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Sep. 18th, 2003 09:56 amOfcourse, out of all the computers in this school, I have to get the one with the broken cd-rom. *smirk*
Stole this link from the Dutch Elfwood Mailing List: The Elf Name Generator : see if you've got the right name for your elf.
I'm such a dork.
Good, I'll log into a different computer in a sec. Since I'm skipping mentorhour [yet again] I might as well do useful stuff, like printing pages of my characters: the doc I made for Styx. Shadowrifts is approaching rapidly.
And now, for a piece of text I've been meaning to write since I arrived at Reggersoord last night. I love Granpa, part II
Johan picked me up after two hours of traintravel and some light stress because of trains being late and other trains I almost missed. My dear and only nephew (or is it cousin, I can never remember. He's the son of my father's brother. That's cousin, right?) and I drove to an restaurant of one of the infamous chain of fastfood providers and ate a quick menu there.
Then we drove to the 'verpleeghuis'; it's a house where old people are taken care of because they can't live at home anymore.
Reggersoord, as it is called, looks good. It's a nice, red-brick building with windows. We parked and stepped out of the car. Then we walked towards one of the entrances. Outside, in the warm evening air some people sat with their parents and grandparents, enjoying the air and the fact they were together. It really moved me that these people still visited their family. How many of these elderly are just stuffed into a home and never again visited? The fact that granny was outside in a wheelchair, and their son or daughter sat closeby on a bench, moved me. I remarked this also to Johan. "How wonderful to see that some people still visit their parents here. How many elderly are just forgotten?"
He agreed, and we took an elevator up to Tante Roefie (TR), my grandfathers sister. Technically, she's our great-aunt, but everybody, including her coiffeur calls her TR. Which is funny.
She had had surgery on her hip, which had becomen infected, and as the entire family spoke about her, she's quite the non-adapting type. Just lying in her bed and making the nurse's lives miserable. The buzz on the grapevine was that my grandfather and she are both that way. And boy, do I believe that. My family, especially from my father's side of the family, is far from easy-going.
I had taken a card from my bag as Johan and I stepped into the hall she lies in, eight beds, and she just at the door. She didn't recognize me, nor did she recognize Johan. "Wie's dit dan?" [Who's this then?] she asked Johan. "That's Annet." "Hi Tante Roefie" I greeted her. But her face remained blank, she didn't recognize me. She just said "Oh." and asked Johan who he was.
I haven't had a close bond with TR, don't get me wrong. She's not my favourite aunt by far, and I've hardly seen her more than twice a year, and then only because I was too polite to not stop by her house she lives in, next to my uncle and aunt's farm. Johan lives on that farm, has lived there for all of his life, and seen her a lot more. He's lived his whole life nextdoor from TR and she didn't recognize him.
TR referred to my grandfather and both his sons as "pappa", which was very confusing, but after she had read my card, she seemed a bit more clear. "Who's this card from?" she asked, after reading it. My name was clearly in it, and once she realized it was a card from me, she smiled her fake teeth bare.
Linda, my cousin (niece, whatever), stepped into the room and the grand operation "abduct TR" began. The nurse joined us and helped us unplug the bed. TR started to become more hesitant. "I'm not going. I'm not wearing my pyjama trousers. First I have to put on some trousers." She didn't have the strength to shout or protest loudly, and the rest of the hall said she just had to go, as did the nurse. After all, her brother was married for 55 years and that's not something you want to miss. But TR refused some more, and Linda bent over the bed. Linda works with troublesome people, a real calling, and handled TR better than any of us. "We're just going to take you along. We're kidnapping you." Linda smiled at TR.
Once we were at the elevator, TR said she wasn't going and said she would get out of bed. She just couldn't. Barely ten minutes later we drove her bed to another part of the building, where grandpa already sat, staring ahead of himself in his wheelchair like many of the other elderly. I recognized him, though his hair had grown whiter. He was still thesame fat bastard.
If you'll excuse my french.
