HahahaHAAAAhaHAHAHAHahahAHahAHAHA! <----- manisk "jeg-har-endelig-juleferie-etter-alt-for-mange-uker-med-angst-søvnmangel-og-depresjon" latter.
Klokken 13.00 i dag tok jeg juleferie, og la all informasjon om Shakespeare, diktanalyse, verseformer og den slags ulumskheter i en støvete pappeske i den bortgjemte delen av hjernen, og håper jeg slipper å åpne den på leeeenge. Nå skal jeg bare bekymre meg for hva jeg skal se på TV, julegavehandling, hva jeg skal spise til middag, hvordan jeg skal bli kvitt kiloene som har kommet snikende under eksamensperioden når jeg skal hjem til altfor mye god mat og godteri, og hvordan det skal gå med håndballjentene. Anja Edin trenger en ørefik.
Det er dessuten litt sent nå, men her er årets julegaveønskeliste (i fullstendig random rekkefølge):
- Lydisolerte vegger
- Spotify Premium
- Gull i håndball-VM
- Tøfler - type myke, fluffy støvel-tøfler.
- Luer (store, fargerike, fete luer med ørelapper, som får goggles til å se mindre ut)
- Pannebånd (se over)
- Goggles
- Varme klær
- Definerte muskler og bedre kondis
- Nye naboer
- Nobels fredspris (i likhet med Obama har nemlig også jeg et stort potensiale til å skape fred i verden)
- A på alle eksamener
- Neste års pensumbøker
- Større stipend, gjerne privat, i motsetning til det mange tror: pengegaver er IKKE kjedelig!
- Snø
- Vin (jeg er ikke kresen: gi meg en hvilken som helst flaske hvitvin - gjerne en som smaker saft, Riesling er gull)
- En mann (her derimot, er jeg litt mer kresen, men ikke mye. Ta kontakt for mer informasjon)
- Fred på jord
La meg til slutt få legge til at jeg har vært veldig snill i år. Synes jeg.
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
...også vil jeg gjerne få sende en takk til mamma!
I dag fikk jeg akkurat den oppmuntringen jeg trengte i eksamensstresset: en lapp i postkassa om en pakke fra mamma. Det var ikke en liten pakke jeg hentet på postkontoret, og jeg gråt en liten skvett da jeg så at den inneholdt en noe forsinket - men å! så fantastisk - pakkekalender, boil-in-bag ris, kornmokjeks, potetgull, rett-i-koppen kakao og all bran! Min mamma er fantastisk!
Ellers har jeg hatt to eksamner til siden sist, språkferdighet på mandag (som gikk greit), og muntlig fremføring i ped. (som gikk bra). Det betyr at det bare er en igjen før JULEFERIE! Denne tanken, og åpning av 8 kalenderpakker fikk meg nesten litt i julestemning, så jeg ordnet likesågreit noen julegaver i dag, og ryddet kåken. Julevasken taes neste uke. Hurra!
Ellers har jeg hatt to eksamner til siden sist, språkferdighet på mandag (som gikk greit), og muntlig fremføring i ped. (som gikk bra). Det betyr at det bare er en igjen før JULEFERIE! Denne tanken, og åpning av 8 kalenderpakker fikk meg nesten litt i julestemning, så jeg ordnet likesågreit noen julegaver i dag, og ryddet kåken. Julevasken taes neste uke. Hurra!
Sunday, 6 December 2009
xam1
Det er søndag, jeg kom nettopp hjem fra skolen, lesesalene var stappfulle, på en søndag, jeg er forkjøla, det er søndag og jeg har dårlig samvittighet for at jeg ikke leser nok. Vi er midt i eksamensperioden.
Jeg hadde min aller første eksamen ved universitetet i går, jeg tror det gikk greit, greit pluss faktisk. Ikke at det spiller noen rolle hvordan det gikk akkurat nå, exfac er glemt frem til resultatet er klart, for i morgen er det ny eksamen. Og på tirsdag muntlig fremføring. Det var en merkelig følelse jeg hadde på lørdag når jeg hadde levert mine 11 sider og gikk ut av idrettssenteret på Dragvoll: jeg følte meg helt tom. Som om all energi jeg noensinne har spart opp var oppbrukt på 4 timer. Jeg er derfor spent på min åndelige tilstand klokka 13.00 den 15. desember, da jeg er ferdig med min siste eksamen for i år. Gud hjelpe, jeg gleder meg.
På oppfordring av pappa legger jeg herved ut et bilde av hvordan det ser ut hos meg, selv om jeg synes de heller kunne komme opp på besøk. Det kan faktisk være nesten koslig i Kjøpmannsgata 34 også:
Monday, 30 November 2009
Advent
Siste dag i november er snart over, første søndag i advent var i går, to sikre tegn på at det snart er jul! Denne adventstiden blir litt annerledes enn i fjor og årene før. For det første har jeg ingen adventskalender. Ikke så mye som en 10-kroners-sjokolade-kalender fra Nille en gang. Og ikke pakke-kalender fra mamma. Jeg må nok gå til innkjøp av årets beholdning av sokker/hårstrikker/fox/sjokolade/kjærligheter-på-pinne selv i år. Det er greit mamma, jeg tilgir deg. Noe annet som er nytt i adventstiden i år er eksamensstyret. Nå begynner nervene å komme. Jeg har eksamen på lørdag, eksamen på mandag, fremføring på tirsdag, så en ukes pause før siste eksamen den 15. Ellers har jeg for de som ikke vet det fått jobb i Trondheim: jeg er nå MaxTasty-dame! Det er ikke (som det kan virke av navnet) snuskete arbeid, MaxTasty Ila AS er en nyoppstartet bedrift som vil bringe kombinasjonen pizza-takeaway og storkiosk til folket. Så tenn et lys for det! God advent :)
Friday, 20 November 2009
Jeg har det helt greit
Jeg føler jeg klager mye om mitt nåværende bosted. Dette merkes av alle kommentarene jeg har fått, spesielt etter Dotrøbbel-innlegget, og den skumle psycho-wifebeateren som nærmest slo inn døra mi forrige helg. Kommentarer som "jeg lo så jeg gråt!", "stakar deg, det må være helt forjævelig" og "Linn, du blir svindla, betale så mye for å bo i en ghetto". Og ja, det er ting som kunne vært bedre, men det er absolutt ikke så ille som jeg av og til får det til å høres ut som. For de som ikke har vært på besøk, vil jeg bare informere om at innenfor mine fire vegger kan det faktisk være litt koslig. Sånn som nå da jeg har tent lys og spiser kjeks og ser på gullrekka på TVen. Kanskje er det helt ållreit å være her nå fordi jeg vet at jeg skal hjem (skikkelig ordentlig hjem-hjem) i morgen. Jeg gleder meg helt hinsides min egen fatteevne. Og når man har noe å glede seg så masse til som jeg gleder meg nå, da kan jeg nesten helt la være å irritere meg over naboene.
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Dotrøbbel
Hybellivet er ikke alltid like lett. Da jeg valgte bosted gjorde jeg som enhver kvinne med hodet på rett sted ville gjort: jeg valgte walk-in-closet over eget bad. Nå får jeg lide for forfengeligheten. I hver etasje er det ett bad for damer og ett for menn, som alle i bygningen (som ikke har eget bad) har nøkkelkort til. Disse badene er slik at det er en do (type doavlukke, riktignok med lås, men ikke så privat som man skulle ønske), og et bittelite dusjrom med mulighet for å låse døra, men det blir så mye damp i det bittelille rommet at du må kjempe for oksygenet; dusjdøra må derfor stå på gløtt. Derfor foretrekker jeg å låse hoveddøra inn til badet, både når jeg bruker doen og dusjen. Da har vi fakta på plass, la klagingen begynne.
Det begynte med at dosetet stadig var oppe. Dette slo meg som veldig rart, ettersom det var en damedo. Jeg konkluderte dengang med at den skyldige måtte være en av de ufyselige polakkene i leiligheten ved siden av meg som ikke gadd å gå hele de 3 ekstra meterne til herredoen. Jeg møter de stadig vekk i gangen, da er de gjerne iført intet annet enn bokser og tøfler, og det er ikke før de har rundet hjørnet at du kjenner lukta de har hengende over seg: Billig vodka og røyk. Herlige typer. Jeg hengte opp en litt streng post-it over doen i god lesehøyde hvor jeg høflig forklarte at dette er en damedo, og hvis den skyldige ikke gidder gå rundt hjørnet for å bruke herredoen, så at han i det minste kunne legge ned det jævla dosetet etter seg. Lappen hang der i tre dager, men ingen positiv respons var å observere. Tvert i mot, jævelen måtte ha stått og stirret på lappen mens han gjorde sitt fornødige og galant ignorert budskapet. Kanskje de ikke snakket norsk? Jeg endte med å gi opp hele saken.
Et par uker senere oppdaget jeg en ny jente rekende i gangen her, aldri sett a før, og tenkte som så at "hyggelig med nye folk på min alder i etasjen". Det var helt til jeg møtte henne i dodøra. Jeg synes det var litt merkelig at hun ikke hadde noen rull med dopapir i hånda, men hun smilte og sa "Hei!". "Hei" sa jeg tilbake, mens jeg funderte på hva hun hadde drevet med der inne. Man må nemlig ha sin egen dorull. Det er veldig viktig. Det hadde hun tydeligvis ikke gått til anskaffelse av, for da jeg kom inn på toalettet var det tydelig at hun hadde brukt "riste-metoden". Fint. Annenhver gang jeg er på do må jeg nå enten huske å legge ned doringen, eller se nøye etter og tørke eventuelle flekker.
Og ikke nok med det. En ettermiddag denne uka stod jeg i dusjen og ante fred og ingen fare da jeg plutselig høre et nøkkelkort gå i døra, etterfulgt av vill, frantisk risting i dørhåndtaket. Om det er opptatt på badet har jeg lært meg at man har to muligheter: vent i noen minutter, og er det prekært kan du evt. forflytte deg en etasje opp eller ned og prøve der. Som regel prøver de nøkkelkortet, innser at det er opptatt og lar deg være i fred. Men denne damen ville inn. Jeg var midt i tørkeprossessen da jeg hørte det banke på døren. "Ja?" sier jeg. Intet svar. Jeg fortsetter å tørke håret da det banker på en gang til, denne gangen uten stopp. Jeg banner litt for meg selv, slenger håndkledet rundt meg og åpner døra ut til gangen. Der står hun. Den skumle polakkdamen (jeg bor tydeligvis i polakketasjen). Hun spør meg på gebrokken norsk om jeg ikke er klar over at det bor flere i bygget. Jo, det er jeg, sier jeg. Hun forteller meg at døra må være åpen slik at alle kan vandre ut og inn og gjøre sitt fornødne mens jeg kveles av damp i dusjen. Selvfølgelig. Da jeg forsiktig nevner at det er tilsvarende fasiliteter i alle etasjer ser hun på meg som om jeg nettopp foreslo at hun kunne ta seg en tur opp på takterassen og hoppe over rekkverket (noe jeg faktisk var veldig nære ved å si). Hun huffet seg og dyttet meg til side og løp inn på do. Jeg trakk meg tilbake inn i dusjrommet og forbannet denne damen med hockeysveis og olabukselivet godt gjemt under puppene. Da jeg hørte hun hadde gått måtte jeg bare sjekke. Kunne hun være årsak til flere av mine frustrasjoner? Og så sannelig: Doringen var oppe.
Jeg kommer til å fortsette å låse baderomsdøren når jeg er der inne. Om ikke for privatliv og fred og ro, så i det minste på pur faen.
Det begynte med at dosetet stadig var oppe. Dette slo meg som veldig rart, ettersom det var en damedo. Jeg konkluderte dengang med at den skyldige måtte være en av de ufyselige polakkene i leiligheten ved siden av meg som ikke gadd å gå hele de 3 ekstra meterne til herredoen. Jeg møter de stadig vekk i gangen, da er de gjerne iført intet annet enn bokser og tøfler, og det er ikke før de har rundet hjørnet at du kjenner lukta de har hengende over seg: Billig vodka og røyk. Herlige typer. Jeg hengte opp en litt streng post-it over doen i god lesehøyde hvor jeg høflig forklarte at dette er en damedo, og hvis den skyldige ikke gidder gå rundt hjørnet for å bruke herredoen, så at han i det minste kunne legge ned det jævla dosetet etter seg. Lappen hang der i tre dager, men ingen positiv respons var å observere. Tvert i mot, jævelen måtte ha stått og stirret på lappen mens han gjorde sitt fornødige og galant ignorert budskapet. Kanskje de ikke snakket norsk? Jeg endte med å gi opp hele saken.
Et par uker senere oppdaget jeg en ny jente rekende i gangen her, aldri sett a før, og tenkte som så at "hyggelig med nye folk på min alder i etasjen". Det var helt til jeg møtte henne i dodøra. Jeg synes det var litt merkelig at hun ikke hadde noen rull med dopapir i hånda, men hun smilte og sa "Hei!". "Hei" sa jeg tilbake, mens jeg funderte på hva hun hadde drevet med der inne. Man må nemlig ha sin egen dorull. Det er veldig viktig. Det hadde hun tydeligvis ikke gått til anskaffelse av, for da jeg kom inn på toalettet var det tydelig at hun hadde brukt "riste-metoden". Fint. Annenhver gang jeg er på do må jeg nå enten huske å legge ned doringen, eller se nøye etter og tørke eventuelle flekker.
