when is too much, too much?

Twitter. Facebook. Myspace. Blogger. Email. Chatting. Texting. Phones. Stumble Upon. Classmates.com.

When does it just become too much? How much networking can I do?

Can't we just meet at a bar and TALK? Face to face is always so much nicer.

Sheesh.

Gorgeous thunderstorm moving through. After over a week of very hot (90+ fahrenheit!) weather, we need the cool off.

I got very drunk last night with some girlfriends. Had a really really good time and some GORGEOUS rosé. Sometimes you just need that girl time, you know? Helps you recharge.

rosé

Well, hell, my obsession with rosé is apparently trendy.   Go here.   Damn. Here I am thinking I am being a bit naff and bucking the trend and I am right in the middle of it. Guess that explains why rosé is to much easier to find lately.   Mmmmmmmm........

Unfortunate juxtaposition

Unfortunate juxtaposition, originally uploaded by karlakp.

This is my toilet. As you might have noticed it is located directly beside a full length window. I've added foggy glazing to the window to minimize the view (from either direction) but I can't help being a bit uncomfortable when I sit there. Who thought this was a good place to put the crapper?

Kristin at beach!

Kristin at beach!, originally uploaded by karlakp.

My friend Kristin sent me this picture of her at the beach today.

high spirits

Today is a gorgeous day, all week has been gorgeous, and my spirits are up and away. Nothing like some good music on the iPod (run through the Dali speakers and sounding oh so good) and sun and warmth to lift me up.

Some things making me happy:

1) I bought the perfect pair of skinny black pants today.* I mean, rock star skinny, top to bottom, legs so tight you have to turn them inside out to get them off, just that little bit too long so that they look cool. Skinny pants are almost impossible to find when you, yourself, are not skinny. These have the awesome quality of hugging where I want whilst also, somehow, blessedly, being comfortable, and not so low cut that my ass gets to come out and say hello as I walk around. And, holy of holies, they sit nicely so there is no muffin top! I might go back and buy a second pair, exact same color and size, because I anticipate wearing the ever loving SHIT out of them and will need a back up pair. I thought pants like these were an Urban Myth. Very happy to see they are reality! *H&M girls, H&M.

2) Yesterday's beach excursion has now made my tan the perfect shade of Not Too Yellow. I'm almost...golden! Tanned thighs look so much better than non tanned ones, it's just a fact.

3) Decided, also, that I am not afraid of turning 40. I mean, let's face it, the kid thing is probably a no go from here on out, so just accept that. Ok, cool, so freedom from that and the sometimes crushing guilt it carried with it. (I'll leave the kids up to my brother, he's getting married and Mom can go bother him.) So, not having kids means I can become one of those fabulous free spirits who dresses creatively and travels to exotic locations and has stories to tell and big jewelry to wear and flits about saying things like, "Remember that sweet little riad in Morocco?" That seems pretty cool, to be that way. I can do that, I think. Plus, I've got nieces, nephews and godkids aplenty, so I can be drive-by maternal when the urge hits.

The other thing about turning 40 is, I am not 20 anymore and holy crap, am I glad of that. Being 40 means, you know what you want, how to get it, and, most importantly, what to do with it once you've got it. (grin) Seriously, that's the kicker...knowing what to do in a situation, or at least having enough experience to draw on to come out the other end satisfactorily. God I wish I had the balls I have now when I was 20. It's nice to let the fear go and not give a flying fuck what other people think. I can be myself now, and hey, it seems that me being me is actually ok!

Being 40 is going to rock. (As long as the Olay holds out.)

4) I think, maybe, possibly, the exercising is working? I feel good, the tummy seems to be slowly but surely minimizing back to its original position of semi-concave. I've given up trying to have a small butt, and have embraced the curves, but some curves are a bit extra to requirements. That rowing is working!

5) I have a housewarming party to go to tonight, in a house that is 300 years old. That is SO cool. I can't WAIT to see this place. These old Norwegian houses can be so cute and koselig. What does one wear to a 300 year old housewarming party?

6) Please remind me of this upbeat post sometime in November when it is dark, rainy and I am feeling like the leftover scummy stuff on a toilet brush.

Day at beach

Day at beach, originally uploaded by karlakp.

