Freedom in living

Work takes all my social time

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:10:00 +0000

I'm not too sure if it's worth it. Currently my work is eating all my social time. I'm at school full-day, and then i'm at work for 4 hours. Around 9 in the evening i've got time to start doing something for myself, and guess what... I've got no energy for it, there's no time, and it's really too late anyways. Last week i worked all workdays but one, this week i was supposed to do the same. However, though today was supposed to be my free day, and i even had plans for it; Guess what? I get a phonecall that somone is sick and they really need me at work today. Bah! These were the slowest 4 hours at work so far, when i had my mind all set on free time. And this sunday, wich is the universal free day, the store has a ware-counting, so i'm at work sunday too!

Sure, it could be worse. I could be without a job and not getting enough hours, then i would be sereously in trouble. And! Next week i'm going to Ukraine. The week after that is spring vecation. Do you think i'm looking forwards to it? I'm not having a bad time at all right now, i'm just letting out steam because all this work is more than i've bargined for.

Murmaid in Vesterålen

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:50:00 +0000

Picture of the month!

You have to fullview this. I was not part of taking this picture though i was there, all credit to Karoline and Remi. I love the color, the concept, the mountains and - most of all - the details! Fullview is a must.

Operation days work

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:55:00 +0000

I'm leader of Operation Days Work at my school again this year. Dosen't feel particularily great, but i might as well just do it as i do anything else. Operation days work is a charity project where students all across norway, in all signed-up schools, work somwhere one schoolday to earn 200 NOK for the central pot that goes to a charity project, wich is a different one each year.

In this years project, they're providing a 1-year education to girls in Bangladesh, who are otherways married away, as the families don't want girls who cannot make money like boys can in the male-dominated society. The edications is rather basic and increases littaracy and hygene awareness, as well as giving some basic foundation to do some jobs. The project is run by the Strømme-foundation, wich means it is christian-based. It's luckily based on the thought of solidarity rather then charity - help to be self-helped.

It's a good project and a great way to found it, but i can't honestly say i care too much about it. I'll do my best as leader, though!

Surprising smile

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 17:52:00 +0000

So I'm sitting in the register at the store, doing my work, completely in my own thoughts, monotonely beeping the wares and typing weightcodes. And suddenly, there's a girl smiling warmly at me! My first thought is if i know her, but i soon realise i don't. I'm too stumped to really smile back, but i say hi to her more cheerfully then i usually do, and she keeps smiling all the time she's there. Such a big, warm, beautiful smile! I don't think i manage to smile back, but as she leaves i thank her for smiling, and she says everything is more fun when you're smiling. And I'm in a brilliant mood for a good while after, being more nice to the other costumers and looking more brightly on my job.

That was a few days ago. Today she was there again, and surprised me just as much with her smile. This time i smiled back, spontaneously and probably quite wide, because I'm properly happy to see her again - and I'm happy the rest of the workday, and i still feel good when i think about it. Such a wonderful thing to do! She actually really lifted my day twice now!

I wish there were more people like that.

Four girls died and cheap toilet paper

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:35:00 +0000

Quite a strike of proportions. Today i had two e-mails in my inbox. First said that it was sad days for the people in Zulusponsor, as 4 of the girls in the project has died - without much more details than that. Second said that my local store has half-price on toilet paper. You know, 2 big packs of toilet paper in the original price is enough to have a child in the Zulusponsor project for a month!

Zulusponsor

Headed for Ukraine!

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:04:00 +0000

Holy otter! I'm going to Ukraine on an Active-seminar the start of next month! I just got a phonecall from Ida in Juvente, who asked if i still wanted to go to the Ukraine seminar. "Yes?" "That's good, because you get to go!" I never thought so, i just went to Budapest on a Active-seminar earlyer this year! So, paying not a dime, i'm going to Ukraine for a full week seminar, meeting great Active-people, having fun. I'm happy!

Interrail this summer?

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:11:00 +0000

As i preveously announced my crazy plans for driving around the balkans - things makes me realise that i'm evidently not experienced enough for that yet. Nether will i be in one year. A good idea to substitute, as proposed by Mari, is to Interrail! It's cheap, it's nice and it'll be exiting. Maybe combined with some hitchhiking? We could go as many as we want, we could travel where we want and see a lot of the world. I could easily afford two full months of interrail time! Sleeping at stations, seeing the balkans... Brilliant idea!

