I just came down from the woods. I had been walking for almost three hours. I just picked the tracks or areas that my nose pointed at, and believe it or not, I walked on a little trail I had never set foot on before. Up in the local hills where I've been mocking about since I was a kid!
I had no concept of time and the light doesn't help you out these days neither, which is good! I thought the time might have been half past eleven, maybe a little earlier, or maybe right before midnight. I climbed into the car and looked at the watch. Almost one in the morning! Although we don't have midnight sun this far South it never gets dark during summer nights. I guess the sun sets around half past eleven these days, but it doesn't get far beneath the horizon before it comes right up again.
We had some absolutely dreadful rain today! -which was probably one of the reasons why I went out there tonight, cause I quite enjoyed it. Though it was clearing up while I was walking, the ground was still wet. Wet, like in "Wet!" I walked through marshes and streams and my old khaki field-trousers ended up looking like I hadn't changed them since First World War. I took them off and hung them over the shower cabinet when I came home cause I saw that the washing-machine was full. I told mom that I had hung my trousers there and that I needed to wash them. -just to explain, since they didn't exactly contribute to the interior design of the room. A few minutes later she walked into the bathroom while I was in my room, and I could hear a loud voice go: "Oh my gosh! What horrid trousers!" I thought "Yesss!" There's nothing like making an impression!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
What Can Happen When You Buy Sound on Sound Magazine in Norway
It’s six months since I left Leeds at Christmas and I’m soon to return. In the meantime I’ve had to resort to buying UK music-production magazines in a Norwegian shop equivalent to WHSmith. However, with import tax and the unavoidable you-can’t-get-it-enywhere-else-around-here-so-we’ll-rip-you-off-as-best-as-we-can-mentality, the quantum of purchases has decreased inverse proportionally with the expenses of a purchased magazine. Therefore I have cut to the essentials like any good private equity firm would and stuck with Sound On Sound Magazine (SOS). While its original price in the city centre of Leeds is £ 4.99, I now have to bleed a full £ 13.00 for the joy! But if you’ve gotta’ have it, you’ve gotta’ have it!
Since I have restricted myself to go to this shop only once a month (for consumption-preventive measures) I take my time while I’m standing by the shelves. And yesterday was no exception, so I looked through several music magazines. As I was browsing through an issue of SOS, a slightly shabby looking kid entered from the street and walked over to my shelf. He nodded and smiled politely as he passed me and started to browse the shelf up and down for what he was looking for. I stepped aside and kept reading. After a while he turned to me and asked if I had seen Rolling Stone Magazine. I said that I hadn’t. He looked at my SOS, and as to excuse me from feeling like I had to know any thing about his request, he said: “Maybe you don’t read American magazines?” I laughed and answered that I happened to like Rolling Stone and I thought it was strange if it could not be found here, so I helped him look. Neither of us could find it and eventually he said with a sigh: “Well, I guess it’s not the 60’s anymore…” To cheer him up I said I thought it still was a pretty relevant magazine today (which I do).
The chap nodded politely and was about to leave. As he had passed behind my back and was on the way out, he turned around and said: “Nice titts on the magazine on the shelf behind you! If you’re interested…?” I laughed out loud! “NO!” I replied, “not the slightest!” “How sad…” he said with a melancholic face and took a last gaze at the other shelf before we said goodbye.
As I walked to the counter I glanced over at the shelf behind me to see if I could spot his eye-candy. Yet another girl in bikini (as one has come to expect in magazine shops like these) looked back at me. My eyes went back to the copy of SOS that I was holding. It depicted a green military field-case, stuffed with microphones, cables and a pair of headphones under the headline: “Guerrilla Recording!” I felt sorry for my brief friend, who clearly had a problem appreciating the finer things in life!
As I pulled out the credit card from my wallet I felt like I had struck a bargain. 13 Pounds! I’ll be back again!
Since I have restricted myself to go to this shop only once a month (for consumption-preventive measures) I take my time while I’m standing by the shelves. And yesterday was no exception, so I looked through several music magazines. As I was browsing through an issue of SOS, a slightly shabby looking kid entered from the street and walked over to my shelf. He nodded and smiled politely as he passed me and started to browse the shelf up and down for what he was looking for. I stepped aside and kept reading. After a while he turned to me and asked if I had seen Rolling Stone Magazine. I said that I hadn’t. He looked at my SOS, and as to excuse me from feeling like I had to know any thing about his request, he said: “Maybe you don’t read American magazines?” I laughed and answered that I happened to like Rolling Stone and I thought it was strange if it could not be found here, so I helped him look. Neither of us could find it and eventually he said with a sigh: “Well, I guess it’s not the 60’s anymore…” To cheer him up I said I thought it still was a pretty relevant magazine today (which I do).
