One learns something new every day...

I never thought this existed, but I'm glad it does!!

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services-Forensics Lab

Tuesday...

Seems like everyone at work is in a Tuesday-kinda-mood! Yesterday was a terrible day in terms of us at work being able to pick up the phone. There were only 3 of us working and we weren't able to answer all the incoming phonecalls. So we had to bitch about that.

The gym was attended last night, AND I went on my bike to work! So, I had better get rid of some excess weight or else!!

I am so proud of my snookums! He wrote to The Lonely Planet-crowd about Zimbabwe and part of the trip to S-Africa. They were so impressed that they sent him a voucher for a free LP book of his choice! :D Oh yeah! That's my boyfriend!

Work until 8 pm and then 2 days off... aaaah... and theeeeen (said with the obnoxious voice of the drive-thru employee in 'Dude, Where's my Car?') 3 nightshifts!

Frosningar = Forsetakosningar

Ástþór = Frosningageðveikur
Baldur = Frjólasveinn
Óli grís = Frosfeti

Why can't the icelandic nation ever try something different and go for the "mystery box"? Not go with the "loonie box" like the Peace 2000-dude, but just in general... vote for something that is an unknown entity... take a chance!!

Halejulah!

Maundy Monday

Muh! I wanna go home!!

12-hour shifts...

Blast! The weather is nice, perfect for gardening and I am stuck inside! Blast!! But I am getting paid for this.

On Saturday, Abdul and I went to check out the World Press Photo show. Fantastic photos. There is also a section there which is marked off as something sensitive people and children should not see. I went in regardless. We are so lucky to live in a country where there is no war or famine. Clean water is a guarantee. If we have any kind of ailment, we have the choice to see a doctor. I think it does us all good to put things into perspective, stop for a moment and evaluate our lives.

Wooh! Too heavy for a Monday?? Then check this link out!! The best public toilet!!!

Garden maniacs

After sleeping in, we went over to my parents' house and helped with the garden. We have now officially gotten rid of ALL freakin' creeping buttercups from the borders, wooohooooo!!!!! :D A fence has been put up, turf has been laid and redcurrant shrubs planted. It's all lookin' fine! The Abdul was very helpful, really putting his back into digging and turf-laying. Poor thing, on one of his very few days off he's put to work, doing nearly exactly the same thing as he does every day! But he's so good, I am so lucky to have such a wonderful boyfriend ;)

It's getting closer and closer to our trip... seriously, sometimes it feels like time just doesn't pass at all. But patience is a virtue. As the Great Sphinx would say, "if you cannot be patient, patience cannot be you". Also sounds like something Yoda would say! "Patience you must have!!"

The difference between tomato and tomato

Pearl did not win Best in Group, as expected. But she was gorgeous!! She did so well, I am so proud of her! Unfortunately, I do not have any photos of her
as stupid me grabbed the wrong camera and taking pics with that one would have resulted in the pictures showing up like watercolour fingerpaintings by a 5-year old. So, I did not bother. The Abdul had his and he'd better have gotten some good shots of her!! Otherwise he'll have to deal with me!!

All ye in Glastonbury, party on!!!! Hope it isn't too wet.

Perla is the best of breed!!!!

My mum's mini-schnauser Perla (a.k.a. Pearl) just won the Best of Breed title at the Kennel dog show! :D Yay for her! She did so well, she really showed herself off and mum was great with her! Now they have to go back in the afternoon and compete within the group for Best of Group. We'll see how she does. She was up against one of Tino's girlfriends, Dimma, and she didn't come close to Perla! :D Harharharhar!

Bloody wind... but at least it's not so cold. Hopefully the weather will improve so that we can go tomorrow and play tourists.

Rutger Hauer

He rocks!!!

Shitty weather, day spent trying to sleep for my next nightshift. Watched Blues Brothers (the original, of course!) and did absolutely nothing else. What a waste of a day. I'm hoping the weather will be ok tomorrow and that I'll be able to borrow a car so that Abdul and I can play tourists... Perhaps go to Hofsós (Hofsós) or Akranes...

It's getting near to midnight. Things have been slow. Which is good. Gives me more time to go over the lists of transactions.

8 hours to go...

Only 45 minutes left...

...of my nightshift. It's been the slowest EVER! Why, I do not know. All systems were working fine, the telephone was ok... so, I guess people just weren't using their cards!

one more thing...

