Photo of the Day

IMG_1128, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Always Read the Fine Print

I don't normally support mendicants, however, in this case, I received value for my dollar--- this brilliant photo. Taken in Boston: home of MIT and Harvard. God loves them all.

Back in Boston

I have gone local. A family of Brits actually asked me for directions today as I was heading out to eat. Fortunately, they were looking for the street where my hotel is located, so I gave them exact directions. Any other street and I would have been clueless.

As bad as the whether is here, it is better than both Minneapolis and Stavanger. It looks like it is 6 below back home--- which is uncharacteristically cold!

Work here is going well. I went to the bank to deposit a check for $100K. You have no idea how complicated that turned out to be. Good thing I didn't ask for cash.

Julian has exploded in development lately. While he could already take a few steps, he could not yet stand up on his own, without holding onto something. Now he can stand anywhere--- and walk anywhere. Our lives will never be the same!

New Lens

I picked up a cheap 50 mm Canon lens--- that is somehow much sharper than the kit lens.

Even More Snow

"How I spent my spring break...."

A Real Camera

Image 154, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

My father dug out his parents' camera, a 30's era, art decoish folding Kodak. It is actually in quite good shape, as is the user's manual. The box has seen better days. It is difficult to believe this was the bleeding edge of technology at one point-- at least for consumer grade cameras. It is fully manual, meaning you have to guess for both the shutter speed and aperture settings--- no built in metering at all. Of course there were no provisions for using any sort of flash. I wonder what sort of antiques today's digital cameras will be--- 70 years in the future. Will they have some sort of cool "turn of the century" cachet?

Spring Break

And I see more snow that I have seen in years.

On Our Way Back

We are heading back to the Twin Cities--- this time with Julian. Somehow, I don't think this will be the same old routine that is all too familiar.

Coed

I don't know why this word drives me so crazy-- it is just a word. It is, however, a bit unusual to have a word the denotes only the female gender of a particular category. While we have waiter/waitress, actor/actress, steward/stewardess, etc., what exactly is the opposite of a "coed"? Furthermore, there are more women than men enrolled in college, rendering "coed" as something of an anachronism.

In today's usage, I really care less about the gender politics of language and more about the lurid qualities of the word "coed." It is STILL used in modern media. It seems like dirty old man-speak--- like something out of a 50s pulp novel. In keeping this blog semi-respectable, I spare you the NSFW* direct link, but if you want an eyeful, try a GIS** of "coed." I don't know how far down in the ranking you need to dig before you find one with her clothes on. I could see the word mildly having its place as more women entered academic institutions, yet it still seems unduly associated with crime blotters.

Seriously, who actually uses this word in casual conversation?

*NSFW= not suitable for work
**GIS= google image search

In the Press

I am not particularly political, but every time I do anything remotely political it ends up in the press. Back in college, I ended up on the CBS Evening News when my roommates dragged me to a young Republicans event-- where we heckled Pete Dupont. Our involvement was heavily edited to make us look like complete idiots (I am still standing by that story). It was good for a few free beers later that evening.

Last night I went to a local Democrats Abroad event--- mainly to rub shoulders with some fellow Americans. A reporter and photographer stopped by to interview us, and we ended up in the paper. My head can be clearly seen in the photo. Fortunately, we did not spend too much time on politics, but rather socialized generally. I was rated as "friend-worthy" since I am married to a Norwegian. There is some super-secret expat club made of half and half couples. We are more desirable as friends than the completely American couples who work in the oil business--- they are generally just passing through for a few years, and have no real commitment to the community. I met a really cool younger couple (as in our age) and several interesting people detached from their spouses for the evening, as was I. Lise was home with Julian.

Perhaps the most incredible part of the evening was as we made introductions, when I said I was from Minneapolis, a woman mentioned she had been there. It turned out she was related to my high school basketball coach from my hometown in Iowa, and had visited him there on a few occasions. Her maiden name was the same as his last name. It is truly a small world.

The View

Behind our house you can see across the fjord to Dalesnutten. I generally take it for granted, since it is just a big hill, and relative to the sites around here, it is no big deal. The new camera does it a bit more justice.

General Updates

I am still commuting on my fixed gear--- the part I ordered is STILL not in. As long as it stays above freezing, I will make it to work. It shouldn't be much of an issue. We are heading to the US in a week, and I will be away three weeks-- a little over two of them with Julian and Lise. I will then work out of Boston for a week. April I will spend a week in Oslo, and in May I will head to India for a week. June we will spend a week for family vacation in Spain. July? Who knows--- paint the house?

I am very much looking forward to our trip next week. I hope Julian travels well. Then again, he will probably manage better than me.

New Camera Fun

On His Way

02282008016, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

I took the day off to watch Julian while Lise was at school. We had a rough morning when I took him in to for an immunization. He handled it quite well. After we stopped home for some lunch, we went for a little walk behind our house before I took him in for his next adventure--- his first haircut. He handled the haircut like a pro. He is all ready for visiting his grandparents in the US. We leave next week.

All the Way to the Playground

02282008017, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Finally Made It

02282008019, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

We played on the slide.

Reason for buying a new camera

I picked up a Canon EOS Digital Rebel camera in Virginia-- at a fraction of the Norway price. With a 4 gig card, we should be ready for anything. I don't know it well enough to give it a proper review, but it blows our pocket camera out of the water. This thing actually takes the photo when you press the button. Every image turns out well. With a mobile little kid, we need something that captures fast moving objects. This thing delivers.

Atlanta

I am back in Norway--- had a great trip from a business perspective (and travel perspective). It is even better to be home.

Heading to the US

It has been a busy few weeks--- mostly doing phone screenings of potential employees for an office I will be setting up in the US. I am leaving tomorrow for Boston, D.C., Atlanta, then home. All in one week.

Julian took his first steps this week. It is quite amazing. He is very motivated to practice walking, and seems to be driven by some unseen force to become more and more independent. Of course, he also is taking his share of spills. Yesterday he "got a fat lip" when he landed on his face. He looks pretty rough, but he is a tough kid.

