No prizes for guessing...

... And family are completely ruled out of this...

But does anyone else know where this is?

The LO-words

Loathing
I loathe being without an internet connection. Working at home isn't as much fun with a malfunctioning connection, and weekends aren't quite as good as they should be. Pah! I spit in its general direction...
Loving
Yesterday wasn't one of my best days, and by evening (hubby'd gone off to his football) I was being unreasonably grumpy around the kids. So I shut myself in my bedroom for a second (no, I wasn't crying, funnily enough..). Two were in the tub, one was "in the merry corner" as the kids say - but the two others came in after me. Just lay next to me, stroking me.

Then Jakob went off for a minute, and came back with a note saying: "You're the best mum in the world!" (Well, in Norwegian...) That helped a bit...

A little later, the kids were in bed, I was sitting in a chair, feigning sudoku-solving, actually not even holding a pen... Hubby came home from football, and showed me the notes he'd just found; (just inside the door) "daddy, please tell mum she's the best mum in the world!" And the other (just outside Jakob's room, he knew hubby'd come there to kiss them goodnight even as they lay sleeping): "P.S. Because she doesn't think so herself!"

Loving completely ruled out the loathing bit!

That's just NOT the way it is. Tell me it isn't...?

I moved to Oslo from Lofoten just after secondary school, when I was 18. The first real friend I made down here was I. We started singing in the same choir when she was 16, and we were best buddies in no time (none of us really fit in the choir of long-haired blondes from posh families). We hung out most of the time, although I won't blame her - or at least not solely her... - for me failing my first university exam... ;)

She talked to me about it when she thought she might be gay, I was the first one she told when she was sure... I was there when she told her parents, her brother and sister, and her grandparents. At different times... [Her mum probably thought I was of the same persuasion - once I'd stopped by wearing a dress (a rare occasion indeed, must have been on my way to something really formal...), she'd asked my friend if I was a transvestite... A dictionary would probably have been a good investment :) But I digress...]

All the while she was going through all of these phases, the insecurity, the first boyfriend, the first crush (not the boy...), the realisation and then, not least, the having to tell everyone -- I was just SO happy it wasn't me. I was so relieved I wasn't the one calling my old, blissfully ignorant granddad and shattering his world just a little. It was easy for me to be there for her, I felt I didn't have a single concern in life, whilst she had so many.

And I never for one single moment reflected that she had wanted this to happen.

... Now, I travelled with a friend to work the other day. We travel together quite a lot, and we've got kids at the same school, other than that we don't really "hang out". He's - up to now - seemed a perfectly irrational, marvellously insane and fun person to be with. I was also under the illusion he was quite intelligent. Somehow, though, we got talking about gays, and he said offhand that it wasn't his concern, and people should do as they please, but he'd never believe that this kind of thing was natural.

Hmm? Sorry?? Did I miss the irony??? But no, that was his idea of reality. And he said the only thing he felt was sad about this, was that some people would go through their whole lives, pretending to be something they really weren't. I totally agreed to that -- but for very different reasons!

So, this bright guy, hitherto proven quite liberal, and definitely no religious fanatic, told me that he thought "these people" had turned out like that by some influence or other, and by choice.

I was flabbergasted. I still am. Does this really happen? I thought it was just the ignoramuses!

My friend is still convinced she's gay, anyway... And has finally settled down with her girl, and their son, and all is well with our world...

This morning...

(A Tuesday Tale completely out of my own head...)

... what happened?
I got up at 6 as usual, but only got myself ready and left for work, hubby's taken the kids (and the car to the garage for service)

... any scent made an impression?
The smell of the woollen scarf (new-washed..) wrapped around most of my face to keep the -10C (14 F) out. A good smell, a smell of winter!

... and any sound(s)?
Must be – the sound of Thomas’s half asleep saying “you’re the best mum anyone could have” as I walked out the door. And Rufus’ voice singing “this love affair” from my iPod J

... first person you talked to?
My colleague E, we walked in at the same time. But as it was still really early and it wasn't much of a conversation... I talked quite a bit to r (on msn), though, before internet died down. I hate not being online...

