Today is the 9th of November, which means that two years ago today a wonderful women left us behind. I do believe she went on to a better place where she would no longer be sick and no longer feel the pain of cancer or the frustration of losing her ability to function. It is very hard for us who are left behind, and although time makes it more bearable it doesn’t ever fill that whole which exists in our lives.

A lively Lady

My mom wasn’t perfect, but she was a good mom, and she loved us a lot. She brought the family together and kept us on our toes. She was also fun loving, social and active. She made time to play with us when we were children, although I remember she hated Shoots and Ladders She made our clothes when we were little, and often made matching dresses for myself, her and my dollies. She was a genius at making gowns for my Barbies!

Mom and me

We were very close. She was the one most devastated when I decided to move to Norway, and the one who came to visit us most often here. We used to chat on MSN and later we used Skype or Yahoo to chat with voice chat or even a camera. We had web cameras, hehehe but after a few tries we decided we looked so bad in the morning that we didn’t need to see ourselves while we drank our coffee. You see we had a standing coffee date which we kept several times per week.

It was awful when mom got sick. I felt like I was going to lose my mind living so far away and unable to help. Fortunately I did manage to get time off and to come over to help her before she died. Her cancer was quite advanced though and there was little we could do but make her as comfortable and as happy as possible. She didn’t like being that way so I am grateful that it lasted only a short time.

Mom, if you are out there and you can hear this somehow, I miss you! I will always miss you! Thank you for all the good things you brought into my life. DeeDee

 This weekend looks just like the last one, grey and rainy and generally not that attractive outside. While it isn’t below freezing (at the moment) it is also cold. Days like these make me really wish we had a fire place. I do have a fireplace DVD to play on my flat screen TV in HD (which even plays Christmas carols if I like), however that doesn’t seem to warm the house that much and it does make Renny roll his eyes at me.

 So since I didn’t have a fireplace I decided that I really needed to get out today. And when the weather isn’t cooperative what is a girl to do? Go Shopping of course!

Bekkestua

Occasionally I consider shopping a recreational activity in which one visits a variety of stores in search of a suitable product to purchase. “Window shopping” is an activity that shoppers engage in by browsing shops with no intent to purchase, possibly just to pass the time between other activities, or to plan a later purchase. Today’s trip was a combination of both. First I went to Bekkestua and did a whole lot of window shopping (I especially like doing that at the jewlery store hahaha cheaper that way) and ended that trip with the amazing purchase of nail polish. Well it was at least Chanel nail polish, and it better not chip all week long for the price I paid for it! 

Chanel Nail Polish

Then I took the bus to pick up a package at another center. Yes, I did say I took the bus. I do have a car and a drivers license but the bus system is so good here, and I do have a bus card so I pretty much have the schedule memorized. there I did some more window shopping, this time in the lamp boutique. I am very interested in buying a chandelier to have at the peak of our peaked ceiling in the living room. (The difficulty here is that Renny is not equally interested in having a chandelier hanging from the peak of our peaked ceiling.) I don’t quite understand why, I mean this is my dream chandelier which I had serious intentions of shopping with some money I inherited. Why would any man object to that?? 

Diane's dream chandelier

Okay, I’m done picking on my sweetie. He’s a good guy we just have different tastes. I have promised not to buy the Swarovski crystal chandelier without his approval first! I did see a simpler one I kind of liked for our living room though. It was iron and had much fewer crystals, it may go better with out wooden ceiling?  

Results of my shopping trip? Food mostly. I did get some nice pesto marinated lamb chops which I will soon be cooking for dinner. And after dinner I will most likely be doing my nails. Hope you all are having a good weekend and finding more interesting things to do then window shopping!

Facebook, Twitter and other forms for social media seem to be entering our lives for good. I have to admit to being on them about every day. This week I think they have saved me sanity as I have had a backslide…quite literally, as my back seems to have slid out of its proper position and has kept me hostage in the living room for most of the week. But are they the communication of the future, or are they the ultimate time wasters? Or both?

Facebook

I have many uses for social media and definitely am not about to give it up. I am able to follow along with what my friends and family are up to. This has proved to be invaluable in the case of my sons, and my brothers. My oldest son has moved out, and as long as I can pop in and see that he has been active on facebook I know he is okay. I also keep in contact with my remaining family in the USA. They don’t always have time to send me an email, but it is nice sometimes to see that Johnny is online and say a quick hi. Ask about his wife and his job hunt and take an ever so small step into his daily life.

Twitter

But it also opens our lives to many other people. My husband, RennyBA,  has 2,519 followers on Twitter, this year between his blog, Twitter and Facebook he had well over 100 well wishes for his birthday this 4th of November. And for all of you who sent him a card or a greeting he was very happy for this. But at the same time, that was a heck of a lot of completion. It’s not always easy for even me to get through all that ‘noise’. How does one compete with that kind of attention?Well one doesn’t, one rises above completion, at least I do.

