my new ride

I bought a bike today. I haven't had a bike since....college maybe? 20 years?

So yeah, I bought bike.

Lately I've been riding the little Oslo Bysykkler to work. Riding a bike ends up being faster than the bus much of the time and I get a little boost of energy from it as well. Plus I don't have to get shoved around by people on the bus, I HATE that.
The problem is, the Oslo Bysykkler aren't always available and I got tired of not being able to get one when I want. So I thought I would look in to buying a bike. Nothing fancy. I am not a sporty person so I didn't want a mountain bike or a sport bike. I wanted a "Dutch bike", you know, one of those easy step through bikes that you see women riding in Amsterdam. They pedal by in their flowery dresses with the basket full of bread or flowers and a bottle of wine. It just looks so European.

I went in to check out a few places and narrowed down the bike choices to either a Merida or a DBS. I thought I'd be ok with a 3 speed, but the 7 speed seemed a better choice as Oslo can be hilly. Also, the 7 speeds were a bit bigger, with big 28" wheels and a larger frame. They felt better than the smaller 3 speed ones. Either the Merida or the DBS were costing around 4500nok, which, in Norwegian terms is a cheap bike, but in American terms, that's around $750! I know people that paid that much for their first cars! I test drove a very comfortable Merida, a bit retro, white and black, and really liked it. But....wow. Expensive!

So I decided to think about it. 4500nok was more than I had budgeted (I was hoping for around 3000).

On a whim, on the way home, I popped into XXL, this kind of obnoxious chain sports store that is always chaotic, but does have lower prices.

And...they were having a sale. 30% off. On the EXACT DBS bike I wanted. (DBS, by the way, is a Norwegian bike maker, Den Beste Sykkel, so I am rather happy to have a little piece of Norway as my ride of choice.) As it was the end of the day I got pretty good service from a young man there (I'm 41 and about to start wearing bifocal glasses, I can use terms like "nice young man" now) and he went over the bike, made sure everything was working, and adjusted the seat for me, like, 12 times. I was probably a high maintenance customer, with my adjustment requests (seat lower, back, tilted differently, handle bars adjusted, etc.), but, hey, it was a one time chance to get it all perfect before I drove my new baby home.

Which I did. I got the DBS for 3000nok, my exact budget price, and they also had a sale on the helmet and the lock, so score for Karla. Just by checking out a different shop I saved $250 on the bike!!!

glasses I want/need

I am going to have to go bifocal. You hit 40 and suddenly your vision changes. I know, I know we've all heard it before, but nobody told me how FAST it would happen. Suddenly I have to take off my glasses to see things close up, I remember Dad doing that when I was a kid and I would laugh at him. Yuck. Now it's my turn, I guess.

So, I decided, if I am going to have old lady bifocals (sorry, 'progressives') then I am going to get as FUNKY OLD LADY as I possibly can.

Meet the Prada Nerd glasses. On order as we speak. I will be peering over the top of them soon. I have a feeling this is going to be one expensive funcking pair of glasses.....

Hillbilly koozies?

Click on the picture for the link.

Some Random pics from our trip to Rome in May

Note the grafitti on the pillar at the Coliseum. Those damned Aggies sure get around.

They said no photography in the Sistine Chapel but it was SO packed and EVERYBODY was doing it. Of course I didn't use flash. But I did take pictures!

I thought the light was amazing. This in the Vatican, a sculpture hall. I was in the middle when I took this, it was a very long room.

The Grim Reaper outside the Castel San Angelo. He didn't seem to be coming for me that day.

I've been going through my digital photos and have dug some up from the past few years, so am gonna throw some out here as summer progresses. I sort of realized I have posted almost NO pics from my two trips to SE Asia, which includes Cambodia, Java, Bali, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and all around thereabouts. So I thought I might post a few of the THOUSANDS of shots I've taken.

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Crap Day.
Crap Day.
sigh.

I'm just a big kid

In 1998 the Oslo airport was moved from an island called Fornebu, which is very near the center of town, way north to Gardemoen. (Austinites, this is pretty similar to moving the airport from the old Mueller site out to Bergstrom, but farther.)