These are fun little links, check it out to find out the size of your footprint and to learn about the Gumboots Foundation in South-Africa! :)

Safe Climate

The Gumboots Foundation

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Congratulations to Little Lord Strachan on his 2:1!! Next on his agenda, world domination! ;)

It's great to be awake on Midsummer Night. It is, however, terribly overcast and so, the daylight is lost beyond the clouds.

The past 5 hours on my night shift were spent going over a list of foreign transactions on icelandic VISA cards... oh joy. But at least it's done now.

Even though I was able to rest for an hour and half before my nightshift, I am still bloody tired. Only 7 hours to go... Hopefully it will be a slow night and I can watch the Simpsons uninterrupted. :)

For those who don't know... according to Icelandic folklore, if one rolls naked in the dew that has collected over the night on Midsummer it ensures great health. I heard an English folklore once and according to that, if a couple wants to start a family, the best way to ensure conception is to climb on top of a hill in Dorset where the Romans carved the Giant of Cerne Abbas in the ground, and make love on top of the giant's genitals. Check out this link: The Giant of Cerne Abbas. I went there and saw the giant in 1997, it was quite a sight! Cerne Abbas is also a village well worth visiting. It's a beautiful, picturesque village set in the rolling Dorset hills. Dorset is truly a beautiful county.

Pause for thought... I wonder, when does men's body hair start turning gray?

Now, I shall go watch Space Cowboys and think about my oh-so-handsome boyfriend, who is sound asleep now at home.

A sunny afternoon....

I had the Monday and Tuesday off work, so mum and I just played in the garden in the fantastic weather :) We planted, we dug, we clipped, we cut... and then, the best part! We went and bought some more plants for her garden! It's coming along nicely, but it's hard work getting it there! The garden was just left to do its own thing over the course of several years. So, weeds have really overtaken everything.

On the Monday evening, my friend Beggó dragged my ass out and we hiked one of the low fells around Reykjavik. Beautiful view, great fun, but a lot of huffing and puffing on my part. My significant other and mum's two dogs were along as well, and we all had a great time :) With the weather so amazing, how can you not?! I even managed to get a bit sunburnt on my back! I guess I was too busy with my nose down the dirt to even notice. Never mind!

Two night-shifts coming up... eugh. I hope I'll be able to maintain focus and stay awake. But then I'll have Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, so that will be great! Hopefully the weather will be ok, so that I can do something outdoors.

Well, must rest before tonight's battle.

Bzzzzz...???

Why is our part of the world (the west) the only part that doesn't use insects as a source of protein? Not that long ago we didn't eat lobster and shrimps because they were foreign-looking and we feared them! Now it's considered a delicacy. What's wrong with frying up a bunch of bamboo-larvae and crunching away with some soy sauce and noodles?! If it came down to starving or snacking on a beetle or two, would we starve?? Naah....

Yo!

Listen, I know someone is reading my page, 'cause the counter says it! So y'all better go fixin' to write in my guestbook or leave a comment, you lazy so-and-so's!!!

Saturday schmatturday

Nothing beats waking up on a saturday morning at 7 am, knowing you won't be back home for another 13 hours. :( Oh well, at least I'm getting paid. And as luck would have it, my beloved is home today!! Not fair! We never get to spend any time together because of our jobs. But it's all done for a good cause, Le Trip!! :) Woohoo! And, of course, for our time in CA. ;)

The "system" has been down since I came to work. I'm always pretty nervous when that happens, as there is very little I can do if there is an emergency or I need to authorise or close cards. Guess there's nothing else to do but wait while the computer guys fix it, and watch a B/W movie on MGM with the GORGEOUS Paul Newman (in his much younger days) and music by Duke Ellington! I think the movie is called Paris Nights. It's promising.

Check this out!!

"The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites or women for men." -Alice Walker

17th June Independence Day

Yesterday was a gorgeous day with a slightly less violent agenda than the movie "Independence Day". The sky was blue, the sun was shining... and the gale-force winds from the north blew skirts and hair everywhere. My friend Pálína and her daughter invited me to spend the day with them and we went to the "Húsdýra- and fjölskyldugarður", the local petting-zoo. It was a wonderful day and the experience was heightened by having the cutest 2-year old in town with us! She seemed to enjoy it as much as we did, although I think the zenith of her experience was to have an ice cream :) Going home was very difficult, the little bit didn't want to leave, despite several bribery attempts by her mother (Lína Langsokkur / Pippi Longstocking is THE thing today!).
Abdul and I were later that evening invited to Pálína's and Jökul's for icelandic meat soup! A very good and hearty meal on the 60th anniversary of our republic :)

I just got a phonecall from my friend Pálína and she just told me something very pleasant(she knows what it is)! Woohoo!! :D I am so happy!!