In other news, I finally have a new cell phone--- a Nokia N82. It has wifi, a 5 megapix camera, quality video, everything under the sun. I have no clue why anyone would want an iPhone. I can check my email, surf the net, MSN chat, listen to mp3s, watch youtube. It really has everything. I thought my old phone was great--- and it lasted me over 2 years before I had the itch to upgrade.

See you in Boston.

Sheldon Brown's Passing

If you follow the cycling community at all, you are likely already aware that Sheldon Brown died this week of a heart attack at 63. I have linked to his site since I began this blog-- he holds the definitive answer to all things cycling related. Granted, his site looks like an HTML time warp, but it is truly the bicycling encyclopedia. Sheldon is the primary reason I started riding fixed gear, or built my own wheels, or figured out compatibility issues for my frankenbike. What was unique about him is that unlike Lennard Zinn or Jobst Brandt, Sheldon never came off as a blow-hard "expert." Rather he was entirely sincere and enthusiastic about his love for all things bike. He also showed his human side, rather than hiding behind a shroud of anonymity on the internet. He would even post at cycling forums under his own name from time to time. I almost felt as though I knew him.

It is strange when there is a real death in a virtual community. I worry about the fate of Sheldon's website. It belongs in the Smithsonian. There was another odd death a few weeks ago--- a teenager who crashed his car on a private runway in Florida, killing himself and four passengers. There was an elaborate postmortem dissecting his postings at a high performance BMW forum. It was fascinating reading his postings after the fact, knowing that his quest for high performance would ultimately lead to his death. There have also been a few deaths noted at roadbikereview.com-- from any number of causes. What is odd is how any number of people leave this online communities by simply no longer participating. They are alive, but sort of fade away. Not unlike all of the abandoned blogs out there, begun with good intentions, then left in a state of stasis-- for there is no decay in a well-designed digital world. If you never update your photo, you never age. Eventually the design elements will pass from fashion, and any external links may soon be broken, but the core content remains for eternity, or at the very least, cached on the waybackmachine.

Trashed by Derailer Hanger

(Or derailleur, if you prefer.) It simply broke on my way to work yesterday. Keep in mind, they are designed to break--- if you fall. In my case, all was well-- it merely broke. I had a long walk to work. There was no hope for rescue. Our car was having its windshield replaced--- after it was cracked by a ham-fisted repair monkey who fixed our wipers. We had some sub-compact--- no room for a bike. After work our regular car was in order, and I had a ride home. Now I have to find a replacement--- or two. It looks poorly designed at best.

Dispatches from the Outer Reaches

Heath Ledger died. I just read in on the back of today's paper. I was a bit stunned--- I rather liked him as an actor. I mentioned it to Lise when I phoned her. Our conversation went something like this:

HER: "Um, that happened a few days ago, you know. Did you just hear about it?"

ME: "Uh, yeah. I just read it in the paper. All they have on TV is cricket and Tamil music videos, you know."

HER: "Wow. News rather travels slowly there."

Seriously, I feel bad for the guy's family. Brad Renfro was one thing, but this? Who is next? These things always occur in threes.


I cannot believe I have only one more day here. Time has flown by. Tonight there is some nightclub downstairs where the music is blasting--- shaking the building all the way up to my 14th floor hotel room. Then again, I question how many floors this building truly has. The elevator reads: L, L1, L2, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20. I count only eleven floors. I guess it all about profiling.

I had an adventure in crossing the street during rush hour. Seriously, nothing could be more difficult. There is never a break in the traffic. It terrifies me seeing small children in traffic. This entire city is crumbling in the jungle.

Empty city beach

Picture 011, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

---something about the pollution in the water keeps people away.

View from my hotel room

Picture 003, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Children's Store

Picture 009, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

This high end kid's store featured all sorts of blue eyed blond haired imagery--- in the middle of southern India. Go figure. They sold all sorts of cool items--- at Western prices.

Lunch at the Beach Resort

Picture 014, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

...aka Fisherman's Cove.

Only in India

So I am reading in the newspaper about a baby elephant that ended up stuck in some sort of pit. The villagers struggled to help, but the elephant's mother was extremely protective. The villagers had to find a large male elephant that was trained. The male was able to distract the mother so the villagers could help and care for the baby. It was definitely a feel-good story. Original story before the happy ending.

On a different note, I read about 32 tigers that were killed. I quickly realized they were the dreaded Tamil Tigers-- a terrorist group in Sri Lanka.

Finally, I heard it here in India first--- I can vote in the Democratic primary as an American ex-pat. I am a citizen of the world. We have something like 32 delegates. Cool stuff. The Republicans don't yet have their act together.

In India

I made it. It is hot. More info later.

Strange Days

Here I sit in a hotel room in London that is so small that I am struggling with claustrophobia. It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that I have been in larger elevators. Any money that I have saved the company by staying in these digs have been more than compensated by the copious volumes of beer that I have consumed this evening. In the aftermath, as I eat a few wasabi covered peanuts purchased at a neighborhood convenience store, I will begin to regale you, dear reader, with my day's endeavors.

I awoke on this "beginningly-dismal" day when Julian awoke. While I cannot recall my latest pean to his wonderful humanity, this brief missive must suffice. He awoke before six AM, at which point I was required to assume his care. Despite admonitions to the contrary from my wife, I secretly hoped he would resort to his typical patterns, and fall asleep in my arms. He did not.

Lise had the brilliant idea to phone a taxi well in advance of any thoughts I might have had for making such sane preparations. Unfortunately, the dispatcher indicated that there was a poor reliability factor involved with spiriting me to the airport at such hour, so Lise graciously volunteered to shuttle me to the airport. I arrived with incredibly excessive time, as it took a mere five minutes to reach the gate, for I was checking nothing. That is not to say that the dutious security specialist was not remiss in securing my miniscule quantity of toothpaste as a potential weapon of mass destruction, but alas, I knew the risks of smuggling such contraband on an international flight, even if it only was to the UK.

