...and with it, rain. No snow yet, although there are a few days that have been close. It gets dark around 3:30 or 4:00, pitch black no later than 5:00. And there are still three weeks before the winter solstice. I will be celebrating the "birth of the sun" for sure this year. It is really hard to get up and go to work when it is still dark out, and come home when the sun is gone for the day. I'll have to make a point to get out of the office for a half hour or so every day.
I can't believe there is less than one month left in 2007. Where did the year go? About three weeks until Christmas, and I haven't done any shopping. Typical for me, although I should be mailing out packages by now, not thinking about shopping. So if you're reading, you might not get your gift until 2008. And Christmas cards? They probably won't get mailed out on time, either. I need to set aside an evening and sit down and write them. That evening should be tomorrow.
I've been thinking about my resolutions for 2008. I think the only one I will make is to start eating more whole foods, less processed stuff. I am doing better than I ever have in the past, but there is always room for improvement. The occasional frozen pizza or hot dog is fine, it has to be, we all get too busy to cook now and then. But those should be the exception, not a staple in our home.
Andre and I have booked tickets to the US in February. We will be going to Texas to celebrate my mom's friend's birthday, then spend about a week in California seeing family and friends, and then home again to Oslo.
Wednesday we are off to Kiel, Germany, for an overnight stay. I'll be sure to take a lot of pictures and share them here.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Busy in November
It's been a while since I updated. There are two main reasons, which seem somewhat contradictory. The first is that I've been busy, and the second is that nothing has been going on. Another part is that I had some pictures from a brunch I went to with some American women that I had been meaning to upload, and never got around to. I will soon, but they are somewhat boring - more sculptures and art, blah blah blah.
November has been a busy month at work. We got a big shipment of food in from Ramstein AFB in Germany (that's where I order most of the food for the store I manage in the Embassy). We hire a huge 20' container truck with a frozen compartment. With this shipment I had to order everything for Thanksgiving and Christmas - turkeys, stuffing, pumpkin pie mix, etc. I have been through this enough to know what I'm doing, and the procedure runs pretty smoothly - with a few exceptions.
In addition to the big shipment from Ramstein, I was expecting a huge shipment of wine from California & the Pacific Northwest. I ordered the stuff in late August/early September, expecting a two-month delivery time. The Marines ordered some wine for the Marine Corps ball, which was last Saturday, the 17th. The shipment arrived on the 15th. Talk about cutting it close, pulling out my hair, and turning the remaining ones gray!
As if that wasn't enough, about a month ago I took some of the people from work to the "troll shop" - a man who sells Norwegian souvenirs wholesale opens up his warehouse to us periodically. The first time they tried to deliver the goods, the driver of the truck got a parking ticket. Of course, he didn't want to come back. But he did - the week after the wine came.
In between the heavy workload at work, I've still been trying to be social - although not very well. I had a nice Thanksgiving lunch with the American Women's Club, another nice lunch at work, and got to take home some leftover turkey to eat on Thanksgiving. That with some mashed potatoes, cooked carrots and a little "gravy" was my Thanksgiving dinner this year. And the day after, while most Americans were rushing about the stores getting trampled by blue-haired ladies racing towards the last Bumblebee Transformer, I was relaxing at a day spa, getting a massage.
I hope everyone reading had a great Thanksgiving. Drop me a line and tell me about yours, and if you braved "Black Friday".
November has been a busy month at work. We got a big shipment of food in from Ramstein AFB in Germany (that's where I order most of the food for the store I manage in the Embassy). We hire a huge 20' container truck with a frozen compartment. With this shipment I had to order everything for Thanksgiving and Christmas - turkeys, stuffing, pumpkin pie mix, etc. I have been through this enough to know what I'm doing, and the procedure runs pretty smoothly - with a few exceptions.
In addition to the big shipment from Ramstein, I was expecting a huge shipment of wine from California & the Pacific Northwest. I ordered the stuff in late August/early September, expecting a two-month delivery time. The Marines ordered some wine for the Marine Corps ball, which was last Saturday, the 17th. The shipment arrived on the 15th. Talk about cutting it close, pulling out my hair, and turning the remaining ones gray!
As if that wasn't enough, about a month ago I took some of the people from work to the "troll shop" - a man who sells Norwegian souvenirs wholesale opens up his warehouse to us periodically. The first time they tried to deliver the goods, the driver of the truck got a parking ticket. Of course, he didn't want to come back. But he did - the week after the wine came.
