My mom tipped me off to Josh Ritter’s Tuesday performance on the Late Show. Here he is playing “To the Dogs or Whoever” with the best dressed rock band you may have seen in a while. His first appearance on Letterman was a year ago, when he performed “Girl in the War.” Rumor has it that the Moscow musician is planning a summer show in his hometown. Also, meant to put this up weeks ago, but my mailing address is:
Tim Hagen
c/o Nicklas Lindqvist
Mæhlumgard
2634 Fåvang
Norway
I didn’t take anything but what I was wearing to Oslo last weekend, so I went shopping for clothes as much out of necessity as for fun. That seems to be the only way I buy anything now, since I am still living on few material possessions and an income that provides for only the simplest of pleasures.
As I was walking towards the city center, I dropped into a store named Carlings because they had sale signs in the window. I walked in to the tune of “Rosetta Stoned,” a welcome surprise after not listening to any Tool since getting to Norway. I took my time picking out three cheap shirts, trying them on, and making small talk with the associates so that I could finish out the album.
I ordered fish and chips for lunch at Cafe Sara, where the music again caught my attention. They played “One Headlight” by the Wallflowers, which wouldn’t have been much to notice, except that before walking into the city, I had driven Snow White to the garage to have them fix (you guessed it) one headlight.
That night, Karen and I went out for Thai. The place was called YaYa’s Thai Beach Bungalow, and it is a must if you like Thai and ever find yourself in Oslo. It would be difficult to say which was better – the food or the atmosphere – but I hope to have another chance to decide. Dinner was followed by a chilly evening walk through Oslo’s famous Frogner Park, aka Vigelandsparken.
Today was warm and sunny. The mountain didn’t get much overnight accumulation, so instead of snowboarding, I took a stroll along the river. I live between the mountain and the river and am on the mountain every week. However, this was only my second time visiting the shores of the frozen Lågen, even though it’s just five minutes away. I took my camera along and posted some of the photos on Flickr.
I drove to Oslo on Sunday and went to church for the first time since moving to Norway, not including the Christmas service in Feda. It was a friend I met over the holidays that invited me, and I’ve been feeling the need to connect, so it was time and it was ….good. I plan to go back this weekend. Haven’t been snowboarding in a few days, but it’s snowing tonight and if it keeps up, Lars and I will be riding in the morning.
Before I left Seattle, we saw Josh Ritter in concert. Ritter, originally from Moscow, opened his set with “Mind’s Eye,” the catchiest track off his latest album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter. I recently included that song on a mix I burned for Koia, so that skiers now hear the music of Moscow played daily across the slopes of Kvitfjell.
I quit one of my two jobs before leaving for Christmas. I had nothing against the hotel, worked with some cool people, and though few others would have enjoyed it, I didn’t mind working as a dishwasher. When combined with Koia, however, my schedule was becoming all work and no play, with little opportunity for reading, blogging, emailing, socializing or snowboarding. Work at Koia is more diverse, more flexible, more social, and just plain more fun, so the choice was easy.
A very blessed Christmastime was spent with the Frestad family, distant relatives but very close friends in Feda, near the southern city of Kristiansand. The distance from Fåvang to Feda is, according to Google, a portentious 666 kilometers, but me and my trusty ‘87 Honda Civic (aka “Snow White”) managed the way there and back, making stops to visit other friends and family in Lillehammer, Oslo, and Skien. I was overwhelmed by the Frestads’ generosity and hospitality, reinforcing my impression of Feda as a little piece of heaven.
Since the New Year, I’ve been following through on my one and only resolution of bringing my online self back to life – facebook, emailing, and now finally blogging. I’ve also had a chance to refocus on why exactly I’m here, evaluate my expectations for the rest of the season, and contemplate what I’d like to make out of 2008.
Apart from that, it seems like the snow has barely stopped falling since January rolled around. We did have a couple of crystal clear days with pristine snow conditions last week, which are the only days I now manage to get out of bed before 10am. But the clouds moved in again this weekend, bringing more snow and warmer weather. Prior to moving here, I wouldn’t have called thirty-two degrees warm, but after acclimatizing myself to an average temperature of ten to fifteen, this week has been mild. As a result, the feet of snow we’re getting are occasionally rain at the bottom, heavy at mid-station, but still to die for up top. Lars and I will be riding tomorrow, bright and early.
