Saturday, June 30, 2007

E: Maximized week

Few weeks in my life has been so jammed with elements requiring transitioning and changes as this one. I will have to gradually share thoughts and details bit by bit in the days to come. But a brief synopsis gives you this.

Friday (and Saturday): My thesis get first page in the Norwegian news paper Vårt Land. Later on the day, I get interviewed and broadcasted on P2 – one of the main three channels for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.
Sunday: my best friend got married, as described in story below.
Tuesday: thesis is defended and graded. My student life is over (for now).
Wednesday: I move residence, from the Christian complex I have lived in for the past year at Blindern (+ 2002-2004) and into an apartment in the area of Adamstuen (few minutes away) with two other guys.
Thursday: I get offered a job as a journalist in the monthly magazine Agenda 3:16. At night I went to my childhood home, Brøstadbotn (up in north of Norway).
Friday (today): I accept the job!!

E: My best friend’s wedding

On Sunday June 24th 2007 there is no other place in the world I would rather have been, than next to Thor Oskar Relander (formerly known as Thor Oskar Tømte) as his best man. Although this assignment was appointed me many years ago, the experience and emotions were new, real and great. The weather and location (Karlsvik gård) were splendid.

The actual program was not out of the ordinary in conent, albeit very special for myself and the visitors knowing the beautiful couple. Wedding at 2 pm. Then long photo session with photographer for the wedded, best man and bride’s maid. Dinner, speeches, dessert, chatting, entertainment and fellowship started at around 5 pm, and did not really finish till I drove the wedded to their hotel at 2 am.

See the wedding’s website: www.sthansbryllup.com

A few general points of feedback for weddings – if one do NOT know the people and histories from before:
* speeches should last no longer than 15 minutes, and all people should practice on forehand.
* composed songs should not be too long, and their points should not be repeated in speeches.
* the actual wedding should begin fairly early to be able to fill in all the meals, speeches, games etc.

A couple of things I have learned during the wedding weekend:
* I am good at keeping secrects – but apparently not when it comes to clothing. I semi gave away two clues I should not have regarding my own smoking and wedding tails (kjole og hvitt).
* I have never tried wearing rings, smoking nor a bow tie. And I found everything way cooler than I expected.

And now to what says most: a picture selection.

My best friend's wedding


In the same go, I would like to add some pics from the bachelor party, which took place the previous Saturday. I had seven of his male friends come join the fun.

The program in short:
* the capture: Thor Oskar came to the train station of Tønsberg thinking he was going to Oslo with the train. A couple of minutes before the train comes, a stranger (to him) asks him to come help ”fetch some stuff from my car”. Around a corner, many of us attacked him from behind, wearing paintball masks (to be used later during the day), putting a hood on Thor Oskar (aka Totto) and throwing him in a car.
* the interrogation: the “marriage police” suspected Totto of marrying out of desire. Thus we needed to question him about his knowledge about his wife-to-be.
* paintball: paint from air guns. Lots of fun.
* lunch
* quest in grocery store: get bread and milk. Restrictions: he could not take anything from the shelves, nor ask anyone. Results: picking it from other people’s basket.
* camping. Solåsen is a Christian campsite where Totto went camping a few times in his childhood. This was carefully chosen as our place to spend the night. Before sleeping time, we had a barbeque and camp fire, including eating, drinking, and testing Totto some more. Before going home the next morning, we had a few household chores for Totto; ironing a shirt, putting up curtains, tying a tie and changing nappies.

Let the pictures speak.

Thor Oskar utdrikningslag

Friday, June 29, 2007

Tennis og grillrøyk

Tullball med tennistall
Tennis er en populær verdensidrett, men jeg fatter ikke tanken bak tellesystemet. Stormannsgalskap gir 15 poeng på de to første ballene, før mattedysleksi eller muligens poenginflasjon tar overhånd og kun gir 10 poeng på ball tre. Revolusjonerende telle-idé: Første mann til fire poeng, der man må vinne med to poeng. Jeg priser meg dog lykkelig for at jeg slipper å se Wimbledon på dansk TV med tilhørende tallsystem.

Grillrøyk vs sigaretter
Til dama i andre etasje i borettslaget mitt på Tøyen: Det er greit at du ber oss trekke grillen et par meter unna verandaen din for å unngå osen. Men jeg håper du skjønner mangelen på troverdighet når argumentasjonen din for å sette grillen utenfor hagegjerdet mitt er faren for at et snev av burger-odør kan komme inn i leiligheten din, samtidig som vi knapt ser deg i døråpningen på grunn av røyken fra ditt maraton med sigaretterpuffing.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Sommer-Oslo med Tove Nilsen

Jeg holder på å avslutte en artikkelserie kalt Min Sommerby for DinSide Reise. Hver uke i to måneder vil en ny, kjent norsk profil uttale seg om sin hjemby om sommeren. Journalistikken er ikke særlig utfordrende, men hyggelig. Den første artikkelen er sluppet. Her er saken.

