movements.

24 April 2009

fool for fundraising

I'm bombarded by mails of people who want me to publicize their fund raising campaigns for autism.

Like last year I'm fundraising for autism too.

But unlike last year people don't have much money to spend.

In fact: I haven't received one single euro or dollar.

That means that overpowering people with even more fundraisers would be foolish.

Considering the fact that I find myself blogging an advertising post for 2 dollars, spending a lot of time to write a decent post for a firm that could buy me my dream, an autism house, within a second without blinking an eye just once, I have declared myself a fool for fundraising this month.

I hope this last week will change things a lot.

Well, there's 2 dollars.....

21 April 2009

Introducing nature to your child

I was asked when I started to make my children aware of nature.

Isn't it strange that we're now so conscious about introducing nature into the lives of our children?

In the past we just lives and nature was part of us.

When my children were born, the first 23 years ago, I wasn't conscious at all about the subject.
I just took my baby walking a few days a week.
Which was quite an enterprise... taking the pram downstairs three steep stairs.. and after that the baby. (Well, that was the reason we moved.)

When we moved, we had a garden and I put the pram in the garden for the afternoon sleep of the baby.
When he woke up, he heard the birds.
(And me chasing a cat! LOL! I didn't want cats to jump on the pram.)

I also often walked into the garden holding my child and pointing out the flowers, smelling the roses.
There mini-walks learned them that some insects needed to stay away and that could be done by slowly walking away. Not by trying to slap them.

When my children got a bit older and were able to walk themselves I took them to the park and we tried to find the plants we had in our garden and to see which animals were new. Like the ducks.
I taught them the difference between swans and geese, and warned them for their power.
Etc etc.

I just followed my heart and explained everything my dad explained to me, like never stepping at the part between the land and the ice on the lake, because the rim is the weakest.

It was fun!!

Over and over again.

18 April 2009

Yes! ShopWiki in The Netherlands too!

2 items that made this week into a memorable one:
Susan Boyle (Need I say more?), and....

drums.....

tada!!!!!!...

ShopWiki is available for The Netherlands too!

I'm so glad, because ShopWiki really makes a difference.

I know, because ShopWiki already exists for Germany and France, and ofcourse in the UK and the USA: http://www.shopwiki.com.

Wiki means "fast", and in this case it means that you can get a fast comparison of products and prizes.

Because shops are not charged to be added, no advertising is involved.
For us, Dutch, it's the way it should be: clean, no ornaments and elbow work.
Just a plain representation of the facts.

Right now over 7000 online shops are participating and I'm sure that number will increase.
I don't know the amount of products are in the system now, but I'm sure it's huge.
Being the cheapest means not only that the consumer gains, but also that ShopWiki sends a lot of customers and potential customers to a shop.

Yesterday I had a dynamic discussion with the man in the house. I want to have one of those little hand-vaccuumcleaners and he'd seen one for 82 euros.
I had seen one for 49 euros, but I knew they were cheaper.... somewhere....
He just didn't believe me because I couldn't prove it.

Just a moment ago I showed him this page, and he was amazed how easy it was to find products and prizes.
Just chose the name of the brand, chose the product and your at a page where a lot of information is provided.

When it's too much: adjust the prize range at the top right.
Or when you just want to know the information about a certain color, chose the color.

ShopWiki gives you the best prizes and the shops where you can go, links included.
New products are added as soon as possible, with the date of addition mentioned.

Additional information, like descriptions and warnings are given too.

Whenever a similar product is available you'll find a link at the top of the page.
In this case I went to this page, where I found items with more gadgets attached.

Another way of shopping is using the list.
We wanted to know more about cleaning the computer and found good tips. The links in the text and a list of related products at the bottom provided us with the products we need, ofcourse with the welknown ShopWiki prize comparison.

We've bookmarked http://www.ShopWiki.nl and take my advice: you should bookmark this site too.

15 April 2009

When to plant bulbs

This week I was asked when to plant bulbs.

Well, it depends.

Some bulbs need to be planted six weeks before it starts freezing, so that's before winter.
When you're not sure, then follow another rule.
The ground should be to 55°F, that's 12°Celcius or cooler.
When the soil is too warm or moist the bulbs will start to rot.

Some bulbs can be planted in spring.
It will say so on the package.

When you're not sure, buy bulbs in containers and put them outside at the time their collegues bloom.
Never ever put them outside just like that.

First water them and keep them in a cool area with temperatures above freezing for a few days.
When the narcisses and tulips are flowering you can put them in the ground.
Remove the container and plant the bulbs in the ground. Not too deep, but at the same level from the top as they were in the container.

12 April 2009

recycling chemical waste

When I blogged the other day how we deal with waste, someone was amazed we even have a seperate system for getting rid of our chemical waste.

We're talking about small chemical waste.

batteries
medicines
paint and other DIY products like thinner
lampbulbs
oil
mercury thermometers
injection needles
products used when developing photos

These are products that shouldn't be burned with other household waste, because they contain lead, mercury and other materials that will contaminate the restproducts which are recycled, they'll cause airpollution or waterpollution.

All these products are collected at special cars which are found at special times at shoppingcentres. (Chemocars, we call them.)
And we can bring these products to the waste organisation where they have a chemocar available too.

Some products, like batteries, are even collected in many shops that sell them.

As much as possible of the elements is recycled.

29 March 2009

earthquakes in The Netherlands?

I was asked whether we experience earthquakes in The Netherlands.

The answer is: YES.

But we're not in a ring of fire or an area where the bottom is moving because of the shift of continents.
Our earthquakes are relatively small.

In the south of our country, Limburg, coals where mined for generations.
Once in a while part of an old coalmine collapses and it causes some shaking.
There are some breaks in the earthcrust which cause some movement too.

I've witnessed the worst with a magnitude of 5,8.
It was during a night that the earth moved.
It was like a huge truck was driving into our back yard.

Then everything started shaking and my meds fell from the shelves.

First I woke up my husband and he told I was nuts.

Then I switched on the radio.
The studio is situated far more north, and the quake even reached them.
They called: "What's that? What's that?"
Then my husband finally believed me.

In the north of the country quakes are induced because gas is taken out of the ground.
The quakes are minor too.

