We're still here

Just very busy. And a bit tired.

December already

I have been busy.
Work mostly, and a lot of knitting.
To put it very nicely these are interesting days in the financial sector.
So I think we all run as fast as we can and do our damnedest to prove our worth.
Last week I went to Oslo. I had not been there since I was a child and it was my first visit to our office there.
Of course on one of the few days when it's really important that you look professional and tidy you wake up just that bit too late to a home without electricity.
(I will have to figure out how to make coffee with only candles and a lighter at my disposal.)
So if it had not been for the mirror in the airport bathroom I would have arrived with mascara in funny places.
There was not much to be done about the cat hair, and next time I have to lint-roll clothes in the dark, I should probably chose not to wear a black woolen dress.
There is something incredibly marvelous about having breakfast (warm rolls with cheese, orange juice and coffee) with a view to morning sunshine in a blue sky above white clouds. I will have to bring my camera next time.
And then approaching Gardermoen with a view to a snow covered landscape looking like something out of a fairytale.
It completely evened out the less than perfect start to the day.

I can barely believe it's December already.
We had snow here in the end of November. Actual snow that stayed on the ground and rooftops for more than a few hours.
I like snow. It's pretty and in addition to its sparkly prettiness it serves as a layer of insulation up here in our little home under the roof.
The cats are happy that their stupid human has finally understood the importance of turning on the radiators.
But my camera refuses to talk to my computer.
So instead of roasting cat boys we have the pair sleeping on their bench in front of the french doors. Before the drafty season started.

I'm almost done with the Henry scarf.
The sewn bind'off is however driving me completely mad. Or is at least trying to.
I'll probably have to get mildly drunk if I'm to find the courage to attempt it again. The ribbed pullover is very nearly done. But I'm having second thoughts.
So I've cast on for a Hemlock Ring Blanket for my favourite colleague.
And a Lily sweater for myself.
And a Bainbridge scarf for lovely ex-colleague.
Laurenz would like to request that all yarn always be sent wrapped in paper:

Oh, Stockholm. Oh, Rudolph. Oh, Anthropomorphic cloud in the sky.

Oh, Stockholm was wonderful.
It is one of my favourite cities.
If Copenhagen and Paris had a lovechild it would be Stockholm. It is so beautiful, and pleasant and calm even with its big-city vibe.
And we were spoiled.
I had my very own hotel room with armchair and desk and bath robe and a huge bed with crisp white linen and thick, soft towels. I could happily have stayed there, but I'm glad I didn't.
We had dinner at Operaterrassen with a stunning, panoramic view of the castle and the water. It was so beautiful it was almost surreal!
And when I couldn't figure out what renytterfilé was, my charming Norwegian colleague kindly translated it as "Rudolph".
I may see myself as a vegetarian, but when I'm a guest I eat whatever is being served. Even when it's called Rudolph.
And I can even bring myself to find it rather tasty. And I probably need the protein from time to time.
And the food and the wine was just wonderful. In particular the passion fruit cheesecake.
As was the band and the DJ, and quite against character I decided to stick to water for the evening so as to better enjoy it all without being numbed by alcohol.
And I may do that more often.
I had no less fun, and I had a lot more energy on Saturday.
Enough to go for a long walk with a colleague while the others were still snoozing.
And it was of course fun and interesting to meet our colleagues from the other Nordic countries. Even if I feel we had far too little time.
Less time as we had to wait for 1 1/2 hours for take off because a wheel had to be changed.
I think I drove the poor young man next to me bonkers by going through three newspapers and a documentary podcast before knitting a few rounds, then going through the newspapers once more and knitting some more and generally having far too much energy confined in a narrow window seat.
And then I kept pointing out interestingly shaped clouds to him, even after he had shown very little interest in the first five.
I didn't take any photos, so here's one of the cats instead:

The Sunshine Boys

My camera doesn't do bright sunshine very well.
The cats do bright sunshine extraordinarily well, though.

And ... I don't have much to tell about anything really.
Work, writing, work, writing, work, writing....
Not much knitting happening.

Good things

Life is good. Busy but good.
There are the jobs, the university courses, and a lot of reading.
And the cats of course.
So there has been very little time for knitting.
And very little to tell. Or show.
The red thing was actually done, but it needs a bit of tweaking - that is frogging and reknitting. And I haven't yet been able to get myself to sit down and figure out just how much frogging is needed and how to go about getting it right.
So I've started knitting a little cream sweater for the lovely little son of a lovely former colleague.
That seemed the natural thing to do.
And with the Easter holidays should come knitting time.
A total of five days off. One good thing about having real jobs is not working holidays. Or weekends.
Another good thing about having real jobs is the Easter egg!
Big Investment Bank doubled as Big Easter Bunny and we were given this incredible box of luxurious, handmade chocolate goodness:
I love being back with the Big Investment Bank. And I've come to believe that there really is something special about the place.
For some time I thought that that particular spirit and feeling was something which could be found anywhere, where people worked together. But I was wrong.
There is a rare and high degree of respect and generosity (not just of chocolate but of spirit) I have not met in any other company I've worked for. And I feel at home there.
And I feel very useful and happy being there. And I really shouldn't, considering that I'm a bloody art historian amongst economists.
But I do.