PS: mye om bryllupet, mediedekningen av masteroppgaven, forsvaret av masteroppgaven i morgen, uflyttingen (onsdag), svar på jobbintervju (onsdag) med mer kommer i nærmeste fremtid

Thursday, June 21, 2007

E: Everything at once

The reason for infrequent updating is that there is too much about which to write. I simply have not had the minutes to type bloggy material. Nor am I up to date with my personal diary. Rather than thinking I can provide a full report, I will list recent and current activities which has poored into my everyday lately.

* My best friend’s wedding. Last weekend was the bachelor party, which will come with its own entry with pictures. The wedded-to-be, me and the eight other mates came together for two days of testing, socializing and fun. I have spent days and days organizing and planning to be able to follow through with the weekend activity. As it was a surprise, I could not share it on the web. This Sunday is the actual wedding. I will leave for the city of Tønsberg tomorrow where the event will take place Sunday. Today I picked up the rented tuxedo. Before I leave I need to finish the speech. More facts on the wedding’s website: Sthansbryllup.com. It will be a blast :)

* Visitor 1: Jacqueline Thai is one of the Aussies with whom I lived last time in Melbourne. She arrived Monday afternoon and left for the airport today around 4 pm. It has been a great reuinion, in spite my business during the days. Together we have talked, tried various foods, hiked, had a walking tour of Oslo, gone to the movies and met a few of my friends. Jackie is touring Europe on Holiday, inlcuding England, France and Switzerland.

* Visitor 2: My friends Andreas Norbye and Jonas Evensen have spent a year in Bolivia. Andreas returned to Norway Sunday, and stayed at my place till this morning. His a fair bit of things to take care of on his own, but we have hung out a little.

* Job interview. Yesterday I sat for 75 minutes talking to the coming editor of the magazine Agenda 3:16 and administrative leader of the organization Normisjon, to which the magazine belong. I had a positive experience, felt I handled situation well and will know if I will be offered the job sometime next week.

* Straight after the interview, I was interviewed regarding my master thesis. The Christian founded newspaper Vårt Land is interested in my findings and methodology and will run a story next week. Tuesday is when I will defend my thesis and found out how they grade my last year of effort.

* Housing. I am continuously looking at apartments to buy. But the prices makes the residential spaces out of my reach. The one apartment I recently inspected went 250,000 kroner (around 42,000 US dollars) over estimated value – which gave it a square meter price of insane NOK 43,000 (7,200 USD). For now I will move out of the Christian complex next week, as I am no longer a student, into an apartment with two other Christian guys situated 3-4 minutes away (by bike). Not far, but still different. Hopefully I will have time to pack and clean out the place after finish studying Tuesday morning till my plan leaves Thursday night.

* Work. I have eight easy-reading article to finish for DinSide.no/reise – the travel section of the consumer website in which I work. I am getting there, but have spent a fair bit of time the last few weeks tracing celebrities willing to share about their Norwegian summer city. In addition I am updating the databases for banking and mobile prices, which I have been doing for 3-4 years now. From July 11th, I will be working on my summer job in Vårt Land, the above-mentioned newspaper (not related to the interview). Last Wednesday and Thursday were the two days for training before take off.

Those are the major things. Some pictures will appear soon, at least from bachelor party and Jackie’s visit. For now I need to finish up my speech. For those who wonder, I am doing well, enjoy most of this, but am a bit exhausted in my head.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Nordnorske setninger, del 4 - med fasit

Kilden for språkuttrykk fra den nordlige landsdelen er dyp. Her er 10 nye nordnorske utfordringer. Fasit kommer som vanlig etter hvert. Trykk på etiketten ”dialekt” nederst for den fulle oversikten.

1. Eg syns han va litt sursken etter møté.
2. Dæ e heilt umulig å ligge anføttes, så kjettig som du e.
3. Vi ska ha smått førr ainner gong
4. Måtn du bjore skjorta på gjør deg meir klæpphersli enn staseli
5. Kainn du ikkje moille bær som de ainner, enn å mostre over veret?
6. Han jårra sånn deinn kveilln at eg fikk løst å dryle tell han
7. Buska blei skikkelig gorrat då eg datt av humpa
8. Slutt å mostre, og bli mæ å desse.
9. Ka han sei tell godt? Du vase rundt som før?
10. Kainn du vente tell ætter vi har spist før du bynnje å nævle mæ tangsprelln vi fainn i fjæra?