I arrive in fine form, dressed nattily in my black suit, with a striped shirt, and a red tie that annoyed my wife. Yes, it was a "power tie," well-chosen and well-suited for its chosen purpose. My flight was uneventful, and I had a full row to myself. I easily found my pick up person at Heathrow, which is no mean feat, even on a slow day-- for it is by most arguments the worst thought-out airport since mesoproterozoic times. He was both younger and more pleasant in demeanor that I had expected based on prior assumptions from previous phone contacts. We ate lunch in a rather tony London suburb--- in a noisy Italian cafe. Conversation was a bit difficult, considering our mutual language barrier.

Following our lunch, I separated from my gracious host, and headed toward Paddington station. It is really the only part of London I can even pretend to know about. It is quite possible I do not appear as a hackneyed tourist there (in Bayswater). I had a meeting at Chelsea Harbor in a few hours, and thought I might check in prior. I could not have been more misguided in my assumptions, as there were extraordinary delays on the tube. At every stop the conductor recommended that everyone "detrain." As I was near my expected stop, I largely ignored such admonitions, only to be exposed to a 20 minute delay. Unbeknownst to be, I was to suffer considerable anxiety waiting underground "in the middle of nowhere" in the London tubes. It took minimal motivation for me to depart at my expected transfer. My bladder was most appreciative of a nearby Starbucks, that served both espresso in actual porceline cups, as well as free public urinary facilities for the pay-toilet impaired. On my return venture to the tube, I secured some cash bearing the Queen's likeness.

I declined the uncertain opportunity that the tube presented, rather opting for the adventure of taking a London taxi. I quickly secured refuge in a proper cab, and shortly arrived at my destination, a mere £5 poorer for the effort. Upon arriving, well early due to the change in plans stemming from the train problems, I settled into the hotel restaurant, whereupon all sensibilities were assaulted by the live filming of the British TV show "Top Model." My lofty allusions as to the heights of aesthetic and intellectual prowess of the models were quickly and summarily obliterated. That does not mean that my sublime visage is not visible should you chance upon the broadcast of this highly entertaining debacle. As an aside, I had no clue that the show was so heavily scripted. They ran multiple takes of even the most mundane reactions. I took a phone camera photo that I many eventually publish for your confirmation.

Following my afternoon meeting, I took a taxi to the hotel, whereby I was greeted by two east-European immigrants with identical vowel-deficient names. When I finally opened the door, I realized what a marketing boon a fisheye lens was, as my habitute was only slightly larger than my bed. I wish not to dwell upon such unpleasantness, so I headed out to eat. I chanced upon an Italian restaurant with the full intention of ordering a pizza. A solo diner nearby was eating pizza, and I quickly reconsidered and opted for sea food. The highly Runyonesque waiter highly recommended the sea bass. I took it in. As I waited an indeterminate time, the woman eating the pizza summoned the waiter to inquire about the oven temperature used to bake the pizza, characterizing it as the best pizza she had ever eaten. Initially I was plagued with doubts, since I had initially considered it, but opted for sea food assuming the pizza was excessively cheeseladen. I still ended up with a bit of food envy.

When my sea bass arrived, I was filled with both regret and deja vu--- as it was fully dressed, codeword for "entire fish, skin, head, eyes--- everything". Last sea bass I ordered was in Manchester. It all came back to my like a very bad check from a very close relative. At least I had some clue as to how to eat it, as all eyes were on me. I managed quite well, leaving nothing but the spine and the head. It was worth the effort, although I must admit: the vegetable truly stole the show. You are at liberty to take that comment any way you desire.

Following dinner I chanced upon a pub, where I ordered the most foul excuse for beer that I have ever encountered--- a "blanc" beer that tasted nothing like beer. As if to atone for my sin, I over-compensated by my consumption of Fosters--- always a safe bet. I encountered some crazed British political author who provided interesting conversation, even if his politics were a bit right of mine. Somehow I found my way home.

Blueface Band in Biosuits

Picture 028, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Kvitsøy Lobsters

Picture 050, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Parade Photos

Picture 019, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Parade

Picture 020, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Bad News Good News

I went to our local version of Home Depot---- actually it is much nicer and the people working there really know what they are talking about. I had a roof tile with me, since they carry the brand I needed. I was told they stopped making them. They suggested I check a roofing supply depot in Sandnes. From my biking exploits, I knew exactly where it was.

I headed down there, and the proprietor suggesting checking the internet for used tiles. I was out of luck. I returned home and hopped on finn.no---- the de facto national online classified ads. I found several people selling the tiles in the area--- ranging from nok 17 000 for a huge lot (taken from a 170 m2 roof, to a smaller nok 3000 collection, to a dismal ad citing nok 10 each. We called the latter ad. There was a farm about 10 minutes from here. The idea was we take what we want, and leave our money in an overturned flower pot.

We headed out posthaste. There were pallets of very neatly arranged used tiles of all sorts in a muddy edge of a field. They had exactly the same tiles-- same color and everything. They were even perfectly weathered so they would fit right in. We purchased 10, just to have a few extras. We headed home, and in no time I had the roof cap in place. The worst of the repair is finished.

Windy Pt. II

If you thought my last post was an exaggeration, it wasn't. Two heavy tiles, including one of the endcap tiles blew off of our roof during the storm. When the cap tile fell, it crushed a few other tiles on the portion of the overhang below, so I have some roof repair to do. I crawled up there today--- and must say that I am not a big fan of running around on a tile roof. I guess I know why they don't use shingles around here. If they had, our roof would be bald by now.

Windy

It is so windy I had to stop and walk a few times on my way home. Car alarms are going off. Seriously, there were close to 50 mph gusts. It took me nearly 45 minutes-- almost twice as long as my normal commute. Crazy wind. But hey, at least it is not raining.

Overdue

Things have been busy. I am heading back to India in a few weeks, and have a ton of loose ends to tie up before I leave.

On the transportation front, our car's windshield wipers are defunct. Funny how an overlooked and underappreciated part can render the whole vehicle useless. Of course they gave out in the rain as we drove back from spending Christmas on Kvitsøy, so we had a bit of a stressful trip. It seemed all the repair shops were closed until January. The good news is that it has been dry the past few days. The bad news is that dry weather is clear weather, and clear weather is cold weather. It has been very cold during my rides to work in the morning. I seem to be wearing more ski gear than bike gear at this point. The temperature has generally been no colder than -5C. This seems colder than -5F when I lived in Minnesota. I don't know if I have acclimated to a warmer winter here, or if it is a wetter cold that surrounds me. Today it was the northern wind. Regardless, I don't think it could ever be too cold to ride here. It does seem a bit dismal biking in the dark at 8am.

