Shoe wrangling

I think I may have reached a low point in how mundane I can make a blog entry: today I'm going to write about organizing shoes!

We live in a house without closets, and like most families we have tons of seasonal outerwear and footwear of all persuasions.

I also have a completely different philosophical approach to cleaning than my husband. He is what I would call a stoic. He sees the mess and dirt, then dutifully picks everything that's strewn around (say shoes) up, cleans thoroughly, then puts everything back in an orderly fashion. Usually it's a mess again within hours, but at least he's done his duty.

I, on the other hand, have a fundamental antipathy toward any type of tidying that takes work, and to any type of cleaning that requires me to pick things up and then put them back again afterward. So basically, unless there is a good system in place, I never clean. That's not good.

This weekend I reached a breaking point on our entry way. I knew we needed a system for all our stuff, so I broke down and spent a bunch of money on a coat rack and a wall-mounted shoe rack.

Here's the before of our shoes (not including any winter shoes, I might add...):

There's no way I'm picking all that up to vacuum. But this I can handle:

Yay! 13 cm of clearance under the shoes means that I don't have to pick up a thing to vacuum! Unfortunately, I need to buy a second rack (with two shelves) to corral absolutely all of the footwear that we typically have out, but now at least I know that there is a solution to the problem. We just need three big hooks on one of the other walls for our three backpacks, and the hall will be perfect.

Oh my gosh, I was just about to write and say that my hands hurt too much from all the assembling of various things to knit, when I realized I didn't mention the most important organizational home improvement around here. Ta-da:

Here's a little corner of my "roterom." It's one of the two "Billy" bookcases. This one is filled with yarn, fabric, and craft books (oh, and the compact edition of the OED). I know that this isn't much of a stash compared to many, but it's enough to make me feel guilty. I hope that seeing it all will help me curb any desire to buy more before I've used up a lot of this. The other bookcase (out of the picture to the left) is filled with my small library of beloved books that came overseas with me. The bags on hooks each contain a work-in-progress.

I love getting things organized! Even I can clean when there is a logical place to put things. I just hope my hands recover from all the assembly...

ETA: a very juvenile (and very funny) short video on swearing in Norway. I love kids like this.

Å lese

I love to read. According to my mother I more or less just figured it out on my own. She didn't have much patience for reading aloud, so she let me look at books on my own at bedtime, and apparently I just started doing it at four or so (Mom is pretty vague about such things). To say that reading has been a huge part of my life is an understatement. It is who I am personally and professionally. Some of my most profound experiences have come through books.

So given that background, you can imagine that I'm a bit apprehensive and really excited as E starts to show interest in words and letters. I think he's been giving off indicators for the past two months or so that he's ready to start cracking the code. I feel a huge sense of responsibility. I don't want to spoil it for him. I want him to love it, though I can't possibly expect for him to love it as much as I do.

The issue is complicated a bit by his bilingualism, and by the fact that he won't be eligible for any special training in English language skills when he starts school (next summer, or maybe the summer after if we think that would be better). After talking to a friend who is in the same situation (American married to a Norwegian, Norwegian in the home, kids bilingual, etc.) and she said she basically did supplemental "home schooling" in English language arts while her kids attended regular Norwegian elementary school. That seems like the best solution, so I've just started the overwhelming task of looking into what's out there. My sense is that it absolutely hast to be secular (not much of that in the homeschooling world) and that I want books, not computer programs.

I'm going to use this post as a clearing house for what I find. So far, through a secular homeschooling discussion forum called The Denim Jumper I've found the following recommendations (I'll come back and post links as I find them and comments as I find out more):

• Reading Reflex (Amazon link): Here's a link to a detailed user review
  
• Teach Your Child to Read In 100 Easy Lessons: (website link, Amazon link):
  
• The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading (Amazon link):
  
• Phonics Pathways (website link):
  
• BOB Books (Amazon link):
  
• Alpha-Phonics: A Primer for Beginning Readers (website link):
  
• www.starfall.com (website link):
  
• Pup and Pop series (Amazon link):
  
• McGuffy Reader series
• Explode the Code (website link)
  
• Stairway to Reading
• Sing, Spell, Read, Write

If any of you have experience with these, I'd be extremely grateful for any feedback and opinions you can give me. I'm already overwhelmed with just this list, and have no idea what to do. I suppose it will more or less depend upon chance...

