variety

I think "variety" sounds better than "random shit cuz I really don't know what to write".

Anyhow. I'll just write about the day I had today.

I found out today when calculating my travel expenses, etc, for work that I've accidentally been riding the train every day this week with an expired month card. If the train cops had caught me I would have had a good fine to pay. I totally didn't realize my card was expired...I can't believe a whole month went that fast, but it did and I was riding the rails outlaw style for the last three days of it! I'm SUCH a rebel. Speaking of the train ride, there's this damned woman on the train in the mornings who stares at me non stop. Everyone tends to get on the same car on the same train in the mornings (creatures of routine) and she ends up in mine. And she JUST STARES. I really wish she'd quit it. Luckily she only rides for one stop (it's an express train) but it's unnerving to have someone stare at you quite that intensely for a 7 minute period. If she does it again tomorrow I am SO gonna make a face at her. That will probably make her stare more, though.

Things are hopping along at work. I've got some projects going that I have no idea how to achieve, including redoing a web page using software I've never seen before. Not to mention that I really don't know HOW to do a web page, but never mind, life is all about the lessons learned, right? Right. We got a new coffee maker on our floor, which doesn't seem like all that big a deal, until you SEE the coffee maker. It grinds the beans in the machine for each serving, gives you a choice of espresso or coffee right out of the machine, lets you set not only cup size but also coffee strength, and has a setting for how hot you want your milk. It's freaking AWESOME. I'm enthralled with it. I'm so hopped up on coffee every day now that I might have to restrain myself to two cups a day and then just hang around and watch other people make their coffee.....

The staring train lady was not on the ride home, thank god. How come the train home always takes twice as long than the train to work, even if it's the exact same route? I always wonder about that. It seems ENDLESS, while the morning one isn't even enough time for me to listen to one podcast....

After work I ran errands, as usual. It's not icy on the main sidewalks, but if you venture off, you will fall on your ass.

The grocery store had entrecote (basically rib eye steak) for 98 kroners a kilo, which is like, a bit less than $7 a lb., so I bought up a supply of it. That's is a SCREAMING good deal. I have to cut it into steak sized pieces myself, but for that price I am willing to put up with strangely sized steaks, yo'. They don't have food specials often here, but when they do they are really good. I am waiting for the chicken sale.....

Home now. Making Rich cut up one of the entrecotes for dinner. We will have it with Italian red wine and some asparagus. We are on a vegetable kick. Meaning that, I try to have at least three veggies with dinner. Tonight is asparagus, a salad and corn. And mushrooms. Ich liebe mushrooms.

crazy guy on train and randomness

There was a really scary guy on the train this morning. I mean, I know I am the crazy emotional lady, but he was the scary helter-skelter serial killer guy. He just STARED at me with these piercing eyes....made worse by the fact that his seat faced mine, so I couldn't avoid his stare unless I focussed on just looking out the window. Oy he wigged me out.

So that was wierd.

Work is wierd too. It's like we are all crazy busy but we are just losing energy going into the holidays. It just does not feel like Christmas. No snow (and HAHA I can't believe I am saying THAT as a Texan, but here it's just not Christmas if there's no snow) and no let up at work. I mean, when you are dealing with the rest of the world, the majority of which really does not celebrate Christmas, nothing stops, they just get annoyed when you don't get back to them as usual. Plus I was kind of bummed today when they went around with all the company Christmas gifts for everyone...and I did not get one. I know I'm contract and everything, but I've been there for 6 months or so, and I feel like the nerd kid who didn't get invited to the party. Sigh. Even if it is a lame roll on travel bag. Sigh.

So that's wierd.

And then I went to the grocery store by the flat today and they did not have any chicken or hams. Which annoyed me no end. I mean, those are sort of basic items, are they not?

So that was wierd.

And today, I decided, that I am tired of all the words for female nether parts and so I am going to rename them. From here on out, I propose that the female bits get called Milton. I've heard the word puussy and c*nt too many times, not to mention twat, and I just think Milton is a much more cozy sort of word. Warm and fuzzy, as it were.....

So pass it around. Milton. I mean, how could anyone be afraid of a Milton?

So, that's today's randomness.

Yeah, so that was wierd.

crazy lady on the train

Yesterday I downloaded a Wanda Sykes album off iTunes. I listened to it on the train and during some errands today. She's so frigging funny I kept busting out laughing. I mean, that woman is HILARIOUS. People were looking at me like I was crazy while I snorted and giggled and guffawed. (I have always loved the word guffaw and am very pleased to have used it just now.)