The chap nodded politely and was about to leave. As he had passed behind my back and was on the way out, he turned around and said: “Nice titts on the magazine on the shelf behind you! If you’re interested…?” I laughed out loud! “NO!” I replied, “not the slightest!” “How sad…” he said with a melancholic face and took a last gaze at the other shelf before we said goodbye.
As I walked to the counter I glanced over at the shelf behind me to see if I could spot his eye-candy. Yet another girl in bikini (as one has come to expect in magazine shops like these) looked back at me. My eyes went back to the copy of SOS that I was holding. It depicted a green military field-case, stuffed with microphones, cables and a pair of headphones under the headline: “Guerrilla Recording!” I felt sorry for my brief friend, who clearly had a problem appreciating the finer things in life!
As I pulled out the credit card from my wallet I felt like I had struck a bargain. 13 Pounds! I’ll be back again!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
#09-56 and 196
Eternal sunshine
When I see, I remember
When I see, I am excited
When I see, I want to get back
Remembering early mornings
Warm, before the sun
Warm, before too warm
Bright, with expectation
A glimpse of the sea between the trees, down the street
The cool from the ocean as it slowly brings its breeze,
through my window and out the other,
through my day to yet another
You like the moment, want to stay forever?
You see just surface, I'll show you better!
If paradise is present, then what is future?
For the dream is ahead, and there's nothing truer!
Sunshine of past
The dream I lived
The dream to live
They are all but steps, to a step yet higher
Though all are loved, one is even more
They make me love the things I have never seen before
Eternal sunshine
I looked out my window
Maybe I'll be making music in an hour?
When I see, I remember
When I see, I am excited
When I see, I want to get back
Remembering early mornings
Warm, before the sun
Warm, before too warm
Bright, with expectation
A glimpse of the sea between the trees, down the street
The cool from the ocean as it slowly brings its breeze,
through my window and out the other,
through my day to yet another
You like the moment, want to stay forever?
You see just surface, I'll show you better!
If paradise is present, then what is future?
For the dream is ahead, and there's nothing truer!
Sunshine of past
The dream I lived
The dream to live
They are all but steps, to a step yet higher
Though all are loved, one is even more
They make me love the things I have never seen before
Eternal sunshine
I looked out my window
Maybe I'll be making music in an hour?
Before You Bounce and Import to iTunes
I'm thinking... it's incredible how the right master-bus compression can tidy up your whole track!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Space invaders, dooms-day and the galaxy's evil empire descending
I was sitting in the living-room just now, looking at a research-show at the BBC. And suddenly I heard this huge low-freequent noise coming from above my head, like the roof was shaking! Like "wrrroooossjiihhhrrmmm....." And suddenly the windows went dark! Outside it's bright snow and sunshine behind big white clouds. You can probably imagine that I got scared there for a milli-second as the living-room went into gloom in the bright of the day, the low growl from the roof increased and the house was shaking! I had no time to reflect on what was going on as I noticed some horizontal glitches passing by in rapid speed inside the darkness outside the window. It gave the impression of thick and big blankets of clay crashing through the air to surround the foundations our house! After the initial fraction of a second with a light freak-out and combating of short-cutting of the brain to evaluate plausible escape-routes, I realized I was back in Norway again in the mid-winter. -as I haven't been for quite a few years. It was just last weeks snow-fall avalanching off the roof due to the recent mild tweak in the weather. Quite normal, and very entertaining 20 years ago! Brain-functions back to normal.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Hårreisende dårlig idrettsledelse!
Så Bjørn Einar Romøren var først utfor den nye Kollen. Anette Sagen er blid og fornøyd og synes ikke det tar glansen fra det første offisielle hoppet. Pappa’n hennes var i Japan og ble kjempesint, men får ett litt mer balansert syn etter en viss pressekonferanse og sa at Romøren ”så ut som en pisket hund.”
I ett interviuv med VG Nett sier hoppsjef Clas Brede Bråthen at ”innimellom har jeg vært i tvil om Romørens dømmekraft” uten å spesifisere, og forteller oss at Romøren (som er lei seg, hadde fått beskjed om at det skulle prøvehoppes først og har ringt Anette Sagen og bedt om unnskyldning) har gjort ett feil valg. Hoppsjef Clas Brede Bråthen drar så med seg sin syndebukk på pressekonferanse, viser ham frem for det Norske folk og forteller at nå blir det disiplinære tiltak mot ham. –mens Romøren selv ser trist og nedbrutt ut og titter i bordplaten.
