Unhealthy

MrBee and I watched the Michael Moore documentary Sicko yesterday. I have to tell you, I was just baffled.



I am sure Michael Moore uses all kinds of editing tricks and strong rhetorics, but still I was so amazed by what is going on in the States. I feel lucky here in the Netherlands.

I especially liked the things British politician Tony Benn said.



MrBee and I cried, laughed and talked during the movie. I'm just so happy I'm back and able to share these things together.

A very very very happy girl

Remember how I told you MrBee and I went to see Phoenix play before we got together and I was still with someone else?

Well Phoenix just released a new album, their 4th, which hasn't left my CD player since I got it (yes I still buy CDs).

You can imagine how bummed I was when I found out a couple of weeks ago that Phoenix was coming to play in Amsterdam but that the show had already been sold out.

But I put up an ad on marktplaats.nl, which is I think the Dutch version of Craigslist, saying that whoever could sell me two tickets to the Phoenix show was gonna make me a very very very happy girl.

And then on Wednesday night I got a call. Someone offered me his tickets for the normal price. I was so excited! He even sent me the tickets before the money was booked onto his account. I love it when people just trust each other... I love this guy. He made my week.

The show was at a relatively new club in Amsterdam in a building that is going to be torn down in a while. It looked really industrial. Very cool. They had all kinds of art projects going on and we actually saw the Phoenix guys hanging out there before the show. Had to contain myself not to go ask them for an autograph. Or a picture. Or a drumstick (I have a small collection of drum sticks from bands I've been to see. MrBee plays the drums...).

And the show was just awesome. Just awesome. MrBee and I were right in front of the stage and we danced and sang along and just enjoyed the music. MrBee later told me I was just beaming all night long. I probably was...

And our way back home we remembered how different everything was on our first Phoenix concert...

Back home!

I am back home and really really happy!

MrBee came to pick me up in Lyon and we had a really romantic last weekend there.

Driving back to Holland went really well. Fortunately it wasn´t too hot. I don´t have AC in my car and when I drove back from Geneva a week earlier I felt like I was before a reallyh arm blow dryer all the way. Not very comfortable. When we drove through Belgium we had a really really bad rain storm. Somehow it always rains when MrBee and I drive through Belgium... I wonder what that is....



I am enjoying spending time in our home, I´m getting used to being back. Somehow the idea that I don't have to leave again in a couple of days hasn't really sunk in yet....

Even though it has only been my second day back home, already I've noticed I should be careful not too waste too much time doing nothing, resorting again to the "cheap entertainment" I referred to in my very first blogpost. And although I feel like I deserved a bit of off time, I feel I need to make sure I get into some sort of ¨rythm¨ or routine.

In the next couple of weeks I don´t really have work or classes but I do have tons of stuff to do. I have reports to write before I can graduate. I need to start applying for jobs. We still have a lot of stuff to do around the house. I feel like structure in my days is essential for getting things crossed off my to-do-lists.

Tell me, do you have suggestions on how to make most of your days?


PS The artwork I won in a Blog Giveaway a couple of weeks ago has arrived! It´s tiny but really really pretty. I´ll post about it later when we decided where to put it.

Low

Hello my dears - I just wanted to let you know I'm gonna lay low for a couple of days since I have to wrap up my internship which ends this Friday and then MrBee is coming to Lyon so I'll be much too busy to write something that might actually be mildly interesting for you. Next week I'll be back full force though because by then I have returned to my natural habitat back home!!!! Can't wait! xo

End-of-the-week cheers

I just realized I completely forgot posting my weekly dose of positivity. (Which I really need right now because Windows Explorer just crashed on me leading me to lose a nearly-finished blogpost... Argument to buy a Mac?!)

Here we go. this week cheers go to:

* Family. My uncle and aunt are in Lyon for a couple of days on their way to the South of France. Spending time with them yesterday reminded me how amazing it is to have loving family and how strong family ties are. They won't "break up" with me and while that may cause panic attacks in some people, I find it very comforting.

* Contests and giveaways. I cannot believe my luck lately. After winning the art giveaway over at The English Muse last week, I won 1000 euros this week! I can't wait to see what next week brings....

* Cute couples videos. I saw this on A Cup of Jo. I've found it on a number of other blogs since then as well, but I couldn't resits posting. Guaranteed smiles. And can you believe the awesomeness of their wedding guests?!