I'm at a beach along the Oslofjord. Damn it's gorgeous. Why on earth did the Vikings leave? Oh , right...winter. Forgot about that. It comes all too soon!

Seriously?

Seriously?, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Best dinner ever! Yes I am a grown up (mostly) and I can have raspberries (fresh Norwegian!) with ice cream and cake for dinner if I want! Raspberries ARE a superfood, after all.

and you think $4 a GALLON is harsh?

check this out.   Man am I glad I sold my car.   One thing about this article: The Norwegian government has a tendency to raise taxes as a punitive measure to stop people using resources, etc., but then they don't offer a benefit or viable alternative for the practice they want us to stop. So, yeah, they can tax the purchase of a car at 100% and they can raise gas taxes because they want people to drive less...but then MAYBE they should make train and bus travel cheaper and more efficient so that people actually are ABLE to drive less? Give us an eco-friendly yet practical way out of the tax, you know? It''s like they are spanking a kid for doing wrong but not allowing the kid to do right!   I am ALL for public transport and I take it every day. But it drives me nuts that they charge so much to take a train or a bus, AND they charge so much to own a car. It really leaves the public with very few options for transport. Norway's a big country. In many areas there are no efficient forms of public transportation. Taxis are an absolute luxury, a cab ride home at night from central Oslo to the 'burbs (the damned trains stop running not long after midnight!) can cost $130 and up. It costs almost $10 to go one way into Oslo from the suburbs on a train. Ditto on a bus. (And the busses are not that frequent.) A monthly train/bus card lessens this cost, but not by a whole lot. (My monthly train pass costs more than my car payment used to be on my Subaru.)   Maybe, just maybe, they could invest all these gas and road and congestions taxes into the train and bus infrastructure and give us a valid, viable, easy and pleasant reason to give up our cars? Not everyone is as lucky as me and has train stations with 500 meters of both home and office.   So, hey, Norway...charge taxes all you want but spend them on things that enable us to follow the rules you seem to want us to follow! You can only spank so much!

random rose' blog

Dammit I gotta figure out how to get that little accent over the 'e in rose', because I ain't talkin' about the flower, I am talkin' about the wine.

Random wine induced blog post.

• Hi!
• I had some wine!
• Cuz it was a long day and I deserve it!
• And it's WARM outside!
• Which makes me want a nice, cool fresh and fruity wine!
• Like Rose!
• Ok, enough exclamation marks.
  
• I ate some of my favorite, evil, guilty pleasure snack: Krispy Cheez Kruncherz.
  
• They are like a low rent Cheeto.
• In fact, I created a slogan for them: Smell Like Ass, Taste GREEAT!
• Because, they smell like ass and taste great.
• AND they don't turn your fingers orange like cheetos.
  
• They do make you fart, though, and you feel vaguely sick after eating them.
  
• In other words, they are the perfect unhealthy snack.
• Of course, the husband has to point out the unhealthiness of them every time I eat them.
• Because anything *I* do is guaranteed to be worse than anything *he* does.
  
• Even though I eat them in a little tiny bowl, as I practice Kruncherz Portion Control.
  
• While he points out the unhealthiness of my once-in-a-while snack, he is busy shoving his face into a WHOLE BAG of Doritos and swilling beer by the pint.
  
• Which makes his criticism of my guilty pleasure just a leeeetle bit less effective.
  
• The weather people are saying that this week will finally bring back summer.
  
• I have my swimming suits washed and ready.
  
• Friday I am going to the lake and will have a swim and a lazy time lying in the sun.
• I am paranoid that my hard earned tan will go away.
  
• Gotta keep my tans lines in place.
  
• In other news, I've started working out again.
  
• I've been doing the elliptical thingy and rowing.
  
• I like rowing.
  
• I think I am a natural.
  
• Of course, a rowing machine if very different from rowing in water.
• Rowing in water, I tend to have steering problems.
  
• I sort of run into the bank and other people.
  
• But machine rowing?
• I rule.
  
• My arms and shoulders hurt, though.
  
• Rowing to Nine Inch Nails makes you row faster.
• Ow.
  
• I dare you to row to "Closer" and see how you do.
  
• You'll row the shit out of that machine.
  
• Just make sure you don't sing it out loud.
• The lyrics are *not* decent for others to hear.
  