They did a nice thing with the land that used to hold the airport. While much of it has been used for mixed use development, current and future, they also took a big chunk of it and turned it into park land. There's a beach and walkways and play areas and some really interesting water features. Rich and I went out there today to check it out.

One of the water features was a sort of fountain, where these low spigots of water would turn on randomly and spit out water onto the ground. You could move these spigots around in a circle. The water coming out of the spigots runs down a small incline, around rocks and obstacles, including these things that look like pinball flippers, that you can also move around in a circle. So, basically, depending on which spigot was running, you could run around twisting the spigots and the pinball flipper thingies to create obstacles and direct the water flow as you wanted around rocks and boulders and stuff. It was SO cool.

There was nobody around but me and Rich, and I got really absorbed in playing Water Goddess, and moved around the flippers and the spigots and hopping from rock to rock watching the water move and shiver and flow in different patterns. I felt like a 6 year old kid. I lost track of time, just twisting and arranging things, seeing how much of an effect I'd have if I just did this or that or whatever thing I could mess around with.

I didn't realize what a giant kid I was being until I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, and, thinking it was Rich standing there, was all, "Isn't this awesome? Dude this is so much fun!"
But it wasn't Rich, it was a rather amused Norwegian couple watching the 40 year old American woman in black shorts and tank top hopping around in puddles and giggling. Rich was way over there, watching his wife be the total dork that she is, and just shaking his head at what he got himself in to when he took on a life with me.

I don't think grown ups get to play enough, do you? I had fun.

Balcony

Balcony, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Our flowers in the balcony flower boxes are growing like crazy. So pretty! Makes me feel a bit European whenever I look at them.

Ettiquette

Ettiquette, originally uploaded by karlakp.

No spitting in the drinking fountain. Must observe the niceties!

Well, which one is it?

I get so tired of these medical studies that directly go against each other.

Like this one.

Versus this one. And this one.

So in one study they say bigger hips (small waist to hip ratio) make you smarter, AND sexier, and in another they say thse same attributes affect your memory as you get older? For years I have been hearing nothing but how it's better to be a pear shape than an apple, due to fat distribution, and heart health and stuff, and now they are reversing that?

This is all just an excuse for scientists to fondle women's asses.

Come the fuck on. Leave me alone with this. Keep your damned studies to yourself and quit contradicting one another.

Now bugger off while I take my smart sexy forgetful hourglass self off to...er...um...what was it I was doing?

Thunderboomer*

What I woke up to last night.

We had a nice little thunderstorm last night, actually more of a lightning storm than a thunder storm.

They are pretty rare here, and I always forget how much I miss them until one happens.

We had to run around closing windows as the sudden gusts of wind were blowing water in all over the place. I could hear the surprised shrieks of women outside who got caught in the downpour (that was kind of funny).

Everyone was talking about the storm today, it was big news. Today was one of those still, humid days you get in summer. It almost felt like Texas. Almost.

*My Dad always calls thunderstorms 'thunderboomers'.

So much to talk about, so little time

I've been back from the US for a week now, and I hit the ground running.

It's been busy busy. Luckily the weather has been GORGEOUS, just warm enough to not need a jacket or sweater, but cool enough at night for good sleepin', which has been good to catch up on sleep after the jet lag.

I've spent my time catching up with work, friends, chores, errands and housework. It's been busy. A lot of people are on vacation (July is 'felles ferie" time, or the time when just about EVERYONE goes on holiday) so there aren't many people around, but those who are are looking for stuff to do.

On July 4th we went to the festivities at Frogner park. I never really enjoy them, to be honest. Too many people, same old stuff every year, and all those Americans everywhere. This year was no different, but with the added pain of an "Idol" style singing contest. And, it was PACKED, which meant that the food ran out early. The food is really the only reason I go to this annual event, it's a chance to get food that you don't normally get any other time or place in Norway....but apparently everyone ELSE has cottoned on to that, because the food was out by 1 pm (the party started around 11, I think.) I barely managed to get a few ribs when they ran out and just started handing out plates of the leftovers. Pretty sure the food vendors were overwhelmed at the numbers of meat hungry people.

