So I'm back in Austin. For those who are interested, I'll tell you all about my Norway trip now. It's long and matter-of-factly, but perhaps mildly interesting.
When the plane entered the country, a winter wonderland became visible through the window. Just 27 hours ago, winter was around 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Oslo-Gardermoen airport is relatively small and harmless, much like the airport in Austin. It's a pleasant place to land after suffering Chicago O'Hare and London-Heathrow. It took me a while to figure out how to get out of the airport and into Oslo, but in the end all I had to do was ask someone (in English) how to get to my hotel and she directed me to the Flybussen, which happens to go directly to my destination hotel.
The hotel is a deluxe Radisson under the ownership of Reizidor SAS. It has a large lobby with a shopping arcade, restaurants, and a bar on the 21st floor from which one can look down upon all of Oslo from. Across from the hotel is a nice little cafe named "Tullin's" that stays open until 03:00. In the lobby were some of the nicest receptionists in the world. Some British rock band was in front of me in the check-in queue, and I felt as if they were familiar and that I should have recognized them, but alas I couldn't put a name to them. The hotel room was nice and though I hadn't asked for it, I somehow ended up in business class.
I left the hotel for a walk and some food. The air outside was a lot colder than what I was used to. I found a fake Tex-Mex restaurant on Karl Johans Gate and had a cheese and vegetable burrito. It wasn't a very tasty burrito and the complimentary salsa wasn't particularly caliente, but it worked. Walking back to the hotel I passed by a conference room window and caught something familiar in the corner of my eye. Looking closer I realized that a few of my coworkers from Austin were having a meeting in there. I guess I'd forgotten they were also in town for the week. I entered the hotel and went up to the room and having not slept in well over 24 hours, I fell into the bed rather quickly. I didn't realize it then, but I would be living in that hotel for almost a month.
Morning came and I had breakfast with my Austin coworkers who were staying in the hotel. I'm actually very glad they were there too because some of them had been to Oslo before. It would have taken me a good bit of time to figure out how to get transport tickets and end up at the office. We took the train from Nationaltheatret stasjon to Lysaker, the area where our EMEA office was located at the time.
In the office, I got to meet many of the people who had just been voices over the phone or email addresses to me before and that was nice. We immediately broke into design meetings, and those meetings lasted throughout the week. During the meetings I was mostly focused on doing work for one of our upcoming releases, and didn't have time to participate as much as I had wanted to. This also meant I didn't have any time to look for a place to live either.
The search for houses did commence the next week though as I made calls to people posting on Finn which is sort of like the Norsk Craigslist. Looking for a place that's furnished, has Internet access, is close to public transportation, and is affordable was quite a challenge. I visited many apartments but there was usually one catch that prevented it from working out. By the end, I did find someone whose apartment was very reasonably priced (6000 NOK) and had everything I needed. She agreed to it and I filled out the paperwork with her and arranged for my company to complete the contract.
The day came for me to move into the apartment and on that day I got a phone call at my desk. The lady who had agreed to rent me out the apartment was on the line and sounded somewhat upset. She told me she had just gotten accepted to a local academy that she'd had her hopes on and had decided not to move to Denmark afterall. In effect, the apartment would no longer be available. Kinda bummed I thanked her and told her no worries and that we'd reverse the financial transaction. 30 minutes later she called back and told me that she's just had a cigarette and has changed her mind, and that there's no way she can turn back around now and that she's bought the bus ticket and will leave in the morning, and that I can go ahead and take the apartment that night. Ok, I thought, cool, crisis averted.
That night, I get Anthony (one of my coworkers) to accompany with all of my luggage to help me move into the new place. We got off the taxi at my new address and the apartment owner is outside, seeming somewhat broken. I asked her what was up and she told me that she'd changed her mind again; there was no way she could pass up this opportunity and that she was very sorry. Ugh. So we hail another cab, put all of my stuff back in and check back into the hotel.
Two days later, the same apartment owner SMSes me and says she's going to Denmark now, and that I can go ahead and pick up the key that night. I asked her if she was positive and she sayd yes, she's going to live with her parents or something. I decided to give this deal a second chance and 'lo-and-behold, when I get there with all my luggage again she actually gives me the key and dissapears. Finally I have been presented with piece-of-mind and my own kitcken. I settle in and have a nice nap in my new bed.