Just that very minute, aunt Hennie and my grandmother arrived, followed closely by Aunt Femmie and Uncle Hans. I kissed grandma and gave her a box of chocolate truffels. Then we drove grandpa and TR into the serre and started settting coffee in front of people.
Gea, my eldest niece/cousin arrived later, the reverand of their church as well, and last were my father and stepmom. Big missing link was my brother. And my mother but since the divorce, meetings and parties like these are complicated.
It was fun to see my family again, for the second time in a week's time, but TR and grandpa were troubled. TR must have congratulated grandma 15 times, and she didn't want her picture taken while she was in the bed without any pants on. She kept on askin who everyone was, and I must say that it was quite a shock to see her so old and demented.
My father gave me a ride to Veenendaal. It wasn't a fun ride, seeing that he did the Meppel - Veenendaal route (via Arnhem) in 45 minutes or so. Cruise control at 158 kph exactly (40 kph above the speed limit), driving frantically, braking at the last instant. It was reliving my first trip to Höhrgrenzhausen again, only then he drove 200 kph on the German autobahn. I don't care that he's a good driver, I hate going so fast, especially because he often brakes at the last moment. As usual I was glad to make it out of that car alive.
I should refuse to drive with him, but at nights like these I don't have much of a choice.
Then, as I returned home, I found Reini and Ilona talking together. I joined them and discussed Sabine. Apparantly, last Saturday Ilona was called all kinds of names by Sabine's wonderful and very drunk friends. There are a ton of reasons the three of us want to kick her out, but most of them are based on assumptions and gossip.
We do have somebody who's interested in a room, and she's coming over next Thursday.
And Janneke (sister of Trudy) will help me out with the room trade. If Sabine leaves soon, I can move at my own leisure. Otherwise, Sabine has to go back into the small room.
Sabine has been quite practicing her skills to bend the truth to her leisure and comfort, I heard.
Then Reini killed one of those biiiiigg running spiders, and I smacked some mosquitoes and chatted with NoKey until 2 am.
And this morning I cycled all the way to school! Exercises are good. And fun.
Stole this link from the Dutch Elfwood Mailing List: The Elf Name Generator : see if you've got the right name for your elf.
I'm such a dork.
Good, I'll log into a different computer in a sec. Since I'm skipping mentorhour [yet again] I might as well do useful stuff, like printing pages of my characters: the doc I made for Styx. Shadowrifts is approaching rapidly.
And now, for a piece of text I've been meaning to write since I arrived at Reggersoord last night. I love Granpa, part II
Johan picked me up after two hours of traintravel and some light stress because of trains being late and other trains I almost missed. My dear and only nephew (or is it cousin, I can never remember. He's the son of my father's brother. That's cousin, right?) and I drove to an restaurant of one of the infamous chain of fastfood providers and ate a quick menu there.
Then we drove to the 'verpleeghuis'; it's a house where old people are taken care of because they can't live at home anymore.
Reggersoord, as it is called, looks good. It's a nice, red-brick building with windows. We parked and stepped out of the car. Then we walked towards one of the entrances. Outside, in the warm evening air some people sat with their parents and grandparents, enjoying the air and the fact they were together. It really moved me that these people still visited their family. How many of these elderly are just stuffed into a home and never again visited? The fact that granny was outside in a wheelchair, and their son or daughter sat closeby on a bench, moved me. I remarked this also to Johan. "How wonderful to see that some people still visit their parents here. How many elderly are just forgotten?"
He agreed, and we took an elevator up to Tante Roefie (TR), my grandfathers sister. Technically, she's our great-aunt, but everybody, including her coiffeur calls her TR. Which is funny.
She had had surgery on her hip, which had becomen infected, and as the entire family spoke about her, she's quite the non-adapting type. Just lying in her bed and making the nurse's lives miserable. The buzz on the grapevine was that my grandfather and she are both that way. And boy, do I believe that. My family, especially from my father's side of the family, is far from easy-going.