21 March 2009

ShopWiki, not only for your best buys, but also to silence the guys

My autistic boy is all over the place, because his MP3 gave up.

Sometimes I get stressed because of his persistent requests for new items, but this time I told him I would look for one online. I have no plans at all to go shopping this afternoon.

The kids here wonder why mom is able to "organize" things in no time, especially when it comes to products they use and we have to pay for.

While they are visiting online stores they find with the usual search engines, I just visit my own secret place, and come up with the best prizes and the most advanced items.

Unlike other mothers they know, I suddenly speak their iPod language, so I've already used USB connection, Gig, and I even know that the red iPod shuffle contributes to helping AID's victims in Africa.

I'll share my secret with you as long as you don't tell the kids.
I use ShopWiki.com.

It's as easy to use as Google and at least as fast and certainly more targetted to what is needed when one searches for a special product.

Just enter the name of the product, click, and you'll get a list of information, which includes:

photos for fast browsing,
name and short description
5 stars rating system (with reviews one click away)
best prize
number of stores
and a pop-up with the list of stores and prizes, clickable, so you'll land on the right store in internet.

To get additional informations you can find at the right side a list of Wiki Buying Guides.
The one I used today was highly informative about the iPod and all related products including the MyVu Media Viewer, which might be something to keep my son busy for a longer time.

I love ShopWiki, because I feel like I'm taken serious as a customer.
Over an over I'm guided to the best buy and I'm even warned when I'm prepared to make big mistakes, something I don't often experience in normal shops.
Take for instance the compatibility between iPods and speakers.
Not all iPod speakers dock at the same speakers. ShopWiki made me aware of this and guided me to the right choice.

At the bottom of the products you can find "related searches".
I was ready with my choice, but clicked some of the links to know more about what young people talk about.
Which came in handy.

I was in the garden, talking with one of my other sons about the iPod when the neigbour asked how he could use his iPod in the car. While my son took a breath to answer, I already said: "Just use iTrip".
The silence that followed was a consequence of their amazement.

They both looked at me and I smiled back.
"Use ShopWiki guys", I said and went inside.

To write this post for you.

11 March 2009

Call for help

No need to say more.
Just watch the video and do what needs to be done.

01 March 2009

Informing schools about autism

I've been asked how I have dealt with informing schools about the autism of my son.

Well, at basic school it was clear something was the matter with him.

The teachers followed their intuition and were able to deal with him, but the new principal had serious problems with him,, because he wanted all children to look him into the eyes and he had the habit to put his hands on the children's shoulders to emphasize what he was saying.

I told the teachers when I requested a diagnostic procedure at a cetre with exprience in autism, and told the teachers that maybe it would be better the principal was informed by the teachers about the influence of his actions on the wellbeing and behaviour of my son.

So they called a meeting, but he was not willing to listen at all.

My next step was making an appointment with him and informing him about the diagnosis.
With it I had a leaflet with information about autism and about how people best react to children with autism.

He didn't know I'd made that leaflet myself.

At that time there was almost no written information available.

The guy didn't care much about the info, until a fill-in teacher was confronted with a situation she could handle, because she had worked at a facility with some autistic children.
He was walking towards my son, when she took a step faster and arrived earlier at the scene.

She handled the situation in a perfect way, so the principal was very amazed.

He never acknowledged his own problems with my son, but when he was able to back out of a situation he would.

The next school told me they were informed, but it turned out they were able to make a mess of the whole schoolexperience of my son, because one man ruined everything that was gained by teachers and caretakers.

He considered to own the truth and told everyone autism is the result of a bad upbringing.

Where the teachers were eager to get more information, he declined everything.

Well, in the end my son dropped out of school.

21 February 2009

easy tomatosoup

Want to make a impressive soup in an easy way?

Take some tomatoes, slice them and put them in the blender.
Add pepper and salt.

Take a pan add the tomatomash,
add water.

Bring to a boil.

In the meantime take two teaspoons and mashed meat.
Grasp little pieces with the spoons and throw them in the soup.

Add 2 bags of instant tomato soup,
a few slices of union,
a bit of vegetables you have left over from the day before, or fresh from today.

Slice bread to little squares.

Put no butter in a baking pan, but rinse the inside with the open part of the union.
Throw in the bread and stir well.
Until they get brown.

Take a few ready cooked potatoes.
Slice them in squares.

Take the soupbowl.

Put a few potatopieces at the bottom.

Soup on it.
The baked bread either on top, at the side, or in a seperate little bowl.

Eat well!

18 February 2009

planting bulbs

Are you ready to start spring yourself?

Buy the bulbs of flowers you like, a huge pot (or more), good compost.

Plants the bulbs that flower last the first, add compost and plant the ones that bloom a bit earlier and plant the ones that signal spring the first on top.

You'll have a long time of fun of a pot like that.

When you put the pot inside the house, the bulbs will flower sooner.

12 February 2009

fire alarms in the house are important

I can never stress enough that smoke alarms in the house are a must.

When my son moved out he got a package with a smoke alarms, and he was very happy with them.

Even though you don't smoke, an alarm in a bedroom might save your house from burning down (when there is someone to respond.)

Why?

Read this experience.

Inform your neighbour about the alarms and give them a key to the house.

It's a few years ago that I heard the alarm of my neighbour.
Because I had the key, I went to see whether it was an empty battery causing the problem.
It wasn't.

It was a haircurler she forgot to unplug.
The towel it rested against caught fire.
I ran downstairs to switch the electricity off, then filled a bucket of water.

A demonstration of the firebrigade a while ago taught me how to kill a fire, and I managed to do so.

Pffff

30 January 2009

Hayfever

Those who suffer from hayfever know how tiring it is.

A stoffed nose, wooly brains and some even have terrible itching eyes, like I have.

There are not much working meds against the eye-troubles, so it's important to find something that works for you.

I'm blogging about this outside the season, because anti-allergy meds take time to work properly.

It's better to prevent that to fight the symptoms after they've occurred, because the preventive meds don't cause as much foggyness in the brain.

Start now taking your meds when you're one of those who are the first with hayfever.

26 December 2008

Merry Christmas!

Well, hello!

Please comment on my main blog when you want to wish me happy holidays.

You can find it here.

Thanks!

08 December 2008

commenting on blogs

Commenting on blogs is an interesting experience.