In between the heavy workload at work, I've still been trying to be social - although not very well. I had a nice Thanksgiving lunch with the American Women's Club, another nice lunch at work, and got to take home some leftover turkey to eat on Thanksgiving. That with some mashed potatoes, cooked carrots and a little "gravy" was my Thanksgiving dinner this year. And the day after, while most Americans were rushing about the stores getting trampled by blue-haired ladies racing towards the last Bumblebee Transformer, I was relaxing at a day spa, getting a massage.
I hope everyone reading had a great Thanksgiving. Drop me a line and tell me about yours, and if you braved "Black Friday".
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
More adventures in Oslo (part 3)
More pictures from my walk last weekend.
There are a lot of trees behind the police station. The little wall in the center holds a secret...
.... a spiral! I don't know why, but this really attracted my attention.
There was a little bench in some random place, and it looks like someone left some snacks behind. It is a lemon and some chili peppers. Takes all kinds...Down the street from our apartment is the Mosque.
On the way back home, I saw this street sign. Very important information to have!
This is the view of home from the police station.
And the view of home from the pizza sign.Sunday, November 4, 2007
Autumn Walk in Oslo, part 2
On the way back from Vålerenga, I walked through the park behind the police station. This little sculpture park (for lack of a better word) was a neat little treasure I found.
The wall has elephants in it.
Another elephant. There were a number of them, and some lions, which gave the area a real Asian feel.
Two views of the entire area, from opposite ends.
One wall had some interesting Buddha heads on it.
Yes, I said Buddha heads. I don't know if this is some sort of prayer area for Buddhists, or just some of the art that is all over Oslo.Autumn walk in Oslo
I went for a walk today. It is really nice to get out in the crisp, cold autumn air. Here are some of the places I visited.
Some older houses, in all the beautiful colors old houses in Oslo are.
Vålerenga Kirke (Vålerenga Church), built in 1902. Somewhere nearby there is a cozy cafe, but I didn't find it.
The sun was shining, so I couldn't get a picture of the back side of the church. But I took one of a tree in the church yard.
Across the street from the church is Vålerenga Skole (school).
These pictures are of the prison and the wall surrounding the main police station, which is very close to our apartment. There is a nice park surrounding the prison.
Some older houses, in all the beautiful colors old houses in Oslo are.
Vålerenga Kirke (Vålerenga Church), built in 1902. Somewhere nearby there is a cozy cafe, but I didn't find it.
The sun was shining, so I couldn't get a picture of the back side of the church. But I took one of a tree in the church yard.
Across the street from the church is Vålerenga Skole (school).These pictures are of the prison and the wall surrounding the main police station, which is very close to our apartment. There is a nice park surrounding the prison.
The pathway leading up to the main entrance of the prison.
The doorway to the prison.
Funny ball sculptures lining a pathway.
The old fence and the new?
The prison wall. If you look closely, you can see the two towers of the Mosque in Oslo. The mosque is NOT inside the prison, ha ha. I have more pictures of the Mosque and the park around the prison next time.Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Halloween and Haircuts
I mean to be writing something here daily, but I was really busy this weekend. Friday I met some girlfriends for dinner. It was my friend Liz's birthday. She is one of the first women I met here, American, married to a Norwegian. We went to a middle-eastern restaurant and ate lots of yummy food, then to TGI Friday's for dessert. When I got home, Andre commented on my garlic breath, so it must have been strong food!
Saturday Andre and I went to a pumpkin carving party at another friend's house. There were a lot of foreigners there (note: I am a foreigner here), and a lot who had never carved a pumpkin before. We brought 2 pumpkins and our pumpkin carving kit, which was a hit (hint to family: if you see any carving kits 50% or more off at the stores, snatch a few up for me!) We brought our pumpkins home, then cleaned up for another party, this one a combination housewarming-engagement-birthday party for a girl from my Norwegian class.
Then Sunday was the annual Halloween party for the American Women's Club - well, for the children. I went to the location to help set up, and found that they had double-booked the room for that day. Fortunately we had another place to have the party at the last minute. I called as many of the party-goers as possible, and I think it ended up being a hit. Little kids don't realize when there is a crisis like that, and it appears they all had a great time.
Tomorrow, of course, is Halloween. Our carved pumpkins are starting to stink, and I have a small bag of leftover candy from the party to give to any trick-or-treaters we might get. It's dark by 5 now, so they might come early while I'm at the gym. But at least I'll be a bit prepared.
And finally, on Saturday we have a "grown up" Halloween party. It was going to be on the top floor of a cafe, rented out at a cost of 100 kroner per person, but there were not enough people coming to make it that affordable. As of today, I'm still waiting to hear where the party will be. And I still haven't decided on a costume.