Hvem er jeg?

I have taken the Myers-Briggs Personality Type texts at various points throughout my adult life and I think I have always produced the same result, namely INTJ (introvert, intuitive, thinking, judging). I also nearly always promptly forget what my result is, possibly because I more or less equate it with my sun sign (for the curious, I am a Virgo). But for kicks I though I would post a link to a thorough description of the type. I'd also like to be able to refer back to it at some point.

Does it mean anything? I don't really know, but the very first paragraph describes me so perfectly that I have to believe there is more accuracy in this than in the Zodiac:

"To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of 'definiteness,' of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know."

The description of the uncompromising side of my personality is pretty darned apt as well:

"INTJs are known as the 'Systems Builders' of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability. Whatever system an INTJ happens to be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority may come into play, as INTJs can be unsparing of both themselves and the others on the project."

I think it must be pretty uncomfortable to be the object of my scorn. I know my mother thought so when I was a teenager, and I still feel bad about that. The description gets really interesting (and accurate!) when it comes to interpersonal relationships:

"[...] many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people, and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense. [...] This sometimes results in a peculiar naiveté [...] Probably the strongest INTJ assets in the interpersonal area are their intuitive abilities and their willingness to 'work at' a relationship."

What I can't figure out is how such an apparently random list of questions generates such an accurate typology. I guess I'll need to go and read all the other personality descriptions.

ETA: I made KE take the same test. He ended up an INFP.

Smør på flesk

I present to you one of my favorite aspects of the Norwegian language, namely these double expressions, or (at least in most cases) tautologies:

1) akk og ve
2) armer og bein
3) barken og veden
4) bauger og kanter
5) brask og bram
6) bøtter og spann
7) der og da
8) vide og brede
9) ditt og datt
10) død og pine
11) enkelt og greit
12) fattig og rik
13) flo og fjære
14) født og oppvokst
15) fram og tilbake
16) fred og ro
17) fri og frank
18) frisk og rask
19) fryd og gammen
20) fynd og klem
21) fyr og flamme
22) først og fremst
23) gård og grunn
24) gud og hvermann
25) gull og grønne skoger
26) hei og hå
27) hei og hopp
28) heisan og hoppsann
29) himmel og hav
30) himmel og helvete
31) himmel og jord
32) hist og hint
33) hist og pist
34) hit og dit
35) høyt og lavt
36) hud og hår
37) huff og gru
38) hui og hast
39) hummer og kanari
40) hund og katt
41) hus og hjem
42) hytt og gevær
43) hytt og pine
44) ild og vann
45) jamt og trutt
46) juks og bedrag
47) kjent og kjært
48) klabb og babb
49) klappet og klart
50) kort og godt
51) krig og fred
52) krone og mynt
53) kuler og krutt
54) kvist og kvast
55) lakker og lir
56) langt og lenge
57) lek og moro
58) lengsel og sorg
59) liv og lære
60) liv og lyst
61) lov og rett
62) løgn og fanteri
63) luft og kjærlighet
64) lykke og fromme
65) lyn og torden
66) lys og lykte
67) lyst og begjær
68) list og lempe
69) mangt og meget
70) mann og mus
71) marg og bein
72) mas og kjas
73) mål og mening
74) nå og da
75) nebb og klør
76) nedenom og hjem
77) nord og ned
78) ny og ne
79) nål og tråd
80) opp og ned
81) pakket og klart
82) pomp og prakt
83) pose og sekk
84) remmer og tøy
85) ren og skjær
86) rett og galt
87) rett og rimelig
88) rett og slett
89) rubbel og bit
90) rund og god
91) rusk og rask
92) ryk og reis
93) sans og samling
94) sikkert og visst
95) sjø og land
96) skinn og bein
97) skitt og kanel
98) skog og mark
99) skrekk og gru
100) smak og behag
101) smitt og smule
102) snørr og barter
103) sorg og sinne
104) stjerner og planeter
105) stokk og stein
106) store og hele
107) stort og smått
108) strand og land
109) syn og segn
110) synd og skam
111) syvende og sist
112) tang og tare
113) teori og praksis
114) tide og utide
115) til og fra
116) til og med
117) ting og tang
118) titt og ofte
119) tro og håp
120) tro og ære
121) trøste og bære
122) tull og tøys
123) tut og kjør
124) tykt og tynt
125) vel og bra
126) velge og vrake
127) vett og forstand
128) vrir og vrenger
129) ære og berømmelse