Expensive car rant

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:57:00 +0000

I've just spent some time calculating how much money has been tossed into being able to drive around relatively freely. My car, so far, has cost me over 60 000 NOK. That's 30 000 buying it, 15 000 ensurance, 5 000 reregistration, 6000 repairs. Then theres an upcomming ~ 10 000 for additional repairs. 70 000! And then it's what i spent to get my drivers license, about 30 000. 100 000 NOK! And what do i have to show for it? I think if i'd known what i know now, i'd waited a year.

School trip to Hemsedal

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:42:00 +0000

I'm just done with a school trip to Hemsedal in mid-southern norway. As you'd expect from a agricultural school, we've been visiting different farms and people who have made something else from their farms tourist potential. I've got no chance translating the termology to english, so i'll just leave it at saying that i had a fairly nice trip, was somewhat inspired to do something sometime, but i'm also realising that the farmers life is not the life for me. At least not yet.

My dream for the summer

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:22:00 +0000

I've been thinking and dreaming and looking at maps and planning for a while now. I've got this dream for what to do next summer, and i'm really, really hoping it will come true! Next years Active summercamp is in Albania. I want to roadtrip there! And incorporate into that a trip all around the baltic. Hopefully go with more Juvente-folk, ether from norway (Maria? More?) or Estonia (Maria? Tiina? More?) or both.

I've not gotten so far with checking, but my little scetch so far is;

Steigen (Home) - Talinn, Tartu (Estonia) - Lviv (Ukraine) - Suceava, Bucaresti, Odobesti (Romania, where i know some) - Athens (Greece) - Albania (Summercamp) - Sarajevo (B&H) - Beograd (Serbia, Wile. E Coyote from tt-forums) - Budapest (Hungary, fine city), Prèsov (Slovakia, Rasto?) - Tartu/Talinn - Home.

That's according to google maps, 9800 km. With some margin, i have to expect 10 000 NOK in gas! So, now i'm trying the best i can to save up for it, and i'm trying to get others also wanting to go. This of course is my dream, and i'll probably have to downscale it, but i like to shoot high.

Semi-illustrative picture from Budapest. I don't know these people, but they look beautifull together and with the city.

Damn car

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:29:00 +0000

I've now just had the EU-control on my car. And, as you understand from the title, the result is not particularily uplifting. I suppose it could have been worse, but i've ended up with a offering from the garage at 7000 NOK to fix it just enough to pass! I'm trying to get parts of it done by, uhm, less expensive mechanics (*caugh*). But it's not looking too good right now. Bah. I can't afford this, i'm saving for my summerplans!

Something i never expected to find in my car

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 10:27:00 +0000

I've had a problem with a smell in my car since i bought it, particularily when it has been warm. I've just thought my seats were sweaty or something, not thinking about it anymuch. And then today i decide to do a intereor clean of my car, and... Ew! On the floor under the left rear seat, my car floor has molded and looks like a loaf of bread forgotten for a week, and on the floor under the front passanger seat there are actually something that looks like maggots! I was vacuuming the floor, and there were these strange white things that i couldn't get into the hoover. On a closer look, they were moving around and sort of slowly digging in and out of the floor. It was a rather unplesant revelation, but at least i now know why my car smells like crap.

I think i've managed to clean it though, using a lot of detergent, a scrub and a towel. Just hoping my car won't smell like a detergent for all time!

The singing revolution

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:17:00 +0000

Why does not all schools teach of this the Estonian revolution and their breakout from the sovjet union? Yesterday, 20th of august, was Estonias reindependance day, as i learnt from reading Mari's blog. They celebrate the singing revolution, where 300 000 estonians sang forbidden patriotic songs.