My friend Elaina was stuck with overpriced frozen yogurt. At least I got some meat. The main thing that's a bummer about the 4th of July party here is that it never gets dark enough for fireworks. Not the party's fault, obviously, it's just that the sun doesn't set until well, ever, really, this time of year, so a quintessential part of the tradition doesn't happen. No fireworks, no bright lights, just the teasing smell of bbq with no 'happy ending'.

This week was all about work and catching up on stuff. The big gossip has been about the damned German octopus, Paul, who has an uncanny ability to choose the winning World Cup team. Personally, I think Paul is best served as calamari with a nice squeeze of lemon, because i really wanted Germany to get to the finals, but hey, whatever. Damned octopus.

Today I had some excitement when I found out the Robert Plant is coming back to Oslo in October. Those of you who know me, know I am so in love with him, he is the only celebrity that I would actually go goofy over if I ever met him. I love his music, all of it, and I love his curiosity of life and the world, I just ADMIRE the dude and think he has had the most amazing life. Anyhow, I immediately got tickets to his show, and am absolutely PSYCHED about it. It will be in a smaller venue, not a giant stadium. Imagine, me in a room with only about 1500 other people, with Robert Plant. Wow.

One very good thing about Norway, I have gotten to see some shows here in smaller clubs that would just not EVER be possible in the US. I mean, I was 6 feet from Lyle Lovett. I hope to be the same distance from Mr. Plant. I have the tickets safely waiting for October all safe and folded away.

In other news, I've been riding a bike to work when I can. There's this company that rents out bikes for a nominal yearly fee. You can then just grab an available bike (if they are available, that being the catch, as some dumbasses keep stealing them. This would be like stealing a park bench or something, just stupid.) and then pedal your happy ass to wherever you want to go, drop off the bike at the other end, and be done with it. It's been FUN! I can't always get a bike, even though the drop off is literally right outside my front door, but when one is available, I just hop on and ride down to work. Takes me about 5 minutes to get there. I really hadn't ridden a bike in 10 years or so, but it's true what they say, it's just like riding a bike, you don't forget how to do it!!!

I think this bike idea is so great, they really have the system well thought out. It's a serious bummer that stupid people have to ruin it for everyone else by stealing the bikes. I mean, they are practically free, so why steal?

I'll see if I can get one this weekend for a bit of a ride. Maybe Rich will come too.

July 4

July 4, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Summer in frogner july 4

commenting

I think people have been having problems commenting since I was forced to install this new commenting system. (I still hate it and I miss my old Haloscan.) I did a minor adjustment today that might make it easier to comment, though I will still moderate, as I always have. Have you had problems commenting?

Really?

Really?, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Who thought putting a lampshade onto this horse's head was a good idea? Worlds biggest and dumbest lamp. Outside the BA lounges at Heathrow.

Addendum to previous post

Wow, getting that truckload of sawdust unloaded was harder work than I thought. But it was also strangely fun. I enjoyed feeling strong and using my muscles in a new way. Shoveling all that heavy soil/sawdust was a good workout. My arms, shoulders and stomach muscles will hurt tomorrow!

However, when I sweat? I don't sweat 'like a girl'. Oh no. No nono. I sweat fierce. I sweat unpretty. I sweat sweaty, and in not pretty places. Like, under my boobs (what is up with that??) and the back of my knees. Oh, and I also sweat into my eyes, which hurts. Apparently, I get this from my mom, she's a sweaty one too. 

Isn't that sexy? 

Not. 

Long day tomorrow, but I should sleep well tonight after my exertions.

last day

Today is my last day here at my parents' house. I will have had 18 days. 

