New ride

May I introduce to you: "my" new toy: the Toyota Prius!



Well, not really. It's actually a company car, so I get to drive it and pretend that it's mine. But I can use it for personal use, so that means it's as good as mine. ;)

Ok, ok, I'll tell you more, you don't have to twist my arm...:P
It's a 2010 pearl white Toyota Prius, a hybrid with 136 BHP. Lot's of gadgets, navigation, bluetooth, cruise etc etc. The interior took some getting used to, as it looks quite futuristic compared to my old "conventional" car. I like it now, it's my private spaceship. The silent electrical mode only enhances the spaceship experience. :)



Now, why did I choose this car? I guess two reason we're most important: reasonably cheap, and reasonably environmentally friendly. As far as environmentally friendly can apply to a car.
Now the first can't really be debated. It is subsidized by the government for being a "green" car.
The second however can, as you can read here and here among others. Pro's and con's as you can see.

As it does have good fuel efficiency (I've done 1500km so far, averaging 4.9l/100km), the debatable factor is the construction process. parts area being constructed in various parts of the world, and the transport of course leads to more CO2 output. Another much heard downside is the battery production. When producing the battery, nickel, dysprosium and neodymium are used. And when the car is "dead", the batteries remain potential pollution source.

To be honest, I don't know what to believe and what not to. I haven't seen any scientific evidence to support or discard either theory as of yet. And since I have a scientific background ( if I remember correctly), I tend to put science above popular opinion.

I'd love to be able to drive my bike to work but the distance is a 100+ km. So I'll pass for now. Public transport is not an option either so I'm stuck with my Prius. Ow the horror. ;)

Ah well. I think I'll just give my new toy the benefit of the doubt for now. Getting cars more a little "greener" is a process, which takes development. Development takes time.

One step at a time, and in 10 years we'll all be cruising along using magnetic propulsion. Hardly producing any emissions at all. ;)

Renovation.

And there it is. Update was way overdue, I know!
Lot of stuff "behind the scenes" have been done by know. Everything is kinda comin' together. Except for the bathroom...we had a tiny setback there. Ah well, you win some you lose some. ;)
So, here's the list:
Central heating: out with the old:
Uh....hmz. Something went wrong here. Damn camera phones.
But anyway: and in with the new!

And the new fusebox. I put in 5 new groups, 9 in total now. The kitchen apparently needed 4 groups. How greedy.

We also made a new sewer connection for the bathroom and the washing machine. No pics there, nothing to see really. ;)
And then there's some stuff that's not behind the scenes. The new floor! Not all in yet, because the kitchen floor has to be renovated first (in progress as we speak), but to give you an idea:


And then there's another bedroom ready! This will be our bedroom. Ow....anyone remember how to put the clothing wardrobe back together? :S
Before and after again:

Cold turkey

I guess everyone has had this experience, in one way or another. You know how it is, you have something you use often. Or even more than often. You use it for just about everything.....all day long. When you wake up, the first thing you do it use it, right after you pour that first cup of coffee. Just before you go to bed, you use it. Not really because you want to, but it's a habit. You can do without it now and then, during holidays for example. But never too long.
Now I've been a user since 1996. Occasionally at first, but more and more frequent as the years progressed. I guess without really realizing it, I've become dependent on it. Addicted even perhaps, although I find that to be a strong word. Then again, acceptance is the first step they say. ;)
And then suddenly......someone takes it away from you. Without notice. Cold turkey. Brrr.....scary thought isn't it? Well, it happened to me. 2 weeks ago someone took it away from me. They promised to have it back to me in a day or 2, but alas. No go. I called and called, and they promised and promised. Broken promises as it turned out, every single one.
I almost got used to it. Not using. It kinda grows on you I guess. There are other things in life.
Then, this morning, it happened. It was returned to me! After my first cup of coffee, I got to use it! IT'S BACK! It is as it was before, nothing has changed. I had missed it, but it hadn't even noticed I was gone.

No matter. It's back. My name is Mark, and I'm an internet-holic.

