Radio

I managed to sneak out for an hour and a half ride today. It was 25 F- which is very cold. I actually wore my face mask for the first time in Norway. I have turned into a wimp. I remember this temp as being a warm January or February ride in Minnesota. At least it was a sunny day.

Lise worked at the hospital this evening. She picked up a last minute shift. This meant that I would have to drop off the keys to our friend's house. To make a long story short, our friends own a house in Stavanger, but live in the Netherlands. They are home for the holidays and need their keys, which we mysteriously have. Anyway, she called to say she needed the keys now, that she wasn't traveling to her parent's house since her car broke down. Apparently she rented a car at the airport, but the gas tank was almost empty. Shortly after filling the tank, she realized she put gasoline in, but the car required diesel. Lest you think this is entirely ridiculous, in Norway, regular gas uses the green nozzle. I was thoroughly confused the first time I purchased gas. It just didn't seem right using a green pump for regular. So I dropped off the keys and left them in their mailbox.

I started listening to the radio when I do errands. My chief errand is shuttling Lise back and forth to work. There is no employee parking. I randomly discovered English-speaking radio one night when I heard the familiar voice of Neal Conan. NPRs Talk of the Nation was being broadcast. I was ecstatic, as public radio was one of the things I missed about the US. I had no idea there was such thing as Public Radio International. I kept tuning into the same station, but quickly found that it was a little more complicated. It was an Armed Forces station that advertised for Stars and Stripes and broadcast Dr. Laura and Rush Limbaugh at other times (neither of whom are link-worthy). It was a major clash or programming formats. Still, it is nice to catch NPR. Rush sounds even more absurd from overseas. I also caught the European weather. Apparently German has a winter storm advisory tonight.

Two more days of vacation for me. I don't count the weekend. Then I am off to a new job. To be honest, I have some anxiety- not knowing what to expect. I am less concerned about the work, and more concerned about the work culture. After 15 years at my last job, I knew exactly what to expect. Then again, that becomes a little old after awhile. It is nice to be kept on my toes.