... any plans for today?
Work, then go get the car from the garage at some stage, at least before the place closes at 5. Then try to avoid wathing TV 'cause there's really nothing on (I just checked)...

All is well with the world - and I know where it is!

The weekend has brought:

Snow. Which makes the kids happy and which makes me hope maybe global warming hasn't gone as far as they say. Yet.

Liverpool FC beat "Chelski"! 2-0, no less. And there was a lot of screaming around the place... Jakob had gone to watch the match at a friend's place (we haven't got the channel that shows English football live), and the rest of us were listening on the radio. Bliss...

Ronnie O'Sullivan is playing really well! The final still isn't finished while I'm typing this, but he's 8-3 up, and first to 10 wins it. The way he's playing I feel pretty confident he'll win the Masters!

*** And about knowing the whereabouts of the world -

I stayed up till 01 some nights ago (yes, it's sort of silly, as I'm up at 06 and really need 7 hours of sleep...) after discovering this geography quiz link... I hadn't even heard of Prince Edward Island before (my apologies to anyone living there..), now I can do all of Canada blindfold... Also, it turned out I'm pretty good at Africa, and amazingly accurate at placing Central American countries, but that my knowledge of US states had decreased substantially since my heydays..

- Back in this world, Ronnie's on his way to 9-3... So, how was your weekend?

F*king winter - begone! King Winter has arrived...

It started Friday night... The windows got it first!

The next morning the house looked like can be expected in Norway in January.

The kids've been out skiing and playing in the snow all weekend. They made this snowcave this morning, it fits two of them at a time :)

Still some time before the birds return to their home in this tree...

Not quite sure the neighbours enjoyed the snowfall quite as much, though...

Tray-up bitch

(I stole this from Børge's blog, just couldn't help myself...)

An airline's passenger cabin was being served by an obviously gay flight attendant, who seemed to put everyone into a good mood as he served them food and drinks. As the plane prepared to descend, he came swishing down the aisle and announced to the passengers, "Captain Marvey has asked me to announce that he'll be landing the big scary plane shortly, lovely people, so if you could just put up your trays that would be super."

On his trip back up the aisle, he noticed that a well-dressed rather exotic looking woman hadn't moved a muscle. "Perhaps you didn't hear me over those big brute engines. I asked you to raise your trazy-poo so the main man can pitty-pat us on the ground."

She calmly turned her head and said, "In my country, I am called a Princess. I take orders from no one." To which the flight attendant replied, without missing a beat, "Well, sweet-cheeks, in my country, I'm called a Queen, so I outrank you. Tray-up bitch."

New* meme for a new month

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
I haven't looked myself in the mirror yet. I've only been up 3 1/2 hours.

2. How much cash do you have on you?
None. In my wallet (= in my jacket, in the hall) about NOK 200, I guess (GBP, USD, euro, CAD..). I mostly rely on my cards for shopping.

3. What's a word that rhymes with "DOOR?"
Bore. Not you...

4. Favourite planet?
Earth.

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
My mum.

6. What is your favourite ring tone on your phone?
The one I've currently set to my hubby's phones (i.e. home, his cell and his work cell). It's from a commercial, and you wouldn't know it, but it's kind of cool (the music will play if you click "Musikk pa"... [For other family members I've got my kids singing, for anyone else it's a (rather poor) recording I made at that Bo Kaspers orkester concert.]

7. What shirt are you wearing?
White, short-sleeved t-shirt. And two jackets over it. I hate being cold...

8. Do you "label" yourself?
No. Don't think so. Which is weird, really, as I love filling in forms etc...

9. Name the brand of the shoes you're currently wearing?
I'm currently wearing slippers, thank you very much! But besides that - none of my shoes have brands anyone's heard of. Oh yes, my football boots are Adidas...

10. Bright or dark room?
It's getting brighter. The sun's up and the clouds are parting.

11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
Moncrief Speaks is a charming ex-Californian Minnesotan gay, whose blog you'd better visit immediately! Only, remember to come back here sometime...

