Crazy Christmas

Literarily dropping out of the sky, or the clouds to be precise, today's snowfall brought a somewhat bizarre paradox to my mind. Most people, at least most of my friends in Norway, wish for a white Christmas. Not in terms of the absence of alcohol (quite the contrary, I guess), but in terms of snow--they, myself included, would like to have snow laying on the ground on Christmas. And as far as I know, they don't seem to mind the snow falling. However, most people, at least that I know of, do not feel equally fond of rainfall during summer, or spring or autumn for that matter. But snow and rain are the same thing...! So why is it that we seem to love a snowfall when it's already cold and freezing outside, yet we despise the rain that can actually do some good and chill us down on a hot summer day?

I think I found the answer right now: people are not made for living in water, and snow is fairly dry matter.

It's Christmas!

While you think about that, or drop the thing altogether, you may ponder upon the silly fact that human kind actually grow threes so they can bring them into their homes and dress them up beyond recognition. And some of us doesn't stop there, but we also walk around it singing songs! I am one of the crazy guys, and put this Christmas three up in my apartment last night. >>

Wish you all a merry Christmas!

First skiing trip!

Cross country skiing!

Last night, just before my dinner guests Gunn and Karl (who married in Rome in April) was about to leave, my sister sent me an SMS asking if I wanted to join her (and Ole Kristian) for cross-country skiing today. As she asked, it was snowing nicely outdoors, and I was really set for a trip in fresh air the following day. But I also had to go to work, and had originally planned swimming (before work). After negotiating a bit, we agreed on me calling in the morning and take it from there. So I did, and about an hour later we were on our way north towards Sjonken in Romeriksåsen (the hill of Romerike). The sun was shining, it was a chilly eight degrees minus, and with the fresh powder snow and tracks prepared this morning, it became an amazing trip!

For the record: I went to work after I got back home. Afterwards, Antoine from Strasbourg came by my place for dinner, passing through Oslo this weekend. On the menu: leftovers from yesterday.

Hooked on France?

A few years ago, I met a girl who said she was hooked on France--she was a "Francophile". She loved France and French culture, she spoke French (she probably still do), and as far as I can recall she wouldn't mind living there. I haven't seen her since, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I thought being hooked on France, or any country for that matter, was a freaky or at least strange thing. How do you get obsessed by a country?

I don't know if I already am a "Francophile", but some things certainly indicate that I am becoming one. It started Christmas a couple of years ago, when my aunt Arnny (my mom's sister) gave me a book about French cuisine; "Le Cordon Bleu--Regional French". I tried a couple of recipies, including the duck in orange sauce (which I am serving tomorrow, by the way). As any inital sample, this introduction (to French cuisine) got me totally hooked and I ended up writing my master thesis in Strasbourg. Back home in Norway, I am taking French classes, and I have started on a plan that may be the seal labelling me a "Francophile":

Unless I break another bone (I tend to do that...), I plan to visit Strasbourg by bicycle next summer. Yes; this means travelling from Oslo to France (Strasbourg, of course) by bike. Based on experience from this autumn's trip to Barcelona, I will put a lot more effort into the planning this time, both in terms of mapping the route and physical exercise. Cheating a bit, the journey will be approximately the same distance as Strasbourg--Barcelona, as I plan to take the ferry to Denmark and start from there. The idea is to arrive in Strasbourg a couple of days before July 1st, when the pros sets off on their Tour de France. In other words, to experience the circus of Le Tour de France and re-visit "Strasbourg ville." :-)

I love...

Ville de lumiére

Strasbourg!

This statement is strong enough on its own. But not even with support from the pictures does it cover the events that made Strasbourg such a wonderful place for me this week-end, so here goes:

First of all, I was staying with my former cohabitant (or "colocataire") Jan. In his absence, I was let in by one of his very kind flat-girl-mates Anne-Lohr. Friday night then followed with home-made dinner, and an attempt to have "fondue à la chocolat noir" on La Cloche a Fromage for dessert. But as they stop serving at ten, we shot the city lights before having a drink in the fashionable bar 22:30 (of which none of our Strasbourgoise friends seems to know).

