Countdown (how time pressure works)

Two weeks without hubby & kids - they'll spend 3 weeks at the cabin, I'll be with them the middle week, work the rest of the time. (We have to split up like this for the kids to have a full 7 week holidays.) Last year, in my "grass widow" period, my only task was to vacuum the house. I never got round to it...

This year, my tasks were: clean the house (vacuum and wash), water the plants, change the beds. Oooh... As I had two weeks, I had every thought not to repeat last year's bloomer.

Countdown starts... [- and does not include working hours - when I was actually working, or the hours every night spent sleeping.]

Three-two weeks till the others come home:
Plenty of time to do all my chores!
Action taken: washed & hung the linen. Well, it's a start?!

4 days t.t.o.c.h:
Plenty of time to do all my chores!
Action taken: eat out with a friend and stroll around town with her till nightfall

3 days t.t.o.c.h:
Plenty of time to do everything this afternoon! It will be good to get it over with.
Action taken: washed some clothes. Needed to be done! Duh. Besides, the third book of this enthralling Norwegian trilogy came out that day, so I bought it and read it.

2 days t.t.o.c.h:
Plenty of time to do my chores still...
Action taken: worked late. Went shopping for a birthday present for Rarity. When I got home I vacuumed 1st floor! And then Champions league was on. Had to watch Norwegian RBK thrash Astana (Kazakhstan), didn't I? They won 7-1, it was worth it...

1 day t.t.o.c.h:
Plenty of time to do my chores when I get home.
Action taken: went to see a friend and her gorgeous baby. Left early, because of all I knew I had to do. Then ... I never knew there were so many photos of Rufus I had never seen before. And look at all the books I can add to my facebook bookshelf!

uh-oh. 1 hour of spare time to go (counting 11-12 pm, not counting night or next working day)...

1 hour o.s.t.t.g:
Plenty of time to ...
Action taken: searched the net for Berlin hotels around Alexanderplatz, talked to my friend on the phone and messaged my dear hubby a few times (such multi-capacity!).

0 hours o.s.t.t.g:
No time!
Action taken: see above

- 1 hour o.s.t.t.g:
No time!
Action taken: vacuumed the ground floor! Changed the beds! Hit my bed at 01.55 AM.

8 hours t.t.o.c.h - including 8 hours of work:
Plenty of time to work!
Action taken: work.

6 hours t.t.o.c.h - i.6 h.o.w:
Plenty of time to take an early lunch break!
Action taken: washed both bathrooms. Went shopping for essentials (shop 1 minute away). Really wasn't that hungry anyway.

2 hours t.t.o.c.h - i.2 h.o.w:
Plenty of time to enjoy the sms saying my clan are a little delayed and will be home about an hour later than they thought...
Action taken: well, did you ever. There's snooker on television! Easily combined with work, after I had that quick shower...

And so fare I!

Oh, the plants? Let's just hope they will have plenty of water in the next world, into which they have now wandered...

New photographer in town

Jakob got a mobile phone the other week. Long overdue, if you ask him! And in fact, I think he was the last in his class to get one. Sigh. He's still only 9 1/2... But here's what he can do with it - in addition to texting his friend and downloading songs, which took him all of 2 minutes to learn - taking photographs! For fear of being slightly biased, I think this one's rather good...

This is my life (yeah, I Robbed that)

It took me 38 1/2 year, but I think I've figured it out now. I think I know what is me. These are all me, at various ages. (Note how the only grumpy face is me in a dress - and a headscarf! What were they thinking... And the only made-up face is from our wedding.) I've always loved being with kids, and having my own (here with Jakob) is no exception.I've always felt alright about me, about life, about what's happening. I tend not to dwell on what's not so good - in fact I actually forget the worst bits, and then I'm truly surprised when others drag old stuff back out again.

There are always things - about myself mostly - that I wouldn't mind seeing changed. I could've been smaller, I could have been calmer around my kids (or they could start listening, it's an option...), I could've spent less time in fron of this screen... But basically, I'm content. In fact, blogging / fooling around online keeps me content. And real life makes it all add up to happy.

It's been like that for a while already. But only recently I've made some sort of self-knowledge. At 38 1/2 it's like I woke up, stopped up, to think - hey, this is me!

This is me. I have done a lot of waiting. I've waited to grow up. I've waited to become slim (pah!). I've waited to somehow fit into 'adult woman' kind of clothes. Or conversation. But I'll stop all that. This is who I am and I really don't want to be anybody else. (Ok, I guess I'd stay myself even if I lost a pound or two. But I'm digressing. As usual...) I'll never enjoy dressing up, or cocktail parties, or exquisite food*. I'll enjoy snooker, blogging, pizza, rock concerts. And I will have an LFC tattoo after sun & bathing season...

*Seriously, I think gourmet food - 1 shrimp finely adorned in seaweed on a plate / 2 squid legs tied in a bow and spattered with liquer / 1 strip of red meat on a bed of fungus ... You get the idea - is all some lame excuse to distinguish between classy and not so classy people. I'm right there with the not so classy. And I thrive there...

Looking forward to May 25th :)

This premiers when I'm in San Francisco. What do you think, Julie?

