Looking back on 2009

Given that 2009 hasn't been a very reflective year (as is evidenced by my lack of reflective - or any - blog updates) I thought I'd take a moment to look back on why, exactly, I haven't had that much to ponder on.

The answer is very simple: I was having too much fun.

I have compiled a list of things that have kept me busy this year and it's made me smile all the way through:

• Went to visit my bestest friend in England in Feb and spent a fabulous week over there
• Went to LA in April and had an wonderful time there
• Was home for a blink after that and then went to Liverpool for an amazing experience with the Liverpool Habitat for Humanity. I cannot stress how humbling and exciting that trip was.
• In June I went to visit my oldest friend in Canada and had a lovely time there with her and her family. Niagra Falls was a definite highlight.
• Then I went to Berlin as a chaperone on a school trip. I hadn't been there since before the wall came down. Another thought-provoking and amazing trip.
• My dear friend Suze came over for a short visit in the summer vacation and we hung out like we live around the corner from each other instead of across the channel. I love that.
  
• The summer vacation also had a lovely surprise in a ticket for a festival I wasn't planning to go to but had a great time at. Lots of good music and friends.
• Went to England with my sister and her daughter and seeing a panto through 5-year-old eyes is a magical thing. We spent the weekend at our parents' best friend's place and it was like being a kid again.
• A dear friend of mine became the singer of a fairly established Dutch band and I couldn't be prouder of him. Mostly because he is determined to stay "normal" (not that he was terribly normal before he won - haha)
• Some amazing concerts and shows: Schudden, Oasis, Company Unwanted, Propagandhi, Lowlands [Them Crooked Vultures, Paolo Nutini, Faith No More, The Prodigy], Intwine, Di-Rect, 30 Seconds to Mars, P!nk, Marilyn Manson, Eddie Izzard and The Rasmus.
• Spent loads of time with my wonderful family and saw my friends at several great parties.
• I rediscovered my job and love it all over again.

I am a very lucky person and yes, I am very aware of that.

The day after tomorrow (good name for a movie) is going to be the beginning of the second decade in the 21st century and I am excited. I have lots of plans and lots of things to look forward to. Two trips to England, my sister's 30th birthday, a 60th birthday, house hunting in Amsterdam, more time with my family and friends and more challenges at work. Every day is a new adventure and every choice brings a new opportunity. It's all good.

So, to whomever has bothered to read through all of this, I say the following - grab someone you love tomorrow night, grab them close. If you're lucky there will be more than one and if you're only just starting out it'll be someone new. Sing a song, steal a kiss, light a sparkler. Laugh, dance and be merry (but if you're too merry, don't drive, okay?). Michael Jackson said it best: This is it. What are you waiting for? Jump into the new year with an open mind, full heart and a dollop of hope.

All the best in 2010, may it bring you health, hope and happiness. -xxx- Jo

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edited to add:
I just found my New Year's Resolutions from last year, thought I'd let you know how I did.

Money Resolution: I will not spend money on things I don't need.
This worked out much better than I thought it would. I did buy some frivolous things but not nearly as much as I normally would have. Am quite proud of this one.

Work Resolution: I will find a teaching job closer to home.
This one didn't work at all. I went back to my old job, even! On the plus side, though, I have turned this one around and am now prepared to move closer to my job, really looking forward to it, actually.

Travel Resolution: I will not travel beyond my means but I mean to travel to all of my planned destinations.
This one went very well. Watched my pennies and made things work.

Health Resolution: My body is my temple, I should treat it as such. I will go to the gym twice a week and I will eat mostly balanced meals every day.
Yeah this didn't really work at all. I've gained weight again and have stopped going to the gym entirely with no intention of going back to it. I am trying to get more fruit and veg in me, with varying results.

Happiness Resolution: I will keep my best interests in mind at all times and make choices for me.
This one I am also very proud of. I really feel like I am my own person, living my life. It's a fantastic feeling.

Cherries on top Resolution: I will give literature an increased priority. My own and that of others. I will break out the writing pad and continue my story and attempt to read at least one book a month.
This one didn't work, either. I am reading books but not nearly as many as I had planned and mostly from outside sources instead of from my own unread collection. My own story has stagnated completely and I'm not sure I can pick it up again.

Baby Steps

Trying to get back to writing on a regular basis. What I'm not going to do is make my first blog after such a long break about something deep and meaningful or thought-provoking. I'm just going to write for the sake of writing.

