May 17th

We spent the holiday on Kvitsøy, all dressed up. Julian did reasonably well keeping himself clean. He is completely obsessed with balls--- has to sleep with one or two, and won't go anywhere without one. He is not even a year and a half, but I believe he is a budding soccer player.

The weather was relatively clear. We saw a few flurries on TV during the Oslo broadcast. We can still see snow in the mountains off in the distance.


Kvitsøy is a bit more family friendly for the seventeenth. A year ago my parents were visiting, and we watched a seemingly unending parade downtown Stavanger. Here, everyone was actually in the parade-- including us. Julian was not bored in the least.

Julian had a fun time. We changed him into his PJs for the ferry ride home so we could put him to bed as soon as we arrived home. He was practically bouncing off the walls--- too much cake and ice cream. He is finally asleep.

Strange Morning

I woke up to some strange fog Friday morning. It was quite a surreal vision across the fjord. For the most part, we have had nothing but dry weather for well over a week. It has been great for biking. Around Stavanger, May is considered one of the best months.

Out in the Yard

IMG_1777, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Eating Outdoors

IMG_1786, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

We have to be careful-- Julian imitates our every move.

Growing Up...

IMG_1806, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

...too fast. He is looking more like a little boy every day.

Eating Ice Cream

IMG_1832, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Dinner on the Terrace

IMG_1845, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Playing at Soma Gård

IMG_1947, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

A Real Snowblower

(Image swiped from the local paper). As the crow flies, this isn't far from here. This machine with a 400+ hp blower shoots snow 80 meters.

OK Shape

Most of my riding has consisted of commuting, but I dug out the Look and have taken a few road rides. Over the past few years I set up a baseline time trial-- almost exactly 20 miles with over 1000 feet of elevation gain. Of course wind and traffic can come into play, but for the most part, it ends up being man against gravity. As a former flatlander, I initially reconsidered using a double chain ring, but having ridden fixed so much in these hills, it is now tolerable. The other night I went out and kept my informal TT under 1:15. Not feeling particularly inspired I rode it even faster last night. I might be a few kilos heavier than I want to be, but family definitely comes first. And besides, I am not that far out of shape. A few hill intervals and I could be riding crits---- if we had them around here.

Bike Ride with Julian

05/03/2008, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

The seat is a problem: it is completely unstructured. Julian keeps slumping down. I really don't understand how this is intended to work.

Dugnad

There is a term in Norwegian called "dugnad." I have no idea if I spelled it correctly, but regardless, it means "neighborhood clean-up." It is an annual "event" where a roll-off dumpster magically appears at the end of the street, and several tons of sand are delivered to refill the sandbox/playground area. A neighborhood committee delegates who does what. This year was scheduled the two days preceding Labor Day (a four day weekend for me, this year).

The coolest thing about dugnad is that it is a great way to meet and interact with neighbors we otherwise wouldn't. We are rather plugged in to all the neighbors with young kids--- or young grandkids. Our next door neighbor has a three year old, Guro, who frequently drops by to see Julian. We have adjacent terraces, and she joined Julian for lunch outdoors today. Thinking back, we probably begun our friendship with our next door neighbors during last year's dugnad. Back in Minneapolis, the closest thing we had was following a massive snowfall, when everyone was out in the street digging their cars out. I much prefer meeting people in the spring, under less miserable circumstances.

Cool Video

Oslo Photos

04222008061, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Phone camera goodness--- so photo quality is a bit questionable. These are taken at Frogner Park. For those who do not know, he is the most famous sculptor from Norway. Gustav Vigeland was exceptionally prolific, having designed hundreds of sculptures--- the vast majority depressing studies of the human condition. Since the advent of Prozac, I highly doubt we will see another Vigeland.

Very Famous Statue

04222008066, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Very New Opera House

04222008068, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Very old house

04222008073, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Very Old Stave Church

04222008074, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

The Hotel

21042008046, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Holmenkollen

21042008054, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

This is a relatively small ski jump by modern standards. You simply have to see this in person to appreciate how crazy the sport truly is.

More

21042008050, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Steep landing

21042008052, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

I have no idea the landing zone was so steep.

Nice to be outdoors

IMG_1506, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Nice having a fun lens

IMG_1509, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Bribing Goats

IMG_1353, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Big shoes to fill

IMG_1458, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Going for a stroll

IMG_1389, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Sunny day indoors

IMG_1525, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Cats make the best pillows

IMG_1514, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Crashing Like a Pro

19.04.2008, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

I was overdue for a bike crash, apparently. This morning I headed out for a nice ride in Sandnes. I had to return home by 8:45 so Lise could go to the university. As I was in downtown Sandnes, in the main roundabout on the main road, I realized that what I had thought was water on the road was not. Before I could think, I went down hard--- in a major slick of cooking grease.

