N is for Nero (and Macchiatto)

We just adopted two little guinea pigs, and I named them Nero (Black) and Macchiatto (Spotted – sort of). And they’re all jumpy jumpy happy hyperactive critters eating all the hay we give them and making our living room a bit more homey. Anyway, pics, right? Pics:

Macchiatto (left) and Nero (right)

It took me quite a while to get a decent pic of both. The one on the left is, obviously, Macchiatto, and the one on the right is Nero. We “rescued” them from a life outdoors, no hay… We got the biggest cage we can fit in our livingroom, some wooden pieces to jump over (and chew on), and mjummy hay and fresh veggies and all.

M is for Moon

Moon \Moon\ (m[=oo]n), n. [OE. mone, AS. m[=o]na; akin to D. maan, OS. & OHG. m[=a]no, G. mond, Icel. m[=a]ni, Dan. maane, Sw. m[*a]ne, Goth. m[=e]na, Lith. men[*u], L. mensis month, Gr. mh`nh moon, mh`n month, Skr. m[=a]s moon, month; prob. from a root meaning to measure (cf. Skr. m[=a] to measure), from its serving to measure the time. [root]271. Cf. {Mete} to measure, {Menses}, {Monday}, {Month}.]

  1. The celestial orb which revolves round the earth; the satellite of the earth; a secondary planet, whose light, borrowed from the sun, is reflected to the earth, and serves to dispel the darkness of night. The diameter of the moon is 2,160 miles, its mean distance from the earth is 240,000 miles, and its mass is one eightieth that of the earth. See {Lunar month}, under {Month}.
  2. A secondary planet, or satellite, revolving about any member of the solar system; as, the moons of Jupiter or Saturn.
  3. The time occupied by the moon in making one revolution in her orbit; a month; as, it’s been many moons since I last visited Washington. –Shak.
Moon!

This pic of the full moon is courtesy of the Moon Geek Webcam.

It’s full moon (or it has been very short time ago). The moon has been ruling our lives for a long time, probably from before we can remember. There have been cults around the moon, and it’s been incarnated in a Goddess. Even now we feel the influence of the moon in our lives, even when we’re so detached from nature. The moon was there before we came, and it’ll be when we leave.

K is for Keys on Keyboard

Key \Key\ (k[=e]), n. [OE. keye, key, kay, AS. c[ae]g.]

  1. Metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock’s mechanism can be rotated
  2. Something crucial for explaining; “the key to development is economic integration”
Keys & Keyboard

Key pieces of my life: my keys, can’t get out of the house without them (mostly, cause I can’t get back in otherwise!), and my keyboard. I spend a lot of time at the keyboard writing and talking with people. I owe very happy times and some of the best things that have happened to me to that keyboard (in a way).

J is for Jewel

Jewel \Jew”el\ (j[=u]”[e^]l or j[udd]”[e^]l), n. [OE. juel, jowel, OF. jouel, juel, joiel, F. joyau, dim. of OF. joie joy, jewel, F. joie joy. See {Joy}.]

  1. A precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry [syn: {gem}, {precious stone}]
  2. A person who is a brilliant and precious as a piece of jewelry [syn: {gem}]
  3. Adorn or decorate with precious stones; “jeweled dresses” [syn: {bejewel}]
J is for Jewel (earrings)

The first jewel Jan gave me as a present. They mean a lot to me, and was a great birthday surprise two years ago.

I is for Illumination

Illumination \Il*lu`mi*na”tion\, n. [L. illuminatio: cf. F. illumination.]

  1. a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination; “follow God’s light” [syn: {light}]
  2. the degree of visibility of your environment
  3. an interpretation that removes obstacles to understanding; “the professor’s clarification helped her to understand the textbook” [syn: {clarification}, {elucidation}]
  4. the luminous flux incident on a unit area [syn: {illuminance}]
  5. painting or drawing included in a book (especially in illuminated medieval manuscripts) [syn: {miniature}]
Indirect Illumination at T4 (Barajas) Filtered Illumination at T4 (Barajas)

This two pics are taken at the new Terminal 4 of Barajas airport. Being that I spend there at least a couple of hours every month, I had already enough time to enjoy it ;) Anyway, you can see two different kinds of illumination for a very big “organic” building. The first picture shows indirect illumination, this is achieved by reflecting the light on a couple of mirrored dishes. The second one is sort of filtered natural illumination. A very big window opens on the building’s ceiling (you can see the sky through it), and then filtered through movable pannels.