I have two reasons for this: 1) I have kind of missed doing this and I want to see if I can pick it up and keep it up (that's kind of two reasons) and 2) one of the things my 3rd years have to do this year is start a blog here at blogger.com and write in it twice a week. Now, if I can't get this together, how can I expect them to?

So, what am I going to write about today? Table plug sockets and appliance plugs. I actually had to look up what a table plug socket was called because, before today, I always called them extension cords. Apparently that's just a cord that extends one appliance plug, not one that gives you many places to plug in appliances. Afin, this is what has been keeping me busy this afternoon.

I have finally, after living in this apartment for nearly five years, organized the wide variety of cables and plugs behind my entertainment system. And by entertainment system I mean my TV stand. I had been living in a highly unorganized state, augmented by the fact that the wall socket where I had plugged in my previous table plug socket had ceased to work a few days ago. In other words, it had made some slightly scary crackling noises and then everything getting power from that corner stopped working. The most disastrous part of that was that my modem was sucking power from that particular socket and it took me a full half hour to figure out that I wasn't getting any internet because there was no power coming out of that socket anymore. Twenty minutes of that time was spent freaking out, to be honest. All my friends live in the internet and I panic when it doesn't work as I think it should. (My laptop sucks power from a different socket, in case you were wondering why I didn't notice that my laptop wasn't working)

So, I had to find another power source and that is on the other side of the living room, where my phone and a light are plugged in. I actually connected three table plug sockets to each other, end to end, to span the distance to the other socket and keep all of my appliances going. All but the DVD player and VCR because I only had table plug sockets with four outlets. Hey, sometimes sacrifices have to be made. In any case, the internet (and TV and phone as the digi box was also in the doomed corner and my phone connection is through the modem, although I hadn't noticed they weren't working) was back. And I was happy.

My living room, however, didn't look quite as happy as there was a very long, very unattractive snake of extention cord/table plug socket combination stretching straight through it and over all the furniture in its way. Something that was barely noticeable if you had your head tucked down far enough behind the laptop. It was still there, though.

Yesterday I decided it was time to tidy that up and I bought a two pack of table plug sockets with six plug-ins. They aren't sold individually, it seems. I didn't get around to actually using them until today, though, as I happen to be very good at procrastinating. And the internet worked again, as I mentioned, so there was plenty to keep me un-busy in the meantime.

Busy I did get, however and furniture was moved and swears were uttered. Once I got to plugging in my appliances into the new table plug socket with six plug ins I couldn't help but notice that my five appliances and one light in that corner had created a very large mess of cords that were all braided together like .. well, a braid, actually. So I spent a large amount of time (and some more swears) untangling the whole lot so that there was some order in the chaos behind my TV stand. Which is when I noticed that, even when untangled, they still looked pretty messy all on top of each other like that and I decided to get some twisty ties and bunch together the superfluous cord. Then I figured, while I was at it, I may as well label the cords so that you could easily identify which appliance they were attached to. So I spent another fifteen minutes trying to find my Dymo Tag 2000 so that I could print out some labels.

When I was finished with all of that I attached all the cords to plugs and the plugs to sockets and hit the little red POWER button on my brand new table plug socket. Voilà! It all worked and I had a very tidy area behind my TV stand ... which you can't really see because the TV stand is kind of blocking it all.

Incidentally, while moving all the furniture I discovered that one of the cats had thrown up under a chair and while tidying up all of the extra cords and plugs afterwards I discovered that I already had a table plug socket with six plug ins in the bottom drawer of a cupboard. So now I have three table plug sockets with six plug ins where I thought I had none and I don't even need two of them ... namely the two I bought yesterday.

Bit of a fiasco but I do now have all of my appliances plugged in at the same time instead of having to play musical plugs every time I wanted to use either the DVD or the VCR (and I always wanted to use the appliance that wasn't plugged in, of course) and my internet still works.

Giant leaps, in the grander scheme of things. xx

Silence

I have no words. Words have left me. Even blogging about daily activities or the many travels I have embarked on in the last few months just isn't something I can do right now. Not that any of those travels were unsatisfactory, au contraire. I just don't have the words to describe them.

The spark has gone (for now).

I do think about this blog often, though. And wish I had something to add.

xx
Jo

Scraps

I haven't written a "real" blog in awhile but I thought I would update with some random bits and pieces just to give you a bit of a look into what I've been up to and what I have planned.


