Weekends

It is very icy outside. It snowed much of Friday, and the temperature has hovered around freezing. Much too icy to bike- and too icy to even take a walk in this hilly neighborhood. I have actually appreciated taking the bus the past two days. The car we borrowed has terrible tires. Lise's brother needed to car to leave town for a ski trip. He has a work truck, but he can't use it for personal business that far away.

We are contemplating our car options. Car culture really sucks here. Most vehicles cost twice as much as in the US. For even "only" 100,000 kr, we would probably manage to only afford a ten-year old sub-compact. Since neither of us really need a car for work, we could get by with something older. I am leaning toward something used, since we don't have a garage. The owner of the company where I work drives an ancient Volvo- and he prides himself on not driving a flashy car. I found out the old marketing department were suit and tie/BMW driving types- and they were not well liked. I don't need a status vehicle for this job. When I arrived at the bus stop Friday, I noticed one of the other managers waiting for a bus. I hear that I would even be reimbursed for taking a taxi to and from the airport for business trips. By the way, I will be reimbursed almost $.50 per kilometer for my mileage the other day- that is the law.

I really like my weekends here. Back home, I worked every other weekend for the County. I did it so long that it felt normal. I cannot imagine working a second job now.