Smart rat

This little rat has taken a liking to the bird feeder: food and safety in the same place!

Stuff I am going to miss

• Alhambra beer
• Pepperidge farm chocolate chip cookies
• Jamon serrano
• Coffe
• Tomatoes
• Calanda yellow peaches
• Jotas
• Zaragoza
• Sunlight
• Bying wine in the supermarked
• Farmacy on every corner
• Affordable organic chicken
• Camper stores
• El Corte Ingles
• La Siesta
• Saludos españoles
• Homemade flan

It is weird to be home, mostly because I have to remind myself that it is "for good" as in the next few years. 

Daroca

Spent a morning in Daroca. A village well worth a visit!

El Pilar by night

Basilica de Pilar with the Belen in front. Doing the tour in the Belen is one of those things I'll always do next year and never do..

Infinite Jest

How does one try to describe this monster of 978 pages + 96 pages of dense footnotes..

I begun reading it without too much hope that I would like it, as I had not enjoyed so much his collection of fiction Oblivion, compared to my utter facination with his essey collections. So I thought: Yeah, I'll read a couple of chapters and go to sleep.

Famous last words.

It is grotesque. It is violent. It is depressing. It is funny. It is absurd. It is heartwarming.

I think a reader would either hate it or love it.

Adding to all this it has lots of storylines that goes nowhere, things untold and jumps in time.. 

It is that time of the year again

And for once I had to remind myself it is December with the capital D and not december: a month like any other.

But the advent star is up, xmas music is on the ipod and christmas cards have been located and..

I am moving back home to Norway.

Cause the exam fobia won this round and I had to drop out of uni here in Zaragoza.

And I spent about a month and a half in bed with books rarely leaving my room; (showering and changing bedsheets weekly), eating not so much: depression but without the D. Because I could. It might have made more sense financially to go home and start working right away, but I look at it as a well deserved mental holiday from the world. So there.

Went to an exposition today:  Nacho Bolea's  "Mikado".

Bought xmas presents for my god children and for a friend.

I applied for a job on sunday, as an english and spanish teacher...

Have a good December!

Dance Tribute to the Art of Football

Choreography: Jo Strømgren (premiere in 1997)
Location: Scene 2, the Opera House, Oslo
Time: Saturday 28th, 19:00

If I had to describe it with one word I'd probably end up with Entertaining, something often lacking in football, (AND contemporary dance) especially in the spanish league where the players tend to stop the game every now and then to take a breather lying down in the grass? freshen up on the spray tan? Looking good on tv? I sort of liked the sport before, but many years of La Liga has killed that.

• 4 good dancers
• lots of football movements: both the useful ones and the silly ones
• lots of testosterone and ball scratching
• the quiet, the unhinged, the naive and the beautiful
• nuditiy AS PART OF THE STORY!!!! YES!! NOT primarily for the effect! A first, I belive, in a looong time. 
• manging to combine grace and brutality
• music in the habitual mix of classical and tecno
• the first few minutes I was not sure if the one female dancer was that or just a young boy/man. 
• lots of laughs
• was there a reference to "Pas de Quatre"? I think so. The ballett nerd in me finds that soo cool, and soo appropiate. The biggest Divas today are in football after all.
• The dance secuences are so fluid both in choreography and in execution.   

The piece does what it says and merges football and dance, for Your Entertainment! But some of the "cheaper" laughs could be exchanged for some more interesting football-moves-experimentation? I thought it lacked some depth.

We are never content, are we? 


This is possibly the least helpful description of a performance I have ever written, but in a sense fitting to the piece. Funny, well executed, but not memorable as far as the dancing goes. 

Put your red shoes on

These are possibly the least practical shoes I have ever bought, but they called out to me with their glittery Dorothy vibe and I could not resist. They are just so much FUN! I have not been able to use them out on the street yet, but the time will come.

I'm still here, only not

• May and June flew by and I have no idea where they went
• I like my e-reader
• It has been too darn hot, but right now it's ok
• Have looked up Epidemiologia private teachers on internet too get moral boost and butt kicks in august
• Bought crazy red Wizard of Oz shoes 
• Going to Barcelona for a couple of days
• Have new nice bikini
• Freya fell out a window. No injury. 
• Going home to norway soon. It is really hard to pack light. 

