2006

A lot happened in 2006. In that year my JM/JM fandom was reaching its peak. I started on my new job. I met my ex. I finished studying and I nearly moved out of my mum's house. Not at all in that order though. Also Brokeback Mountain, the film, happened at the end of that year and I started smoking again after one year being sober.

I think I got a bit stuck there. I check in with myself on a regular basis, just to see how I'm doing, career wise and personally. I always have. Lately, I found my mind got somewhat stuck in 2006. This means that I still believe both JM's are only 28 years of age (incidental miscalculation), Brokeback Mountain has only just been released and the Oscar loss hasn't happened yet, which also means, Jake is still 24 years of age, as am I. Also "24" with Kiefer Sutherland is still on TV in its second season and Tristan Prettyman is 23 years old. It's been only yesterday Jason Mraz played Lestat's on a regular basis, or Schubas for that matter and Denise and I spent walking through Cheltenham one week in summer listening to Jason Mraz. Me various songs, Denise an Elton John cover; "Rocket Man".

None of that is true. Well, it was once. Thing is, looking back, I don't know where the years went. It's one thing celebrating your quarter life crisis, it's another getting stuck in it.

All those years before and after happened right up till now. I remember some of them well, others not so well. It took ages growing up, in my experience. Now time seems to slip away and yet, I'm not quite old yet. I just got started and I know when: Back in 2006.

This is all garbage and a distraction from moving on which I should really be doing. I am moving on, but nothing seems to matter as much as 2006. Nothing significant that affects my life is happening. It can't be that I'm already getting stuck in a rythm, or a job, or my life. Somehow my standard of living got stuck on survive.

Jewel also happened in 2006 to me, though she was around much longer before that.

All the friends from "Friends" are no longer 20-somethings and I'm not a teenager watching them, or a 20-something myself rewatching them. Not too long ago I realized they now all are 40-somethings and I'm no longer myself a 20-something.

Unlike some, I never dreaded the big 30. What I don't like is the fact that I'm now slowly, but surely moving towards the big 40. Definately an age where behaving like a child is frowned upon. I'm not quite sure I'm ready to be a grownup, even though I'm doing all the grownup things. To be honest, I'm not even sure what a grownup is. I'm now finding out that a lot of grownups are childish in some way or another.

It's funny how you can't wait to be grownup when you're a child and then when you are one, you want nothing more than being a child again. Or is that just me?

What About Naomi?

Source: Is she a man?

*camera pans in on silent boy*

Dramatic narrative: "the Boy is silent!" (What is he doing? ... You know who!)

*cue sting*

"...but....What about Naomi?"




Yeah, what about Naomi? Is she tall? Is she fat?

Is she steering the good ship Gyllenhaal to calmer waters? Is she trying really hard to hide her family from public in public? Is she babysitting her granddaughters? Is she climbing trees to retrieve balloons and shoes? Is she eating icecream in a bleedin' blizzard? Is she stabbing holes in an empty shoebox. For the answers for these and other questions....

I tell you what about Naomi: She's Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal's mummy. She's the driving force behind the image of the Gyllenhaals, these days sans Stephen, the dad.
Naomi does things too. She's a screenwriter and director, so she screenwrites and directs.

Does she have wavy hair?

 But what about Naomi? Is she nice? Is she manipulative? Or does she just care about her family?

Is she strict or just a perfectionist? Is she defensive or just loving? Is she scary or just not very good at social contacts? Or does she just not care how we think about her family? Who knows?

And what is her name? Is het Gyllenhaal? Is it Foner? Or is it back to Achs?

Is she on MySpace (No, she's not!?) or maybe on Facebook (Nope!) or Twitter (Nope!)? Is she computer illiterate or just too busy to post on forums like us simple plebs?

Does she still tell her children what to say in public or doesn't she need to anymore? Does she still eye Stephen fearing he might say something stupidly private?