Weight Watchers
I've been back on the points for a month now because my clothes were starting to feel mighty restrictive and I liked them too much to replace the entire wardrobe. It's not always easy to stick to but the fact I can get my butt back in to a pair of trousers I barely fit into when I bought them (I figured I had two other pairs in different colours in that size so these should also fit) means a lot to me. They are even a bit baggy which is fabulous. I also have a pair of skinny jeans I bought in California that I couldn't even get past my butt about a month ago. Seriously, they would not go any further than just under my bum and getting them off my legs again nearly required scissors. I dared to try them on again today and, though still very tight, they not only pass my posterior, they also close! Yippee!!! Long live WW and achievable goals!

I am going to have a glass of wine that is no longer in my points tally for the day to celebrate. Hey, gotta live in the moment, right?

Travel
I am really looking forward to my trips to Liverpool and Canada. Julie and I have been gabbing on MSN a lot lately just chewing the fat and looking forward to doing it for real very, very soon. I think she may have planned a teensy bit too much for the eleven days I have but I can't blame her at all and I can't wait to see what she's got up her sleeve.

The HfH build in Liverpool is another exciting weekend coming up at the end of May. I sure hope I don't completely suck at house building. :S

Then there's the new idea to go to LA in the spring break which is one that I really hope gets realized. I actually miss the place a lot and I want to go to LA Ink for a new tattoo. Hahahaha. I have it designed and everything. Fingers crossed that that works out!

Work
Is going very well. If I can manage to get a permanent job there (again) I am seriously considering going back. Funny the circles you sometimes have to walk in to realize you're on the right path.

Even if it doesn't work out at Dream School, I have learned that I really do love teaching and it's what I am supposed to be doing.

Health
While I am loving going to the gym and beating up invisible people at BodyJam or reaching mini zen in BodyBalance, I have noticed recently that my hips don't like the action much and my legs aren't walking me as far as they used to. I hope it's just a weather thing or me having to get used to the movement again because if this is the beginning of some kind of deterioration I may have to have a wee panic.

I am sticking to my healthy eating plan way better now that I am on the points again and feeling the effects not only in the trouser department but also in the skin department. I had major break outs not that long ago and my chin looked horrible but it seems to be on the mend.

Other
* I still have my mini Christmas tree up in the living room
* I really need to clean my apartment
* The puss-cats are great and destroying everything with healthy gusto
* I turn 32 next month
* I am reading more
* I am sticking to my budget and saving monthly
* I am very happy

I hope you are, too.

The Pen Is Mighty

I have a system when I teach for kids who forget pens, books or anything else they need to be successful participants of the lesson. They have to trade something valuable of theirs for whatever they need to borrow from me. That way I know they'll remember to give me back my belongings at the end of the lesson.

Some students, who have remembered to bring their own pens, will still trade with me for one of mine because, according to them, mine are "better". I suppose they mean nicer but even that is a stretch. The kicker is that they have Bic pens and I have Bic pens. The difference is that their Bic pens are Dutch and my Bic pens were purchased in America. It's all Bic but the kids insist that mine write better and just are better.

What does that mean? They write better. I understand that some pens are easier to write with, glide over the page better but does improved penmanship influence the written word? Will a good pen make you a good writer? Will you pay more attention to what words you write if they look good when you write them?

Does having a pen that writes well make us write well?

Twitterpated

So, I've joined the ranks of the Twitter community. You can find me at http://twitter.com/TeachJoanne. I reserve the right to block you if I have no idea who you are or where I know you from.

I was skeptical about Twitter at first. What's the big attraction to seeing people's status updates? Sure, I enjoy them on Facebook but that's what I have Facebook for, right?

I can't see Stephen Fry's status updates on Facebook, though. Nor Neil Gaiman's. Or Barack Obama's, for that matter. He hasn't updated in awhile. Whoever mans his page was kind enough to add me to the list of people he follows. The idea that Barack Obama would see that I just burned my tongue on my soup is hilarious to me. Seeing Stephen Fry's holiday pictures as he uploads them is an amazing opportunity for voyeurism. I love it. It's like having the man himself in your living room. Neil Gaiman's often read like code but he occassionally reports on the progress of his latest story. I feel utterly privileged to be allowed to take a glimpse into his writing process.

