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Chairs ❤

Tuesday, March 29, 2016 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

These first few days of my week off have gone rather fast. Did some more sorting of things around the house and such. Sunday it was Easter. So I had Easter brunch and later dinner at Nienke’s. Which was fun. And in between I wandered off to the parents to visit them.

Monday I spent watching movies (Boychoir (good!), Boyhood (quite good!) and Winter’s Tale (mediocre)) and baking a cheesecake with ‘lange vinger’ crust and topping.

Yesterday, Mom and I went to Ikea where I bought some of those ultra small Billy-like things to store my movies. We also ordered a table and chairs-set for Nienke. And of course we got small stuff, because it is impossible to go to Ikea and not buy small stuff.

The furniture will be delivered this Saturday, can’t wait to start building. *bounce*

And, this morning, my chairs came. I’m in love. I’ve been eyeing these Eames-replica chairs for quite some time now. And with having my own dining table, I have space for my own chairs. While the chairs aren’t very expensive, they were too expensive to get all six at once. So I was planning on buying them per two or three. However, when I was at the parents, last Sunday, Mom and I got to talking about the chairs. And she said they would give them to me o.0

I was flabbergasted, and very grateful. We immediately ordered them, so I could finally have a table people can sit at. They came in pieces this morning. The seat is one piece, but the legs I had to build myself. This was a pretty easy job to do, so they we’re up and running standing in no time.

 

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Family, Food, Friends, Home, IKEA, Mom, Movies, Nienke, Parents, Photos, Shopping

I Made Your Bed, Now Lie In It

Thursday, March 24, 2016 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

After finishing the cupboard I left it standing for two days to fully dry everywhere. I then enjoyed myself in packing it in. I’m also slowly starting to work on other bits in the house to get that as I want now that I have the space to myself. I pulled my old bed from the attic and put it together in the spare bedroom. I can now have guests sleep over! And, while I was painting anyway, I put a chalk board rectangle on the wall in the kitchen.

Tuesday after work I met up with Gert for a quick bite at Subway. Afterward we went to see The Revenant. I understand it has been getting rave reviews, but I really didn’t like it that much. The story in itself is okay. The movie, however, could easily have been done in half the time. It was too slow, with way too many scenes stuck in DiCaprio’s head. Really, after two times I know your dead wife makes you talk to trees. Get on with it.

It also has too many pretentious I’m-secretly-a-nature-documentary-moments with endless pans across the landscape looking at mountains and forests and sunsets. DiCaprio was good, but I wouldn’t have given him an Oscar for it.

Then, yesterday, it was farm time again as we all converged there for dinner and general merriment. Today is the first day of my week off work. I plan to relax, get stuff done around here, do some shopping for the house and in general have fun.

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: DIY, Eating Out, Friends, Gert, Home, Movies, Pathé, Photos, Review, Subway

Cupboard

Monday, March 21, 2016 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

Now that Nienke has moved, the need for a new kitchen cupboard has become rather more urgent. I’ve been scouring Marktplaats for a while now looking for a good match. But I’m pretty picky and hadn’t found anything yet. I wanted a white cupboard, with an open space in the middle, at least two drawers, a shelf with glass in the doors in the top part and tall enough that it sort of matches with the bookcases. Oh, and also affordable and requiring little work 😀

I saw some that matched most of what I wanted but weren’t quite it. I found a gorgeous cupboard that structurally was exactly what I wanted. Except it was of this brand that has the stupid, stupid habit of putting their brand name in flowy letters all over the piece. Why the fuck would I want furniture that says Riviera Maison in giant ass letters! I could sand it off, but then I’d have to repaint probably the whole thing. So, not worth it.

Other cupboards were too short, or had no drawers, or no glass doors at the top, and so on. Eventually, however, I stumbled across one that was perfect. Except it wasn’t white. But, based on the image, it seemed the wood was mostly unvarnished so it should be easy to paint. I mailed back and forth with the seller and he confirmed it wasn’t varnished. If the only thing I had to do was paint, I’m good. So we agreed I would come pick it up Friday Morning.

The night before I went out with Kim to eat at Subway and then see Allegiant. Which is not a very good movie. Taken separately as an independent scifi, it’s okay. As a part of the Divergent series, no. It has veered so far off track it looks nothing like the book. And what they replaced it with…

The next morning my Uncle, whom I ‘d chartered to drive and help, and I headed for the rent-a-trailer place in town. I’d reserved one the day before with a hood on it in case of rain. Once trailered-up, we headed to Friesland to pick up my cupboard. And it is glorious.

It splits up in two pieces and it isn’t very heavy so it was easy to transport and get it inside. I spent the rest of Friday and this weekend painting. So. Much. Painting.

