E: Life bygone list

My updates have been easy to keep track of lately – as there has been few of them. This is not because the number of occasions have been dropping, rather the opposite. Not all have been new and radical, but the sum has exceeded necessary composure to relfect and blog frequently.

Thus, I give you a list of the important 10 elements that have occupied my mind and time the last few weeks (but not out of my life as the title may indicate).

1) Darsh is coming! Yesterday was two weeks until my girlfriend, Darshini, will enter Norwegian territory. The 22-year-old Malaysian speech pathology student have a havy share in “life stock” such as phone conversation time, SMSes, e-mailing writing, thoughts and prayer. And from December 11th she will occupy most of my time for the month to follow. Being physically separated since June 21st sure makes it about time to meet again. Long distance relationships are rarely just fun, but can still be worthwhile. More on the reunion to come. It will be really good to be around her again.

2) Studies are getting to me. Having spent an entire semester by myself, on my own terms and motivational factors require self discipline. I consider myself diligent in this way, but my working steam had a bit of a crack recently as the newspaper database, atekst, needed to gather the indispensable articles for my thesis, is down. Nor do the people in charge now how or when to get in operating functionally. Instead I have been doing a bit of on-the-side work, and am now writing theoretical chapters for the introduction.

3) Sport wise, I have been training regularly. Apart from a bit of squash, running and weights, volleyball happens three times a week + weekend matches. Other than last weekends loss, the team is doing well and we are ready for a ranking tournament this upcoming weekend in Trondheim (where we had mustaches last time around). Volleyball has been consistent

4) Christmas is less than a month away. Accordingly I have completed the parcel shopping for 2006. There are still some details remaining and a bit of fixing to do for a couple of presents, but I have wrapped most and shipped off those I will not be able to give away myself. I love giving, and I sense relief for being about done with this can-be stressing purchasing activity.

5) The holiday season came about to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Being a Christian lately has been satisfactory (beyond the general certainty in meaning and purpose of life and salvation). I have a Bible study guide devotional I like, and enjoy time attending or translating in church (into English, which I do every third Sunday); Storsalen. The student complex is also a good place to live.

6) I now have green light to get a house loan from my local bank. Even though the interest is not the national best, there may be tough to get a mortgage elsewhere as I can only predict what I will be making for the years to come. I do not even know where I will be or what I will do :) But I keep looking for apartments to buy, and find a fair bit of could-be-interesting ones. Have not been on house inspection yet, though.

7) Handball is an excited sport. I watched my first live match ever Sunday, November 19th. In the top national division for women, Stabæk defeated Bækkelaget 21-19 in an average performance in Nadderudhallen (the home stadium hall). My views on the physical toughness in the game were strenghtened. Those players are tough. At the same time I confirmed my conviction that handball is really the sport I am proportioned to do. Volleyball is fun too, but my willingness to run fast and long is not used. Compared to soccer, I am better with my hands than feet. Maybe I will go try out next season for the fun of it.

8) Team Eckbo is this fall’s most famous theatrical comedy show in Norway. Four of Norways funniest men perform four times a week at the main stage of the Chateu Neuf buidling in Oslo. I went there Thursday November 17th with my friend Maia. Her synopsis here. Underneath follows a paragraph from my diary entry that day (in Norwegian).

Høydepunktet for dagen var Team Eckbo med Maia. Humorgjengen har ikke uten grunn fylt Chateu Neuf gang på gang torsdag til lørdag de siste ukene. Innslagene er mange og kreative, særlig de segmentene som improviseres på scenen. Noen stikkord fra de ulike sketsjene og innslagene; gjøglere, sneglenes dans, musikal om allværsjakke, sang om anti-penetrering bakfra, jul med Eckbo-karakteren Asbjørn, en eggete fremstilling av konflikten mellom Hizbollah og Israeal, Ekstra Joker Nord, danske produsenter av trailere (smakebiter fra spillefilmer), Debatt En, og en finale med eventyrlesing og barnemating på ett (1) minutt. Jeg lo mye og inderlig, som var godt for kropp og sjel, selv om det ikke er det aller morsomte jeg har sett med de gutta. Terningkast fem (eller 6,9 på en skala til 10).

Picture taken from Leif-Atle Heen's home page.

9) Work, in DinSide, is business as usual. Sometimes it is good just to do pretty mind-less database updating (when writing services are not needed).

10) Fatigue. The last few days I have felt really exhausted. I do not go to bed early, but have slept as much, if not more then usual (that is more then 7-7,5 hours per night). It has been raining consisently for weeks, and the desired winter snow does not set. It gets darked much sooner than earlier. I have a lot to do and have been a bit stressed. Still, none of these factors normally drain me of noticable energy for any significant period of time. I reckon it is a passing phase, but am more cautious now than before about taking breaks when needed.