The Anti-Valentines are back!

(Hence the above button.)

Now all I need to do is figure out which one(s) to send. I might go with the hypocrite one, because, well, though Valentine’s Day really is a completely stupid concept and given a choice I’d much rather be surprised with “romance” than have it when expected due to the pressures of world consumerism (it’s not even a Norwegian tradition), I’d obviously still be miffed if the day was completely ignored, wouldn’t I?

“Happy Saturday” is good, too.

Voice in my head: Bruce Sprinsteen – The River (which was on the radio this morning)

You have just won one million dollars:

Oh, I get it. Hypothetically, right?

1. Who do you call first?
M, obviously.

2. What is the first thing you buy for yourself?
A bottle of really good champagne, like this one (I could just go and ask for the most expensive champagne, but what would be the point, I know this one is good). And then I’d pay off my student loan.

3. What is the first thing you buy for someone else?
Well, I’d share the champagne with M, of course, but perhaps that doesn’t count? Ok, tickets to Scotland for M (oh, and myself, but ignore that for the purpose of the question).

4. Do you give any away? If yes, to whom?
If I won a million dollars I’d probably pay off my brother’s student loan, too – though I might wait until he’d actually finished his studies (as the interest on Norwegian student loans only start running once you’ve graduated – or dropped out).

5. Do you invest any? If so, how?
I’d pay off my mortgage, too – in fact, I’d probably sell my flat and buy a larger one outright, which is an investment, right? Following an initial spending spree (mainly in Scotland), I’d talk to a financial advisor and invest the rest to ensure a steady income (so, safe rather than high yield).

Well, if Tinka can do it, so can I.

Please ignore if you’re not interested in what I might have read from the previously mentioned BBC Big Read list.
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Another ‘fill in the blanks’ from Monday Madness:

1. The one kitchen appliance I just could not live without is my fridge? Cooker? I wouldn’t want to do without either of them, really.
2. My desk always looks like a bomb hit it.
3. The clocks in my house are always zero minutes fast. With the exception of my alarm clock which is generally a minute or two fast. The others I try to keep accurate.
4. The one television program I just can’t stand is most that fall into the category ‘reality’.
5. The one television program I try to never miss is Beat for beat.
6. When it comes to housework, I really hate cleaning drains. Other than that, when it comes to housework, what I really hate is vacuuming and ironing.
7. If I could re-design my living room, the first thing I would do is make it larger. Unfortunately that’s not really possible. I’m pretty happy with it otherwise, and if there were other things I’d like to do, I’d probably just do them.
8. I wish I had a bigger ‘broom cupboard’ in my house. I need more storage.
9. When someone points a camera at me and says ‘Smile!’ I usually smile. Obedience is my middle name ;)
10. I expect I’ll have my income tax done by whenever it’s supposed to be done. In fact, in Norway they do it for us and mine is straight-forward enough that I will probably just accept whatever they say (unless they claim I need to give them lots of money, in which case I’ll probably check the figures…).

create your own visited country map

I don’t know where I’m going.

Except Scotland, twice.

(via Ine)

…since I last posted a quiz result.

What Classic Movie Are You?

(Via Tinka)

At this moment, what is your favorite…
1. …song?
Bee Gees – You Win Again, and has been for some time (pretty much since it first came out). Don’t ask me why, though, as I have no idea.

2. …food?
Mmmm. Pizza. Proper pizza, that is. Home-made, preferably, or from Peppes (or from Flemings in Worthing, Sussex, but that’s going a bit far – literally).

3. …tv show?
Beat for beat, tone for tone – a musical quiz show on Norwegian television. It’s also on Swedish television under the name ‘Så skal det låta’ and I think the concept is originally British, but I can’t remember the name of the British show.

4. …scent?
Not much. I have a heavy cold and can’t really smell anything ;) Once I recover, though, it would have to be… Are we talking “perfume” here or just smells in general? If the former, any of Laura Biagotti’s perfumes. If the latter, I have three answers: freshly brewed coffee, Ardbeg Uigedail and M’s hair.

5. …quote?
I think it would have to be the Groucho Marx quote I use in my e-mail sig: ‘Outside of a dog a book is a man’s best friend. Inside a dog it’s too dark to read.’

Overnight sandlund.net has moved server. Everything seems to be in working order, but if you find anything suspicious (beyond what’s usually here, I mean), please let me know.

Jane, get in touch. You need a new password and new URLs for mail and MT and I’ve lost my address book and I obviously don’t remember your work mail correctly as I get “delivery failed”.

So, Norway has a new princess and heir to the throne (born yesterday morning). The name has just been announced, and I must say I approve – Ingrid Alexandra. Now, don’t get me wrong, I really don’t care much what they call the kid and I have no particularly warm feelings for either Ingrid or Alexandra, but one of the hottest tips prior to the announcement was Ragnhild, and see, there is something I really cannot approve of. I. Do. Not. Want. To. Share. My. Name. With. The. Heir. To. The. Throne.

So, thank you very much, Haakon and Mette-Marit – I wish you all the joy and happiness your hearts can hold.

Oh, and I approve wholeheartedly of the fact that it’s a girl. It’s about time we had the chance of a reigning queen in Norway.