End of Week Recap

I biked every day, except Wednesday. It rained every day as well. Oddly, even if it is not raining at home in the morning, I have discovered that it will rain at some point during the commute. Tuesday I had the misfortune to see what appeared to be an accident in our neighborhood. I missed the actual incident, but it looked like a pedestrian had been hit and was still lying in the crosswalk. It took forever before I heard sirens. I hate seeing that sort of thing, no matter what the circumstances.

My boss is at our office in India. I am sitting this trip out. Usually his absence means that my "to do" list shrinks. This is not the case. In addition I need to prepare for our US trip in March. We will soon be hiring a VP of Sales in the US, which means I need a lift in job titles. Titles do not mean much to me-- but it looks like I will end up with something with the word "president" in it myself. It seems a little pretentious.

Julian had a good week-- until last night when it seemed he did not sleep at all. I still cannot believe how wonderful he is. He is noticeably heavier, has outgrown most of his newborn clothing, and is starting to smile. Some people suggest this is merely a reflex. I am convinced there is an advanced cognitive process that takes place- that he observes all the work everyone around him is doing- particularly his mother! He thinks to himself that all he has to do is scream, and someone feeds him. He can sleep all day, is waited on hand and foot (literally). He knows he does not even have to get up to go to the bathroom- he can pee and poop wherever he is. He knows what a cushy life he has-- and smiles, laughing inside at all of the rest of us. That is my theory, at least.

Today Lise had a doctor appointment, so she picked my up at work to watch Julian. The weather was beyond miserable, so I headed to a bakery downtown, near her doctor office. Before I could even take a bite of food, she phoned to say her appointment was done. It took all of four minutes-- in and out! In the US it could have taken an hour- although, to be fair, much of that hour consists of waiting. Waiting to sign in. Waiting to be seen. Waiting in your underwear in the exam room. Waiting for the doctor after the nurse takes your blood pressure. Waiting for the doctor to come back. Waiting for a lab. Maybe socialized medicine is not all that bad.

After the appointment, we headed to the immigration office to fix the typo on my residency visa. I found out that it expires early because my passport expires in May. At least I have an extra month. I also found out about the language requirement for permanent residency, and why I was confused. The law states that anyone who enters the country after Sept. 1, 2005 is required to take the classes. I entered on Novemeber 1 of that year-- after the date, which led me to believe I had to take the classes. But- my visa was issued in May of that year- before the date- and they go by the visa date, not the date that we actually moved here. At any rate, I am not complaining. She was the coolest immigration worker I have encountered in Norway.