Og ikke nok med det. En ettermiddag denne uka stod jeg i dusjen og ante fred og ingen fare da jeg plutselig høre et nøkkelkort gå i døra, etterfulgt av vill, frantisk risting i dørhåndtaket. Om det er opptatt på badet har jeg lært meg at man har to muligheter: vent i noen minutter, og er det prekært kan du evt. forflytte deg en etasje opp eller ned og prøve der. Som regel prøver de nøkkelkortet, innser at det er opptatt og lar deg være i fred. Men denne damen ville inn. Jeg var midt i tørkeprossessen da jeg hørte det banke på døren. "Ja?" sier jeg. Intet svar. Jeg fortsetter å tørke håret da det banker på en gang til, denne gangen uten stopp. Jeg banner litt for meg selv, slenger håndkledet rundt meg og åpner døra ut til gangen. Der står hun. Den skumle polakkdamen (jeg bor tydeligvis i polakketasjen). Hun spør meg på gebrokken norsk om jeg ikke er klar over at det bor flere i bygget. Jo, det er jeg, sier jeg. Hun forteller meg at døra må være åpen slik at alle kan vandre ut og inn og gjøre sitt fornødne mens jeg kveles av damp i dusjen. Selvfølgelig. Da jeg forsiktig nevner at det er tilsvarende fasiliteter i alle etasjer ser hun på meg som om jeg nettopp foreslo at hun kunne ta seg en tur opp på takterassen og hoppe over rekkverket (noe jeg faktisk var veldig nære ved å si). Hun huffet seg og dyttet meg til side og løp inn på do. Jeg trakk meg tilbake inn i dusjrommet og forbannet denne damen med hockeysveis og olabukselivet godt gjemt under puppene. Da jeg hørte hun hadde gått måtte jeg bare sjekke. Kunne hun være årsak til flere av mine frustrasjoner? Og så sannelig: Doringen var oppe.
Jeg kommer til å fortsette å låse baderomsdøren når jeg er der inne. Om ikke for privatliv og fred og ro, så i det minste på pur faen.
Monday, 9 November 2009
Eksamensnerver, del I
Eksamen... Tre små stavelser. Et grusomt ord. Hvor sykt er det ikke at en i løpet av flere måneder sliter seg gjennom pensum og forelesninger, gjør oppgaver, går til gruppeundervisning, prøver å suge til seg mest mulig kunnskap, og mot slutten av semesteret nærmest gir avkall på både et sosialt liv og søvn, for å kunne prestere én eneste dag? Det er ganske sykt faktisk.
Gjennom hele dette semesteret har jeg ikke fått en eneste karakter. På oppgavene vi har gjort har vi fått kun godkjent/ikke godkjent. Vi har ikke fått noen pekepinn på hvordan vi ligger ann karaktermessig, ingen hint om hvordan vi kan forvente å gjøre det på eksamen. Vi fumler egentlig litt i blinde, og som førsteårsstudenter aner vi ikke hva slags vanskelighetsgrad vi kan forvente oss. Én dag, én mulighet, én karakter. Er det rart nervene begynner å komme krypende? Jeg har heldigvis holdt nogenlunde tritt med pensumlesingen gjennom semesteret, men jeg har fortsatt en stor jobb å gjøre fremover. Jeg aner bare ikke hvor jeg skal begynne.
Heldigvis er jeg ikke en av de psycho-smarte-smartingene på Gløshaugen, enkelte av de har innført 12-timersdager i eksamenslesetiden. 8 til 8, her skal det jobbes! Jeg har hørt om folk som sover på skolen. Gløshaugen er en helt annen verden enn Dragvoll, selv om lesesalene begynner å fylles opp på Dragvoll om dagen også (selv om jeg foreløpig ikke har sett noen med sovepose). I morgen skal jeg finne meg en plass på lesesalen selv, og faktisk lese. Jeg lover.
Ellers så jeg Funny People i dag. Den var funny.
Gjennom hele dette semesteret har jeg ikke fått en eneste karakter. På oppgavene vi har gjort har vi fått kun godkjent/ikke godkjent. Vi har ikke fått noen pekepinn på hvordan vi ligger ann karaktermessig, ingen hint om hvordan vi kan forvente å gjøre det på eksamen. Vi fumler egentlig litt i blinde, og som førsteårsstudenter aner vi ikke hva slags vanskelighetsgrad vi kan forvente oss. Én dag, én mulighet, én karakter. Er det rart nervene begynner å komme krypende? Jeg har heldigvis holdt nogenlunde tritt med pensumlesingen gjennom semesteret, men jeg har fortsatt en stor jobb å gjøre fremover. Jeg aner bare ikke hvor jeg skal begynne.
Heldigvis er jeg ikke en av de psycho-smarte-smartingene på Gløshaugen, enkelte av de har innført 12-timersdager i eksamenslesetiden. 8 til 8, her skal det jobbes! Jeg har hørt om folk som sover på skolen. Gløshaugen er en helt annen verden enn Dragvoll, selv om lesesalene begynner å fylles opp på Dragvoll om dagen også (selv om jeg foreløpig ikke har sett noen med sovepose). I morgen skal jeg finne meg en plass på lesesalen selv, og faktisk lese. Jeg lover.
Ellers så jeg Funny People i dag. Den var funny.
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Lysander riddles very prettily
Du vet du gjør rett i å studere engelsk når du ser en filmatisering av "A Midsummer Night's Dream" og holder på å le deg kvakk ihjel. Om det var de vittige replikkene som gjorde at jeg lo så jeg ristet, eller om det var Calista Flockharts latterlig dårlige forsøk på britisk aksent er uvisst, men moro var det.
Ellers har jeg slikt og gjøre, slikt og føre, at jeg danser vel litt boogie også, sa Askelinn og ga faen i å dra frem støvsugeren.
Ellers har jeg slikt og gjøre, slikt og føre, at jeg danser vel litt boogie også, sa Askelinn og ga faen i å dra frem støvsugeren.
Friday, 30 October 2009
Ooops!
Oi, du verden, jeg oppdaget plutselig her om dagen at det er over en måned siden jeg skrev her. Jeg sa riktignok at daglige oppdateringer ikke var særlig aktuelt, men dette gikk jo over stokk og stein. Eller semesteroppgaver og forelesninger, eventuelt. Anyways, dere få som har fulgt med på bloggen legger kanskje merke til når dere leser dette at det er på norsk. Det har sine grunner. Jeg har skrevet oppgaver på engelsk, hatt forelesninger på engelsk, og snakket om engelsk i 3 måneder nå, og jeg må si, jeg er litt lei. Misforstå meg rett, jeg stortrives med studievalget mitt, men akkurat nå føler jeg rett og slett for å bruke norsken min litt også. Men se ikke bort i fra at jeg plutselig slenger inn et engelsk innlegg her og der. SÅ, med unnskyldninger og forklaringer ute av veien skal jeg oppdatere dere litt på hva som skjer om dagen (og hva som har skjedd den siste måneden).
Jeg nevnte i forbifarten noen oppgaver jeg har jobbet med. Noen oversettingsoppgaver og argumenterende essays i språkferdighet, men også noen litt mer kreative oppgaver som diktoppgave i litteratur. Ikke mindre enn 4 dikt skulle forfattes etter strenge regler om rytme og rim. Åjadu. Jeg har lest og analysert Othello av Shakespeare og godt og vel 20 dikt. Jeg har vært i observasjonspraksis og begynt på semesteroppgaven i pedagogikk. Jeg har lest altfor mange sider om morfologi og lingvistikk, og jeg vet akkurat hvor tunga di befinner seg i kjeften og hva det heter på fagspråket når du uttaler en t. Det er en ustemt alveolar plosiv, hvis du lurte.
Jeg hadde problemer med å komme skikkelig i gang med studiene, det var veldig mye frihet og veldig mye som skjedde i børjan, men den siste måneden har jeg vært så flink! Lesesalen på Dragvoll har blitt mitt home away from home away from home, og jeg har tatt igjen pensum. Hurra! Da er det bare å begynne å lese alt på nytt i eksamensforberedelsestiden. Som begynner veeeldig snart. Skummelt.
Men når man kjenner litt på eksamensnervene og oppgittheten er det godt å ha gode venner! Og det har jeg jammen meg fått her oppe også, en skikkelig bra gjeng bestående av 6-7 fabelaktige jenter (guttene får være med hvis de er snille). Og de baker hele tiden! Oda sin mamma sin eplekake med is står i fare for å bli min primære næringskilde. Det og kakao med krem. Eller krem med kakao, alt etter som.
Etter det utsagnet lurer dere vel på om jeg kommer trillende nedover til jul, men jeg tror jeg holder kake- og kakaokiloene i sjakk med dansen. Jeg danser fortsatt salsa, boogie, lindy hop og swing. Kjempeartig! Og når jeg føler for en litt hardere økt (vi er som regel 70 eller mer % jenter, da blir det litt ståing og venting), kjører jeg på med en kick off time. Hva er kick off, spør du kanskje? Jo, det er en time med kickboksing-aerobic-styrke-trening. Intet mer, intet mindre. Og moro er det óg.
Ellers var Siri her på besøk forrige helg. DET var koslig det! Vi spiste taco og gikk på kino og gikk rundt i byen og fikk svineinfluensa og.. HVA?! SVINEINFLUENSA?!! Jada, lørdag kveld begynte søsteren å føle seg litt uggen, og innen leggetid var det feber og hodepine og halsvondt, og det var en ganske blek lillesøster jeg med tungt hjerte måtte sende av gårde med bussen den søndagen. Men jeg, jeg slapp unna svineriet. Med tanke på at vi ga hverandre skikkelige bjørneklemmer, drakk av samme flaske og sov i samme seng er det litt merkelig, men jeg er altså frisk som en fisk. Fysisk i alle fall.
Sådet, en oppdatering der altså. Jeg lover å ikke la det drøye så lenge til neste gang. Ha en riktig så fin helg! :)
Jeg nevnte i forbifarten noen oppgaver jeg har jobbet med. Noen oversettingsoppgaver og argumenterende essays i språkferdighet, men også noen litt mer kreative oppgaver som diktoppgave i litteratur. Ikke mindre enn 4 dikt skulle forfattes etter strenge regler om rytme og rim. Åjadu. Jeg har lest og analysert Othello av Shakespeare og godt og vel 20 dikt. Jeg har vært i observasjonspraksis og begynt på semesteroppgaven i pedagogikk. Jeg har lest altfor mange sider om morfologi og lingvistikk, og jeg vet akkurat hvor tunga di befinner seg i kjeften og hva det heter på fagspråket når du uttaler en t. Det er en ustemt alveolar plosiv, hvis du lurte.
Jeg hadde problemer med å komme skikkelig i gang med studiene, det var veldig mye frihet og veldig mye som skjedde i børjan, men den siste måneden har jeg vært så flink! Lesesalen på Dragvoll har blitt mitt home away from home away from home, og jeg har tatt igjen pensum. Hurra! Da er det bare å begynne å lese alt på nytt i eksamensforberedelsestiden. Som begynner veeeldig snart. Skummelt.
Men når man kjenner litt på eksamensnervene og oppgittheten er det godt å ha gode venner! Og det har jeg jammen meg fått her oppe også, en skikkelig bra gjeng bestående av 6-7 fabelaktige jenter (guttene får være med hvis de er snille). Og de baker hele tiden! Oda sin mamma sin eplekake med is står i fare for å bli min primære næringskilde. Det og kakao med krem. Eller krem med kakao, alt etter som.
Etter det utsagnet lurer dere vel på om jeg kommer trillende nedover til jul, men jeg tror jeg holder kake- og kakaokiloene i sjakk med dansen. Jeg danser fortsatt salsa, boogie, lindy hop og swing. Kjempeartig! Og når jeg føler for en litt hardere økt (vi er som regel 70 eller mer % jenter, da blir det litt ståing og venting), kjører jeg på med en kick off time. Hva er kick off, spør du kanskje? Jo, det er en time med kickboksing-aerobic-styrke-trening. Intet mer, intet mindre. Og moro er det óg.
Ellers var Siri her på besøk forrige helg. DET var koslig det! Vi spiste taco og gikk på kino og gikk rundt i byen og fikk svineinfluensa og.. HVA?! SVINEINFLUENSA?!! Jada, lørdag kveld begynte søsteren å føle seg litt uggen, og innen leggetid var det feber og hodepine og halsvondt, og det var en ganske blek lillesøster jeg med tungt hjerte måtte sende av gårde med bussen den søndagen. Men jeg, jeg slapp unna svineriet. Med tanke på at vi ga hverandre skikkelige bjørneklemmer, drakk av samme flaske og sov i samme seng er det litt merkelig, men jeg er altså frisk som en fisk. Fysisk i alle fall.