Saturday was spent writing Christmas shopping lists, visiting the Christmas markets, shopping through the list and preparing for the night: first, a nice, french (i.e. social) dinner with Jan's flat-girl-mates' friends (fondue a fromage), and later, the housewarming party of Stéphane, Arnaud and Franck--a great event with great friends!

After a few hours of sleep, Sunday was all over the place. Or we were: first at Laurent and Kristina's place, who hosted an amazing Christmas cookie workshop with some of the other party-people from last night. Afterwards, we had a coffee with Line Mai at the café l'epicerie before I left for the airport. (Leaving Strasbourg by tram one hour before flight departure, Line Mai was a bit nervous that I might miss my flight--all for no good as I checked in and was strip-searched with time to spare before driven off to the plane along with all the other passengers.) The last thing I did on Strasbourgoise soil was to fall asleep as the plane was about to take off.

I had a plan of revisiting Strasbourg and the vineyards next autumn . This was updated to include a visit for Tour de France, which starts in Strasbourg next summer. Now, I might find my way back to this wonderful city and my great friends before that. Time will show...

Finished reading Lunar Park

Last night I got lost in Bret Easton Ellis' latest book Lunar Park, and my body feels like it got pretty late before I flipped the last page. But the book wanted to be read (as opposed to American Psycho, which according to Mr. Ellis wanted to be written). I even did put it down and tried to get some serious sleep, but it was impossible.

So, the book was exiting. Unfortunately, I cannot say how good it really is (or is not), because I have been reading it sporadically on the tram back and forth to work for a couple of weeks. But it is definitely worthwhile reading! I think I should read Glamorama once more...

Madrugada in Oslo Spektrum

Madrugada on stage

What I thought was going to be a somewhat dull concert turned out to be really good! My anticipation is the result of previous concerts in Oslo Spektrum--the acoustics has never proven more than modestly okay there. But the producers of last nights concert corrected that bad image; the sound was really good! Maybe because it was filmed for a DVD...

The band played very well, but for some reason the mood among the audience, myself included, did not tak off into the skies. At least compared with other concerts I've been too at Rockefeller Music Hall. One thing struck me though: while Madrugada did not put up a great show, I would like to see an entertainer like Robbie Williams (or equally good) on stage. So please don't hesitate to tell me if he or some other great artist is on stage near you!

I passed!

I just got the results of my thesis examination, the outcome of my stay in Strasbourg, and I passed! And not only did I pass, but on a three-level scale (of "pass") I was credited at level two with a "pass good!" Now I can rest peacefully with respect to my thesis--although the peace will have to wait until I have celebrated the result!

Those who want to make their own judgement can download the thesis (PDF, 1MB) and read about "Search Engine Credibility."

Touchdown!

Another touchdown

Standing upright, I managed to touch the floor with my fingertips for my very, very first time today! This highly unusal event happened as I was stretching after today's crawling class (swimming), which I attend every Monday afternoon for the next three weeks. Although not the greatest event in my life, it was a nice achievement. Particularly because today I was awfully tired after a calm but nevertheless eventful week-end, dominated by New York cheese cake and a very nice visit to see my sister's new cat Hercules (featured above).

Having lived through the long week-end, spent one day at work, doing the touchdown thing, and taking a French lesson, I finally had time to post some pictures from my visit to Saint Petersburg the previous weekend. Enjoy!

Where the f... did my eggs go?

I am certain I bought a pack of eggs yesterday or the day before, but now I can't find them and I need them for baking a cake for tomorrow! Of course, this can wait until tomorrow, but nevertheless... Maybe it is just another symptom for the stress I experience these days. Where it comes from is hard to say, but it feels like I cannot get enough things done and at the same time I am not doing anything. Where do all my time go? Sure, I go to work every day, and I attend French lessons two evenings a week and try to study French between those lesson. But this shouldn't occupy more than just a small amount of the total sixteen hours I have each day and doesn't explain why my apartment looks like a constant mess. It feels almost like the last couple of days in Strasbourg when I was awake for two days and nights in a row, slept for three hours and worked on the following day. I feel like a becoming zombie.

I'll try to leave the zombie behind in the swimming pool tomorrow morning.

..."Yesterday" became a poor blog title.

