About

Hi, I'm Diana.

I have a Master's degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Eindhoven University of Technology.

I wrote some WordPress plugins which I really enjoyed. I wrote these fifteen years ago, during my studies, and they're still going strong. I'd spend my Saturdays on my side job (go to the mail office, sort mail, deliver mail) and the Saturday afternoons and evenings working on these plugins. Fond memories.

I spent most of my twenties and some of my early thirties dealing with vague but persistent health problems. Weird stuff that you might take for granted, like skin issues and Raynaud's syndrome. Cold hands and feet are one thing, but they're not supposed to turn white, are they? I'm very relieved and happy that I eventually got most of that under control by changing my diet. Nowadays I still try to limit my carb intake (but my oh my, those carb cravings), avoid dairy and grains and some nuts, beans and seeds. Life's much better now. I know, I know, I always thought I'd never be a gluten-free cat-lady, but here we are... 

I remember as a kid deciding that I wanted to be a wise woman when I grew up, and one of the Dutch sayings goes "One grows wise through damage and disgrace." My primary element is fire, my secondary is earth. The pitfall is that I can open the gas burner really wide, perform at a high level and then run out of fuel. I've had to learn to temper the fire with earth. 

Group trainings/workshops aren't my thing. Don't get me wrong: I did enjoy working in teams, with colleagues who just want to do a good job. I just preferred to discuss and work on a real problem for a real customer. You know, the actual job becomes secondary when you have a well-oiled team. Working on my own, meticulously giving the job the attention it needs, I also like that. But put me in a room with a flip chart and talk about the next "teambuilding exercise" and I may start looking for the fire exit. Do I sound cynical? That sometimes happens to me. I can be hilariously funny too, just ask my husband. I admire John Cleese, who has noted that you can either see life as a tragedy or a farce. He has decided it's a farce and seems to be able to cackle at just about anything. So sometimes, I cackle. I've got two cats, I'm allowed.

I count myself lucky. I'm feeling good. I'm married, I rediscovered the creativity I had in early childhood and I've got a reasonably good idea of how to spend my time well in my own eyes. I mostly run on litres of green tea and humour (no milk, I prefer mine black). Oh, yes, and a return to God.

I have my own business, jodiBooks, with my husband Joep.

In December 2022, I returned to a great side job I once had: delivering mail. Over the years, I sometimes found myself fantasizing, "Why don't I just go back to delivering mail? That was a good job." You know the feeling: sometimes you just want to put some responsibilities down. When the time came to rethink things, I did. With some encouragement from my husband, I decided to set aside some of the expectations I'd put on myself for a while. It gets me outdoors, into the sunshine and out of my head. It's flexible and social, and it has been a good way to spend this particular chapter of my life. Meanwhile, I work part time on my business and look forward to seeing where that takes me.