Do you think she tries hard to be mysterious or is it just a talent? What about living up to all the fairytales? She seems to be trying so hard. Watch Maggie saying something and cue narrative (papparazzi obviously) aaaand cue sting: "What about Naomi?" Watch Jake cross a street and cue narrative (more paps) aaaaaaaand cue Sting: "What about Naomi!?" Watch some woman flirt with Stephen and cue narrative (of course the paps get this massively wrong) aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand cue STING: "WHAT about Naomi!?!?" Watch Jake getting upset and cue paps (narritive gets wildly exciting..see what I did there?) aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand CUE STING: "WHAT ABOUT NAOMI!?!?!??!?!?"

For the answers for these and other questions....refer to your regular paper, glossy, internet page or other celebrity roasting vehicle.

Does she always sit with her shoes on seats?

So please sing along:

What about Naomi? What about Naomi? We shall never know.

Inspiration: Wiki "Love of Chair"

My Dream About Civil Technology

A bridge I used to walk over often (St Servaasbridge Maastricht)

 Since the start of my career I’ve been receiving all kind of stories about succesful people. Often they tell about how they had a dream, how they said when they were young: “That’s what I want to do”. I never had that. From a very young age on I had no idea what I wanted except for absorbing more and more (useless/useful) information. Since about 6 months I now know I want to be more creative in my job and create things. I am creating things, so that’s good, but the creativity as such is not impressive. I work according to rules of architecture and along guidelines.

Spring started and the sun is shining so I got an inject of extra energy that makes me want to do more than I am now. I am fairly busy already, but I know I can take on more. I have my regular work; several smaller projects creating new information/data flows, and one self started research to what my company offers in e-learning. Fairly interesting, but not outside my comfort zone, nor new. In these cases I’m working from experience and my expertise which I built up during the last 7 years. (My dear god! Has it really been that long?)

I had it this morning, as a matter of fact about two paragraphs and five minutes ago. I was reading about how the Netherlands was really good at civil technology and especially water management. That was not news, I’ve known that since I was a young child. I remember being taken to see the “Waterstormkering”; Holland’s biggest works to hold the water out. At the time I didn’t understand the greatness nor the size of the work, so it was not an everlasting impression. I was, however, always fascinated by how water always seemed to be able to get everywhere.

A pile of foundation

Anyway, this morning I was reading about civil technology for watermanagement and certain Dutch companies’ successes commercially in that area. I was reading about how they went about an assigment. First they send a Dutch expert to give advice for about two to four weeks. Then the local companies execute the work.

I don’t know what attracted me most, the many trips to foreign countries or the scale of the projects. During reading that article I thought: “I want to work in that area”.

Problem is, I know nothing about civil technology. Nor am I sure where I could fit in. Surely they need IT, but that doesn’t sound all that exciting. They need marketing to keep attracting the big assignments, maybe I could do something there. I’m not sure they’re looking. I will not be beaten just yet (probably within half a day) and I decided to take an earlier article as a sign. The earlier article was about how to write an application letter. What stood out to me was the including of an example of experience. Obviously, I have none in civil technology.

Not that I’ve never been anywhere close to any civil technology; I spend my days in buildings, I walk over bridges and I’m grateful for the waterworks that keep out the sea. No, I’ve been even closer. My second internship was at a technology factory, Flexion. I was responsible to collect all wishes and demands from customers for Flexion’s website. To do that I tagged along with some representers/salesmen to big companies, their customers. One of these customers was Caterpillar. Walking through the factory was cool and interesting, but it was what they had outside for display that made an everlasting impression on me: a pile for foundation. It was about two stories high and the height was so great, I couldn’t wrap my arms around it. That was really cool.

Should I do something with this gut feeling? If yes, what should I do? Giving up my day job doesn’t sound like the smartest thing. I would also need more training in marketing and I have to build my knowledge of civil technology. I’m not sure I’m up for it.

Source: Intermediair: Wereldwijd Nederlandse Dijken

Waterworks