There is mainly two reasons for this. I prefer focusing forward in time, and I have a bad memory. Whether those two are related I don't know.

So, I am changing the blog title from Yesterday... to something else. I think I'll just go creazy on the creative-o-meter and name this blog equivalent to its predecessor from Strasbourg: Asbjørn in Oslo!

...the invitation to St. Petersburg came through.

And why would I need an invitation? Well, it is part of the process of getting a visa for Russia. As I am not staying in a hotel, I had to get Mari to send me an invitation. Yesterday it came through on fax, and today I went to the Russian embassy in Oslo and picked up the visa. Though "picking up" may not be the proper term, as it came quite expensive. Not only because I started out with the wrong address, resulting in two tours around Oslo in taxi before I got to the right place, but also because it is expensive to get a visa the same day you apply for it... One thousand Norwegian crowns, to be precise (that equals some 128 euros according to the American Express Currency Converter).

Yesterday I also had my long-awaited ADSL broadband connection installed. The guys from the telecom company said it would just take fifteen minutes to install it. This seemed sound to begin with, considering that the line was active until I returned from Strasbourg. However, fifteen minutes became half an hour, and turned into one hour. By that time, I had finished both lunch and dessert and started doing my homework in French while the guys worked on the line. After two hours they finally made it work and I could return to the office. Yesterday I worked late.

Tomorrow I am getting up at 05:45, and with three cans of Norwegian liver paté in my bag I am flying to St Petersburg to visit Mari for the week-end.

...Lucas invited me to a concert with Melophonia.

Lucas lives with Ava from my class last year, and a classmate of his, Håkon, plays in Melophonia. Last night the band played at Dattera til Hagen (Hagen's Daugther) in Oslo. Their music is a mix of electronica and rock, and their performance last night was excellent!

...I attended my first French class in Oslo.

It wasn't really a class though, but an individual lecture at Berlitz with one teacher and me as the only student. As such, it was highly efficient. It helped a lot that I already know some French, and I expect progress to slow down. Nevertheless, I believe this to be a good way of improving my rather poor French, at least so that I can hold a simple conversation—hopefully already when I visit Strasbourg early in December.

Talking about travelling, yesterday I picked up the ticket for my trip to St. Petersburg next week-end. Now I only need to get the Visa, and I'll be ready to visit Mari and see the city that Lonely Planet terms "one of the most beautiful cities on earth."

Oh, before I press the "post" button: Yesterday, I formally agreed on the terms for my transfer to the consulting part of Accenture and thus reached the main goal of studying for a master's degree. I now await the results of my thesis examination.

...I returned from Athens...

Athens!

...after visiting Galatia, one of the friends I made in Strasbourg, for the weekend. It was lovely down there. Galatia is lovely, that's true, and so is her mother and father who hosted me. But the sunny, warm weather also contributed to make my stay a nice vacation from the wet autumn in Oslo. Days were easy, no hurry at all. Maybe because Galatia's mother took us out to try Tai Chi Saturday morning, after which we simply drifted up to the fabulous Acropolis and afterwards down to a café in the city. Here, Lena from my class in Strasbourg and her boyfriend joined us, and they made me try both Frappé and another drink I can't remember the name of. Anyway, the Frappé was best. They also made us go and see an exhibition of Esher at the Herakleidon art gallery, as well as spending a nice night out in a couple of bars.

Sunday, Galatia made her debut as a careful driver on the highway, and we spent some time trespassing on the sports grounds from last years Olympic Games. Afterwards we attended a farewell surprise party for one of Galatia's friends, held in an apartment with the most amazing view of Acropolis, and finished the evening with some of Galatia's nice friends and with the movie Elizabethtown.

Monday, I was amazed by how well the Greeks have watched after the ancient Panathinaiko Stadium—it appeared brand new. Obviously the result of my lack of knowledge, as the stadium was almost completely rebuilt in the mid-nineteenth century and later renovated. We also saw the Temple of Olympian Zeus—or at least the remaining impressively massive columns from it.

What we did not see was Chris, Galatia's boyfriend. But maybe he'll show up next time I visit Athens and my friends there—hopefully in combination with a sailing trip in the Mediterranean.