A few days after moving in, I got an SMS message in the middle of the night. Guess who it was? Yea, it was my favourite landmistress. She's decided that moving back in with her parents was the worst idea ever and she needs to move back into her apartment ASAP. Lovely. I let the director of affairs for the EMEA office know what was happening since he signed the contract. He told me he'd deal with it. He called the owner and they worked out an agreement whereby I could stay in her apartment until I found a new one.
I did find a new one, a nice one at that, one with a balcony, good nearby shopping and parks, and a modern kitchen (see photos on the site). The new owner didn't speak English very well, but he was a fantastically nice guy and importantly, he was compos mentis. I settled in, bought bedding and whatnot from IKEA, and made it my home for the next 6-7 months.
My life in Oslo was nothing unusual. That is to say that I fell into my usual work and sleep habits. I did do a lot more walking than I was accustomed to in the U.S. and I'm greatful that I didn't have to drive anywhere. There were 4 modes of public transportation at my fingertips: bus, train, tram, and subway rail. At about 250 USD for every three months, I could use any form of public transportation to get to where I needed to get to within the city.
One day that winter, an ex-coworker of mine took myself and another ex-coworker, Shad, on a drive through the snowy Norge countryside. Seeing the snow where it had not been plowed was quite a sight. That is to say that it was at least a meter thick. It had snowed a lot that winter, even the Norwegians had admitted it. When I arrived in January the few hours of the day when the sun were up were darkened with cloud and snow. The snow was a refreshing change from Austin, TX at first but eventually became a nuissance.
The world turned upside down in Spring though. The grey landscape became green, the shops opened, and the Norwegians actually left their homes to wander about downtown. The days also started getting longer. So long that I was able to enjoy some sun even after coming home from work. It seemed easier to find things to do during the spring. I poked around on Oslo's many little islands quite a bit with my Oslo-buddies. I did a lot of shopping around in Grønland for delicious Indian food groceries and boatloads of cheap Bollywood classics. I did a bit of clubbing here and there as well.
Several weeks before I left I was lucky enough to have some visitors from home. First my pal from Austin, Danielle. It was at my going away party when I said something to the tune of "I love you all, please come and visit me in Oslo." Danielle was the only one to take me up on the offer. She was there for about three weeks and was cool to have around. We hung around in parks, did the usual sight-seeing stuff, took a Germany mini-vacation that landed me tipsy with two random young ladies in Regensborg, and that sort of thing.
My parents also visited me. I had really been missing my parents so to have them stop by was a real treat. I had a great time trying to impress them with the cooking I'd been teaching myself. We had a good time doing some sight-seeing, a bit of sailing with my coworkers, and just lounging about. Shortly after they left Oslo I met with them in Paris for an extended weekend, which was really pleasant.
One thing I did with both Danielle and my parents that's worth mentioning is the Norway in a Nutshell fjord tour. The tour takes one around Norway's most spectacular fjords via train, tour bus, and boat. I have never in my life seen geography that beautiful or intense. If you're ever in Norway, do not skip out on visiting the fjords. Photographs could not possibly capture their awesomeness.
Shortly after my parents left, my development work for the project I was on stopped and the Norway office began to close down. I left too soon, barely was able to sell any of my leftovers, and was cleaning/packing for 20-hours straight up until the taxi-driver called my mobile phone to let me know he was there to take me to the train station. I clumsily and painfully lugged my 5 heavy bags down to the train terminal and took the Flybussen to Oslo-Gardermoen airport. Didn't sleep on any of the planes (so I guess around 47 hours with no sleep so far), so when I arrived in Austin I was justifiably zombic. The hot air outside the airport was a bit much for me that night so I took off my shirt as I waited for Shane to pick me up.
Photos of my Trip to Norway Books I read while I was there:
- David Foster Wallace - Oblivion (read on the plane, was given to me by Zan and Lys before I left)
- Hunter S. Thompson's The Rum Diary (read it after Anthony finished it)
- Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything is Illuminated (borrowed it from Danielle--love this book!)
- Royksopp -
- Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punk
- Junior Murvin - Police and Theives
- Kruder and Dorfmeister - The K&D Sessions
- Father Ted
- Lost
- Not really bringing people any gifts back with me. :/
- Not getting to hang out with my coworkers more before the office was closed.
