Pioneer DVD

DV-575A

This is my newest baby. It plays EVERYTHING!!
The thing I am most happy about at the moment is the DivX playback. Finally I don't have to crank up my PC and its wireless connection to the TV to see movies and TV shows from the US.

WarGames

I am at home with a cold and I have just watched War Games from 1983 on DVD.

I just love Matthew Broderick, and watching this movie took me back to the 80’s again.

The screenshot above is from the ending, when the computer Joshua realizes that there is no winning part at a nuclear war.

Ally Sheedy, who also plays in the movie, reminds me of a girl I knew at High School when I was an exchange student to Nashville in 1986/87. Maybe I shall write more about High School in a later post? I believe I am many, many years overdue to go back and visit my old friends in the USA.

Nice, Cote d'Azur

Had four nice days in Nice and Monaco. Temperatures around 17 degrees and mostly sunny.

The picture above is from Le Chateau looking down on old Nice and Promenade des Anglais.

Nice facing East

The beach is made up of small stones

Cap Ferrat from Le Chateau

Bassin Lympia from Le Chateau, Eastern parts of Nice

Cathèdrale Orthodoxe Russe

From a walk in the mountains above Nice

Hotel Negresco

Monaco

Casino Monte-Carlo

Monte Carlo Park, Monaco

NICE (the city)

I got a sunburn today as I fell asleep on the beach.

No Space Available

I am sitting at home looking at flights out of Oslo tomorrow. I was hoping to find a flight to Southern parts of Europe to take a few days vacation. However they all seem to be fully booked due to the Easter.

I guess I shall just have to go to Oslo and start trying to get on the first one that leaves - and then just walk to the next flight if I can't get on it.

The TV News

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with the news - but is a snapshot view towards south from the city of Bodo today.

The TV news however: Don't get me started. Today the 4 first minutes was dedicated to some Norwegian who won a gold medal at biathlon. They aired her friends singing their little hastily composed hymn to her, the reporter (?) getting a cream cake at him and some other nonsense. I say - there must be more important events going on in the world. The Norwegian news are getting more and more like cheap tabloids.

Norwegian

Norwegian

. 

Stewart Clark, an Englishman living in Norway, has collected English bloopers from Norway and other places of the world, and published them in a book. It is primarily written for Norwegians since many words have quite a different meaning in Norwegian than in English.

Since I travel a lot I fancy those from hotels, like these:

“Contact the concierge immediately for informations. Please don’t wait last minutes then it would be to late to arrange any inconveniences.” Hotel in India

“Visitors are expected to complain at the office between 9 and 11 daily” Hotel in Athens


Some are outright confusing like this one from Japan:

“1:about the window in the guest room It isn’t possible that it is possible to open a window at the guest room (On the safetyr)

2:about the laundering The wash becomes a finish the evening tomorrow at the front desk until 7 o’clock at night of the day. (I becomes the evening tomorrow in the morning even if it has)."


And some are about as good in English as I am. This one is from an ad in Moscow Times:

“Bet us your letter of business translation do. Every people in our staffing know English like the hand of their back. Up to the minute wise-street phrases, don’t you know, old boy.”

Last Week

I brought my camera with me to work this time. Unfortunately the weather was hazy all over Europe, but I am posting some of them anyway – just because I remembered to bring the camera. :-)


Paris.
Air Canada starting its take off roll.

Somewhere over Holland

London Heatrow Airport.

To the left you can see Runway 27L and to the right Runway 27R with the terminal building in between.

The runways are named after their magnetic heading. Thus 27L means that that you are landing toward 270 degrees magnetic - and L stands for Left runway.

Lysefjord, Southwestern Norway

Oslo

London City

During approach to Oslo Gardermoen Airport.

Off To Work

I am going to Oslo tonight to start work tomorrow morning.

I have been unlucky with my scheduling “lotto” bids this time. Five one day slings out of Oslo. This means 5 nights at Oslo hotels for me.

Tomorrow morning I’m flying to London and back – spending 2h 40m at Oslo Airport - and then a roundtrip to Stockholm. A total work day of 13hours and 10minutes – not counting any delays. And then four more days…

Luckily I have 32 days off when I finish on Sunday afternoon. :-) Hurray!

Cleaning Out My Closet

Literally. That’s what I did yesterday. Three big, black garbage plastic bags with clothes.

Amazing how much stuff that fills up my closets. But now I have done a real job emptying out a bunch of old ties, suits (as good as new), jackets, pants, sweaters, belts – you name it. Even some brand new shirts, still in their plastic wrappings had to go. It feels kind of good having gone through everything. I still have a lot of stuff, but I see that I have to buy myself some new pants.
I drove the bags to a recycling place. The man there told me they shipped everything to Oslo, and from there to Romania where there was some kind of big reception that sorted the clothes and shipped them to areas where they were needed. (No warm winter jackets to Africa).

I hope their new owners will be happy.