Happy New Year

ours 027, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Christmas

It is Christmas and we are on Kvitsøy. The weather was terrible yesterday, but it hardly mattered. We spent the day indoors with food and opening gifts until all hours of the night.

Julian received and amazing assortment of toys, clothing-- even children's furniture. Toys today are mostly made of plastic, and his have motorized wheels, buttons that light up, and play songs or speak. Everything makes noise. Everything requires batteries.

We all agreed that at one year old, he has more toys than any of us had during our entire childhoods. It really made me think about all the people in the world who cannot even meet their most basic needs. My wife's brother said it well: "Being born in Norway is like winning the lottery."

It is rare to truly appreciate what we have. Speaking for myself, I tend to take it for granted-- after all, I am not surrounded by extremes from the other end of the spectrum. In a few weeks I will be heading back to India-- where the extremes are overwhelming to the point that they are desensitizing. What a different world Julian is growing up in--- and what a different world than my own-- decades ago. I really hope that we do not spoil him, and that he will learn the value of what he has. On the other hand, is it even possible to spoil a one year old?

Cake

birthday1 057, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Lise went a little crazy with the birthday cake last night.

Birthday Photo

birthday1 072, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Julian turned one today. I cannot believe how quickly the time has passed.

Lutefisk

It took a little over two years on living in Norway before being served lutefisk-- at this case at the company Christmas party. It was one of several buffet offerings, and I had to try it. It was quite edible, and didn't come close to living up to its reputation as a horrible food. It is a salty cod with a very strange texture. It was served with bacon, so it tasted like.... bacon. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it, but I would eat it again if it were served to me.

It really does not deserve its infamous reputation, unless Americans do not know how to prepare it properly.

Customs/ VAT

Public service message to everyone sending gifts from abroad: the limit for customs/VAT is 200nok in Norway. This means that if a company ships a package with a declared value above 200nok (about $40USD), I will need to pay a good chunk of money to pick up the parcel. I have no idea exactly how it works. It seems to add about 60% to the price. I believe there is a 25% VAT and maybe an equal amount of fee for the COD service. I recently received a package from Amazon that was valued at approximately $60, and it cost an extra $36 to extract it from the post office. If this were shipped as two separate packages, I would have paid zero fees--- and maybe $10 in extra postage. Or, if someone would have reshipped the package for me, and declared its value at 199nok, there would have been no extra fees (although who knows how much shipping could cost).

Ice, Ice, Baby

This morning I woke up to the aftermath of some sort of ice storm--- ice everywhere. I could have skated to work. I tossed on the studded wheels and headed to work. A kilometer or so from home, I thought I dropped my chain--- but it actually BROKE. I had to hobble home on ice in my bike shoes. On examination I bent one of the plates. I can only attribute this to my massive strength, as this is my light-use mountain bike. I removed two links and put in a new pin and was on my way. I had no alternatives--- there was no way I was driving on this.

I only saw two other cyclists this morning... both walking their bikes (and it appeared their chains were intact). It was treacherous even with studs on some of the hills--- which are very steep-- but I made it in one piece. It still amazes me that I can bike across glare ice--- people were falling down walking.

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We've Got Norway.

Want to rot your brain instantly? I am probably the last person on the planet to stumble across this.

Snow and Ice

Winter is here-- for a few days. We had snow last night. This morning I quickly threw on the extra wheels with the studded tires and bundled up. My cold weather gear consists of my autumn riding gear with windpants over the biking tights and snowboarding gloves rather than regular full finger gloves. I was more than warm enough on my ride in, despite the wicked wind. The ride home was a bit dicey with all the rutted refreeze on the bike paths. The roads were fine. The snow didn't seem to deter any of the other bike commuters. There were tire tracks everywhere-- and maybe a few ski tracks. All things considered, this is mild stuff. Nothing like Minnesota winter.

So Big

IMG_3367, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

His grandmother on the Norwegian side taught him the "so big" thing på norsk, which became of great concern to me-- so I quickly taught him the English version. Now he performs right on cue in either language.

It is scary how much he understands at less than a year old. This morning he crawled over the the coffee table, pulled himself up, grabbed the TV remote, turned on the TV (knew exactly which was the power button). He then crawled over to the cable box and turned that on and started watching TV (well, sort of). I don't know how he does it.

Fun with AT&T

When I travel in the US, I use a "pay as you go" cell plan and an antique American cell phone. These plans are perfect for drug dealers--- they can be purchased completely anonymously. I also have a few Vonage accounts for work, so I just roll over my 800 numbers to my cell phone. It is a great way for people to be able to call me when I am on the road, and it is cheaper to call out than using international roaming on my Norwegian cell phone.

By now, you realize there is a catch to all this IP and cell phone goodness. My credit card statement arrived, showing the expense from recharging the account when I was recently in the US. I went online to download my invoice so the accountant wouldn't have a fit. My default PIN number should be the last four digits of my cell number. Sounds good so far--- except that is only a temporary PIN. To actually access the account, AT&T sends a PIN via SMS (text message). Of course there is no way I have coverage in Norway--- so I cannot access my text messages to be able to access my online account to be able to print out my invoice.

So I make the mistake of calling the AT&T--as I was directed to by their website. They do everything in their power to discourage calling them. I was trapped in a labyrinth of automated voice directories. There was no hope of getting anywhere, since my request didn't fit anything remotely normal. I spoke with several customer service people who had nothing to do with my services. Apparently, the pay as you go customers are completely marginalized, likely because most service users are likely drug dealers, pimps, and illegal aliens. Eventually I managed to speak with someone who confirmed my worst fears. There is no way to generate a PIN than through text message.

