Shad

Went up to Lillihammer today. About 2 1/2 hours north of Oslo. It was the location of the Winter Olympics a couple of years back. Lovely little town. Very cold. Managed to catch the last hour of the National Cross Country Ski Championships. Big fun. Pictures to come…

Walking home from work last week

I think I’m finally starting to adjust to my new reality. One that’s 6-9 hours ahead of nearly everyone I know. I still don’t really know many people here, and unfortunately, everyone on my team is quite a bit older than I am. Some of them have been on this project since 1985 (that’s right, I was 7 when they started building this product).

My first task here is to find an apartment. I have an appointment on Monday morning to see a place that’s just outside the city. It’s walking distance to the office and overlooks Oslo Fjord (that’s right, it’s on the water… nice). I had kind of wanted to live inside the city, but this might be a pretty good deal. And I can always hop on a train and be in the city in a matter of 10 minutes, so not a big deal.

So what’s the first week been like? Well, the office building that we’re in is pretty nice. Troux actually only purchased 1/2 of Computas: the products division. We still share the building with the consulting side of the company. But everyone seems to congregate at lunch as if it’s one big company. I still really don’t even know who works for which company.

My office is not too big, but certainly larger than my cube in Austin. I have a window that overlooks… well… the other half of the building, so that’s not great. I might move to a new office if one becomes available on the side that faces the road. The only bad thing is that people seem to congregate right outside my window to smoke… so I feel a bit self conscious sitting and working while they’re smoking. Maybe I should start smoking. Would be a great way to meet people… okay, maybe not.

Today was my first day to actually get out and see some of the city. I have to say, Oslo is really beautiful. The harbor area is about a 10 minute walk south of my hotel and it’s amazing. Lots to see. I’ve also lots of statues around the city. Kind of a cool thing. The harbor is actually Oslo Fjord. From Oslo, you’re sort of looking down the length of it. Off in the distance, you can sort of make out the shore stretching off on the left and right of the water.

Afterwards, I headed over to the fortress. It sits on top of a little hill that overlooks both Oslo and the Fjord. The fortress was used as an interment camp during the second World War by the Nazis. I spent 30 kr (about $5) to see the “Norwegian Resistance” museum. Very interesting. Then some shopping near Oslo Central Station. There were a TON of people out shopping and enjoying the afternoon. I didn’t really find anything to buy, but I did have a nice time looking. I even ducked into a pub for a pint before heading back to the hotel for a well deserved nap.

Tomorrow… Lillehammer to watch some skiing!

I got a phone today!! It’s pretty much exactly the same phone that Katie & Mark have. I was given a choice of a couple and decided to go with what I know. It’s got a camera on it and I’m pretty sure people can text me for the normal price (which is really nice).

In other news… um… there’s really no other news. I’m gonna try and get some pictures up this weekend at some point. And I’m looking at an apartment on Monday. Hopefully all will go well. I’m getting really tired of the hotel (even though I do get free salmon for breakfast every morning).

Technically, my phone works (sort of). I can get text messages without any real problem it seems. I have not received any phone calls and I probably wouldn’t pick up if I did. To use my phone costs about $1.50/min. That’s a bit price for me right now.

My email works perfectly. Also, comments made here also get emailed directly to me, so if you have something to say that you think everyone would enjoy hearing, go for it.

I’m getting a new mobile phone here in a couple of days. My understanding is that it should be much less expensive for me to call the states with it. I don’t know how expensive calling cards for here would be. If anyone finds one that’s cheap, post the details in a comment or email them to me directly.

• A French movie, staring an American Actor, with Norsk subtitles
• An American movie, staring a French actress, with Norsk subtitles
• A crazy sport that seems to be an odd mix of Basketball and Soccer
• That “OC” episode where the Mother comes back and gets drunk at the party… dubbed into Norsk.
• CNN Europe… in English… no subtitles.
• That CSI where these guys shoot up a department store… subtitles again
• This weird commercial that creeps me out. A young woman with two mouths (side by side) that are speaking in unison… while chewing gum… messed up. No subtitles, but I’m super curious to know what she’s saying.

Here in Norway, it seems that people do not go out for lunch every day. It is part of the culture that a meal is served by the company and everyone eats together at the same time. So each day, about 11:45, everyone gathers together in the little cafeteria space and eats. It’s quite nice. Kind of feels like a family dinner. All the bowls are just set out on a table and people line up to serve themselves.

Salads, green-house tomatoes, salmon, mackerel in different sauces, prosciutto, hard salami, ham, fresh baked bread, Swiss cheese, Brie, brown waxy cheese product, Muenster, canned olives (green & black), capers, pineapple rings , and an assortment of sauces

The food is good, but there’s really not much diversity. It’s pretty much exactly the same everyday. But then, I was eating at Thundercloud Subs 2-3 times a week in Austin, so it’s really about the same… but cheaper… for once.

For your information:

• Smoked Salmon… Mmmmmmm
• My job here is going to be very challenging
• I got a 3 month Mass Transit pass this morning. Gets me all over Oslo. All I do is flash the card. It’s even got my picture on it.
• A couple of guys here are about to head to Austin. If you have any ideas for things they should do/see while there, gimme a shout.
• The ratio of people to cars is interesting. Basically, everyone walks everywhere. You can easily find a parking space on the street in downtown Oslo. Actually, often times, you can’t see any cars driving on a street. Imagine being in Times Square and not seeing any cars anywhere but hundreds of people milling about. Now replace the television screens and advertisements with 19th century architecture and a Palace.
• Did I mention that it’s really expensive here?

All in all, I’m doing really well. My body is finally starting to get on a relatively normal cycle. Last night I woke up and thought, “Crap, it’s time to get up and go to work already! Where did the night go!” Then I rolled over and looked at the clock and realized that I’d only been in bed about an hour or so. Then I couldn’t get back to sleep for some time. Hopefully I’ll be back on a normal-ish schedule soon.

For your information:

1. English - Everyone here speaks it. Sometimes they speak it to each other. Sometimes one person will speak english while the other speaks Norsk. It can be hard to keep up when you only understand half of the conversation.
2. Bathroom stall doors go all the way to the floor. Neat.
3. It’s 27 degrees outside and they’re talking about what great weather they’re having.
4. Hard salami & smoked salmon seems to be the meal of choice. I had this for both breakfast and lunch today. Also, there’s also this odd traditional Norwegian cheese (by)product. It’s both sweet and waxy. Not many foods you can say that about.
5. Everything is expensive. 20 oz. Cokes run about $3 out of the machine.
6. Dusk seems to be around 4:15pm.
7. Did I mention that the Salmon was really good? Well, it is.
8. There is no Norsk word for “Please”. Nor is there really a word for the sentiment of “You’re welcome”.

Well, I’m finally in Oslo. It took 25 hours of solid travel, but I made it. Aside from cancellations, delays, 5 hour layovers & getting 3 bags, a hiking pack and a banjo from the train to the taxi without a cart… it was pretty uneventful.

I’m a little tired now, so I think I’m going to go to bed… right after a hard earned shower.