Facebook game Island Paradise

And then there are the games, which I am hopelessly hooked on. I have cut down upon returning to full time work however. My favourites are Farmville, Island Paradise, Yoville, and Mafia Wars. But I wholeheartedly admit these are mindless time wasters. In fact that is kind of the point, when I am done with my work day my intelligent energy is pretty much used up solving the countless situations I am faced with on a daily basis. I am looking for a totally mindless outlet with an immediate reward. I was never much of a video game player but these facebook people, they are smart. They make games which appeal to women, and which can be played in 15 minutes a day…or you can use more time if you have more time. They are there to get us hooked, and to entertain us.

I have no other response here except to say that social media is here to stay. It is the communication of the future and it does connect us somehow to our past and far off worlds. I have regained contact with people which I haven’t thought of in years, others who I have thought of but lost contact with and wondered how they were, and I have learned new things about people I see every day.

You can’t live with it, you can’t live without it….but you certainly shouldn’t be left out. How do you use your social media? Or do you resist the urge to stay and play? Inquiring minds want to know, I want to know….

If you don’t know what Twitter is….Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send updates via SMS, instant messaging, email, to the Twitter website, or any one of the multitude of Twitter applications now available.

If you don’t know what Facebook is….it’s a great way to meet friends and keep up on what they are doing. Once you add a friend to your Facebook friend list you will always know when they are adding things to their blog or updating their profile. Join Facebook groups to meet people like you, or browse the profiles to find new friends. Facebook’s classmates and co-worker search is good for finding friends too.

If you aren’t connected with me yet you can find me at Twitter by searcing for DianeCas, and on facebook by clicking on the link!

If social media isn’t enough and you want to meet us in person, don’t forget that you have the opportunity by joining the Oslo Blog Gathering 2009!!

Hello friends! Now it is finally Friday evening and I am free to kick back and relax. I am beginning to get a creeping feeling that I am working too much. I would say most of my co-workers are married to their jobs. I think the majority of employees at the crisis center are single women without kids, and the next class is the one I am in ….middle aged (eek!) women with big kids. Women with small children don’t last very long in this environment, its just too emotionally and mentally demanding to have the energy it takes to care for small children the rest of the day. Still we are a very committed group, and everyone is passionate about the work they do. We are a pretty tight group as well, and spend a lot of time together.

Last weekend I apoligize for not blogging, as many of you know we had a short trip to Greece in the middle of the week (RennyBA and I) and then on Friday I was back to work at a conference of my own (How to talk with traumitised children). Then we did something which I think was rather wonderful for the Crisis Center. We are always competing for funds, and our budget for fixing up the house is pretty small. We who work there have felt bad about the way the center has looked for the last few years as it has been more and more run down on the inside. Last weekend we gave it a face lift!

Painting project

Okay so we are not exactly Martha Stewart here but as you can see we did use plastic on the floors. These charming painters are my co-workers. We came in on a voluntary basis Friday night, Saturday and Sunday and gave the house a makeover in a weekend. Glamorous is not exactly the word for this center but trust me this new paint job is a heck of a lot better then it was before. The color brought out some nice old fashioned door frames and window sills which were lost in the faded off white institution paint job. We also feel that using color has given the center a more at home feel. The floor where I work is painted green as you see, and the one above it a crisp light blue color. In addition we put an extra kitchen table into the kitchen, have recently bought new sofas for the living room, and set up new curtains and decorations. We have also recently divided the house so that women who are at the center with children have their own floor, and women who are here single are on another floor. This seems to be working well, as long as room allows. Right now the childrens floor is full, so we are stuck putting them into the adult section. They are moved down into the childrens floor as soon as space is available however.

So I have been spending a bit more time with “my girls” (both the ones I work with and the ones I follow up) then here for the time being. I want you to know that I still appreciate the chance to come in here to Metamorphoses and make contact with my friends and the rest of the world. It adds another dimension to my life and helps to keep me grounded so I don’t get eaten up by this crazy place I spend my days.

Oslo Blog Gathering 2010

I will hopefully have another post this weekend with some lovely pictures of our trip to Greece so come back, okay? And if you want to get to know me and our crazy life here in Oslo please remember to check out the Oslo Blog Gathering 2010. You may find that you would like to join us in November for a Blog Gathering like nothing you have experienced before. I’ll be there….will you join me?