- The rain during the boat ride when my parents and I were touring the fjords.
- Not getting to say a proper goodbye to Sul, Mamiko, Kevin, Patience, et al.
- Missing Belle and Sebastian when they rolled through town.
- Forgetting to get the hotel-chain's frequent customer card until it was too late to get credit for the massive amount of nights (and Kroner x_x) spent there.
- Not getting to hang out with Henning more, maybe play some tennis.
- Not learning enough Norwegian. I could barely make conversation by the end. It's on to French now.
On Friday I retired my Blackberry, and this morning I left my keys with my room so that the next tenant will have them, and right now I am pulling out my CDMA cell phone in GSM territory to find that I will not be using that cell phone again. This is Norway; Oslo, Norway—my home for the next several months.
Oh, Chicago airport, where would I be without you?
Your blinking lights that tell me my flight is on time.
My baggage won't make it, so where should I sign?
I know I'll soon be in some baggage claim line.
Oh, Chicago airport, where would I be without you?
One gate to another, which will it be?
All gates look the same, but one is for me.
For now it is A9, and soon it'll be A3
Oh, Chicago airport, where would I be without you? Home, probably.
- Justin Turner Arthur
I must apologize for not writing much here for the past few months. Quite honestly, I've been way too busy with work. You see, a little while back the Norwegian software firm I was working for got purchased by a company in Texas. I was lucky enough to retain a job across the acquisition; however, my new contract mandates that I be relocated to Austin, Texas. Given that I actually kind of like this job, I went ahead and signed. The job and the move have made things very busy for me as of recent.
Yea, it's sort of a bummer. I was just getting used to things here on quiet Prospect street in little Staunton, Virginia. I'm going to miss the downtown, the friends, the roommates, the jamming, the LAN parties, and the convenience of being able to walk or bike anywhere useful in town. Austin does have a lot for me though. It's the live music capital of the South, there appears to be a well-established Green Party local in the area, there are lots of technology opportunities in the area (AMD, Dell, and others have HQs in Austin), there are plenty of fests and happenings all of the time to attend, and it will hold even more for me once I turn the age of 21.
So now I am in the process of boxing up my whole life and preparing it for a move across half of the country. Getting things boxed and ready to be moved is the only difficult process left. Thanks to the wonders of 21st century telecommunications, I have succesfully gotten myself a car to drive and a place to live down in Austin. The car is a 2005 Scion xA, boasting fantastic gas mileage and a decent OEM sound system. The dwelling space is a room in a one-level house on a quiet surburb-like stretch near downtown Austin. I'll be living with two other guys and a girl; should be interesting.
I'm hoping that having a regular weekday schedule and having weekends free will give me the chance to become more social. I've been suffering from the lack of socializing and romantic endeavour that I've experienced here. I'm honestly quite commiserable when it comes to romantic enterprise; I never catch hints I'm supposed to catch, I never say the things I'm supposed to say, and I never take initiative when I ought to. I feel sorry for the young ladies who've shown any interest in me whatsoever in the past. It doesn't come naturally to me, so it's just something I'll have to work on.
There was a going-away party a few days ago. If you weren't invited, I'm terribly sorry. I probably meant to invite you but foolishly forgot, or couldn't figure out how to get in touch with you. Thanks to all of you who showed up. It meant a lot to me to see so many of my friends again before I head off. There are some photos from the event in my photo gallery, but I'd love more. So if you have any photos you took, please send them my way so I can add them to the gallery.
I bought a copy of the new Belle & Sebastian compilation, Push Barman to Open Old Wounds. It's got all of the tracks from their Jeepster Records EPs that were never included on their full albums. There are some real gems in the collection, and if you're a Belle & Sebastian fan who has not yet purchased the EPs, I highly recommend you pick up the album ASAP. The band is actually working on recording a new album in LA for the next few weeks. Exciting!
Today I had lunch with a former co-worker of mine, Sarah. It was a pleasant lunch and she wished me the best of luck with my adventure to Austin. I used to drive her home from work a lot. Interesting lady with an interesting family. I think her daughter kind of liked me. She's never been to a beach before. I hope that someday she will get to go to the beach. I hope that I will get to go to the beach with my parents and friends this year as well.