The accountant will have to take my word for it--- supported by some scribbles on a napkin. Or wait until the next time I am in the US. What a ridiculous business process--- it simply cannot be overridden. Rule number one in business process management has been violated. The demise of the entire telecom industry as we know is eminent. Death is at its door. I just wrapped up a video call with my parents--- using MSN chat-- which is primitive technology-- and free of charge. I will be getting a new Windows phone in a week or two that also has WIFI, MSN chat, Skype, and all sorts of communications tools, in addition to cellular service. Soon all phone appliances will be built as mult-modal communications devices. You will never have to speak to customer service again.

Singing Toy

Julian received this crazy creature that sings and speaks in Norwegian. This song is dedicated to my Norwegian teacher in Minneapolis who insisted we sing this song at the beginning of class week after week-- much to my dread. This is for you, Hillary.

Underwater Baby

IMG_3374
Originally uploaded by filtersweep

A few weeks ago a photographer took underwater photos of all the kids at baby swimming. Julian has his eyes wide open--- he seems to be enjoying it.

The Joys of Cold Weather

I believe today is my last day on the fixed gear. I awoke to clear weather, so I opted for the fenderless fixie. A minute before leaving, I checked the temperature-- 1C. There was a very thick layer of frost on the road, and ice everywhere. I took it easy. I don't need studded tires yet--- although they are mounted on my extra wheels. It seemed my fellow commuters were running studs at a rate of one out of four riders. Knobbies should be fine this time of year.

The best thing about this cold weather is that it cuts the commuters in half. This means no long lines for the showers, and stinky guy isn't in the changing area. It isn't even a difficult commute yet--- it could be this cold and raining--- or snowing. At least it is dry.

Nothing is Safe

IMG_3241, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Our whole world has changed--- he is all over the place and standing. Nothing is kid proof anymore.

Adventures in Travel

There was a time and place when I hated the "class system" in travel, and "elite status." Those smarmy travelers always have the short lines. I didn't seem right--- that is, until I received Elite status. My card was waiting for me at my parents' house. My whole life has changed. Yesterday when I left Minneapolis for Norway, it took literally five minutes to make it from the curb to the gate. But allow me to digress.

Thursday evening I flew on Air Canada from San Francisco to Vancouver. I was staying in San Francisco at the Fairmont hotel-- likely the nicest hotel I have ever stayed. I took the shuttle to SFO-- along with a few other hotel patrons. We had the most interesting discussing a group of random strangers could have. My Air Canada flight was nice. I arrived late in Vancouver. Fortunately the car rental area was right at the airport--- no shuttle necessary. Alamo screwed up my reservation, so I ended up in a black Crown Victoria. Fortunately, they aren't used by Canadian law enforcement, otherwise I would have slowed traffic down wherever I drove. It literally looked like an unmarked car. I settled in to my hotel by midnight-- with a 10am meeting the next morning and a 2pm flight to Minneapolis. I checked google maps to ensure I would have enough time to make it from the meeting location to the airport. If the meeting ran long, it could mean trouble.

The meeting could not have gone better. It lasted less than an hour. I made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. I flew United and ended up sitting next to someone who was a higher up on the Olympic committee for Vancouver. We had a very interesting discussion. The flight had a connection in Denver--- a short connection that was miraculously at the neighboring gate. While waiting, my name was announced at the gate. I was offered a free upgrade to first class. I later noticed that they gave my original row in economy to an enormous man-- the entire row.

On a different note, I am only 11K miles away from Elite Gold. It would almost be worth it just to take a round trip to the middle of nowhere to pad my miles.

San Francisco...

...again. I see more of the US now that I live abroad than I ever did when I lived here. I am back in San Francisco-- a very cool city. I have a great hotel room with a view. Apologies for the phone photos.

I seem to know my way around better than most places I have been. Tomorrow I head to Vancouver, B.C. This week has been flying by.

Wind

No, I am not back on Kvitsøy. I am in Iowa, at my parents, listening to 50 mph gusts of wind blasting outside-- wondering if this will affect my flight to San Francisco today. At this rate, it might even affect the drive up to Minneapolis.

So far this trip has been excellent. I couldn't ask for more--- except to maybe have the rest of the family here.

Back to the USA

Tomorrow I had back to the US--- this time to visit family in addition to work. I had two last minute meetings pop up, resulting in a crazy travel schedule. Tomorrow I fly to Minneapolis, as originally planned. I then have a Friday meeting in Atlanta, so Friday I fly out at 5:30am, and am back in Minneapolis later that evening. I spend the weekend with my parents. Monday I fly to San Francisco. Thursday evening I head up to Vancouver, B.C. Friday I head back to Minneapolis. Saturday I return to Norway.

I discovered that it is impossible to buy flights online for domestic routes. NWA, American, and United would not accept my foreign credit cards. I cannot book through KLM for anything that does not originate in Norway. Oddly, I had no trouble booking through Yahoo travel. I am not happy about this. I never noticed this before about NWA, since I have always booked international flights. I have had all sorts of problems for other types of services--- US companies freak out on foreign credit cards. The dollar is practically worth nothing these days. You would expect they would have all sorts of foreign business.

Speaking of the value of the dollar, I have been asked to buy all sorts of toys for my coworkers. When word leaked out, more people came with requests. I can see that this can become very old, very fast. I will have to start charging a handling fee if this continues.

World's Best Pizza Recipe

Revised on January 2, 2008.

It has been something of an obsession to perfect the perfect pizza. I rarely cook. I almost cannot cook. But if I do something, I have to be the best at it. I am willing to share my secret recipe for pizza with the world. It is a bit unorthodox, but that is half the point.

Ingredients:

Crust
2 cups of flour (heaping, this isn't rocket science)
6 oz cold water
25 g active yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Olive oil

The crust should be started a day before you wish to eat, so that might be a deal killer right there. I use 25g of fresh yeast. Around here, it comes in a cube. I drop it in about 6 ounces of water. Mash up the yeast so it is mixed into the water. Add a tsp of salt and sugar. In a grand mixer with a dough hook, add a bit more than 2 cups of flour. Coat the hook in olive oil. Add a tsp of olive oil to the water mixture (optional). Fire of the mixer on its slowest speed. This is where the chemistry comes in. As it mixes, it is important that the dough clears the sides of the mixing bowl. It will most likely end up as a big lump of dough. The key is to periodically check the dough (with the mixer off, if you value your fingers) to see if it is elastic. If it is just tacky, but not elastic, add a bit of cold water. If too much of the dough is sticking to the bowl, you probably need to add a bit more flour. The key is to keep it in one, cohesive, elastic mass. As it starts to come together, turn up the speed to medium. It could easily take 5 to 10 minutes to mix it all up.