Got my hair cut today. I just wanted the ends trimmed and the layers redone, and that's pretty much what I got. I don't know about all places, but the last two times I had my hair cut here, I was asked if I wanted it washed. It's not something they automatically do. I said no, because it probably costs more. No joke. So she cut my hair dry, with a little help from a spray bottle. It's still wet from my shower now, so I'll let you know how it turned out later. Who knows, if it's really horrible, I might have my Halloween costume problem sorted out.
Saturday Andre and I went to a pumpkin carving party at another friend's house. There were a lot of foreigners there (note: I am a foreigner here), and a lot who had never carved a pumpkin before. We brought 2 pumpkins and our pumpkin carving kit, which was a hit (hint to family: if you see any carving kits 50% or more off at the stores, snatch a few up for me!) We brought our pumpkins home, then cleaned up for another party, this one a combination housewarming-engagement-birthday party for a girl from my Norwegian class.
Then Sunday was the annual Halloween party for the American Women's Club - well, for the children. I went to the location to help set up, and found that they had double-booked the room for that day. Fortunately we had another place to have the party at the last minute. I called as many of the party-goers as possible, and I think it ended up being a hit. Little kids don't realize when there is a crisis like that, and it appears they all had a great time.
Tomorrow, of course, is Halloween. Our carved pumpkins are starting to stink, and I have a small bag of leftover candy from the party to give to any trick-or-treaters we might get. It's dark by 5 now, so they might come early while I'm at the gym. But at least I'll be a bit prepared.
And finally, on Saturday we have a "grown up" Halloween party. It was going to be on the top floor of a cafe, rented out at a cost of 100 kroner per person, but there were not enough people coming to make it that affordable. As of today, I'm still waiting to hear where the party will be. And I still haven't decided on a costume.
Got my hair cut today. I just wanted the ends trimmed and the layers redone, and that's pretty much what I got. I don't know about all places, but the last two times I had my hair cut here, I was asked if I wanted it washed. It's not something they automatically do. I said no, because it probably costs more. No joke. So she cut my hair dry, with a little help from a spray bottle. It's still wet from my shower now, so I'll let you know how it turned out later. Who knows, if it's really horrible, I might have my Halloween costume problem sorted out.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Weather, fires and the gym
It's getting cold here. How cold? About 4 degrees Celsius, or, hmm... 4 multiplied by nine-fifths, plus thirty-two...carry the one... well, it's cold. I have been getting away with wearing a long-sleeved shirt and my jacket, but today walking home I realized that I probably need to start throwing one more layer in there somewhere. I haven't worn my hat or gloves yet. I sure don't want to be the first one wearing them, screaming "foreigner!" I would rather freeze.
I've read a bit about the fires in Southern California. I hope all my friends and family there are safe, and don't have to evacuate. At first, I only heard about the Malibu fire. I went to read an update, and it was all about San Diego. Then I checked a map, and holy cow! Is there any part of So Cal that isn't burning? It looks pretty bad.
I have been going to the gym. I joined in January, went off and on, but have been going pretty regularly for the last 6 months or so. The gym is called SATS, and is the largest chain in Norway, presumably the largest in Scandinavia/the Nordic region (Finland isn't really Scandinavia). I signed up for a class called "SATS Dans", "dans" meaning - can you guess? - dance. It's a half-hour class, with about 5 or 6 different songs and routines. It's all in Norwegian, but I just follow along with what everyone else is doing. I try to go to the gym three times a week, and as a result of going at least twice in the last 8 weeks, I got a free travel coffee mug.
At least now I'll have something to keep my hands warm before I pull out the gloves.
I've read a bit about the fires in Southern California. I hope all my friends and family there are safe, and don't have to evacuate. At first, I only heard about the Malibu fire. I went to read an update, and it was all about San Diego. Then I checked a map, and holy cow! Is there any part of So Cal that isn't burning? It looks pretty bad.
I have been going to the gym. I joined in January, went off and on, but have been going pretty regularly for the last 6 months or so. The gym is called SATS, and is the largest chain in Norway, presumably the largest in Scandinavia/the Nordic region (Finland isn't really Scandinavia). I signed up for a class called "SATS Dans", "dans" meaning - can you guess? - dance. It's a half-hour class, with about 5 or 6 different songs and routines. It's all in Norwegian, but I just follow along with what everyone else is doing. I try to go to the gym three times a week, and as a result of going at least twice in the last 8 weeks, I got a free travel coffee mug.
At least now I'll have something to keep my hands warm before I pull out the gloves.
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