I bought standard white paint for the exterior. I also snagged a jar of deep red base paint from the sale bin. I didn’t know what I would use it on, but I loved the colour. In the end, I decided to use that for the interior of the cupboard. Which turned out to be best decision ever 😀

 

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: DIY, Eating Out, Family, Friends, Home, Kim, Marktplaats, Movies, Pathé, Photos, Review, Shopping, Subway

Move the Gods of Egypt

Wednesday, March 16, 2016 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

The time has come, Nienke has moved. She got the key to her new house last Monday. Those first days she and her parents did cleaning and painting. And then the moving started. Last Friday and Saturday were designated for the big move. I got off work early on Friday so I could help. Then we spent the day, and Saturday, driving back and forth between my house and her house.

It feels funny that I can now really say this is my house. I like it 🙂

This afternoon, Gert and I went to the early showing of Gods of Egypt and had the room for ourselves 😀 The movie is ridiculous, but the visuals are fantastic, and everything is gloriously over the top. Shame that, once again, all the people of colour among the main characters (Egyptian Gods…) are played by white people. After we went to Toet for coffee and cake in the sunshine.

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Eating Out, Friends, Gert, Home, Movies, Nienke, Pathé, Photos, Review, Toet

Music and Movies

Wednesday, March 9, 2016 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

New month, new chances 😀 I’ve continued the demolition of the wretched laminate on the stairs under the trusty snoopervision of the catsIt is now free of laminate, but I still need to spend some time removing more of the cement-glue.

Then I saw on Facebook that Ronan Keating is coming to the Netherlands in August for a one-time concert in Utrecht. I was a big fan of Boyzone and Ronan in my teens and early twenties. I still like their, and his, music a lot. As such, I immediately texted Ingrid if she wanted to go with me. Which she did! I immediately ordered tickets and they showed up a few days later.

On Saturday I went to Leeuwarden for Anne’s birthday. It was great seeing her again. Sunday was designated relax and watch movies day. I have a lot of film channels in my tv-package and record a lot of them for watching when it suits me. It’s a good way to catch up on movies I missed in the cinema. Recently I recorded The Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game, both of which I missed in the cinema, so I picked them for watching.

The Imitation Game is a good film. I am a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch and he is really good here. There were some liberties taken with historical accuracy, but on the whole I like how it shines a light on the work Turing and his colleagues did. And how it showed the struggles of queer people then.

The Theory of Everything was also a good film. I am to repeat myself in that I am also a fan of Eddie Redmayne and he is great here. The liberties with regard to historical accuracy are greater in this film. The movie is, however, a well-constructed story that just focuses a bit too much on a good love story than on who Hawking was back then and what he did and accomplished.

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Anne, Friends, Home, Movies, Music, Photos, Review

Van Gogh: Almond Blossom

Monday, February 29, 2016 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

From this weekend’s trip to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. You’re not allowed to take pictures, but I snuck a few in with my phone anyway. One of those shots was this one of the painting Almond Blossom. It’s my favourite painting of his, even more so than classics like Starry Night. Too bad the museum chose to cover many paintings with a glass plate. It makes for ugly reflections.

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Art, Museum, Painting, Photos, Van Gogh Museum

Van Gogh, Books and a Pink Waffle

Sunday, February 28, 2016 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

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After buying another cheap day ticket for the train last month, I suggested to Gert we should go to Amsterdam again. He immediately mentioned he’d never been to the Van Gogh museum. And just like that, we had plans. And yesterday was the day to execute said plans.

We left Grunn early so we would be in Amsterdam somewhat early as well. We arrived at the central station around 10:30 and, priorities, went to Starbucks for a drink. We then got on a tram to the museum square where the Van Gogh Museum is.

When we got out, the sun was shining, the weather was nice (albeit cold) and across the field we could see the museum. As we crossed we saw a lot of people outside the museum. When we got close enough, we saw it was the queue.

20160227_113222And not just a queue to get in the museum, no, the queue to get a ticket. Every minute or so, yellow-jacketed hosts would let another handful of people through to the queue at the door where they could go in to buy their tickets.

We had talked about pre-ordering tickets online but forgot to do so. But it gave us an idea. We checked with a host, and indeed, it would work. So, on Gert’s phone we ordered tickets online. He immediately got them in his mailbox and we could skip the queue and go straight to the entrance 😀

20160227_122441Disappointingly it was not allowed to take pictures in the museum. Not even just flash-less pics, no, not at all. This did not stop us from sneaking in a few phone pictures anyway.

The building has several floors that thematically lead you through Van Gogh’s life. Starting with an Eye to Eye section with nothing but self portraits to his final works before committing suicide. There were sections for his early work after he had decided he wanted to be an artist, leading up to the Potato Eaters, his moving to France where he got in contact with impressionism and such making his work lighter and brighter. Also his Japanese inspired works, his period in the institution, and the brief period after he got out and before he killed himself.