12. What does your watch look like?
Almost like this one. Only mine hasn't got a date. Kind of like me in my teens...

13. What were you doing at midnight last night?
For once, I was lying in bed asleep at that hour. Which might explain why I'm feeling quite awake at the moment :)

14. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?
"The wool wash in the machine is finished :)" - from my hubby. Which means I'll just rush down to start another machine... The wonders of working from home!

15. Where is your nearest 7-11?
In town. Which means a 23 minute boatride from here. Still, our local grocery store (2oo metres away) is also open 7-11, does that count?

16. What's a word that you say a lot?
"NEI!" (= no) - mostly to the kids...

17. Who told you he/she loved you last?
Thomas, the oldest quad, upon leaving this morning.

18. Last furry thing you touched?
Filip's polar bear Fimik. Oh, live one? The neighbour's pet rabbit. We look after it when they're away.

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?
None. (And if you're thinking illegal drugs, during the past 38 years, still none.)

20. How many rolls of film do you need developed?
One. Still in the camera. After I got my fabulous digicam we're not using the other one that much...

21. Favourite age you have been so far?
I loved being about 25, doing whatever I liked, "studying" and spending all my money on concerts and travelling... Still, I'm quite enjoying life now as well, so I think I'll say 38!

22. Your worst enemy?
Me. My only one too, I think.

23. What is your current desktop picture? This one.On my work computer, that is. On our home computer it's a triumphant Steven Gerrard :)

24. What was the last thing you said to someone?
"Have a nice day" or words to that extent. To hubby, as he was leaving for the second time this morning (he brought the car home after taking the kids to school).

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be?
Be able to fly.

26. Do you like someone?
Absolutely. I like so many people I'm blessed to have met them all! (Ok, actually I haven't met everyone IRL, but still...)

27. The last song you listened to?
"Part I from the Köln concert" by Keith Jarrett. Not actually a "song" as there's no vocal, but still one of my favourite pieces of music. (I know, it ought to have been Rufus, of course, but what can you do when I've set the iPod on shuffle...)

28. What time of day were you born?
4:34 p.m. Or so my dad claims, he was timing it.

29. What's your favourite number?
Two.

30. Where did you live in 1987?
First half, Lofoten. I finished secondary school that year and moved to Oslo in July, to study. Yes, I'm that old...

31. Are you jealous of anyone?
I don't think so. I used to be the jealous kind, but I guess I've calmed down...

32. Is anyone jealous of you?
I can't imagine. Well, I know some people envy me my hubby, but most people seem more than happy they haven't got quads...

33. Where were you when 9/11 happened?
At work, my previous job. I didn't realise anything was happening until I called my cousin (it's her birthday) and she told me to turn on the tv...

34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money?
Kick or shake the machine...

35. Do you consider yourself kind?
No. I like making people happy, like giving them something when they least expect it, or letting the kids have chocolate spread in the middle of the week. But deep down I secretly enjoy any opportunities to be mean. So I don't think I'm a kind person.

36. If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be?
Probably my shoulder. And it would be this one: 37. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be?
Sigh. Still Greek. It's just I'll never be fluent, will I? Double sigh...

38. Would you move for the person you loved?
Yes. If we were meant to be, he wouldn't want to move to somewhere I wouldn't want to, would he?

39. Are you touchy feely?
Very much so. My hubby calls it my urge "to skin" - not in the sense of skinning, but to feel and smell and touch the skin of the people I love... Luckily, there's a lot of such skin in this house :)

40. What's your life motto?
I don't know that I've got one. "Pull yourself together, grow up" possibly. But I'm not listening.
41. Name three things that you have on you at all times?
Cell phone. Watch. Hrm. Think that's it. And clothes, most of the time.

42. What's your favourite town/city?
There are so many! But right now, I'd most of all want to be in London. That's where the current Snooker tournament is... (The Saga Insurance Masters) Yes, Ronnie's there, and had a "mesmerising performance" yesterday according to the papers. Sigh...

43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash?
4 loaves of bread and some soap. On my way home from work Monday.

44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it?
A couple of weeks ago. A birthday card/letter to r. (Which made it to Vancouver only yesterday...)