Citing Wikipedia, in 1987 demonstrations in Talinn involving spontanious singing eventually gathered 300 000 peoples singing patriotic songs and hymns forbidden by the soviet regime. Trough 1988 more similar, patriotic singing events occurred, untill in September 1988 where the festival "Song of Estonia" again gathered 300 000 estonians, that's over a quarter of the population, including this time politicians actively demanding the restoration of independance. This revolution lasted for 4 years, allways with many similar events. Finally in 1991, as soviet tanks tried to stop the progress towards independance and people acted as human shields to protect radio and TV stations from the soviet tanks, the Congress of Estonia proclaimed Estonia a free state, and tore out of Soviet.

In this way, Estonia peacefully and without blooshed, broke free and got their independance. This to me is a fantastic thing! Estonians should be proud of their history, because this peacefull revolution is a perfect example of how peacefull, political, even artistic and undoubtably esteticly wondwerfull actions is a full-good, even far better, alternative to military coups and armed rebellions. I am beginning to like Estonia more and more.

Hiking Breitinden

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:40:00 +0000

Breitinden ('The Broad Pinnackle') is the 700 meter tall mountain just above the Tommeltinden ('The Thumb Pinnackle', seen on the right) wich i've climbed earlyer. A week or so ago i went up there with my dad, brother and Aragorn.

First it is a bit of wood-walking, up to the Vetfjell-hut and trough hell street (hellgata). A nice and easy walk. Then the climb suddently starts. There is multiple routes up Breitinden, i know of two and there is probably at least one more. We took the most direct, but rather steep, route. Straight up from 2-300 meters, trough gravel and cliffs and somtimes loose or slippery rocks, straight up to 700 meters.

This is from the foot of the mountain looking towards Leinesfjord (North), and this is some of the climb.

I think this is a rather ugly mountain. Hardly anything green, and it looks so rugged and torn. I sort of get the impression that it looks like an evil mountain. Like one where the fairytale villan has hes dark castle. But! The view is all but ugly. Feel free to feast your eyes!

Eastward, then Northward.

And to demonstrate ruggedness, this is the view up towards Kråktinden, The Crow Pinnacle. Don't you agree that this could easily be the home of a villan? Like, the outskirts of mordor, only with too blue skies.

My room

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:15:00 +0000

For the 4th year in a row, i am living at a boarding school in a small boarding-school room. I'm quite happy with it, actually. Finally today i'm almost completely moved in. Still got some big furniture at home that my dad will bring when he gets time (inbetween sports), that will make my room more complete. But here it is, as of now;

The returning veterans

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:27:00 +0000

We're 5 veterans returning to Kleiva after 1 years abstinance, to have our fourth year here. It's me, and it is;

Tor-Erling, the retard with the snide remarks. 2 years ago hes life motto was "half-ass", this year he has upgraded it to "do it later". 2 years ago hes main goal in life was to moon somone trough the car window as he overtook them. Now that goal is fullfilled, and hes next goal is to sleep in a cardboard box on the street.

Alf Magne looses-the-rose is the man evrybody loves, but can't quite explain why.

Øyvind hates communists, EU and a lot of other things. While everyone else has a dog, Øyvind has a dead crab. He now owns a house together with the aforementioned retard, and they together named the house "musehus" or "The vagina shack".

Thom is an amusing man. He has made a teacher cry with snide remarks about smoking mushrooms and paralysed kids. He has red hair on hes ballsack, not orange, and he loves to sleep.

Back at Kleiva!

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:08:00 +0000

It's incredible. I'm back again to my old school, like so many I seem to grow stuck here. I've gone 3 years and have got study competance before, now I'm back for the 4th year to also become an agronomist. And look! Everyone else is back too. 3 of the people who finished at the same time as me is back, and the old spirit and fun has risen again. They haven't changed, things haven't changed, the school is just the same. Same old crappy bread, same old buildings and rooms, same old staff. Well, that is with some exeptions of course. A new tractor, a fixed-up TV-room, a new farm building, a few new teachers, and now we've all got cars (and i have a job). This is looking good so far!

