I was having a Skype conversation with one of my nieces yesterday. As a preface, let’s say she’s very young. Like seven young.
She started by making smalltalk, “Do you have a girlfriend?”
“No.” I responded. “Do you have a girlfriend?”
She laughed. “I’m too young.”
“Too young for what?” I asked.
She responded candidly, “I’m too young to be gay.”
Ah, the things kids will say.
Twenty twelve was a very tumultuous and emotional year for me. I moved to Norway about this time last year. I left my family, friends, my cat, and my awesome apartment behind for a new life in Europe.
Moving here could have easily have been one of my many, many mistakes. And I’ll admit, when I first got to Oslo in January, I felt like I made a big one.
It’s a rare occurrence when I see a major street blocked off with emergency vehicles in Oslo right near my flat. Apparently there was a fire in an apartment building near where I lived.
There wasn’t a fire visible when I came across the scene, but I could still smell the smoke. Here are some pictures I took.
Today while walking home, I saw an old-style tram traveling along the tram tracks. Here are a few pictures I took. Enjoy.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine took me to Harestua, Norway for some rest and relaxation. Here’s one of the photos I grabbed at sunset.
Last week I decided to see two tourist attractions in Oslo, Norway: Holmenkollbakken Ski Jump and Akershus Fortress
Below are Flickr slideshows for both visits.
If you are on a mobile, the slideshow can be viewed on Flickr.
Akerhus Fortress is very visible from the Aker Brygge area and is a neat place to visit.
When I first arrived to Norway in November of 2011, I was in immense culture shock. One thing that still intrigues me is the size of the vehicles here. I almost felt like I was in a Jason Bourne movie (well, without all the fighting, gun shots, and the hot German woman from Run Lola Run).
Here’s a small gallery (which I add to from time to time) of the small cars I’ve found in Norway (for those on mobile phones, here’s a direct link).
It’s been quite an inside joke how much I love playing the game Left for Dead 2 (i.e., the most awesome zombie killing game ever). My friends, family, and co-workers will typically ask me, “So, how many zombies did you slay this weekend?”
My typical response is, “Thousands. And I didn’t even write a note to their mothers thanking them for the pleasure.”
Why do I have such an infatuation with the murderous frenzy enabled by my mouse and keyboard?
This post has been a long time coming, but I’ve moved to Oslo, Norway. Why a long time coming? Well, I’ve been here off and on since November of 2011.
How I got here is a rather long story, but let’s just say the opportunity arose, and I jumped on it.
I’ve grown up in various climates. When I was a kid, I lived in snowy Tonapah, Nevada.
Photo by Esther Simpson
In life, we make mistakes. They’re as concrete as paying taxes and dying.
I often quote a saying: “If people supposedly learn from their mistakes, why are we not all geniuses?”
Regardless if mistakes make a person smarter, I do think mistakes in life are an absolute necessity.
There are the dumb redneck mistakes that make up the joke, “How do you know a redneck is about to die?” “He turns around to his peers and yells, ‘Hey, watch this!'”
Then there are the genuine mistakes where you hurt yourself or others, whether emotionally or physically.