A Rainy Night at Frogner

Guilty - George Shearing

One of my favorite things to do when I'm alone on a rainy evening is going for walks to Frogner. People in Oslo like to say that Frogner is the place where the rich, old ladies drink their ports in expensive apartments. I like to think it's a place full of unexplored gems, hidden quietly in the shop-windows and entrance halls inside those old buildings. I love to peek inside them and listening to this song.

A Little Update

This last week, when my guy was at sea and I had a (so-called) blog-brake, I had my first real work week as a sales consultant on a call center. I am getting used to feeling like a trembling mess by lunch, either in a happy way when getting a sale, or terrified by evil customers screaming at me. I think these reactions say more about me then they do about the job.

Apart from enjoying evenings at one of the islands near by, I've been celebrating my best friend's graduation and I've been painting and reading. (And did you notice something different with this blog lately?) Analog shots from it all will soon be posted!


It all feels the way summer should feel like. How has your summer been so far?

At Sea

When Sigurd told me that he experienced dolphins swimming alongside the boat, with the sky completely covered in stars and with fluorescent plancton all around, I realized how mind blowing his sailing trip must have been. His pictures from the beautiful coasts and sunsets in Spain and Portugal give me the goosebumps. 

I know for sure now that I will join him next time. 

Humbled

I've had my first real workday today, and I feel pretty much like the flower on this picture. I'm not saying that being a sales consultant at a call center is a bad job. But it definitely is a hard one. I can't recall a single time that I've been treated like a complete idiot in any of my previous summer jobs. That is why I'm shocked when people that call in have already decided for themselves that I deserve to be treated like one. 


Gosh. Why can't people be a little more civil? 

A Sailing Adventure

My guy is going to Màlaga tomorrow for a one-week sailing adventure. I'm super excited for him (and a little jealous, of course). Since my camera is going with him I'm taking the opportunity to do a tiny blog brake, or maybe post some analog shots from my Pentax Spotmatic taken the last month if I'll get them developed in time.

Hopefully he will come back safe and sound with lot of sailing experience. I can't wait for his stories and pictures.

Longer Days

Although the summer hasn't quite set foot in Oslo, the white nights are clearly sneaking upon us. Yesterday I started my summer job as a sales consultant. It's obviously nothing fancy at all, but I'm so happy that I'm staying with Sigurd in this wonderful city for the summer without being concerned about money. I also love the fact that some of my best friends are living in town and that the beaches with their warm, salty breezes are only a bike ride away.

What I love about being home...

1) Passing that huge, old tree that grows not far away from where I used to grow up as a child. You just can't avoid noticing it, especially during the winter.   

2) & 3) Flowers. And the garden being full of them.

4) Having the time to bake the simplest rhubarb pie with my mom. And eat it all in one day. 

Cabin Trip

This weekend me and three of my besties from school went on a cabin trip. These usually involve a lot of catching up, absurd jokes, mountain hikes and eating ridiculous amounts of dinner/ desserts by candle light. We made delicious garliced scampi with vegetables. 

I love breathing the fresh mountain air and spending the best of times with friends that I can be totally myself around. The atmosphere of my friends' cabin is so captivating that it makes anything else than living in the present, pretty much impossible.

Home

"There is just no such thing as working hard and not achieving any results." These are the wise words of my mom I have lived by the last couple of weeks. Even though you never know what the results will be for those four hour exams that are supposed to account for an entire semester of work with one subject, I'm pretty sure that I will pass them all.

I'm finally celebrating the fact that I've finished my exams with a weekend at my mom's place. I can't think of any time I've needed it more than now.

Float

Some months ago I joined my friend Supal's Art to Inspiration project, a monthly project everyone can sign up to and share their interpretations of a paining. I couldn't find the time time to participate in it before last week, ironically when my exams had started. I'm so glad I did, however. This month's painting was Jill Ricci's Float. It is feminine, organic and has all the elements that I love to look at. 

I really had not much time to go all the way I wanted with my interpretation (and when I started to layer varnish over the painting it got pretty messy), but I got to try out designing patterns and improvising a little with the effects on the canvas. It was such a great process to find more ideas and to just play around.

And did I mention that you can join too?

This Week...

I admired beautiful front yards in Oslo, and dreamed of living an apartment. 

I listened to the cutest guy playing Billy Jean on ukulele. 

I went back to Bergen for another exam, finding everything pretty much in the same state as when I left. I tasted the best carrot cake ever at Cafe Aura. 

I have one trip to Bergen and one exam left.