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Good luck to all the candidates

Sedation (Updated)

Well, I really don´t know what is going on. I don´t blog and I don´t log in to SecondLife, but I think of both those things all the time and miss my friends in-world.

As opposed to my problems earlier, I now cannot sleep when I need to. The last week I only got four to four and half hours of sleep a night. This week I have decided to take some drastic measures to induce sleep.

I do not drink very much ordinarily, so to bring myself to that stage of tiredness I am now sitting here with no less than two 5 cl snaps-bottles which I am going to drink while writing this post. I will give you a report tomorrow if it helped.

The two are Norwegian, one is Trondhjems Aquavit, it tasted great but perhaps a bit too chilly, while the other one is Taffel Aquavit, which doesn´t taste as good and has a strange oily aftertaste. But hell I am not drinking them to enjoy them, so down the hatch it goes.

Now I will wait and see if they are enough, or if I need one more.

Update My unconventional solution worked well and I had a good nights sleep. I woke up bright and early feeling rested and ready to take on the world. Of course I realize that this is not a remedy that should be used often, but this once it worked fine.

The Laird as Poet

Ode to the Olympic Games in London 2012
by the Much Honored Bock McMillan, laird of Southern Charm and prince of Cascade Falls, while in a lousy mood

Bloody lord Coe
Bloody Dr. Rogge
Bloody boring Olympics

Too hot, too hot
Too damn hot
Too much perspiration

Inspiration gone
Incentive gone
Too much perspiration at the bloody Olympics

Citius, Altius, Fortius?
Who cares in this heat!
Molasses in my brain

Salty sweat here
Salty sweat everywhere
Promise of rain betrayed

How long does a writers block last?
How long does a heatwave last?
How long do the damn Olympics last?

Joie de Vivre

On Saturday I caught my boys, Guyke and his husband Janttu, dancing on the fountain in their dance area, it was a perfect image of the ebullience of the joy of living. Once in a while they happened to pushed each other off the fountain, but soon they were both up there dancing again.

Sunday, which was the last day of my summer vacation this year, my local news paper had a headline saying "The summer comes next week". It had been a rather wet and chilly summer so far with the temperatures between 12-15 ºC (54-59 ºF). And the meteorologists were correct, the weather has become much warmer and finally feels like summer.

Monday was a good day, I love my work and like the people I work with so it was good to be back. When I came home I went to bed for a short nap at 6 PM and did´t wake up until 7 AM this morning, so I guess I was tired again. Today I have resisted the urge to take a nap but will get an early night of it instead.

My healing after the recent operation is progressing much better than the doctor expected and I have had none of the complications he warned me about, especially because I am a smoker. Well, not yet may be best to add.

The Norwegian Example

A year ago we were reached by the horrendous news that 77 people were killed through the actions of a hateful man. The world seemed to stop spinning for a few minutes as the reality of the tragical atrocities sunk in.

Today we should take the time to remember the victims and honor their memory. May they all rest in peace.

Oslo City center (8):
Jon Vegard Lervåg, 32, Oslo.
Ida Marie Hill, 34, Oslo.
Hanne Ekroll Løvlie, 30, Oslo.
Tove Åshill Knutsen, 56, Oslo.
Hanna M Orvik Endresen, 61, Oslo.
Kai Hauge, 32, Oslo.
Anne Lise Holter, 51, Våler.
Kjersti Berg Sand, 26, Nord-Odal.

