packed

It took me exactly the length of one "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" podcast to pack for going to the US. Amazing how fast you can gather and pack when you don't really care what you are bringing, and you'll probably just bring back new stuff anyhow.

I just packed some shorts and some tank tops and a few pairs of linen pants, sandals, bikinis. Bikinis for when I work in the garden, must come back to Norway with some sort of tan!

Dad's ok, but he's pretty weak. I think my job will be to tie him to the sofa to make him take it easy. He's not gonna like that. He and I are similar in temperament, and we're both pretty stubborn, so I see some battles of wits (or witless battles) ahead. We are both also very bad patients, we just want to do what we want to do and no stupid illness will stop us. Well, if he protests too much, I'll just kick him in the bad knee and that will take his ass down. (Kidding, Dad, if you are reading this. Kidding!)

A strike was just announced by security staff at Norway airports. Shit. It starts tomorrow at 6am. My flight's at 8, so of course the strike starts right as I arrive. So now i am dodging two strikes, BA and Norwegian security.

I'm listening to the new band by Trent Reznor, How to Destroy Angels. it's better than I expected, his wife/lead singer actually has a good voice which is well supported by the music. But let's face it, the band sounds just like NIN but with a girl singer. I'm not complaining, but let's just say what it really is, shall we?

Speaking of music, last nights shows at Norwegian Wood were interesting. I wasn't going to go, what with everything happening, but my friend Pete called and was so excited and enthusiastic about it, I decided to go anyhow.

The venue for Norwegian Wood is a tree shaded hollow at Frogner park. It's a very nice venue, very cozy yet there was plenty of space and it never felt too crowded. One of the first concerts I've gone to here where I didn't want to just punch people who invaded my personal space. The first band, Opeth, wasn't to my taste. Sort of a Ted Nugent/guttural metal mix...either pretentious operatic or metal gawping, not a mix I like. The metal wasn't even that metal-y, to me. They did have very nice hair, though, all of them, very shiny and long. You have to buy tickets for alcohol at Norwegian Wood (I giggle because the tickets are called 'bongs', and oh I so wish the name matched the reality). I bought three, which got me three tiny little cups of wine that I poured into a beer cup, so I had my half liter of rosé to get me through Opeth (picture below). Yeah, I am THAT classy.

I had never heard of Porcupine Tree, and I still don't know much about them. They, to me, were a bit like if Kurt Cobain came back from the dead as James Blunt, with Pink Floyd as his bastard father. There was some overly melodious slow stuff, and some 70's influenced prog rock, but there were some glorious moments where they just fuckin' hit the rock and killed it. Then I felt it, they definitely were kickin' it hard. But it was too up and down for my taste, I either wanna ROCK or I wanna sway and hear psychedelic melody, but not both within 1 song. I loved the bass player, though, he looks just like my friend Sean, 'Fast Eddie', and the lead singer of the band is oddly charismatic, for a tiny little guy. Tell ya what, though, it sure sounded good, the sound mixing was some of the best I have ever heard at a show whether indoor or out.

Now off to a massage with some girlfriends before coming home to a hot bath and then to bed before my trek tomorrow.

Norway, I'll see you again in July. Stay warm and save me the sun!