Sådet, en oppdatering der altså. Jeg lover å ikke la det drøye så lenge til neste gang. Ha en riktig så fin helg! :)
Sunday, 27 September 2009
They have government funded programs for people like you..
I was out on the town yesterday, and I made some interesting and very sad observations. You know those girls, mostly blondes, often pretty (but not always). They stagger around on their heels, more skin showing than not. They fascinate me. It must be really tough when you're a student, and you spent all your money on makeup (God knows they don't spend any on food), and you can't afford clothes that fit you. The result is gruesome, they have to wear clothes they took off their barbie dolls. October in Trondheim is not very warm, and in their tiny strings of garments they must be freezing. It brings a tear to my eye, my sympathies to their families. Thank goodness for those charming, young men offering to take them home and keep them warm.
Saturday, 19 September 2009
Put on your dancing shoes
I just ordered my first pair of dance sneakers. I know I can't keep dancing in my trainers, but these shoes are expensive, so they better be good. It's a good investment though, I really enjoy the dance classes. Last Friday I attended a latin dance night, and I was jaw-to-the-floor impressed by how amazing some of these dancers are. I even got asked to dance by one of them, and it was fun, too. Just a bit embarrassing when I figured out (halfway through the song) that I was dancing salsa and he was dancing bachata. Oh well.
Line came to visit last weekend. Else was supposed to come, but she came down with the flu, and didn't feel like travelling halfway across the country. Understandable. So Line spent the weekend here, we had a great time shopping, eating, laughing, and painting the town. Can't wait to have my next visitor! Company somehow makes this tiny appartment seem bigger. Homier.
This weekend I'm attending two birthday parties. Next weekend there's one. After that, UKA starts. Lots of fun, lots to look forward to :) But, I kind of wonder when I'm going to be able to have a quiet weekend. You know, when absolutely nothing happens, you haven't got a single invitation to anything, and you're pretty sure you're going to die from boredom, and you wallow in your bed watching bad TV, or read. I'm looking forward to one of those too.
Line came to visit last weekend. Else was supposed to come, but she came down with the flu, and didn't feel like travelling halfway across the country. Understandable. So Line spent the weekend here, we had a great time shopping, eating, laughing, and painting the town. Can't wait to have my next visitor! Company somehow makes this tiny appartment seem bigger. Homier.
This weekend I'm attending two birthday parties. Next weekend there's one. After that, UKA starts. Lots of fun, lots to look forward to :) But, I kind of wonder when I'm going to be able to have a quiet weekend. You know, when absolutely nothing happens, you haven't got a single invitation to anything, and you're pretty sure you're going to die from boredom, and you wallow in your bed watching bad TV, or read. I'm looking forward to one of those too.
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Busy bee
Remember how I suggested that university is relaxing and that I have a lot of free time on my hands? Yeah.. Scratch that. It's all picking up speed now, excercises for group sessions, obligatory reading, obligatory assignments, work experience. I check it's learning daily, I read Shakespeare sonnets at night before I go to sleep, and I worked 5 hours on an english proficiency assignment on Sunday. Still, this is nothing compared to what's to come. And as if school wasn't enough, I'm now attending lessons of salsa, hip hop, lindy hop, boogie woogie and swing. But you know what? I love it. I've been spending the last 2 years in some sort of intellectual drought. I'm learning stuff again, and it's wonderful!
What's not wonderful though is the economical life of the average student. I've never noticed until now how quickly money just fly off into different directions, and you never see them again. And life in Trondheim does demand a few extra expenses, such as clothes to fit the climate. I have invested in not only one, but two pairs of rain boots, and I am now ready for autumn/winter in Trondheim. From what I've been told, I'll be walking in slosh the next months. The weather these days is insane. One minute you look up and you see clear skies and a warming sun. The next you're drenched from rain, or swept up and landed somewhere in outer atmosphere by one of those aweful coastal winds. But like my grandmother said: "Det finns itte dårlig vær, bære dårlig klær". Tssh.
Over to something much more pleasant than Norwegian weather: the programme for UKA09 (Norway's longest and most eventful festival) was released today. Over 3 weeks (almost all through October) of beer and fun and good music. You'll for sure find me attendig the Postgirobygget concert, the October fest, 50's night, the "Trønderfest", and last but not least, the Aqua concert! Among other things, the 3 weeks are packed with entertainment, art, culture, courses, not to mention great sporting events (e.g. the Norwegian Championship of Rock-Scissors-Paper takes place during UKA). UKA is a big deal, it stirs up the city every other year, and I'll be around for at least 3 of them!
I got curtains! They're a lovely purple colour (which now has turned out to be my theme colour), and way too long. But I think I solved it rather fancily; I tied them all up in buns at the bottom and it looks quite good, if I might say so myself. Now I just need some cushions and a table cloth. And a night stand. And a few other things. And I should go to IKEA to get these things pretty soon, this week actually, becaaaauuse... I get my first visitor this weekend! Else arrives some time on Friday, staying until Sunday. Yay! We're gonna have so much fun! :)
What's not wonderful though is the economical life of the average student. I've never noticed until now how quickly money just fly off into different directions, and you never see them again. And life in Trondheim does demand a few extra expenses, such as clothes to fit the climate. I have invested in not only one, but two pairs of rain boots, and I am now ready for autumn/winter in Trondheim. From what I've been told, I'll be walking in slosh the next months. The weather these days is insane. One minute you look up and you see clear skies and a warming sun. The next you're drenched from rain, or swept up and landed somewhere in outer atmosphere by one of those aweful coastal winds. But like my grandmother said: "Det finns itte dårlig vær, bære dårlig klær". Tssh.
Over to something much more pleasant than Norwegian weather: the programme for UKA09 (Norway's longest and most eventful festival) was released today. Over 3 weeks (almost all through October) of beer and fun and good music. You'll for sure find me attendig the Postgirobygget concert, the October fest, 50's night, the "Trønderfest", and last but not least, the Aqua concert! Among other things, the 3 weeks are packed with entertainment, art, culture, courses, not to mention great sporting events (e.g. the Norwegian Championship of Rock-Scissors-Paper takes place during UKA). UKA is a big deal, it stirs up the city every other year, and I'll be around for at least 3 of them!
I got curtains! They're a lovely purple colour (which now has turned out to be my theme colour), and way too long. But I think I solved it rather fancily; I tied them all up in buns at the bottom and it looks quite good, if I might say so myself. Now I just need some cushions and a table cloth. And a night stand. And a few other things. And I should go to IKEA to get these things pretty soon, this week actually, becaaaauuse... I get my first visitor this weekend! Else arrives some time on Friday, staying until Sunday. Yay! We're gonna have so much fun! :)
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Getting started
The first two weeks of uni are over, and I very much appreciate the fact that it's 6pm. on a Wednesday, and I'm not getting ready for a party. It's been great fun, I made a lot of good friends, and a part of me wishes I could keep it up all through the year. But. I also spent too much money, slept too little, and I'm afraid if my liver could talk, it would yell some pretty offensive stuff at me. So I'm glad I can finally relax, take it all in, and start my studies for real. And so far I'm doing pretty good. Despite the late night partying, I still managed to get to every class (even the ones at 8am) these past weeks, and I did all my obligatory reading. I'm done buying my books (which I got fairly cheap, I bought most of them second hand). I've got my time table more or less down (see bottom of this post), and I'm getting to know my way around school. I've paid my bills, bought my bus pass, got my insurance, and just this afternoon I sat down and made a 5-week-menu. Impressive, huh?
The best thing about being a student in a city more or less run by students, is that the offers on just about anything is amazing. For example, I'm going to dance Lindy Hop tonight. Lindy Hop! And tomorrow's Salsa, next week is Hip Hop/Street. This is all part of the student athletic association, and you pay ridiculously little for a membership and the access to over 50 different activities (from soccer to paintball to golf to karate to dance), as well as their gym where you can go spinning, running or join an aerobics class. 550 NOK (less than $100) a year! Lovely.
The only thing I still have on my list as of now, is going to IKEA to buy a few more things, a night stand and a box to have my books in and stuff, maybe this week. One of my new acquaintances is going and she has access to a car! Hooray! This weekend I'm going back home for a quick visit, going to a goodbye-party for one of my friends who's moving to England. And on my 7 hour bus ride I have more than enough time to read what I need in my new fascinating books, like "An introduction to linguistics and fonetics". It's gonna be hard to lay down The Time Traveler's Wife, the book I'm reading at the time. It's fantastic, I love it. Anyway, I need to get some food in me, my 5-week-menu informs me today is vegetable soup. Yum!
My time table so far:
Monday:
8.15 to 10.00: Pedagogy, lecture
Tuesday:
8.15 to 10.00: English Proficiency, lecture
10.15 to 11.00: Literature: Drama and Poetry, study group
Wednesday:
DAY OFF!
Thursday:
9.15 to 10.00: English Proficiency, study group
4:15pm to 6.00pm: EXFAC, lecture
Friday:
10.15 to 12.00: Literature: Drama and Poetry, lecture
(Every two weeks:) 12.15 to 2.00pm: Pedagogy study group.
Sounds great? I guess I should mention they expect us to be doing school work 40 hours a week.
The best thing about being a student in a city more or less run by students, is that the offers on just about anything is amazing. For example, I'm going to dance Lindy Hop tonight. Lindy Hop! And tomorrow's Salsa, next week is Hip Hop/Street. This is all part of the student athletic association, and you pay ridiculously little for a membership and the access to over 50 different activities (from soccer to paintball to golf to karate to dance), as well as their gym where you can go spinning, running or join an aerobics class. 550 NOK (less than $100) a year! Lovely.
The only thing I still have on my list as of now, is going to IKEA to buy a few more things, a night stand and a box to have my books in and stuff, maybe this week. One of my new acquaintances is going and she has access to a car! Hooray! This weekend I'm going back home for a quick visit, going to a goodbye-party for one of my friends who's moving to England. And on my 7 hour bus ride I have more than enough time to read what I need in my new fascinating books, like "An introduction to linguistics and fonetics". It's gonna be hard to lay down The Time Traveler's Wife, the book I'm reading at the time. It's fantastic, I love it. Anyway, I need to get some food in me, my 5-week-menu informs me today is vegetable soup. Yum!
My time table so far:
Monday:
8.15 to 10.00: Pedagogy, lecture
Tuesday:
8.15 to 10.00: English Proficiency, lecture
10.15 to 11.00: Literature: Drama and Poetry, study group
Wednesday:
DAY OFF!
Thursday:
9.15 to 10.00: English Proficiency, study group
4:15pm to 6.00pm: EXFAC, lecture
Friday:
10.15 to 12.00: Literature: Drama and Poetry, lecture
(Every two weeks:) 12.15 to 2.00pm: Pedagogy study group.
Sounds great? I guess I should mention they expect us to be doing school work 40 hours a week.
Thursday, 13 August 2009
Learning disabilities
I'm a student. I'm tired. I have been to parties two nights in a row, and I have about 10 more to go. Initiation week, or buddy week (fadderuka) is a very illogical phenomena. 7000 new, confused students are grouped and assigned buddies and basically get drunk 13 nights in a row. And you go to school. Your brain has to deal with a frightening amount of information every day, everything's new, and you'd think you would want to be awake, alert, and concentrated during this important phase of the school year. But no. Party time! This is only my second day of going to bed at 2am and getting up at 8am, and I am exhausted. This insanity will continue the rest of this week, this weekend and all through next week. Don't get me wrong, I love it! It's a great way to meet people, most of them are very nice, it's fun, and you get to know the city.. I just wish I didn't have to be in a class room at 9.15 in the morning. But I'm here for school, I can sleep in a week and a half, this is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity. The normal, boring life of a student will come soon enough. Cheers!
Sunday, 9 August 2009
Goodbyes and fresh starts
I'm not good with goodbyes. I always cry. Leaving Dallas was hard, knowing I wouldn't see any of them for at least another year, some of them maybe never again. But I had 4 amazing weeks in the states, I'm so glad I went. A big thanks to Mary Grace and her family and friends for making me feel so welcome. The last few days were spent enjoying the sun, drinking margharitas, packing, planning my homecoming and the following move. I left the Delatour house at 6.30am on Wednesday and said goodbye to Mary Grace, Janina and Ann Elise at the airport. 24 hours, 3 flights (Dallas --> New York --> Reykjavik --> Oslo) and hardly any sleep later, I was home. Else picked me up at the airport, and had me home by 4pm Thursday. Thank you! I had a quiet night with my friends planned, some wine, crackers and cheese, but we ended up going to a concert (Postgirobygget), and it was great! I surprised myself by staying awake the whole time. After almost 40 hours on the go, I went to sleep for the last time in my room. Friday I moved.
