Voksen = The Wax

(For more March ski pictures click here)

Fremfor alt annet, ikke glem voksen. Enten du liker det eller ikke, forskjellen mellom en fantastisk dag og en elendig dag på langrenn ski er på grunn av én ting, voks. Hvis du hard den rette, turen din er en drøm, og du kan gli i letthet. Hvis du ikke, du skal ha bakglatt eller du skal akkumulere en stor snø pakk under hver fot. Med andre ord, du skal bruke det dobbelte energi med mye frustrasjon.

Above all else, don't forget the wax. Whether you like it or not, the difference between a terrific day and miserable day on cross country skis comes down to one thing, wax. If you have the right one, skiing is a dream and you can glide along in blissful ease. If you don't, you slip backwards with every step or accumulate large snow packs under each foot. In other words, you use twice the energy and feel like you're going nowhere.

For mange skiløpere voksing er både en kunst og en vitenskap. Det er ingen mangel på råd ved på skibanen og hytter hvor du kan høre forskellige filosofier. Du kan også gå til voksen kurs i byen for å lære de finere nyanser, hvordan regne ut den beste voks basert på temperature, høyde, fuktighet, tid på dagen, været, en alder av snø, ruten, din hastighet og din evne nivå. Voks komme i en regnbue av farger for hvert temperature eller betingelser. Ved temperatur lav du bruker harde voks og i høyere temperature den ser ut og føles som honning.

For many skiers waxing is both an art and a science. There is no lack of advice on the ski trails and at the ski huts where you can hear different, conflicting philosophies. You can also go to classes in the city to learn about the finer nuances, how to calculate the best wax type based on the temperature, altitude, humidity, time of day, weather, the age of the snow, the route, your speed or your skill level. Wax comes in a rainbow of colors for each temperature range. With low temperatures you use hard wax and in higher temperatures the wax feels and looks like honey.

Matt og jeg har lært fra erfaring, og med bra og forferdelig råd. Ser været på vebsiden før du gå ut, og ikke glem voksen.

Matt and I have learned from experience and from both good and terrible advice. Check the weather website before you go out and don't forget the wax.

Kunne du se det en gang til? = Could you say that one more time?

Hva sa de? Etter 7 måneder her i Norge, å hører er den største utfordringen. Selv om jeg kan lese en avis, skrive en e-post eller hold et grunnleggende converstaion, lyttende til en TV program er en annen historie. Hvis noen har en sterk dialekt, glem det. De kunne snakke gresk.

What did they say? After 7 monthes here in Norway, listening comprehension poses the greatest challenge. Even though I can read a newspaper, write an email or hold a basic converstaion, listening to a TV broacast is another story. If someone has a strong dialect, forget it. They could be speaking Greek.

Barn lytte og absorbere morsmålet i minst ett år før de snakker. Så hvorfor er det at voksne språk kurs legger vekt første på å lese og skrive?

Children listen and absorb their mother tongue for at least a year before they speak. So why is it that adult language classes progress in the reverse order, with an emphasis on reading and writing?

Jeg synes at å lese og skrive er de enkleste delene. Alt er der på siden, slik at jeg kan gå så sakte som jeg vil. Hvis jeg vet ikke et ord, sammenheng gir den bort, eller jeg kan dele den opp i enklere deler. En "sykehus" er åpenbart et sykehus. Hvis du vet at "syke" betyr syk og "hus" betyr hus, meningen er selvinnlysende. Da jeg leste det, jeg er å bygge opp en lagerbygning av nye ord og måten jeg tror de lyden i norsk.

I find that reading are writing are the easiest parts. It's all there on the page, so I can go as slow as I please. If I don't know a word, the context gives it away, or I can break it into simpler parts. A "sykehus" is obviously a hospital. If you know that "syke" means sick and "hus" means house, the meaning is self-evident. As I read, I'm building up a storehouse of new words and they way I think they sound in Norwegian.