45. Can you change the oil on a car?
No. I'm sure I could learn, but why bother...

46. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her?
He was back in his native Kenya. Apparently without his Norwegian wife. But still playing chess (just turn off the sound if you go there, some horrible music playing)...

47. How far back do you know about your ancestry?
On my mother's side there's been quite a lot of digging of that kind. I think it's back to the 1300s or so. Mostly Danes and Germans, lots of aristocrats. Must be where I got this noble nose... On my father's side dad's done a little digging, but so far only back to the 1600-1700s, I think. Swedish, mostly. Explains a lot, that...

48. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy?
Hmm. New Year's Eve, I guess. I wore my dress. Well, having only one dress makes the choice really simple!

49. Does anything hurt on your body right now?
No.

50. Have you been burned by love?
No. Burning with love, yes...

(* Moncrief Speaks wrote this Dec 1st, so I'm only a little late...)

With MLK day just passed - tell me about causes

What Causes are you passionate about?
Wow. Causes with a capital C? Then I dare not say football... I'm all for human rights and such (of course...), but passionate? If something happened right at my doorstep I guess I might be, but I can't say I run about the place with banners and slogans, no.

Do you actively support a cause? if so what?
I'm a member of the Amnesty International, have been for years. We're also sponsoring two children in two SOS Children's Villages, Dimitra (15) in Greece, and Aliou (7) in Senegal. I don't know if that counts as "active". Sigh... (We do also recycle everything glass and paper, but that's no more than everybody does.)

What do you want to save?
What I'd really like is for the planet, all humans and animals alike, to be saved. Rather than to save them myself... I would, naturally, like to see polar bears survive as a species, I just really don't want to think too much about it. Cruel and selfish. Very self-protective, at least...

Is there too much conservation on any issue?
I don't think so - not rationally. But looking at the springlike "winter" we've got, and hearing people talk about global warming, I tend to turn away and mutter that it's too much, yes. More self-preservation, I guess. I'm getting real good at this. There are so many things closer to hand that I feel I must think about.

Cathy, any tips on leaving myself out of it for a while, and keeping conservation up front?

Current saddest sentence in the world:

My phone's on vibrate for you
but still I never ever feel from you
Pinocchio, now a boy,
who wants to turn back into a toy.

You guessed it, it's Rufus again. I'll try not to cry out loud...

(Rufus Wainwright, Vibrate)

A hug to remember

Premature babies have a rough start in life. A lot of them are forever marked by their early arrival. Some suffer cerebral haemorrhages, develop eating disorders or have some other health problems like asthma or impaired vision. Quite a few turn out hyperactive later in life. Almost all have a distinct "premature" look about them.

Our quads were born 14 weeks early. They were 3.8 kilos (8.3 lbs) altogether at birth.

None of them have anything about them that would make you guess they're preemies.

This is the first time I was let hold Mathias. He was 3 weeks old and weighed next to nothing. He and Anna were moved to a different hospital when they were 9 days old. I stayed behind with the other two, and only joined them after 3 weeks.

Preemies have no subcutaneous fat, and touching is painful for them. We were adviced not to stroke them, but just leave a hand (or finger, space considered) on their skin, to let them feel somebody was there. I can still remember how it felt. Their insanely thin skin. The miniscule fingers, no, smaller, infinitesimal - their arms the length of my little finger, the fingers the length of a nail and as thick as a match.

Mathias in particular seemed to not enjoy touch. And continued not to like it even when he was bigger. He had an infant's reflex movements when he was over a year, he'd turn the back of his head to anyone giving him a hug. He still does, mostly... But now, at 6, sometimes he'll offer his cheek instead.

And a few nights ago, when I was saying goodnight, he pulled me closer and wrapped both his arms around me, gave me a great big hug!

I'm lucky, I get a lot of hugs during a day, and a lot of arms wrapped around me. But this hug left me with tears in my eyes and goosebumps all over. Mathias hugged me. Skin on skin. On his own accord. This is one hug I'll never forget.

For yo' information

It looks a bit like dried bread, but it can be sweetened. And it won't be breadcrumbs until you smash it...