I always hate the last day and the day I have to leave. The last day is all about catch up, pack up, clean up, tidy up and close up. Yuck. It gets a little melancholy. The thing is,  I really LIKE my parents. (I mean, yes, there are political and world view differences between me and my dad that won't ever be bridged. Those have always been there, though. So I have learned how to deal with those.) My parents are hugely funny, hard working and smart people. Mom is a  total goober, she has this impish quality that affects everything she does. She's a spitfire. I can totally see her as the redheaded troublemaker of the family when she was little. Dad is very loving, a bit of a philosopher. He just wants to world to be right, he gets so frustrated at why the world can't just be RIGHT. (His right is, of course, pretty far right of mine, but I understand his confusion as to why things can't just be simplified. I mean, does the world really need to be this complex? I just wish he didn't personally feel like he has to fix it, that is too much burden for one person to carry. And it is impossible anyhow.)

So today I will help Mom unload a truckload of sawdust into her garden. It will be hot, dirty work. Luckily today is a gorgeous day, cooling breezes and it's about 80 degrees outside, not too humid. I guess I'll try to pack my stuff up before we do that. After the sweaty outside work, I'll come inside for a nice cool shower, the water coming right from a spring fed well. I might have a glass of wine with Mom. For dinner Mom wants us to go out to dinner in one of the 2 fine dining establishments in town, we will go for the home cooking place over the Chinese place. (Though I could be happy with Sonic, for my swan song Cherry Slushee.)(And yes, my tooth is better, the antibiotics fixed it fine. Wow that was painful for a couple days, though. I'm just glad I was here to get it fixed, and that i got to eperience that AWESOME dentist's office!) 

We'll come home after and watch a movie, as the Direct TV seems to be kaput and it is beyond any of us to fix it. I am pretty sure you need a degree in Rocket Science to be able to understand the entertainment set up my parents have. Which is humorous in the extreme, as they live in stark fear of hitting that one wrong button on any of the 5 remotes that will send their system crashing. (Which is, actually, what I think happened this time.  Somebody hit a wrong button somewhere and we can't hit undo.) I'm still trying to teach them how to use the cell phone. How do you explain how voice mail works? Like an answering machine in your phone? 

I thought, when I came here after Dad's accident, that I would be able to sneak off for a few days to visit family in Texas or maybe my mother in law in South Carolina. But, between the amount of work to be done here, the fact that even though Dad has about 6 cars only one seems to be working correctly right now, and my brother and his wife coming to visit last week, I never did get away. 

It's been good to be here for such a long uninterrupted time. Not many people get to spend such a long visit with their parents after they move out of the parental nest. It's been nice to spend time with them on a one to one basis, and feel like I did a little part to help them while Dad got over his shock. He's fine, we'll have him around for a good bit longer. I think he has realized he needs to slow down a bit, and I think he will put that into practice. If he doesn't? I told him that if he pulls this shit again I will personally fly out here again and kill him AND charge him for the flight. 

Half an hour before I can check in online for my flight back to Norway. The 24 hour countdown begins. 

Wow

Wow, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Had to go to the dentist for a sudden toothache. There is a giant stuffed bear in the middle of the exam rooms! I got the bear ass view. How much do i love that!

life with the family

My brother just pointed his ass at me and aimed a fart in my face. I punched him in the vicinity of his arsehole. He gets away before I can punch him in other vulnerable spots. 

My Mom has been trying a selection of odd wide brimmed hats on me, giggling when my brother then takes them and tries them on. They look better on him. Mom's back in the kitchen, now,  cleaning something and singing along to the Beatles. Mom always has a radio or tv going at all times, from the moment she wakes up until she goes to bed. Ever since I was a kid, Mom has had her noise. Every so often, if she leaves, Dad and I would commit the ultimate rebellion and turn off the radio for a bit of silence. Silence is rare in our family.  My husband also has this penchant for noise, he always has radio or tv going as well. (I still rebel with silence when I can.) I know a girl is supposed to marry someone like her dad, but I am pretty sure I married my mom. 

Dad breaks into the hat modeling every so often with a random comment about a car or something he's thinking about. Dad always speaks whatever is on his mind, sometimes it takes me a minute to catch up. 

My sister in Law, Kathy, watches us and wonders what the hell she has married in to. (I really thought I should warn her ahead of time, before she married my brother, but I never got the chance.)

My brother just farted again. Lucky for him, he's on the sofa out of my reach, so I just glare at him and wave a pillow at him to send the smell of his effluence back at him. 