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FASIT FRA 21.juni 07

1. Jeg syntes han var litt småsur etter møtet
2. Det er helt umulig å ligge ved siden av motsatt vei (hodet til den ene ligger der den andre har føttene), så kilen som du er
3. Vi skal ha barn for andre gang
4. Måten du stapper/krøller skjorta gjør at du fremstår mer ufyselig enn staselig
5. Kan du ikke spise rikelig av alle bærene som de andre gjør, i stedet for å klage slik på været?
6. Han tullet/fleipet så mye den kvelden at jeg fikk lyst å slå hardt til ham
7. Buksa min ble virkelig skitten da jeg falt av vippeplanken
8. Slutt å syt, og bli heller med å huske
9. Hva er nytt i ditt liv? Du er opptatt med ditt vanlige virke, antar jeg?
10. Kan du vente til etter vi har spist før du begynner å aktivisere hendene med tangsprellen vi fant i fjæresteinene tidligere?

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

E: Airborne mechanic humor

After every flight, pilots from many airlines fill out a form, which tells mechanics about problema with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form.

Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers. Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor.

This form is found at various places online, stating it comes from UPS, US Air Force, Flylow , Qantas (Australian airline) and so on. But it sure is funny.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something tightened in cockpit

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.

P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to: straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget
pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

X: Party pics/To sett festbilder

Thursday night hosted the full on summer festivity for my uni institute (Media & Communication). Mediated outside party had a tasteful staff band, food without a sky in sight, rhythmic students, and a cheerful weather.

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IMK sommerfest
For å feire avslutningen av mastergraden, sommerferiestarten og medstudenters og ansattes selskap, var det tidsriktig å troppe opp som festglad deltaker på sommerfestivitasen til Institutt for medier og kommunikasjon (IMK). 7. juni 2007 ble den medialiserte utefesten der koldtbordet strålte, studentene fenget, bandet smakte og været holdt det gående til langt på natt.

Personlig ble jeg særlig fascinert av de ansattes eget band, ledet an av vokalist Tore Slaatta. Jeg har selv hatt professoren i et fag høsten 2005 (Media and Globalisation), og ble nærmest satt ut av iveren, innlevelsen og energien utagert på scenen, sammenlignet med den noe mer avbalanserte undervisningsformen kjent fra klasserommet. Som en av de få studentene som ikke har deltatt på særlig mange instituttarrangerte lag tidligere, kom sangene som en gledelig overraskelse.

IMK sommerfest 2007



......


June 2nd two of the gals in the Christian student college in which I live, Astrid and Marie, celebrated their birthday together. The beautiful sunny evening was filled with the aura of barbeque, sound of music, atmosphere of chatting, and sense of joy. See pics below.

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To av kollektivets unge damer, Marie og Astrid, feiret felles bursdag 2. juni. Jeg, med de andre gjestene, trivdes svært godt. Plenen utenfor C-huset var gjort i stand med lysbokser i trærne, fargeduker på bordene, ballonger i buskene, og griller var påtente. Astrid, Marie og Synnøve fikk også opptrådt litt fra front. Etter mørkets frembrudd tok også en venninne av Astrid turen på gresspodiet for en liten konsert med et bredt spekter av blues, country, rock og pop med sin gitar og gode stemme.


Astrid&Marie bursdag

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

E: Exam completion, study farewell

The last days of intense preparations paid off. The exam lecture went well, and the mArking wAs greAt. I spoke a little more than half an hour on Christian news coverage in Christian newspapers in Norway.

I was most happy to find five of my fellow student housing college showing up to listen to the lecture, which had about a dusin listeners in total.

Most pleasing was being done. All done! Hooray! Afterward the lecture I could clean my study desk, return all my books and walk out knowing that I may have completed my final bit of academic study – at least for this year. This does not include defending my thesis on June 26th.

I feel great relief being done, and will hopefully finally be able to relax a bit more and enjoy the summery Oslo. Right now I am mainly exhausted and ready for a proper sleep.

Here are some of the things that will take place in the weeks to come, all but one free from studying.
- Tomorrow: work + uni institute summer party
- Next week: work training for summer job (newspaper, Vårt Land)
- June 18-21: Visit from my aussie housemate Jackie
- June 24: my best friend’s wedding
- June 26: defending my thesis, completing my master thesis
- June 28-July 11: Going home to Brøstadbotn (where I am from in the North)
- July 7: My sister’s wedding
- July 11 – middle of August: summer job (Vårt Land)
- meeting people, playing beach volleyball, applying for full time job, possibly buying an apartment.

Monday, June 04, 2007

E: Online clips 22

In these times of preperations for my final exam (other than defending my thesis), I put on another online clip entry to the list, if you need a break from whatever it is you are doing.

Beatboxing is way cool, especially if you for instance make it look like you are cooking sound.

When my back gets better, I will possibly wreck it again with learning to wall flip properly.

I will not, however, attempt a double backflip with a motorcycle.

If that does not scare you, maybe this will (funny compilation).

Funny is also this selection of amusing soccer moments.

Not so funny is that this sports reporter spoiled a proposal live on TV, although they seem to be all right and happy anyway.

Finally, to end with a laugh, watch this clip to why men should not babysit.