And even though I found this on a Greek recipe site, and they call it paximadi, it looks more like our rusks than any paximadi I've eaten...

It was called 'hard bread' on other sites (recipe sites! You've got such dirty little minds...), but I don't know. Maybe we'll just call it pre-crumbled bread crumbs?

I'll give you dessert if you help me...

It tastes great! It's one of my favourite desserts! And it's not "brown betty" or "apple charlotte", as our dictionary suggests... So, what might it be in English? Even if you don't know - it's worth giving this one a try...

4 portions

3-4 dl (10-14 US fluid ounces...) of powdered sweet rusk

3 tablespoonfuls of sugar

2 tablespoonfuls of butter / margarine

2,5 dl (8,5 US fluid ounces) cream

3-4 dl (see above!) of cooked, mashed apples

Mix the powdered sweet rusk with sugar and butter (margarine) in a frying pan and brown lightly. Cool. Whip the cream. Put the powder mix, mashed apples and whipped cream in layers in a large bowl or small individual bowls. Should be served newly made. Enjoy :)

BTW, it's called "veiled farm girls" in Norwegian. Don't ask me why...

I'm in!!!

I quote the email arriving yesterday:

Membership admission


«On this day, January 10th 2007, be it known that [Scholiast] has exercised a true cartozoological disposition by the discovery of an irate, Greek bird in Athens, and is therefore being admitted to The Society of Friends of Cartozoology.»

It's such an honour! I'm blushing, I'm sure. I named the bird Volucris Irata Athaenaeum (irate Athenian bird), but my Latin is more than rusty, so if anyone would like to correct it, feel free... It's just down from the Acropolis, and can be trudged around at will! Let me know if there are any special sights along the route - tavernas, museums etc. ;)

- You're not sure what cartozoology is? The official* definition is: The science or practice of discovering and studying animals outlined paradigmatically by street layouts as they appear on maps, especially with reference to physical evidence of the animals’ presence in the corresponding terrain.

Or you can read more about it here. I'm sure there are animals in your streets too, why don't you all join in the search?

*Yes, there is an actual Cartozoologic society. Right up there with the "Donaldists", a society that has spread from Norway to Denmark, Sweden and Germany...

Vacancy

Company:
Me (more info)

Type:
Full-time. Preferably available from 8 AM (GMT+1) and onwards.

Experience:
Yes. That would be good. Oh, you mean with what? Languages. Duh...

Function:
Assistant Editor

Industry:
Dictionary Creation & Editing

Requirements:
Fluent English. Time in abundance. Msn / gmail / other chat option. Ability not to laugh at insane questions as long as they're about words...

Salary:
Helping foreigners learning correct English is of course its own reward.

Starting date (tick one):
- NOW!
- Yesterday
- June 2006
- Last week
- All of the above

There, there, get in line nicely, no pushing! Leave your (or your colleague's / (soon-to-be ex-)friend's) chat address in the comments or email me, ok? Looking forward to a lifelong collaboration! (And I mean that in sense 1, not 2, obviously...)

(What? Why are you implying I'm stuck on a word? I'm not!!! I'm stuck on several...)

Numbers

My visitor no. 14,000 came by - and even stopped for a while, thus coming back as visitor no. 14,002, for instance :) I'm guessing it's a guy, both since (s)he came from Josh & Josh, and since (s)he stopped for the longest time on a piece about Robbie... Statcounter claims (s)he's from "Vienna, Poland" - which confirms my now established theory on Americans' grasp of geography ;)

Yes, there was a visitor no. 13,000 - but that's probably bad luck, so I wouldn't want to out anyone...

Oh, and Devil Mood? You're number 14,120. Almost your birthday :)

(If you're wondering about the Mt McKinley -- it's 14,000 feet high, apparently...)

Quote of the day (16)

"The mystery of government is not how Washington works but how to make it stop."

PJ O'Rourke

Let’s talk about our friends

Another tale from our Tuesday friends...