Why one chooses to repeat oneself in this way in Germanic languages is a mystery to me, but I find it highly entertaining. I'm sure I've forgotten many good examples...

Skavsår i Stockholm

I'm just back from my four days at a conference in Stockholm. It would have been a fabulous trip had I not rather inexplicably taken not one but two pairs of shoes that I cannot wear without excruciating pain, and no other foot wear. I can't believe I was that stupid. Within the first couple of hours of the trip I could tell I was getting blisters from the sandals, which meant that the dressier shoes I had brought would be completely impossible. I actually ended up leaving them behind. Luckily I found a pharmacy where I found magic blister plasters, which kept my feet from turning into a bloody pulp. But it still hurt to walk.

Nonetheless, I did have lots of fun. I had three nice dinners out: Indian food at the (wait for it...) Indian Garden (with dear friends from the states), very upscale Italian on the roof of a restaurant called Perlei (with a random assortment of people from the conference), and mid range artsy place called BK Mat (with a colleague and a former student).

I went to the fabulous Marias garn yarn shop, which was very close to my lovely 17th century hotel, Hotel Anno 1647. I didn't buy any yarn, but it is a really great source for wonderful yarns, including their own label. Next time I'm in Stockholm it would be great if I can coordinate it so that I actually need to buy some yarn (which I totally don't right now).

My weirdest experience was waiting for my friend and our former student (we both taught him at different times, and now he's planning to apply to grad school. He's been living in Sweden for a couple of years and keeps a very entertaining blog about it). We were supposed to meet up in front of Kulturhuset. I had forgotten what it looks like until I got there, but of course remembered it immediately as one of the most central meeting places in the city. The odd thing is that I kind of freaked out at the scale of the open area and the frenetic human activity that filled it. I had visions of the film Vantage Point. It would be the perfect place for a sniper (here's a link to a nice black and white photograph of it on the Swedish Architecture Museum's website). I more or less hid behind a garbage can on a bench with my back to a wall. I was so relieved when they showed up to rescue me from that place!

The conference itself was worthwhile, and I met my goal of forcing myself to be social and do some networking. I even met someone who had some information that I've been needing for a project that has been stalled for a year now. He encouraged me to email him to get the exact information pinned down. It would be so great to get the project done and under review somewhere. One of the keynote presentations was on films, and the woman showed a clip from what I think was Martin Scorsese's Who's That Knocking at My Door from 1967 (not sure, her accent was hard to understand). I was totally riveted by the clip, not least because the sound track to it was Ray Barretto's "El Watusi" (according to Wikipedia it's from 1961) a song that has to be in my top five of Latin American dance songs. I could barely sit still in my seat during the lecture!

While I was away I knitted about half of a shawl using Inca Alpakka. I decided to use Mustaavillaa's Lacy Baktus variation (Ravelry link) of Strikkelise's now classic Baktus shawl (Ravelry link). I didn't want to take the ski sock along, since that requires a bit more concentration than I can muster during a conference. This pattern was perfect. The increase rows and yarn over rows are just enough to keep it from being boring, while still being mindless enough to take traveling. I'm calling it "Cavity Baktus" on my Ravelry project page, given the reference to Thorbjørn Egner's Karius og Baktus (a Norwegian children's book about dental hygiene) and, well, all those holes.