So finally I got my act together and did a course in Kyudo: japanese bow and arrow. It was really cool! It was so japanese, in the way every movement must be precise and perfect, the hand just so, the legs at a certain distance: movements calm and controlled, more focus on the preparation than hitting dead center...And at the same time my brain was going: "This is sooo cool! Just like Robin Hood!"

It was an intensive course, 5 hours, and we got to shoot twice, and our instructor informed us that normally you spend months perfecting ever one of the 8 movements before actually shooting off an arrow. My Robin-Hood-wannabe-part finds that annoying. But the perfectionist part of me understands that completely. It got a bit meditative, and it requires conciousness of every piece of the body. I LIKE!

Cara de Mimbre

Coreography and performing: Jordi Vilaseca in Teatro de la Estación The leaflet explains that it is supposed to be a personal journey through past experiences, showing how we all can become strong and resilient against the adversities we meet every day.

Modern dance makes me think, but on the downside, when I think, I get distracted in my own head and miss out on stuff that happens on the stage. So too this time. Is this supposed to happen? I have the idea that contemporary art is much about the viewer participating, thinking, reflecting, but part of me wants to be so caught up in what I see that the thinking happens later, when I get home. The next day..That it moves me, not only intelectually.

The piece is easy to like I think, and the 50 min? 45? passed quickly. One dancer on stage the whole time, he enters nude, with a big straw basket at his hip, carried in a very female way, like women would carry a laundery basket. The movements are slow and sinous; ever muscle seen in the back and neck.

 A second part with underpants on, movements are frantic, nervous, repetitive, hesitant followed by moments of calm.

Then with a old-lady night camisole on, tottering around like on high heals, like an past middelaged miniskirted lady at 6 in the morning walking home after too many drinks. There is something so very lonely about that image.

The dress is used as a screen for proyected words and recorded voices speak sentences and words about nervousness, valor..here I drifted off somewhere in my head. Again.

Then the dancer put on pants and a jersey and at some point start dancing with the basket, or maybe better described: the basket leads the movements, and the dancer hold on to it. Then comes the scene I liked the best where he fights with himself until putting the basket over his head. The expressions on his face were those of me going to an exam: fear, determination, the feverish wish of being anywhere else, doubt...

Then a series of calm poses a la Vouge, sitting on the floor. It was good to smile after the tense moment before.

Then he put on a jacket and lowered several baskets from the cieling, some with light, and played with them for a while, before lying down as the lights faded out, to the sound of a heartbeat.

The music was alternating between classical/quiet and electronic/hectic. The movements are familiar, both the dance moves that are traditional with a strong classical base, and the contemp stuff. The human-daily-life movements are fragile and spot on: this dancer even manages to move like Mr Bean at times.

Does the description match what I saw? I think so. But I also think the coreograper could have gone further, taken more risks, maybe experimenting more with some of the movements, feelings..It felt a bit safe at times, and the theatre is small: At a distance of 3 metres to the dancer I sort of expect to be blown away by the presence on the stage. Maybe my brain gets in the way.
    

sospiro

I wanted to go home sometimes this spring, but it looks next to imposible, as the cabal of cat-sitter+ exams+ being able to skip classes is turning out to be dificult/impossible. I am looking at the calender again and again, and surprise! No 4 day window appears by magic. Sight.

At the moment it looks like I won't go home until mid july after exams. there might be time last week of may, but only if I spend most of my time home studying, and there will probably be exam then as well but I will not know until possibly the beginning of may. I hate not knowing, not being able to plan ahead. Also the plane tickets gets a bit expensive when you by them so close to departure date.

What I am going to do is japanese archery: they do a newbe course on a saturday in may, and I am going to sign up on monday. I love the bow and arrow: robin hood was a childhood crush.

Semana Santa

I always get goose bumps when I hear the rolling, continuos drumming, the shrill notes of trumpets and feel the solemnity that sorrounds the easter prosessions. (Not so cool if you have to move around the city center in a car at 2100, nor if you have to get up early the next morning and have 250 drummers outside your window at 2300 giving their best..) I like easter in Zaragoza

I actually found the energy to take a picture

I made food today. You know, cooking and cutting and stirring. No microwaves got involved. Yeah! Cooking! I can feel my stomach giving thanks to the universe for finally recieving something homemade with lots of fiber and little salt.

Dinners (comidas) this week has been all about heating up shop bought tortilla de patata, pasta with mozzarella (like mac&cheese only with ravioli and mozzarella), food from En Embullicion that bust my budget (but sooo good) and a trip to McDonalds. No cooking in other words, because of an exam on friday and classes 14-15 that I'll have next week too.

