*dies*

I was in England recently, London, to be precise. There was this concert... And I'll leave you to guess... :)

This is why I'm going to England in the summer...

Insanity streak

Or insanity vein, rather!

Thursday the Manchester International Festival revealed its 2009 programme, which includes (to no surprise for some of us...) Rufus Wainwright's new opera Prima Donna. Friday tickets went on sale at 10 AM GMT. 

At 9 AM (GMT) there were a lot of us anxiously waiting for it to open, typing messages to and fro as we did so, and laughing hysterically at anything. Really, you had to be there! (And you were, I guess, at least had the opportunity to, as this insanity went online...) Then it turned 9:58 - lines were open!

... For about half an hour or so, noone spoke (or "spoke", as it were), then messages started trickling in, where they'd got seats and so on. Neither of my browsers (Explorer and chrome) would let me do the final bank confirmation (aaaaaaaarghhh!!) so even though I got to reserve seats a number of times, I just couldn't buy them.

Panic time.

Then ... One of the boardies had bought too many! I got just the ones I wanted  :)  And then insanity really hit - all of us ticket holders screaming (silently, online) and shouting of gleeee! 

So much joy - and then we're all meeting up at the opera - next July...

Yes. I'm planning next year's summer already, and it does not include my family - but involves almost all of my "online family". It's not just the music. Or the man. It's what he means - and that's more than you might think or guess, even. If you have a look at these posts you'll know how someone's lives have changed forever! And if that's not insane, I don't know what is!  :)

Nightmares II

This may not sound as a nightmare to you, but try replacing Rufus Wainwright with one of your ideals, or a family member / friend you really appreciate... (Incidentally, one morning I told the kids I had woken up early because I had a nightmare - "did Rufus miss a note?" Jakob asked. Cheeky kid ;)

------

- I'm at a gathering, a café, perhaps? There are loads of us, I think we've all just been to a Rufus concert, we're all big fans, and we're having a wonderful time. One of the other 'boardies' pull me aside and wants to tell me what he does for a living. He's been on the board for a long time, so I feel in awe he wants to talk to me.

He pulls my arm a little harder, pulls me a little closer (I know he's not hitting on me, like a good portion of the male boardies he's gay, but still it's a little awkward). Then he tells me he's a Rufus impersonator. I find it a little hard to believe, he's not exactly the spitting image, but he goes on to elaborate. And though I can't remember the details when I wake up, I know he told me how he infiltrated everywhere that Rufus goes, all the people Rufus see -- and does an excellent job at being a bad Rufus.

In short, I realise that before long, Rufus will lose his career, his boyfriend, his fans and - worst of all - his ability to compose. And I wake up in a sweat, out of breath, and literally nauseous.

---------

Why do all these mad people show up in my dreams?

Not quite dead...

Today I've been baking. A lot. And will do some more baking tomorrow. I haven't decided to become a baker, but tomorrow there will be 4 brand new 8-year-olds in the house (and in the world, at that!), so naturally - there will need to be a constant flow of cakes! And lots of family coming to celebrate with us.

Saturday we'll be "celebrating" by going to a music festival in Oslo and see Rufus Wainwright (and others) - first time for the kids! They're quite looking forward to it, actually - to see this strange character that has their mother going all gooey... And to celebrate Rufus (?) - or life, actually - Norway has just passed a new marriage law, finally establishing equal rights for everyone, no matter who you love!

That's all folks, I'm off to finish my baking session for the night...

Lately, I've

- taken to thinking in English. All the time. Which is fine, I'm a trained translator, I can translate it into Norwegian before I speak, so my kids understand me. But it's still sort of ... odd. And I daydream in English. Dream too. I even reason with myself in English. Surely it's not because of this person? - resigned my job. My dream job, remember? It sort of still is. And isn't, because I had to give up my home office. And there's more admin and marketing related stuff to do, less translation. Come summer, I'll be sat at my home office all day long, waiting for something to do. And humming to myself in English, probably...

- started listening to Renoe Alexander, a pastime I can recommend!

- found that I'm not really obsessed at all! I've wasted hundreds of spent a few hours on the RWMB lately, and realised that since I don't travel to four countries in one week to see Rufus I'm not that much of a fan. Really...

