Meeting Of Minds

It’s been a bit quiet on here lately: I haven’t written anything since last Thursday when I found out about the recent infestation of Dutch caterpillars in London… I haven’t written much since then because I’m a bit busy getting ready for my visit to the Lowlands. There’s stuff that I need to buy or collect, there’s clothes to be washed, a suitcase waiting to be packed, DVDs to be burnt, lists to be made and thoughts to be considered…

Here’s where I left off:

Friday June 15: Received an email from Kris, I met him a few weeks ago, who invited me for a drink some day next week. Been on the phone with my aunt for about two hours and probably racked up the phone bill big time… Have been chatting with MvdM. for a while. Worked on my dress and sent out some emails that I forgot to reply to.

Saturday June 16: I’ve been to Lakeside and found myself some cool shoes for the wedding, exactly the right color and only for £6,- so I won’t feel guilty for chucking them out, after the wedding. I bought a gift for DvD. as well; an English football shirt, he will love it. In the evening I went over to MvdM., had dinner with him and W. and got totally pissed drinking a box of wine… *yes I’m bad!* I think me and MvdM. had just over a litre each [there’s 3 litres in a box]. I also got my first Dior item, a really beautiful top… It was a gift from W., he works for Dior, sweet isn’t it?!! I took a cab home at 03.30 in the morning; had a wonderful time.

Sunday June 17: Was a day of rest and hangovers, although it wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be, it was fine actually… Does that mean I’m getting adjusted to English customs???? Would that be a good thing or a bad thing?

Monday June 18: Called KB. and agreed to meet up on Tuesday. I’ve finally finished the dress which is a bit of a relief to be honest, didn’t think I would ever finish it… It’s ironed and waiting to be packed. Started another one, I took an old dress apart since it was already slowly starting to deteriorate. Turned it into patterns using newspapers [I couldn’t find tissue paper anywhere], placed it on the fabric and went to bed because it was almost 02.00 in the morning.

Tuesday June 19: Went into town to meet up with Kris at lunchtime, had a coffee at the Lounge bar [High Holborn] and lunch around the corner at Pret a Manger. Picked each other’s brain for quite a while: about an hour and a half. Had fun talking shop! I lend him my Actionscripting book. Back home at 16.00, cut the fabric and started to sew things together. Updated my CV and looked for typos, there were a few still so it’s good to put it aside for a while and have another look at it later [as I did].

Wednesday June 20: CH. called me in the morning to make sure about my flight number. They’ll be picking me up from the airport which is cool, it saves me a journey on the train to the other end of town. I’ll have to go to the storage unit to collect my bicycle and see if it’s still fine, might have flat tyres… We’ve been on the phone for nearly an hour. Again send off some emails I forgot about, I seem to be a bit scatterbrained lately. Received a phone call from my best friend IvS. who was a bit bored and wanted to talk to a friend. She was in Edinburgh on her own, children and husband at home [which is about two hours further down the road], and she had a very bad day so needed to vent. We ended up as usual, wetting our pants with laughter.

Thursday June 21: Burnt some DVDs with a variety of content for a variety of people, some I met recently, others I’ve known for years. Just a tiny contribution to spreading the vibe and hype. I will meet up with Amit after my visit to the Lowlands and receive the last bit of content that I still need… So a little bit of give and take, although I end up offering A. lunch and a drink instead… because I have nothing of his liking I believe, well I asked him but he never responded… Finished my CV; I changed some sentences and sent it off to a few people for proof reading. Worked on the dress for a bit.

So today is Friday: and I still have a large to-do-list [eg sending off snail mail, collecting stuff at the pharmacy, reply to emails, leave some comments on some blogs, pack my case, sort out the laundry etc. etc.] so if you will excuse me, I would like to have it all finished by the end of the day, so I’ll have a relaxed day tomorrow!

Oh and I also need to think and decide about taking my Powerbook or not thanks to Stu who sent me an email [that I still have to reply to] asking me:

“How will you survive with out your Power Book? I thought you eat, drink and sleep CPU (in your own words). You’re not going to go cold turkey during your trip are you?”

Yes I told him, I eat, drink and sleep CPU, which made me realise that I actually AM going cold turkey… the instant effect of that was that I have doubts now whether I should take it along or not and whether I should thank Stu for making me have doubts again, or…

I’m off to the pharmacy…

Later alligator!

Great! …

I thought I’d left them behind when I left the country, but I guess I was mistaken… These creatures used to show up at the Vondelpark in Amsterdam each summer. It was just plain gross! And guess what…
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A potentially deadly caterpillar – whose bristles can trigger asthma and allergic reactions – has arrived in Britain from the Continent. Nests of oak processionary caterpillars have been spotted in dozens of trees in London over the last few weeks.
The discoveries have prompted fears that the species – normally found in the Mediterranean – has settled in the UK for good. They are covered in 63,000 poisonous hairs which can trigger allergic reactions and conjunctivitis if they are touched. Even if they are not handled, the bristles can break off and be carried in the air. If inhaled, they can trigger asthma. In extreme cases, they can even trigger anaphylactic shock.
Although spraying kills them, the caterpillars release thousands of hairs as they fall to the ground. The presence of these hairs – and the fact that the toxin in them can survive for up to a year – means the risks remain even after the caterpillars are destroyed. Last year, officials at Kew Gardens in West London were forced to use hairspray to stick the nests together before burning them with blowtorches.
The creatures first appeared in Britain last summer after they were brought into the country on trees imported from the Netherlands.
Watch a gross BBC movie here

Small but potentially deadly:
The hairs of Oak processionary caterpillars can trigger allergic reactions

© Daily Mail
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