Alert - Meet Jorunn for dinner

December 8, 2011 16:00 : Meet Jorunn for dinner

Sent from Daniel's iPhoneNearing Stokkøya soon. It is gonna be tight.

A birthday voyage

Sent from Daniel's iPhoneA birthday gift adventure. Departing Trondheim and bound for Tromsø on the coastal express;).

Mother´s Day

Today is mother´s day and I think it is important to honor the mom. I think that moms give so much to us in our lives, but we have to remember that they are more than just moms. They are sisters, wives, girlfriends, daughters, grandmothers and best friends. They have a lot of roles, but the mom is the most important to me. Love you mom!

Mom and I!

A level of appreciation

Now, there are some "things" in our society that seem out of place, and are therefore hidden behind stained glass doors. Of these beauties you have the Cohiba VI. Now these are not even among the most pricey of cigars of the this Cuban brand. The Esplendidos go for double the listed price the the number VIs. I would put one Esplendidos as around 300 kr per cigar.  So why would anybody buy something like this. I can only assume it tastes fantastic. But who would know. Is it like a good one, or a great scotch? Do you simply need an acquired taste for such things in order to enjoy them? Or can someone without good taste or tasting experience enjoy a 10 kr cigar just as well as a 300 kr one? Just like wine. Can you taste the difference between a 99 kr bottle of wine, as well as a 500 kr one? Do we like the idea? Is it quality, or does the price make us think that we can taste the difference even though most can not. But we do know a B movie from a blockbuster. We do know a good rain jacket from a bad one. We know a good quality boot from a poor quality one. Long lasting is what we go for. It is the thing of our fathers´ generation. If you have some item that lasts for decades, it is considered quality, or you´re considered cheap. Or it is a personal challenge to keep the same shape as you started out in. I would say the Esplendidos could be enjoyed while viewing some momentous spectacle such as: 1. Humans landing on Mars, 2. The first underwater colony established, 3. First contact from Extraterrestrial life, 4. the birth of your firstborn, 5. Witnessing a small but controlled nuclear detonation.

Cohiba Cigars - 3 Stogies - 899 kr, or 150 dollars

Summer Vacation Part III: Some marching and a book

In line with some feelings of camaraderie, I figured I would try another 40 km marching in Kongsberg to see if a little less hilly routes would feel better than the Trondheim-Værnes march. Had it not been for my slight miscalculation in weight, it might have gone easier. 16 kg was a bit much but doable. And mad props to E for trudging with me.=)

Around the tree.....

Sushi anyone!

So feet, check and cheque! So after this nice little walk, timely, the rest of the vacation  was spent in Kongsberg and cabin in South Norway. Great weather and food everyday! We ( T and E) made some incredible home made Sushi. Definitely restaurant worthy! And what of intellectual exploits? Well some computer gaming was in order on those rainy days (who are we kidding), but I did manage to get through 1 book which I can highly recommend. Hugh Dundas´autobiography, a fighter pilot in WWII, is entertaining, well written and spot on. I probably should have gotten through many more books but I imagine some poor Trondheim weather will facilitate that.

He did what!?

Summer Vacation Part II

View from the room at Hotel 47

Moving on to the second leg of the summer vacation, destination Rome. This was monumental for several reasons. First trip abroad with E, and first trip abroad for me in years. If any who read this ever go to Rome, I can highly recommend Hotel 47, the service was impeccable, the rooms superb, the roof restaurant/bar awesome, and the view; perfect. 5 days in Rome, much was seen, the fountains, the Vatican, Castel St. Angelo, and much much more. Also it was nice and warm, 35 degrees on average which was not objectionable. Of course the Red Man does not bow to the heat, but from the two next pictures, the long lines did take its toll. Anyhew, great trip which merits a repeat.

I have been in this line for how long

It can´t be long now

Summer Vacation Part 1

Some may have noticed the lack of blogging going on this past month, and it is without regret that I say, ´well you have to live to write´. So as my buss meanders through Drammen on its ostensibly well paved roads, I can safely put my time to blogging use. This summer started as most summers do, a trip to the homestead that is Kambo. And I have to give a lot of credit to my dear mom who made this homecoming a pleasant one, what with all the heavenly Mexican home cooking and all her and B´s help with the house, washing, painting, and so on. I finally got my tenants out, and it took no time at all to find a a new one. That thorn in my side aside, I could breathe a little easier.

