Published on 13 December, 2009
by gerrit
in Random Thoughts

Long Time No See

I‘m not sure if my blog has any subscribers left after I have neglected it for such a long time. But thank you if you stayed! Very soon I can reward your patience with a completed site-layout and more regular posts to follow at least once a week. Promised.

So what happened in the last few weeks and months? To be honest, mostly work and not much play. My day job as graphic designer has become very busy approaching the end of the year. Not only is it the biggest season for sales and advertising with Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas and New Year, but everybody is trying to tie up their loose ends before the new year. And this crashes down onto my desk like an avalanche.

In addition to my regular day job I have done some freelance graphic design work and also taken on some programming work again: some osCommerce customizations for one client, two custom Wordpress plugins for another. I hope this work will eventually lead to a full-time role as web-developer again.

Will 2010 become a new year as a web-developer? I really hope so, it’s been much too long to be out of touch with technology. :)

I haven’t posted any pictures yet, but I did carve a movie-themed pumpkin again last Halloween. This year it was based on Pan’s Labyrinth. I wasn’t able to carve more during the week. And I have to admit that I never got into the right Halloween mood this year. I think next year I should start thinking about pumpkins a bit earlier.

In the little spare time I found I started to knit! It’s the perfect way to relax and forget about the work and computers after a long day. Slowly but surely I managed to complete my first scarf. Next I will work on a hat, then a simple sweater, and eventually I would like to attempt an Icelandic sweater.

I also started playing with a NerdKit to learn about practical electronics, microcontrollers and how to program them. In the near future I plan to share more posts about this as well, including photos, diagrams, perhaps also a few videos and screencasts. I would like to add more technical and educational content during the next year. While it feels good to share some impressions and thoughts with the world, it’s even more rewarding if I’m able to help somebody with an article.

My bicycling and fitness journey has moved a bit into the background. I still ride my bike every day (rain or shine) for transportation and commute, but I didn’t have the right mindset for an extensive exercise regimen in addition to my daily rides. I did complete the 100 (consecutive) push-up challenge. I actually enjoyed and appreciated the little time required to do them. I plan to start another round of Power 90 again next week, first with a focus on weekends and my free days between Christmas and New Year, then continue daily again, probably in February.

In the beginning of next year I want to finish my workout area in the basement and add a power cage. Our ceiling is lower than the ones I have seen, so I will have to see how to set it up. But before this happens I also want to make sure no water can come through from our neighbor’s wall. It has been a problem when ever we had long and lasting rainfalls. As soon as this is resolved and I have a space for a power cage, I plan to start P90X in spring of next year. I’m curious about this program, and I’m sure it will be fun as I enjoyed Tony Horton in the other videos I have seen. It’s not only motivating, but more importantly, a very solid workout, less expensive and much less annoying than going to the overcrowded gym and having to fight for a free spot at one of the machines. I also plan to do some Spinervals again as they really did help me to get stronger on the bicycle. I will have to see how to schedule it with the other workouts. Oh man, how can anyone do all this after an 8-6 day and freelance in the evening? I will have to find a solution. :)

I also plan to learn a new language, but first I want to find out where I want to retire one day. Hahaha.. more about this later.

So this is a brief summary of what has moved my world for the last few months and what will come up on my blog very soon. If you are interested in PHP, Wordpress, osCommerce, Java, Javascript and some C/C++ development, Ubuntu Linux, hardware-/software, electronics, graphic design, music, film, photography, knitting, bicycling, and fitness, or just in a bit more about me personally… this space will hopefully not disappoint you. Stay tuned for more in the next few weeks! :)

Published on 14 July, 2009
by gerrit
in Movies

Celebrate Bastille Day with 10 French Movie Favorites

On the occasion of the French national holiday I thought I would dedicate today’s post to a few French movies I love. Classic or modern, funny, thrilling, dramatic, sad or serious… I find so much beauty, realism, openness, elegance, magic or ambiance in French movies that I often miss in other movies. It is not only the language I appreciate, but also the surroundings, photography, cinematic tradition, history, culture, everything that gives the French movie its unique signature. I find a lot of disappointment in Russian, German or other countries’ movies that, for example, completely adopt the American film-making school and lose their own identity. But this is a entirely different story :) The following are just a few of many French movies I love, in no particular order. I’m certain there are so many more I’m not even aware of yet. Enjoy! (more…)

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