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What a beautiful day this was (actually still is 😉 ): I had the day off (which is a LONG time ago), weather was fantastic sunny, and we spent a shitload of money by buying a new car!!
After getting the X5 in March we now are the proud owners of an electric car, the Nissan Leaf!!

As mentioned some weeks ago, electrifying my car is not so much a ‘green’ choice, but more a financial one; the advantages of not paying toll and avoiding high gas costs allow us to more or less have two cars for the cost of one, a no-brainer!

We are one of the first 90 people in Norway who ordered the Leaf and the delivery is guaranteed in 2011, exciting! (and until then I can play with the demo LEAF iPhone App, funky!)

LEAF: Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family car

While this might not be completely my style of music, this clip is pretty amazing, give it a go and watch it till the end; ALL sounds you hear in this song are recorded purely from voice, mouth, and body…wow!

Conspiracy Theory of the week: the earth is expanding and that amongst other things explains ‘drift’ of continents! Can this really be true?? At first I thought ‘No Way’! But after seeing this video and reading more about it…well, who knows. Interesting stuff!

Just remember, a conspiracy theory is also a theory, and what is currently being seen as the  ‘scientific truth’ is actually the same, just a theory.

Hey hey, one (only one!?! 😉 ) took up last Saturday’s challenge and will join me coming November 4 for the Smashing Pumpkins concert in Oslo!!!

And yes, there can be only one crazy enough to actually come ‘all the way’ from NL to rock with me, haha, no surprises there 😉 …I am *really* looking forward to it, hell yeah!!! (with the obvious condition that it’s not to early for a party, as the baby is due 5 weeks before and the most important things in life always come first!)

A question many have asked themselves today, 10 years after some airplanes took an unexpected direction and flew into New York’s World Trade Center, starting off a ‘war against terror’ (for completely different reasons as what governments and main media would like you to believe btw…).

So, where were you, today 10 years go on ‘9/11’?

I remember waking up in Cairns Australia, getting ready to fly home via Sydney after a 5 weeks vacation where we visited my brother Willem-Jan and Patricia who were on a 1 year trip Downunder….the first thing I remember were the disturbing text messages on my phone informing us of what happened….then a crazy taxi ride to the airport where the taxi driver told us what he heard so far (wtf!)….the uncertainty if the flight to Sydney would go at all….arriving in Sydney and wandering around, seeing some of the city’s highlights, but mainly being shocked by the news and videos broadcasted on big screens throughout the city….awful!!!

Yeah, that day 10 years ago is definitely one of those days on which *everyone* remembers exactly where he/she was when hearing ‘the’ news…

Years ago (as in ages!! 😉 ), I made myself a promise that I would see The Smashing Pumpkins on the first possible occasion…then the band broke up in 2000 leaving me obviously without any concert options, but I got my hopes back when they reunited in 2006. And indeed: they *will* have a European tour, so it seems that I will finally be able to see them, yayyyy!!!

At first they would not come to Norway, giving me only the November 8 show in NL to fulfill my promise, but it might be a bit early for ‘dad’ to travel abroad ‘just’ to party…?!? Today however I found out that they *will* come to Norway after all, on November 4…GREAT!!!

So, who is in and coming with me? I’ll buy the ticket(s) tomorrow!!

Oops…time to move back to NL?!? 😉

After topping the ranks by having the highest daily parking rates earlier, now the UBS’ annual study called “Prices and Earnings 2011” ranks the Norwegian capital Oslo in the top spot as most expensive city to live in, way ahead of cities known for high prices like Tokyo, Paris and New York. On the ranking for wage levels however, Oslo is placed only fourth, and even more worrisome for Oslo residents, is how low they rank in actual purchasing power (26th), uhhh….humpfff! (read more)

Oh well, I am not living *in* Oslo and Norway is still considered to be the best place to live…besides that, I like it here!! 😉

OK, trust me, I *would* have blogged this one even if I wouldn’t become a dad in just a couple of weeks…

Is this reality?? I first thought this clip came via The Union but then realized it *is* ‘real’. Designer diapers, seriously…as if your kid could give a shit! 😉

Eleven ‘Norwegian’ friends (most non-Norwegian actually 😉 ) surprised Kissy tonight by organizing a ‘baby shower‘! (no, no, that doesn’t mean that the still unborn baby is taken into the shower! 😉 ).

An evening filled with love, friendship, fantastic food (everyone cooked something, yummmmm), amazing cakes (a true tribute to the Norwegian cake tradition) and some ‘birth-specific’ games (such as ‘guess the size of the belly’, ‘will the baby’s ears, eyes, legs, humor, etc. be from mommy or daddy’, and more)…it was a lovely evening, great that I could be part of it and Kissy could not be happier, so: THANK YOU ALL, FRIENDS!!