I had the characteristic shot of adrenaline, and was thankful I rode the Bianchi, rather than the Look this morning. My leg and hip ached. As I was pedaling home, I noticed the handlebars were crooked. Off the bike I found that the seat and the rear skewer are scratched up. I have a bit of bloody road rash on my hip and ankle. I am not particularly happy that someone left several liters of grease in the middle of the road, but considering how things might have turned out if there was more traffic, or if I rode my other bike, I really can't complain too much. Still, it is quite a freak accident.

No Milk Today

Best use of a Herman's Hermit's song in a TV commercial. This commercial is on all the time, and never gets old. Keep in mind, I am allergic to milk, and do not endorse its ingestion.

Perhaps what is most amazing is how this Norwegian commercial is already on YouTube, and so easy to find.

Bike Woe "Resolution"

I pedaled up, then down, to Spinn. Of course they do not carry SRAM Powerlinks, so they offered me a free Tayo (or Tako, or who knows) connector. What could I say? They cost 10nok each--- which is dirt cheap at full price. When I arrived home, I found out why. They are not designed to be reused. They are not tool-less to install or remove. They defeat the purpose of using a quick link. I guess I will shop around for the SRAM and stock up. I am still not fully satisfied.

I made it to work yesterday without the chain pinching, but the shifting is all messed up. I spent some time this morning adjusting the deraileur, but it still isn't perfect. Who knows what they did when they fixed it. There was a massive amount of slack in the cable--- I mean, it was unbelievable. It was as if they merely connected it to the cable clamp with no regard for its performance or utility. I won't let these shop monkeys near my Look.

Norway Ranked Best Nation to Steal a Car

(Ranking providing by filtersweep blog). A little over a year ago, our neighbor's home was broken into. Along with personal belongings, their car keys and later their car was stolen. Like all stupid criminals, they were caught. But here is the kicker: in Norway, apparently, it takes too many resources to prosecute a car thief. No charges are being filed due to "lack of evidence." The police caught the criminals with the car-- what more evidence do they need? A year ago I joked that they would probably receive some windfall for being down and out, drug addicted criminals. Well, this is it. My politics in the US tend to run left of center--- but in Norway, where everything is so liberal, I probably come off like a living version of Charlton Heston. I seriously don't get it.

Phone Camera

15.04.2008, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Julian, as seeing playing in the neighbor's playhouse. We had nice weather, and spent almost all evening outdoors. Not a bad shot for a Nokia phone camera-- and a pretty cool lens flare, considering it really doesn't have much of a lens.

Worst Bike Shop in Norway?

Spinn Sykkelshop?

You be the judge. About two years ago I purchased a mid-level Bianchi mountain bike from the Stavanger Spinn. It was the previous year's model, so I received a very good price, although the seat was nowhere near long enough and I had to pay extra for the right post. A year later I picked up an extra wheelset from the same shop so I could run studded tires on one set, and regular tires on the other.

Early this year, I broke the deraileur hanger "just riding along"--- as in I didn't crash. It took over two month and no word on the replacement. I had called, emailed, called again, stopped by the store, but nobody could tell me what the status was for the order. FinallyI took the entire bike in. It was quickly repaired, even though I only asked for the hanger--- I can fix a bike easily enough myself. I was handed a repair bill of about $80US-- and they replaced some cable housings and who knows what else. All I wanted was the $10 part. But oh well--- it saved me the trouble of fixing it myself.

Yesterday I finally managed to go out of a regular bike ride--- not just a quick commute. The shifting was way off. Today I took a closer look at it, and I found a stuck link. This was odd, considering the chain was brand new--- maybe a week before the hanger broke. I replaced the stock chain with an SRAM, since they are easier to remove with their power link. Today, I could not find the power link anywhere, so I finally broke the chain where the link was stuck. As I was cleaning it, I realized there was no power link (or quick disconnect, or whatever SRAM calls them). I thought that was the whole point in buying SRAM.

Tomorrow I will return to the shop. It will be very interesting to see how this is handled. I am entirely unimpressed with Spinn. Funny how we are planning to buy a kid trailer and a mountain bike for my wife in the very near future. Bike Brothers, anyone?

Julian on couch

Julian on couch, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

Taking a Walk

IMG_1306, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

The coveralls are his mother's--- from when she was a toddler.

Feeding Lambs

IMG_1265, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

At the Sheep House

IMG_1252, originally uploaded by filtersweep.

View From Kvitsøy

We spent the day on Kvitsøy so Julian could play with the little lambs. It is odd that being further from the mountains, you can actually see them. In Stavanger, they are blocked by hills. I have no idea what they are doing with the oil platform in the harbor.

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.