- decided to go for an exam that really is way out of my league, but - here's to trying :)

- watched Liverpool march on towards Champions league glory! (I swear, I almost had a heart attack during the last match - with hubby as my witness!)

- missed you guys! I keep thinking of blog posts (thinking in blog posts, even!) but to actually post...

Rufus' English school - part I

Filip has been listening to Release the Stars a lot lately, and although his spelling leaves something to be wanted, you can't say he's not trying! :) Found this after he left the blackboard the other day.

How do you do, PWP?

Or, more intriguingly - how do you do it? I know you're out there. I've met a few of you. But I can't for the life of me understand what drives you. Or not, as it were.

Passionately posing for a picture, 1985

Now, I would walk 10 miles afoot, to look at the house of someone who once met Rufus Wainwright's neighbour. I admit it freely, I'm that sad obsessive interested. I would refrain from all other forms of shopping (that used to include food - before I had others to care for...) - for life, if need be - if that enabled me to get tickets to every Rufus, de Lillos, Sting or U2 gig there was - or to as many visits as I'd like to Berlin, Lisbon, Crete... I would give my right hand (and left arm!) for Liverpool to win another cup - let alone the premiership!

Passionately back in Greece! (I was 14 - what can I say...)


I would (and I have, in fact!) spend 8 months passionately wooing my chosen one until he broke down and promised to marry me...

But you, People Without Passion... You wouldn't even go next door to see the first alien-human offspring, would you? You like all kinds of music, you say. Any town you visit is as fine as the next. And caring about football is just plain silly...



I can't help but wonder - do you [not] have fun in the same way? Polite ha-has, no guffawing or even small giggle fits? And relationships, do you really care? "Sure, I loved him, but hey, I'll meet somebody else." Are you for real? Or are you lurking somewhere underneath, quenched by real life, chores and routines, and too weak to find a way out? Are you living, or are you just ... alive?

Media meme

My week in media - tagged by Sam, who does it so eloquently you should really go over and read his instead. But in case you're still here...

What I read

Hmm. Off to a difficult start, I fear... Well, I did read a few chapters more in Wintersmith - a book I really enjoy, but still haven't got enough time to... And I browse the local paper every day to see if there's anyone I know there. (There usually is. It's that local.) Other? Yes, I've read about half of a book about hiking in Crete (it's in Norwegian - what did you expect of the link? ...) - preparing for the summer! I have serious plans of making the kids walk with me at least to the bay of paradise...

What I watched

TV. Oh, you mean more specifically? Well, I'm sure there were a few football games, but this last week I've actually been watching handball a lot. Really! And I've learnt that it's χάντμπολ in Greek, which is just the same word only with a Greek accent... (The Greeks I asked couldn't remember if there was an actual Greek word for it!)

What I listened to

No, no - I have listened to other music than Rufus too, honest! But yes, quite a lot of Rufus... And quite a lot of de Lillos too - as well as Verdi, Sting, Jamie Cullum -- and some others that just randomly appear when I shuffle - I love it!

What I surfed

The usual - which isn't that much lately, but I stop by the odd blog every now and then. That is - I stop by my friend Børge's blog every day. And Josh & Josh every week... The rest of you? Whenever I can... And I stop by Rufus' message board quite a lot, it's the most friendly place to be! (He's been nominated to the Brit Awards, best male singer, it's not just me...) And how could I forget - Slap Upside The Head - it's priceless! Love the cartoons...

What I’ve played

Playstation! The kids got PS2 for Christmas from granddad and we've been playing FIFA '08 ever since... Filip's the most eager one - the others still well into their nintendos - so I sometimes play with him. He beats me to a pulp every time, of course... And just to keep him on the right track we've decided that if he wants to be Arsenal (he was doing that too much...) he can play for 10 minutes, but if he's Liverpool he can play for a full 40 minutes. Kids need guidance, right?

End of year meme

I stole this meme (from devilmood) to get myself started in 2008 (despite this wretched flu).

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
Most importantly, I met a cyber friend in real life. Two, actually. And a lot less importantly, I decided to lose weight and did.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't have any, and haven't made any for this year either.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not that they told me of!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope, luckily!

5. What countries did you visit? USA (San Francisco), Sweden (Gothenburg), Scotland (Edinburgh) and Germany (Berlin). Which reminds me the two latter ones I still haven't posted photos from. Shame on me! I may do something about that...