• At least, not sung out loud by me in a gym.
  
• Mom, don't read that link.
  

The Cadillac

The Cadillac, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Today I am wearing a vintage bracelet I have had for years. I call it the Cadillac because it's big, heavy, somewhat unwieldy and parts occasionally fall off without warning. It is also really freaking cool looking. I love this bracelet but only rarely wear it. It's too fragile for frequent use!

Party time!

Party time!, originally uploaded by karlakp.

I was in no way drunk when I took this pic of me and Grant.

monster trucks in norway?

monster trucks in norway?, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Seriously? WTF? A monster truck rally is happening right outside our flat.

It's loud.

It's smokey.

There are motorcycles doing tricks while the music to "Knightrider" plays in the background.

My friend Pam tells me that all the Budweiser at her favorite grocery store is sold out. Coincidence? I think not.

My problem is that I am a leeeetle bit hungover and need a nap. Napping to the dulcet tones of monster trucks, motorcycles and the screams of Daisy Duke and Von Dutch wearin' wannabe white trash Norwegians is not helping my head.

In other news, I found out that the word for a grand prix style car race in Norwegian is a "fartsfest". Seriously. I am still laughing. And I am not making it up.

Life in Norway is not boring. Circuses? Monster Trucks? Fartfests? We got 'em all.

boob tape

It seems lately the trends in women's fashions go one of two directions: Very high necks or very low. Not much in between, at least, here in Norway. You can either tie up mid 80's Tootsie style or show off the girls in little empire waisted wrappy things. Luckily, Norway is all about the cleavage so you can guess which of the options I have chosen.   Hence my problem.   The high neck look is not good for me, I end up looking like a fuzzy mop stuck on a short stick. I don't have a very long neck, all told. Certainly it's not swan like.   The lower cut stuff is fine, I mean, I certainly have the goods to wear them, but the problem is...work. I can't really be hoisting the girls around the office. Tends to be distracting. Guys (I work with pretty much all men)  will talk to you about something work related, glance down, and you can see their brains just go into another place as they think 'booooobs'.  It is actually quite humorous, but I don't want to distress the poor dears more than I have to, it's too hard for them to get their train of thought back.   So today, for work, I'm wearing a dress with a wrappy empire neckline, but the dress is just a bit showy. So I added a slip underneath, that peeks out over the top, adding a nice layer of color and texture but also covering a bit more than the dress does. Problem was, the slip kept, well, slipping. Damn! I have an after work thing to go to and I don't want to be messing with my modesty (or lack thereof) all day!   I then remembered my friend Bonnie had sent me 'Hollywood Fashion Tape' (aka the very boob tape that kept J Lo in that green cut to THERE dress a few years ago). I hadn't yet used it, but thought this might be a good time to try.   That stuff? WORKS. You pull it off the backing, and apply to the part of yourself you want to adhere your clothing too. (This generally tends to be boobs.) Then you peel off the other backing that is on top and hey presto! a clear, non visible surface is left behind that will CLING TO YOUR CLOTHES like a monkey to a banana. That shit will NOT move and your clothes will stay put even in the event of tornado, monsoon or jostling by paparazzi. This slip is not going anywhere today. Guys with toupes should TOTALLY buy this stuff.   My new worry is, say, I get home kind of late (read: drunk) and collapse into bed. Obviously, I neglect to remove the tape for lack of motor skills. (Generally most nighttime hygiene falls by the wayside on nights such as I anticipate tonight.)   I sleep on my stomach.   Will I tape my boobs to the sheet? Will I be able to remove myself in the morning? Will removing myself, if I am able, hurt? Will removing the tape hurt!? (I fear that answer is yes. Did I mention the stickiness of it?)   Can one call in sick to work by reason of 'boobs stuck to the bed'? Does one need a doctor's note for this?   WWJLoD?

I'm just glad I am not Dawn

Your result for The 4-Variable Buffy Personality Test...

Faith

Faith is a powerhouse, and you might be, too. Passion-driven, down-to-earth, and willing to do what it takes to get things done and have a good time doing them, she is tough and sexy. Now, this test didn't rate your sexiness, but with these kinds of traits, that's probably true as well.