For once, I'll be serious. Please help.

As you read this, over 3 million people in Darfur, Sudan are crammed together in concentration camps, dying of disease and hunger, while government sponsored troops slaughter civilians, use rape to destroy group unity, and shoot children for sport. 400,000 men, women, and children are already dead. Entire races have been exterminated by the Sudanese government's campaign of ethnic cleansing. Automatically repost this petition and spread the word! Or Get the code here and repost manually or put in your profile. Where is Darfur? Darfur is a region in western Sudan, an eastern African country half the size of the United States Why are people being killed? Sudan is an Islamist Dictatorship controlled by Omar Al-Bashir. Bashir maintains control by ruthlessly crushing rebellion. When Ethnic African groups in Darfur started a war for independence, Bashir responded with a campaign of violence targeting civilians. He has used proxy militia groups to torch whole cities, rape and kill thousands of women and children.	This two year old girl was shot in the back. Her mother was killed.
How you can help: 1.Repost this bulletin 2. Go to www.LifeNets.net to learn more and take action. 3. Put this banner in your profile First copy the code below <br /><a href="http://www.LifeNets.net/darfur/darfur.php?t=bull"><br /><br /><img border="0" src="http://www.lifenets.net/myspace/savedarfurnick.gif" /></a> Then click here to open your profile and insert the code above
This message was created by LifeNets.net "Using the Power of Networks to Save Lives" We're a non-profit association of ordinary Americans who are using our unique talents and expertise to compete with powerful business lobbies and media interests in the fight for the lives of the world's poorest and least represented members. We don't have the money to buy million dollar television ads, so we must out-think (instead of out-spend) our larger and better funded opponents. We strive to adapt the most creative and effective means of reaching large numbers of people and convincing them to act to save the live of the millions of men, women, and children who die needlessly each year because of extreme poverty and genocide. Learn more at www.LifeNets.net

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Contact Darfur Action Network for any information.

The world's by far coolest bus company!

I know, it doesn't sound very cool, "bus company" - but it IS!

Now, they've got a service called the "bus oracle" where you can type complete sentences and ask when the buses for so-and-so are going etc. But it can also answer other queries...
Updated way to go...
Now, go here. In the box named "spørsmål" (i.e. "questions") type "what is the meaning of life?" (possibly works better without the " ".) Click "spør >>" (i.e. "ask"). And wait for your answer...

Seriously, I'm in love with whoever came up with the idea of including that in a bus search...

Scholiast trivia II

This, my dear bloglings, is my 400th post, apparently. Hurrah! Etc. So far I've had a little over 16,000 visitors altogether (or since I installed Statcounter, at least). Which is about as many as Josh & Josh have in a day...

But I did a calculation (hurrah! again...), and it means I've had 40 visitors to every post. Some of them really aren't that memorable, and there has never been as many as 40 comments to one post (unlike people like Chloe...), so I'm actually rather pleased with it all!

Hip hip Hurrah!
(The painting is actually called "hip, hip hurra" and was made by P.S. Krøyer)

New turf

My new office: Easter present: an egg full of goodies... And the key to the new office...
The view from my office!

And, we live in interesting times...

New surface on the terrace outside my office...

Beautiful spring morning in Oslo

Brought the camera to town Friday morning, and took a few photos on my way to work. It's not Porto, it's not Lisbon, but it's not all that bad when the sun is shining...
Nobel Peace Prize Centre
Fishing boat just come in

Aker brygge area
Oslo City Hall
Akershus fortress
Soldiers going to work at Akershus
Spring cleaning
Tordenskiold, naval hero and somehow related to me :)
No, it's not your eyes, it's the 300 year-old gate!
Oslo Stock Exchange

Presenting - the first casualties of global warming*

Mr. Wan Snowman

Mr. A. Nother Snowman

... and their favourite snowhorse, now horribly mutilated and deformed!

*I know, global warming is no laughing matter. But I was born to speak all mirth and no matter...

Laughing girl

You really ought to see Dad at Comedy Barn first - that's what she's laughing about! But this girl just killed me!

I didn't laugh yesterday, though - I went to get a new passport, and the guy wanted to put me down as "grey-haired". I mean, hello!?! Would I look like this if I was going abroad? So I told him I was "between hair-dressers" and eventually talked him into putting down some sort of dark blond. She who laughs last...

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...

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!)

Lookie what I got!

My hubby's too good for words... He's not a big fan of (my) blogging, but this is what he gave me for my birthday:


- knowing full well I'll be using it for more blogging! The gorgeous man... And thanks for all well-wishes yesterday :) I had a very good day!

You can see more details here, if you're interested in the camera.

Local fauna - and a grand day out

They say summer's over, but last night was beautiful - even captured by phone cam.


"The mothers" in Jakob's class get together sometimes, last night only 5 of us met, but we stayed till closing time and enjoyed ourselves no less... Quite possibly the last night enjoyed at an outdoor place in a very long time.


