Collective Cadenza

What made me happy today? Collective Cadenza!
Never heard of them? Well, now you have! Collective Cadenza makes musical video experiments. Or videos that are entertaining and educational. Don't believe me? Check out their Youtube channel or their website.
I first came across them a few months, when my boyfriend sent me this video to cheer me up during a very hard day at work (yes, it's not all fancy cars and hotels ;-p).
In the mood for a party? It's Friday after all, so you might want to check out this video. Or are you in need of a laugh? Check out their collaboration with the Key of Awesome! Make sure to put all liquids down, or they may come out of your nose.
Happy Friday!

Lightning Bolt

What made me happy today? Lightning Bolt!
I finally got around to listening to the entire new Pearl Jam album, called Lightning Bolt! Two singles, 'mind your manners' and 'sirens' were released, prior to the complete album.
Lightning Bolt is somewhat reminiscent of the older Pearl Jam, but has some fresh new sounds. My personal favorite songs are 'sirens' 'infallible' and 'pendulum'. Reviews of this album are widely varied, some call this the best album by Pearl Jam so far, others call it mediocre or worse. I didn't look at the reviews before getting the album, so I could give it a listen with an open mind.
In my opinion it's a great album, although it doesn't have songs like 'Jeremy' or 'Alive' on it. 'Sirens' still tugs on my heart-strings every time I hear it. But I kind of miss the raw edge the older songs sometimes seemed to have.
Still, I love it! Eddie's voice is magnificent :-)

Sirens

What made me happy today? Sirens!
I'm not talking about the mythical sea-creatures, or the ones on an ambulance. I'm talking about the new song 'Sirens' by Pearl Jam. It was on the radio this morning, and I immediately loved it! The lyrics, the guitars, everything! I've been a fan of Pearl Jam since 'Ten' :-)
It even comes with a video clip, you can watch it here. Which it great, because Pearl Jam hadn't made a clip in years!
Eddie for president! ;-)

Sing a song

What made me happy today? Sing a song!
OMG, Faderhead used me in a song! I'm in a song!!! This just made my month!
How did this happen? Yesterday, Faderhead posted a call on his Facebook page, asking girls to record a few sentences. I decided to go ahead, nothing ventured is nothing gained. So I sent him the mp3 with the sentences he needed. About 15 minutes later, he sent me an email, asking if I could record the same sentences in Dutch again. I was happy to help :-)
This morning I woke up, and saw he posted the song! You can find it here. I'm the girl you hear at 2:50, talking in Dutch. This is beyond cool! I've always kind of dreamed about this :-) I'm in a song from one of my favorite artists ever!

Indian summer

What made me happy today? Indian summer!
It's a lovely Indian summer day here. The past few days were cold and grey. But today the sun was shining, the temperature got up to around 22°c and there wasn't a cloud in sight :-)
So when I drove back home from work, I rolled down my window, turned up the radio (Insomnia by Faithless was playing) and enjoyed the wind in my hair and the sun on my face. What's not to like?
Pre-birthday days don't get any better than this!

The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls

What made me happy today? The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls!
Yesterday evening, I entered The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls. I came out victorious. We reclaimed the Asylum!
I don't even have enough superlatives to describe Emilie Autumn's performance last night. It was an awesome, epic, amazing, touching, heart-warming, joyful, mad, insane, shenanigan-filled march to victory. It was wow, just so wow. I'm a bit hoarse today, from cheering so loudly. The crowd took a little while to get warmed up, but by the end of the show, it seemed like the whole room just exploded.
The songs were great, and well-performed. The acts were mesmerizing. And a bit creepy. I added a picture below of the black creature that took the stage during 'the scavenger'... There were loads of shenanigans, but also some very touching, tender and heart-warming moments. The best moment of the show? For me that was when Emilie herself was standing right in front of me. She looked right at me. Her eyes briefly flitted down to the heart I'd drawn on my cheek. Her eyes got that look of recognition in them, she briefly smiled at me and nodded lightly as if she tried to say 'keep fighting sister'. I felt so connected to her at that moment.
The show started with 'F.L.A.G.' and ended with 'One foot'. And then it was over. The crowd exploded. We kept applauding, cheering, whistling. And then Emilie and the bloody crumpets came out again. Emilie started talking about how amazing we were. About how all of us Plague Rats were special. And how she always loved the girl Plague Rats, but how the gentlemen were her heroes. She thanked the audience for being there, for giving her a home and a chance to do all of this. She made me tear up...
I don't know if she'll ever read this, but in case she does, I'd love to say this to Emilie: it's us, your Plague Rats, who should be thanking you. I've been a fan of you since Enchant. I love your music, I love your look, I love the way you don't hesitate to speak your mind. So thank you for the wonderful music you make. Thank you for sharing your talent with the world. Thank you for the amazing shows you bring. And most of all: thank you for helping me through a lot of things with your music. Thank you.

