Happy little rugrat

I know I promised pictures of the apartment, but first: more Elias. Just because. So cute! I can't wait to have him and his mom come visit me in Oslo soon!

Notes on Oslo...

So. I have landed. In a city of snow and wind and occational sun, non-crowded subway trains, expensive alcohol (and most other things, for that matter) and quite a lot more eye-candy than could be found in the big apple. Norwegian men are tall! Oslo is a big city, by Norwegian standards, yes, but then not quite. This morning, there was a man on the train in full cross country skiing equipment, heading up to the forests north of the city for a little excercise - at 7.45 am. They say you can find anything in New York, but I highly doubt you can find that. And the said train runs only four times per hour in the "morning rush", which means I actually have to plan when I leave the apartment, factor in elevator time and walking/running time on the icy streets - and hope for the best. 15 minutes waiting time outside in the cold is not a good option.

When I get to work, I have a nice office in the corner of the Y-shaped building known as "The Aquarium". I have no idea why that is, but all meetings held in the meeting room here are called Fish-meetings. [...] I guess a little fish-amusement in the bureaucratic desert of the state administration is good for people's sanity. As far as the view goes, I have traded the Chrysler Building for a large, beautiful church - Trefoldighetskirken. Quite the upgrade, I'd say.

While waiting for the boyfriend to finish his skiing adventure and move in with me rather than sleep outsize in freezing cold in a tent with smelly boys, I entertain myself with decorating our new home. Or trying to, anyway. So far there is a bed in the bedroom, a bookshelf in the living room and... not much else. I eat my breakfast standing up by the kitchen counter, and my dinner seated on the floor, and all I can hope for is that the nice couch that I have ordered will arrive sooner rather than later. At least now I have a lamp, so it is not quite so dark, and a radio, so it is not quite so quiet anymore. And with a large living room to dance around in, that is all I ask for. All in all I am enjoying myself immensely - last night I found myself ironing bed linens... a little over the top maybe, but playing Suzy Homemaker when I have 680 square feet all to myself is quite to my liking at the moment...

I'll be back with more, including actual pictures from the apartment and the city, as soon as I get my brand new Macbook online (I know - I love it!) and get my PC-accustomed brain to work with it.

MOT NORD 2007

Mens noen av oss er i ferd med å forlate en storby for en annen, er andre på vei ut i villmarka, for å teste vilje og skiferdigheter mot naturkreftene. Ekspedisjonen MOT NORD 2007 starter på Lindesnes denne helgen, og hvis jeg er heldig vil jeg få kjæresten tilbake like hel i begynnelsen av mai. Lykke til, gutter! Vi andre kan følge galskapen på www.motnord.no.

While I am in New York trying to finish off in style, the boyfriend is in Norway, preparing for what is going to be one hell of a ski trip. A small expedition of three men and a tent will embark from the Southernmost tip of Norway this weekend, and they hope to finish the 2500 kilometers in about three months and arrive safely at the Northern tip, the North Cape, around the beginning of May. One ski length after the other, one day at the time, hoping for mercy from the weather gods and patience from the girlfriends...

On the Move...

I am moving. Again. You'd think I just really love packing and unpacking, hauling luggage and buying furniture. That is not the case. But this time it is a good move, a move of the best kind: The move home. I actually sold my few pieces of furniture and left my room on the 28th floor some days ago, so I am currently sleeping on a fold-out couch in a friendly apartment with wonderful people (Takk, Cecilie, Maren og Eivind!) - a nice finale, I think. The coming Friday will be my very last day on this continent for some time (I will be back to visit, do not worry) and I have to admit that I am looking forward to that last car ride through crowded New York streets, the last hauling of all my luggage to check-in, the last wait in endless security lines, and then to board my flight, sit down, and cast one last glance out the window to wave goodbye to this city that never sleeps.

I do realize some people would (and probably do) call me crazy to leave this most wonderful of all cities, and one could argue that a year and a half is not enough to really get accustomed to the New York flavor. That I have given up on New York too soon. To that I can only say that I am very happy for people who can feel truly at home here, who can draw their energy from the city rather than being drained by it, and who find rich people to marry so they can get a decent place to live. But that is not me. Not now, not ever. As for the flavor, I'd say it is kind of like the flavor of beer: if it takes that much getting used to, it may not be worth it.

"Oh my god, I like totally fainted on the subway today"

A new year has arrived, and with it all the resolutions people make of eating less, losing weight, working out, sizing down. I normally wouldn't care what crazy diet fad the high-strung, stick-thin women of this city have come up with to torture themselves - but now I wish they wouldn't. I have just learned that the most frequent reason for delays and stops in the subway traffic in New York is women on diets who get dizzy or faint because they haven't taken in enough calories to stay on their feet. It's true - the news carried the story this week. Wow. The subway administrators should start serving emergency donuts at the entrances.

So - to all women out there who think being thin is worth falling under a train for: Please start eating again, so I can get to work on time.

New Year - New Possibilities...

While over a million people gathered on Times Square to watch a chrystal ball drop from a tall building, we spent the evening on top of a mountain, watching a surprisingly long-lasting show of very festive fireworks fired off by the 100 or so people who live in this remote corner of Norway. Dark, cold, rainy - loved it! I left Bodø and my family a couple of days ago to go spend so time with Toralf's family on the West Coast, and although the storms, rainshowers, and occational hail has tried their best to keep us inside, we have hiked around the mountains here every day. Pictures below from today's trip - a good climb (and very steep - who needs stair masters?) up to a tiny little stone cottage.

Happy New Year, everyone!

God jul!!

Ønsker om en riktig god og fredelig jul og et godt nytt år til alle kjente fra lille Elias og en stolt tante Linda!!

Merry Chistmas and a HAPPY New Year to all of you from Elias and his proud auntie Linda!