Once you are satisfied that it is elastic, but not too wet or dry--- and it comes easily off the hook, it is time to transplant it into another bowl. Sprinkle a bit of flour into the bottom of a bowl, place the ball of dough into the bowl, sprinkle a bit of flour on top of the dough, cover in plastic, and place in the refrigerator. It will rise, even in the fridge, so make sure the bowl allows for a bit of growth. Let it sit overnight.

Sauce
2 fresh vine-on tomatoes
2 sun-dried tomatoes
1 clove garlic
2 tsp plain pesto
2 tsp tapenade
salt
pepper


Two hours before you plan to actually eat, remove the bowl of dough from the fridge. Dice two tomatoes-- and choose tomatoes with flavor-- not the watery cheap ones. Cut up two sun dried tomatoes into tiny pieces. Press the clove of garlic. Place into a bowl. Add the pesto and tapenade with a bit of salt and pepper. Mix well with a spoon. Place in refrigerator for the remainder of the two hours.

Topping
Prosciutto (sliced-- enough to cover pizza
Ruccula (cut up)
Parmesan cheese
Mozarella cheese

The toppings are not an exact science, but this is my favorite. Preheat the oven for almost as hot as possible. A hot oven will yield a better crust. While you preheat the oven, work and stretch the crust on a clean counter top sprinkled with flour. If it is sticking to your hands excessively, you used too much water. Use a light coating of olive oil on your pizza pan, and sprinkle lightly with flour to avoid sticking. Place crust in pan. Spread sauce on crust and grate a little parmesan cheese. Evenly spread Prosciutto. Apply ruccula. Top with mozarella, taking care not to drown the pizza cheese. Place pizza in oven, on one of the lower racks. Bake for 7 minutes. After seven minutes, check the pizza. Take care not to overcook the crust. When it is finished, remove from the oven and let it set up for two minutes before cutting. Eat.

Julian Playing

Cold Out There

This morning it was nearly freezing outside. I left for work a bit early, and had my first dark ride-- as in completely dark. Winter will soon be here. I will have to tune up the mountain bike. Some lunatics are already running studded tires-- whether on cars or bikes. I haven't seen a hint of a snowflake.

On a different note, I am heading home in two weeks. I will take a weekend layover to visit my parents on my way to San Francisco. I rather suddenly decided to take the detour. I am traveling apart from my colleague, so this is more practical. It has been a little over a year since I have been home, although I was just in the US a few weeks ago. I don't even know where I am anymore.

Whitewater Rafting

I just returned from a whitewater rafting trip in the mountains for a work retreat. I really take for granted how beautiful it is around here. We had to do a “swim test” before we were let out in the raft. Jumping in icy cold mountain water was not my idea of fun. We had wet suits, but they are just exactly that---- very wet. They sort of kept us warm. The temps were a few degrees above freezing. It was the last day of rafting for the season. I probably would have thought it was too cold two months ago. It was OK. It isn’t something I would normally drive three hours out of my way to do. Half of my coworkers “chicken out”- so there were only a dozen of us crazy enough to risk life and limb in freezing water. I was a little concerned about missing some safety instructions due to language issues, but everyone working there was from the UK.

Better Video

This is more like it--- taken from my phone when I was out playing with Julian. He is turning into a little boy already. He is the funnest, funniest, happiest person I know.

That time of year again

Apologies for the lazy posting of random youtube videos. Things have been heating up at work again. I am heading back to the US in a few weeks, and might end up in Brazil. Much preparation needs to be done. I have been biking to work almost daily, and it is finally cold again, and growing dark much earlier. We had a heavy frost the other day.

In other news, Norway has published everyone's earnings for 2006. It bothers me that the government does this. The media goes nuts over who is the richest in the nation, the states, the cities-- like it is some sort of contest. I learned that one of twenty in Norway is a millionaire. That does not include real estate as an asset. I guess in our neighborhood it is more like one in ten. We should be in that category soon enough-- but when gasoline is heading to $150 per tank (in US dollars), a cheap new car is $40k, and a bag of groceries with almost nothing in it is $50, does it matter? We are preparing Julian's bedroom, and buying a little paint and a few brushes cost more than $300US. I believe the six pack of beer that I purchased cost $25-30 US. You can see there is nothing wrong with being in the merchant class. But back to the original point: it is nobody's business how much I earn or what my assets are. Then again, there are plenty of public employees who are in the same boat.

New Shoes

I had a bad run on clothing last US trip. I purchased a pair of Adidas training pants--- the most comfortable workout pants I have ever purchased. I was working in our attic the first day I wore them, and I snagged them on a nail, ripping them. I was thoroughly annoyed.

My other purchase, the same day from the same store, was some very cool Nike shoes. Tuesday I decided to take them to work. Since I commute, I keep shoes in my locker--- shoes that never see the outdoors. It was a perfect plan for keeping the new shoes looking new for eternity. They would be my new work shoes.

So the first day that I wore them, we had a fire drill at work--- the first fire drill in the two years I have worked there. We obediently evacuate the building. The drill lasted forever. It was a beautiful day outside, and as we waited for the drill to end, I took a step backwards and slipped in something: a huge pile of cow shit. Only in Norway would you find a massive heap of cow dung on the sidewalk behind a technology park building. I had quite a clean-up job on my hands. This is what I get for being up-tight about my new shoes.

Tastes Like Chicken

Last night was a night of firsts. Julian had his first baby sitter. We were invited to a dinner party, and hired the 12 year old neighbor to keep an eye on Julian. Actually, he should have been sleeping the entire time, so there really was no childcare involved. The dinner party was in walking distance, so we were not far from home. The only thing that struck me as odd was how little the sitter was. She seemed too young to be left home alone herself. We know her and her family quite well, since they literally live next door to us.