I had taken a card from my bag as Johan and I stepped into the hall she lies in, eight beds, and she just at the door. She didn't recognize me, nor did she recognize Johan. "Wie's dit dan?" [Who's this then?] she asked Johan. "That's Annet." "Hi Tante Roefie" I greeted her. But her face remained blank, she didn't recognize me. She just said "Oh." and asked Johan who he was.
I haven't had a close bond with TR, don't get me wrong. She's not my favourite aunt by far, and I've hardly seen her more than twice a year, and then only because I was too polite to not stop by her house she lives in, next to my uncle and aunt's farm. Johan lives on that farm, has lived there for all of his life, and seen her a lot more. He's lived his whole life nextdoor from TR and she didn't recognize him.
TR referred to my grandfather and both his sons as "pappa", which was very confusing, but after she had read my card, she seemed a bit more clear. "Who's this card from?" she asked, after reading it. My name was clearly in it, and once she realized it was a card from me, she smiled her fake teeth bare.
Linda, my cousin (niece, whatever), stepped into the room and the grand operation "abduct TR" began. The nurse joined us and helped us unplug the bed. TR started to become more hesitant. "I'm not going. I'm not wearing my pyjama trousers. First I have to put on some trousers." She didn't have the strength to shout or protest loudly, and the rest of the hall said she just had to go, as did the nurse. After all, her brother was married for 55 years and that's not something you want to miss. But TR refused some more, and Linda bent over the bed. Linda works with troublesome people, a real calling, and handled TR better than any of us. "We're just going to take you along. We're kidnapping you." Linda smiled at TR.
Once we were at the elevator, TR said she wasn't going and said she would get out of bed. She just couldn't. Barely ten minutes later we drove her bed to another part of the building, where grandpa already sat, staring ahead of himself in his wheelchair like many of the other elderly. I recognized him, though his hair had grown whiter. He was still thesame fat bastard.
If you'll excuse my french.
Just that very minute, aunt Hennie and my grandmother arrived, followed closely by Aunt Femmie and Uncle Hans. I kissed grandma and gave her a box of chocolate truffels. Then we drove grandpa and TR into the serre and started settting coffee in front of people.
Gea, my eldest niece/cousin arrived later, the reverand of their church as well, and last were my father and stepmom. Big missing link was my brother. And my mother but since the divorce, meetings and parties like these are complicated.
It was fun to see my family again, for the second time in a week's time, but TR and grandpa were troubled. TR must have congratulated grandma 15 times, and she didn't want her picture taken while she was in the bed without any pants on. She kept on askin who everyone was, and I must say that it was quite a shock to see her so old and demented.
My father gave me a ride to Veenendaal. It wasn't a fun ride, seeing that he did the Meppel - Veenendaal route (via Arnhem) in 45 minutes or so. Cruise control at 158 kph exactly (40 kph above the speed limit), driving frantically, braking at the last instant. It was reliving my first trip to Höhrgrenzhausen again, only then he drove 200 kph on the German autobahn. I don't care that he's a good driver, I hate going so fast, especially because he often brakes at the last moment. As usual I was glad to make it out of that car alive.
I should refuse to drive with him, but at nights like these I don't have much of a choice.
Then, as I returned home, I found Reini and Ilona talking together. I joined them and discussed Sabine. Apparantly, last Saturday Ilona was called all kinds of names by Sabine's wonderful and very drunk friends. There are a ton of reasons the three of us want to kick her out, but most of them are based on assumptions and gossip.
We do have somebody who's interested in a room, and she's coming over next Thursday.
And Janneke (sister of Trudy) will help me out with the room trade. If Sabine leaves soon, I can move at my own leisure. Otherwise, Sabine has to go back into the small room.
Sabine has been quite practicing her skills to bend the truth to her leisure and comfort, I heard.
Then Reini killed one of those biiiiigg running spiders, and I smacked some mosquitoes and chatted with NoKey until 2 am.
And this morning I cycled all the way to school! Exercises are good. And fun.