Piggies

I NEED A GUINEA PIG!!!! :(

Painkillers and antibiotics not as harmless as one might think!

Read this, very spooky!

Stephen Johnson Syndrome

A new militia-state??

It seems the US is doing everything in its power to keep foreign travellers from entering the country. They are making it as difficult for them as they legally can. Various rumors have been going around the icelandic society about immigration officers in the US "harrassing" Icelandic tourists in all forms, from trying to confiscate their fur coats to interrogating them and strip-searching. It seems the land of diversity, the free and brave is no longer so ameable towards their own multicultural heritage. The US was originally built by immigrants from all over the world. They have so far prided themselves of being the most diverse society in the world, and rightly so. Things have changed. To an outsider, like myself, it seems as if foreigners are being targeted by overzealous security measures and their privacy being invaded as much as is legally allowed. In my mind, the US is no longer the open, welcoming country it once was. It's very unfortunate that the political policy of a handful of extremists can affect the overall perception of a country as large as the US. But thankfully, most of the residents maintain their welcoming and open-minded spirit towards anyone who wants to experience their multifarious country. Let's hope the general public will speak their mind in the coming elections and boot the tyrant named Bush :)

FYI: US fingerprints 'allied' visitors

My travel webpage

My travel webpage

Which Buffy-girl am I??

Which Buffy Girl Are You? Find out @ She's Crafty

Which Sex and the City character am I??

Which Sex and the City Player Are You? Find out @ She's Crafty

Primogeniture

Aaaah, yes... the seniority by birth among children of the same family is wonderful >:-) The perks are numerous!

Fólk er fífl!!! / People are stupid!!!

Mér finnst fáránleg umræða og fáránlegt viðhorf hjá sumum að konur sem eru ekki ljóshærðar með blá augu séu ekki íslendingar og hafa því engan rétt að ganga í íslenska þjóðbúningnum. HVAÐ ER AÐ?! Hvað með 2. kynslóð innflytjenda??? Hvað með börn sem voru ættleidd hingað af íslenskum foreldrum?? Er skilgreining á íslendingi hvort hann sé með dökka húð eður ei? Hvað með íslendinga sem eiga t.d. bandarískt foreldri, eða spánskt... eru bara með smá-dökka húð?? HRMFPH!!! Ég skil ekki svona viðhorf. Skammarlegt að það sé til svona fólk hérna.

xenophobia dauðans.

I think this discussion and attitude about women with dark skin should not wear our national costume is absolutely retarded! Who says Icelanders are only with blond hair and blue eyes??!! What is the problem???!!! What about second generation of immigrants?? What about children that have been adopted to Iceland? Is there some ultimate definition of an Icelander that says that they do not have dark hair and skin? What about Icelanders that have children with e.g. Americans or Spanish or something... and the children have just a little bit of a dark skin?? GAAAA!!! I don't understand that kind of attitude. I'm ashamed that we have these kinds of narrow-minded people amidst us.

The ultimate xenophobia.

Abdul's world

create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide

My world

These are the countries I will have visited by the end of August this year, woohoo!



create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide

The golden circle of life

The past few days have been busy, I had a couple of friends over from old Blighty and of course we had to see "the best of Iceland" :) I had a great time, I hope they did, too. We chilled in Reykjavík on the Friday, absorbed the local culture and stranger, more foreign cultures (some Swedes doing something naughty to the pavement!), and generally enjoyed ourselves in the beautiful weather.

Saturday and Sunday were a bit wetter. T'was a shame, as the Golden Circle isn't quite as "golden" when the weather is gray and cold. But the Blue Lagoon never lets anyone down! We soaked our tired and cold muscles for hours on end, wallowed in the silica-mud and my dear friends treated all three of us to a 10 minute-massage... OHMYGOD! What pleasure!! I recommend it to all, pamperers and non-pamperers. We all concluded, after the massage, that it's one of the bare-essentials in life to have a massage at least several times a week. Who needs food and shelter, anyways, when one can blissfully float through life between the soft fingers of a skilled viking-massage therapist?!! :)

Monday came, as it always does, and I am back at work. I am trying to sort out a booking for a flight between Istanbul and Budapest for our trip in August. This will be the final leg of the journey. I can hardly wait for August to come! :)

Well, nose back to the grindstone...

Dumle

This is my new blog, I am going to write in english to enable my foreign admirers to follow my personal discoveries and crumbs of invaluable knowledge which I might share with the world.