I understand people want to protect themselves against automatic comments, but why choose a system that prevents almost all comments?
Some of those fake word systems display unreadable words, which means I have to type new words in about 3 times before I either have my comment submitte3d for approval or I'm kicked out of the system.

Others use combinations that not only need my full attention, but are also written so little I nearly have to press my nose through the screen to see them.

Oh and how about those blogs where they have a pop-up jump in your face when you go over a link with your cursor.
To go to the comment section one needs to click a link... can't, because that pop-up covers it completely.

Another annoying things crossed my path today.
Someone not bothering about the ease to comment.

You have to highlight the whole page to find where to type what... and the window to comment displays the same colour as the letters.
Blind commenting gets a whole new meaning that way.

With all the slow loading pages, my urge to comment is about zero.
And it disappears completely when I'm trying to type and the page is still loading, so the window jumps from under my cursor, hup hup, to other places on my screen.

Well, that is...when I've ever been able to dinf where to comment.

Some sections are to be found above a post, or under it, or in some graphics or even between all sorts of links I doubt anyone ever uses.

Well, I'm sure you've come to some understanding that I feel bugged by my own urge to comment sometimes.

16 November 2008

Super Contest at JoeTech.com for sponsors and bloggers

With such a banner, need I say more?

JoeTech.com is preparing a huge contest with lots of prizes.
Cash, entrecard credits, designs...
At the moment the prizes are totalling up to $3,500!!!

Oh no...it's just updated...
It's now: $4,258!!!

Why not become a sponsor too and add to this huge amount?
You'll enable normal bloggers to have something extra for the special days that are coming soon.

I'm not going to reload the page, otherwise I keep rewriting this post. LOL!
You can find out yourself by clicking the badge and going to his site or going directly to http://www.joetech.com/suggests/nmsc.

Early publishers have a chance to win, so why don't you have a go at it too?

Good luck all!

08 November 2008

Do you need some encouragement?

When I was a student I agreed completely with the idea that everyone should give a percentage of their income to charity.
I hoped that by the time I had children it would be normal to pay a percentage for housing, a percentage for education, etc, and a percentage for charity.

But people are too greedy.

Are you one of them?

Or are you altruistic when you're pushed a little?

Well, you can help yourself from this day on.
You can shop with AidMaker.

It's a small piece of software you can download from www.eengoedezaak.nl.
That's a site of aGoodCause.com.

You might have heard about this global organisation.
It's a partnership of 700 important NGO's, like Save the Children, the Red Cross, Oxfam, etc etc. They all work towards a better world for nature and all living beings.

With AidMaker you can shop at 5000 online shops and generate funds for these charities.
When you buy something at these shops, you'll pay the normal prize, but the retailer donates part of the money to the cause you have chosen. 75% of the total purchase will be donated.
There's no need to do something yourself.

After installing AidMaker and choosing the cause you want, all the rest is done automatically.
Ofcourse you can change the cause whenever you want to, but there's no need.

The system is just launched in 8 countries: America, Great Britain, Denmark, Italy, Germany, France and The Netherlands.
You can choose your own language at the site, where you can find more information.

I hope you too want to participate this way in generating funds for charities.

06 November 2008

some music

The best possible results of the elections.
Even Palin going back to Alaska.

Life goes on.

Here's some music to enjoy.

Other posts can be found at my main blog.

01 November 2008

Does he know himself?

And this is the man who attacks the other candidate when he says he want to be better informed about certain issues to make a well balanced and well founded statement?

How are we ever going to believe this man in international matters after this?

Well, at least we can say we've been warned extensively.

Have a look

Happy November!

Featured at Laane's Links a blog that is well worth a visit.

I've found it on my daily walks on internet.

31 October 2008

Gina's contests

This november will be special because Gina celebrates not only her 31st birthday at Thanksgiving, she will also have a huge contest at her site with lots of interesting prizes.

It's for US residents only.....

Click the button to go to her site and read more.

The Clan McLeod

29 October 2008

He won

Laane, have you ever thought during one of these drop-out shows: this is the winner?

Oh, yes.
Sometimes on just everyday brains. like when they were looking for a Joseph last weeks and I said that it would be the guy that looked most arabic.
It was just typecasting, because the voices and singing abilities/qualities were much alike.

But when I switched on a BBC talent show, just to see if my favorite soap had begun, I was caught by something that told me to keep watching. Me, the biggest zapper of the world.

So against all questions around me to go to another station I sat back and watched this:

He won!

25 October 2008

batpeople

Imagine doing this.

I would love to.

07 October 2008

Huh, did I hear it well?

Did I hear it well?
Did he take bribes?

Who wants a president who did so?

watch this.

06 October 2008

main

In case you're looking around:

the main blog is here.

You can find unconscious mutterings and a lot of other memes, articles and ofcourse accounts of daily lfe.

See ya!

16 September 2008

10 Simple Things that Make me Happy

10 Simple Things that Make You Happy

I'm happy, when my children are happy.
When I'm relaxed and I see something nice in nature.
When a friend shares happiness.
When someone really cares for my children.
Walking alone at the shore.
When I'm able to sing a wonderful song or bagpipe one without loosing breath.
A good movie without violence, but with a catching story.
When I wake up without looking ahead into a day and a world of stress and troubles.
When I see people really care for each other.
Snow!

Want to take part too?
Click the logo.

14 September 2008

new look at main blog

.

New look at the main blog.

Hope you like it.

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11 August 2008

manic monday

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You can find manic monday ::here::.

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24 July 2008

about dropping links

Isn't it boring that people write comments just to drop their link?

That's why I hardly write on this blog.

Comments with commenrcial links are delited right-away.

When you want to advertise on my blog, ask me, and I give you proper attention in return for a boost in realising a dream.

No matter how nicely worded your dropped link-comment is, as owner of multiple blogs, I know you just paste a bit of prefab text.

Don't you take your own product serious?

30 May 2008

Fashion on the streets

It's the end of may, and we're ready to welcome summer, in this part of the world.

We've been trying to observe which line of fashion people use.

Right now, we feel there is no specific trend that pop's up.

There are still a lot of leggings (ugh!), but with longer shirts on it. (Phew).
Especially young and middle aged people are using elements of the hippy style, which makes the streets look colourful.

