I have been buying dvds like mad lately. In fact, I have been doing a bit of retail therapy, buying stuff in general like mad. Except clothing, which is the only thing I really need. I need sandals and new shoes for wearing to work and some more clothes, especially tops, suitable for work, but the choice in the shops at the moment is dire. I can hardly find a single item I want at full price, let alone on sale (and I object to buying clothes at full price on principle).

I need to go shopping in a sensible manner this weekend. At least I can get to IKEA and get some shelving for the hallway so that I can get the shoes that I already have sorted out. My hallway is tiny, so the “a pile on the floor” solution I have at the moment tends to block at best one door, at worst three. Not very practical. I have been wondering what to do about it as most of the shelving units meant for keeping shoes on are A. expensive, B. take about 3 pairs only, and C. are dead ugly. Luckily, I visited Linda a week or two ago and discovered that she has niftily installed a 226cm Ivar section in her hallway to keep shoes on. It’s brilliant. It keeps lots of shoes. It can also keep hats and mittens and scarves and such. And, best of all, whenever I move and get a hallway where there is actually proper room for storage, I can move the Ivar section into the (hopefully larger) living room and get even more room for books, as that is the shelving system I have there already (at the moment I also have Ivar in the kitchen, it is so flexible it is perfect for temporary solutions as well as permanent ones. And it packs flat. Lovely. Effusive, what do you mean, effusive?).

I could also do with a computer, but somehow it does not seem like such a brilliant idea to go impulse shopping for computers. I need to do some planning… I need a reasonably large hard-disk and some power, enough for speedy web and for dealing with several programmes open at once. As Tetris is the only game I really enjoy, I don’t need brilliant sound and 3d rendering and all that stuff, really, though if I want to take digital photography seriously at some point, I suppose I could do with a good graphics card. Anyone have any suggestions for what I should really be looking for? I don’t want to spend a fortune. Answers on a postcard, please…

Hurrah! Time for lunch!

Music in my head: Waterloo (Abba)

Ok, picture this: I walk into Platekompaniet on Saturday, dressed in my nice new cloak/cape and a long dark green skirt in velvet, looking pretty much as if I would rather like a part as an extra in the next Harry Potter movie (which I would, I always like to project an accurate image to the world), and ask if they have any copies of Highway 61 Revisited left as I can’t see any on the stand. They have one left, I say, fine, I’ll have that. Could I have the new Shakira single as well, please? (It’s the first CD single I’ve ever purchased – I doubt whether I’ll want the album, see.)

Incongruent? Moi? No, just eclectic.

Tried to buy No Logo yesterday (thought I’d see what the fuss is about), but they only had the Norwegian translation. There will be other chances, I’m sure.

Music in my head: well, what do you think?

Just read fauxhemian and John referred to a new “game” using google – you do a search on the phrase “Robin is” (substitute your own name for Robin, dummy), to get some sort of webby fortune told (hm, maybe I should try with “Robin will be” too?). Had a go with both Robin and Ragnhild, the first yielded:

Robin is going to be teaching Beginning Bryce online At the Eclectic Academy starting in January
Robin is currently Community Development Producer at Granada Broadband
Robin is a prolific composer
Robin is a fourth-generation Californian on both sides
Robin is wired…
Robin is in her salad days

Which is mostly new to me, but at least the last item led me to a new (to me) blog which looks interesting.

The results for Ragnhild were on the whole much weirder…:

Ragnhild er utstyrt med to motorer på hele 26.656 HK (Ragnhild is fitted with two engines of all of 26.656 HK)
Ragnhild er en av to fiolinister (Ragnhild is one of two violinists)
Ragnhild er en praktfull enebolig som befinner seg i toppskiktet blant tømmerhus (Ragnhild is a wonderful detached house which is in the top-end of wooden houses)

Norwegian… Weird.

Music in my head: Chain Reaction (Diana Ross)

Cool, scientists have discovered two new species of monkey.

Right ho. Another week. Incidentally my last week in this job. New job begins next Monday. Quite exited, really.