I am currently sitting in my new, tiny, studio apartment in Trondheim. I've spent the weekend moving in, buying appliances, carrying boxes, despairing over lack of space. Now I'm pretty much all set, I have what I need, now I only have to worry about the small stuff: pillows, table cloths, curtains.. Personally I'm happy with how it all turned out, I'll post a picture when I'm done decorating. I said goodbye to my family today, they spent the weekend here, helping me out. I couldn't have done this alone, I have the best family in the world (love you, miss you!). That makes me even more sad to see them go, but it's time for the little birdie to leave the nest. And I'll go home for a visit in a few weeks.. Now I'm just starting to get excited about starting school. The start-of-year ceremony is on Tuesday, so I have tomorrow to get to know the city a bit, apply for a part time job, and buy some of the stuff I need. And to get a good workout, it's been ages.
Of the 156 000 people living in Trondheim, 30 000 of them are students. And I can hear them, see them, smell them, coming back from wherever they spent their lazy days of summer, getting ready for a new year of learning. I like to think I'm one of them.
I am currently sitting in my new, tiny, studio apartment in Trondheim. I've spent the weekend moving in, buying appliances, carrying boxes, despairing over lack of space. Now I'm pretty much all set, I have what I need, now I only have to worry about the small stuff: pillows, table cloths, curtains.. Personally I'm happy with how it all turned out, I'll post a picture when I'm done decorating. I said goodbye to my family today, they spent the weekend here, helping me out. I couldn't have done this alone, I have the best family in the world (love you, miss you!). That makes me even more sad to see them go, but it's time for the little birdie to leave the nest. And I'll go home for a visit in a few weeks.. Now I'm just starting to get excited about starting school. The start-of-year ceremony is on Tuesday, so I have tomorrow to get to know the city a bit, apply for a part time job, and buy some of the stuff I need. And to get a good workout, it's been ages.
Of the 156 000 people living in Trondheim, 30 000 of them are students. And I can hear them, see them, smell them, coming back from wherever they spent their lazy days of summer, getting ready for a new year of learning. I like to think I'm one of them.
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
American fast food chains...
McDonalds, Burger King, Whataburger, Denny's, Wendy's, Arby's, Checker's, Hardee's, Jack in the Box, White Castle, Long John Silver's, Dairy Queen, Sonic, Big Boy, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Chick-Fil-A, Taco Bell, Taco Bueno, Taco Cabana, Taco Time, Domino's, Pizza Hut, Subway, and more...
Food, lots of food, fast.
Food, lots of food, fast.
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
That's America
Drive thru fast food, drive thru coffee, drive thru pharmacies, drive thru liquour stores, drive thru banks.. You can basically live through your car in the states. Amazingly efficient, or ridiculously lazy..? Or both..? I'm just asking.
I got to experience some real American traditional activities this weekend. Because I missed out on the rodeo in Colorado, we went to Fort Worth this Friday to see some good old American bull riding. It started at 8pm, but we went a bit earlier to get dinner at Cattlemen's steakhouse (amazing by the way), and to walk around the Stockyards (part of Ft. Worth, a bit outside the city, and if you ever want to see Texas like you've imagined it, go there). The rodeo started off with an 11 year old girl singing the National Anthem, a pretty blonde riding on a beautiful horse holding the Star Spangled Banner, and as expected they followed it up with two hours of bullriding, calf roping and barrel racing. It was good fun, and gave me the feeling of really being in Texas. The original plan was to go to Billy Bob's after, for a drink in the world's biggest Honky Tonk bar, but, it was raining, and our schedule didn't allow it. Later I heard it's actually a pretty shitty bar, so I guess it wasn't the end of the world. We ended up going out in Dallas instead, meeting for the first time Mary Grace's brother David, and his friend David.
The day after, the Davids offered to take me and Janina to a baseball game. We didn't want to miss a chance to see what's known as America's pastime, so we headed off to the Texas Rangers ball park in Arlington. Also the home of the Dallas Cowboys, but unfortunately football's not in season. Anyway, Janina and I had never seen a baseball game before, and the Davids did their very best to explain the rules, which is not an easy thing to do. About an hour into the game we got it, and I can honestly say I understand the game now. Yay! Our cheering them on did not help though, they were losing badly to the Seattle Mariners. We left at the end of the 8th inning, and went out to meet the others for drinks at Cosmo's.
As if to honour our last week in Dallas, the sun made it's return, and we're now back to 98 degrees (37 celsius), and clear blue skies. This calls for some quality time by the pool side. On Sunday we went to Ann Elise's pool, and Monday we went to Jeff's parents's house. They are the sweetest people you'll ever meet, and while we enjoyed a good couple of hours in their pool, Jeff's dad made us hamburgers and hot dogs.. Life is pretty good in Dallas right now, and I can't believe I'm going home the day after tomorrow.
I got to experience some real American traditional activities this weekend. Because I missed out on the rodeo in Colorado, we went to Fort Worth this Friday to see some good old American bull riding. It started at 8pm, but we went a bit earlier to get dinner at Cattlemen's steakhouse (amazing by the way), and to walk around the Stockyards (part of Ft. Worth, a bit outside the city, and if you ever want to see Texas like you've imagined it, go there). The rodeo started off with an 11 year old girl singing the National Anthem, a pretty blonde riding on a beautiful horse holding the Star Spangled Banner, and as expected they followed it up with two hours of bullriding, calf roping and barrel racing. It was good fun, and gave me the feeling of really being in Texas. The original plan was to go to Billy Bob's after, for a drink in the world's biggest Honky Tonk bar, but, it was raining, and our schedule didn't allow it. Later I heard it's actually a pretty shitty bar, so I guess it wasn't the end of the world. We ended up going out in Dallas instead, meeting for the first time Mary Grace's brother David, and his friend David.
The day after, the Davids offered to take me and Janina to a baseball game. We didn't want to miss a chance to see what's known as America's pastime, so we headed off to the Texas Rangers ball park in Arlington. Also the home of the Dallas Cowboys, but unfortunately football's not in season. Anyway, Janina and I had never seen a baseball game before, and the Davids did their very best to explain the rules, which is not an easy thing to do. About an hour into the game we got it, and I can honestly say I understand the game now. Yay! Our cheering them on did not help though, they were losing badly to the Seattle Mariners. We left at the end of the 8th inning, and went out to meet the others for drinks at Cosmo's.
As if to honour our last week in Dallas, the sun made it's return, and we're now back to 98 degrees (37 celsius), and clear blue skies. This calls for some quality time by the pool side. On Sunday we went to Ann Elise's pool, and Monday we went to Jeff's parents's house. They are the sweetest people you'll ever meet, and while we enjoyed a good couple of hours in their pool, Jeff's dad made us hamburgers and hot dogs.. Life is pretty good in Dallas right now, and I can't believe I'm going home the day after tomorrow.
Friday, 31 July 2009
Downtown Dallas
Sightseeing in Dallas is not like sightseeing I've done in any other city. Dallas is so big, and so spread out, and the public transportation is not very good. Without a car you're not likely to see a lot of Dallas, and walking around in downtown Dallas this time of year is like going for a walk in an oven. But Janina and I decided to try, we were supposed to go to the Old Red Courthouse museum for the history of Dallas, and to the JFK 6th Floor museum at Dealy Plaza, where John F. Kennedy was assassinated in '63. We didn't do either. That is, we went to both, took some pictures from the outside, and went walking around the city instead. We found beautiful little park, called Thanksgiving Square, with an adorable little chapel. We walked up and down the three main streets: Main, Elm and Commerce, but Dallas doesn't function like other, big, European cities I've been to; Downtown doesn't have great shopping and big pedestrian streets. It has museums, some churches, some parks, a few restaurants, and a lot of office buidlings. I'm sure we would've enjoyed the downtown tour much more in spring or autumn, when it wouldn't be so hot, you'll have more energy to walk and look around, although I have the impression there's not that much to see. People work downtown, not a lot of the Dallas population live there. So all the malls, the boutiques, the grocery stores, the theatres, most of the restaurants, and the insane amount of nail salons, are all set in uptown, or the neighbouring communities that all belong to the county of Dallas. What is funny downtown though, is noticing the contrast between the areas and buildings that are part of old Dallas, and what has been built with oil money these last decades. Here are some photos from downtown Dallas:
And you've probably heard the expression "Everything's bigger in Texas". I don't know if this is true, but it certainly goes for the thunderstorms:
And you've probably heard the expression "Everything's bigger in Texas". I don't know if this is true, but it certainly goes for the thunderstorms:
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
There and back again..
Time has passed quickly the last 10 days, the first few of them I spent meeting new people, experiencing the nightlife of Dallas, and looking forward to 2 things: Janina's arrival, and our trip to Colorado. Janina came Sunday evening, we picked her up at 6pm (this was by the way my 8th time in an airport in 2 weeks), and got her settled in the backhouse with me. We passed the time from Monday til Wednesday visiting the Nasher Sculpture Garden and the Dallas Museum of Art, shopping, and packing. Thankfully, the plan of us being 5 people and 2 dogs in one car driving the entire 13 hours in one day, was changed at the last minute. In stead of leaving Thursday morning, Wednesday evening only 4 people and 1 dog got in the car, and headed off to a little place called Creede, Colorado. We stopped in Amarillo, Texas for the night, at the Quality Inn, slept 5 hours, ate low quality breakfast, and continued on our journey. The landscape changed as we left Texas behind, more rolling hills, more green. Creede, Colorado is technically at the base of the Rocky Mountains, 8852 feet above sea level (ca. 2700 m.), and as we drove in to Wason Ranch around 5 Thursday evening, we could only marvel. Surrounded by mountains, and the Rio Grande running right by the house, which was gigantic. We were 8 people in total: me, Janina, Mary Grace and Jeff, Brittney and Jonathan, Ann Elise and her brother Andrew. And still there were 2 beds extra. 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 big living areas, a big kitchen, a pool table, ping-pong table, poker table, a big porch practically on the river, and not another house as far as you could see. And on top of this, it was a gang of lovely people, and we had more than enough Bud and wine for everyone. And as if there wasn't enough to do at the house (like being beaten at ping-pong), we managed to squeeze in some out-door activities too: we went to a shooting range just by the property, and those wild Texans teached us scared Europeans how to use a gun. Some went golfing, while 4 of us went river rafting down Rio Grande. The ride was about 2,5 hours long, and Janina and I, Brittney and Jonathan chose to paddle, so we had quite the little excercise going 10 miles (16 km) down the Rio Grande. It was fun, and a good way to see some beautiful scenery. I was also determined to go on a long hike, but put it off til Sunday. That was a mistake. First of all, most of Saturday night had been spent playing beer-pong. Second, it was raining. But, nothing can stop a stubborn Norwegian, so I got up at 8.30am, and climbed mountains, almost fell down mountains, nearly started avalanches, was close to tears at one point, tried to cross the river, failed at crossing the river, and walked back defeated and had to have them pick me up, after 3 hours. But all in all it was fun, and good for me, America is really the true home of fast food. We also got to spend some hours in the town of Creede itself, which is nothing like I've ever seen. About 400 people live there all year around, and our rafting guide told us that during summer and tourist season, that number increases to about 2000. We were meant to go see the rodeo Sunday afternoon, but it had been cancelled, so we decided we'd rather go see the indoor one in Fort Worth next weekend.
After 5 days of fun, relaxation and the feeling of time standing absolutely still, it was yet again time to spend a LOT of time in the backseat of a car. 5.07am Monday we were on the road and on the way back. This time we drove straight, stopping only a couple of times, and were back in Dallas 6.30pm. Isn't it weird how you can be completely exhausted from sitting still all day? I'll be going to sleep soon. Or read.. Oh, and I got into school! I am as of August 09 officially a student at NTNU, I start in 2 weeks!
Here are some pictures from Colorado:
After 5 days of fun, relaxation and the feeling of time standing absolutely still, it was yet again time to spend a LOT of time in the backseat of a car. 5.07am Monday we were on the road and on the way back. This time we drove straight, stopping only a couple of times, and were back in Dallas 6.30pm. Isn't it weird how you can be completely exhausted from sitting still all day? I'll be going to sleep soon. Or read.. Oh, and I got into school! I am as of August 09 officially a student at NTNU, I start in 2 weeks!
Here are some pictures from Colorado:
Friday, 17 July 2009
A night at the movies
The Inwood Landmark theatre in Dallas is a unique one. Instead of the boring, barely comfortable seats you find in normal theatres, here they have remodelled the entire first floor screening lounge into a living room. In the Living Room auditorium they have couches, loveseats, chairs and ottomans, as well as LoveSacs. If you're quick you can pick up a blanket on your way in. You can order drinks there, chill in your LoveSac with your blanket and a bottle of wine. It is amazing to me that I haven't seen this anywhere else, it's by far the best way to see a film! So even if Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hadn't been amazing, last night would at least have been comfortable.
I'm a huge fan of the Harry Potter books. I love the story, love the books, like the films. I just don't like Daniel Radcliffe. You'd think you'd see some improvement in his acting after almsot a decade in the game, but no. Love Rupert Grint, though, he's hilarious. But the movies will never be comparable to the books, so I just take them for what they are, and this is a good one. Dark and scary as it should be, but at the right times it was so funny. I had a great time watching it.
Tonight I'm going with Mary Grace to her fabulously gay hair dresser, have dinner and drinks at the house, and then go out. Looking forward to it!
