nice cream

amazing... vogelkop bowerbird

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:09:00 +0000

the great interview project: interviewing the lovely deidre

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:01:00 +0000

I had the great pleasure of interviewing the fabulous Deidre from Decoy Betty. Here are her marvelous answers:

Ingrid: When you were little, what did you dream of doing? (This can be a job, a fictitious dream world or anything else ;))

I thought I was going to be a vet. It went beyond dreams and beyond childhood aspirations (the childhood dream was to be like a disney heroine who could talk to all the animals in a lush green clearing and sing and dance with them). I was going to save animals lives and reunite them with owners. It was only during my senior year of high school when I did an internship with some vets that I realised I could never do it. I could never put an animal to sleep, nor was I too fond of biology.

Ingrid: Did you play make believe? If so, what?

I think I still play make believe. As a wee thing I did play a lot of pretend of getting lost in the woods and having to find my way home encountering supernatural creatures or building fairy houses out of rotting tree stomps or I played a lot of horse games and with dolls (not barbies...wasn't allowed to have a barbie). Now, I day dream all the time. Really intense daydreams sometimes they verge on hallucination - Ally McBeal style.

Ingrid: What is your favorite food?

Wow, hm. That is so hard to say. When I was little it used to be spanokopita. My mom used to make it for me for every single birthday. And then I got kind of sick of it or maybe sick from it is a more accurate term (stupid gluten). Now, it's probably a sesame noodle dish that I hardly ever make for myself (because I am too lazy to buy all the ingredients), but I always request my mumsy to make it when I go home. It's full of fresh veggies and sesame oils, and sesame seeds...yummers.

Ingrid: How would you describe your laugh? What makes you laugh?

I have a feeling what my laugh actually sounds like and what I think it sounds like are two very different things. But it starts out kind of audible and then if I really get going turns into a silent full body-dry-heave-like shaking that generally results in huge inhalations and me crumbling on to the floor.

Things that are silly generally make me laugh. The retelling of stories. Mispronouncing or misusing words (particularly when I do it). Tickling...I laugh every time my brother laughs and when his son laughs I can't help but laugh back. Look, I am a laugh slut, I'll give it up for anything.

Ingrid: Name five things you are really proud of.

5. I am impressed with how easily I've fallen into my new relationship with Inspector Climate. I am not usually so open and honest about my feelings for boys (to the boys...I'll tell anyone else...AWKWARD) (Inspector Climate when he reads this will be all "this is open and honest about your feelings...pshaw!").

4. I am immensely proud of the relationships that I've maintained since being overseas for so long. Long-distance is hard, yo. It doesn't matter if it is your best friend or your brother.

3. I am proud that I haven't run away - things are only going to get tougher for me in Australia and with my family in the next few months. And I am not running home, but standing up for myself.

2. On a similar note, I am impressed that I haven't gotten overly downtrodden about the state of affairs of my visa and job (or lack there of). Well, so far.

1. I haven't taken the beaten path or even the easy path. I could've studied something I was good at in college. I studied physics. I could have stayed in the US, but I moved thousands of miles away. For someone who has as much fear and anxiety as I have, it's shocking how much I can man up when I need to.

Ingrid: What made you happy this week?

It just happened, like right now! I did an arm balance in yoga today! You know what that means? I actually have some core strength! No one saw this coming! Rejoice!

Ingrid: Which is your favorite blog post on your own blog? Why?

Probably either this one or this one.

The former because it did provide some real closure on my relationship and allowed me to move on nearly immediately. But it also made me feel like I had a community of people who would go and egg his house with me if the need came up. And it's important to have friends who will do that for you, you know?

The latter because it still makes me laugh. And that's important. If you can't make you laugh...who can?

Ingrid: What keeps you blogging?

Wow - I have no idea. I've always written a journal (still do), and I think it really keeps me sane. I process everything through writing, and it's so nice to have a space to bounce ideas around in or be silly or sad. It doesn't matter if I am wallowing in the darkness, which most times I feel like I have to hide from "real" people, but can just let it lie here.

great interview experiment: gaze at my navel 2 (the sequel)

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:23:00 +0000

A couple of years ago, I came across a great online community project Neil's blog: Citizen of the Month. The premise is that "everyone is somebody", and that we all should be interviewed since we all have a story to tell. Here are my answers from February, 2008.