ETA: Our bed (the one we ordered six weeks ago) arrived while I was away. I am so excited to sleep on a decent mattress for the first time since December!!!

Pure bliss! It's even a Jensen like I wrote about over a year ago, when we were starting to plan our new life here...

Søt

Today it's all about cute! Found a really lovely beach house (interior) on Apartment Therapy. Just the kind of funky but minimalist design that I love, and would love to be able to emulate.

Then there's my husband's foot (also very cute, at least when his black soccer toenails are covered):

(Don't mind the messy living room--it looks tidy now, and we've even hug three of the pictures).

And then I got a bee in my bonnet last night and just had to make a cell phone cozy. The picture really demonstrates the limits of my cell phone camera, but at least you get the idea:

Loved the I-cord and button closure on it. It was a free pattern on Ravelry (link here) that I modified to fit my much slimmer phone. The button is from Du store Alpakka, a very cool fair trade company based here in Norway.

And if that weren't enough, I bought a little "washbag" from Aspegren Denmark today. I'm pretty proud of the fact that all the toiletries I need for a three day weekend at a conference in Stockholm will fit in this small of a bag (22 x 10 cm):


Damn all these cutesy crafty blogs. They're making me soft in the head. I can't believe I bought something flowery! Good thing I also bought the 1992 debut album from Rage Against The Machine as a kind of counterbalance (I'm going to use the song "Killing in the Name" in my conference presentation)!

Samvittighet

So most of the blogs I read have to do with crafting and gardening and celebrating the joys of every day family life. For the most part they tend to paint a pretty rosy picture of things, and I suppose I follow suit in my own mildly cynical way. Partly one doesn't want to expose too much about oneself in what is (although it is very easy to forget) a very public forum, partly one wants to record positive progress and create a good impression.

I have had something on my mind for about two months now, and it doesn't put me in a very good light. I feel like I should blog about it anyway. I have one living grandparent, Grannie (my father's mother) who was born on 15 June 1916. That means she turned 93 a month and a half ago. The thing I need to say publicly is this: I didn't send her a birthday card or call her. I feel terrible. I felt terrible in the weeks leading up to the day (because I knew I wasn't going to do anything), I felt especially terrible on the day, and I have been feeling increasingly bad over the past six weeks. You see, I really love Grannie, and when I was a kid and well into adulthood we had an amazing bond that transcended the fact that we never lived near each other and only saw each other maybe once a year.

Then a few years back, maybe in 2003, we had a falling out. I won't go into the details because that would reveal information about other family members that I don't have any business sharing with others. But what happened is basically that my grandmother said something to me about someone which was so hurtful that I communicated to that person (after much agonizing deliberation). When that person confronted her, she basically said I had lied (though not in so many words). I felt horribly betrayed (even though one can very well say that I betrayed her confidence--I totally see that too). So betrayed, in fact, that I haven't really been able to interact with her comfortably since. I have been angry and hurt for the past six (!!) years, without really understanding why. This past six weeks of feeling guilty has actually really helped me work through it. I have finally come to understand my feelings of betrayal and to let go of them a little bit.

This afternoon I got a bit of time to myself and finally wrote her a long letter with lots of pictures of E, her only great-grandson (I am her only grandchild...). I am so relieved!



This has also been a week of conscience-easing knitting. Last August I gave KE a birthday I.O.U. for a pair of over-the-knee skiing socks (the kind worn with knickers). And now, a mere month before his next birthday I realized that I really need to get them done (well, started actually). It turns out to be an incredibly fun and fast project. In fact, it's the most enjoyable knitting I've done all year!

Just two more centimeters to go and I can start on the heel!

By the way, both snapshots were taken with my fancy new cell phone. It looks like the quality will work for blog updates, and it is fun to be able to synchronize my cell phone and laptop via Bluetooth. I feel so savvy, though of course I know I'm not...