Always looking for new ways to enjoy our local area, and new angles for our photography passion, we decided today to view the fall foilage from the fjord! Norway Yacht Charter AS runs a tourist boat service on Oslo fjord. We had the pleasure of sailing on “Jomfruen” which is norwegian for “Virgin”. She was built in Hardanger, Norway in 1917 was used for many years to transport fish from the west coast of Norway into the Oslo fish market. Now this lovely two masted sailboat was refurbished in 1984 and now serves as a tourist cruise boat with a dining room and bar inside the cabin. RennyBA took some pictures of the boat coming in to dock, I’m sorry but I only took photos from onboard. So you will have to see his article when he posts hehehe!

Sailing on Jomfruen towards Oslo City

RennyBA was well prepared for the trip as always and he was climbing all around the ship, taking pictures from every possible angle. He really loves photography and talking to the local workers. I think he befriended the entire crew in the time of our journey, and I thought I saw them give him a pat on the shoulder on the way off the ship. Maybe they were just grateful that he took the gang plank instead of hopping off the side!

RennyBA cruising

The colors along the shore were at their peak. The birches and the maples were at their full fall glory. Although on one side of the fjord you had a view of the sprawling city of Oslo, just across the fjord were islands full of small cotages, cozy hiding spots, quite coves and abundant nature.

Amazing fall foilage

Here you can see we weren’t the only ones in the mood for sailing in this good weather. A number of people had their boats out for one last trip before putting them into winter storage, or packing them good in for the season.

Sailing in the fall sunshine

On our way back we had a wonderful panorama view of the city spread out before us. I for one just love sailing and think that everything looks smaller and more manageable from the shoreline.

Panorama shoreline of Oslo City

As many of you well know my husband RennyBA has been actively planning a Blog Gathering in August 2010. If you would like to come and experience some of these beautiful places yourself I recommend that you click on the Logo to learn more about the gathering. We are really looking forward to welcoming friends from the blogsphere from all over the world! Check it out!

Oslo Blog Gathering 2010

Each year my husband, RennyBA, and I take a trip (or two or three) out for our fall foliage photo hunt. Blogging has added a new dimension to this pass time as we have become a bit more competitive while enjoying the autumn splendour. We are now in the middle of October and autumn is definitely here so the hunt is on! All photos are taken with my SonyEricsson G502 mobile telephone camera.

Golden leaves on the shores of Vänern

This year our quest for the peak colour of the season took us around the Göta Canal and Lake Vänern area in Sweden. This area has some great colour, and we happened to be using our vacation home for the weekend so we chose the area here instead of Oslo.

Göta Canal near Lyrestad, Sweden

All along the Canal one can find the most charming little watch houses. This one is decorated in traditional Swedish fashion, notice the white frames around the windows and the special shape of the siding on the upper section of the house over the window. The Swedish are quite passionate about their gardens and decorating their homes, especially country homes and cottages.

Watchouse on Göta Canal

Here you see the same watchhouse from the other side of the Canal.  Here you can see the draw bridge beside it which goes over the canal and must be opened to let taller boats through. If you wish to learn more about Göta Canal read RennyBA’s post, here you may learn the history of this architectial acheivement of the 1800’s.

Watchouse with a drawbridge

You can't beat a Maple tree

I almost couldn’t believe it when my husband RennyBA sent me a text message while I was at work congratulating me, and telling me that Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize! First I have to admit that it really was a surprise to me because I have been so wrapped up in my own little world that I didn’t realize it was time for the peace prize again hehehe! And then I thought it felt good to be an American again. As an American living overseas I have to admit that the Bush years were quite tough. I didn’t much care for Bush – ever- and he was really unpopular here in Europe.

DianeCA congratulates President Obama

Obama on the other hand is someone who I voted for. Someone who I like representing my country and one who has dreams and ambitions which I can agree with and stand for. This is why I think it is appropriate that he receives the Nobel Peace Prize. There is a lot of discussion here, some are saying that he hasn’t earned it yet, he hasn’t done anything yet…but that isn’t true in my opinion. He has set a standard that we must live up to. He has set the frame for peace, he has opened his hands, and America’s hands to the rest of the world and said that we must work together.

This is a very big change from the politics of recent years. I believe the prize will encourage Obama to fulfil his commitments to peace, and give strength to his vision of the future. It will also put more power behind this vision of peace because the world is saying – hey we’re with you!

Quoting Muhammad Yunus (previous peace prize winner for microfinance) “The first thing Barack Obama has completed is to get the world on the right track for peace and multilateralism.”

President Obama has captured America’s and the world’s imagination because he so strikingly embodies an America that the world yearns for – an energetic, diverse, inclusive America that is determined to lead the world, but with the world’s interests in mind.

While no one person can ever bring peace to the world, that isn’t what the peace prize is about, it’s about inspiration. It’s about ideals, and it is about creating a peaceful world a little bit at a time. We can’t do that without a vision…and I believe the Barack Obama has that! Well done, Mr. President!