Do you have a large circle of friends or a small one?
Well, now... I've got a lot of friends. I'd say a huge circle of people I could talk to about most anything, and that would help me with whatever I needed help with if I asked, and whom I'd help if they asked. People I've known for ages or just a short while but that I hope I'll never lose touch with. But I don't hang out with them as much as I'd like. So does that make them acquaintances? I don't think so... So yes, I've got a large circle of friends. And of the some hundred contacts in my gmail list, I know most of them IRL too ;)

Your childhood friend C. What was she like?

First day of school, C right there with me

My bestest friend of all, from around 5 - 12 or thereabouts, C. She was lots of fun, always loyal, always ready for my insane propositions*... We were both tomboys (or boys, rather, really...) and we were together always. She lived three houses down the road, and in between was another friend (an actual boy..) whom we also spent a lot of time with. C and I would go in and out of eachother's houses as if we lived there, we'd climb the nearby mountains, cycle down to the harbour to watch the coastal steamer coming in, search through the bunkers left by the Germans, harass her little sisters... Generally having an excellent time! She's been living abroad for the past ten years or so, but she just returned, so I'll look her up one of these days.

What do you like to do with your friends?
As little as possible... Not meaning that I want to do as little as possible with them, or prefer the company of others -- but I want us to be together and not do very much... Talk, laugh, perhaps see a film and have a bite to eat. There's enough heavy scheduling with school & work... But that's what I've been doing with my friends my whole life, anyway - just hang out. Never much of a party-goer...

What is your favourite memory of a friend?
I'm sure there are plenty, but the first that came to mind was this: I was staying in Crete the summer of -94. The au pair family & I didn't quite work things out, so I'd left them after a month, and moved on to greener pastures. I'd brought my harddisk (this was pre-laptop and general internet access...) and rented a screen, so I did some work for a Norwegian company - but then they decided not to pay me anymore, so I decided not to work for them anymore. Which left me ample time to enjoy Crete, but generally skint...

.. And this is where the friendly memory comes in. (See? I hadn't forgotten...) My best friend M, my maid-of-honour-to-be (not that we knew about that at the time...), called me. For the first time that summer. (This was back in the Cretaceous period, mobiles hadn't been invented and calling abroad cost a fortune. Besides, I was out on the Harley quite a lot of the time...) She asked about how I was, and what I was doing, and then asked for my bank account number because she felt pretty certain I was broke... She didn't ask - but deposited 3000 kroner (at that time: $ 437 / £ 283) the next day, "to be repaid at some later stage"...


In doing so, she gave me one more month of sun, fun, Greek, sun, swimming, souvlaki, sun, Harley rides, sun, crystal water... You get the picture. An invaluable present :)



*or what seemed insane to us at, say, the age of 7. Which means, very innocent stuff like pressing doorbells and running away...

Happy 60, Mr. Bowie!

I admit it without delay, I quite like this guy... And today's his 60th birthday! Who'd have thought [that he'd ever get to be this "old"]... Here, with his wife, Iman. I loved it when they once were interviewed at a charity show - they'd just paid a zillion dollars for a pair of shoes (or diamonds?) or something - for the benefit of some charity. When asked if he'd expected this much publicity around it, he answered (tongue-in-cheek); "But of course. She's a super model and I'm a rock god..."

I've got all of his albums, at least up until around 1992, although I must admit that most of them belong to Børge... He's letting me keep them (until further notice!), though, as he hasn't got a record player :) And for the record (ha!) I really do sometimes play the old lp's. I saw him in concert once, in Oslo in -89 (?), and the t-shirt I bought still carries some resemblance to a piece of clothing, although I'm not quite sure you'd call it black anymore...

But my room isn't filled with Bowie posters anymore... (When I was in high school David Bowie and James Dean were looking at me from every angle of my room - every wall, door, shelf and ceiling...)

Must be why they gave me this job...

You are 96% Try-Lingual!!

You are quite the Linguist! I suppose you wouldn't be trying to show off to your friends, would you. Splendid job. Time to put the quiz on a blog or email a link to your friends. Check out some of the good quizzes here, but be sure to avoid the bad ones. Auf Wiedersehen! Adieu.