I'm a huge fan of the Harry Potter books. I love the story, love the books, like the films. I just don't like Daniel Radcliffe. You'd think you'd see some improvement in his acting after almsot a decade in the game, but no. Love Rupert Grint, though, he's hilarious. But the movies will never be comparable to the books, so I just take them for what they are, and this is a good one. Dark and scary as it should be, but at the right times it was so funny. I had a great time watching it.
Tonight I'm going with Mary Grace to her fabulously gay hair dresser, have dinner and drinks at the house, and then go out. Looking forward to it!
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Don't be a drag
I got up at 8.30 yesterday to beat the worst heat and go for a jog. 15 minutes and I was drenched, but it felt good. Me and Mary Grace went to Bed Bath and Beyond to buy pillows for her bed, she and Jeff are moving to their new place in August and there's a lot to be done. Dallas is different from anywhere I've ever been. Everything is so spread out, and if you don't drive, you're not likely to go anywhere. Of course I haven't been downtown Dallas yet, I am in American suburbian heaven. Oh, and I had my first night out in Dallas yesterday. Mary Grace's parents came home (the nicest people you'll ever meet by the way), and we all (me, Mary Grace, her parents John and Ann, Jeff and Ann Elise) went to a restaurant called Mi Cocina for Mexican food. Or Texican, as John called it. Turns out, what I have been calling spicy all these years is nothing compared to what they're used to here, but the fajitas were delicious.
Anyway, we had some drinks with dinner, John and Ann went home, and we figured we'd go to a gay club and see a drag queen show tonight. Jeff needed some persuation, also known as alcohol, and once he'd tricked a friend into coming with us, he was on board. So Chris comes to join us, we have some more drinks, and head off to the weirdest show ever. These guys are more feminine than I could dream of ever being, and they mime and dance and wiggle their way around the audience to collect tips. And they were of course all over Jeff and Chris. It was hilarious. Best part is, we're going back, Janina is going to want to see this when she comes.
Tonight the plan is to see the new Harry Potter movie. Can't wait. Enjoy the pictures, I have more for those interested ;)
Anyway, we had some drinks with dinner, John and Ann went home, and we figured we'd go to a gay club and see a drag queen show tonight. Jeff needed some persuation, also known as alcohol, and once he'd tricked a friend into coming with us, he was on board. So Chris comes to join us, we have some more drinks, and head off to the weirdest show ever. These guys are more feminine than I could dream of ever being, and they mime and dance and wiggle their way around the audience to collect tips. And they were of course all over Jeff and Chris. It was hilarious. Best part is, we're going back, Janina is going to want to see this when she comes.
Tonight the plan is to see the new Harry Potter movie. Can't wait. Enjoy the pictures, I have more for those interested ;)
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
Goodbye to New York, Hello Texas!
The end of one adventure, the start of another. I am currently in Dallas, Texas, and it is insanely hot. Right now it's 101 fahrenheit outside, or 39 degrees celsius. I love it though, what puts me off is the airconditioning everywhere is set to so cold that you'll freeze stepping inside, I guess it takes some getting used to. Mary Grace lives in a beautiful neighbourhood, in a big house, and I have my own backhouse in their back yard. They (Mary Grace and Ann Elise) picked me up at the airport, and I met Jeff (Mary Grace's boyfriend) and Taz (her Pomeranian, he's a retard, but adorable). Before I went to sleep, we drove out to the country club where Mary Grace and Ann Elise's families are members and had dinner there.
Dallas is very different from New York. Very. I spent my last day in NY alone, cause Mary Grace had to go back to Dallas a day earlier than me. I left early yesterday, so last day of actually doing anything was Monday. I was up at 7 am. and headed off to the Empire State Building early to beat the lines that tend to be hours long. They open at 8, and I was there five minutes before and was able to head right up to the 86th floor. The ticket was $15, but it was worth it, I was up there for almost an hour photographing the most amazing view I've ever seen. In addition to New York, on a clear day, you can also see New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Connecticut as well. Amazing. Then I went to Central Park and just walked around for 3 hours, just getting lost. By far the best way to see the park. I spent a good deal of that time photographing squirrels.
Afterwards I took a cab to Washington Square, and took a walk around the popular areas West Village, SoHo and Greenwich Village, where you'll find a lot of art galleries, trendy shops, and not so trendy shops. Especially Bleecker street is interesting. Worth seeing, but I wish I had more time, and feet that weren't that sore. I kind of wanted to see some sort of show my last night, but I didn't get tickets to Letterman or Jon Stewart, and Broadway tickets were either sold out or ridiculously expensive. And since I didn't know what I'd like to see off-Broadway, I decided I'd go see a comedy show. They sell tickets on Times Square, and I paid $15 for a 3 hour show (actually 36, they charged me 21 dollars for two bottles of beer!). The show was at Dangerfield's on the Upper East Side, an old pub where famous comedians, such as Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Jim Carrey, have performed. It was a good waste of time, it was funny, the five acts ranged from OK to hilarious.
It was almost midnight when it ended, I just went back to the hotel, tried to shove my chaos back into my suitcases and get some sleep. Yesterday was all travel, and kind of emotional. kind of sad to leave New york, but also so excited to go to Dallas to stay with Mary Grace and meeting everybody. And so far it's great, I love it here, like a second home. And everyone's so nice. Except Ann Elise's chihuahua Bowzer, he's evil.
Some New York favourites: Central Park, Circle Line boat cruise, the guide on the Circle Line boat cruise, Can't-say-no sundae at Serendipity, the view from Empire State Building, Strawberry Banana Smoothie at Starbucks, how proud people are of their city, and how awestruck the tourists are.
Dallas is very different from New York. Very. I spent my last day in NY alone, cause Mary Grace had to go back to Dallas a day earlier than me. I left early yesterday, so last day of actually doing anything was Monday. I was up at 7 am. and headed off to the Empire State Building early to beat the lines that tend to be hours long. They open at 8, and I was there five minutes before and was able to head right up to the 86th floor. The ticket was $15, but it was worth it, I was up there for almost an hour photographing the most amazing view I've ever seen. In addition to New York, on a clear day, you can also see New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Connecticut as well. Amazing. Then I went to Central Park and just walked around for 3 hours, just getting lost. By far the best way to see the park. I spent a good deal of that time photographing squirrels.
Afterwards I took a cab to Washington Square, and took a walk around the popular areas West Village, SoHo and Greenwich Village, where you'll find a lot of art galleries, trendy shops, and not so trendy shops. Especially Bleecker street is interesting. Worth seeing, but I wish I had more time, and feet that weren't that sore. I kind of wanted to see some sort of show my last night, but I didn't get tickets to Letterman or Jon Stewart, and Broadway tickets were either sold out or ridiculously expensive. And since I didn't know what I'd like to see off-Broadway, I decided I'd go see a comedy show. They sell tickets on Times Square, and I paid $15 for a 3 hour show (actually 36, they charged me 21 dollars for two bottles of beer!). The show was at Dangerfield's on the Upper East Side, an old pub where famous comedians, such as Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Jim Carrey, have performed. It was a good waste of time, it was funny, the five acts ranged from OK to hilarious.
It was almost midnight when it ended, I just went back to the hotel, tried to shove my chaos back into my suitcases and get some sleep. Yesterday was all travel, and kind of emotional. kind of sad to leave New york, but also so excited to go to Dallas to stay with Mary Grace and meeting everybody. And so far it's great, I love it here, like a second home. And everyone's so nice. Except Ann Elise's chihuahua Bowzer, he's evil.
Some New York favourites: Central Park, Circle Line boat cruise, the guide on the Circle Line boat cruise, Can't-say-no sundae at Serendipity, the view from Empire State Building, Strawberry Banana Smoothie at Starbucks, how proud people are of their city, and how awestruck the tourists are.
Monday, 13 July 2009
So much to do...
...so little time.
Dinner at Serendipity yesterday was great, but the dessert was absolutely awesome. "Can't-say-no" sundaes, the size of your head. Dangerously delicious, but we were so stuffed on the way home that we had to get a cab back to the hotel, and watched Law and Order till we fell asleep. Today was the only day we didn't have anything planned in the morning, so we slept till 10.30, which felt great. Then we went to Starbucks for coffee and breakfast, and headed off to Central Park, to just walk around and enjoy the nice weather (the rain and thunder that was promised yesterday didn't start before late, and had this morning made way for a clear, sunny sky). We ate lunch by the lake, and headed off for our 3 hour Sex and the City bus tour. It was an OK way to waste time, but I wouldn't recommend it as a way to see the city, or if you're not a huge fan of the show. But we got to do some cool stuff, like having Cosmos in Steve and Aidan's bar, visit the sex-shop where you could buy "the rabbit", and we got cupcakes at the famous Magnolia Bakery. Interesting enough, but the cupcakes were definitely the best part.
Afterwards we headed off to dinner, and today I went traditional New York style: New York pizza. Greasy, thin crusted, sloppy pizza. It was awesome.
This is Mary Grace's last night in New York with me, she flies back to Dallas in the morning, so tomorrow I'm on my own. Not that I haven't got plenty of stuff to do. Empire State Building is first on the list tomorrow. After that I'll play it by ear, maybe check out Central Park some more, which I think is my favourite part of the city. More photos coming up tomorrow.
Dinner at Serendipity yesterday was great, but the dessert was absolutely awesome. "Can't-say-no" sundaes, the size of your head. Dangerously delicious, but we were so stuffed on the way home that we had to get a cab back to the hotel, and watched Law and Order till we fell asleep. Today was the only day we didn't have anything planned in the morning, so we slept till 10.30, which felt great. Then we went to Starbucks for coffee and breakfast, and headed off to Central Park, to just walk around and enjoy the nice weather (the rain and thunder that was promised yesterday didn't start before late, and had this morning made way for a clear, sunny sky). We ate lunch by the lake, and headed off for our 3 hour Sex and the City bus tour. It was an OK way to waste time, but I wouldn't recommend it as a way to see the city, or if you're not a huge fan of the show. But we got to do some cool stuff, like having Cosmos in Steve and Aidan's bar, visit the sex-shop where you could buy "the rabbit", and we got cupcakes at the famous Magnolia Bakery. Interesting enough, but the cupcakes were definitely the best part.
Afterwards we headed off to dinner, and today I went traditional New York style: New York pizza. Greasy, thin crusted, sloppy pizza. It was awesome.
This is Mary Grace's last night in New York with me, she flies back to Dallas in the morning, so tomorrow I'm on my own. Not that I haven't got plenty of stuff to do. Empire State Building is first on the list tomorrow. After that I'll play it by ear, maybe check out Central Park some more, which I think is my favourite part of the city. More photos coming up tomorrow.
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Norway
3rd day in New York, and I am just beginning to grasp how long it would take me to really get to know this city. I guess I just have to settle for the typical touristy things, which is OK for a first-time visit.
Dinner yesterday was awesome, and after all the walking, two glasses of Riesling had me giggling halfway through our pasta/pizza meal. We went to bed early, to get up at 7.30 this morning for the 3 hour boat tour of New York. Which was the best spent 35 dollars ever, by the way. It was a fantastic way to see the diversity of the city, and the guide was hilarious, but not in an obnoxious way. The weather was great, and with a cold Budweiser in one hand and my camera in the other I was in heaven.
Afterward we made our second attempt to relocate ourselves through the means of public transportation, (we took the subway yesterday, which was crowded, and a big disappointment compared to the oh, so fantastic metrosystem in Barcelona), this time by bus. Mary Grace had to explain the more than slightly annoyed busdriver that she obviously wasn't from here, and failed to insert the metrocard correctly. Twice. We finally arrived at the Museum of Natural History, which would have been a much better experience if: a) it was less crowded, b) the batteries on my camera weren't flat, c) our feet weren't so sore. But definitely worth a visit. Today I learned for the umpteenth time that high heels are not to be worn sightseeing. Unless you're on a Sex and the City tour bus, which we will be tomorrow.
Tonight we're having dinner at Serendipity, which is famous for it's frozen hot chocolate. Yum.
There were 312 photos on my cameras from my first 2,5 days in New York, so you'll have to do with a random selection (there are more on facebook). Enjoy! :)
Dinner yesterday was awesome, and after all the walking, two glasses of Riesling had me giggling halfway through our pasta/pizza meal. We went to bed early, to get up at 7.30 this morning for the 3 hour boat tour of New York. Which was the best spent 35 dollars ever, by the way. It was a fantastic way to see the diversity of the city, and the guide was hilarious, but not in an obnoxious way. The weather was great, and with a cold Budweiser in one hand and my camera in the other I was in heaven.
Afterward we made our second attempt to relocate ourselves through the means of public transportation, (we took the subway yesterday, which was crowded, and a big disappointment compared to the oh, so fantastic metrosystem in Barcelona), this time by bus. Mary Grace had to explain the more than slightly annoyed busdriver that she obviously wasn't from here, and failed to insert the metrocard correctly. Twice. We finally arrived at the Museum of Natural History, which would have been a much better experience if: a) it was less crowded, b) the batteries on my camera weren't flat, c) our feet weren't so sore. But definitely worth a visit. Today I learned for the umpteenth time that high heels are not to be worn sightseeing. Unless you're on a Sex and the City tour bus, which we will be tomorrow.
