back in Norway

I'm back in Norway. There's a heat wave happening, ongoing from the whole time I was in London. By hot, I mean, hot. Up in the 90's every day. Without air conditioning. Luckily it's not too humid, but it's still hard to get the air flowing.

Coming back from a trip like the one I was on is always a bit jarring. Especially when I got to England. I just FIT there. I understand the mentality, the humor, the history, the way things work. I feel so comfortable there. And, even though I've lived here 6 years and I guess it's as home as it will ever be, just one week in London feels more familiar to me than a year here. Not that I am NOT comfortable here, but I've basically spent my whole life studying English culture and history and it shows when I am in the country.

It's good to be back in my own bed, of course, but I have alot of niggling details left from last week that need to be taken care of and that all come back to hit me in the face at once. Have to get the rest of the Bank Nightmare stuff straightened (making sure passwords and pin codes and accounts all sync, that we got the right amount of money back and that the bloody cards WORK!). There's laundry and unpacking and catching up on email and blogs and regular mail. And catching up with work because my bloody fucking work computer just didn't want to do the remote connection and kept crashing every time I tried to open a file. (Not to mention I haven't even seen my own blog in over a week because my work computer blocks me from it! i have no idea how the photos look on the page!)
And joy of joys....in the next week or so I get to go to the American Embassy, because I have to have something notarized. I can't really think of anything that sucks more than having to go to the American Embassy. Last time I had something notarized there they quibbled over my name, that there was a slight discrepancy over the name on the paperwork and the name on my passport. They were going to refuse to notarize it. I finally had to show photo proof that the two names applied to me. Luckily I had that. Then there was the finger wagging and the 'naughty naughty girl you should officially change your name' crap. What, change my name to fit a piece of paper? When it's a mere matter of a hyphen? I think not.

But that's for the future.

Right now I am drinking coffee, looking at a beautiful sunny day and about to have a shower in the amazing Norwegian water. I missed the Norwegian water. London water gives me bad hair days. I looked like a frizzy drowned terrier all week.