A little bit more green is used, but often in combination with flowers. Large flowers.

A little less skirts than last year, but they are wider.

Ready for the petticoat?

For other entries go ::here::.

15 May 2008

Conducting

My dad was a conductor.
I've enjoyed the function for a while,
and now........

Grand Theft Auto 4. They love to play it.

Post is meant for grown-ups.

It's always nice have the oldest visit home.
He hasn't been around much, because he was able to get one of the GTA IV's that were sold when this month started.

GTA IV or GTA 4 stands for Grand Theft Auto 4.
It's a game, made by Rockstar Games, a new version of the already famous Grant Theft Games.
In fact it's the eleventh game in the series, meant for Xbox 360® and PLAYSTATION®3.

At first he thought it was just another version of the same, but when he was playing he realised that the new engine RAGE (Rockstar Advanced Gaming Engine), really makes a difference.

He also likes the fact that the controls are improved a lot.
He doesn't experience as many questions or uncertainties, which adds to the pleasure.
It also enables him to play "a better line", with the added experience of being able to add personal elements.
The fact that there is no recurrence from figures, like in the old versions, where different figures got the same look, makes one feel to be in a far more realistic world.

He also tried the game out with a couple of friends, and they all enjoyed it.

Need I say more?

12 May 2008

endtimes?

Are the endtimes coming?
See for yourself.

11 May 2008

happy Mothersday!!

Happy mothersday
to all those moms who recognise parts of this song:

27 April 2008

friday's feast

april 24 2008

Appetizer
Name something you would categorize as weird.

That's a difficult question.
I won't say I've seen it all, or that I accept everything, but I don't think things are weird easily.
So I guess it will be some strange sculptured art, or maybe even the reaction of people on art.
We have here some flat pieces of iron, stuck vertically in the ground. In fact they are used untreated plates sheets of iron.
People say they're oh so beautiful!!
That's weird, because when I would stuck them the same way in my garden, or they would be stuck in the ground the same way at a building place none would say that they're "oh so beautiful!"

It's also weird that people enter memes and when I visit them and want to comment I have to log in at sites I don't want to be a member of.

Soup

What color was the last piece of food you ate?

Brown. It was my breakfast: peperkoek.

Salad

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy being alone?

9.
The only times I don't enjoy it is when I feel depressed and there's a lot of mess lying around when everyone has left.

But I'm never completely alone. My autistic son is at home.

Main Course

Fill in the blank: I will _________ vote for ___________ in _______.

Well, I'm not american. We're an allied country and as such we have relations with america and a view on them.
For international relationships I would vote for Obama.
Clinton wants to force too much rules and regulations on the already weakened relationships. She makes the impression she doesn't want to listen well enough.
Maybe americans value her for the idea they have that she pushes forward and follows what she wants.
But I'm sure Obama does the same.
But dealing with him has to do less with dealing with a bulldozer.
he makes the impression he's able to listen, value matters on their own merits, and make the decision that's best for all partners on the long run.

In other words: I feel Clinton is there for the glory and the ego.
Obama for the cause.

Voting in my own country, The Netherlands, is much different.
We don't vote for people as much as in america, but we vote for party programmes.
We've got many parties, and it's important to get the parties with the best programs in the government.
One can vote for a person in a party.
Whenever that person gets enough votes to surpass others he'll get a better chance of taking a seat in parliament.

Right now I sure wouldn't vote for the tiny party of Wilders.
I sure wouldn't vote for Verdonk. People adore her because she creates the image of their aunt, sweeping the house, eh the country, clean from unwanted people. I think the woman is dangerous in her views, and when ever she gets prime minister we'll leave the country.
For the rest my vote will depend on the issues at hand when it's voting time.

Dessert

Describe your sleeping habits.

I go to bed late, I rise early.
Most of the time one foot sticks out from under the blanket.
Most of the time I try to read a bit before sleeping, then put the radio on and fall asleep while others talk about economic problems.
It's informative and utterly boring, but it works, because it takes my mind of all the troubles.

want to take part too?
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06 April 2008

unconscious mutterings

Nutritious :: nurturing

Graduate :: finished an education level

Tonight! :: Marvellous song

Located :: situated

Weapon :: calls for problems

Jumper :: hopper

Collectibles :: giraffes, fountain pens, little houses and my autistic son collects cats

Dennis :: a friend of my son

Hostile :: agressive

Vivid :: Imagination, memory

04 April 2008

friday's feast

Hi!

When you're looking for friday's feast.
It's up here.

Feel welcome!

02 April 2008

autism awareness month

It's autism awareness month.

There are many stories and facts about autism.
I know many people have questions.

You can ask them here.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

28 March 2008

friday's feast

march 28 2008

Appetizer

What does the color dark green make you think of?

The woods/forests... and the end of summer.

Soup

How many cousins do you have?

I don't know.
My family is at one side very, very large.
When my grandmother died we lost contact, because we had no place anymore to host all of them.

Salad

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how honest are you?

9.

Main Course

Name something that is truly free.

My thoughts.

Dessert

Using the letters in the word SPRING, write a sentence.

She Proudly Ranks Innumerable New-York Gardens.

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26 March 2008

works for me

Well, now Shannon, the host and creator of "Works for me" describes so well a product that works for her and that's worth sharing, I'll share something too of my own free will.

Some people wonder about the Buzzfuse banner on my site.

Well, it's a great addition to blogging.

When I've written a post I register it at Buzzfuse and put the code under my post.
Membership is free.

Without doing anything Buzzfuse sends a mail to my fans at Buzzfuse to tell them I have posted at my blog. In a daily mail other members of Buzzfuse are informed.
All they have to do is click on a link to visit the blogentry(, or click on the delete-button.)

The widget enables readers to rate the item, to comment, to become a fan, etc.

Last months I've won a premium edition of Buzzfuse, which means I can win money with the hightest rated post.
I know I've won last month, but I don't know how much yet.
fact is that the toprated items win thousands of dollars.
That's why I would love people to rate my posts.

Additional pleasure for me is that I can see how many people have read my post.

Being a Buzzfuse member has enabled me to find blogs I wouldn't have found otherwise.
Because I get a mail with all the topics each day, I sometimes can read about matters that have my interest without spending long times surfing.

