Miscellaneous Musings

We went for a drive today and ended up at a deserted beach in the middle of nowhere. It was so desolate that it was almost depressing. Then again, even beaches in California are usually deserted this time of year. It was very windy as we crossed the dune ridge to walk down to the North Sea. The sun was gradually dropping toward the ocean. We were the only people around. I literally felt like I was standing at the edge of the planet. As we drove away, I swear that I saw two lunatics trying to surf.

In some respects, this has been a difficult week. Stavanger is like the Houston, Texas of Norway. There is a ton of oil money in this city, and there are enough transplanted Americans working in the industry that you can see enough people flaunting their wealth, albeit in a more subtle European manner. I don't even have a job, or a car. I don't have any friends and am beginning to feel socially disconnected. I am basically illiterate in this culture. Even running errands during the day feels very different. More people work "normal" working hours here than in the US- in other words, stores are not open all hours. Everything is expensive here. My days are fine, and fly by relatively quickly. Nights can drag on, and I sometimes lie awake wondering if this was a completely crazy idea. I remind myself that we just arrived, that this is the worst of it, and that things will only improve.

I cannot wait to find work. I really haven't begun to search yet. We have only had internet for one day, and around here, it is almost required for everything. For example, rather than paying rent by check, we directly transfer the money to our landlord by phone or over the internet. I don't think anyone even uses checks here. What we called broadband in the US is primitive in comparison to the fiber optic connections that are taking over the city. For the time being, we will stick with internet over cable and a VoIP phone that can call unlimited to the US for very little money per month. The phone should arrive in a few weeks.

We are a bit limited in what we can do at the moment. We have no credit rating in Norway. Lise spent her entire adult life working in the US, so when they look up her "social security number," it is as though she doesn't exist. I don't even have my number yet, and cannot open a bank account, or even be added to Lise's account. We are stuck using prepaid cell phones. We would have been unable to use an alternative DSL provider anyway. On top of it all, we have no proof of income.

I have watched more TV than I ever have. There are several music video channels that actually play music. One of the strangest channels is a regular broadcast network that plays videos late at night (I am turning into an insomniac) while a woman responds to SMS (text messages) sent in by viewers. It is almost like a web cam with the right side of the screen occupied by messages and the bottom half taken up by the songs that viewers can select. It is a strange form of interactive reality TV.

On the topic of music videos, I really don't want to see Madonna's ass even one more time. It makes her appear desperate, if not pathetic. I hoped Cher had cemented a impermeable age barrier rendering that sort of behavior taboo years ago. Her new video Hung Up plays incessantly. I hate the song, although it is ridiculously catchy, despite the nonstop ABBA sample. Røyksopp is in rather heavy rotation with a cool video, What Else Is There. That Kayne West Gold Digger track with Jamie Foxx is always on, as is Robbie Williams Tripping and Gorillaz Dare. Queens of the Stone Age Burn the Witch is rather listenable, as well as my favorite guilty pleasure that I've already tipped my hat to, Rammstein's Benzin. It is odd that MTV censors so many hip hop videos, while everything plays unedited on broadcast TV. I was surprised to see Depeche Mode and A-Ha are still cranking out material- albeit with updated hairstyles.

Anyway, time to log off. There is a can't-miss documentary on female bodybuilders coming on in a few minutes- on broadcast TV.

One more note... it is Father's Day in Norway this Sunday. Who knew?