Well, I'm sorry for talking too much. It's just that I don't get the chance to talk to you often enough, so I make up for it in words... or something. Anyway, time for bed; I have meetings waiting for me early in the morning.
Global warming does have a few perks. Today was absolutely gorgeous. It was well into the 70s, which is nuts for January in this area. It was so lovely, that I actually left the apartment to go outside. I walked down to one of the coffee shops and got a healthy sandwich and some coffee, then headed to my parents' house to water my dormant carnivorous plants. While I was there, I fed the cat and decided to chill outside with the kitty for a bit. My dad came home and we played around on his computer, then I went on a walk to the park with my mom. It was all very nice.
Lys and I have finally put up everyone's posters/wall stuff. They look really nice. Thanks to all who contributed. I'll post some photos in a few days so keep checking my photo gallery. Speaking of the photo gallery, I just put up a few photos from the LAN party at Matt and Amy's house. This year's LAN party went pretty well. Hardly any complaints. We all owe our thanks to the Bigelow family for letting us use their nice house for such a crazy two day event.
Work has been going swell. Things are a little shaky right now as the company I work for is undergoing some drastic changes (which I can't really talk about yet). I think things'll be fine though. I'm having a lot of fun working with Dan on his various projects. The future for the Metis project is looking bright from where I'm standing. Oh yea, check out a new section to my site that's a picture book of my new life called "My Life as an At-Home Software Engineer". In addition to my work, I'll be occupied with academics pretty heavily in the next few weeks; I'm taking a class at Mary Baldwin and two classes at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Hopefully that'll be enough to keep my brain in gear.
Well, it's Monday. The party is over. The dishes need cleaning. It's time to get back to work. It's time to fill out my end-of-month expense report and time reports. George W. Bush is still president.
Things aren't all that bad though. Last night (well I guess it was really this morning), I went a step forward in conquering my Internet addiction by quitting IRC. When I say that I quit IRC I mean that I forfeitted my staff positions on a couple of networks and told various members of the 50 or so channels I participate in that I would be seeing them no more than 4 times a month for at least a year. IRC has taken way too much of life from me, and its time to put it aside for a while and focus more on my personal life and my new job.
The party on Saturday was alright. The accumilated turnout was surprisingly good. We got a lot of fantastic posters and other wall hangings to decorate our new place with. As soon as we finish putting it all up I'll probably post some photographs. At the beginning people mainly kept to their own social groups, but things loosened up a bit by the end. There was some dude in the kitchen that a good lot of people seemed to find rather amusing. I was less than amused by his antics, and found it rather annoying that the party had somewhat become the Rick Blunt Show. No big deal really, just something I noticed. Also, a lot of my friends left fairly early, which I was kinda bummed about, but no worries. I did have a good time, really I did.
This will be my first entry in what is my first attempt at a web log. About a week ago, I moved out of my parents' house and into a new apartment. I had wanted to go for a house, but all the houses we tried for got taken by other candidates and what not. I think I'll like this place though; I've allready started to warm up to it. It's decently spacious and authentically weathered. My roommate Lys is awesome, and is an long-time friend of mine. I'm also very good friends with her brother who hangs around the apartment quite a bit. Lys let me have the south-facing room, which will be great for my plants. I'll post some photos once I've got my gallery up and running. The other big news is that I finally got a career! This is wonderful news because I knew that if I didn't find a career by the end of the year, I would really have to start looking at college, and man oh man do I despise homework. The new job is that of a software developer for an international solutions provider named Computas. Their primary product, Metis, is a robust and powerful modelling suite. I sit in front of a laptop and code away into the early hours of the morning. Perfect for me. The best part of all is that being a work-at-homey, I could work in the nude should I feel like it (though, I don't really have a door to my room at the moment). My new co-workers are a very nice and very driven bunch of individuals. I'll definetely miss Staples, though. I might have stayed on there, but Staples wasn't a career and at about 2 years, I was still only making $7.50 an hour. Ouch.
Today, I chatted with a girl who had messaged me in Onion Personals. She seems really cool... ok, she seems really really really cool, into sci-fi, photography, and is a computer geek. I hope I'll get to meet her for a chat and whatnot sometime in the future, and with no romantic intentions, just to meet a new friend.