And now it's time for the photo bombardment!

And my new tank-top!

Deathmøle!

What made me happy today? Deathmøle!
The Deathmøle kickstarter has reached it's final stretch-goal, with 35 hours to go! That means the backers will get a ton of extra stuff :-)
I found it really great to see how Jeph Jacques was amazed by the success of his Kickstarter. He wanted to get 9500 dollars, to be able to record his next Deathmøle album in a studio. Well, he reached that goal (although blazed past is might be more correct) within the first day. So he added a few stretch-goals. All stretch-goals were reached.
I think that Jeph kind of missed out on two things. One: the sheer amount of people who read Questionable Content. Two: how many people really like Deathmøle. I'm really happy for him! His project is currently 1269% funded, trending towards 1312% funded according to this.
And now the waiting game can begin.

Carnival and Permanence

What made me happy today? The carnival is in town!
It's a lovely warm and sunny day here. At work, I got ice-cream for the birthday of 3 of my managers. Which was great. But I didn't feel like spending all of my evening indoors. And as the carnival is in town, I decided to go for a walk.
On my way over there, I met two friends with their daughter. They just came from the carnival and were going to get a Happy Meal. So we stayed and chatted at bit, which was fun. Then I went to the carnival. It was fun and not too busy, which is great.
And in other news: Jeph Jacques from Questionable Content is about to reach 100K in his Permanence by Deathmøle Kickstarter. This puts him at (currently) 1047% of his goal. He can't seem to believe it himself, as in the comment section of today's Questionable Content he says this: 'We have officially broken $95,000 on the Deathmøle Kickstarter, which means we have unlocked DEATHMOLE BUTTONS! Will we hit $100K before the campaign ends? If we do, I may actually implode.' I hope he hits 100K (sure looks like he will), but I don't want him to implode. Although, he could do a cartoon about it.
Yup, I had a great day :-)

Come and see the show!

What made me happy today? I'm going to see a show!
And not just any show. I have tickets to go see Emilie Autumn on 12 September, and one of my best friends is coming as well!
I still remember the first time I saw her perform. It was on April 12th, 2012 in Brussels. The same friend was with me. I had been a fan of Emilie Autumn for a few years, but this was the first time I saw her perform. I was swept away, there was such a great vibe going on. It's not just a concert, it's a show with a dash of burlesque, insanity, cyanide and tea. My friend and I loved it! I hope this one will be even better!
Now I need to go and find my wayward Victorian girl's uniform ;-)

Radio!

What made me happy today? I was on the radio!
It' Robert Plant's birthday and Studio Brussel said they'd play one of three Led Zeppelin songs after having a vote. As I was early for work I sent them a message, saying that I'd love it if they played 'Immigrant song'. They called me and asked if they could do a brief live interview with me! There was no way I could say no to that!
Studio Brussel and Led Zeppelin made my day! If you'd like to hear what I had to say (in Dutch) go to this page, click 'herbeluister' and skip to about 1h38. I'm on just after the traffic report.

The (un)usual

What made me happy today? Getting a side of unusual with my usual!
It's Saturday. For me, that's another word for grocery shopping, chores and a trip into Leuven city. So I made my usual stop at koffie Onan first. By now, they know what I want. Latte of the week, to go. There was one other customer waiting for her drinks. Suddenly she says 'Invader Zim!'. Took me a second to figure out what she meant (didn't have my coffee yet). She was referring to the t-shirt I was wearing. The culprit is below, although mine has a black background.

So we talked about how great Gir and Invader Zim are for a bit. I don't know who she was, but she kind of made my day!
Then it was on to the Metalzone. Scored three new cd's: Sonata Arctica - for the sake of revenge, Queensrÿche - Queensrÿche (the new one) and Queensrÿche - operation: mindcrime. That made my day even more!
Yup, my Saturday was great! How was yours?

Do a little dance

What made me happy today? Do a little dance!
And get a d'awww from a passing stranger. I forgot to mention this in yesterday's blog.
While in London (okay, Watford), we went to a store that sells costumes and other party supplies. My brain twin and her boyfriend were looking around the store to try and find something for him to wear that evening. My boyfriend and I already had our costumes, and after looking around the entire store twice while laughing at some of the very silly costumes he suddenly grabbed my hand.
This is not unusual, but he pulled me in and grabbed my other hand. That's when he started to slow-dance with me. In the middle of the store.
It's not the first time he's done this though. He did it once before, when we were out for pizza with some friends. That got us some looks, most of them were like 'aw, that's cute'. But this time, a lady walked by and she honestly made the "d'awww" sound, and said 'lovely' with this big, yet somewhat sentimental smile on her face. She made my day! I was expecting a snide comment or something like that...
So yay for random dancing in the middle of a store, and people thinking it's cute!