H is for Home

Home \Home\ (h[=o]m; 110), n. [OE. hom, ham, AS. h[=a]m; akin to OS. h[=e]m, D. & G. heim, Sw. hem, Dan. hiem, Icel. heimr abode, world, heima home, Goth. haims village, Lith. k[“e]mas, and perh. to Gr. kw`mh village, or to E. hind a peasant; cf. Skr. ksh[=e]ma abode, place of rest, security, kshi to dwell. [root]20, 220.

  1. One’s own dwelling place; the house in which one lives; esp., the house in which one lives with his family; the habitual abode of one’s family; also, one’s birthplace.
  2. One’s native land; the place or country in which one dwells; the place where one’s ancestors dwell or dwelt.
  3. The abiding place of the affections, especially of the domestic affections.
our little home

These pics are taken in our (DBF and mine) living / dining / hobby room and office (all in one). It is really a place I call home, for I feel at home when I’m there. It’s peaceful and quiet. It’s nice, it’s decorated like we wanted it. We did a lot of work in this room… Although it was DBF who did most of it, since I wasn’t there most of the time. We chose the colours together and he painted it all (after removing the old wallpaper), my lovely MIL did the stencil edge. We chosed the furniture and the distribution, and assembled most of it together. The red couch is our last acquisition :) It is really our little home.. Until we get our real home.

(Note: DBF took these pics, as I only had the idea once I had already left Belgium. All the credit goes to him. I just selected and made the collage.)

G is for Going home

Brussels Airport

I travel a lot, having my DBF Jan in Belgium (so does he, btw). This is a picture I took while waiting for the flight that would take me back home from Belgium after spending the Easter holidays there. It’s sad having to get back home… The weather was grey and wet, very appropriate too… Going back home… I can’t wait till going back to Belgium…

F is for Fate

Fate \Fate\ (f[=a]t), n. [L. fatum a prophetic declaration, oracle, what is ordained by the gods, destiny, fate, fr. fari to speak: cf. OF. fat. See {Fame}, {Fable}, {Ban}, and cf. 1st {Fay}, {Fairy}.]

  1. A fixed decree by which the order of things is prescribed; the immutable law of the universe; inevitable necessity; the force by which all existence is determined and conditioned.
  2. Appointed lot; allotted life; arranged or predetermined event; destiny; especially, the final lot; doom; ruin; death.
  3. The element of chance in the affairs of life; the unforeseen and unestimated conitions considered as a force shaping events; fortune; esp., opposing circumstances against which it is useless to struggle.
  4. pl. [L. Fata, pl. of fatum.] (Myth.) The three goddesses, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, sometimes called the {Destinies}, or {Parc[ae]}who were supposed to determine the course of human life. They are represented, one as holding the distaff, a second as spinning, and the third as cutting off the thread.
F is for Fate

Is Fate really written on the stars? And the Parcae in charge of it? Or can we make our own destiny and way in life? Should a tarot deck trace our decisions?

E is for Emotions

Emotion \E*mo”tion\, n. [L. emovere, emotum, to remove, shake, stir up; e out + movere to move: cf. F. [‘e]motion. See {Move}, and cf. {Emmove}.] A moving of the mind or soul; excitement of the feelings, whether pleasing or painful; disturbance or agitation of mind caused by a specific exciting cause and manifested by some sensible effect on the body.

two little cute teddies

How many things can trigger emotions? This, for instance, is a pressent, that brings memories to me, and that touches me and moves me deeply. And there are a hundred other things that have that effect on me. Big or small, cheap or expensive, bought, handmade… It doesn’t matter, they leave me speechless.