This or that – so it must be Tuesday, then.

1. Do you prefer silence or do you like background sound (music, TV, etc)?
Depends on what I’m doing. For reading at home I tend to prefer silence, unless it’s something I need to really concentrate on – in which case I’ll choose music that I know so well it doesn’t really demand attention, which stops my mind from wandering away while I read. I hate reading rooms, at uni I sat in the refectory to study. For anything else there tends to be music in the background. Not the radio, though, and if it’s the TV it’s VH1 with all music. Speech doesn’t work as background noise for me.

2. Bathe/shower in morning or evening?
Evening, if I get around to it.

3. Sleeping in complete darkness, or with a nightlight on?
Darkness nowadays. I used to need a nightlight until I was about 15, I was really scared of the dark as a kid (still am, to some extent, but not in the same way and a nightlight doesn’t help – it only makes the shadows seem darker).

4. Lay out clothes the night before, or just grab what’s closest in the morning?
Lay out clothes the night before? People actually do that?

5. Hang up/fold clothes neatly, or just toss them wherever?
Instinct is to toss them wherever. I sometimes make an effort, especially with clothes that don’t take too kindly to being bunched up (the bunad, silk dresses and such).

6. Work out at a gym, or at home on your own (or do you not bother with exercise)?
Karate. I hate gyms, I’d never get around to working out at home even if I had the space and equipment. I need a form of exercise that has a purpose beyond just being exercise and that has set times so that I can’t just think “oh, well, I’ll go tomorrow instead”.

7. Talk on the phone, or via IM/e-mail?
Depends who to. Very close friends/family it’s phone. Anyone else I prefer e-mail.

8. Are you usually on time, or late?
Usually early. Sometimes ridiculously so (I was once 6 hours early for a flight, as the next possible train would have gotten me there “just in time” which is way too stressful for me – what if the train’s late?).

9. Spendthrift or frugal?
Uhm. The former.

10. Thought-Provoking Question of the Week: You work with someone who is not in the habit of bathing regularly. The smell seems to be getting worse and worse! Would you: 1. try to do something about it, or 2. try to grin and bear it? If you said 1, what would you do?
What could you do? Give them shower gel for their birthday?

take the nerd test.


and go to mewing.net. a nerd utopia.

Now there’s a surprise…

…so I’ve backdated the Monday Mission to actually file under Monday…

1. What’s the worst thing about Mondays?
The way they follow so closely on Sundays. You don’t get time to prepare yourself properly.

2. Do you believe in soul mates? Have you met yours yet?
Yes. Maybe.

3. What do you recall wanting to “be” when you were a child, dreams of what you’d do when you were an adult for work – who you’d live with… where you’d live… how many kids you’d have. How does the dreams you once had compare to your reality, same, much different? You have surpassed those dreams?
I used to want to be a librarian for a while. Then I thought I’d be a biologist. I’m quite happy with the way things have worked out, though, computers are fun and I make enough money to work on building my own library instead. And those kids… Well, when I was 10 or so I’d read some books by Aimee Sommerfelt (the first of which is called “Tamar og Trine”) too many times and I therefore wanted a multi-coloured family, so I was planning to adopt five children from different continents. That plan has changed somewhat (though I’m still in favour of adoption once you get past the “two kids” limit – the world’s full of children in need of parents – however, I’m not so sure that I’d ever want more than two kids, sounds too much like hard work to me). Then for a while I decided I’d never get married and that I really didn’t want kids anyway. Now I’m into “We’ll see what happens” mode – pretty happy with the way things are, pretty open to any new possibilities. One thing is for certain, I never thought I’d live in Oslo, and I really didn’t think I’d enjoy living in Oslo if I ever had to, but I do.

4. What do you think of education in your town/city? In your country? How would you improve it?
In my city? I have no idea. In Norway in general education needs more resources. As it is, all they managed to do is cater to the average pupil – the slow fall behind (and never learn to read, for example, which is nothing short of scandalous in a country that pretends to be civilized) and the smart get bored and lose interest.

5. If you had to pick three songs to sum up your life what would they be and why?
Ooh. Tough one. I will have to think for a while.
Alien in New York (Sting) – for the stranger in a strange land feeling.
Landet lenger bak (Bj?rn Eidsv?g) – expressed a lot of what I was feeling when I was moving back to Norway in 2001.
The Road’s My Middle Name (Bonnie Raitt) – because, of course, I’m already restless again (I’m thinking Scotland would be a good place to live for a while).

6. Do you believe in love at first sight? Can it really happen?
Kinda, sorta. Not in the Romeo and Juliet fashion (“I know we’ve only seen each other for about two seconds, but I’d already rather die than live without you”), but I think people do fall in love (or in infatuation) at first sight and then it’s either confirmed or “contradicted” when they get to know each other, but it’s the ones that have their feelings confirmed that will remember it.

7. What’s your greatest fear?
Helplessness, I think (coupled with dependence). It’s not a question I’ve ever thought about much.