In reality I'm almost on a Norwegian scedule as far as eating go, but since luch-hour is a mythical creature at my uni, getting ready to cook at 1600 after little to no food since 0730 is not a happy moment.

So today I made risotto Provenzale and have enough to freeze portions and eat later this week.

The black dog is hiding under the bed. Stay there, please doggy?

Jup

So, my particulary black dog has arrived, being more of a grey, but I have exam in a weeks time and cannot sit staring at the wall.

I know so well that the doggy will get bored and go somewhere else in a few weeks time, but until then..

Is it...can it be..?

I have a sneaky feeling Spring depression is on its way as;

1. Little to no appetite: evidence: I have chocolate ice cream in the freezer and I am not stuffing my face.
2. Getting up in the mornings is a process of several hours
3. I feel overwhelmed: I am doing too many creditos this year
4. I get lost in contemplation: Spent about 20 minutes in the changing cubicle at El huevo (THE chiquest it-place to be hanging out in Zaragoza) and I still have no recollection of what I was thinking of.

But I am still showering and whoohoo! The shampoo/conditioner I bought at my hairdresser works really well and I can now go up to three days without having to wash my hair. I manage to study: I have Bactericemia waiting for me when I finish here. I go to the practicas and to the mandatory classes, so all hope is not lost.

To morrow is tuesday and I have finally figured out what all the noices are from the flat below. I thought at first it was a group of theater sport aficionados: they would be really chatty and laughing and doing group talking (one of the things you do in improvisaton-games). But then I realized they are learing chinese or japanese. One day I want to lears chinese as well. Maybe I could do it for creditos libres next year, if there is a course at the uni?

It is beautiful every time

I had a loong day to day.

Exam at 0930 that I was in no way whatsoever prepared for, but I went anyway! Yeah! No drama! Go girl! (cheerleaders doing split jumps in background with pom-poms and confetti.)

And then I went and hung out on the obst-gyn floor and got to see another child come into the world. It is moving and beautiful ever time. I am seriously considering doing obs or gine.

Then my brain burned out and I went home and crashed into bed.

Short but to the point.

They are back!

The back-swimming-slim-girls are back! (try and say that fast 10 times..)

Why? Why?

Why do they want to swim around in a stuffed pool without seeing where they are going?

I had fish for comida. You might think this is somewhat trivial to blog about even for me, but the sad fact is I eat fish about twice a year, even though I keep telling myself to have it at least once a week. One of my excuses is that they have not really understood that a whole merluza (easily 2 kg) is a bit much for a single household, and I do not like to put fish in the freezer..

Excuses, excuses.

I get everything in the book

I am studying Ear-Nose-Throat, and I can just feel my sinuses and nose catching stuff from the pages. Either that, or my immune system is battling valiantly against another cold and/or La Grippe: the little gift from Sibir cold and El Cierzo.

After exam on tuesday I went to Ikea, and spent about 3/4 of an hour too long in there. You know, that saturation in your head that makes you want to get out of there NOW by the time you get to lights. Clive Owen could be standing there between vases and plants and making flirty eyes at me, handing me a Pretty Thing (Those herb-groing thingies for example) and I would not notice, my eyes fixed on the exit like it was the last piece of chocolate in the world.

As these things go, now that I can, I have zero lust for shopping. Also is the fact that I have to study, but that should tell you something about how little I want to go shopping: I'd rather study. I have no problem NOT ordering anything from Amazon...Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary. I am starting to resemble my cat more and more. Luckily the winter sales here are neverending, or at least until end of February, some even lasts until the beginning of March.

Ah, that wonderful feeling of exam coming up

I am afraid I'll chicken out tomorrow morning. I am afraid I'll fail if I go. Putting it into words, voicing it helps to reduce IT into something managable. I hope. I think so. Because I know a lot. I have learned a lot. Not everything, but a lot. So go at it! Try with everything! Jump! Because I can do it!

I am getting a lot better at pep talking myself.

Older and older

Fisio was great, but more is needed, I was so knotted up it did not even hurt much..Pain is good! I want pain! But not, obviously, the one I have right now, witch is this burning sensation along the entire spine and around my shoulderblades. This getting older thing has it's shit.

On the whole I enjoy the passing of the years. I am profoundly happy I am not 17 any more. I like my crow feet, and the growing indifference about "what others think". It is liberating.