Anyhew, I also had the opportunity to host a little BBQ for one of the classes. The weather notwithstanding I think it was a pretty good day. There is little better than the company of good friends, sharing some beer and good food. Like the saying goes, "and man hath no greater pleasure under the sun but to eat, drink and be merry". But so ends my short two weeks in Moss.I am actually on my way there as I write this but that is a story for another time=).

Expect Vacation Part 2 shortly!

Train as You Fight!

Sometimes you commit yourself to outrageous feats of endurance (others call it stupidity) without really knowing why. I choose to see it in the spirit of the Academy as testing your limits.

The Nijmegen March approaches, and although I am not attending this year, I have found where my limits are and intend on joining full force next year.

After 3 days of 20 km marching each over the span of 4 weeks, we concluded with a treacherous 40 km march from Trondheim to Stjørdal. A little bit hilly but overall quite a good stretch.

Start time 0420. Thanks to MG I could use his room for the night and have a little less distance to the starting area, which proved invaluable seeing as it took me exactly 40 minutes from wake up time to get breakfast, and get ready. With all that that implies I have over the past month learned the ancient and time honored knowledge of proper boot soles, proper socks, where to apply powder, salves and ointments and how to tape your feet. My hat off to our coordinator CWW. Also my hat unhesitatingly goes off to EMSB who really showed how much pain a soldier can be in and still walk through Hell (No seriously the local town is called Hell) without a complaint uttered. After 25 km I started to feel it a bit, but during the last 5 km the pressure pain started so now I am limping here and there, but hopefully like all bad things, this too shall pass.

This has been a new experience and I am confident with a few modifications I can and will complete Nijmegen next year with the best people!

Finish time: 1140

On Values and questionable ethics

There is no denying that on occasion, the universe is a fickle mistress with little regard for anybody but itself. Nevertheless, I live in the universe and feel privy to bend, twist and convolute reality into a version of what might have happened. I refer of course to a mishap concerning my brand new, somewhat pricey Mac laptop. It is the dawn of a new era and what happens, the universe causes minor collateral damage to it, through my hand and a 99,NOK Ikea lamp. You know the saying in physics about what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Well the same holds through when an idiotic lack of force meets an inconceivable fragile and expensive object. After some soul searching I figured I would let the corporate world throw itself on this grenade, seeing as how much red tape there is and how often people have been screwed over by the man.

Short story short, Apple Inc folded on the river, with the result that apparently, you can fight city hall=)

Now, on to other matters. The year is coming to an end, well the school year, and the fledglings are off to greener pastured and eventually a new class will begin. All brimming with hopes and dreams and expectations. Well as for my future vocational options and ambitions, I think another year will be secured for me. Pending some organizational changes, which might be good or quite frankly a disaster. The universe is trying to say that "you can have it your way, but not really, there is always a catch, some fine print, a hitch, a bend in the road".

Pressure Schmessure

Recently I have pondered and drifted within the thought waves on the topic of volcanoes and their impact on everyday life. Normally one thinks of mount St. Helens or Krakatoa, inland or island, these vast mounds bring on a new level to the "Don't build on top of water" saying. Water or no water, lava is not exactly much better.

Consider every natural disaster movie you have ever seen, I am talking from Dante's Peak, (Which even James Bond could have stopped) to 2012, especially the last one. First of all you have John Cusack (had it been Downy Jr, we would Iron Man our way through the crisis) flying around in various plane throughout areas where there is clearly more than few particles of volcanic ash on its way into the atmosphere, which by the way is really impressive when you consider the force needed). But nowhere in the film does his plane go down.

Riddle me this. Would it not be just plain fair (no pun intended) to perhaps portay this film in a way slightly more realistic. Take what is happening throughout northern Europe as of yesterday. Left and right flights are not only being cancelled but airspace itself if closed off tighter than post 9/11 White House. No commercial traffice despite Norway being way far from Iceland. Modern radar and meteological reports which could aid in the navigation of some flights around the ash cloud are available. By all means I am not saying we should take air safety likely. But when not even the rescue helicopters can go out flying or the low level ambulance choppers, then we got a problem. But maybe 2012 isn't wrong. They were smart enough to create boats, but ofcourse they foresaw the shifting of land mass ultimately causing tsunamis, so why not. But coastal ferries have seen a massive passenger surge since yesterday, as well as busses and trains. It's a jungle out there.