Then a David Bowie song came on that Karla May said reminded her of me called "Everyone Says Hi". It's about someone moving away and, well, everyone says hi. That song made me sad and so I got teary eyed.

And so there I am, in the space of like 5 minutes, going from busting out laughing to almost crying, and I'm all alone. On a train. No wonder no one ever sits next to me. I'm insane.

I might have to ban myself from listening to the iPod while on the train. It's too emotional.

good deed girl

Well, today I totally racked up karmic points. I figure, tomorrow I can go eat a baby or something, because today I covered my ass like nobody's business. I was Official Miss Nice Gal today.

First, I helped my friend Tony get his dogs from the cargo shipper today. See, he and his family (wife, daughter, pets) are moving here from Austin and the dogs got shipped ahead while his wife finishes the packing and selling of the house. He needed help collecting the dogs because they had to be shipped in their dog crates and he was worried hat he could not manage dogs and crates and all the subsequent worries. (Plus, brave man, he rented a van from Rent A Wreck as his first driving foray in Norway, and that has GOT to be nervewracking driving something like that for the first time in a new country? When you still don't know how to get around all the well? And all the signs and roads and rules and stuff are new? Oy. But he did a great job.....)

Anyhow, he said the dogs were big. His wife said the dogs were big. I am used to big dogs, so hey, I mean, how big can they be?

He didn't say they were BIG. Seamus, the boy dog, is THE BIGGEST dog I have ever seen. The crate that Seamus came off the flight in was the size of my first Honda. Seriously. Big. The second dog, Tosca, is also a big dog but compared to Seamus she is pretty normal. But still big. Two very big, very furry dogs. Holy crap. They've rented a nice apartment in Oslo, a good sized place in a really cute area. Once I saw those dogs in that apartment, though.....wow, they are gonna be a close family. Luckily the dogs seem fairly well behaved and definitely sweet. Tony was really happy to have them with him again.

But helping out with the big dogs was not the only thing I did today that gives me the karmic high five.......

The train back from Oslo was packed. Everyone bundled on like a bunch of cattle going to market. Moo...Anyhow, I managed to snag a seat in a row with all these big guys. Just as I settled in, however, I noticed an elderly lady standing in the doorway, looking around for a seat with a look in her eye that sort of told me she needed one. I had just sat down, as had all the men around me.....and not one of the men got up. NOT ONE. Bastards. Even though they saw her. Even with the new ad campaign to educate on politeness on the train? So, I got up and offered her my seat. She BEAMED at me, said a profuse thank you, and sat down. I went and stood in the entry area, not far away, and read my book for the trip home.

The lady smiled at me the whole time. Just the sweetest smile. You'd think I was Santa Claus or something. As we reached our destination (she was getting off at the same place as me) she again thanked me profusely, and I answered in my American accent, "You are most welcome. Happy to help". She said, "Oh! American! That's why you are so nice!"

Score one for the red white and blue, I did......

Career girl

Look at me, a career girl! I had my first day at work today. I can totally handle it. No worries whatsoever.

It's wierd to be in a corporate environment. I can't say "again" because I've never been in a corporate environment like this. It's a GORGEOUS campus, old buildings mixed with new, all the landscape areas covered in snow and trees and the buildings are right by the water. Really nice. It'll be great in summer, to have lunch by the fjord. Open plan offices, not even cubes but more like desk areas. That means, of course, not much blogging during the day, so it might slow down a bit...but never fear, I'll keep posting. There's a cool canteen with pretty good food at cheap prices, free coffee all day, it's basically pretty lush. As offices go, the poshest I've ever seen. Norwegian offices are WAY nicer than American ones.

The commute SUCKED. The train was PACKED like a sardine can. I was wedged right next to the door, next to a sign that said "Do no lean on door, it opens outwards" and of course I had nothing to lean on BUT the door. Apparently everyone in Norway needed to catch the train that I was on at the exact time I needed to catch it. Oy. But once the train got to its destination, there was a nice corporate (free!) bus that took me straight to the office's front door.

In total, I think this job will be an interesting intro to corporate culture for me. And a great way for me to learn more about tech writing and the international business community. A big part of me felt like a poser today, like a spy from AlternativeNation or something, and that any minute I would get kicked out because I have two tattoos and I say "fuck" alot. (Though I only whispered it to myself today when I messed up on a document or something.) But I made it through day one, and nobody found me out yet....so far so good.