Some people write horribly boring things, others write cryptic things. People moan, cheer and report. People post pictures and interesting links. Comic Relief updates on the progress of its climbers and fund raising endeavours. And yes, 30 Seconds to Mars are there, too, telling us how they're getting on in the studio. Well, sort of.

It's nice to know what people are up to. Some of the updates are simple little confirmations of life. Not big enough to blog or mail about but nice to know about someone.

Right now I have a view of a beautiful pink, blue and lavendar sunset. Think I'll go tweet about it. With a mobile phone pic. :)

Welcome and Goodbye

The sunset that greeted me and the sunset that sent me home. Symmetry. I'm all over it.

How good is a trip when it begins and ends like that?

Winter Walk

Bright red hair blond streak

Bad dye job

Walking towards me in the cold

Reading something on her phone

Then her face lights up with a huge smile

And she rolls her eyes

I grin she looks up

We grin at each other and light up

Technology

Bringing us together

Without a word

Unreasonable Doubt

Memories. They're funny things, really. No two people will remember the same event the same way. Everyone places the accent on a different thing and interprets each movement, glance and gesture in their own, personal, way.

I remember being bullied in school. At least, I think I remember being bullied. I remember being miserable, not feeling like I fit in and that getting out of bed in the morning was a task of monumental proportions because spending the day pretending everything was okay was such a draining task. Now that I teach teenagers, however, I have to wonder if how I felt was at all unusual.

I do know that I was a target for some peers. It's easy enough to make fun of the girl with good grades and cheap clothes. Easy to pick on the one that had a better rapport with adults than with peers. That odd girl who read books, did her homework and knew what was going on in class.

For awhile I thought it was my imagination that made me "remember" being picked on and made to feel like an alien. The zebra in a herd of wild horses. Similar but not the same.

There are a few things, however, that are true. The first being two separate teachers telling me the same thing; that the other students were afraid of me. The second being an old classmate telling me, years later, that he would have loved to date me back in the day if he hadn't been so afraid it would make him a social outcast too.

Of the two teachers, one was a guidance teacher and the other was my homeroom teacher. They both approached the subject in different ways. The guidance teacher bluntly told me I would be more popular if I didn't scare the other kids so much. Which, in my mind, lumped her with the bullies as I felt it was a cheap shot at my expense. From an adult, no less. A supposed helpful tip that was merely meant to embarrass me and further expose my faults to the world. The only thing missing was an audience. It was like when my main tormentor once told me, in front of the whole class, that boys would probably like me if I didn't have dandruff. Which was followed by a "What?! I was only trying to be nice." Yeah, of course she was. She had lots of nice tips like that.

My homeroom teacher called me into his classroom at the end of the year and had a hard time getting the words out. I felt sorry for him until I realized what he was trying to say. He started by praising my academic achievements and asking what I thought of my report card. I had no idea what he was after so I kept my answers short. Then he said that he'd noticed I didn't really connect with the other students. I didn't have an answer for him because, by that time, I was convinced my social charade was Oscar-worthy. He ventured on to say that he thought it might be because I understood more than the others and, because they didn't realize that, it made them afraid of me.

I remember I went home and cried. I hated my classmates but I didn't want it confirmed that they had similar, if not scarier, thoughts about me.

Looking back, I appreciate my homeroom teacher's words more than my guidance teacher's (how the hell she ever got that position I can't even guess). Had my homeroom teacher added that people fear things they don't understand, his attempt would have actually been useful as I would have understood I had the power position. As it is, I spent the rest of my time at that school feeling like an even bigger freak than I did before.

It wasn't until I realized that pretty much all teens feel like freaks that I began to wonder if, perhaps, my "bullies" may have also felt bullied. There is a study somewhere (which, of course I can't find now) that interviewed several hundred teens while still in high school and asked them how happy they were and if they felt accepted or bullied. The greater percentage answered positively and stated that they were happy and fit in just fine. Those same teens were interviewed in adulthood and asked exactly the same questions but then looking back at their high school experience. A larger percentage, looking back, felt they hadn't been accepted, weren't happy and were bullied in varying degrees. Memories, right?

I can't say what I would have answered back then. I do know that I didn't tell my mother about any of it until after we moved away and that she was completely surprised by my confession. See, my act was so convincing (save for those pesky teachers) that I'd had myself pretty much convinced I was doing okay. You have to or you go crazy, I think.