This other cute video Amelie-style was posted over at rockstar diaries.

* Having a boyfriend who has been so incredibly supportive both times I went abroad for a long period but who also tells me now he would like me to stay in the Netherlands from now on.. (I'm sorry I have been gushing about MrBee so much lately. You must be quite curious about him by now.... I promise to limit my MrBee-gushing as soon as we are reunited. I'm just a little obsessed at the moment. Just bear with me for a week en plus!)

*Blip.fm. Which seems to be a worthy replacement of pandora - which doesn't work anymore in Europe and which I have been missing terribly - and last.fm - which I never really liked. If you are on blip.fm as well, come and find me and check out my DJing superstylin'. Username is MsBee!

* Writing my cheer posts. I've found writing these posts make me feel so lucky and happy! I can recommend it!

I hope you're all having a wonderful day as well! xo Bee

Ok. They're pretty cute too...

PS

Guess who Phoenix singer Thomas Mars' girlfriend is...

It's Sofia Coppola.

They have a daughter called Romy together.

image/daylife

Aren't they the cutest couple ever.

Almost as cute as MrBee and I....

Ready for the next 5

Just a little over five years ago...

I met Mr Bee in a record store.

We talked about music.

I bought many CDs.

He gave me discounts.

We went for a drink.

We talked and laughed and talked.

We kept on talking until we had been kicked out of three bars who closed before we were ready to say goodbye.

Small complication. I had a boyfriend.

We saw each other as much as we could.

I introduced him to my friends. We all danced together in one of my favorite clubs.

We laughed and talked.

I told him things not many people know.

We went to a concert together. The concert of Phoenix.

It was amazing.

I wanted him so bad.

It was electric.

Phoenix quickly became one of my favorite bands.



We stayed out until 7 in the morning. I didn't want to say goodbye.

We bought tickets to go see Air play.

I had to break up with my boyfriend. I was in love. With MrBee.

By the time that Air concert came around, MrBee held me. We had been together for a month.

(This is easily one of the sweetest videos of all time)

Today MrBee and I celebrate our 5 year anniversary.

Well we have to celebrate it separately, with me here in France and him being at home in the Netherlands.

I'm sure we'll make up for it when we see each other again (in 8 days!!!! wooooot!)

I can't wait for the next five years....

Honored

Lovely miss Kle from the great blog accidentally, kle has awarded me with my very first blog award. I feel so honored! Thanks so much Kle!

I just did a bit of a Google search on this award and found different requirements all over. But many Bloggers mention having to list a number of things that make them happy. And hey, I'm all for the lists.

7 Things that make me happy in no particular order:

1. Fresh flowers. They brighten up a room and make a perfect gift.
2. Dresses. I have many many dresses. You could say I have too many dresses. I love dresses. Wearing dresses makes me happy.
3. Dipping cookies (preferably homemade of course) in my tea.

4. Music. I'm a music freak. MrBee used to work in a record store, has a degree in audio engineering, likes to DJ and has about 4000 CDs. So I don't really have a choice... We go to concerts and festivals and we love browsing through CDs and vinyl at stores and fleamarkets together. Yes, I STILL BUY CDs.
5. Food & Wine & Friends. Hands down best combo in the world.
6. Doing the MC Hammer dance. I'm serious. If you ever feel down, put on the CD (OK, I confess I have the MC Hammer Greatest Hits CD but I swear it was the result of a bet and I only ever play the first two tracks!) and dance and you'll feel better instantly!

7. Board and card games. Yes I am a nerd. A highly competitive nerd that is.

Also, I would like to pass this award on to a couple of my favorite bloggers. I'm pretty sure they all must've had an award or two before, but I can't help it, they are my faves.

7 Blogs I love:

- Rachel at Heart of Light writes one of my favorite blogs. She's crafty, she shares great recipes AND she takes beautiful pictures.
- Melanie at You Are My Fave is funny, has six sisters and posts oh so many lovely things.
- Olivia at Everyday Musings has a very witty style and works in a cup cake bakery.

- Helen at The Museum Cupboard is original and sweet.
- Meg is amazing and writes an honest blog that I love. And I LOVE the picture of her mom in the header.

- My dear friend Megan at Saverqueen writes a blog on frugality. She's incredibly smart and her posts are always very insightful.