Som tidligere idretts-trener lurer jeg på hva det er Bråthen tror han holder på med! Om man bedriver idrett eller næringsliv er det utenkelig å refse sine ansatte i full offentlighet om man vil bevare lagånden. Den Romøren som kommer tilbake til hopplandslaget etter utestengelsen kommer ikke til å være den samme som før. Om han ønsker å komme tilbake i det hele tatt da! Han vil enten være nedbrutt, betvile trenerens intensjoner med korrektiv kritikk og føle seg på utsiden av laget, eller være overtent på å ”ta igjen” med idrettsprestasjoner som utklasser resten av laget. Det første bringer tafatthet på trening, det andre bringer unødvendig sjanse-tagning. Ingen av løsningene bringer lag-samarbeid, men begge reduserer lagets samlede prestasjoner.
At bakken skulle prøvehoppes var planlagt. Romøren gjorde nok allikevel ett litt dårlig valg, men er villig til å ta kritikk etterpå og strekker seg langt for å rydde opp i det. Men hvem var ansvarlig i bakken? Hvem ba ham om å være prøvehopper, og hvem gav klarsignalet? Det kan se ut som man begynner i feil ende. Om man på død og liv vil fordele skyld da!
Hoppsjef Bråthen forteller oss også at det er interne regler i laget han støtter seg til når han nå utestenger Romøren. Det er det ikke noe lurt å si til en hel nasjon igjennom media! Om en domstol begynte å dømme etter interne regler hadde vi ikke hatt noen form for transparent rettergang lenger. Om vi skal informeres om dette må vi vite i klar tekst hva reglene eller forskriftene sier, ellers kan Bråthen for alt vi vet ha laget dem for anledningen.
Anette Sagen smiler som solen, Romøren er lei seg, Pappa’n til Sagen var veldig sint men har fått litt mer perspektiv (selv om litt til kunne hjelpe), og det Norske folk har nettopp fått en flott ny hoppbakke og ett fint idrettsarrangement. Den siste som er igjen av de ordentlig sinte er Bråthen som virker relativt strippet for både perspektiv, tilgivelse for en som er lei seg og kanskje viktigst av alt, fundamentale leder-egenskaper! Hvis laget og en av dets sentrale utøvere skal reise seg fra denne kneiken i den nære framtid må det mer integritet inn i ledelsen, og det betyr at Bråthen må ut! Man behandler ikke folk under sin ledelse på en slik måte og forventer framtidige lagresultater!
Romøren gjorde en vurdering som bygget på at det var planlagt prøvehopp som Sagen forøvrig ikke kunne delta på. Det ble det voldsomme reaksjoner av! Romøren har merket det. Romøren tar ansvar og beklager handlingen. Kanskje Sagens pappa hadde helt rett. Her har vi å gjøre med ”noen skikkelige drittsekker!” Eller, i hvert fall en! Gjennom dårlig lag-ledelse og nasjonal utskjelling av sin egen angrende utøver kan vi klart konstatere at Clas Brede Bråthen passer den beskrivelsen som hånd i hanske!
I ett interviuv med VG Nett sier hoppsjef Clas Brede Bråthen at ”innimellom har jeg vært i tvil om Romørens dømmekraft” uten å spesifisere, og forteller oss at Romøren (som er lei seg, hadde fått beskjed om at det skulle prøvehoppes først og har ringt Anette Sagen og bedt om unnskyldning) har gjort ett feil valg. Hoppsjef Clas Brede Bråthen drar så med seg sin syndebukk på pressekonferanse, viser ham frem for det Norske folk og forteller at nå blir det disiplinære tiltak mot ham. –mens Romøren selv ser trist og nedbrutt ut og titter i bordplaten.
Som tidligere idretts-trener lurer jeg på hva det er Bråthen tror han holder på med! Om man bedriver idrett eller næringsliv er det utenkelig å refse sine ansatte i full offentlighet om man vil bevare lagånden. Den Romøren som kommer tilbake til hopplandslaget etter utestengelsen kommer ikke til å være den samme som før. Om han ønsker å komme tilbake i det hele tatt da! Han vil enten være nedbrutt, betvile trenerens intensjoner med korrektiv kritikk og føle seg på utsiden av laget, eller være overtent på å ”ta igjen” med idrettsprestasjoner som utklasser resten av laget. Det første bringer tafatthet på trening, det andre bringer unødvendig sjanse-tagning. Ingen av løsningene bringer lag-samarbeid, men begge reduserer lagets samlede prestasjoner.
