Personal
Moved
Yesterday, we rented a moving van from Budget Rent a Car. We ordered a “VC” class van (check out the website), but instead we got a “VEL” class van (an Iveco Daily to be precise), which is a lot larger, and (oh, boy!) has an electric tail lift! (The last time we rented a van from Budget, the same thing happened. Do you think it’s policy?)
Anyway, almost all my stuff fitted in there, like a large desk, two beds, several closets and a load of boxes. I’m not moving much furniture, because we already have a completely furnished house in Zeeland. I’ve been able to sell my dining room table and chairs, a side table and a couple of other things. However, I’m still stuck with my two couches – nobody seems to want those.
Unemployed
As of today, I am jobless…
Well, I’ll be busy packing at home, because I am planning to move sometime next week. I am moving to Zeeland, in the southwest of the Netherlands. My wife already lives there, so, since I am now no longer bound to Delft, because of my job, I can finally move in with her…
Final day @ TU Delft
Today, August 31, is the final day of my contract as a PhD student in Delft.
As of tomorrow, I am unemployed…
Yes, of course, I still have to work on my PhD thesis, but I’ll have to do that in my free time. And next week, I’ll be moving home, so not much free time left then.
I’m not sure when and how often I will be back in Delft, I’ll just have to see.
It’ll be pretty weird.
Since September 1995, I have been here at Delft University. First college, then in 2000 my Master’s project at the Computer Graphics Group, and since September 1st, 2001, my PhD project at the same group.
That’s 36% of my entire lifetime I’ve spent here…
Well, I guess it’s time for something completely different.
You’ll hear from me. Benjamin, signing off from Delft….
Madagascar
Yesterday evening we went to Madagascar. No, not the country. The movie!
My brother and sister-in-law from Bristol were here for the weekend, so the four of us went to the cinema in Vlissingen. It’s a very funny movie about 4 wacky animals who… well, just read the rest from Ari’s weblog. BTW, I do agree with Ari that it’s not as good as, for example, Shrek. But it’s nice.
Our own stamp
Did you know you could create your own stamps?
At TPG Post, you can have you own picture be printed as a real stamp.
We already tried it a while ago. In fact, we used the stamps for our wedding invitations. It’s really easy, and not very expensive. I think it’s great for special occasions or something…
So, here’s the result:
(And this is the original photo, btw.)
Honeymoon
For our honeymoon we went to Greece for two weeks. We flew via Athens to Thessaloniki. There was a rental car waiting for us at the airport. The first ten days we stayed in an appartment on the “Olympic riviera“, which is the area along the coast, near Mount Olympus.
During these ten days, we made some walks, swam in the sea, visited a castle and a nice old Greek village.
We visited Dion, the ancient city of Zeus, at the foot of the Olympus, with the ruins of an ancient village.
We made one very long and very tiring walk up Mount Olympus, from the starting point at about 1100 meters up to a cabin at 2100 meters. You could stay there for the night and walk to the summit (at 2917 meters) the next day. We returned to the car, however; it took us about 7 hours in total.
We visited the spectacular rock formations at Meteora. These rock formations are famous for the monasteries that are built on top. These are hundreds of years old. There used to be about twenty, now there are only six left, but they’re all open to the public. The rocks are really amazing, but the fact that monks decided to build monasteries on top, is just incredible!
At the end of the ten days, we returned (by car) to Thessaloniki, flew back to Athens and stayed there for another five days. We stayed in a hotel near Omonia Square, very close to the center of the city. We could walk to the Acropolis, which, of course, we did quite a few times. We’ve seen all the main tourist attractions: the Acropolis, the Tempel of Zeus, the Ancient Agora, the Roman Forum, but also the National Archaelogical Museum. The last day we went to Piraeus, to visit the (three, all natural) harbours.
Last Sunday, we got up very early, to get back to the airport. We had a good trip home, after two weeks of great weather in a beautiful country… it was a perfect honeymoon!
20052005
As you may have known, read, heard or guessed, Irene and I have got married on May 20.
It was a beautiful day.
There were so many people, the weather was really great, and everything was just perfect (a big “thank you” to our best man and woman!)… and we got lots of presents! 
The photo shoot in the morning was a great deal of fun. And yesterday evening, only 3 weeks later, we got the photo album from the photographer. He did a great job! Another big “thank you” to Fotostudio Aster Oostkapelle.
The wedding ceremony was in Veere, Zeeland. A picturesque little town, with a beautiful old city hall. The old windmill and the harbour and lake side were very nice for the photo shoot.
The reception, dinner and party were in Rotterdam in the Zuiderparkrestaurant Meerzicht. A very good restaurant at a great location. Again a big “thank you” to them!
All in all it was just a perfect day! We are so happy that so many people came to celebrate our wedding together with us, and that so many of them spent enormous amounts of time to make this day to what it was.
LTUAE
I finished the third part of the Hitchhiker’s Guide: Life, the Universe and Everything.
I haven’t got the book with me though, so you will have to wait for my collection of quotes.
In the mean time, you can check this site for some. (Check out the links on the left side.)
(Update: the link appears to be no longer working.)
OK, here’s one I remember:
(…) and then I decided I was a lemon for a couple of weeks. I kept myself amused all that time jumping in and out of a gin and tonic.
TATATATA
No, this is NOT the 3rd part of the Hitchhiker’s Guide.
This is the name of the theater show we went to yesterday: TATATATA by Hans Liberg. A great entertainer. Music and comedy. He seamlessly combines classical music with old folk and modern pop songs. Liberg really is a marvel at the piano.
The name of the show refers to the opening piece. TA TA TA TA, Beethoven’s 5th, · · · —. You know what I mean – everybody knows it.
TRATEOTU
Yes, I finished reading part two: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.
Another book full of nonsense! In this book we learn about the end of the universe and that people come visit Milliways – the restaurant at the end of the universe – to watch the whole show.
In this restaurant, you can meet the Dish of the Day: May I interest you in parts of my body? Something off the shoulder perhaps?
After ordering, the animal walks back into the kitchen: Very good, I’ll just nip off and shoot myself.
On the Heart of Gold space ship, however, the Cybernetics Corporation Nutri-Matic Drinks Synthesizer still cannot produce tea.
“Share and Enjoy” is the company motto of the hugely successful Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Complaints Division, which now covers the major land masses of three medium-sized planets and is the only part of the Corporation to have shown a consistent profit in recent years.
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