The weekend was good. Like having Kjetil visiting. Went shopping Saturday and actually dared visit Mitt Skattkammer. I normally avoid the shop because the clothes are way too nice and also way too heftily priced for my wallet (but of course that doesn’t stop me being tempted). However, considering current financial situation I figured I could brave it. Glad I did, too. Got a lovely cloak/cape thingy in black crushed velvet at half price and am totally in love with it. Unfortunately not the sort of thing I can wear every day, not for fear of looking eccentric (never bothered me much) but because it does not go well with backpacks, and backpacks are my favourite way of carrying stuff about (like books). Will attempt to get picture up soon. Also got Highway 61 Revisited on sale for 49 nok at Platekompaniet (best recordshop in Norway, no question), go me.

Music in my head: Don’t even think about it (Shania Twain)

Do you often find it hard to keep hold of your toothbrush? Do you have to pick it up from the floor, rinse it off properly and start again with new toothpaste repeatedly every time you attempt to brush your teeth?

No?

Well, me neither. The toothbrush manufacturers seem to think this is a major problem for most people, though. Haven’t you noticed how they go on about how their newest model has an “improved secure grip”, which, naturally, is even more “ergonomically correct” than last year’s model?

Just a thought.

Music in my head: Well, music… “We are tough, and we are mean — Rimmer’s Z Shift gets things clean” is echoing up there (Owing, I suppose, to having read Red Dwarf over breakfast.)

Kjetil arrived for a visit last night. He figured that to have any credibility as a student of art history he probably ought to visit some of the museums in Oslo (such as the National Gallery…), so he’ll be busy enough. Hopefully I’ll get some money by the weekend (I should, but you never know), so that I can buy my baby brother a drink or two (ok, he’s 20 years old, all right?). In the meantime we’ll have to eat at home and watch dvds from my collection or the library rather than go to the cinema.

Went to get my blood tested to see if I will be allowed to give blood yesterday. When I was there in October my heamoglobin count was high enough, but my reserves of iron were at 6, and they should be at between 10 and 100, apparently. So I was told to eat a few four inch nails (the equivalent in pill form, anyway) and come back later. I hope it’s gone up a bit. I like giving blood. Makes me feel useful. Anyway, I got a nice backpack just for showing up (in Norway you get recompensated for showing up, theoretically to pay for petrol or tram tickets or whatever, and you can choose to take money or a thingymagig with the “Give Blood” message on or to donate the money to some good cause or other), which made me happy. Not hard to please, am I?

Music in my head: The MASH theme.

Yikes. Giant moth-thing has invaded my flat. I don’t really mind moths, actually, but this is big enough to make me majorly jump whenever it swoops into sight. Here’s to hoping it finds its own way out the window (which I keep open at night, fresh air and all that, you know), rather than invite a couple of its friends in for a party.

Ah, well, I prefer moths over bees/wasps any day. As long as it doesn’t get too crowded.

I think I’ll call him (it might be a her, well, never mind) Fitzwilliam.

Music in the room: A Little Time (Beautiful South)

Celebrating new job today. Had a half bottle of Veuve Cliquot. Nice. Still have no money, but situation likely to change soon. Not soon enough for my major spending impulse, though, but maybe that’s just as well, as I can actually sit down and consider what to spend money on before I have any to spend rather than after having spent it all. I.e. which dvds to buy first. Also, need new glasses. Need new clothes for wearing to work. Need new shoes (sandals! and for wearing to work). Also owe a couple of people some serious drinks.

Also: Can now afford to go to Speyside autumn festival. Go me!

Am majorly stressed out about new job, though. That’s the way it goes, I suppose. It’ll be allright, I’m sure. At least I’m pretty sure I didn’t tell them anything that wasn’t at least sort of true and I only exaggerated a tiny little bit (hey, you’re supposed to exaggerate in interviews, right?), so they should be prepared (yeah, right) for the real me. I think.

Music in the room: Deg være ære (Sigvard Dagsland – psalm in Norwegian)

Looks like I got the job! Whoohoooooo! Yippeeeee! etc.

More details to follow.

Music in my head: The Tigger Song