Utøya (69):
Karrar Mustafa Qasim, 19, Vestby.
Andreas Edvardsen, 18, Sarpsborg.
Ronja Søttar Johansen, 17, Vefsn.
Emil Okkenhaug, 15, Levanger.
Åsta Sofie Helland Dahl, 16, Sortland.
Monica Iselin Didriksen, 18, Sund.
Rune Havdal, 43, Øvre Eiker.
Tore Eikeland, 21, Bergen.
Espen Jørgensen, 17, Bodø.
Karin Elena Holst, 15, Rana.
Aleksander Aas Eriksen, 16, Meråker.
Victoria Stenberg, 17, Nes.
Ruth Benedicte Vatndal Nilsen, 15, Tønsberg.
Isabel Victoria Green Sogn, 17, Oslo.
Ida Beathe Rogne, 17, Østre Toten.
Elisabeth Trørnnes Lie, 16, Halden.
Monica Elisabeth Bøsei, 45, Hole.
Håvard Vederhus, 21, Oslo.
Carina Borgund, 18, Oslo.
Ingrid Berg Heggelund, 18, Ås.
Tarald Kuven Mjelde, 18, Osterøy.
Porntip Ardam, 21, Oslo.
Andrine Bakkene Espeland, 16, Fredrikstad.
Torljus Jakobsen Blattmann, 17, Kristiansand.
Jamil Rafal Mohamad Jamil, 20, Eigersund.
Tina Sukuvara, 18, Vadsø.
Fredrik Lund Schjetne, 18, Eidsvoll.
Steinar Jessen, 16, Alta.
Lejla Selaci, 17, Fredrikstad.
Henrik Rasmussen, 18, Hadsel.
Thomas Margido Antonsen, 16, Oslo.
Mona Abdinur, 18, Oslo.
Anders Kristansen, 18, Bardu.
Gunnar Linaker, 23, Bardu.
Ismail Haji Ahmed, 19, Hamar.
Trond Berntsen, 51, Øvre Eiker.
Sharidyn Svebakk-Bøhn, 14, Drammen.
Silje Merete Fjellbu, 17, Tinn.
Hanne A.Balch Fjalestad, 43, Lunner.
Bano Abobakar Rashid, 18, Nesodden.
Syvert Knudsen, 17, Lyngdal.
Diderik Aamodt Olsen, 19, Nesodden.
Simon Sæbø, 18, Salangen.
Synne Røyneland, 18, Oslo.
Birgitte Smetbak, 15, Nøtterøy.
Margrethe Bøyum Kløven, 16, Bærum.
Even Flugstad Malmedal, 18, Gjøvik.
Tamta Lipartelliani, 23, Georgien.
Kevin Daae Berland, 15, Askøy.
Silje Stamneshagen, 18, Askøy.
Hanne Kristine Fridtun, 19, Stryn.
Håkon Ødegaard, 17, Trondheim.
Sondre Furseth Dale, 17, Haugesund.
Henrik André Pedersen, 27, Porsanger.
Eivind Hovden, 15, Tokke.
Rolf Christopher Johansen Perreau, 25, Trondheim.
Sverre Flåte Bjørkavåg, 28, Sula.
Eva Kathinka Lütken, 17, Sarpsborg.
Maria Maagerø Johannesen, 17, Nøtterøy.
Modupe Ellen Awoyemi, 15, Drammen.
Lene Maria Bergum, 19, Namsos.
Guro Vartdal Håvol, 18, Ørsta.
Marianne Sandvik, 16, Stavanger.
Andreas Dalby Grønnesby, 17, Stange.
Sondre Kjøren, 17, Orkdal.
Bendik Rosnæes Ellingsen, 18, Rygge.
Gizem Dogan, 17, Trondheim.
Snorre Haller, 30, Trondheim.
Johannes Buø, 14, Mandal.

---

"If one man can show so much hate, imagine how much love we all can show together."
Helle Gannestad in a tweet on July 23, 2011

During the year that has followed since the horrific events the Norwegians as a people have shown the rest of the world how to deal with acts of hatred. Instead of calling out for revenge they have been standing together for peace, for love and against hate. From the parents, the spouses, the siblings and the children of the victims to the Norwegian royal family, the Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and all other Norwegians (whether indigenous or immigrants) have shown us that with love we can - and will - change the world.

If you are able please take the time to visit the Stavkirken (SLurl) in Second Norway to honor the memory of the victims and the Norwegians.

Friday with the Boys

Yesterday I had a prearranged meeting with Ziggy Starsmith at The Rainbow Yacht Club. He was going to pick me up there to show me his new home in Second Norway.

Even though I was a bit nervous about his typing at the same stime as he was driving everything went well and we soon docked safely at his new home. The house lies directly by the waterfront and you only have to get out of the boat to be there.

I was relieved to hear that his next door neighbor was Mialinn Telling herself. She probably wants to keep an eye on him, quite understandably, even if he has calmed down considerably during the time I have known him.

Although Ziggy only moved in a few days ago he had already gotten a new house in place and had finished furnishing and decorating it. That usually takes me a couple of weeks or months. We had a great time inspecting the new parcel, the house and just talking.  All the time I was secretly looking at his wonderful hairy calves.

Then I got an IM from my stepson Guyke, inviting us both over to take a look at the work he and his husband Janttu had been doing in remodeling their homestead. The results so far is great I can tell you and a immense change from earlier.

When I saw the new privy they had installed I felt the need to try it out, and I can tell you it was very comfortable.

Although it seems as if I am alone on the picture, I had an audience of three watching me so it was not my most restful moment on the loo.

I tried to get a picture of the four of us together in front of their beautiful new green house, but the two young ones both had their irritatingly fidgeting cruising Animation Overrides (AO) on. This is the best I could do with Janttu showing himself from his best side. (Well, I did actually get a good picture of all of us facing forward, but this was still my favorite.)

We finished the visit with some ballroom dancing in the boys wonderful new dance area, a gazebo with a stunning fountain in the middle. It was very relaxing to dance and talk among friends and after awhile I felt the Friday coma set in and had to leave for my beauty sleep.

 

"Pyramids" by Frank Ocean

(Via J.M.G. and Billboard.com)

What an amazing voice! It´s no wonder that Christopher Francis Ocean, better known as Frank Ocean, debuted as #1 on Billboards R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart this week.