Renovating - part III

So, it's time for part three I guess. I'm so tired I hope I can find the correct letters. If not, forgive me my mistakes. ;)

We planned to have some stuff ready. We do have some stuff ready, but not quite as much as we hopes. That just goes to show you, don't plan. When commencing such a project, things always take longer than you expect. Always. So you plan, and don't make your deadline. And it pisses you off. ;)
Screw the deadlines, no more! Ok, maybe 1.........we're moving most of our stuff tomorrow, haha. Now the place is nowhere near ready, but that's ok. Kitchen is almost ready, bathroom has a new floor, we have power in more than half of the house, and we have warm water. Ow, and a fridge with some cold beers, and juice for the pregnant ladies amongst us. What else could one ask for?! Enough typing (with surprisingly few mistakes I believe!), on with the pictures:

Putting in the new bathroom plumbing. Yea, that's me on the floor. Don't worry, I'm fine. I got up. ;)

New concrete floor!
And a little insight in how it will look....

Then the first room that is finished!


Ceiling is out, isolating before the new ceiling is put in.

Tadaaa: new ceiling, paint, wallpaper, and carpet. Bring on the furniture. :)

There are loads more pics, but for another post. Bedtime now. As I said: tomorrow is moving day. Not looking forward to it, but when it's all done, it will be worth it :) G'night!

Renovating - part II

After two weeks of hard work I do believe we're getting somewhere. We removed all the carpet and wallpaper, the walls we're plastered this week and the kitchen was delivered today. Race against the clock, because in order for the kitchen to be put in, all the plumbing, electrics, water and plastering had to be done first. But thanks to Jodie, my mom and my dad we got it done just in time.
I suppose it would be appropriate for me to go on rambling here, but as in so many cases the pics speak for themselves. Behold!








And some "all in" shots to finish it off :)

Friends from abroad!

This week 2 Swedes came to honor us with a visit! It's always great to get friends over for a visit, and this was no different. The first time I met ~J and D was during an Innebandy game in Uppsala last year, when we came over for our mutual friend Joris' dissertation. I got my ass kicked of course, but it was lot's of fun. So I'd only really seen them one day before this week.
Now getting your ass kicked in innebandy (I did score! Ok, one goal only.) is no reason to invite people over for a visit you might think. Congratulate them with their victory, and never see them again. Instead, we kept in frequent touch via Facebook, resulting in some hardcore and competitive online game playing. In one of these games, I forgot which, I lost a beer to ~J. There you go, a reason to come over and collect!
They stayed with us for about a week, and it really was great fun! Unfortunately we were quite busy working in the new house, so we didn't have as much time for day trips as we would have liked, but hey. They went their own way "discovering" our little country while we stripped the house.


Laptop nerds:


In the evenings we had a BBQ, some dinners, shopping trips to the local "ICA" in search of zoute drop and cheese, killed mosquitoes, enjoyed dead Paul, went to the cinema, exchanges movies, etc. Great fun guys, please come back any time!

Just goes to show you, online social media are not per definition as superficial as some cynics may want us to believe. Give it a try, and you might just get some good friends out of it. ;)

Let the renovating begin!

So we got the keys to the new house this week....exciting!
We've been looking for a new place for som time now. with some extra space, maybe a garden. And then we stumbled upon this house:

Extra space, a large garden and even a garage. Excellent! But there are a few things left to do. Ok....maybe a lot of things. a little list to give you an idea:
New floors everywhere. New ceilings everywhere. Remove kitchen wall. New kitchen. New electrical installation. New heating pipes. New drainage. You know, the usual.
So this week we got started! We hired a contractor to do the heavy work, out with the kitchen wall. We de-wallpapered (yes, that's a word) most of the walls.
I have a few more days of work ahead of me, and then: 4 weeks off! And I think we might need that time...:P Scheduled for this week: new electrical installation and drainage in the kitchen! I made a few pictures to give you an idea.

Now if some of you feel the sudden urge to come over and help out: don't hesitate! ;)

Before:

After:

Now there is one slight problem.....the weather. Contrary to what some of you think, i can't actually influence the weather. And it's hot. Just too damn hot! Temperatures between 30 and 35 degrees are no exeption anymore. This is what the car said yesterday:


34°? You've gotta be kidding me. I don't live in this "cold and rainy" country for fun. Get it through your head: lil' ol' me doesn't agree with heat very well.
Try renovation a house in those kind of temperatures. Not pretty. We have some more tropical (Tmax ≥ 30°) days coming up I'm afraid. But relief might come after Wednesday. Fingers crossed!