How it works: Neil uses the commenting on his blog to assign interviewers and interviewees, so that eventually all of those who comment on his post get the opportunity to be interviewed and they can then post the results of the interview on their respective blogs.

I decided to participate again since it was awesomely fun last time and although I'm quite a different frame of mind right now I think it a wonderful and incredibly cool project.

Today, I was interviewed by Otir who thoughtfully asked me questions that really made me think... Here they are.

Otir: You have been blogging for a very long period of time now, as I see archives back to April 2004. What keeps you so long in the blogging business?

Ingrid: That's a really good question. I think that I have periods in which I isolate myself, and blogging is an outlet, and a way to reach out to others. I have met some creative, loving and wonderful people through blogging. It often restores my faith in people. I initially started blogging just to get in the habit of writing more often for pleasure (rather than for work). . . I have kind of gotten away from this. Thanks for the reminder :) (My blog has gone through phases where I write a lot and then I just post links for months... depends on my energy level. Most of my content has been "lazy content" lately.)

Otir: Your blurb underlines the "need to be real". Does that mean some other areas in your life are not allowing to be "real"? If so, could you please tell us more about it?

Ingrid: No, it is more of a personal mantra. :) To not get caught up in superficial things and stay grounded in real relationships and interaction. That with all of the silliness, worries, day-to-day routine and hedonistic pleasures in life, there too is room for moments of reflection and pause and that those moments are important.

Otir: I read your "about me" section and immediately want to jump on your mention that you "want to be loved". Although I definitely can relate to that one, I would love to hear you tell me if blogging has fulfilled that want or if, of course, any other thing in your life has, that you are willing to share with us in this interview.

Ingrid: Hmmm. I don't think I started blogging in order to be loved, but I have met people through blogging who I love and from whom I feel loved. I think that we all feel a longing for love (?) and with that a desire to be accepted but also challenged. But yeah, there's also the incredibly insecure part of me that wants the external validation that comes with someone else saying, "You're great. I love you. Keep on keeping on. It'll be ok." (I read somewhere that all of us involved in various social media are ultimately narcissists or people who get personal validation through others..."@claydevout "social media is primarily the domain of easily wounded narcissists."" I can see a grain of truth in this although I don't want to admit it. ;P)

Otir: I would naturally be more interested in asking you personal questions (like how old are you, or what is the name of your hometown) but I noticed that very little was available through your list of 75 items or about, so I wonder if this is deliberate, and if so, why?

Ingrid: It is deliberate. I figured that my blog isn't a CV and, by my own choice, it is definitely not a tool for business or personal marketing. In this context, I don't think that these types of details about myself are important or very interesting. I reveal things only if I'm comfortable. I definitely don't like talking about people in my day-to-day life since it seems to be an infringement on their privacy. Did you find that this is missing? (BTW: I'm 41 and Canadian)

Otir: I was thrilled to notice that apart from Neil, I found at least another blogger I befriended and now I am wondering if you are in the translating world, which I would think it a natural thing if you live in the Netherlands were I assume everyone is fluent in many languages. My question is: are you fluent in more than Dutch and English?

Ingrid: No, I'm not officially a translator but I have done some translation of marketing texts. :) (I'm a freelance writer/editor.) I'm actually Canadian and have been living in Amsterdam for just over 9 years. While my Dutch is definitely better than when I first moved here, my English is still better. :) But you are sooo right in your assumption, a lot of Dutch people are pretty amazing with languages.

xo

matrix as a silent movie

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:39:00 +0000

via neatorama

bashful was always a bit embarrassed when sneezy picked his nose [Flickr]

ingridf_nl — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:04:23 PST

ingridf_nl posted a photo:

licking your plate clean

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:54:00 +0000

Does any food evoke this ... "rudeness" in you? How about licking your fingers? I recently made a chocolate cake and found myself using unusual restraint with the bowl.

I was kind of disappointed in myself. There was a time I would have plunged in face first, dipping the end of my nose in the sweet chocolaty goodness. I seem to have become an adult in a most disappointing way.

Now maple syrup on the other hand... well that is a sophisticated thing to slurp. In my world anyway.