Stuck for thoughts

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:02:00 +0000

I've been sitting her for a while trying to write something. I've started writing about the conflict in Georgia, but i failed. I don't know enough and don't wholeheartedly care enough yet. Sadly, as it is not directly concearning me, i am having a hard time really caring. This is one of the big flaws in humanity, no? I've been wanting to write about sulusponsor, but i am not really ready to tell any much of it yet. I don't want to tell about my work before i've worked for a while and have a picture of me in uniform. School has not started yet and i am living with a great (and interesting) family that feels almost like my second home. But i don't really want to write about them ether right now. So i'll just have to write out the feeling of my writers block, or my lack of emediate writing skill. All i've mentioned here could make full and multiple and good blogposts. Eventually they will. So why does my head insist on not working?

It'll come to me.

Wonderful vecation

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 11:22:00 +0000

Though my mind recently has been overshadowed by my cars speedy demise, now that I'm done thinking about that I'll write about my actual vacation.

Because it has been real good. Up and down like always, but in general very good, and as always best towards the end. Since last blogging i spent a weekend on Kirkevik and a whole week in Ransberg, Sweeden.

Kirkevik is Juvente Norways holiday home, idyllically placed on a relatively hidden-away corner of Nesodden in the Oslo fjord. Kristina arranged a pirate weekend, where the idea was to dress like a pirate and do piratey stuff, and the execution was to relax for a weekend in the sun. Like every time i go to a Juvente gathering, i meet new fine people, get hugs and have a nice time. The sun was extreme, and the bathing temperature was simply the best i have experienced outdoors. We watched movies outdoors at night (warming each other as the night gets cold), and bathed in water and sun during the day. A very nice (literal?) warm-up before the Active Summercamp, possibly even better then the actual camp.

Which also was warm. Very warm. Each day was as sunny as the next.

Getting to the camp. I drove there in my car, alone as always, and i just followed my GPS. I typed in Ransberg as the camp is in Ransberg Mansion, and it found a small village south of Karlstad. I drove by the GPS, and 2 hours after Karlstad i was there, but i couldn't find the campsite. And as Rasto helped me with finding some one who could give me directions, it became clear that Ransberg Mansion is in Ransäter, 3 hours in the opposite direction! I must admit i was rather angry with myself. But, eventually, 3 hours later and after nightfall, i was finally there. Put up my tent, met Piia and Kristiina from Estonia again, and Rasto from Slovakia, whom i know from the Budapest seminar.

That night i discovered that i had actually put my tent on top of the water pipeline in the dark (au), and with the morning sunrise it was evident that my tent does not remain cool in scolding hot sun. The next 3 days after i slept in the cooler forest under open sky.

There were activities like games, volleyball, car mechanics, first aid and a little what the scouts call 'hiking trip'. That's a 30 minute walk on a gravel road up to a lake. We had to make our own food every day in our cooking group, which meant we spent many hours on that. I thought that to be nice. Every evening most spent in the night cafè, though i mostly went to bed early. There was also a disco with very, very shitty music. And there was scouts. A lot of scouts. Active had the camp in collaboration with the swedish scouts, and there was about 700 of them there, as opposed to about 300 actual Active-members. Why do scouts always build so much?

I spent most time with the Estonians. They are nice people. I'll miss some of them, even though they talked a lot in Estonian. It's rather rude, really, when there's people who can't understand it around. I didn't talk Norwegian to the Norwegians or sweeds when there was other people around. But i guess that is something you will experience with any multinational group. Also the Albanians only was with other Albanians, and the Slovaks the same. But again, to be expected.

I hardly used my camera this summer for some reason, i think i have only one picture to show you;

Melis, the Estonian hunk who enjoys walking around in hes underpants. He was quite happy that hes name means something sweet in Norwegian. Here on top of Piia. I think i owe him a massage.

Gathering the pieces

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:21:00 +0000

My car has proved not to be too salvagable. It can be temporarily fixed so that i hopefully can drive it home, but it will never again pass a EU control (MOT). Fixing it temporarily will cost about 5000, and my insurance will cover 1500 of it, then i can maybe get the rest by selling it cheaply at home. The alternative is to wreck it here, wich will not give me anything, but i can go home for free by train. I am fixing it, to salvage things as best as possible, and be able to finish my holiday with some grace. This feels all but good, just one month after i baught it!