Bussfuse is run by a very dynamic team who're constant developing the service.
The widget will get even better soon, but even now it's well worth a try.

In case you want me to invite you, leave your emailaddress, or use the contactform to send your address. (slowloading page).

I'm glad to have been able to share this with you, because it has made blogging more fun and worthwhile.

Tomorrow I'll blog about what smallpipes are for those who have asked.

Want to read more tips
or want to take part in "Works for me"?
Click the logo.

24 March 2008

unconscious mutterings

Money :: wealth

Unhappy :: tears

Joking :: fun

Chipmunk :: cartoons

Date :: nice guy

Slideshow :: dias

Chicago :: New York

Lifetime :: forever

Skid row :: ?

Edward :: Edward II - Birmingham Royal Ballet

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21 March 2008

friday's feast

Appetizer

Given the choice, would you prefer to live in the country or in the city?

The country.
I grew up near the woods and I've missed it ever since.
I'm lucky to live near a lake, where I can see the stars at night and enjoy some quiet, but I would love to live near the mountains.

Scotland would be fine.

Untill then I'll enjoy my garden.

Soup

Who is the cutest kid you know?

Haha!! When I choose one the other 5 are all over me. LOL!
But the twingirls feel the closest. Maybe because they don't have autism spectrum disorder.
One of them is very handsome and the other is....cutest.
Oops, I've said it!!

Salad

Fill in the blank: I couldn’t believe it when I heard ___________.

Have to think about that...

Main Course

If you could star in a commercial for one of your favorite products, which one would you want to advertise?

Smallpipes. LOL! Never seen a commercial on TV though.

Dessert

What type(s) of vitamins and/or supplements do you take on a regular basis?

I take vitamins because I have an aminodeficitdisorder (say that fast 5 times. LOL!).
The vitamins keep me alive.

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17 March 2008

manic monday

If you could have any music group or musician play at a party, who would you hire?

Howe I feel at the moment?
Janis Joplin.
But as she is already enjoying the grass from the wrong side,
I think I seriously would consider Ramses Shaffy.
He's a famous, dutch, inspiring mucisian, and I've always wishes to meet him.

Name three things to be happy about today.

I don't have the faintest idea.

I hardly slept last night, because I was afraid my ADHD son would oversleep. He went to england early this morning for a schooltrip.
I'm not happy with the people who have to supervise the group, ::see here:: and I tried to go with them myself. I could find a B&B, but couldn't find a lst minute flight from the airport nearby for yesterday or today.

After he left, I went to bed and was nearly asleep when they renovation activities started in the neighbouring house.

So I showered, cup of coffee and internet, and found out that McCallum won't make the smallpipes the way I want them, with no nickel, no imitation invory, so they'll be far too expensive for what the dollar is worth at the moment...

Opening my mail I found out that there was a reply of the schoolleader about his interpretation of the relationship between my autistic son and the auticlass.
As I thought, he was informed there was a place for my son at the auticlass, and he was going to do his final exam at his (then former) school. That's why he reported us as criminals to the council. Our son is not visiting that school.

It's a rather painful subject, as that school doesn't want our son, because it breaks the daily routine of the other autists there.

So I've just mailed the guy to set him straight.
Luckily he also mailed by whom he was informed.
So I mailed that woman, so she can put things straight. She misunderstood the information she got, for the somaniest time!!!!!!!

Now I hope the schoolleader tries again to get my son admitted at the auticlass. I told him so.
THAT would make me happy.

So right now I don't expect something happy today.
On top of it I have an aching throat, as have 4 others here...

How do you release frustration?

Seeking the cause and try to set things straight.
I use the mail.
When I can't solve the problem that causes the frustration I get the next item that's on my list of "things to change" and invest my energy there.
Otherwise I can start working: laundry, cleaning.

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16 March 2008

unconscious mutterings

march 16 2008

Paranormal :: telekinesis

Alarm :: siren

Operative :: working

Changing :: transforming

Framed :: picture

Beer :: root beer

Referral :: specialist

Unmasked :: bare

Movie star :: celebrity

Handbook :: protocol

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14 March 2008

friday's feast

Appetizer

On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how much do you like your own handwriting?

Depending on the mood and what I'm writing.

Calligraphy: 8
normal handwriting: 7
grocery list: 5

Soup

Do you prefer baths or showers?

For daily use: showers. I can shower within a couple of minutes, if needed.
But when I need to relax, I love(d) a bath.
It has been ages ago I smelled at bottles to find something nice to pour in the hot water.
Music, a book...
Awwww......

Salad

What was the last bad movie you watched?

Haha...It was so bad I can't remember the name.

Main Course

Name something you are addicted to and describe how it affects your life.

Bagpiping.
I feel sad each time I can't go to the band. My autistic son and his dad don't go along, and I just can't leave them together.
I can't use the highland bagpipes in the house, because people can hear it 20 houses further. LOL!
So I'm blogging to make money to buy smallpipes. That's why there are at times some silly posts, I need them to keep the posts in balance.
Now the dollar is as low I have lost over half I had worked for.
When people would rate me higher and more on the buzzfuse widget I might win one of the monthly money prizes and stop moaning about my smallpipes here.

Dessert

Which instrument is your favorite to listen to?

It really depends on my mood.
I don't like artificial instruments very much though. Never did.
I'd rather like a steel guitar than one of those howling keyboards.

I like harp, and lots of african instruments.
I also like to listen to a good spanish guitarplayer.
And as a former balletdancer I dream away when I hear just one piano with a little echo.

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09 March 2008

Take the Chance to Win a Nintendo® Wii™ and bid for Charter High-Speed® Internet for Life

Last year Charter was Cable Operator of the Year 2007!

How I know that?

Because they are the providers of the Worldwide 250 Calling Plan. A plan that enables people to save on national and international calls.

Charter is a dynamic company bubbling with new ideas.

Now they're offering you the chance to preregister and bid at an auction.

Uhuh, don't run away.

There are huge prizes involved!

Preregistering is free. No need to bid or purchase anything.
It's wise to preregister for the auction because only people who live in the areas where charter services can be used can win the prize.
When it's time for the auction you don't want to loose time assessing the serviceability. So you can do it right now. It's free and easy. All you need is your zip-code.