At bakken skulle prøvehoppes var planlagt. Romøren gjorde nok allikevel ett litt dårlig valg, men er villig til å ta kritikk etterpå og strekker seg langt for å rydde opp i det. Men hvem var ansvarlig i bakken? Hvem ba ham om å være prøvehopper, og hvem gav klarsignalet? Det kan se ut som man begynner i feil ende. Om man på død og liv vil fordele skyld da!
Hoppsjef Bråthen forteller oss også at det er interne regler i laget han støtter seg til når han nå utestenger Romøren. Det er det ikke noe lurt å si til en hel nasjon igjennom media! Om en domstol begynte å dømme etter interne regler hadde vi ikke hatt noen form for transparent rettergang lenger. Om vi skal informeres om dette må vi vite i klar tekst hva reglene eller forskriftene sier, ellers kan Bråthen for alt vi vet ha laget dem for anledningen.
Anette Sagen smiler som solen, Romøren er lei seg, Pappa’n til Sagen var veldig sint men har fått litt mer perspektiv (selv om litt til kunne hjelpe), og det Norske folk har nettopp fått en flott ny hoppbakke og ett fint idrettsarrangement. Den siste som er igjen av de ordentlig sinte er Bråthen som virker relativt strippet for både perspektiv, tilgivelse for en som er lei seg og kanskje viktigst av alt, fundamentale leder-egenskaper! Hvis laget og en av dets sentrale utøvere skal reise seg fra denne kneiken i den nære framtid må det mer integritet inn i ledelsen, og det betyr at Bråthen må ut! Man behandler ikke folk under sin ledelse på en slik måte og forventer framtidige lagresultater!
Romøren gjorde en vurdering som bygget på at det var planlagt prøvehopp som Sagen forøvrig ikke kunne delta på. Det ble det voldsomme reaksjoner av! Romøren har merket det. Romøren tar ansvar og beklager handlingen. Kanskje Sagens pappa hadde helt rett. Her har vi å gjøre med ”noen skikkelige drittsekker!” Eller, i hvert fall en! Gjennom dårlig lag-ledelse og nasjonal utskjelling av sin egen angrende utøver kan vi klart konstatere at Clas Brede Bråthen passer den beskrivelsen som hånd i hanske!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Leave the Crown Prince alone!
I just learned from the news something that upset me ferociously! The Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry had invited our Crown Prince to participate in a comity to advice on the future of Norwegian industry and business. While I usually have nothing good to say about the viewpoints of the mentioned Minister I thought this was an exceptionally healthy idea! It turned out though, that a mass of people from the parliament to the media deemed it un-constitutional and made a shameful fuzz about it. The so-called un-constitutional aspect is that the Monarch (in this case the future Monarch) shall not have any political power apart from the sanctioning of laws. This, however was an advisory body put together of young Norwegian business-leaders and they were going to have no decisive political power what so ever.
Our Crown Prince has His education in Governmental Science, International Trade and Development Studies, and His military- and leadership-education is from the Norwegian Navy. He has partaken in weekly counsels with various Norwegian governments since He was 18 years old, which is now 19 years ago. Since it is the practice that the Norwegian Crown Prince partakes in these weekly meetings from age 18 there are literally no living human being inside or outside the borders of Norway that has anything close to the knowledge of national matters through the years as an old regent. Our Kings have always stayed strictly up to date with all the matters of state, and our current Crown Prince already has both an experience and education most politicians can only dream about. But in addition, the Crown Prince has one last advantage that no politician could ever beat: His advice is based on experience, education and situational understanding, regardless of how He will perform at the next elections!
Questions have been raised about the constitutional aspects of the matter. Questions however, voiced chiefly though the media should by no means give direction for common practice inside any framework of laws. In the name of democracy and freedom of speech many chose to attack the decision for a Royal to serve in this particular position in society. It is sad though that where the anti-Monarchics and left-wingers (in this case even some liberals) are used to two hundred years of shouting very-very loud, there have been few voices to match them on this matter. So with a smile on his face and positive words the Crown Prince took the high road and turned down this great opportunity for Him to serve His country in an even more extensive manner. It seems like the more educated and cultivated, the lower the voice and better the manners; and the more ideologically bound and less interested in a distanced view the much much louder the voice. Forcing someone to obey you for society's general freedom is oppressing the general society. There are ways of settling disagreements like these without a big ramble through the media. Most notably inside the parliament. Especially when the arguments in this case were so clearly beneficial for the Nation of Norway.