I know that it's never black and white and that my memories of that time will be different to the ones of those that made me feel miserable. Maybe they saw me as a bully. Maybe I hurt them, too. I was very word-clever and, looking back, I am fairly sure I made them feel stupid on more than one occassion. What we think other people think of us colours our interpretation of their words and gestures. For right and wrong. The fact that they had more friends to back them up doesn't mean they didn't have feelings, right? It just means that their feelings of alienation may have been less. Nowadays I don't doubt they felt just as lonely as I did.

High school stereotypes do exist. Mostly because teenagers don't know who they are yet or who they want to be and they try on a role for awhile. Some get pushed into their role. Not many realize you can be different combinations. When I moved I was no longer Brown-Nosing Geek Girl but New Girl. Even better, I was Really Interesting New Girl Everyone Wanted To Know. You can imagine what memories I have from that time. Which is lucky for me. I got to experience the other side.

With Facebook and the internet putting many high school classmates back in touch who, in my case, did not see each other evolve from what they were back then to who they are now, I have to wonder about their experiences. How did they see it all? What do they see now? And is my profile picture making them jealous enough?

*******

"Highschool is never over" -- The Jane Austen Book Club

Oasis at the HMH

On Wednesday the 21st of January I went to see Oasis at the Heineken Music Hall. I like that venue a lot, can't tell you why. Loads of people say there's not atmosphere, the sound is crap, etc. but I don't see it that way. I love seeing bands there.

Anyway, I met up with Miriam and her men at the Grolsch Music Something Or Other after work and we were soon joined by Sandra and Ellen. We went to get a bite to eat (Sandra and I went for KFC - love that place and it's become a pre-concert staple) and the rest went to McD's. Then we headed to the venue and headed in to watch the opening act (but not before Sandra accidentally bought €50 worth of food and drink chips - hilarious!). I don't remember much about the opening act except that I made fun of them a lot. Sorry about that, whatever you were called.

The Oasis show itself was interesting. I didn't really know what to expect but from all I'd heard about the Gallagher brothers I half expected a fist fight on stage. That didn't happen. Instead, Liam spent most of the time looking surly or arrogant and when he wasn't singing (Noel sings songs as well) he left the stage. I recognized about five songs which may have influenced my experience. All of the songs I didn't know sounded the same, as tends to be the case when you're waiting for the ones you know. I did thoroughly enjoy all of the songs Noel sang, though, even if I don't know their names at all. Wonderwall was a real crowd pleaser and Don't Look Back In Anger was lovely. Especially near the end when you could hear the whole crowd singing.

All in all, not a waste of time but I think if I was ever tempted to see them again I should probably invest in a CD or two first.

Our view from the balcony. My favourite place to sit back and enjoy.

They had four screens set up behind them that alternately showed the band members/brothers or random images.

Noel

Liam

Big Girly Weekend

It's been awhile since I updated on anything so I'll start by going back to the weekend before last.

Inu, Emma and Jenn came over to my place for a girly sleepover weekend. Inu and I started it off on Friday night. She had flown in from Finland that morning and came to Ede after she'd finished work. We got some groceries and then went to the gym for some BodyBalance. There is nothing like some yoga/t'ai chi to get completely wound down for the weekend. Then we went over to Jenn's house, hung out and watched Harry Potter 5. Well, Jenn and I watched it, Inu fell asleep.

Saturday Inu and I stayed in our pyjamas for as long as humanly possible and watched Steel Magnolias. Inu had never seen it before so we totally had to fix that. Then we got dressed and went to get the real provisions for that night. Jenn and Niels came over later on in the afternoon with a beautiful Bella and we chatted for awhile. Bella was the entertainment as she tried to catch the cats, ate chips and drank upside down from her sippy cup.

Then Niels and Bella went to my parents for dinner (Caitlin was already there) and Jenn, Inu and I chilled out until Emma arrived. The plan was to watch movies but we never got around to that. We hadn't been together, the four of us, in so long that we just talked the whole night. We ordered some yummy food, cracked open the bottles of wine and talked. It was great. We used to hang out all the time when Jenn and I first moved to Holland but then Inu moved back to Finland and, years later, Emma moved to Utrecht (after first trekking around Australia) so it's rare that the four of us are in the same space together anymore. It works in twos and threes but four at the same time was a treat. And it was old skool fun all over again. We even tried to get another "four in a row" picture but my webcam isn't really great for quality shots. For nostalgia's sake, I have included the ones we've gotten so far.