And I have tulips.
With Easter and tulips around you would think it was spring.
But we've had snow. More snow than we've had all winter.
The snow came as quite a surprise after a lovely sunny morning, and I found myself walking home through a snow storm dressed in tulle and a short jacket and silly little shoes. Next time I would like some kind of warning, thank you!
Luckily the wintry madness didn't last more than a few days and the cats can once again enjoy a sunny spot and a bit of birdwatching rather than clinging to the radiator.

And my orchid is once again blessing me with it's fresh purply pinkness.

So, life is good.

That was it

I'm never going back to the Crappy Call Center.
And the weekend is mine. All mine.
Christmas party tomorrow.
There is only one thing I'll miss about the Crappy Call Center and about working Sundays:
Every Sunday a beautiful elderly lady would be waiting at the busstop outside work, and I will for some odd reason miss saying goodmorning to her, and I will miss her smile and her goodmorning in return.
It was as if that very brief but repeated exchange of a smile and a single word was a secret we shared.
And I wonder if she will wonder where I am.

Will November ever end?

November has been good.
I have discovered bagged milk! And bagged yogurt. And it both puzzles me and makes me laugh. And if all the entertainment provided by the packaging wasn't enough, it is very good ecological yogurt!


And I love being back with the Big Investment Bank.
I almost hate how much I love being back.
More so because it's only temporary, a small detail I seemed to miss with the first excitement.
The woman, who took over from me when I left, is ill, maybe long term - bad damage from using a computer mouse it seems.
And I'm only filling in for her.
With a contract ending mid-December.
But oh, how I want them to want to keep me anyway when she returns.
Even if that doesn't seem very likely or really necessary.
But they have noticed how their presentations are just that bit sharper and more elegant once they've been through my hands.
And I've had a chance to say clever things about communicating and using visual means and telling stories.
And so I'm a bit hopeful, but not too much, and I try to just enjoy it, while it lasts. Hoping that it will. Last.
I really enjoy my morning walk past Marmorkirken and through the yard at the Museum of Arts and Crafts.
And the late afternoon ride on the bus home through Kongens Nytorv with its glitter of Christmas fairy lights.
But twice a week I have to go straight to work at the Crappy Call Center.
Which is why I cannot wait for November to end.
Leaving home at 7:30 in the morning not to return until 22:30 at night at the earliest is not my idea of a good day.
I miss the cats. And I think they miss me too.
And I will have had a total of two days off this month, counting next Saturday.
And so I'm tired.
And I have not had time to do as much knitting or as much cat-belly-stroking as I would like.
But then the cats do have their radiator to keep them warm and cosy.

And tonight they have me too. Only too happy to scratch ears and throw toy mice.
And I have a very nice bottle of wine and a lot of double moss stitch to knit, as I really, really want Norah Gaughan's Hex Coat to keep me warm and cosy, since there's not room for me too on top of the radiator.
It doesn't look very interesting, but I'm a bit surprised how much I like knitting it. It's not very exciting but not too boring either.
Quite perfect for my tired self.

Oh

I'm tired.
I had my first day at the Big Investment Bank from 8:30 to 16:30.
And since it's either four or five years since I left them I was surprised by the many people happy to see me back and the happy hugs.
That's a very nice thing when you tend to feel not so very unforgettable.
From there I went on to the library, which was just manageable in spite of mad rush hour traffic as I had to be at work at the Crappy Call Center at 18:00.
(Where I still am, by the way, until 22:00)

I want my cats. And a shower. And my silk pajamas. And my bed.

And while at work this evening some devious devil possessed me into buying nearly a 1000 kr. worth of yarn.
Yarn I've coveted and which is on sale.
But still a lot of money.
And a lot of lovely yarn.
A lot of lovely, lovely yarn!
But after today I think I deserve it.
And considering the rest of November.... I bloody well deserve it.
Currently I have three jobs:
Job Co, a nice two-days-a-week administrative/creative thing, which I enjoy.
Job Ab, my three-days-a-week return to Big Investment Bank, but this may be for just a month or so, I don't know yet, and don't really know if I care. It's good to be back, but I may be reminded why I left. You never know.
And finally there is Job Ad, the Crappy Call Center, which will be history come the end of November.
And so I'll be working Mondays and Wednesdays 8:30-16:30 at job Co.
Tuesdays and Thursdays at Job Ab from 8:30-16:30 followed by job Ad from 18-22.
And then Fridays at job Ab 8:30 to 16:30.
And Sundays 10 to 18 at job Ad.
So if that doesn't make the yarn much deserved, I don't know what would.
Luckily the only course I managed to follow this semester ended last week, and luckily I'm feeling much, much better.
I even think I'll dare opening a bottle of wine tomorrow evening.
That's how good I'm feeling!

But not until after voting.
Big election will take place Tuesday 13th.
But on account of my mad working hours I have decided to place my vote tomorrow after work, as it is in fact possible.
Besides I do not care much what they say, or do, or promise during the election frenzy.
It's what happens inbetween elections that matters.