- Layers of Meaning is a lovely blog with great etsy finds, design ideas and the wonderful Through Her Eyes series.

So there you go. It doesn't really get any better so check 'em out!

Midweek cheers: girlfriends, cereal and France

Image from etsy/isofoto

I’ve decided to give out some weekly cheers. To help me realize all the goodness in my life blah blah blah……

but also because I simply enjoy making lists.

Any kind of list. Shopping lists, to-do-lists, you name it, I list it. I even make lists of food I like. And food I don’t like. Not for those kind people who host a dinner party and invite me. Or for MrBee when he goes grocery shopping. No, just for myself. For the fun of listing. And because I like to have that information in a list. Clear and ordely. Is that weird? Or neurotic? I guess I am a bit neurotic.

Anyway. This week’s cheers go to:

• The Secret Society of List Addicts blog. For reasons mentioned above.
• Girlfriends who come to visit me whenever I’m abroad. They bring me Dutch supplies, they shop and drink cocktails with me, they assure me nothing major has happened back home while I was gone and inform me of all the minor things that did happen, they talk and talk deep into the night and don’t mind when I fall asleep mid-sentence, they make inside-jokes, they forget their toothbrushes when they go home so I am reminded of them every morning and evening…. I love them! One of my best friends is actually arriving in 3 hours!! And she is bringing along Dutch apple syrup (or however that’s translated into English), her home inspiration scrapbook which we urgently need to discuss (she was a great help when I was decorating our place back home – she was pretty much the only person who would understand there is a very important difference between various shades of greyish-blue, now it’s her turn) and her own fabulous self. Yay!
• White label versions of overpriced brands. On sale. Which is the reason I’m now the proud owner of three boxes of cheap fake Kellog’s special K cereal. Great. I hate how overpriced the real ones are. (BTW Does anyone have a recipe for making your own cereal??)
• France! I miss home terribly but just the other day two men started singing “Ooooh Champs-Elysees… Oooooh Champs-Elysees….” when I walked by. That truly made my week.
• Mr Bee, who is being the sweetest boyfriend ever. He just sent me the most adorable email telling me how he misses me. I am a lucky girl.
  

Who or what get cheers from you this week?

Random thoughts

Just came back last night from a glorious weekend back home.

Mr Bee turned the big 30 and we celebrated both our birthdays together with friends and family. (I'm turning 25 next Friday, but since I am by myself here in Lyon that day I decided to pretend my birthday was last weekend.) It was really good to see everyone again. We had a great time and were spoilt with really cool gifts.

We have also seriously upgraded our balcony. Mr Bee and I only moved into our house last winter and the balcony (which is huge) was dirty and messy. But we spent some time cleaning it on Saturday and with a newly acquired picknick table, the barbeque we got as a gift and some lovely hortensias and potted herbs, we are ready for summer! I can't wait for food, friends and wine in the evening sun... Also, it feels really good to have finished a project like that together.

Mr Bee and I watched Juno on DVD yesterday. We both thought it was such a good movie, so cute. It reminded us of Little Miss Sunshine, which is one of my favourite movies. Favourite quote from Juno: "He is the cheese on my macaroni." Or : "Yeah and I mean Zeus had tons of lays but I'm pretty sure Juno was his only wife. And apparently she was supposed to be super beautiful but really mean, like Diana Ross." It was funny...

On the plane back home yesterday I read a Cosmo mag my friend gave me a little while ago. It made me laugh. Besides the standard "secret diet tips" and yet another answer to the question how we can make men like us, it featured an article on how to enjoy your life. I'm not kidding when I tell you one of the brilliant Cosmo tips to improve your life was to go to work with a serious hangover, because "it will allow you to look at your work from a differente perspective". Are you serious?!?

Cosmo also told me that I would be able to check my testosterone levels just by looking at my hands. According to this "fun trick" I am "very feminine and fertile" but I also have an "elevated risk of breast cancer", because my index finger is longer than my ring finger. Well, that's fun...(Cosmo says: If your ring finger is longer than your index finger, you have a lot of testosteron and if they are equally long, your testosterone level is normal.)

Unfortunately there was no reference or source quoted, but I checked a database for scientific medical journals and appearantly there is also a relationship between the ratio of these two fingers and oestrogen levels, male BMI, body shape and sperm count. How weird is that...