Any private food indulgences you'd care to admit to? (the ones that fill you with little kid joy and naughtiness?)

Picture, "Abigail licks the bowl", by wiccked.

nooorm

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:23:00 +0000

Visiting the family doctor in the Netherlands is a lot like Cheers.

When you come in every one says, "Hey." Well, not literally, they actually say "Goeiemorgen!" (if your appointment is in the morning...)

And then when you leave after your appointment, they say "Byyye!" ("Doei!!") and wave as you leave.

It is both charming and weird. The difference is that there's no beer there. Or peanuts.

daddy daddy cool

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:34:00 +0000

ode to the comma

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:22:00 +0000

"

via blog.haveyoumetme.com

christopher walken performs lady gaga's 'poker face'

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:08:00 +0000

fromTBT Videos

the apple

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:26:00 +0000

the apple, originally uploaded by ingridf_nl.

My grocery store is giving away these tiny snow white figurines. Oh yeah. More photos to come. :)

the wiz 2

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:31:00 +0000

via Photo

no one

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:35:00 +0000

, originally uploaded by 9 0 0 0.

i love 9000's stuff.

\is-ˈkā-ˌpi-zəm\

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:40:00 +0000

"es·cap·ism \is-ˈkā-ˌpi-zəm\ habitual diversion of the mind to purely imaginative activity or entertainment as an escape from reality or routine"

What's your favorite escapism movie? book series? activity? location?

How often do you indulge?

xo (thanks for your sweet answers to the last post. your care touched me very much.)

tomorrow i will love it

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:20:00 +0000

I've been thinking about mindset and the way that it affects attitude and consequently action--that subtle thing about expectations and the way in which they can distort experience for good or bad.

For example, I recently read that our brains process the dislike of foods sometimes even before we have tasted it. The "yuck" reflex actually may come before the act of tasting due to expectations. The expectation creates or at the very least contributes to the aversion. The same applies to the Pepsi/Cola taste test. Interesting stuff (I think). Related, apparently our subconscious brains decide before our conscious brains actually know what we have decided.

Over the past couple of years I've fallen into some strange little mind traps... where the expectations that I've set up for myself make me give up even before I've tried. I know that this is incredibly non-specific, and I don't really feel that I want/can be more specific about what I'm struggling with.

Somewhat related, last winter, when I went through a period in which I felt sad all of the time, I had the hardest time making myself shower. Gross, I know. I did shower every day but the only reason I maintained physical hygiene was for my sweetie. Plus not showering would reveal my sadness in a way I didn't want to reveal it. (Geeze. Does this make any sense? I do realize that hiding "sad" isn't a solution.)

Anyway, earlier this year I very deliberately started thinking about how refreshing my shower was. How good I felt and clean smelling I was afterward. Over time, my aversion to showering lifted. (Thank God.)

I've fallen back into sad lately. I am a bit alarmed by it, actually, since it seems to fill my days, and I'm getting very tired of the sense that I'm constantly holding back tears. I'm working on my attitude and mentality towards things by thinking about them really deliberately and about picturing the results of acting on things for which I know my attitude sucks.

I'm working on it lifting the sad. I'm sure it was a mentality change that allowed me to quit smoking. I just want this change in other areas of my life too.

Also, I am open to suggestions. What do you do about "sad" and about mindset?

Image by Suzanne Buchanan.

More about food aversion and more about our conscious/subconscious brains.

something i need to remind myself of…

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:54:00 +0000

via

viasomething i need to remind myself of…

pomplamoose music: september

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:33:00 +0000

I love these guys. But I love their grandma even more. :)

contrary to popular belief, not everything should taste like bacon

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:17:00 +0000

disturbing auto suggest, originally uploaded by ingridf_nl.

getting to know you: if you could be...

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:59:00 +0000

famous for one thing what would it be?
notorious for one thing what would it be?
anyone else in the world for one day (or one hour if you think a day is too long) who would it be?
any where else in the world for one day, where would it be?
magic and could change something (anything) what would you change?
talented in a way you aren't naturally gifted, what would your talent be?
a flavor, what would it be?