Not only does preregistering means you have easy access to the auction at march 12 and later, but you'll also have the chance to win a Nintendo® Wii™.

Wow!

This includes:

a Nintendo Wii Console,
Wii Stand,
5 Sports games ( Boxing, Baseball, Tennis, Golf and bowling),
1 Remote Controller,
1 Nunchuk Controller,
1 Sensor Bar,
1 Wii AC Adapter,
1 Wii AV Cable.

That's all you need to start to play immediately.

Isn't that great?

At March 12 the auction starts for all who live in the Charter serviced areas.
Bidding starts at $10. No reserve.
The hightest bidder will get Charter High-Speed® Internet for Life.
That means the best internet speed which is available in the area, a cable modem and wireless router, and free professional installation.

The auction starts as low as $10!!

They haven't put a reserve on the auction, so when no one else would bid you might end up with a very cheap life time internetconnection.

Charter provides two internet plans:
Charter High-Speed® - Speeds up to 5Mbps
Charter High-Speed® Plus - Speeds up to 10Mbps
Both come with additional services like anti-virus, firewall, and spam-filtering software and parental controls, 10 e-mail addresses per account, extra online storage, personal Web space and a helpdesk which is available 24/7.

Isn't that amazing?

I wish you all the luck of the world.

So go to the site now: click here!

08 March 2008

saturday special

~What's Your Favorite?...~

1. Favorite Time Of Day?:

Late evening or early night. When everyone is sleeping and it's finally quiet here.

2. Favorite Day Of The Week?:

No school troubles, apart from an occasional letter.

3. Favorite Month Of The Year?:

It's not december. I always feel I fall short.

I love spring, so that's the end of april, early may.

4. Favorite Type Of Weather?:

I'm Dutch, so I like the wind, I like a drizzle,
but I like snow best.

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the big GR again

G-rank is like a candle light.
The site hops from 0 to 3 and from 3 to 0 without even a change of content.

It's like an infant is playing with the buttons at a machine it doesn't know how to handle.

To me it means I write a post at rank 3, with full flair and enthousiasm, and when it's time to have it rewarded, I won't get nothing, just because the big G has hit the button again.

It's annoying, because the people who ask me to write have their gain of exposure, and I have invested time and effort with no return at all.

I think the system stinks.

saturday 6

1. What was the first board game you remember playing?

It was a dice game. I don't know how it's called in english.

2. When you last played a crossword puzzle, did you look up any of the answers before you finished?

I never ever look up the answers before I'm finished.
The last one I did a few days ago, while waiting for a meeting.

3. Did you ever own a Rubik’s Cube? If so, were you ever able to solve it on your own?

Yes.
I've solved it a couple of times.
I think I was lucky.

Then one of the kids scratched the coloured stickers from the cube...

4. Take the quiz: What Kind of Puzzle Are You?

You Are a Jigsaw Puzzle

You are a complex person, although at first glance you seem quite simple.

Your personality is comprised of many interesting and distinct pieces.

You are captivating and often visually interesting. You can be seen from many angles.

What Kind of Puzzle Are You?

5. You decide to buy yourself a jigsaw puzzle: what kind of image are you most likely to buy: a landscape, an image of an animal, a sports hero, or a shot from a popular movie?

I often do a puzzle at jigzone.com
I'm OK with all images, but I like one with a nature theme best.

6. Have you ever tried Sudoku? How easy did you find it (or would you think you would find it) to be?

I have tried, but I don't like it as much as crossword puzzles.

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Vulcano Santiaguito 2006

I was asked for the Volcano Explosion of Volcán Santiaguito - 2006

Here it is:

online casino at 32 Vegas.com

It's international women's day, so why not do what you want to do.
Why not try to play at an online casino?

Don't go to the first casino you see online, but go to the best.

Playing should be a complete pleasant experience and at the vegas casino you will have the time of your life.

It's pleasant to go there, the entrance is wellcoming and in very nice colours.
That helps to feel at ease.
Grab a drink, sit down, and read "getting started".
There you'll find a step to step introduction, so you won't feel a stranger.
Dowload the software the way it's illustrated and you're ready to go.

You'll get a 320% welcoming bonus and you have the chance to win one of the 13 jackpots.
When you feel insecure or you want to know something, just call the support service. The numbers are on the right of the side. Customer support is available 24/7.
Before you start, don't forget to have a look at the "promotions". There are great offers, so don't forget it.

The casino games are available in english, but also in Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Italian.

At 32Vegas all players are treated like a VIP, something you can expect at games which are operated and owned by Crown Solution Gaming Ltd.

Enjoy your time playing.
Be responsible.

07 March 2008

friday's feast

Appetizer

If you could be any current celebrity for one whole week, who would you want to be?

I would like to be Obama.
There are certain subjects I would want to explore, because people are waiting for understanding. I'm sure I would be able to make them feel hope again. And I certainly would get their votes.
I also would adress international issues far more.
It's important that people in all countries achieve mutual trust.

I'm not going to tell which subjects, because I don't want to feed the opposition.

I also would like to be Oprah Winfrey.
I can talk as good as she can. No problem there.
The change I want to make is that I want those huge presents given to people who always care for others but never have the chance to visit the program.
I also want a monthly episode in which online friends meet each other in real life.

Soup

On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you enjoy talking on the phone?

O.

Most of the time the phone is used for passtime. And my schedule is bussy enough.
Or it's used for bad news.
When people don't want to bother to write an email, it's not worth the call.
I have a cellphone, so if needed people can reach me. We don't have a normal phone.

Salad

Name a charitable organization to which you have donated (or would like to).

I have donated to many organisations.

In the past a friend who was midwife went to a hospital in Swaziland and she wanted to have a manually operated vaccuumpump.
We gave her all the money we saved and called the supplier to ask him to hand her the pump for that ammount. He valued the idea so much that he did, and he even gave her some more equipment.

Main Course

What is a food you like so much you could eat it every single day for a month?

Fish... smoked salmon.

Dessert

Have you or anyone in your family had the flu this year?

We had it all. Yep. All 8.
I myself got the flu a month before the flushot and I've been very ill this time.
It took me quite a long while to get over it.

For the first time in years I didn't get ill after the flushot. So having the flu so badly helped... I tell myself.