Tonight we're having dinner at Serendipity, which is famous for it's frozen hot chocolate. Yum.
There were 312 photos on my cameras from my first 2,5 days in New York, so you'll have to do with a random selection (there are more on facebook). Enjoy! :)
Big, bigger, New York
I landed at JFK 6.30pm yesterday. Which meant it was already 12.30am to me. It took me 2 hours to get to the hotel, including a pretty scary bus ride, a good wait, and another bus ride. My first impression was the smell, it smells of french fries and exhaust. But in a good way. The second, was the size of things. It's enormous! The buildings, the crowd, the lines.. I checked in to the Millennium Broadway around 9, and met Mary Grace shortly after. So weird, haven't seen her in 6 months, and it feels so natural to hang out again. She's awesome. Feeling too hyped up to go to bed, we went looking for a late night snack, and just took a walk around Times Square. I ended up going to bed somewhere around 11.30, which would be 5.30am in Norway, but that got me synchronized to local time, and that's good, the jetlag's not going to be a problem.
Got up at 8 this morning, to go to Ellis Island and see the Statue of Liberty. On the way we saw Ground Zero. Not that you could see much, but that was emotional. We eventually found our way to Battery Park where they sell the tickets for the ferry. The lines seemed endless, but shortened surprisingly fast. When we got to the booth, it turns out there was a 1 hour wait for the ferry, and no possibility of entering the statue; the crown tour tickets were sold out until September(!). So we decided we'd skip that, and rather go on a 3 hour cruise around the whole of Manhattan tomorrow. After that we headed off for lunch, walked along Hudson river, overestimated our walkability and ended up taking a cab. Then we went to Central Park, and took a 20 minute carriage ride through the park. Not the best way to experience the park, but definitely a welcome relaxation for tired feet. While uptown we stopped by Dylan's Candy Bar, a gigantic candy store that gives Charlie's chocolate factory a fair competition.
Right now we're back at the hotel, getting ready for dinner at Ventro Trattoria, a recommended Italian place in the Meatpacking district. Pictures are coming up later, possibly tomorrow. New York is fantastic, no place like it. And the weather is great, though we're expecting some rain tomorrow evening. Too bad we're in New York, and there's no place to go shop, or any museums or shows to go to. Haha, I love it!
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Tomorrow!
On Sunday, I quit my job. At 7am I was done. No more flipping burgers and serving hot dogs, no more cleaning toilets and floors. It's an absolutely amazing feeling. On Monday, my dad, my sister and I packed a lot of my stuff and went to Trondheim. We carried it all up to the 3rd floor and into my tiny appartment. Then, we went to IKEA. I looove IKEA. Now, all I'm missing is a sofa, a TV, and I wouldn't mind some extra space, but other than that, my new home is starting to become just that; a tiny home.
I go to America tomorrow. HAHAHA, TOMORROW!! I can't believe it. I'm packing, and as usual I'm packing way too much, but I'm almost ready for 4 incredible weeks. In New York I'm staying here: Millennium Broadway Hotel New York
I go to America tomorrow. HAHAHA, TOMORROW!! I can't believe it. I'm packing, and as usual I'm packing way too much, but I'm almost ready for 4 incredible weeks. In New York I'm staying here: Millennium Broadway Hotel New York
Monday, 22 June 2009
Anticipation and God
In 17 days I'll be in New York. In the mean time I'm trying to do whatever I can to get the days to go by faster. Like going to the AC/DC concert (which was abslutely awesome, hats off to 60-year-olds who can rock like that), or spending a day with my sister in Oslo, or going to my friend's cabin for a couple of days, playing basketball, or going out. Anything to forget about the countdown that is constantly in the back of my head. I even, in a moment of insanity, started reading the bible. I am without a doubt in my mind an atheist. But I think I should at least know what it is I'm not believing in, so last week I started skimming through the old testament. I quickly discovered my prejudices were all justified; it is absolutely ridiculous. I've given up for now, if I'm going to be reading fairytales I'll be reading some more interesting ones. I actually shouldn't be reading at all, I should be packing. Since I finished the Twilight saga, there's been a hole in my schedule, so I should have plenty of time. But my room is barely visible through all the cardboard boxes and the mess that is produced by my failing to organize, so I'm just gonna have to pray it will all be magically sorted out. If I slice a sheep open and burn it, maybe God will help me out.
Wow, 15 minutes less until I head off to the US.
Today's thought provoker:
Genesis 3:3 "but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
Wow, 15 minutes less until I head off to the US.
Today's thought provoker:
Genesis 3:3 "but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
Friday, 12 June 2009
What's going on?
And I say, Heeeey ey ey ey Heeeeey ey ey. I said hey. What's going on.
For some reason I haven't written since I came home from Iceland. Maybe not enough interesting stuff have been going on, while I've been busy planning the stuff I'll be doing. It's all approaching rapidly. I cross the Atlantic ocean in less than a month. Before that time I have to have mye entire life packed into cardboard boxes. Ugh.
Between then and now I have a few things going on to keep me busy: This Monday I will see living rock'n'roll legends, I was finally able to get myself a ticket for the big AC/DC concert in Oslo. I'm hyped about it, it's supposed to be a great show. So Tuesday I'm afraid I'll be busy trying to recover my voice. And then it's back to work for a week, my second last week of work before I'm done. Ahhh.. Done.. Sounds so good.
And then I have a week of packing, suitcases and cardboard boxes, everything I've ever owned. Arrangements have to be made for moving all of this the 260 miles to my new home. I'm spending a day with my sister in Oslo, a few days with my best friend at her cabin, and after my last week of work I'm gonna try to get a few things settled in my appartment. And then I'm off. Wow, sounds like even less time said like that, but I'm not panicking yet. I don't have time.
Oh, I almost forgot, something interesting has happened over the last few weeks, that's part of what has kept me busy too, my sister's confirmation was on Sunday! It was the nicest ceremony, with lots of food and cakes and gifts and speaches. Absolutely lovely. And we have enough leftovers to make it through the rest of the year. My mom did a great job, despite all the fretting and near hysteria. It turned out great.
And another thing that's been keeping me from the computer the last weeks; the Twilight saga. Freakin' Twilight. It is absolutely addictive. Not necessarily a masterpiece in literature, but most certainly a pageturner, and I can't seem to put the books down for any length of time. I guess there's a reason close to 50 million copies of the books have been sold. Anyway, I'm a good way into the 4th and last book, and boy, oh boy will it be good when I'm done, so I can focus properly on anything else than Edward Cullen, Bella Swan and Jacob Black..
SO, that was a little update. I'll be sure to post some pictures from the concert next week.
Today's thought provoker: A quick google search of the following words, "Twilight Saga" gives 18 600 000 results, while a search on the classic "Dracula" produces 13 300 000 results.
For some reason I haven't written since I came home from Iceland. Maybe not enough interesting stuff have been going on, while I've been busy planning the stuff I'll be doing. It's all approaching rapidly. I cross the Atlantic ocean in less than a month. Before that time I have to have mye entire life packed into cardboard boxes. Ugh.
Between then and now I have a few things going on to keep me busy: This Monday I will see living rock'n'roll legends, I was finally able to get myself a ticket for the big AC/DC concert in Oslo. I'm hyped about it, it's supposed to be a great show. So Tuesday I'm afraid I'll be busy trying to recover my voice. And then it's back to work for a week, my second last week of work before I'm done. Ahhh.. Done.. Sounds so good.
And then I have a week of packing, suitcases and cardboard boxes, everything I've ever owned. Arrangements have to be made for moving all of this the 260 miles to my new home. I'm spending a day with my sister in Oslo, a few days with my best friend at her cabin, and after my last week of work I'm gonna try to get a few things settled in my appartment. And then I'm off. Wow, sounds like even less time said like that, but I'm not panicking yet. I don't have time.
Oh, I almost forgot, something interesting has happened over the last few weeks, that's part of what has kept me busy too, my sister's confirmation was on Sunday! It was the nicest ceremony, with lots of food and cakes and gifts and speaches. Absolutely lovely. And we have enough leftovers to make it through the rest of the year. My mom did a great job, despite all the fretting and near hysteria. It turned out great.
And another thing that's been keeping me from the computer the last weeks; the Twilight saga. Freakin' Twilight. It is absolutely addictive. Not necessarily a masterpiece in literature, but most certainly a pageturner, and I can't seem to put the books down for any length of time. I guess there's a reason close to 50 million copies of the books have been sold. Anyway, I'm a good way into the 4th and last book, and boy, oh boy will it be good when I'm done, so I can focus properly on anything else than Edward Cullen, Bella Swan and Jacob Black..
SO, that was a little update. I'll be sure to post some pictures from the concert next week.
Today's thought provoker: A quick google search of the following words, "Twilight Saga" gives 18 600 000 results, while a search on the classic "Dracula" produces 13 300 000 results.
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
Iceland
Wednesday I landed on a very windy Keflavik airport (Did you know they pronounce it Keplavik?). Hulda picked me up in her adorable white, little VW Polo, and we drove the 45 minutes to her place in Seltjarnarnes (20 min. from Reykjavik city). And what a place. Her house was big, spacious, original, and homey, and her family were some of the nicest people I've met, going out of their way to make me feel welcome. We went on the typical touristic round, the "golden circle", on Thursday. We saw þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss and Kerið. Lucky that these places are pretty high up, and that Thursday was the most windy day this year, haha. But it was all breathtakingly beautiful. Waterfalls and mountains, horses and sheep, old volcanoes and lava rocks. Beautiful. We ended the day going out for a few drinks with one of her friends, and had a blast.
þingvellir
Gullfoss
Geysir
On Friday we went to the local pool. This is very interesting. Icelandic people go swimming in outdoor pools, all year around. The water is heated, from about 35 to 40°c, and sun, rain or snow, you can relax and hang out in the shallow pools outside. So relaxing, and I have no idea why we haven't thought about that here in Norway. The rest of the day we went shopping in the two big malls close to the city. I got to spend some thousand Icelandic kroner, before we finished the evening with a restaurant dinner and relaxing with a couple of movies. We saw 7 pounds with Will Smith. I liked it.
Saturday was the big Reykjavik city sightseeing and shopping day. We started with the big flea market down by the harbour. It was gigantic, and I was extatic to find a pair of barely used adorable shoes, and got a real bargain. The flea market is open every weekend, and I strongly recommend stopping by, you can find just about anything for a good price, some really old stuff, and some not so old stuff. In the city we walked the main street, where it seemed every other store was second hand and vintage. I found a beaauuutiful dress in one of them. In Naked Ape boutique you can find cool Icelandic design. They also have a bunch of souvenir shops, with trolls and vikings, just like ours. But I bought a cool T-shirt that says: Ég tala ekki íslensku. (I don't speak Icelandic). After 5 days I'm even more convinced that Icelandic is the coolest language ever. Too bad foreigners don't have a shot in hell of ever speaking it perfectly. That night we saw the eurovision finals (Yeah!!!! WOooohOOHooo!! and all of that..), and then we went to a house party before hitting the town. Eurovision is a reaaaally big deal in iceland, so if you take saturday night + 2. place in Eurovision + the first warm, sunny weekend of the year, it adds up to an incredibly crowded Reykjavik city. The bars don't close before 5-6am, and at 5am the street was full of people singing and yelling in the morning sunlight.
Afters a few hours of sleep, we drove the half hour to the Blue Lagoon. In fine weather that's a really good place to be hungover. So relaxing. So beautiful. But expensive though, you don't go there everyday. But we chose a good day, the weather was amazing, and we even got a tan. After that we had a good dinner, Huldas mom is a great cook. And then, just like that, my long weekend in Iceland were coming to an end, and I had to start packing. And here I am, on my couch back in Norway, missing it all. So a big thanks to Hulda and her family, I had a great time! :)
Me and Hulda at the Blue Lagoon
PS: More photos on facebook for those who're interested.
þingvellir
Gullfoss
GeysirOn Friday we went to the local pool. This is very interesting. Icelandic people go swimming in outdoor pools, all year around. The water is heated, from about 35 to 40°c, and sun, rain or snow, you can relax and hang out in the shallow pools outside. So relaxing, and I have no idea why we haven't thought about that here in Norway. The rest of the day we went shopping in the two big malls close to the city. I got to spend some thousand Icelandic kroner, before we finished the evening with a restaurant dinner and relaxing with a couple of movies. We saw 7 pounds with Will Smith. I liked it.
Saturday was the big Reykjavik city sightseeing and shopping day. We started with the big flea market down by the harbour. It was gigantic, and I was extatic to find a pair of barely used adorable shoes, and got a real bargain. The flea market is open every weekend, and I strongly recommend stopping by, you can find just about anything for a good price, some really old stuff, and some not so old stuff. In the city we walked the main street, where it seemed every other store was second hand and vintage. I found a beaauuutiful dress in one of them. In Naked Ape boutique you can find cool Icelandic design. They also have a bunch of souvenir shops, with trolls and vikings, just like ours. But I bought a cool T-shirt that says: Ég tala ekki íslensku. (I don't speak Icelandic). After 5 days I'm even more convinced that Icelandic is the coolest language ever. Too bad foreigners don't have a shot in hell of ever speaking it perfectly. That night we saw the eurovision finals (Yeah!!!! WOooohOOHooo!! and all of that..), and then we went to a house party before hitting the town. Eurovision is a reaaaally big deal in iceland, so if you take saturday night + 2. place in Eurovision + the first warm, sunny weekend of the year, it adds up to an incredibly crowded Reykjavik city. The bars don't close before 5-6am, and at 5am the street was full of people singing and yelling in the morning sunlight.