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Our second plan for the day was to hit the book shops. When in Amsterdam we also tend to go to the American Book Center. This time around we decided to add The Book Exchange to the mix. This is a large second-hand bookstore with nothing but English works. Since this shop would close earlier, it became our first stop after we finished in the museum. We got on the tram again, but accidentally picked the one going the wrong way. So we got off again two stops further. Reassessing our priorities, we hit another Starbucks for a drink, and for Gert to charge his phone.

20160228_103309After a well deserved break, we got back on the tram, the right one this time, and headed for the city center. From there it was just a few minutes to get to The Book Exchange. We dove straight into the basement where they keep the scifi and fantasy books. I picked out some Star Trek books and then went around the room alphabetically. I found several books that had been on my list, or are sequels to works I have. I found Elizabeth Bear’s first books (the Jenny Casey trilogy) that I’ve been wanting. I found the follow-up to C.F. Bentley’s Harmony and also the sequels to Robert Sawyer’s Hominids. I’ve been looking for these last two for ages! They also had a fun Stargate book, and two Kim Harrison books that I still needed. And, in a surprise, twist, part four in that trilogy I got at the local thrift store on Wednesday…

20160227_163709A quiet hour later, we both had our arms full of books and decided to call it quits for now. With packed bags we stood outside and quickly agreed to skip the American Book Center for today. We walked back towards the city center. Gert bought himself a pink waffle with sprinkles. (I tasted, it’s ridiculously sweet)
In the morning we had sort of decided to eat Asian for dinner. But after what we spent on books, we decided on cheap food. KFC was our first choice but it was insanely crowded so we skedaddled. McDonalds was close by so we tried that. The first one we found was out of Maestro Burgers so we picked another one just a few hundred yards further. This one did have the Maestro’s, which are glorious.

After eating, we headed back to the station to go home. It was a good day 🙂

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: American Book Center, Amsterdam, Art, Books, Eating Out, Food, Friends, Gert, McDonalds, Museum, Painting, Photos, Shopping, Starbucks, The Book Exchange, Van Gogh Museum

Table

Thursday, February 25, 2016 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

I have acquired a dining table 🙂

With Nienke going away soon, I need some new pieces of furniture. Well, new to me anyway. Priority pieces are a cupboard for my plates and other kitchen stuff, and a dining table and chairs. So, I have been browsing Marktplaats quite frequently lately. A few days ago I stumbled across a beautiful table. Large, massive legs, real wood, in a nice pattern and a good dark colour. I bid on it and nothing much happened for a bit. Then I got outbid in a fairly serious way. I could outbid that person, but I felt she would continue and I might end up paying more than I wanted. So I mailed the seller directly, asking her to sell it to me for her asking price. And she agreed!

20160225_103247Eva had offered to help me get the table so after some contact with both Eva and the seller, Wednesday afternoon was agreed upon. Eva came shortly after I’d gotten home from work. We had a cuppa first and then drove a few towns over to get my baby. The table is one piece and the legs cannot be removed. We had no other options then but to put the table in the back of the van with the legs pointing up. We strapped the legs on one side to the car seats. Then we tied the van doors around the legs on the other side so they’d keep still while driving. The doors couldn’t close, so we drove home gently.

We got back without incident, and with a little help from my Uncle the table was inside in a flash. The cats, notably Monkey, approved. Now to get chairs for it, although that will be a while as the ones I want are not yet in the budget.

20160224_220525We then decided to check out the thrift store and turned the rest of the afternoon in a fun little shopping trip, taking Nienke with us. I almost bought a jacket, but didn’t like the fit enough. I did find a nice wooden decorative box and a reed basket. And books. Because I cannot leave there without books. It’s usually children’s books as they don’t generally have a lot of English works.

Nienke pointed out a Dutch translation Indiana Jones tie-in novel to me which I scooped up as I already have another one in this series. I also found a good, English, copy of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking glass and what seems like a fun youth book about a 19th century family emigrating to the USA.

Then I came across a rare find, at least for our local thrift store, a complete science fantasy trilogy in English. With them being only 30 cents a book, I got my grabby hands on them and did not let go 😀

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Books, Cats, Eva & Jarig, Friends, Furniture, Home, Marktplaats, Monkey, Nienke, Photos, Shopping, Thrift Store

Hippity

Tuesday, February 23, 2016 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

I’ve been having some pain in my left leg. I really noticed it earlier this month after coming back from Amsterdam. We’d been there with the whole team from work to kick off the year. At first I blamed it on the train and the chairs, and just-my-leg. But then I started thinking. And I realised my leg has been hurting more, and differently, than usual for weeks now. Even so that at work the chairs I’ve been sitting in for years are now uncomfortable to me. I even started sitting on a yoga ball and I really like it.