Egentig nordmenn snakker fort, sjelden med pause mellom ordene. Noen selv utelater konsonanter, så alt du hører er en streng med vokaler i fallende og stigende toner. Mens uttalen er enklere enn fransk, jeg har en lang vei å gå. Jeg beundrer barn som er sju år, som forstår mye mer enn meg.

Real Norwegians speak quickly, rarely pause between words. Some even omit consonants, so all you hear is string of vowels in falling and rising tones. While the pronounciation is easier than French, I still have long way to go. I feel humbled at the sight of seven year olds, who understand far more than I.

Langrenn Ski = Cross Country Skiing

(See other photos from January)
(See ski pictures from February)

Uten tvil den beste delen av vinteren er det langrenn. Jeg kan se hvorfor langrenn entusiaster flokk til Norge. Den milde rullende åsene og fjellene rundt Oslo gir et ideelt for lange skiturar med miles av preparerte løyper i få minutter fra sentrum.

By far the best part of winter has been the skiing. I can see why cross country enthusiasts flock to Norway. The gentle rolling hills and mountains around Oslo provide an ideal setting for long, ski trips with miles of groomed trails that can be reached within minutes from downtown.

Sist helg vi gikk ut med noen venner fra våre løper gruppe for å prøve en 33km tur som varte minst 7 timer. Og denne helgen vi velger en rolig rute, med venner fra min miljø gruppe, en kort 7km tur. Men egentlig valgene er tilsynelatende uendelig. Man kan gå ut hver dag i sesongen på en annen sti med helt nye opplevelser og vistas. Jeg har selv hørt om en mann som klarer å ski 10000km hvert år, akkurat i Nordmarka.

Last weekend we bravely ventured out with some friends from our running group to try a 33km tour that lasted at least 7 hours (whew!). And this weekend we choose a calmer route, with friends from my environmental group, a short 7km jaunt. But really, the choices are seemingly infinite. One could go out every day of the season on a different trail with entirely new sights and vistas. I have even heard of a man who manages to ski 10,000km every year, just in the area immediately north of Oslo.

For å føle seg som en lokal, ski er nødvendig. Selv om jeg prøvde ski en gang hvert to år i California, jeg klart manglet noen grunnleggende teknikker. På vår første helg i midten av desember lite barn var raster enn meg. Kvinner i 70-og 80-tallet var glide forbi på nesten dobbelt min hastighet. Så jeg har registrert seg på en ski kurs som tilbys av norske Alpinkjøring Association, på norsk selvfølgelig. Og selv om jeg ikke forstår alt, jeg kan definitivt føle forskjellen.

To really feel like a local, skiing is a must. Even though I tried skiing every year or so in California, I clearly lacked some basic techniques. On our first weekend out in mid-December little toddlers were passing me with ease. Women in their 70's and 80's were gliding past at almost twice my speed. So I enrolled in a ski course offered by the Norwegian Skiing Association, in Norwegian of course. And, even though I didn't understand everything, I can definitely feel the difference.

Langrenn ski er mer som Skøyter enn fotturer. Og det er mer kronglete i torso synes jeg. Når du virkelig kommer i gang, og føle rytmen, det er nesten som å fly når du glir helt på en beina, og deretter den andre.

Cross country skiing is more like skating than hiking. And there is more twisting in the torso. Once you really get going, and feel the rhythm, it's almost like flying as you glide entirely on one leg and then the other.

Alternativmessen = Alternative Fair

Palm readers, clairvoyants, Native Americans, UFO seekers, and...climate change? I just spent the weekend at Alternativmessen, the largest alternative living fair in Oslo and, as you can see from the list, "alternative" has a fairly broad meaning in Norway.

From the table where I was volunteering with a environmental organization (Framtiden i våre hender) it was like watching a circus go by. On one side we had a HARD CORE animal rights group handing out pamplets and across the way was a stall filled with crystals, dream catchers, raw hide, and fox tails that you could clip on the back of your pants to look like Daniel Boone. I was surpised that the two groups didn't confront eachother at some point.