At the dinner party, we were served whale meat. I have never had it before. When asked by the host what American attitudes were about eating whale, I explained that it was just one step up from cannibalism, which evoked a hearty laugh from everyone. Actually, it is rather true: it is almost taboo in the US. Of course whaling minkes is legal in Norway, and you see it for sale in some stores.

Whale most definitely does not taste like chicken-- or fish. It is a very red meat. The best way I can describe it is that it tastes much like a bad cut of beef, although a little tougher and with a tighter grain. It also has a slight hint of tasting like an "organ meet" with a subtle hint of beef liver. It isn't bad, but it is a far cry from being a delicacy. I wouldn't go out of my way to kill a whale just so I could have another taste. But I would rather eat whale than another alleged Norwegian food: sheep's head. Maybe next dinner party they will serve spider monkey?

17 Months

As a follow-up to earlier this year when a young woman who was fleeing the police struck and killed a cyclist commuting home from work, the driver was finally sentenced to 17 months in prison. I guess for Norway, that is a rather steep sentence-- and the courts actually treated her offense as a real crime. Still, it seems rather light to me.

Kvitsøy Revy...... 1977

NRK broadcast a 30 year old video of the Kvitsøy variety show. It is crazy seeing my wife's parents when they were so young. It also provides a nice look at the town back in the day (not that it has changed much).

Giant Slugs

There is nothing quite like the slugs around here. They are nasty, and are everywhere in the morning or after a rain. They eat their own dead. It doesn't get much worse than that.

Home Again

Just like that. I managed to sleep most of the flight from Detroit to Amsterdam. The more often I do these, the easier they are.

We have tornados

I turned on the TV--- all we have is tornado coverage. Makes me feel at home.

Orlando

I am in Orlando. That is about all I have to say.

Actually, there is so much I could say, but I have my own terms regarding the scope of this blog to consider, and I would be violating my values to expound. It is good to be back in the US. It is quite warm here. On the other hand, it is surreal being at such an IT event. I have never seen such an assembly of misanthropes.

Excessive Consumption

I had to stop in the office this evening to do a little work. I am leaving for Florida on Tuesday, and I would prefer not to go anywhere near the office tomorrow. I noticed a little tin of mints on my desk-- a promotional item with our company logo on them. After wrestling to open it, I found myself devouring the entire stash. At that point I took a look at the label to see where they were made. They were made in the EU- nothing more specific than that. But more importantly, they came with a slight warning: "Excessive consumption may have a laxative effect."

I am not quite so sure this is a good corporate message.

Neighborhood

We arrived home from Kvitsøy where we spent the night to find out the son of our neighbors across the street died in a motorcycle accident this morning. He was 27 years old. We would see him in the neighborhood quite regularly, although we never really knew him. We know his parents, however. It is a complete tragedy that makes no sense at all.

From appearances, the accident involved no other vehicles. It occurred less than a kilometer from here-- on the main road. It occurred very early in the morning, when presumably there was little traffic. I won't speculate what happened, other than to point out that it occurred in a construction area where the lanes have been rerouted-- resulting in a rather sharp, off-camber turn.

At first glance, it seems like there are a disproportionately high number of tragedies and accidents here. But in thinking it through, I believe there is more of a sense of community here than living in a city in the US. When we lived in Minneapolis, we barely knew any of our neighbors. The news was filled with tragedies-- involving complete strangers.

Our thoughts are with the family across the street. We have seen them coming and going through our window. I cannot imagine what they must be going through. It is unbelievable.

Baby Swimming

006, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

What could be more fun than baby swimming? Maybe if we were not required to wear swim caps...

Company Party

Last night we had a company party at a boat house on Harfsfjord. There was much discussion about how people were getting to the party-- what mode of transportation. Much alcohol was expected. The party was scheduled to begin at 4pm and run late. I planned to arrive around 8pm after Julian was asleep. I had a vague notion of where the boathouse was located. It wasn't really on a street or road, since it was down by the water.

I left in rather cold weather as the sun was setting. I tried a shortcut down to the water in Madlasandnes. This took me to a treacherous narrow gravel path that teetered above the water. There was no way I would take this route home in the dark. At the point when I was concerned that my short cut may not have been a short cut at all, I spotted the CEO's car. I followed the trail another half kilometer. Thankful I had my bike- it would have been a long walk from the parking area. I found the house. I had arrived. As I entered the cabin, I was greeted with boos-- for I was wearing a blue and yellow jacket: Swedish colors.

I was quickly handed a beer and champagne. Nearly everyone from the company was present. The CEO made quite a fuss that I had biked. It really wasn't that far, and frankly, it was probably the most practical form of transportation considering the circumstances.

No company party would be complete without the potato cannon. Several Jackass-style stunts were attempted, such as trying to hit people at 100m, or shooting a potato straight up, wondering if it would come straight down on someone's head. Those are moments when it is generally ill-advised to look up.

As the night wore on, I decided it was best to head home. I am too old to stay up all night and be functional the next day. I grabbed my bike and headed toward the road. My mind fills with strange thoughts when I bike late at night- or early in the morning as the case may be. The streets are largely empty and the air cool. It felt like autumn was fast approaching. I had flashbacks to late night riding in Minneapolis, when the city had melted away. There is something incredibly peaceful about riding a silent fixed gear, in a narrow tunnel of light, with not a human in sight. By the time I made it to the hill near home, I was particularly appreciative of the easy gear ratio. I was finally home.