I love my family. 

Orgasm

Orgasm, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Oh god does that margarita taste good.

Faux excitement

Faux excitement, originally uploaded by karlakp.

They are filming an infomercial at the mall. Audience hollering and cheering over some sort of magic towel. So fake and so hyped. Ah America!

Things are different here

I'm sweaty. It's been in the low to mid 90's and humid and I forgot what that feels like. I helped Mom pick peas in the garden and it was like standing in a sauna, I was sweat through within minutes, and had a nice sunburn on the back of my neck within 15 minutes. I can report my farmer's tan is coming along nicely. 

Dad is ok. He's got some frustration with some motor skill issues (he can't type and his extremities aren't quite reacting to his wishes as fast as he would wish.) I am a bit worried about it, but he had a really hard knock and a harrowing experience, so I hope that time will get him back to normal (normal being a relative term in my family.) I'm very glad I'm here, I can help out Mom and do the driving and some other stuff and take some of the pressure off both of them. 

Today I helped Dad take a lawnmower to a guy to be fixed, we took his ancient rustbucket chevy that is the epitome of the farm truck. Wow, there's a rough way to travel. Later Dad wants me to learn to drive the tractor. Eek! I've had fun with driving things while here, I never get to drive in Norway, and the roads here are good and my brother and Dad have fast cars, so weeha! Fun for Karla. I've never driven a tractor, though. 

I'm pretty sure I am not a farm person, I am definitely a city slicker. And, sad to say, I've been Europeanized, too. Like, today, I stopped by the Walmart (only game in town, I'm afraid) for some mushrooms to make a nice mushroom risotto tonight. I thought I'd get some balsamic glaze to drizzle on the plates before I serve, but I was a bit incensed to discover that the Walmart does not have balsamic glaze. Oh the horror. (This is also the first time I have not found something in the US that I can easily get in Norway. I feel the pendulum swinging....)  Also, Walmart carries something called "Sweet White Wine". Like, a wine, for drinking, that is Sweet White Wine. Um, EWWWW!!! I couldn't find a crisp dry wine for my risotto, it's all sweet! 

And, much as I complain about the crap Norwegian grocery stores, and they ARE crap, I also have to say....it's harder than I thought to find basics here. I'm so used to cooking from scratch now. Here? It's all pre packaged, pre flavored, pre sweetened, full of HFCS and trans fats and flavorings and colorings. Dudes, I just want RICE. Not rice-a-roni, not minute rice, but rice. And I want chopped canned tomatoes, not Italian flavored chopped tomatoes or whatever, but plain old chopped tomatoes. But I think I am set for making the risotto tonight (they had arborio!) so we'll see how it goes. Oh for a Central Market or a Whole Foods. 

The Fudgesicles taste good, though, just as good as I remember. I've missed Fudgesicles. 

I'll post some pictures while I'm here of farm trucks, 7 foot tall lilies, Mom's gorgeous gardens, and so on. 

Oh yeah

Oh yeah, originally uploaded by karlakp.

America the byootiful! Good beer! Cheap!

Um?

Um?, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Why is there a giant cockstand in the airport?

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!

Norwegian wood

Norwegian wood, originally uploaded by karlakp.

With rose wine.

Beautiful flowers

Beautiful flowers, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Aren't they gorgeous? They help get my mind straight. When I get stressed I look at them and it calms me down a bit.

the call we fear

My mom called me today, on my cell phone.

It wasn't her normal day to call, that's Saturday.

I could tell, something was up.

Her voice was normal at first, but then she got upset. My dad fell. Well, he got dizzy, or something, she wasn't sure, then she heard an almighty crash, and then she found him on the floor having hit his head on the kitchen island. She sounded so scared, so alone. I wanted to reach through the phone and make everything ok. Somehow.

She called the ambulance, and they came. Dad was vomiting and confused (I'm sketchy on details.)

The ambulance took him to the small hospital in the town where they live, but they decided to carry on to Springfield to a bigger hospital.

He's there now.