That is not to say I do not have a long way to go still, but I am determined to enjoy the journey.

• nail polish because it keeps me from eating them up (the nails)
• clear colored hats for grey vinter days, that keeps my head warm in El Cierzo
• High heels, because. Just because.
• tulle underskirts for the fun of it

I am also deciding that when the first grey hairs pop up, I'll leave them alone and see how it turns out.

Lazy like Sunday morning

No swimming today! What is this? you may ask. And I will respond with a series of words and profanities so foul I'll get a report and have to put age restricitions on this blog. Muscle pain from bum to top of head is not something to be had with any grace when one is having to sit for hours studying. I figured going swimming would not be a good idea. I have Fisio tomorrow and I look forward to it like christmas.

Meanwhile, I'll think about where to go on holiday this year. I got 1000 NOK (about 120€) to use for a trip from my parent for xmas, and I want to go somewhere alone. I want to see if traveling alone is something I will enjoy: I will for sure with museums and parks and graveyards, but maybe not so much the eating every meal alone.

I also have Eurobonus points I need to use, and I think september between end of exams and start at uni is a good time. A part of me wants to go somewhere I have already been: Like Berlin, to visit the medicine museum at their uni, go to cool contemporary dance performances and see the botanical garden again. London: museums, performances, parks: there is so much to see.

In a way it makes sense, because it will be a long weekend kind of trip, and the first day in a new place always goes away to getting oriented and if I have been there already there is no need for that.

But suggestions are welcome!

I got money

I just got a message from Lanekassen, a student loan- bank in Norway, and they give me loan for this year, and it is such a huge relief, and that means no working in easter, less working in summer, no worries about where to get the money for Freyas vet bills in March ( vaccines etc)...

YES!

Soundtrack of my 2 month exam period

I am going to be in la-la-exam land until the 16th of march, and here is the music that is going to keep me sane: I went "shopping" at my brothers computer and this is some of what I got: (plus some I "shopped" in summer)

• Thunder Lightning and Rolling Blackout , The Go! Team
• Since I left you and Rarities&Remixes, The Avalanches
• Penguin Cafe
• Kruder&Dorfmeister
• Maintenant, Gigi
• Innerspeaker, Tame Impala
• M83
• Fleet Foxes
• H.P. Lovecraft
• Focus
• Tycho
• Daft Punk
• Chinoiseries, Onra
• Artefacts, Aether
• She and Him

This is most of the stuff I have put on my ipod (I hate you iTunes) but I have loads more on my passport.

Surprise!

Like I would ever be awake enough at 0630 to do something so intelectual as managing a camara..

Today:

0620: nooooo what is this weird noice, I have to stop it somehow (I am half dreaming, half awake, and have incorporated the alarm into my dream)

0715: I'd better put the alarm on 0900 just in case (I have seminario at 1030, have decided to miss out on classes 0800-1000, studied until late last night)

0845: have to get up to go to bathroom, and Freya is waking up. Do some washing of necesary bits.

0900: make breakfast and Coffe and sit down at the computer to wake up.

I'll sit here until 0955 when I will get dressed fast and go to class.

At no point have I had a thought in my head.

here is an idea for a blog post

Where did I see it? Anyways, aparently there are bloggers who post their morning routine, complete with photos, and I sort of got inspired, so tomorrow I'll do my version.

Swimming, again

40 minutes today, in a packed pool, but with swimming people in my lane this time! Oh, bliss! Thus I get to push myself a little: can I keep ut their tempo, will they overtake me..El Huevo is THE place to be for action on a Sunday morning...

I am enjoying the last hours of solitude before my flat mates returns. One day, in the not too distant future I will live alone. I crave it.

And now it is time to bog down, strap my seatbelt and study for farmacologia and obstetricia..

Same procedure as every year, James

It is a bit on the dark side, but I like her gesture: It is a mermaid that plays with her sisters in the harbour in Drøbak, and it IS dark at 20:00 on january evenings, and even more so the sea. (all that black stuff behind her is the sea)

Best wishes to all for the new year!

Christmas has gone past in a whirl: it is always that way when I work, and I miss stuff I would like to do and see: Gløgg every night (not so cool when I get home at 2330 dead tired..), tv stuff they typically send when I am at work, or just about to go..

I think back on last year, last 1. january, and oh my, I have come a looong way. It feels good to sense some maturing and growth going on, not just the passage of time.