Nimavenl - Nicole's Random Ramblings

I keep promising myself that I'll write more blog posts. Really, I do. Actually intend to write, and even think of stuff to write about. Thing is, when I'm not working, eating, sporting, playing Scrabble and Restaurant City on Facebook or spending time with friends and family, I'm asleep. Yes - really. Turns out working full-time again is really amazing, however it also means I suddenly have about 50ish hours less a week to just blah and think of crazy stuff to write about. I pretty much always want stuff I write to be profound and meaningful and all "I'm making a statement here"-ish, and when my writing is not like that it tends to be filled with really long sentences, and lots of "so yeah"s and expressions like that. The way this post is - if you know what I mean!  The words don't flow as easily as they used to. Might be 'coz I don't speak English on a daily basis anymore. Might be 'coz I think in Dutch when I'm at work...

Alfred J. Kwak Zag net een berichtje van een vriendin op Facebook. Vervang je eigen foto met een plaatje van een tekenfilm waar je vroeger gek op was. Dit om geweld tegen kinderen tegen te gaan. Okay, leuk idee. Goed idee ook. Nu nog een leuk plaatje uitzoeken. En even bedenken wat nou eigenlijk mijn favoriete jeugdserie was... De Smurfen, Ovide, Alfred J. Kwak, Boes Boes, Dommel, David de Kabouter of misschien toch Inspector Gadget... Na wat wikken en wegen besluit ik uiteindelijk toch voor Alfred Jodocus Kwak te gaan. Een mooi getekende wereld, een sympathieke eend en een verhaal met een positieve boodschap. En ja: Ook een jeugdserie met een fantastisch aanstekelijk liedje. Als ik deze dagen - en ik ben nu 27 - een vreselijk rothumeur heb, dan dans ik en zing ik luidkeels "Ik Ben Vandaag Zo Vrolijk." Het is me nog nooit gelukt het hele liedje te zingen zonder minstens een keer te glimlachen!

Been busy working, sleeping, eating and *trying* to maintain a social life as well lately... Interesting task, that! ;-) It's good to have a job again - doing "nothing" was nice for a while, but am mighty glad to be working again! Feels good to have a reason to get up in the morning and to feel like I'm making a difference. Love working at a big and busy company - have met lots of interesting people and am making new friends too. Have also learnt many new things, and must say that it's very satisfying to know I'm actually good at something I enjoy! As with any social situation where many different people spend time together; there were some people I got on with from the first minute and some that really annoyed me from Day One. Of the annoying ones, some that I thought I wouldn't like at all turned out to be really nice once I got to know them, and others turned our to be not nearly as annoying as they seemed... at least in smallish doses ;-) ...

I've been looking for a job for about a month now. Haven't replied to every ad or anything like that; I'm simply applying for jobs that look interesting and feel like they suit me and I'd suit them. Perhaps later on in the game I'll start applying for just about anything, but right now I'm still being picky. I may not have finished Uni, however I am University educated and have half a Bachelor degree - my thinking is at University level, I write good essays, my research skills are ace and I learn quickly. I'd like a job that involves using my brain. I've done cleaning jobs and supermarket jobs and I really enjoyed them, however now I'm looking for a different challenge. So today I applied for a job. I apply for one or two a week it seems - Yup I did say I'm picky. The funniest thing though was when the website had processed my application and it asked me if I'd like to Tweet about applying for a job. Now I may have a blog and a Twitt...

Jennifer Aniston is destructive to society? Oh come ON! Seriously?! Apparently she is, according to Fox News Commentator Bill O'Reilly. I've never heard of the guy, however reading this article about what he said on iVillage.com , I'm curious to see what else he comes up with! According to the article, Mr O'Reilly had a problem with remarks Aniston made while promoting her new comedy The Switch, in which she plays a single mother who gets pregnant through artificial insemination. What Jennifer said? Here goes... Earlier this week at an L.A. press conference, Aniston, 41, reportedly said, "Women are realizing it more and more, knowing that they don't have to settle with a man just to have that child....Times have changed....What is amazing is that we do have so many options these days, as opposed to our parents' days when you can't have children because you have waited too long." The Emmy-winning actress added, "The point of the movie ...