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
I suppose I should say that I'd like to be more grown-up and sensible, but I really don't want to!

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
July 1st - first ever Rufus Wainwright-concert!! And the day my iPod was stolen (not by him, he only took my heart) (I know, that was lame...). October 5th, another Rufus concert and I got to meet him afterwards! And December 3rd, third Rufus concert and 2nd meeting. Obsessed? Possibly a little...

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I don't know that I've achieved a lot. I haven't been looking to either.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not even wanting to try a mature approach to life... Kidding! Doesn't feel like a failure ;)

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing worse than this flu. Well, there was sinusitis for a while, but no big deal!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My new iPod :) (Insurance company paid for it, but I bought it...) Oh, and tickets!! Tickets to go away, tickets to go to concerts... Escapist? Undeniably so...

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Liverpool (for everything they do!), Ronnie O'Sullivan, Rufus Wainwright. Me? Nah...

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
I'm not easily appalled and depressed, although I must say Liverpool has tried a couple of times this year...

14. Where did most of your money go?
My money - tickets, iTunes (somewhere there's a moral streak, yes, I download legally). But our money is going mostly to this extension we're building!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Rufus! RUFUS! RUFUS! As you will all have heard by now ;)

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
"Between my legs" by Rufus (who else...) - not just because it's a good song (he's got so many!) but because I know somebody who went on stage with him to perform this song! (And no, it wasn't me..)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?
(a) I'm always pretty happy, despite this flu...
(b) thinner, actually, bit of a surprise, that
(c) pretty much the same I guess, I'm not good at keeping count...

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
nothing comes to mind at the moment, well, I could probably have lived with even more travelling...

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
procrastinate? although that's pretty pleasurable pastime...

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Family, tons of presents (not for me!), more family, lots of cookies etc. etc. -- i.e. the traditional way

21. Did you fall in love in 2007?
I've felt that heart fluttering a few times, yes, especially around July 1st, October 5th and December 3rd... I'm not forgetting my hubby, I get that for him too still! But not on specific dates...

22. What was your favourite TV programme?
Should I say the one about us? But no, it'll have to be Champions League :)

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't hate anyone. ManUre supporters come close, but that's nothing special for 2007 ;)

24. What was the best book you read?
I didn't read that many to be honest, but was impressed by Steven Gerrard's autobiography!

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Hmm, now who could that be? ;) I didn't actually discover Rufus in 2007, but I have discovered friends through his fan base, real friends, although I fear I'm a little off topic here? Oh - I did sort of discover Martha Wainwright (yes, his sister...) she's amazing!

26. What did you want and get?
For Christmas? I had a hard time making a list, actually, but I got a lot of stuff that would have been on the list had I remembered to put it there :)

27. What did you want and not get?
as I said, I didn't even know what to wish for... But what did I get without having wished for? Two complete seasons of Nanny - we're laughing & reminiscing every night!

28. What was your favourite film of this year?
Don't think I saw any really good ones, I'm sorry...

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
In theory I was 39, though going on 17 measured by maturity... My hubby'd made plans that didn't turn out, so we stayed home and had a grand Friday night in instead. (Fridays are our favourite to stay home. Ok, maybe I am 39 after all!)

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
a ton of money so I could have quit work and followed Rufus around?

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, oh, ok, sorry, well, I've got quite a few garments off the Rufus collection now, that must surely account for something? Oh - and with my liverbird tattoo I'm properly dressed for every occasion!

32. What kept you sane?
Music. In every aspect.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Now, this is a tough one...

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
erh, I know I should say global warming or something, but that still doesn't stir me as much as does discrimination of people who look or think or act differently than whoever makes up the "rules and regulations". Sigh... They should listen to my kids (read below)!

35. Who did you miss?
I miss my bloglings! I've been such a lousy blogger this year. I mean last year...

36. Who was the best new person you met?
Simon :) We met through Rufus' site and we've visited each other. He's adorable and fun and we're both 17 (mentally) and deeply in love with Rufus, so what's not to love? The kids loved him too - and not simply because he brought gifts from the official Liverpool shop (although that was very popular!)