It is funny how things can bite its own tail. Marx wanted to set us free from the forces of capital, and Royals with it, to make a governmental system that distributed the wealth of the nation evenly to the benefit of everyone. In this case, a Royal has decided to help the nation gain wealth through its industries and business-life, in a nation with an extensive taxation system and high public spending. That is; to the benefit of the common citizen. Then newspapers and other media who are not free from Marx's forces of capital, but needs to sell as many copies as possible criticizes and puts the case in a bad light so that the Crown Prince in the end steps back. Armed with a good portion of Marxist critique and another portion general business and legal knowledge it is still hard to know who the media is serving in this situation. The common good of the people? -or their own treasury?
Some dear to criticize the costs of running a Royal Castle. Some would silence the Royal Family and only let them out on national celebrations to smile at the people and not have a voice. If Royals keep silent they are met with critique that suggests they have become national money out the window. But if they serve in a position (like the one mentioned) where we get more value for the tax-money we sustain the Monarchy with, it is then supposed to be anti-demochratic and un-constitutional. The only solution by such argumentation is to become a republic. But those who want to silence the Royal Family and keep them out of the public eye are forgetting one very important thing: The constitution! For in their own chasing towards democracy and the fulfillment of the constitution they have forgotten that the very constitution they set out to serve tells us that Norway is a Monarchy. A certain level of education and cultivation teaches us to respect such matters. Anything else would be un-constitutional.
Our Crown Prince has His education in Governmental Science, International Trade and Development Studies, and His military- and leadership-education is from the Norwegian Navy. He has partaken in weekly counsels with various Norwegian governments since He was 18 years old, which is now 19 years ago. Since it is the practice that the Norwegian Crown Prince partakes in these weekly meetings from age 18 there are literally no living human being inside or outside the borders of Norway that has anything close to the knowledge of national matters through the years as an old regent. Our Kings have always stayed strictly up to date with all the matters of state, and our current Crown Prince already has both an experience and education most politicians can only dream about. But in addition, the Crown Prince has one last advantage that no politician could ever beat: His advice is based on experience, education and situational understanding, regardless of how He will perform at the next elections!
Questions have been raised about the constitutional aspects of the matter. Questions however, voiced chiefly though the media should by no means give direction for common practice inside any framework of laws. In the name of democracy and freedom of speech many chose to attack the decision for a Royal to serve in this particular position in society. It is sad though that where the anti-Monarchics and left-wingers (in this case even some liberals) are used to two hundred years of shouting very-very loud, there have been few voices to match them on this matter. So with a smile on his face and positive words the Crown Prince took the high road and turned down this great opportunity for Him to serve His country in an even more extensive manner. It seems like the more educated and cultivated, the lower the voice and better the manners; and the more ideologically bound and less interested in a distanced view the much much louder the voice. Forcing someone to obey you for society's general freedom is oppressing the general society. There are ways of settling disagreements like these without a big ramble through the media. Most notably inside the parliament. Especially when the arguments in this case were so clearly beneficial for the Nation of Norway.
It is funny how things can bite its own tail. Marx wanted to set us free from the forces of capital, and Royals with it, to make a governmental system that distributed the wealth of the nation evenly to the benefit of everyone. In this case, a Royal has decided to help the nation gain wealth through its industries and business-life, in a nation with an extensive taxation system and high public spending. That is; to the benefit of the common citizen. Then newspapers and other media who are not free from Marx's forces of capital, but needs to sell as many copies as possible criticizes and puts the case in a bad light so that the Crown Prince in the end steps back. Armed with a good portion of Marxist critique and another portion general business and legal knowledge it is still hard to know who the media is serving in this situation. The common good of the people? -or their own treasury?
Some dear to criticize the costs of running a Royal Castle. Some would silence the Royal Family and only let them out on national celebrations to smile at the people and not have a voice. If Royals keep silent they are met with critique that suggests they have become national money out the window. But if they serve in a position (like the one mentioned) where we get more value for the tax-money we sustain the Monarchy with, it is then supposed to be anti-demochratic and un-constitutional. The only solution by such argumentation is to become a republic. But those who want to silence the Royal Family and keep them out of the public eye are forgetting one very important thing: The constitution! For in their own chasing towards democracy and the fulfillment of the constitution they have forgotten that the very constitution they set out to serve tells us that Norway is a Monarchy. A certain level of education and cultivation teaches us to respect such matters. Anything else would be un-constitutional.
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