This morning, walking to school, we met these cute creatures: 1 froggy (mum-size, about 3 inches /7,5 cms long) and 1 blindworm (or should I say ex-blindworm, it was thoroughly flattened by a car...) of about 8 inches (20 cms). It's one of only two snake types existing in this country, it's tiny and not in the least dangerous, but I was still grateful a car had had the thoughtfulness of completely bereaving it of all life before we arrived...

And now, for work. Home, that is...

The end of summer

For me, summer isn't just getting away from work, or doing something fun with family and friends.

Summer is a feeling. A feeling like my skin's too tight, after hours in the sun. A glance in the mirror of a darker shade of pale on my skin, making me smile. A feeling of amazement at how white the kids' hair can get.

Summer is a feeling I love.

And today we're back from the cabin. The kids' hair is still white, of course. My skin hasn't really felt too tight at all this summer - that comes out best in Greece. (And if it feels too tight to handle, there's always yoghurt, soothens sunburn and prevents peeling every time.) I'm feeling rather melancholy. And it hasn't even started raining...

The cows are here!

The cows have been to Athens, they've been to Lisbon.

Now they're here.

This one's "dressed" like Norwegian milk cartons used to be when I was little.

I still don't get it though. Noone's paying me to travel through Europe's capitals, although I'm sure I'd appreciate it a lot more than these papier-machees or whatever they are...

Mr. Comic Messiah himself

Now, as you guessed / found out - I went to see John Cleese yesterday. Yes! The one and only!! He was giving a lecture on creativity. Some of my colleagues were obviously expecting Python sketches for hours on end and were rather disappointed, but not me. I found him fascinating, and what he talked about quite something to think about too! He started off by telling a couple of stories from his time in Oslo... If I'm lucky, you can find one here, or maybe even here:

(For those who can't make it work - it's HIS voice...)

Now, I guess you can't really tell this is him at the stage, you'll just have to trust me...

Just before we were off to this happening (which was rather expensive, 820 kroner equals about $ 120 or £ 82 per person), several of "my" lawyers all of a sudden couldn't make it after all. Spouses and siblings were called, two appeared. Two friends also. But there were still two tickets left and the show was starting in 40 minutes, we were leaving.

I called Rarity. She couldn't find any bosslike persona but figured it was a once in a lifetime, left a note and joined us about 15 minutes later. At which time I'd just called another friend, TL, who did some similar escapism and joined us 5 minutes before it was about to start.

At least the three of us and T (my colleague / the ipodcoverliningmaker) loved it... Seeing JC in real life, having his brilliant wit pouring upon us for two hours, listening to casual remarks about Graham Chapman and Jamie Lee curtis... Say No More!

The wonderful art of self preservation

I know this woman. We're acquaintances, I guess, but we get on really well whenever we meet. Especially since she and I share the same idea that our hubbies are our soul mates, and that married life with our respective spouses is pure bliss. They have three children, the youngest as old as our Jakob. Her hubby also had a child before they were married, who lives with them.

Now her husband is dying of cancer. There is no hope. They've stopped treatment. He half sits, half lies in a chair, he barely has the strength to call his children's names. He used to be a wonderful, fun family man, and he loved the great outdoors.

So, what do I do? I give her a hug, when I see her. I don't ask about his health, or hers - even though she's said she doesn't mind talking about it, it's somehow therapeutic.

But I can't bear thinking about it. When I really get into it, when I start imagining that in a few months, maybe only weeks, she's a widow, the kids fatherless - my mind shuts off. I start concentrating on a hair in my eye or the noisy traffic.

It's only too sad. For me! And she lives with it!!

Even as I'm writing now, I can't delve deeper into this, I just concentrate on being grateful and happy that it's not me. It's incredibly egotistical and callous, perhaps, but it seems to happen automatically. Body & mind shield sets in...
On a more lightweight note - these are other things that have made me happy recently:
- Liverpool are through to the FA Cup final!
- "Chelski" got thoroughly beaten and chucked out of the FA Cup.
- These events happened in the same match!
- Ronnie O'Sullivan is through to the quarter finals of the World Championship.
- My new job is only 36 days away. I keep getting mails from my manager-to-be, questions sent in by people in search of a word that is not in the dictionary. Yet. I love the detective work trying to find the proper translation - asking everybody I know in a similar trade - and to think I'll actually be paid to do this! I can't wait...

My humblest apologies

Last night I sat up until 1 o'clock. Again. But I wasn't doing anything worthwhile, like watching snooker or blogging, and even though my husband stayed up as well (a rare happening!) we weren't doing anything worthwhile either, if you get my drift...

No, we were watching golf. Until 1 o'clock. And we don't even like golf. I stopped by the sports channel looking for football, snooker, possibly handball - and it was golf. Only, just as I was lifting my index finger to press the "next" button on the remote, the commentator revealed that a Norwegian, a local lad, was in fact leading the PGA tournament.

So, we stayed tuned. And our boy ended 10th, which was brilliant! The point is, though, at 1 o'clock, it wasn't even finished. But we really had to get some sleep before sweet morning has broken and all that. So yes, we sat up really, really, way too late, and never knew who won! (Luckily internet's back on track at work, so I found out today.) (Tiger, should anyone care...)

Golf? I'm not even 40! How could this happen!??!