I'm annoyed at Blogger. Just slightly, mind you. I'd like to center the title of this blog. However, no matter what I try, the only way I can find to do so is to add the center tag to my blog title in the editor. Which means that my blog's title is "<" center ">" Random Ramblings "<" / center ">", which just doesn't quite do it for me. I can change the blog description field and center that text, however getting the title in the center... nope. Tried messing around with the html, however as I don't know enough about how *not* to screw everything up, I haven't found the solution yet. Will keep searching and hopefully figure out how to change the blog to my liking without screwing any other page elements up. In the meantime - if anyone knows exactly where to insert a title tag into the html without the tag showing up in the actual title, please help me out here!

I'm currently reading Linda Fairstein's latest book called Legal Legacy. She is one of my favourite authors, and I look forward to reading her books each and every time. For the author's website, check my links on the right. For a description of the book and the characters in it, go there too. In a nutshell, Ms Fairstein writes fiction based loosely on her own experiences as Assistant District Attorney for Manhattan's Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit in New York City. The main character of all her books, Alexandra Cooper, holds the same job. In this book, Alex investigates the death of a woman with connections to the New York Public Library, and the readers get taken inside the amazingly intricate world of the library system, book collectors and antique maps.

Vermaak me prima op deze regenachtige dag. Veel foto's genomen van de regen... Winterjas met capuchon aan zodat ik niet te nat wordt en een theedoek over mijn fototoestel zodat 'ie ook niet nat wordt... ;-) Regen / Rain | Nimavenl

Mijn missie vandaag met betrekking tot dit blog was om door oude blog entries te kijken en ze ietwat te saniteren als dat nodig was. Informatie weghalen die ik te persoonlijk vond, of juist een extra stukje schrijven bij een artikel van een paar maanden geleden zodat het - in mijn ogen - net iets beter klinkt. Ik had eigenlijk al lang in bed willen liggen, maar wilde deze taak afmaken, en kwam zo aan bij een entry die ik schreef op de avond van de verkiezingen. De verkiezingen die - let wel - op woensdag 09 Juni werden gehouden. Het is nu begin Augustus, we zijn bijna twee maanden verder en de heren in Den Haag zijn nog steeds aan het onderhandelen over wie het land de komende paar jaar zullen regeren. De VVD en PVV bleken de "grote winnaars" te zijn van de verkiezingen. Nederland wilde blijkbaar een rechtsere regering. De PvdA kreeg ook veel stemmen, terwijl het CDA van Balkenende veel stemmen moest inleveren (aan de VVD en PVV). We hebben naar een rechtse r...

"Most of US troops to leave Iraq by August 31st of this year" Saw this on the late news tonight and my first thought was  WOW, seriously?! It's about bloody time !!!  I didn't think it was a good idea when America 'invaded' Iraq in 2003, and while the US army's presence there has no doubt done a lot of good, I also wonder if the situation might not have been resolved better without intervention from the USA.

I'm a big sci-fi and fantasy nutter really - as long as a story involves aliens, magic, time travel, strange creatures, vampires, werewolves, dinosaurs, or really anything paranormal or supernatural - count me in. Think I've watched pretty much every episode of oh let me think... Star Trek (all series), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Tru Calling, Dollhouse, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Primeval, Charmed, The Vampire Diaries, Torchwood, Supernatural, Earth: Final Conflict, Babylon 5... I'm sure the list is longer than this, but hey, you get the message. I'm a Trekkie, Trekker, Star-Trek nutter, call it what you will. And I'm proud of it! Deep Space 9 is my favourite series, however I also enjoyed Enterprise a lot. And Voyager. And The Next Generation. And the DS9 relaunch books. And the books set after The Original Series. And... Well, you get the point. Supernatural is currently in it's 4th season on TV over here, and while I read episode des...

Having watched the final episode of the 3rd series of Primeval, I'm left with a gazillion questions.

Being a huge fan of just about every sci-fi TV show I've ever come across, I've now become addicted to British show Primeval as well. Read recently that they'll be making a 4th and 5th series, and am over the moon! Almost through watching the 3rd series... Two episodes to go. Am hoping I'll stumble across another awesome tv show soon to fill Primeval's shoes... Now just really, really, really want there to be more Torchwood episodes some time soonish !!! Watching Doctor Who is awesome too of course and am catching up on episodes I've missed and enjoying that, however I do miss Torchwood just a bit! Might just end up re-watching more old Enterprise episodes, which, even though it's American, is still pretty good. And yes - it's Star Trek which makes it "pretty darn awesome" really !!! OK - rant over - back to watching Primeval !

Just had to share this photo as I love the pic! Fly Away... | Nimavenl