-- as Filip said; "his English is very good, and he's nice, and he's awfully cool..." Incidentally, this has lead to my kids saying that gay people are just like the rest of us, only a lot cooler. We can live with that concept :)

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
valuable life lesson? At 17? I don't think so...

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

"there's a river running underground, underneath the town towards the sea,
That only I know all about
On which from this city we can flee"

- So you see, I can take you away from here! Let's escape again...

Do I disappoint me?

I still feel alright about me. But I also feel trapped in a song from Chess...

I finally got the tattoo I've been wanting* - yay! And Liverpool celebrates it too by marching on in Champions League... (Yes, DevilMood, so did your beloved Porto!)
I've lost 13 out of the 14 kilos I said I wanted to lose - yay! And I plan to continue...

I'm also still with the man of my dreams (who not only tolerates my crush on Rufus, but finds it rather amusing so helps me keeping it up...) and we've got the lovely bunch of kids we wanted.

I'm still at that job I always wanted - yay!

And we've even booked our summer holidays in Crete next summer, where this will be our view for 3 weeks (except that I'll be under the sea most of the time...):

So why are these the lines now almost continually running through my head, like a muttering;

Now I'm where I wanna be
and who I wanna be
and doing what I always said I would and
yet I feel I haven't won at all!

Could it be I somehow feel I had the makings for even more? What could possibly be more?

I still haven't figured this one out, may take some time...

* go to no. 36 ...

and again!

Rufus in Oslo, April 3rd Afterwards, we waited for Rufus to come out (no pun intended!)
First there were the bandmembers - here Cameron,
Si with Louis, Me with Gerry Leonard (used to play with Bowie!) -

and then...This time! Just a handful of people waiting, and Rufus took his time with us... And wondered if we'd followed him from Berlin!
Rufus and Simon (yes, Si, you do look like the happy couple!)

--- and the concert was fabulous too, yes, thank you very much for asking ...!

... and then she spake ne'ermore!

What's on my mind...

Vanished? Not without stain remover

devil mood tagged people like me to the following:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie

To make a film with a plot like this work, I'll need Orlando Bloom to star as me! But here goes...

Opening Credits: My Vision (Seal)
Waking Up: Beibi (de Lillos) – very sweet song about love-making...
First Day At School: Elskling (de Lillos) – what could have been
Falling In Love: Fragile (Sting) – well, I've been in love with Sting for a long time!
Fight Song: [track 07] (The The) – probably unknown title because I wouldn't fight
Breaking Up: Sne og is (de Lillos) – breaking up with Norwegians it would have to be
Prom: Mysteriet deg (Bjørn Eidsvåg) – extremely romantic...
Life's Okay: Misunderstood (Robbie Williams)
Mental Breakdown: The ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove (Dead can dance)
Driving: Vienna (the Fray) – ok, I'll get directions from viamichelin right away!
Flashback: This hard land (Bruce Springsteen)
Getting Back Together: Better Man (Robbie Williams) – they always say that...
Wedding: Papa Stone (Jørn Hoel) – was he?
Birth of Child: sanvean (Dead can dance) - way to name your firstborn!
Final Battle: [track 07] (Massive Attack) – as I said!
Death Scene: Mamma (Beckstrøm) – most likely word to shout out, yes...
Funeral Song: I cried for you (Billie Holiday)
End Credits: Where is my mind? (Pixies)

I can't believe no Rufus-songs came out! [pun intended]

*********

And apart from this?

Trips planned: Edinburgh in September (with my colleagues), de Lillos concert in September (with my hubby), Berlin in October with my hubby! -- and see Rufus Wainwright live while we're there! And then Rufus is coming to Oslo in December... Have I got tickets? Duh... (While we're away, the kids will be here, there and everywhere. Hopefully, we'll find them when we get back home...)

Status: one-armed. Well, tendonititical [it's not a word, but it's tangible..], at least. You won't believe the time this epistle has taken me to type.

Status II: 6 kilos lighter than 5 weeks ago. Yay! And not even hungry :)

Status III (continual): Happy! Just extremely unproductive blogwise...

Rebel prince

Rufus - what a beautiful child... When you look good in lederhosen there is no limit! (The keenest observers may notice that the shoes he wore with the striped suit are exactly like mine! It must be fate...)