Last week I went to my doctor to discuss this. Based on how it feels and some Google, I figured the issue has something to do with my sciatic nerve. The pain is sharp and can radiate throughout my leg. The doctor did some basic tests and concluded there’s no nerve damage. He gave me anti-inflammatory painkillers for a week and told me to start moving normally again. This was a good point, as I’d been favoring the leg, and that doesn’t help, it only accentuates the bad positioning.

I also spoke with him about getting an x-ray done of my hip. The last time I had anyone look at it was in my late teens just before I decided I was done with hip-doctoring. The doctor agreed that it was smart to get a benchmark x-ray done. He didn’t think there’d be any real issues, but it’s nice to have a comparison picture for later. He got me a referral and I called for an appointment right after. Surprisingly, they had room for me to come in next Monday.

So, yesterday morning I went in for my photo-op. This was done at the same hospital I used to go to as a kid, but not the same hospital I now go to for my gender stuff. So I had to get a new info-card made. Despite handing over my ID, the system picked my old info out of the archives and spit out a card with my current ID picture and my old name 😀 The lady at the desk was quite apologetic about it, and manually fixed the info.

Then it was on to radiology. There, at the check-in desk, they had to remake my appointment in the system to match the new name. I was then sent on to the waiting room and shortly after it was my turn. The referral from my doctor asked for an x-ray and a description comparing it to my last. The radiologist kept me around for a bit to confirm my old data and to verify some things. It turned out that my old x-rays were no longer there, but the description were. So they took two shots, one of my hip in general to compare left to right, and a detail shot of left.

It was supposed to take about four or five days before the files would be back at my doctor. I had planned to call next Monday, but this afternoon the doctor called me. He had already gotten the x-ray and description. As he had expected, there was no cause for concern. There was some degradation, but that is to be expected with the way my hip is wonky. No action is required at this point. Maybe take another picture in another couple years.

The pain is getting better with the pills. It hurts much less now, and when it does, it’s less sharp. I’ve also been paying attention to how I walk and sit to keep doing this normally. I think it’s helping. We’ll see how it goes after the week of pills is over.

Posted in: General Tagged: Health, Me

💀💩L and Caesar

Saturday, February 20, 2016 by Tse Moana Leave a Comment

20160217_132530Wednesday Gert and I went to see Deadpool. We had some time before so we first had lunch at Wadapartja. A few years ago it would never have worked, but now it does. It’s a very vintage-retro-hipster place. Furnished with old formica tables and chair, mis-matched lights. A lot of wood and brick and signs everywhere that if you see something you like, you can buy it. They have a lunch and dinner menu and fall in the mid-range when it comes to price. I went for a brown seeded bun with slices of pear, blue cheese, walnuts, honey and arugula. It was very tasty, but it could’ve been a wee bit larger for the price.

Then came the movie, and it is fantastic. I don’t want to spoil it, but I enjoyed the movie so much, I want to see it again. The movie regularly breaks the fourth wall. It occasionally uses bullet time during which Deadpool converses with the audience. He also references other superhero movies, points out stereotypical bits, names actors by name and so on. The story is thin, but as an origin story it gives insight in who Deadpool is and what makes him tick. Also, Ryan Reynolds is awesome.

I also wanted to see Hail, Caesar. Except it only plays on ridiculous times either in the middle of the day, or late at night. Saturday would then be the best option so I decided to go. Gert said he might come. The next day I got texting with Ingrid and she suggested she return the moving boxes on Saturday. Catching two birds with one stone, I proposed she come here in the early afternoon with the boxes, and then go to the movies with me.

And thus Ingrid showed up today, with tasty bread for lunch. I was still in the middle of doing the litter boxes when she got here but after finishing that, we had lunch. Gert texted that he would like to join for the movie also. Ingrid and I then played some Fluxx and some Scrabble before driving to the city. We met up with Gert at the cinema and got our tickets.

Hail, Caesar is a weird movie, but a fun one. It is set in the fifties, the time of big movie studios pumping out film after film with stars they had under contract. The movie takes the pacing of films from that age and has about three or so major plot lines. They all interconnect and all have a similar level of importance. Because of that, combined with the calmer pace and the low level of action a lot of the events are unexpected. There’s also the occasional laugh-out-loud fun in small moments and dance routines mostly.

After, we went to Subway for dinner before splitting up. Gert to find his bike, and Ingrid and I to catch the bus.

Posted in: General, Photos Tagged: Board Games, Eating Out, Food, Friends, Gert, Ingrid, Movies, Photos, Review, Subway, Wadapartja
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