Car crash

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 21:06:00 +0000

A less fortunate ending to a splendid holiday - my car is crashed. Under a month since i bought it, i manage to drive in front of a car at a intersection. He hit my rear tire, and i was thrown armound 180 degrees on the wet asfalt and rolled back into a ditch. I'm okay, so is my passenger and the guy. But both cars are broken. Tomorrow i will hear with a mecanic, but hopefully i will be able to drive it home in some days.

Next live concert on the list

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:27:00 +0000

I can't really stop, can i? Sonata Arctica, also quite possibly the best band in the world, is playing at Rockerfeller in Oslo 1st of November. Of course i can't keep from buying a ticket. Actually, this time, i bought two. Already looking forward to this! Particularly if i get the person i want to come with me.

Somwhere back in time tour!

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:44:00 +0000

I've been almost at the front as Churchill's speech roared across the 23 000 souls, just before Iron Maiden blasted out with Aces High and tens of thousands of voices screamed out with pure pleasure-filled energy. The feeling of a live concert cannot be replicated, and seeing probably the best band in the world live was truly fantastic. I was really hungry before the concert and as the warm-up bands plaid (Steve Harris's daughter and Avenged Sevenfold), but when Maiden blasted loose the hunger was swept away, replaced by a in-the-moment feeling that i seldom get. Jumping, pushing, fighiting my way forward, trying to see if everybody around me is okay... Awsome.

They plaid all their best songs! Starting of with Aces High, continuing with The Trooper, they plaid their most epic song The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Wasted Years was in there, so was Fear of the Dark and The Number of the Beast. And Eddie was on the stage thrice! A small Eddie sitting on the side of the stage in the start, a giant somwhere-back-in-time Eiddie that came out of the stage looking like a 10 meter tall mummy, and another huge Eddie with a lazer gun that came out and walked on the stage, aiming hes gun at Harris and fiddeling with Murrays guitar. And there was pyrotecnics! As the air in the crowd was at its thickest and i most desperately wanted a breeze of cold air, giant fires blazed out on the stage and gave us all a stroke of heat. Just fantastic and perfectly awsome and unwelcome!

This was well worth the 850 km drive. Now I'm just looking forward to the rest of my vecation, and the next time Maiden goes on tour!

Speed limits

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:42:00 +0000

I've now spent my first prolonged time on the road. All of yesterday and half of today i drove from home (Steigen) to Trondheim along E6, the main traffic artery along Norway. That's about 850 km. One thing i've learnt is that there is a general consensus on the road that speed limits are there to be broken.

Why is it so that when the speed limit is 80 km/h, and i drive 80 km/h, i allways get a long cue behind me wich roars past me every time there is a stretch? I try to be persistant, and not go over the speed limit. But somtimes it feels like i allmost have to, because people are driving past me dangerously or sticking on my rear bumper. Sure i'm in the right, and the others are taking liberties they don't have when braking the rules. And i don't want to use more gasoline just to follow a general consensus on doing wrong. I have enough time! But this is a problem. Why is it like this?

Seems i have a job

thorruneh@gmail.com (Thor-Rune) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:50:00 +0000

I've been placing a lot of job applications for next year, so i can defend my car, apartment and schooling. Recently i got a phone call from Coop Mega, a grocery store, who said flat-out that they were interested in me. No talk of interviews or anything, just simply "we're very interested, call us when you know when you can come for initial training." So, scrap anyone that requires a interview unless they are particularly interesting. I've got a job! I'll quite likely be able to go the next year without gravely increasing my loan, and this henceforth is one big step closer to my freedom in living! Training starts 13th of august.

I've thought about that selling alcohol in stores thing. I've, actually, already done something similar. Though i don't pour alcohol in peoples glass at the restaurant, i've accepted payment for alcohol that guests have already consumed or have requested themselves when i've been tending the register. This is not the active selling part, but more the control-part. This is where i check that they are of age. Though, in the store situation, it also is where the ownership of the alcohol is transferred. But it is not like me not doing this would make a difference to the positive. It could be someone in the register less vigilant about asking for ID. What i would not want to do, and this is a minimal thing that i am sure the store could be able to accept, is to restock the alcohol shelves in the store. That is actively making it more possible to sell alcohol, and something i would not want to do. If the store don't accept this, i'll probably be very displeased.