Little pieces of heaven

What made me happy today? Little pieces of heaven.
Here are some of my favorite things and moments. They always make me happy. I have posted some of them before, feel free to take a look at my old posts!

- my Saturday morning walk to koffie Onan, and the latte of the week.
- Starpower.
- Alan Rickman's voice.
- long, hot bubble baths with Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio playing in the background.
- Porta Nigra.
- watching anime.
- hugs.
- watching my favorite episodes from tv series.
- music.
- laughing.
- my boyfriend.
- watching other people when walking through the city and making up a background story for them.
- xkcd.
- cooking.
- the scent of freshly baked cake or cookies.
- my goddaughter.
- my friends.
- being happy.

Have a great Saturday!

Everybody's free

What made me happy today? Everybody's free to wear sunscreen.
It's a cold, miserable day. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, my gps screwed up, it's cold and rainy. I was glad when it was time to go home. Listening to the radio, 'Everybody is free to wear sunscreen' by Baz Luhrmann came on. It had been years since I heard that song. And I suddenly remembered the lyrics. That was just what I needed. The lyrics are below. There's a lot of useful stuff in there.
So read the lyrics and give them some thought :-)

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99:
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…
I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked….
You’re not as fat as you imagine.
Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you.
Sing.
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with
yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…
What ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can… Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever
own..
Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen…

Radio funny

What made me happy today? Funny things on the radio!
I usually listen to music when driving. Especially when stuck in traffic. Today I was listening to 'Studio Brussel' while driving home from work.
They were talking about the new Superman movie, 'Man of steel'. Three guesses which song they played after the talking part was over?
If you're guessing 'Kryptonite' by Three Doors Down, you're completely right! This also happens to be one of my favorite songs ever, so it made me laugh (funny) and happy (favorite song!) :-)

Car wash

What made me happy today? Car wash!
I took my car to the car wash for the first time today! It was getting rather dirty, so opted for the easy solution: car wash. Now it's all shiny and clean!
It was fun too! I didn't really know what to do, but the nice guy at the car wash told me precisely what to do. Which isn't much, as it turns out. You just drive into this rail, put the car in neutral, take your feet of the pedals and there you go. Roll up the window, turn on some good music and off you go. It's kind of funny to go through it too, I felt like I was in a washing machine. Wait, I was!
So yeah, nice clean car, helpful staff and it's Friday. So yeah, I'm happy :-)

Super happy fun time!

What made me happy today? Having a great vacation!
I had a truly great vacation! Started with Iron Man 3, then Porta Nigra, followed by a week in the Ardennes with the BF and a few close friends.
It was great! Really relaxing too :-) We had great food, fun, music, a lot of laughs and sun. And because the weather was so great, we even did two BBQs. Yummie!
I even have a bit of a tan for the first time in years.
Too bad vacations always seem to fly by...

Porta Nigra

What made me happy today? Porta Nigra being the best way ever to start my vacation!
I'm not going to do an extended review of the shows here, as they were all great (though not all of them were my thing). But the vibe in the room was so great! There was a lot of love :-)
I got hugs from Tomas, Rose and Fredrik (Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio) and from Nicolas (Empusae, Triarii, In Slaughter Natives) as well. And like I promised Tomas and Rose, I was there, front row!
It was an amazing, epic, music-filled day. I'm still so happy, some of the bands gave me the feeling that I was being wrapped in a cocoon of sound.
So yeah, one very happy me :-)

Holiday!

What made me happy today? Holiday!
I'm on holiday! No more work for a week and a half! Yay! Time to relax with friends, enjoy some music, cook great food and read a bunch of books :-)
On top of that, the weather will be improving a lot so that makes me even happier :-)

Fight like a girl!

What made me happy today? Fight like a girl!
I am, of course talking about the new Emilie Autumn cd and awesomely cool music video! I'm kind of jealous about that guard though. Wish I could kiss her ;-)
The video has a slight 'Sucker punch' feel to it. By the way, sucker punch is a great movie :-)
But I totally love Emilie Autumn. Don't know why? Just check out the video! Listen to the lyrics, and you'll see how awesome she is. Check out her other songs as well, she has created so many beautifully disturbing songs.
I've also been lucky enough to see her perform live. What an experience! It's a concert with a show, a dash of burlesque and tea! If you ever get the chance to see her perform, take it! It's totally worth it.
So yeah, I'm a plague rat and part of the asylum army. Here's hoping us wayward Victorian girls will rule the world one day!