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Leave a message so I can invite you for buzzfuse.

05 March 2008

works for me

Today "Works for me" goes the other way around.

So you won't get good advice, you'll get a question.

How do you keep all those girly hairthingies clean?
My twingirls have so many clasps and bows and such.

What do you do with them to clean them and to store them?

Want to participate?
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A post that might interest you:
a day in the life of a stay at home mom

animal rescue

The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily
to meet their quota of getting free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals.

It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on the purple box "fund food for animals" free.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/

04 March 2008

10 on tuesday

10 Favorite Drinks

coffee, just for the sake of it.
Beerenburger. It's a herbal drink from the north of my country, and I loovvvveee it!
Port. The older the better. I sip it and enjoy it in peace.
Whiskey. Especially when it has a round smokey and woody taste. I want to taste the higlands in it, on a golden fall day.
Cold light cola. It helps when I'm nauseated or worse. I can also treat rusty nails with it. LOL!
Cinnamon Tea. It makes me remember my old dear friends. And Max, who always made it with a real stick of cinnamom.
Ethiopean coffee made in the old fashion coffee ceremony. I love the taste, and I love the care, and it makes me long for Africa.
Banana milkshake. Please more banana than milkshake.
Oops I forgot my mineral water. I always drink tapwater or mineral water. All the above drinks, except for number 1 are jist drinks I use at special occassions.
A bucket of icewater. Not to drink but o pour over the person who ordered the house next door to be renovated. I'm getting nuts from the noise, and the trembling and soon the dust too.

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ADHD drugs pose no risk for substance abuse

In the past it was stated that children who used medication to diminish the symptoms of ADHD were at a larger risk of developing substance abuse than those who didn't use these drugs.

In the march issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry an article is published about new findings.
The ADHD pose no extra risk.

You can read about it ::here:: .

reconstruction of Bach's face

The way faces can be reconstructed on bare skulls is intriguing.

Today I've seen online the reconstruction of the face of the famous Bach.

Caroline Wilkinson used a coppe rreplica of his skull in her lab at the University of Dundee in Scotland, and with computertechniques gave a new face to Johann Sebastian Bach.

You can see it ::here::.

03 March 2008

Bingo time!

It's so very interesting to hear how other people enjoy internet.

Today I ran into one of the elderly ladies of our neighbourhood. While waiting in line at the supermarket she complained about the fact that there are no bingo-evening anymore in the library nmear her house.
She used to go there with some of her friends.

One day her grandchild told her that she enjoyed her time online with partybingo, and she taught her grandmom the ins and outs of online bingo.

Not only the two of them have fun playing bingo, grandmom invited her friends to the bingo games too, and got a couple of nice bonusses.

She told me about the march special: partypoints will be translated into money for the Red Cross. Players won't use their points. But the points which are made will be the basis of the donation PartyGaming will make.
All the more reason to join them.

PartyBingo.com is for players of all ages, and the bright interface make participating a real celebration.

You can play: 90-ball bingo, 75-ball bingo, Instant Bingo, Old MacDonald, Fruity Looty and other games.

Before you start playing you need to make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Flash Media Player installed. No problem, as the downloadlink is right at the sign in page you.
As a special treat any beginners deposit amount above $25 will be matched up to $200.
That way you'll have a good start.

All I can do now is wish you good luck and a very nice time playing.

the storm and the airplane

Last saturday a storm (Emma) hit Europe.
In Germany at Hamburg airport a plane tried to land.
A spotter got it on camera.

02 March 2008

unconscious mutterings

Chemical :: pollution

Poker :: masking facial expressions

Federal :: legal

Mattress :: sleep

Who am I? :: tell me

Investigation :: research

In good hands :: my autistic son is in good hands now

8:30 :: schools of the kids start

Creditors :: I don't like them, so I don't have them

Resource :: we need recources

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marketing on the streets

Now the storm is gone and the sun is shining people take on their normal spring sunday acitvities.
In moderation, as it isn't officially spring yet, and the temperatures are not yet good enough for a T-shirt and jeans without a coat, but there's a start.

There's a complete new feature on the streets here.

One of the youngsters, or should I say adolescents, is able to print on jackets and T-shirts, bags and caps, and they all wear the name and url of their blog.

It's a very effective way of marketing their own blog.
And as they also have the urls of the others in the side-column the exposure of their
urls is like a real marketing campaign.

Don't tell me they don't know what they're doing.

They want new skateboard facilities and they hope to attract many visitors to their blogs who are also willing to sign their online list of request to the council.

I love this form of creativity and told then they should carefully monitor the visitors to their blogs and confront the local shops with their success. Good sponsoring is always wanted for youth activities!

01 March 2008

Marketing your blog

Finally my rank is up again.
It's google's award for a rather boring blog, that's for sure.

In the meantime I've devoted my attention to another blog to learn how to increase blog worth and to see if it's reflected in heavy traffic.

I got some free heavy traffic to my blog because I wrote about the news.
Persoanlly I don't think blogs should rewrite the news. There should be a good critical review added or there should be a humane aspect that needs attention. Like humanitarian need after an earthquake.
Or the readers should be guided to good insight in national and international items, and I did just like that.

Some people have boring blogs that rely completely on blogger traffic tools.
They're just a list of products with well known names of products and businesses, which just fit in the present high ranked seo keywords.
I've never understood why heavy traffic is targetted to top seo keywords when there's no real content, reflecting the ffort on the writers part.

Well, I guess it's to put heavy traffic on search engines.

Have a try yourself.
Find ways to increase the keyword search and you'll end up with many visitors who have a look and never come back.

I personally want a reliable group of regular visitors who are able to spread the word when some good content is written.

ancient images

Isn't this interesting?

29 February 2008

friday's feast

february 29 2008

Appetizer

Who was the last person you hugged?

One of my girls.
A grown up?
No juicy stories here. The neighbouring woman when she moved out and said goodbye last week.

Soup

Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.

A beauty trick? From me?

Don't use so much Kohl around/in the eyes. Some people use so much that it looks like they're in need of hospitalisation and/or TBC treatment.

When you feel bad, it shows in your face.
So try to keep those smile muscles moving.

Salad

What does the color yellow make you think of?

The sun.
Yellow isn't really my colour. It makes me look pale.

Main Course

If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?