He came in, the band already playing - and released the star for us... I was so close I could count his cavities (didn't see any!), and his sweat - I know, it may not sound delightful, but... The room was sweltering and, well, we were all pretty warm. Or hot, as the guy next to me shouted to Rufus that he was. 'Well, thank you', Rufus said, shyly...

No words can describe a Rufus concert. You must all go out and experience it!

RIP, beloved iPod

Sunday, while my friend M and I were jubilantly receiving the body of Rufus in Gothenburg, someone broke into our car and stole - my iPod. And M's money, credit cards, keys (to everywhere, basically), driver's licence etc. etc.

I miss my iPod. And the 4,000 songs in it. And the cover Filip had once made for it... I'll get some insurance money back, but not this iPod, of course. M will have her things restored - eventually. But the hassle... And the annoying bit of walking through all of Gothenburg at night only to find the main police station was closed. *Sigh*

Through it all, we were never completely discouraged. I even held my spirits (and eyes!) up while driving home, shipping M off with the 05:30 boat from here and returning home as hubby was getting ready for work... After all, Monday was my first day of holidays.

And Rufus ... was absolutely fabulous!

Prominently featured in my next slideshow - Rufus Wainwright

Rufus told me to do it!

Pier 39

We were told we were acting like real tourists, going to Pier 39. But we didn't take offense - we were real tourists... (Besides, Oxford street is very touristy, but if you're in London...) Pier 39 has great shopping (tourist stuff, that is...). It also had a number of chocolate / ice cream / refreshment places :o)
View from Pier 39 towards Coit tower and Transamerica pyramid View to Alcatraz and Angel island [thanks, Claire :) ] While we were shopping, we heard some really strange noises. My sister and I turned a corner, and - voilá! Sea lions, hundreds of them! We obviously hadn't read the right guidebooks, and didn't know about them, but there they were... Almost like being in the middle of a BBC nature programme. Only Mr. Attenborough was nowhere to be seen.
So - did I buy anything for myself? I did. I bought two pairs of these... One pair just like this one, magnificently captured in this photo by r (well, those are his, I guess, but mine are exactly the same).
... and this is Rufus, at the very end of this video, explaining about the Coit tower (forward to 4:10 if you just want that - although the song is good too, and his smile - great...)

The Castro

Walking down 17th Street from Haight to the Castro - and getting thereIt doesn't really show on the photo, but this local cinema was having a "Grease - singalong" night. I felt that was very appropriate :)

Rufus sings about 14th street - and even though I don't know for a fact that it's this one, I think it's a fair assumption. I forced my sister to stand in the middle of the street just so she could take this one. Fortunately, traffic was low... Just after she took this picture, a little old lady walked up to us and actually straight onto us. Pushing us aside as she walked. My sister commented on this in Norwegian. The little lady turned around - really slowly... "I've got a steel knee and I have to walk in a straight line", she explained. (Q: Did she understand Norwegian??) Then continued - "I'm 81 years old, I've lived here all my life. Tomorrow will be another fine day like this, and then the temperatures will drop". (Q: did her steel knee tell her this?) "What did you want to photograph here? There's a nice church just down ..." At this point she waved a hand in the general direction of Mission Dolores and then left us, trying to make it across the street on green...
We'd already been to Mission Dolores. Unfortunately, it was closed for some reason (though the sign stated the opposite), so we only got to see the outside.
Quite pretty on the outside too, though!

- is that bullet holes...?

Bagdad café, where we lunched. And learnt that "small portion" is actually ample...
So, was the Castro really different? Of course, there were rainbow flags everywhere. (Incidentally, last time I was in Rome, a few years back, there were rainbow flags everywhere there too - only they were symbols of peace, and used by the 'Americans out of Iraq' movement...) I saw 4-5 couples (one female) holding hands or holding their arms around eachother. I know I saw two guys in drag, possibly a third one but it could have been a girl... And there was that giant poster advertising family planning; two hot guys holding eachother and a woman standing discreetly a little way off - the tummy mummy? Other than that, it was just a really nice neighbourhood. Beautiful houses, clean, friendly, with some great bookshops (I didn't visit any other kinds of shops, come to think of it), and a lot of cute guys walking around...
Really don't see why this would have to happen only in the Castro, though. I'm all for people holding hands, whatever their preferences may be. And I really dislike people making out right in front of me even if they're as straight as nails...