Just as we were heading out the door this morning, Kaleb informed me that he was sick. I guess he was trying his hardest NOT to be, as he loves school and hates to miss it, but he just couldn’t muster up the strength to ride his bike all the way there. Plan B kicked in and I stayed home with him since Kory had already left for work. I needed this day at school too as we were going to review for the big test tomorrow, but duty calls. Kaleb had a headache and a sore throat and a little fever. He just laid on the couch and watched DVDs all day and I used the time to wrap Christmas presents, prepare some things for his upcoming birthday party and play with my new “toy” (a piece of software.)
Last night, Henrik, the younger teenage boy in the Bondevik home, installed a program on my computer that allows me to see American television programs. I know it’s totally contrary to my aversion to TV, but I really like watching “The Office” and I can’t get it here. The networks put their shows on their websites for free, but for some reason, only to U.S. audiences. Computers, being what they are, can be identified as out of the country, so I have not been able to watch that show over the internet since we got here. (Watching it over the internet was the only way I could watch it in Mt. Vernon too because we didn’t get TV reception there either.) So I was left hanging in the lurch when we left the country… did Jim ever ask Pam to marry him? I could stand the suspense no more, and since Henrik told me he had a solution to my problem, I got to watch the season premiere and all subsequent episodes! Oh happy day. Kory isn’t thrilled with my double standard, but I told him it’s now only 22 minutes a week and it’s a pain to download it, so it’s not like I’ll sit for hours in front of my computer watching TV shows (but I do sit in front of it for hours doing other things.) Regardless, my life just got sweeter. I don’t know why, but that show reminds me so much of my years working for the phone company….
Kory worked out in Langevaag today - his old hometown (see photo – he was working just behind the big white building near the edge of the water across the fjord). It was a cold and rainy day but he didn’t complain (he’s working hard on not doing that anymore.) Tonight he’s been working on a drawing of downtown Aalesund. I’m going to have a lot of “local” art by the time this year is done. Hallelujah!
While at home today Kaleb and I listened to the street in front of our house being blown up with dynamite. It’s not just the houses where we live where the ground is sinking – it’s sinking everywhere around here and causing the water pipes to break. Several houses across the street from us have had flooded basements as a result. One woman, who has now been displaced from her home because of it, was upset with the Aalesund Kommune that they weren’t replacing ALL the pipes in the street when they broke. I guess the original pipes were installed in 1967 and there have been no upgrades since that time. Even after all the water line breaks, the Kommune had no plans to replace the pipes so the woman most upset by the damage done to her house went down to the local newspaper and made quite a case for herself. She was in the news for several days running a few weeks ago, and by Friday of that week the Kommune said they would do something. The very next Monday they were on our street, ripping it up. Kory and I couldn’t believe they acted so quickly. It may not be a democratic society here but the squeaky wheel sure gets the grease! And now, since they need to lay new pipes, they have to blast out a new spot to put them. So all day today we were listening to alarms and dynamite blasting. Blasting is the first step in any kind of construction around here. In fact, we even watched one neighbor blasting out rocks in his front yard where he wanted to put some steps. They sell home dynamite kits for just such occasions. Big boy toys, for sure. (Jason, you’d LOVE them!)
It’s nearly 11pm and I realized I didn’t even go outside once today, not even to get the mail. I guess I was just too busy at “The Office.”
Last night, Henrik, the younger teenage boy in the Bondevik home, installed a program on my computer that allows me to see American television programs. I know it’s totally contrary to my aversion to TV, but I really like watching “The Office” and I can’t get it here. The networks put their shows on their websites for free, but for some reason, only to U.S. audiences. Computers, being what they are, can be identified as out of the country, so I have not been able to watch that show over the internet since we got here. (Watching it over the internet was the only way I could watch it in Mt. Vernon too because we didn’t get TV reception there either.) So I was left hanging in the lurch when we left the country… did Jim ever ask Pam to marry him? I could stand the suspense no more, and since Henrik told me he had a solution to my problem, I got to watch the season premiere and all subsequent episodes! Oh happy day. Kory isn’t thrilled with my double standard, but I told him it’s now only 22 minutes a week and it’s a pain to download it, so it’s not like I’ll sit for hours in front of my computer watching TV shows (but I do sit in front of it for hours doing other things.) Regardless, my life just got sweeter. I don’t know why, but that show reminds me so much of my years working for the phone company….
Kory worked out in Langevaag today - his old hometown (see photo – he was working just behind the big white building near the edge of the water across the fjord). It was a cold and rainy day but he didn’t complain (he’s working hard on not doing that anymore.) Tonight he’s been working on a drawing of downtown Aalesund. I’m going to have a lot of “local” art by the time this year is done. Hallelujah!
While at home today Kaleb and I listened to the street in front of our house being blown up with dynamite. It’s not just the houses where we live where the ground is sinking – it’s sinking everywhere around here and causing the water pipes to break. Several houses across the street from us have had flooded basements as a result. One woman, who has now been displaced from her home because of it, was upset with the Aalesund Kommune that they weren’t replacing ALL the pipes in the street when they broke. I guess the original pipes were installed in 1967 and there have been no upgrades since that time. Even after all the water line breaks, the Kommune had no plans to replace the pipes so the woman most upset by the damage done to her house went down to the local newspaper and made quite a case for herself. She was in the news for several days running a few weeks ago, and by Friday of that week the Kommune said they would do something. The very next Monday they were on our street, ripping it up. Kory and I couldn’t believe they acted so quickly. It may not be a democratic society here but the squeaky wheel sure gets the grease! And now, since they need to lay new pipes, they have to blast out a new spot to put them. So all day today we were listening to alarms and dynamite blasting. Blasting is the first step in any kind of construction around here. In fact, we even watched one neighbor blasting out rocks in his front yard where he wanted to put some steps. They sell home dynamite kits for just such occasions. Big boy toys, for sure. (Jason, you’d LOVE them!)
It’s nearly 11pm and I realized I didn’t even go outside once today, not even to get the mail. I guess I was just too busy at “The Office.”
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