Haha, I expected a huffing and puffing session when I joined Kissy at pregnancy yoga tonight, but nothing like that; we started with a regular meditation after which the partners (mostly men) were taught various ways in how to assist the women the coming/last weeks and during labor…have to admit, I liked it!! 😉

My ‘brother in law’ Tom has his 35th Birthday today: Happy Birthday bro!

Since it is also the first day of  a new month, I’d also like to wish you ‘rabbit, rabbit‘, so you will receive good luck for the month of September!! 😉

No, no, not the Metallica song (note to self; a great Song of the Day! 😉 ), but a true Master of Puppets a.k.a. great puppeteer!

Ha, some say we’re all puppets controlled by a Big Brother of some sort, wouldn’t it be great if we all could play the piano as this puppet does? 😉

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppeteer

Time is relative as we all ‘know’. Yet it can be pretty absolute too 😉 : today is exactly one month before the due date, exciting!! We’re pretty much ‘ready to receive’ the gift of love, both practically and mentally (as far as one can really be ready for the ‘unknown’ 😉 )

1 month and counting…

Internet had been down this weekend (and still is 🙁 ), making the past days relatively quiet, online that is. 😉 Not so much social networking, yet still a pretty social weekend; Andrea in da house, having Slovak friends visiting yesterday and going out enjoying fantastic Indian food with other friends last night.

Today we went to church (!) which was our first time since we moved to Norway..uhhhh… 😉 A friend had her ‘Konfirmasjon’ (‘Confirmation‘), which is a pretty big thing here and as a bonus we also witnessed a child getting baptized, check! 😉

So, more than enough to do and no time to miss the internet, or?!?

Unlike the past three years, I did not to participate in this years Birkebeiner race. 🙁

Several reasons: I didn’t manage to get my mountainbike fixed in time (just being slow), I didn’t train at all (although that didn’t stop me the past two years 😉 ), Andrea is visiting us this weekend (and yes, while she *is* a fantastic cheerleader, it *is* nice to have a totally relaxed weekend too), and last but not least: it would be a pretty (too) tiresome day for Kissy…oh well, there is always next year! Ha, and looking at today’s weather it was a great decision…it has been raining all day long, bluhhh!!! 😉

Oh boy, this is actually pretty sad yet oh-so FUNNYYYY…ROTFLMAO!!!

Enjoy your weekend y’all, and…don’t drink too much! 😉

Normally I won’t repeat main topic news, but Steve Jobs resigning is something BIG news for this Apple fanboy! 😉

With Apple being where they currently are, and Steve Jobs being the architect and visionair behind it’s success, it should be no surprise that this announcement was ALL over the news today.

There is no specific reason given on why he resigned, although most assume that it is related to the pancreatic cancer for which he received a liver transplant in 2009.

The Wall Street Journal says Jobs’ decision is not about his health: “Mr. Jobs, while seriously ill, is very much alive,” Walt Mossberg writes. “People with direct knowledge of the matter say he intends to remain involved in developing major future products and strategy and intends to be an active chairman of the board, even while new CEO Tim Cook runs the company day-to-day.”

Uhmm, Tim Cook…that is the man who apparently sees printers as the company’s future and will hold the iPhone 5 back for at least four years (as reported by The Union 😉 😉 ).

I came back to Norway yesterday with a new toy: the Panasonic HDC-SD900 camcorder! Packed with features and a terrific image quality; according to various reviews a superb camcorder…a verdict that I expect to share soon enough! 😉

Haha, no idea why I ‘had’ to buy a camcorder now, I have a feeling it will come in handy soon… 😉

Oof, today was a typical ‘after-festival’ day; tired from the intense days on festival grounds (and lack of sleep too 😉 ) and also filled with energy and good vibes, giving me the idea I can go on and on and on…Lowlands 2011 was unforgettable (thx all!!!) and it ain’t all that easy to land back into the real world! Luckily I had a big list of things to arrange and to take care of while being in NL today (quite typical), so I am back on my feet, sort of… 😉

Time flies when you’re having fun; Lowlands 2011 has almost ended…and WHAT a party it has been! For those following me on Twitter (cross-posted on Facebook), you know what I’m talking about! 😉
We were pretty lucky with the weather today, a little bit of rain in the morning, but the storm which was predicted this afternoon missed the area, leaving us with unexpected sunny (though humid) weather, YAYYYY!!!