Afters a few hours of sleep, we drove the half hour to the Blue Lagoon. In fine weather that's a really good place to be hungover. So relaxing. So beautiful. But expensive though, you don't go there everyday. But we chose a good day, the weather was amazing, and we even got a tan. After that we had a good dinner, Huldas mom is a great cook. And then, just like that, my long weekend in Iceland were coming to an end, and I had to start packing. And here I am, on my couch back in Norway, missing it all. So a big thanks to Hulda and her family, I had a great time! :)
Me and Hulda at the Blue LagoonPS: More photos on facebook for those who're interested.
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
First impressions
Ok. I've been in Iceland about one hour, and so far this is what I've gathered:
Iceland has a lot of old lava.
Iceland is windy.
Icelandic is the coolest language in the world.
Hulda is great, her family is great, and their house is beautiful.
Iceland has a lot of old lava.
Iceland is windy.
Icelandic is the coolest language in the world.
Hulda is great, her family is great, and their house is beautiful.
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
Packing
Am I the only person convinced that suitcases actually defy every known law of physics, and are in fact able to shrink as soon as you put stuff into them?
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
I'm not homeless! Woopdidoo!
I spent 5 days in Trondheim. They were mostly filled with warm days, blue skies, happy people, bbq-ing in the park, shopping, ice cream, one good and two bad movies, walking, talking, laughing. The good stuff you often do when you go to a great city visiting someone you haven't seen in a while. Who cares if the last two days were cloudy/rainy, and included an 8 hour bus ride home. Not only did I enjoy myself immensely, find two new dresses for the summer and read a good book. In these 5 days I also decided where I'll be spending the most part of the next 5 years. I've known it would have to be Trondheim for quite some time, but this weekend made me even more certain in my choice. I love this city. I love how it's big, but still kind of small. I love how they've kept a lot of the old buildings, and I love the gorgeous cathedral and the univeristy. I love how almost half of everyone living here are students, and I love how I'm gonna be one of them. On Sunday I signed the contract on my very first appartment (not counting the one in Barcelona. That was vacation.). The 1st of July I move in to my not-so-big, but pretty cheap and oh-how-incredibly-well-located appartment, and I'm happy.
Saturday, 25 April 2009
Oh, hello springtime! Long time no see, come on in! Sit down, take a load off, stay a while, would you like a cup of tea?
Spring. Primavera. Frühling. Printemps. Vår.
noun: the season of the year following winter and characterized by the budding of trees, growth of plants, the onset of warmer weather, etc.
One of the few words that sound just as beautiful in every language.
The entire northern hemisphere is waking up, and so am I. I was out running this morning, after work. Usually after work I have problems staying awake while driving home, but today I had so much energy, I ran for a whole hour, and even after that I felt I had more to give. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and I was smiling. It is absolutely remarkable what a bit of sunlight and a few extra degrees in the air can do to you.
I have some rituals when the seasons change: The first day of the year fit for a barbeque, I clean out my warderobe, putting all of my winter clothes and jackets and shoes waaaay in the back, and all the shorts, t-shirts, skirts and dresses are put in the front. I make a new playlist on iTunes and my iPod with light, relaxing, music that puts me in the right "waiting for summer" mood. I make a list of what books I'm going to read over the summer, and then go online and order the ones I don't have. This summer I'm only gonna read light, entertaining stuff, in fear of having to read only heavy, classic English literature the next 5 years.
You see, I've just sent my applications for university. A masters study in English, with teaching and a second language (Spanish). If I get in, and I'm being positive, thinking I will, I'll be moving a 5 hour trainride away come autumn. A trainride I'll be doing this coming week to visit my friend who already lives there. The city's beautiful at spring time, people are smiling, the guys are wearing T-shirts, and the beer tastes better.
And in a few weeks time, as the spring unfolds in full bloom, I head off to Iceland. I have been promised to see geysirs. Geysirs! And the blue lagoon! I'm absolutely extatic about going, and I'm going to stay with the fabulous Hulda and her family. So nice of them to let me stay. I miss Hulda. We're gonna cry about missing Barcelona together, and make plans for next summer.
Pictures and detailed information on Linn's upcoming travels will be blogged about. Have no doubt about it.
I've previously blogged about my affection for quotes and how they often portray my feelings much better than I can do with my own words (http://linnterpretation.blogspot.com/2009/02/and-i-quote_19.html), and wouldn't you know! Some genious has poetically described spring
as well:
"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush"
- Doug Larson
noun: the season of the year following winter and characterized by the budding of trees, growth of plants, the onset of warmer weather, etc.
One of the few words that sound just as beautiful in every language.
The entire northern hemisphere is waking up, and so am I. I was out running this morning, after work. Usually after work I have problems staying awake while driving home, but today I had so much energy, I ran for a whole hour, and even after that I felt I had more to give. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and I was smiling. It is absolutely remarkable what a bit of sunlight and a few extra degrees in the air can do to you.
I have some rituals when the seasons change: The first day of the year fit for a barbeque, I clean out my warderobe, putting all of my winter clothes and jackets and shoes waaaay in the back, and all the shorts, t-shirts, skirts and dresses are put in the front. I make a new playlist on iTunes and my iPod with light, relaxing, music that puts me in the right "waiting for summer" mood. I make a list of what books I'm going to read over the summer, and then go online and order the ones I don't have. This summer I'm only gonna read light, entertaining stuff, in fear of having to read only heavy, classic English literature the next 5 years.
You see, I've just sent my applications for university. A masters study in English, with teaching and a second language (Spanish). If I get in, and I'm being positive, thinking I will, I'll be moving a 5 hour trainride away come autumn. A trainride I'll be doing this coming week to visit my friend who already lives there. The city's beautiful at spring time, people are smiling, the guys are wearing T-shirts, and the beer tastes better.
And in a few weeks time, as the spring unfolds in full bloom, I head off to Iceland. I have been promised to see geysirs. Geysirs! And the blue lagoon! I'm absolutely extatic about going, and I'm going to stay with the fabulous Hulda and her family. So nice of them to let me stay. I miss Hulda. We're gonna cry about missing Barcelona together, and make plans for next summer.
Pictures and detailed information on Linn's upcoming travels will be blogged about. Have no doubt about it.
I've previously blogged about my affection for quotes and how they often portray my feelings much better than I can do with my own words (http://linnterpretation.blogspot.com/2009/02/and-i-quote_19.html), and wouldn't you know! Some genious has poetically described spring
as well:
"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush"
- Doug Larson
Friday, 17 April 2009
Rise and shine!
It's 7.30 am. I have been awake since 5.06. I have had exactly 3 hours and 14 minutes of sleep.
I read somewhere the other day that too little sleep or an unregular sleep rhythm can cause you gaining weight, increase your chances of developing numerous diseases such as diabetes, even cause depression and mental illnesses. One study showed that people who sleep too little or too irregularly actually live 21% shorter lives. Really?! I'm practically a lost case. I work nights at a gas station, one week on, one week off. 26 weeks of the year I'm nocturnal. This didn't use to be a problem, after finishing a work week, I would take the first day off to turn the day around, and I would sleep at night like normal people do for a blessed while. But now, for some diabolic reason, I can wake up after 2-3 hours, feeling tired, but not being able to go back to sleep! WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!? I have better things to do than sit for 3 hours in the morning listening to birds sing and watch Good morning Norway for crying out loud! What happened to those fantastic lazy teen years, when you could sleep 12 hours straight, huh? I'm not asking for 12 hours, just a couple.. minutes.. more... zZZzzZz
I read somewhere the other day that too little sleep or an unregular sleep rhythm can cause you gaining weight, increase your chances of developing numerous diseases such as diabetes, even cause depression and mental illnesses. One study showed that people who sleep too little or too irregularly actually live 21% shorter lives. Really?! I'm practically a lost case. I work nights at a gas station, one week on, one week off. 26 weeks of the year I'm nocturnal. This didn't use to be a problem, after finishing a work week, I would take the first day off to turn the day around, and I would sleep at night like normal people do for a blessed while. But now, for some diabolic reason, I can wake up after 2-3 hours, feeling tired, but not being able to go back to sleep! WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!? I have better things to do than sit for 3 hours in the morning listening to birds sing and watch Good morning Norway for crying out loud! What happened to those fantastic lazy teen years, when you could sleep 12 hours straight, huh? I'm not asking for 12 hours, just a couple.. minutes.. more... zZZzzZz
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Reminiscing
"cocacolabeercervezaaguabeer!"
Never in my life could I have imagined how much it was possible to miss a place, or rather a feeling, as much as I miss Barcelona. Right now. My Barcelona. The phrase above is well known to anyone who has enjoyed a day at the beach in BCN. The hard working, sweaty men in their dirty T-shirts, running around la playa with their plastic bags filled with (more or less) cold beverages, shouting out in their monotonous voices what they can offer of refreshments. I miss them. I even miss the group of Asian women trying very hard to give you a massage. Looking back I wish I had accepted, just to have tried it, and also to support them; people with that level of persistency should be rewarded.
I miss the smell of salty ocean mixed with exhaust. I miss the sand beneath my feet. I miss the architecture, I miss Las Ramblas, and the parks. I miss being scared of the transvestic prostitutes in the parks. I miss the surprisingly simple metro system. I miss stumbling across great artists on a random corner doing their thing. I miss eating tapas, I miss how proud I felt having eaten squid the first time. I miss the fountain show at Plaza Catalunya, the incredible week that is the festival La Mercé, salsa-dancing, the market, the Lidl-store on my block, Milka chocolate and shots on fire. I miss staying out dancing till 6am. and going to school at 9am. I miss the building shaped like a giant blue penis. But most of all, and this is what has got me all nostalgic and depressed and is the reason why I've eaten two liters of ice cream tonight; I miss the people. Thank God I'll be seeing some of them again soon.
I was lucky to spend three months in this wonderful city. It's been five months since I came home, and to this day, everytime I hear Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe sing Barcelona, I weep like a baby.
Never in my life could I have imagined how much it was possible to miss a place, or rather a feeling, as much as I miss Barcelona. Right now. My Barcelona. The phrase above is well known to anyone who has enjoyed a day at the beach in BCN. The hard working, sweaty men in their dirty T-shirts, running around la playa with their plastic bags filled with (more or less) cold beverages, shouting out in their monotonous voices what they can offer of refreshments. I miss them. I even miss the group of Asian women trying very hard to give you a massage. Looking back I wish I had accepted, just to have tried it, and also to support them; people with that level of persistency should be rewarded.
I miss the smell of salty ocean mixed with exhaust. I miss the sand beneath my feet. I miss the architecture, I miss Las Ramblas, and the parks. I miss being scared of the transvestic prostitutes in the parks. I miss the surprisingly simple metro system. I miss stumbling across great artists on a random corner doing their thing. I miss eating tapas, I miss how proud I felt having eaten squid the first time. I miss the fountain show at Plaza Catalunya, the incredible week that is the festival La Mercé, salsa-dancing, the market, the Lidl-store on my block, Milka chocolate and shots on fire. I miss staying out dancing till 6am. and going to school at 9am. I miss the building shaped like a giant blue penis. But most of all, and this is what has got me all nostalgic and depressed and is the reason why I've eaten two liters of ice cream tonight; I miss the people. Thank God I'll be seeing some of them again soon.
I was lucky to spend three months in this wonderful city. It's been five months since I came home, and to this day, everytime I hear Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe sing Barcelona, I weep like a baby.
Saturday, 4 April 2009
Lost online part 2
Like so many times before, I sat down by the computer with the regular agenda: Check my e-mail, my facebook profile and the balance on my Visa. Somehow, (and I strongly suspect tonights episode of the Daily Show had something to do with it) I ended up for the first time on Twitter. Freakin' Twitter. You can't stop hearing about it, it's everywhere! You find politicians, celebrities and news feeds on there, Jon Stewart and David Letterman are obsessively joking about it. It's the new facebook, and people who more or less know what they're talking about, say it's growing even faster and has even higher potential.
So, several months after the twitter wave hits America, I am trying to figure out what the hell all the fuzz is about. A site where anyone can "tweet" their message to the world (if it's less than 140 characters long, that is), and the followers of this.. bird..? ..can comment on the.. ehm.. tweet.
This results in
1: Interesting, accurate news or information, short and to the point, often with a link if you would like to read more. (pages like CNN, NY Times etc..) OR
2: Page up and page down with nothing but bull***t.