You rate as one of the most dynamic characters of the Buffy universe.

Congratulations!

Take The 4-Variable Buffy Personality Test at HelloQuizzy

Dr Horrible is SO not

After many attempts yesterday to watch Dr Horrible I finally gave up and went to bed.   Got up this morning and found out why it was so hard to watch it. Mostly, short version, because everyone else in the whole United States was trying to watch it at the same time as me.   However, as 8am here is, like, 1am in Texas, I thought I might have a chance to see it today while the USofA slept. As always, I was right. I got it on my first try. Then rewatched it. then downloaded it to my iTunes for watching on the train.  And was a bit late for work. Where I then made everyone watch it as well. (Some got it and some didn't. Well, at least now I know who to hang with for lunch.)   And it was HILARIOUS. I've been practicing my BWAHhahahaha evil laugh all day. People at work are getting kind of annoyed. Apparently evil laughter does not mesh well with the work place. Something about Norway being a country for good or some such bullshit. Hmm, you can evil laugh all you want in the US! Evil laughter is not frowned upon in Texas!   I am totally going to join the Evil League of Evil. Hell, I AM the Evil League of Evil. I was evil before Dr. Horrible was even invented! I even have a sidekick. He doesn't KNOW he's my sidekick, yet, I am having recruitment issues, but the evil plan will prevail.   Another bonus of the Dr Horrible video? Nathan Fillion. Rhymes with Million and that's how freaking hot he is...one million watts of beefcakey hotness. He can Hammer me anytime.

Giant cereal

Giant cereal, originally uploaded by karlakp.

These old canonballs found in a Tunisian fortress reminded me of Kix. Hmm, I'm hungry.

WWNPHD?*

July 15th. Go here or be octagonal. Or pentagonal. Or...seventagonal. Or, ok, whatever, if you wanna us a cliche, SQUARE.



Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

*What Would Neil Patrick Harris Do?

Thanks to Mags aka Dawn, HAHA!, my guru of all things Whedon for heads up on this.

....and you think you are having a bad week?

Imagine you are a cow, just a nice, normal cow, doing your cow thing, out in the cow field eating your cow grass and hanging with your other cow friends. Then all of a sudden......Someone comes along, straps a pink inflatable barrel thingy to your back, shoves a hose up your ass, and forces you to carry your own farts around in a tank on your back, all in the name of scientific study. And then, as if that is not bad enough, TAKES A PICTURE OF YOU. I would think you might be a bit incensed. Well, here 's the article with the picture. Seriously, the picture needs a caption. What would you caption it? We have it up in the office with a bubble that says 'Kill me!' Poor cow.

damn

I'm peeling. At least, on my legs so far and no where else. I'm peeling like a big snake. DAMN. I really worked hard to moisturize and use exfoliants to keep the tan intact and not let it peel away.

Grr.

Went for a walk today, and, as usual, was blown away by the beauty of the day. Except, of course, for the snakes.

See, today a co-worker of mine told me that there is a snake problem lately in a few areas around here. There are small adders, poisonous, though, Rich tells me, not extremely so. But still. Adders? Where I walk? I thought Norway had no poisonous snakes. (Are they black?)

So here was me on my walk today:

(Dee dee de dee, whistle whistle, joy joy)

(spy snake looking thing on ground)

SNAKE!!!! SNAKE!!! AAiiiyyeeee!!!!!!!!!! (jump 12 feet)

(pause)

(pause)

(look closer...very carefully)

Stick?

Stick. (Ahem.) Oops.

(Dee dee de dee, whistle whistle, joy joy)

Repeat at will.

Amazing how fast you can move when you think you might step on a snake.

randomness, because i want that guacamole

I made a big batch of guacamole and I am DYING to dig into it, but it has to sit for a bit so the flavors blend. I promised myself I could have some if I did a blog post. So, here's a blog post, probably not a long one. And now, for randomness.

• I am on a French roll (haha! Pun! Pun alert!).
• Seriously, everything I am reading lately is about French history.
  
• Plus, in Tunisia? EVERYONE speaks French. Or German, Not much English, though.
  