Purple Aeroheads

I acquired a pair of anodized Velocity Aeroheads courtesy of Lectron. I had something of a comedy of errors with this wheel build. Originally I began lacing the Formula hub to a FIR rim, before I realized the shop dude sold me a 32 hole hub, rather than a 36 as he had said. Next I mis-measured my hub and purchase the wrong size spokes, which SPIN was kind enough to accept back on return. I had concerns that this build was heading south, until I realized I had placed a spoke into the wrong spot on the hub. After sorting that out, it was smooth sailing. As I wound down to the last few spokes, I needed to grab an extra spoke for placing the nipple-- so I grabbed one of the spokes from the FIR/Record build. I compared length, just for the fun of it. It was exactly the same size. I had purchased new spokes for no reason. Oh well.
You can see my low budget truing stand- the bike itself, inverted, with a few nails held in place with rubberbands. Using the reflection as the wheel spins, I can see where I need to make truing adjustments. Somehow the wheel dish turned out fine, although I struggled with wheel hop more than I ever have. I ended up sorting it all out.

Yesterday morning it was raining. As this is my rain bike, I took it out for a test of its new rear wheel. I tossed a 17t cog on. It made for a high cadence, easy ride. This is a much smoother hub than either of my other budget fixed models.

Dude, You gotta Dell...

My wife wanted a laptop. She is starting grad school and frankly it makes sense having a baby around the house to be able to work anywhere. She will no longer be tethered to the desktop in the loft.

Legends abound regarding the great deals one can receive if they buy computers through work, so I consulted with our purchasing maven. He told me the deals are no more. That there are no advantages over buying direct. We use Dell exclusively at work, by the way. Unless you need some specific motherboard chipset for a crazy audio application, Dell offers the best bang for the buck, in my opinion. Mr. Purchasing Guy also suggested that there are all sorts of back to school deals at the local electronic stores. In Norway, electronics are relatively cheap (compared to vehicles, beer, etc.). We have Elkjop, Euronics, Lefdal, Siba, Elpris, and a few others that I am forgetting at the moment- all in walking distance. I checked a few websites, and by the time we added the MS Office package, Dell was looking like the best deal.

I began ordering online, but there was no way to order the OS and Office in English. I can handle Norwegian computer terms, mostly, but all of our work PCs and my own laptop have the Norwegian keyboard and the English software. I am very accustomed to the terminology, and half the computer words are in no known dictionary or translation book. Since we were ordering a laptop with Vista, I thought it might be helpful to have it in English, since I am confident that we will encounter a few glitches. I asked Mr. Procurement Guy how he orders it in English. He told me there was a place to add comments.

I waited until I was at home after work to consult with Lise, and continued with ordering. I entered everything, and was faced with a submit button. There was no comment field anywhere in the workflow. I went back and clicked on Live Chat- they were closed. I was faced with a last day to order a free double memory upgrade, the free upgrade to a larger hard drive, and free shipping. For all I know, Dell says every day is the last day for such deals. I was shopping under duress. I called the US Dell customer support. I was informed that it was IMPOSSIBLE to purchase a Norwegian Dell with the OS in English. I told him that I had one right in front of me, that we use that configuration exclusively at work. He acted like I was an idiot who had no idea what I was talking about. He then went on to say that there was nothing I could do, that the memory deal would expire, even if I kept the configuration in the shopping cart. I was frustrated. I went back to the website and clicked on submit. I figured I could sort everything else out the next day.

The next day I called some Dell dude who was in Denmark. He masterfully fixed the order for me. His customer service was excellent. It went a long way toward erasing the frustration from the previous night. Now we just wait for it to arrive. I am a little envious at the spec we picked for this machine. It is far superior to my own laptop. In thinking about it, I cannot even remember the last time we purchased a PC.

Frequent Riders

photo 043, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

The other bikes reside elsewhere. The most frequent fliers are privileged to rest in the bike room.

Purple Rims

photo 034, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

When I get around to building up the purple Aeroheads, I can assure you that they will clash with everything. I am just waiting on some spokes, and I will lace it to the hub, hiding in the ice cream bucket.

A Thing of Beauty

photo 032, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

There are other tires that may ride better than an Open Corsa, but few are so perfectly made. They don't even require levers to install.

More Hoarding Behaviors

photo 028, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Do I really need four unused saddles? Three handle bars- including two identical El Toros? Or course I do-- these are all out of production. It never hurts to have some high flange Record hubs lying around, or some spare quill stems, or that crazy SRAM corncob cassette. Hey, at least it has a 16t cog in there--- but can I really ride around in Norway with a 11-21? I could hardly manage Minnesota hills with those ratios.

Organized

photo 027, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

I unpacked some boxed that were packed back in the US-- and have sat in storage ever since. I obsessively collect tires. I really don't know what else to say. Granted, we have 5 bikes that require road tires, and maybe have a two dozen wheels lying around. But still, it is pure excess that results in me having two pairs of unused Vittoria Open Corsas lying around-- as well as Veloflex, Pro Slicks, some random Continental, and some Hutchinson that I purchased for some inexplicable reason. I ended up dressing up the Ksyriums with red Open Corsas. The Veloflex are too fragile for anything other than racing. They shall wait until my hiatus concludes. I found three beautiful latex tubes, but the valve stems were too short for the Mavic rims. I could only find one valve extender. Some hop head probably swiped the other.

Look Up

photo 022, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

I am thinking I will ride with the Ksyrium SLs on the Look for awhile. They have been in semi-retirement after I used them exclusively for racing. Now that I no longer race, they have sat idle for a little over a year. I don't know how I feel about the 11-23 cassette with these hills, however.

Bike Room Clean-up

photo 023, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

It has been raining non-stop that past few days. The nice thing about commuting is that it forces me to ride. I wouldn't normally be caught dead riding in this abysmal weather. When it is really wet I take the mountain bike. One of these days I will fully document the carnage on the trails--- of the gigantic slugs that are run over and cannibalized by their peers. It is beyond disgusting.

Tire Patching Party

photo 021, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Last night I had a tire patching party. It was just me and my imaginary mechanic posse. I had built up quite a flat collection. Apparently my mother-in-law inquired about it. My wife pointed out that the total quantity of tubes that most people own are actually already in use- in their tires. I guess I never considered that.

Photo of photos

photo 018, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Of my favorite Parisian graffiti and the Louvre. Call it juxtaposition.

Diablo

photo 015, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

I am not much of a fan of Chilean wines. But I am a sucker for a good marketing gimmick.

Got Prune Juice?

photo 012, originally uploaded by filtersweep.