Using my calm voice and focusing hard on making her feel better, I managed to calm her down, pointing out that his symptoms could just be indicative of a concussion, he did hit his head pretty hard, from what she said. By the end of the call, I got a laugh out of her. Her friends arrived to take her to the hospital to catch up with him.

I hung up, shaking, burst into tears (I was at work but nobody was around) and managed to calm myself down with the help of a very kind coworker.

I hit the internet with a vengeance, found the hospital it was likely he went to, called them, found him and got to talk to him briefly. He sounded slurry and like his tongue was too big for his mouth, but he was his ornery self, so I think that's good.

I called my brother and filled him in.

I went online and booked a ticket home.

I think he'll be ok. I hope he'll be ok. Even so, Mom will need some help with everything, it's a big piece of land with two houses, dogs, gardens, and so on.

Now I feel sort of stunned, stoned, empty, stressed, shaky and tired, all at once.

It's the call all expats and kids away from their parents dread. The call where someone you love is crying. And you are too far away to do anything but worry.

perfect day

Days just don't get any better than today. They really don't.

I woke up to the husband making pancakes (from Bisquick, which are my favorites.) Rich cooks three things, steaks, pancakes and lately, a decent omelette. The pancakes and steaks are my favorites, and right now he is out there getting the grill ready for steaks, so double win for me today on the food front.

After the pancakes, I hung out on the balcony for some sunbathing for a while but got restless and decided to kick it up a notch. So, I gathered together my little backpack, a towel, my bikini, straw hat and shorts, a book, blackberry and iTouch and wandered down the road to Bygdøy, where the museums and some of the beaches are.

God what a perfect day. Warm enough to work up a sweat, but the breezes whisked the sweat away and left you refreshed, but still feeling the sun. I wandered past Oscarhallen, an old summer palace of the Norwegian royal family, and met up with some of the Kongelig Cows, as the royal family still keeps cows and horses on the land. The cows were very polite. I moseyed over to the bus stop by the Folkmuseum, and took the bus to Huk, where there is a popular beach. I had an ice cream cone and then wandered over to what I thought looked like a nice area to sun bathe, a green grassy space. I was about to settle in with my book and towel when I realized...there was an awful lot of...um...flesh on display. Pink flesh. Flesh that you don't see on a usual beach. Pink flesh belonging to what seemed like mostly older fat men who were not exactly, um, modest with their poses.

Oh shit. I wandered onto the nekkid beach. I pretended like I was cool and gathered my stuff and just sort of wandered off. Quickly. Yeah, yeah, I've lived in Europe for almost 8 years now, but I still don't do naked beaches. I might see someone I KNOW and then what? No thank you.

I went over to a likely (and less nude, though there were some topless teenagers around) spot and parked myself in the sun there. Ah. Sort of a black sand, not exactly sandy, but not pebbly either. Little bitty black rocks that were kind of flat and not pokey. I settled in and watched the fjord and the sun and the boats and the mating rituals of the under 20's. I kept my top on, didn't want to embarrass the poor girls with what REAL boobs look like. (Real fabulous, I might add.) I read my book, Diana Gabladon's latest, and sent a couple texts on my phone. Nice, lazy.

I walked home, listening to my walkies dance mix on the iTouch and just enjoying the feeling of being healthy, warm, full of energy and alive. While I walked, a message came in from work, a complimentary one from the big boss about something I had done last week. Damn, what the hell is going on that today seems to be my karmic high? Pancakes, steak, beach, sun, tan, walkies and now a good email from work? I started to float. It is possible to float when walking.

Got home and decided to go ahead and make it a REALLY perfect day and opened a bottle of prosecco I brought back from Rome. Had a shower. Cleaned up my room while drinking bubbly, listening to music and dancing.

Am now in a white sundress, with something approaching a tan, smelling the grill heating up, and thinking I'll probably watch some episodes of Mad Men later on.

I love summer in Norway. I really do.

Life's a beach

Life's a beach, originally uploaded by karlakp.

On the oslofjord.

Wow

Wow, originally uploaded by karlakp.

Check out these amazing flowers at the park. Ah spring......