• So, France. Just finished Antonia Fraser's book about the loves of Louis XIV. Cracking good read for by the pool and I learned alot to boot.
• So am now on to Anne Somerset's Affair of the Poison which was referenced in Fraser's book and which I already had. Hello! Scurrilous history! Of course I would have that!
• Last winter I read Fraser's excellent book about Marie Antoinette, also a great read, though already I knew what happened at the end. I sort of hoped it might have a different ending and Marie would be happy and fat in a cottage in he country, but alas, no.
  
• Hmm, come to think of it I have read every non-fiction ever written by Fraser.
  
• I also watched, for the hell of it, Dangerous Liaisons. I don't have it on DVD but only on a very old VHS, but it worked. Damn those costumes are still so incredibly gorgeous. Remind me to get the dvd with whatever special stuff it comes with.
  
• What ever happened to Michelle Pfeiffer?
  

Ok, dammit, I want guacamole. Snacky time.

Carpet

Carpet, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Here's the carpet I bought in Houmt Souk. Not fancy but I love the colors and tribal clarity of the patterns. I wanted something with some color to it. I also like to bargain. It can be nerve wracking and you have to be prepared but if you are in a good place it's fun.

Trip over

Trip over, originally uploaded by karlakp.

We arrived back in Norway (after some serious mistreatment by a dickhead American-hating asshole Tunisian passport clerk) at 4am. Problem is, trains don't run until 5:30! And it's exactly half the temperature here from what it was in Djerba when we left! And dreary to boot! Take me back to the beach! I don't want real life!

Amazing

Just had the most amazing meal. Tonight, this past two hours, is exactly why I travel. I had a moment. I love having moments. You know, where you just feel so content and right and happy and you know that right at this particular moment, all is well.

Anyhow, we went to a restaurant in Houmt Souk, the main town on Djerba Island. A fish restaurant, right on the harbor. Apparently Roman Polanski filmed a move around here, called "Pirates" (never saw it did you?) and there are all these pirate ships left around. Someone parked one of them on the harbor and turned it into a restaurant, but it is NOT cheesy at all. IT was gorgeous. It was sunset when we arrived.

And oh what a sunset. A sunset like from Star Wars, the first one, REAL first one, not the fourth one that they say is first. You know, where Luke is looking out into the sunset and there is this huge red sun (and this is Earth, so there was only one.) Warm, yet cool, breezes from the ocean. Fisherman bringing in the last day's catch out in the water. Two musicians played Andalusian Malouf music (I asked what kind it was and that is what they said it was), on mandolin and tabla, and they sang in perfect harmony with each other. The music was so amazing, I could listen to it every day until I died and not get tired of it.

A moment, I tell you.

Fresh fish. (A bit too fresh, I swear it was looking at me.) Shrimp, dorado, sea bass (not mutated thank you very much), calamari. Tunisian salad, my new favorite. Little Tunisian pastries, a mix of French and Middle Eastern in style. Tunisian rose wine. (I've been drinking that stuff like crazy!) Mint tea.

Ah yes. Life is good. It's moments like tonight that make you realize what life is about. It's about the transcendent experience that pulls you out of you, out of your brain, and makes you realize that there is so much more to life than what you know day to day. The quiet moments of beauty and contentment. They come all too rarely, but I think that is for a reason. The reason? So you realize how special it is when it does happen.

Happy July 4th!

On a day like July 4th there's only one thing to do:

It's 100+ fahrenheit outside today so it was best to just stay in the pool. And yes, this is the only picture of me in a bikini you will EVER see. (And by the way, this is me with a DARK tan. Seriously. I'm totally bronzed. Hey! Quit laughing! This is a weeks worth of heavy tanning effort here!)

In other news, here's a road sign you don't see very day:
We were within 20 miles of the Libyan border. Wow.

24 hours

It's been a big 24 hours. In that time I have walked on the Sahara, gone swimming in the Mediterranean and been to a galaxy far far away.

Sahara!



The Mediterranean!

Galaxy far far away!

I'm really tired. That's alot to fit into a 24 hour period!

Thank God (and wireless broadband!) that they have the means for me to blog by the pool. That and copious amounts of rose and sunscreen is what is keeping me awake right now.Did I mention the Tunisian wine is good? Mmmmm.......

I think Haloscan is down, so if you don't see a link to leave a comment, sorry. I don't know what to do. Hopefully it will be back up soon!