But if we are seeing these kinds restrictions, especially in the prevailing climate, why not pour more research funds into developing engines that could operate in harsh in environments? I might be getting a bit ahead of myself, but best case scenario we get choppers and planes that can operate in sandstorms. Also, come doomsday apocalypse, we could airlift the lucky few (I foresee that the genetically superior will survive, much as Darwin predicted) without the fuss of all this volcanic ash getting in our way. Also, it should have occured to the good folks at JPL or NASA that eventually we might run into a habitable planet but with less than friendly atmosphere. Wouldn't it be find and dandy to have some sort of craft capable of thrusting through those little ash flakes.

Slow News Day

Been off the blogosphere for some time so figured it was time to post.

Nothing to write home about. Still wrestling with whether I should short change my next laptop purchase or go commercial for an ipad. Regardless, my current laptop is literally falling apart.

On the reading front I have again committed myself to another major book buy, which are for the most part for my self-development and work. But that never hurt anybody. Otherwise I am trying to get through the Cryptonomicon, a 900+ page novel recommended by one of my cadets, and though it is a superb piece of literature, I am a slow reader.

Otherwise my carreer has progressed a bit as I have been given the opportunity to be trained in a very specific type of language testing. After no further education the past 2 years, it is time to get back on the horse for an intermittent workshop. I think it is gonna be quite alright after the first few meetings.

Watching the Olympics has never been more exciting, but the media hype around some of our Norwegian competitors finds me hoping they crash and burn. But so far we seem to be heading for our, combined in the olympic games, 100th gold. Who will be the lucky one.?

2010, look out here I come!

After more contemplation on the past year's whims, much can be said and also unsaid for the undone and the much to be repeated. Autumn 2009 saw the emergence of a full social calendar which has been positive and awesome to say the least. Workwise, these past months have been truly fulfilling and I have worked hard to give it my all and not let anybody down. My efforts did not go unnoticed as I was presented with a token, on behalf of a couple of the classes, in recognition of my commitment to work and duty. It was perhaps one of the most unexpected and warmning moments of my professional life yet! Thanks Class 59&60.

Looking into the new year I am not sure what my resolutions should be. Perhaps be more daring in certain aspects of my life, perhaps not spread myself too thin. Definitely read more! I for certain would like to learn at least 3 new skills in the year to come. One is already lined up, two have yet to be realised. I'll let you know how it pans out.

Anyhew, a couple of more days of vacation time and then work starts, and I couldn't look forward to it more. New challenges are in the pipeline and I can already see they need to be prepared for well!

Here's to a new year, cheers guys!

The Weekend

This weekend has for all intents and purposes been rather good. The yearly MASH theme party at the Academy was outstanding. Many a good costume and generally good feeling all around.

Also had a nice dinner at the homestead with good friends. It certainly does put things in perspective, and especially in these dark Trondheim days before the snow, such gatherings are important. It is so easy to sink into a dark hole when the sun says bye-bye. Anyhew I have to put in a little writing time or else CW will have my head on a plate. Inspiration, NOW!

(you can't imagine the look on the taxi driver's face when he sees this guy with so much fake but realistic looking blood on his face, climb into his cab)

The RNoAF Academy 30 km equivallency march

Another good ol fashioned Air Force experience completed. On a beautiful Trondheim autumn day (and there are not many of them mind you) I weigh down my backpack with sand to about 11.4 kg. I board a perfectly good bus on a ride that consists of establishing possible route strategies with my seat neighbour. The race was on. Trudging through the slush and snow, up and down in the terrain, feels good. It is nice to get out once a the while and really feel the hate build up.

Having a very steep incline at the end of the course was especially pleasing. I tried to follow the Major as long as I could but found myself in the woods (luckily not in the dark) with nothing but silence around me. It is always more comforting to hear the bewildered footsteps of a fellow runner so you at least know you are in the ball park and not by, as I thought, the ticket counter. Eventually I began to notice the many possible shortcuts I "could have" taken. Must be true what the warfare theorists say, "war favours the bold".

I found it a really nice touch that the last stretch before the incline ski hill was basically flat and downhill which gave me a false sense of accomplishment and dare I say superiority. After Tine, who I thought I had left far behind, passed me at the top of Gråkallen, I knew that in a march like this neither the down hill slopes nor the flat stretches are your friend, they are Tine's! Well played, well played indeed!