Some of the bull***t is actually funny, Hobo Jones is kind of funny, and whoever is doing the twittering for Darth Vader is, if nothing else, really in-character. But all in all, with the way the page is right now, I don't think I'll be twittering that much. First of all: Who the hell should I follow? Whose lifes and opinions are so important to me that I would hang on to their every 140 character long update? The page has no categorising system, so you can only find tweets you're interested in by searching names or e-mail addresses. There is no way of knowing if the tweet you're reading is fake or real, and there is no filter on what's mundane and trivial (ex: I found expired milk in my fridge today), and what's breaking news (Earthquake in San Fransisco!!). And even though Hobo Jones is funny, you get tired of reading stuff like:
"Holy moly! I jus' saw m'self in a puddle reflection... I'm a handsome man. I jus' need t' git m' boils drained!" and "Lost my spittin' can agin."
Twitter has a lot of potential, and I'll never say never, but for now, this birdie no tweet.
So, several months after the twitter wave hits America, I am trying to figure out what the hell all the fuzz is about. A site where anyone can "tweet" their message to the world (if it's less than 140 characters long, that is), and the followers of this.. bird..? ..can comment on the.. ehm.. tweet.
This results in
1: Interesting, accurate news or information, short and to the point, often with a link if you would like to read more. (pages like CNN, NY Times etc..) OR
2: Page up and page down with nothing but bull***t.
Some of the bull***t is actually funny, Hobo Jones is kind of funny, and whoever is doing the twittering for Darth Vader is, if nothing else, really in-character. But all in all, with the way the page is right now, I don't think I'll be twittering that much. First of all: Who the hell should I follow? Whose lifes and opinions are so important to me that I would hang on to their every 140 character long update? The page has no categorising system, so you can only find tweets you're interested in by searching names or e-mail addresses. There is no way of knowing if the tweet you're reading is fake or real, and there is no filter on what's mundane and trivial (ex: I found expired milk in my fridge today), and what's breaking news (Earthquake in San Fransisco!!). And even though Hobo Jones is funny, you get tired of reading stuff like:
"Holy moly! I jus' saw m'self in a puddle reflection... I'm a handsome man. I jus' need t' git m' boils drained!" and "Lost my spittin' can agin."
Twitter has a lot of potential, and I'll never say never, but for now, this birdie no tweet.
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Happy birthday!
"I think, therefore I am"
The man behind these famous words, René Descartes, was born on this very day in 1596. 413 years ago. I was born on this very day 21 years ago, and our philosophies on this very day are much the same:
"I eat cake, therefore I am"
Happy birthday to me! And to René Descartes, and according to famousbirthdays.com, a happy birthday also to: Joseph Haydn, Christopher Walken, Rhea Perlman, Angus Young, Al Gore and Ewan McGregor.
The man behind these famous words, René Descartes, was born on this very day in 1596. 413 years ago. I was born on this very day 21 years ago, and our philosophies on this very day are much the same:
"I eat cake, therefore I am"
Happy birthday to me! And to René Descartes, and according to famousbirthdays.com, a happy birthday also to: Joseph Haydn, Christopher Walken, Rhea Perlman, Angus Young, Al Gore and Ewan McGregor.
Saturday, 28 March 2009
Give me the flu!
You know what I really hate? Being sick. I'm sick. But not the "oh-i-seem-to-have-a-fever-mom-can-you-make-me-some-soup-while-i-watch-tv-in-bed?"-kind of sick, oh no. Just the annoying kind of sick, where your throat has adopted the texture of a mexican cactus and your nose is runny, but apart from that, you're perfectly fine. You know what I'm talking about? You feel like crap, but it's not enough to get off from work? I mean, if I'm going to get the flu, at least have the decency to give me a proper one with a fever, so that I can stay at home, drink hot chocolate and watch Disney classics!
Thursday, 26 March 2009
Eyes on the road ahead
I got my new little lovely planner in the mail a week back, and it is now my new best friend. It contains everything I'm looking forward to the next few months, and I have A LOT to look forward to:
March 31st: Birthdays are always nice, especially when you still live at home and your mom makes you cake.
Easter: A lot of the lovely people I miss are coming back home.
April 18th: Maybe spending the weekend with one of my best friends in her family's cabin.
April 29th: Going to Trondheim to visit a good friend and have a look at the city I'm going to spend the 5 next years of my life in.
May 13th: Going to Iceland to visit the fabulous Hulda.
July 7th: My last day at work.
July 9th: Going to the United States to visit MaryGrace. New York, Dallas, Vegas; here I come!
August: Starting University and my new life in Trondheim.
So, cleaning toilets and floors, and making burgers and hot dogs to an endless line of people at the local gas station might actually be worth it after all.
:)
March 31st: Birthdays are always nice, especially when you still live at home and your mom makes you cake.
Easter: A lot of the lovely people I miss are coming back home.
April 18th: Maybe spending the weekend with one of my best friends in her family's cabin.
April 29th: Going to Trondheim to visit a good friend and have a look at the city I'm going to spend the 5 next years of my life in.
May 13th: Going to Iceland to visit the fabulous Hulda.
July 7th: My last day at work.
July 9th: Going to the United States to visit MaryGrace. New York, Dallas, Vegas; here I come!
August: Starting University and my new life in Trondheim.
So, cleaning toilets and floors, and making burgers and hot dogs to an endless line of people at the local gas station might actually be worth it after all.
:)
Friday, 13 March 2009
Making plans
I'm growing up. You know you're growing up when you go shopping for an almanac. Ugh, what a horrible word, and I'm sick and tired of going from bookstore to bookstore looking for one i could like enough to share my life with (I'm talking about the almanac, not a bookstore cashier). But thank heavens for the Swedes, there's a genious over there who made a website where you can design your own, and they print it up and send it to you, not very expensive either (again, talking about the book, but would be nice if I wasn't though). So that's what I did, cause my plans for this spring/summer are growing by the number each day, and are currently written on post-its.
Today's thought provoker: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" - John Lennon
Today's thought provoker: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" - John Lennon
Saturday, 7 March 2009
Barbie's birthday
[bahr-bee], noun, trademark: a brand of doll representing a slim, shapely young woman, esp. one with blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin.
50 years ago on this very day, Barbie made her first appearance at the American Toy Fair in New York City. Her 50 year-long story is interesting, but long, so if you can be bothered, read it here. She was an immediate success, and has become one of the most significant icons of our time. She's had more than 100 careers, ranging from model to surgeon, ballerina to teacher, firefighter to astronaut to presidential candidate. You can buy your Barbie as a geisha, african american, latin american, you could even buy a handicapped Barbie, wheelcheer inclusive. I bet that was a limited edition. Ha-ha, I'm sorry.
She has been loved and hated through the years. Loved for the hours of joy she has brought to generations of little girls (and boys), hated because of her somewhat proportionally incorrect body and how her looks affect todays expectations to how young women should look. If Barbie was human sized, she would stand 5 foot 6 inches tall (1,68 m) and weigh 110 pounds (49,9 kg). She would have a 39 inch bust (99 cm), an 18 inch waist (45 cm), and 33 inch hips (84 cm). In 1995 some Finnish scientists claimed that lifesize Barbie would be too skinny to menstruate, and in 1997 her waist was slightly broadened. That did not stop the religious police in Saudi Arabia from banning the popular doll in 2003, claiming that she promoted "decadent and perverted western moral".
A product of the devil or not, today she is not only a doll, she is a brand and a billion dollar business. You will find Barbie products in 150 countries, and Mattel claims that every second 3 Barbie dolls are sold somewhere in the world. But what's interesting though, is that when the University of Bath did a research on children's relationship to different branded products, they discovered that young girls tend to be very violent with their Barbies, a disturbingly high number of the children found joy in tearing her head and arms and legs off, or putting her in the microwave. They saw this tendency with no other brand in the test. This proves what I have suspected for many years; our underlying hatred for gorgeous, skinny, successful women is pure instinct.
I owned a few myself. I never tore her head off, or microwaved her for that matter, but I do remember crying hysterically when a bully at my school decapitated one of them. Happy 50th, Barbie!
Today's thought provoker: In 2007, the song "Barbie Girl" by Aqua was voted as one of the world's 20 most annoying songs by Rolling Stone magazine, the song has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide and the music video has 26,5 million views on YouTube.
50 years ago on this very day, Barbie made her first appearance at the American Toy Fair in New York City. Her 50 year-long story is interesting, but long, so if you can be bothered, read it here. She was an immediate success, and has become one of the most significant icons of our time. She's had more than 100 careers, ranging from model to surgeon, ballerina to teacher, firefighter to astronaut to presidential candidate. You can buy your Barbie as a geisha, african american, latin american, you could even buy a handicapped Barbie, wheelcheer inclusive. I bet that was a limited edition. Ha-ha, I'm sorry.
She has been loved and hated through the years. Loved for the hours of joy she has brought to generations of little girls (and boys), hated because of her somewhat proportionally incorrect body and how her looks affect todays expectations to how young women should look. If Barbie was human sized, she would stand 5 foot 6 inches tall (1,68 m) and weigh 110 pounds (49,9 kg). She would have a 39 inch bust (99 cm), an 18 inch waist (45 cm), and 33 inch hips (84 cm). In 1995 some Finnish scientists claimed that lifesize Barbie would be too skinny to menstruate, and in 1997 her waist was slightly broadened. That did not stop the religious police in Saudi Arabia from banning the popular doll in 2003, claiming that she promoted "decadent and perverted western moral".
A product of the devil or not, today she is not only a doll, she is a brand and a billion dollar business. You will find Barbie products in 150 countries, and Mattel claims that every second 3 Barbie dolls are sold somewhere in the world. But what's interesting though, is that when the University of Bath did a research on children's relationship to different branded products, they discovered that young girls tend to be very violent with their Barbies, a disturbingly high number of the children found joy in tearing her head and arms and legs off, or putting her in the microwave. They saw this tendency with no other brand in the test. This proves what I have suspected for many years; our underlying hatred for gorgeous, skinny, successful women is pure instinct.
I owned a few myself. I never tore her head off, or microwaved her for that matter, but I do remember crying hysterically when a bully at my school decapitated one of them. Happy 50th, Barbie!
Today's thought provoker: In 2007, the song "Barbie Girl" by Aqua was voted as one of the world's 20 most annoying songs by Rolling Stone magazine, the song has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide and the music video has 26,5 million views on YouTube.
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Eric Hutchinson - You don't have to believe me
This incredibly energetic, though laidback, can't-help-but-dance-to, James Brown inspirated, groovey tune has been stuck on my mind lately. The rest of the album, Sounds like this, is not quite as up-beat, but the feel-good-factor is so high you have no choice but to smile. I especially like the songs Food Chain, Outside Villanova and Oh! and the first and so far most popular song from the album: Rock & roll.
Hutchinson's been compared to talented singer-songwriters like Jason Mraz, a comparison I certainly agree with, even though I find Mraz's lyrics to be better. But with this song, I say to hell with the lyrics, it rocks. You don't have to believe me, listen yourself.
Hutchinson's been compared to talented singer-songwriters like Jason Mraz, a comparison I certainly agree with, even though I find Mraz's lyrics to be better. But with this song, I say to hell with the lyrics, it rocks. You don't have to believe me, listen yourself.
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Lost online part 1
American Dreamz is on TV and I'm not watching it. Not because it's a bad film (well, it is actually), or because there's nothing interesting on TV (Lord of War, a really good film, is on the other channel), or because I've seen it before. No, the reason why I'm not watching Hugh Grant do one of his less memorable roles is because I've done it again; I got lost on the Internet. Ever experienced that? When you're just reading an article, linking to another one that mentions something interesting, so you google that, ending up on some blog without any idea of how you got there, but you just... can't... stop... reading...? Yeah, I do that, a lot. Today I ended up in a quite familiar place though, I've been there before. It has given me hours and hours of childlike joy. Overheardinnewyork.com. Random conversations overheard in one of the worlds most versatile cities, written down and gathered on the web for our pleasure and to satisfy my slightly eccentric interest in human behaviour and interaction. Three random favourites of today, I am sure there will be more:
Tween #1: You wanna abort this conversation?
Tween #2: What? Why?
Tween #1: Because we're arguing whether 'haha' or 'l-o-l' is funnier than 'l-m-a-o.'
Hobo: Hey, can you spare 20 cents?
Girl: Sorry
Hobo: Okay, 30 cents...40 cents...50 cents, but that's my final offer.
Thug kid: When are you having that damn baby?
Pregnant: I was due last week and I want a C-section but the doctor said we shouldn't do it yet.
Thug kid: I'ma call that doctor tomorrow and tell him to take that nigga out.
Tween #1: You wanna abort this conversation?
Tween #2: What? Why?
Tween #1: Because we're arguing whether 'haha' or 'l-o-l' is funnier than 'l-m-a-o.'
Hobo: Hey, can you spare 20 cents?
Girl: Sorry
Hobo: Okay, 30 cents...40 cents...50 cents, but that's my final offer.
Thug kid: When are you having that damn baby?
Pregnant: I was due last week and I want a C-section but the doctor said we shouldn't do it yet.
Thug kid: I'ma call that doctor tomorrow and tell him to take that nigga out.
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