Foreign Words and Phrases
Create MySpace Quizzes

Quick recap

First there was our concert. We sung in this tiny, Medieval church, it was almost full (i.e. about 80 people), and we did ok. The audience was happy, at least, and two of them even gave us a standing ovation :)We were all clad in black, but with something red for decoration. You can see how pleased I was with the pin Devil Mood sent me! And it fitted the occasion just perfectly.

She also sent me this adorable angel for our tree!
Kimananda sent me a calendar from San Francisco, with photos that's already given me some ideas of what I'd like to see in May. She also sent me this box of amazing chocolate. Somehow some pieces disappeared even before I took this photo, though, and the rest just after. Weird... Anyway, there was also homemade fudge! With emphasize on was...
Then there was New Year's Eve. As is our tradition, the kids were put to bed long time before midnight... But before then, they were out in the garden with these kinds of, erh, firework-on-a-stick-thing (why do you think that's missing from our dictionary...?). And none even asked to stay up longer, they were all tired...And this Friday we went to Oslo city hall, for the children's Christmas party, held to all employees with family and friends. Hubby's work falls into this category, so we were all there. Along with 493 others... As you can see, the tree was rather impressive :)
- Yes, the city hall is where there were automagical taps! And yes, it's more or less the same word in Norwegian...

Word of the day

New word, at least to me, and from the kids:

"Automagical"

That's their description of the automatic taps that were in the city hall wardrobe.

Apparently it's not a new word to the world - but I still think it was rather inventive of them!

Why can't I own Canadians?

(It's a bit old this, but it's still fun. Besides, I really would like to own Canadians. At least a few. At least Rufus Wainwright... No - I'm not implying he wrote this, I don't know if he's even read it - I just like it, and he happens to be a Canadian I wouldn't mind owning!)

Example of own-worthy Canadian

Dear President Bush,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from you. With regard to same sex marriage, you said, "In the eyes of God marriage is based between a man a woman". So, when someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I now point them to Leviticus 18:22 which clearly states it to be an abomination. But now I need some advice from you regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned inExodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanness - Lev 15: 19-24. The problem is - how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev. 1:9. The problem is, my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?

Rufus may have a boyfriend, but at least he hasn't trimmed the hair around his temples...

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton / polyesterblend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev. 24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

(I'm probably the last person on earth to discover his music. For this, I apologise profusely. Should you, on the other hand, live in the dark without such wondrous tones as Vibrate or I don't know what it is or Beautiful Child or The art teacher, like I did.... Well, then you know what to do!)

Happy new year!

(Tuesday tale turned Wednesday tale...)

What is the best thing from 2006?

Hmm. Our winter and summer holidays, my travels to Lisbon and Berlin, the Robbie concert, getting the new job! Making new friends and re-finding old ones.

What is the worst thing from 2006?

Excruciating things like Liverpool not finishing top of the Premier league and Ronnie not becoming world champion... All in all, not such a bad year for me ;)

Did you make any resolutions in 06? Did you keep or break them?

Nah. Didn't make any. Best way to avoid breaking any!

Do you plan to make any for 2007?

I've made one this year. To be more present with my kids and hubby... It's not that I'm not there with them - it's just that I'm not there with them, I'm here... I'll (try to) become better at combining the two...

What are you looking forward to in the year ahead?

Summer. As always. We'll be going to Lofoten this year :) Also my trip to San Francisco in May! And this winter - apparently there won't be any snow... Oh, and world peace, of course...

What is the worst thing from 2007?

My mum's gone to Lisbon. That's ok, but she went without me. And now sends me mms's like this (see above, photo from hotel balcony). The nerve... (Ok, this question wasn't really in TT, I had to get the photo off my chest, didn't I! Looks as lovely as ever...)

blogging status quo(te of the day # 15)

"It is too early for suicide. Too early in the morning"

Alexander Kielland said that. The author, that is, not the oil platform. (Although that may have been why the platform collapsed?)

But neither I nor my blog(s) have committed anything of the sort, although I'll freely admit to being a neglectablogaroon...
- Will be back shortly, miss y'all!