Tell me... because I'd like to get to know you better.
xo

getting noticed

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:23:00 +0000

Attention

Steve Breen | Via

reservoir

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:10:00 +0000

"In bed that night I invented a special drain that would be underneath every pillow in New York, and would connect to the reservoir. Whenever people cried themselves to sleep, the tears would all go to the same place, and in the morning the weatherman could report if the water level of the Reservoir of Tears had gone up or down. . ." (p. 38)

Foer, Jonathan S. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. London: Penguin, 2005.

love your body

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:51:00 +0000

The nowfoundation, has an annual love your body day. This year's celebration is October 21, 2009.

In their words:

"Hollywood and the fashion, cosmetics and diet industries work hard to make each of us believe that our bodies are unacceptable and need constant improvement. Print ads and television commercials reduce us to body parts -- lips, legs, breasts -- airbrushed and touched up to meet impossible standards. TV shows tell women and teenage girls that cosmetic surgery is good for self-esteem. Is it any wonder that 80% of U.S. women are dissatisfied with their appearance?
Women and girls spend billions of dollars every year on cosmetics, fashion, magazines and diet aids. These industries can't use negative images to sell their products without our assistance."

I have a lot of body hangups, and it would be pretty accurate to say that I am pretty flaw oriented. When I look in the mirror I am dissatisfied. I do believe that we should celebrate our diversity and I find other people's bodies beautiful. It's my own that I can never quite come to terms with. And yes, this often takes the form of, "I should be fitter, thinner and stronger." I am frustrated with my own inability to be self-disciplined and take care of my body through exercise and eating right since these things too are part of loving my body.

All of this to say, I heartily applaud this initiative. I would love to love my body.

Here are the results of the 2009 poster contest (my favorite is the "beautiful women" poster):

(posters by: Marie Bushbaum, Yvette Shore, Lisa Champ, Jorge Cortez and Vijeyta V. Revankar.)

The contest deadline for the 2010 campaign is December 1, 2009.

Ideas for promoting a positive body image.

Any thoughts?

school lunches

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:49:00 +0000

Yesterday, @zefrank (my enduring internet crush) posted a question about gross school lunches on Twitter.

My own?

My mom used to pack liverwurst with sliced radishes on rye. Oh yeah baby.

No one would trade anything with me and it made me kind of a lunch pariah. (My mom had and still has no idea how many lunches made it to the trash the minute I arrived at school regardless of starving children in Africa to whom I would have gladly given my sandwiches.)

The only thing trade-worthy in my lunch were the scary sugar free cookies my mom used to make. They had the consistency of hockey pucks are were really popular with the boys in the winter. (Seriously.) All of that wheat germ and brown flour goodness used to fly around the school yard. Could have taken an eye out with those things.

I think I survived public school on carrot sticks and milk.

about perception and value

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:46:00 +0000

some videos from the vimeo one minute project

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:37:00 +0000

Vimeo often hosts weekend video projects. I have participated in a few and more recently in the 1 minute project. Many of the resulting videos are beautiful.

Project description:

With the chaos of everyday life consuming our senses, it is nice to sit back and enjoy moments and experiences that are often overlooked. This project aims to study the forgotten moments and times in life that we often pass by without acknowledging.

The rules:

-Video must be exactly one minute long
-No camera movement (no panning, tilting, etc)
-No editing whatsoever
-Use original sound

There is something about the simplicity of the premise and the resulting clips that really resonate with me. Here are a few of my favorites:

Fishbowl from Mike Moon on Vimeo.
We had a light behind the fishbowl. There is no audio with this "Picture that doesn't move".

Chuva from Antonio Lazarenni on Vimeo.

Top and Bottom from Jelle Pothoven on Vimeo.
Filmed today, on a beautiful day in pre-autumn Holland. I've used a mirror to capture the top of a tree and the ground below it at the same time. The contrast between the colorful leaves and the nearly desaturated ground marks the beginning of the autumn.

And this is my own:

vimeo weekend project: 1 minute from ingrid f on Vimeo.

See the 1 Minute Video Page for more: http://www.vimeo.com/groups/1minute/videos

lacunar vals

noreply@blogger.com (ingrid) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:54:00 +0000

Lacunar Vals, originally uploaded by 9 0 0 0.

I think that this is beautiful in a weird way.