We took tons of pictures with my webcam and I ended up compiling them into a video. They're funnier when viewed one after the other in quick succession anyway.

On Sunday Jenn, Inu and I went to BodyCombat and gave it our all. Then Inu and I went back to my place to hang out for a bit before she had to leave again. All in all, a very succesful weekend. Let's hope we can do it again soon!

Revolutions

Well, 2009 is getting going and so should I, I suppose.

I was thinking about making some resolutions this year. Not as iron-clad deals but more like guidelines.

Money: I really want to make a serious attempt at saving a substantial amount of money this year. If I think about some of the things I have spent money on the last year it's ridiculous! And I don't mean the trips I went on I mean the clothes and shoes and bags. I love them all dearly but I really don't need 70+ pairs of shoes. I also don't need to buy every pretty thing in the store. I am such a magpie. "Oooh sparkly!! Must. Have." No, I mustn't, and this year I will try not to give in to every temptation.
Resolution: I will not spend money on things I don't need.

Work: I have decided that I do really like teaching and I fully intend to keep doing just that. Now I need to find a school I like that's not too far from home. I will probably have to accept that the school itself won't be as fabulous as the one I am at but being closer to home and still teaching will be reward enough for the short term, I believe.
Resolution: I will find a teaching job closer to home.

Travel: I already have loads of plans for this year. And I fully intend to get to all the places I have in mind. I want to visit Suze in February, I want to go to Liverpool in May and I want to visit Julie in Canada in June. There may even be a short trip to America in the works. Which is also why the saving part is so important. I can't keep draining my savings to go on jaunts. I must be adding money to the pot as well. So this was a tricky resolution to formulate. I really want to go to all these places but I don't want to suck my savings dry.
Resolution: I will not travel beyond my means but I mean to travel to all of my planned destinations. (As a friend of mine likes to say: I will either find a way or make one)

Health: Ugh. Not my strong point. I found it easy to go to the gym when I had nothing else to do but getting there after a long day at work and nearly (or sometimes completely) falling asleep in the train on the way home? Nah, not my thing. However, I still have my gym subscription and it's even gone up in price so I'd better either make it count or give it up. Also, I am not very good at the whole healthy eating thing. I still eat like a kid who's parents are on vacation. I don't need to lose weight but I do need to try to get in all four food groups a day. Tricky.
Resolution: My body is my temple, I should treat it as such. I will go to the gym twice a week and I will eat mostly balanced meals every day.

Happiness: Last year was a bit of an odd one. I still had all the happiness I had discovered in 2007 but there was also that whole work mess and not feeling very happy there. This year I would like to be all-round happy again and I think I am off to a good start. I love my job again and I am working on my terms. I love that I have discovered that what I really want to be doing is what I was doing all along. I love that there are possibilities and I look forward to going out and finding them. I have also discovered that it's okay to be selfish and think of yourself first. Quitting my job last year was the scariest but also the most rewarding thing I have done for myself. So how do I turn all that into a resolution for 2009?
Resolution: Taking care of me is not just eating the right food or going to the gym. I will keep my best interests in mind at all times and make choices for me.

Cherries on top: A while ago I started writing a story that had sort of materialized in my head. I didn't know where it was going so I got swept along. Quite quickly I figured out the plot and then stopped writing it down. I think I will try to get the whole thing down this year. Or, at the very least, make an attempt to. I have loads of beginnings, I need to bring one to its end. Also, I have lots of books in my apartment that I bought fully intending to read. But they are now in an ever growing pile and I have guilt issues over that. I must read more. Or, at the very least, read what I have!
Resolution: I will give literature an increased priority. My own and that of others. I will break out the writing pad and continue my story and attempt to read at least one book a month. (I do realize that, with the amount of books I have, I still won't have finished them all at the end of this year, so this might be a carry-over resolution for next year).

I am good. I am happy. I am healthy. But I am also getting older and I need to take better care of myself. The world may end in 2012 but if it doesn't, I'll need to have made some arrangements for the future.

Now, where are those washing machine delivery guys? They have 35 minutes left to show up.

xxx

Happy New Year!

This is a compilation of my short videos from after midnight. It's not Spielberg but it gives you and idea!

All the best in 2009!

Much love and happiness, Jo