But really, the most intriguing thing about the event was the diversity. Out of the woodwork came the "alternative" community of Norway. People in handmade costumes, crazy hippies with dreds, importers of peruvian shawls, and row upon row of tarot card readers and reike practioners. A real live Indian from South Dakota was offering autographs. A few tents where offering "scientifically" produced photos of people with their "auras" for just 200 kroner. (Geeze!) And then the best one was a station where you could get an "ionizing" foot bath and watch the water turn black and brown until it looked like tar. There must have been a little something extra in the bubbling pump to add to the drama of it all.

At our table we offered free buttons, fair-trade coffee, magazines, and a carnival game where you could knock down cans representing CO2 emissions to win a documentary film called the 11th hour, with Leonardo DeCaprio. Seems a little ironic that we had to compete for attention with crystal worshipers and believers in extraterrestrials.

Weekend in London

Snø = Snow

Bilder/photos: (http://picasaweb.google.com/roaring.tree/First_Snow#)

Første Snø = First Snow
Jeg var veldig overrask at vi hadde snø ønsdag. Det var bare 29 Oktober, to dag før Halloween. Min kollegaer sa at vi skal ha snø, men jeg trodde at de snakket om fjellene i Nordmarka og ikke sentrum av byen.

I was very surpirsed that we had snow on Wednesday. It was just October 29th, two day before Halloween. My coworkers said that we would have snow, but I thought they were talking about the mountains in the Nordmarka and not the center of the city.

Jeg sto ved vindu og kikket og kikket i morgenen. Jeg kunne ikke tro at der var sant. Men gaten var ful ny, hvite snø. Jeg gikk på kontor langsome. Jeg gikk på veier og i den graveplass og ned trapper og langs Akerselva. Det var så pent, vakker, og kaldt. Over natten, byen har forandret til en eventyr land.

I stood by the window and looked and looked in the morning. I couldn't belive that it was true. But the street was ful of new, white snow. I walked slowly to work. I walked in the streets, in the graveyard, down stairways, and along the Akerselva river. I was so attractive, beautify, and cold. Overnight, the city had changed into a wonderland.

Grønn Gourmet

Tomorrow were hosting a "Green Gourmet" dinner night with a wonderful local environmental group called Framtiden i våre hender. I put out the idea of having the event at our apartment after I went to the last Green Gourmet about a month ago. Simply put, it's a cooking party. The host provides a recipe and some raw ingredients that the guest assemble into a meal that they share together at the end of the night. So far, we have 12 RSVPs confirmed and I don't know how we will all fit in our cosy apartment, and we don't have 12 matching bowls, but that's part of the atmosphere.

Here's a sneak peak at the menu.

White bean, butternut squash, kale and olive stew

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 large onions, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 3 1/4- to 3 1/2-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 red bell peppers, seeded, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups canned vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 large bunches kale, thick stems trimmed, leaves cut crosswise into 2-inch strips
• 1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
• 5 15-ounce cans cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained
• 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted, halved
• 2 cups Freshly grated Romano cheese

Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add squash; sauté Add bell peppers and stir to coat with onion mixture. Add broth. Cover and simmer until squash is just tender, about 10 minutes.

Mix kale and sage into stew. Cover and cook until kale wilts, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add beans and olives and stir until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer stew to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle generously with cheese.

Beets with Yogurt

• 2 pounds small beets2 cloves garlic
• 2 cups strained Greek-style yogurt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• handful of chopped mint or parsley

Cut the stems and leaves 2/3 of an inch above the beets. Cut each in half and lay them on tin foil on a baking pan. Lay tin foil over the beets. Roast at 400 degrees F for 1.5 to 2 hours un until tender. Cool and peel. Cut into thin, half moon slices.

Crush the garlic and beat it into the yogurt. Spread the mixture on a serving plate and arrange the slices on top. Beat the lemon juice with the oild and a little salt and stir in the chopped herbs. Spoon generously over the beets and serve.

Optional: add 1.5 teaspoons tahina to the yogurt.