17 May

Today is the 17th of May, also known as Norway's National Constitution Day. Everyone gets dressed up in their finest "bunader" and there are parades and much flag waving and national pride. It is always a very nice day.

Except, today? The weather? Absolute shit. I mean it couldn't BE any worse if someone had ordered the shittiest day on record. It's COLD outside (maybe 40F?), and bucketing down rain and the rain is mixed with SNOW. Everyone is dressed up so nice and marching in this shit and they are trying so hard to be happy when I know for a fact they all just WANT TO GET INSIDE. The plaza is set up with benches and band stands for an outdoor celebration, but anyone who sits out there right now is crazy. We had plans to join the festivities in central Oslo but everyone sort of wimped out. I am still in my jammies trying to keep warm from the draught coming under the window. All that nice weather of last week is a golden memory.

We were awakened at 8:30am by a barrage of loud dance music that came from the Russ buss pictured above. The bus parked itself on the road outside the town plaza (awaiting the parade to start at 9:30) and the girls all gathered on the roof and danced and sang and hollered and cheered during their wait. Very cute, except EARLY and those girls must have been so tired after a night of drinking, fucking and partying (which is what Russ do, for like, three weeks BEFORE their final exams) and very cold from standing in the shit weather. I was glad they were out there and we were inside and I wasn't 17 trying to prove what a hard partier I am. Seems exhausting. They managed to keep their energy up for the parade and gamely joined in with the wet bedraggled celebrants. The parade was quicker than usual this year

Luckily (for them and us, I imagine) Russ ends today. No more drive bys from loud busses and being awakened at 2am by screaming teenagers filling the fountain in the plaza with dish soap. (From now on I get to be awakened by kids on scooters with the mufflers removed, zipping around town at 2am and having races. Good times. Good times. )

Also, on a personal note, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALAN! Here's hoping your Big 4-0 is a great one!