Voice in my head: Shania Twain – No One Needs to Know

The Dante’s Inferno Test has banished you to the Third Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Moderate
Level 1 – Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Moderate
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Very High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Moderate
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Moderate
Level 6 – The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	High
Level 9 – Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low

Take the Dante’s Inferno Hell Test

I’m back to feeling vaguely headachy and queasy, much like I did Wednesday.

Theories:
1. I haven’t had any coffee yet. (that was this morning)
2. I’ve had too much coffee. (possible, but then see no. 1)
3. I’m still suffering from post-Saturday-night-syndrome. (possible, but I actually feel worse now than I did yesterday, which is hardly sensible)
4. It’s too warm in the office. (it is, but is that the only reason?)
5. I’ve been staring at the screen for too long. (I have, but I hadn’t when I came in this morning, had I?)
6. It’s Monday. (this is, at least, verifiably true)
7. I need to remember my iron tablets, or maybe I need to start taking mulit-vitamins.
8. I need more sleep. (but I slept 7 hours last night, and 7ish the night before, and plenty the night before that)
9. I haven’t had any alchohol since the early hours of Sunday morning. (this had better not be the reason or I’m in serious trouble)
10. I didn’t actually sleep last night, I was kidnapped by aliens who did unspeakable experiments on me and then modified my memory to make me think I’d slept.
11. I need a hug. (it might not help the nausea much, but it might make me feel better)
12. I’m subconsciously stressed out about something. (what, though? I can’t think of a single reason why my subconscious self should need to be stressed at the moment – not more than usual, anyway)
13. I’m pregnant. (that’ll be the ailiens again, then)
14. I’m coming down with the flu. (oh please not that)
15. I’m dehydrated. (don’t know why I would be, but I shall go have a drink of water to see if that helps)

18:49 – Update

Left work and had a wander down Karl Johan, when I got to Jernbanetorget, Linda phoned and asked whether I’d like to come and eat with her at Woodstock. So I did. Felt fine while eating and pretty much until I got on the bus to come home when the nausea returned – and now the headachy thing is back with a vengance. (It’s not actually a headache, it feels like a tight band around my forehead, I keep wanting to push it aside, but of course it’s not actually tangible. I think the aliens must have put some sort of invisible and intangible monitoring device on my head. That’ll be it.)

Luckily my calendar was empty today – despite misgivings last week it seems I’ve managed to wrangle some free evenings (another one on Wednesday – yay! – unless I go off to my grandparents’ that evening, but I don’t think I will). So I’m going to snuggle up on the couch and feel sorry for myself, just so you know.

You know the Crenjuz? I still haven’t ripped more than 8Gb, so I have 12 to go, but… It’s actually possible to take it apart and put a larger harddisk in there. 60Gb! Now we’re talking… This might have to be tested. I found a user forum, too, which might come in handy.

Well, I guess you’ve all heard about Norway being somewhere round the top of al Qaida’s country hit-list, huh? Not quite sure what to think about that, but I would like to put the best bit of advice I can think of here in nice friendly letters:

This is a necessary bit of advice, because people are, quite clearly, panicking. A firm of builders who were contracted to build a garage for a 27-year old Norwegian who happens to have a Pakistani background have cancelled the deal. This, according to the owner, because: “Du er trolig muslim, og etter de siste muslimske terrortrusler vil ingen av mine ansatte arbeide for muslimer.” (“You’re probably a muslim and after the last muslim terror threats none of my employees want to work for muslims.”)

How daft is that? I mean, even according to their own panicky, twisted logic (“All muslims are terrorists”) this is daft. If you’re afraid of suffering a terrorist attack, surely pissing the terrorists off by refusing to build their garages is a bad idea?

I also like (as in “would be amused by, if it wasn’t all so sad”) the “trolig” (“probably”).

Voice in my head: Bob Dylan – Masters of War

Last night was good. I had great fun making the tapas – so much so that I made way too much food – and the eurovision was a blast as usual. One bit of advice, though (to myself, mainly, but anyone else who cares to listen may want to remember this too), when making sangria, make sure there’s enough soda in it. Or drink soda alongside, if you like. And when you’ve finished the sangria, have some soda (or even just plain water) first, and then, maybe, if it seems like a good idea, have some wine and bubbly.

I think the word I’m looking for is: Ooops.

Not that it matters much, I had a good time. I just don’t like having holes in my memory. This morning I couldn’t remember who won the eurovision (I had a feeling it might have been Turkey, but I wasn’t sure). And my digital camera was on the table, and I can’t remember getting it out. I also cannot remember any pictures being taken, but there is photographic evidence (might put some of it up. Possibly). You’d have thought I’d been taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest Drinking Game, though I hadn’t (hm, an idea for next year, perhaps?).

I felt much better this morning than I deserved to feel, so that’s ok. And one of the other people who came sailing had a much more serious hangover (he’d also had next to no sleep), which was comforting.

But still. More water. Will I ever learn?

Voice in my head: ABBA – The Name of the Game