I've worked a while as a photographer for a magazine.
So I've thought about this.

The subject would be people moving through life.
Another subject: nature's miracles. (OK, who's going to send me on a mission to Mt. St. Helens so I can proof that I can do it.)

Dessert

What was the longest book you ever read?

The longest book..... hmm....
I once read a trilogy and it was a very thick book.
But it didn't feel like it.

The thickest and longest book was though, I think, my psychiatry book at university.
I felt very lucky to have a photographic memory, when I was doing exams.

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To T.C. TAN

I got a comment last day.
Because the site to which it referred displayed an emailaddress that doesn't excist, I reply here.

L.S.

You've made a comment on my blog which was rather belearning and in
fact also wrong.

ADD is not the old fashioned terminology for ADHD. Certainly not here
in Europe.

It is used for the ADHD group where hyperactivity isn't present, as
called in DSM IV: ADHD inattentive type.

We try to use ADHD inattentive type as little as possible, because it
suggests the person doesn't pay attention, and that is certainly not
the case.

Research and practice shows ADD comes with different symptoms and we
hope the DSM V will pay more attenion to the distinction, as
professionals already do.

When you comment like this you suggest you're a professional.
You'd certainly know in that case that between now and 1994 the
development in the area has lead to revisions of the DSM IV, and also to
lots of research and reasearch outcomes.

My sons are certainly not misdiagnosed.
(How dare you say so!!! Especially when you're not making clear
whether you are allowed to make such a statement. It's professionally
unethical.)

ADD is a rather difficult diagnosis to make, because there are
overlaps with many other diagnoses, which need to be ruled out.

I don't really feel the need to present the professional
qualifications from the Professor of psychiatry, and some psychologists who have
made the diagnoses as a team.
ADD and ADHD are not sudden diagnoses, they are the result of many
years of dealing with behavioral, intrapsychological and social
complications.

I'm a well educated psychologist myself, and I gather you're not a
professional in the field, because we have rules of conduct and
professional ethics we hold very high.

As far as I can see, your site is a marketing site.

Am I right?

I hope you'll refrain from comments like these on blogs in the
future.
They're an additional burden to people who have to struggle their way
through life.

Greetings

Laane

26 February 2008

hurdy gurdy

I've been asked what a hurdy gurdy is.

It's a stringinstrument.
Here you can see one in use:

25 February 2008

manic monday

How did you celebrate your last birthday?

Quite boring actually.
The girls gave me a present in the morning, and a friend visited in the afternoon.
That was it.

What's the last thing you bought yourself, just for fun?

A little booklet of Marjolein Bastin in the sales. You can find it here.
It's perfect for writing down birthdays.

I love her drawings and I would love to have something more from here. like the bedcover.
Can't have it all, can we?

What would the child you once were think of the adult you have become?

I think she would be amazed by the way I stand up for my children and wsh someone would stand up for her too.
It's strange to say, but she would want to have me as a mom.

I was a very shy child, not very appreciated by my mother.
When I was 4 she had me go out to buy the groceries.
I still can't understand why so young.
I had to clean a lot in the house too. I still hate doing it.
And she used to hit me a lot, and belittle me day by day.

I have learned myself not to let the past influence me in a negative way.
The times with my grandmother were far more important for the person I have become.
I also decided when I was young that I wouldn't fit in the theories of some socalled scientists that children of abusive mothers will become abusive too, or will become bad mothers.
I promised myself not to become a victim of the past.

Looking back I see I have missed one important aspect of it all.
I married the first guy that was nice to me. I mistook attention for real love, and I mistook being in love for real love.
It took so long to realise that!

So I guess I'm one of the least hugged people in the world, when it comes to parents and partner.
But I'm glad I have some nice children.
Especially with the girls I have a very good relationship, and I've been able to teach them what my mother didn't tell me.

So my little me can feel at rest. I struggled myself out of the past in a rather good way.

21 February 2008

6.2 earthquake in Norway

The Svalbard Region, Norway had been hit by an earthquake of 6.2 on the scale of Richter.

It's the strongest earthquake in Norway in modern history.

The epicentre was located about 140 km south east of Longyearbyen, 10 km deep in the sea.
Yet it was strongly felt at Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen).

Luckily the area is sparsely populated.

18 February 2008

manic monday

What do you order when you eat Chinese food?

It's never something expensive, as we have 7 or 8 mouths to feed, at least.
We'll get get-away. And most of the time it's nassi, bami, eggrol, springroll, sometimes Fried Chicken in Ginger Sauce.

How much have you controlled the course your life has taken?

Haha...
I don't think I'm in control. Life is.

I controlled the amount of children... well, Not completely. When I wished for one, as a last, I got two. LOL!
But I didn't control how the children would be.

Whose opinion do you value when deciding how to vote?

My own.
We have a simple system.
A multiparty system.
Each party writes a partyplan, inclcuding desicions they want to make on areas like education, healthcare, economics, etc etc.

So it's a matter of deciding what's important to me, where I find the most I want, and where I find the most powers to realise the plans.

So I vote for that party, and only when there's a favorite in that party I vote for that person.

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17 February 2008

unconscious mutterings

Passport :: passing the border

Small world :: people know each other

Radio :: music

Marine :: water

Wall :: Pink Floyd

Wanna be :: astronaut

Pigtails :: the girls

Hyphen :: I use it abundantly

9.99 :: Yea, do they really think we don't realise it should be 10?

Unrated :: unrated movie

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15 February 2008

friday's feast

Appetizer

Name one thing that is unique about you.

Well... hmmm.... I bet those one things are shared around the world with others.
I'm unique because of my children.
The way I deal with people who should try better for them is rather unique.
I'm kind, but very straightforward, and I always put the kid first.

Soup

Fill in the blank: My favorite _________ is __________ but I like _________ too.

My favorite instrument is the bagpipes, but I like other instruments too.

Salad

What type of wood do you have for your home’s furnishings?

Light wood

Main Course

Who do you talk to most often on the phone?

I have a cellphone and I use it only to be reached and to call when I need to make an appointment.

So the time of long talks is over. I don't have the time during the day and evening.

Dessert

What level of responsibility do you have in your job?

As a mom of 4 handicapped kids, I don't have a job, but all the responsibility in the world.

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