Reading Circle Session 1

After labouring high and lo and compiling reading material, I can finally see the fruits of my work. The first English language reading circle meeting has just been completed and I am pretty satisfied. Not the maximum turnout but the start up phase is usually bumpy, according to my Hungarian colleague. 3 and a half people plus myself was a good number, and conversation was interesting and on point. Although I will admit some slight modifications should be made in terms of how much reading should be done from meeting to meeting. Perhaps a focus on select chapters rather than whole compendiums would be useful? that is still in the pipe works.
As a discussion text, Boyd biography lends itself as a piece to debate leadership, engineering, mentoring, and the development of the Air Force through the first Cold War decades. Conclusion is, Boyd respected skill and not rank. He was charismatic, unorthodox but commanded immediate respect. He earned himself a reputation among his peers and subordinates, and likewise among the people he pissed off which were more often than not his superiors. In my humble opinion, Boyd comes off as a person who some people admired for what he did and how he did it, while others despised him for the same reasons.

There are long work days and then there are long work days

I have to hand it to Tuesdays, they simply envelope you. Today was an especially long day at work. A little teaching, a little tutoring, a little more teaching and then, yes, a little more teaching. I love it to depths, but even so I think that the clockwork has to run smoothly. The little inconsistencies and discrepancies and quasi injustices are like rust in the cog works of the grandfather watch that is my day. Whether or not I try to de-rust the cogs is another matter, but every now and then the rust interferes and the seconds slow or skip. Sometimes time catches up and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes I tweak the clock, I adjust it, I forward time. Then the day moves forward. Sooner or later, I think some coke might do the trick.

Anyhew....

Light a fire under it!

Already two weeks into actually teaching and most of my time has been used on other jobs that have surfaced out of nowhere. Proof reading is a good way to supplement a meagre regular income, but sometimes it is just a pain in the ass.It is not the regular proof reading assignment that I can predict I will receive, or the ones who give me decent deadlines, but it is the I-need-this-proof-read-or-translated-ASAP stuff that really annoys me. Of course for the sake of repeat work I can not decline, after all it is reputation building. I do however hate the assumption others might have that I sit in a little cubicle and process Word documents like some sort of machine, even though that's my process.

Anyhew, one long translation and proof read article later, I am ready to begin teaching grammar. There's something about grammar that evokes a love/hate feeling within me. I hate grammar when it causes trouble for me, but love to explain the solutions to those very problems to others. Near to my heart are all those little exceptions in English grammar that have no clear rules, like irregular nouns. Like how would you know the plural form of "foot" is "feet" without actually being told that it is. I do like that fact that this area of grammar poses the same challenge as vocabulary learning, you simply must apply a learning-by-doing approach it.

Enough about that. After two weeks of nursing a cold (with the exception of the opening beercall and D and I's apartment warming party which really put a dent in my voice, but well worth it) I am finally as of two days ago at 100% operating efficiency. Ready to win hearts and minds and make these become One with the world of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and zero plurals. ( I can just sense my former students sweating at the sound of these black magic words). Brace yourselves!

Homage to those who admin too much during their Air Force work day!

Our Outlook, Who art in Windows
Hallowed be Thy Inbox;
Thy messages come,
Thy drafts be done,
on un-classified as it is on classified PC's.
Give us this day our daily calendar,
and forgive us our spam,
as we forgive those who spam against us;
and lead us not into websites that might get us dishonorably discharged,
but deliver us from multiple recipients and mail-lists. Click Ok or Cancel.

Godfather

Such a great start to this autumn's working life. I am in day 13 or so of a light cold. I definitely do NOT have the swine flu. But I have been coughing up a storm, and like some sort of ab-fantastic electrode machine to train the body's muscles, incessant coughing does the same for both the muscles around the stomach, ribs, and the back. Now my voice sounds like the godfather, and though it commands the respect of the character who I play in real life, I think I could do without the coughing at least.

But I am not exactly innocent in my efforts to regain full health. After the two last weekend parties, which were of course Awesome, I am a little worse for wear. Anyhew, thanks to my contact, I have been able to score some groovy cough medicine, and salvation is nigh. Next week both jobs start up and I aim to be at 100% again. If the voice is better, then at least I can give instructions and guidance, if not, well then it could get really entertaining.