Your comments are as always welcome, hop on over and visit RennyBA’s Terella to get his thoughts on this day.

Thursday this week my girlfriend and I went to the rockopera “Jesus Christ Superstar” set up by Den Norske Teatret (the Norwegian Theater) in Oslo. Turbonegro vocalist Hans Erik Husby Dyvik was fantastic and powerful in the role of Jesus. The entire production was like a powerful rock concert, with a well known and yet modernised story at the base. The play takes a modern twist på the story of Jesus and presents it as what might happen if Jesus came now in modern times instead of 2000 years ago. It places the focus on Jesus as one who makes us see the society we do not wish to look in the eye, one who sits at the far end of the table and seeks contact with the weakest most vulnerable human being in the room. The protector of the repressed and outcast.

The entire production had a rock concert feel about it. There were these cool electric guitar players who were on stage all the time, both as part of the background actors and at the same time whaling out this fabulous rock guitar music. It was really so much more than I expected and nothing like the Jesus Christ Superstar production I saw at a local theatre in New York in the 80’s.

Husby in the roll of Jesus Christ, photo curtesy of Oslopuls.

Just as raw and controversial as the play was in the beginning the new setting and hard rock angle which Den Norske Teater used was extremely good. Charlotte Frogner who played Mary Magdelena was an excellent contrast to Husby with his ‘large’ heavy metal presence. Frogner’s roll, while clearly that of a prostitute in this production is repressed, shy, and with a meek feminine voice sings out her love and admiration for Jesus’ character with a surprising tenderness.

Frogner praises her colleague Hans Erick Husby Dyvik saying in an interview with VG that he adds a whole new energy to the scene. He is really a great guy, and easy to feel safe around…and it is easy to go to work when you know it is going to be a raw rock concert each and every day!

Husby has said that it was tough to play Jesus, because he sees so much of his own history in the story. He has been involved in narcotics and the underworld life, and then achieving a rapid rise to fame at least in Norway he has quite a following. So he could use his own experience of oppression, substance abuse and poverty in interpreting his role. He says that these things have in many ways not gotten better since Jesus lived, but have in fact gotten much worse in some parts of the world.

Click here to see a video from NRK

At the same time the play caries a positive message that hope and joy is possible on the other side and all is not lost. For those in Norway with the opportunity to see this production I recommend it as the best theatre experience I have ever had…and for the rest of you who cannot come to Oslo…I am terribly sorry. Because I don’t think Jesus Christ Superstar will ever be presented in this way anyplace else in the world at any time…it was really a once in a lifetime experience. Unless of course I drag along Renny and see it one more time before it closes!!

Fall is the time for leaves flying off of branches, blowing in the wind, and painting our world in yellow and golden reds. This week is fall vacation and we have a visit from our little friend T. We took her with us to our vacation home in Sweden for a long weekend and some quality time with the family.

Crisp apples and fresh picked pears

Even though the warm summer sun is gone it is still wonderful to be outside and enjoy the nature. Digging in the sand is not just for midsummer beach trips, children love to play with the natural elements all year long as T can well show you. She sat for hours singing and digging in the play area, while we together with our neighbors raked the leaves and prepared the outside area for the winter season.

Digging in

On Sunday we took us a nice walk in Mariestad and were fortuntate enough to stumble over a fall cultural exhibition. This weekend is the fall culture festival in Mariestad and some of the oldest houses in the old town are open to the public. These are not museums, they are privately owned, but are protected also as cultural monuments and some of the owners allow us a look at this time of the year.

Historical courtyard

There was one beautiful enclosed court yard open to the public and it was a real treat to see this place as it normally isn’t open to the public. I have always dreamed of having a garden like this, a peaceful place to forget the daily stress and eat my breakfast or take a cup of coffee in the afternoon. These gardens are of course a lot of work as well, and this one was as well taken care of as they come.

Give me a cup of tea and solitude

Hope you have accepted that fall is here and gotten out into the fresh air to enjoy it while it lasts!! Have a great week!!!

Fall is truly arriving in Norway now. Summer is definitely over. We can tell by the cooler temperatures and first hint of yellow on the birch trees.

Still warm enough for the kids to wade but the colors are changing

There are other ways to see that fall is here. Fall is the time to harvest fruits and berries. Nature’s abundance is waiting just around the bend. On a recent walk in the woods we discovered lots of wild cranberries growing along side the trail. This is obviously a good year for cranberries! They do not grow as well each year, they tend to have good and bad seasons. Maybe it is because we have had a bit of a cold summer that they grew so well? They are a northern berry after all.

Fresh fall cranberries. I love them! The man isn't bad either LOL!

Another sign that fall is here is that the apples are already changing color. I used to love picking apples in the orchard. Now I don’t get the chance as often but I still like them as fresh as possible. The first of the local apples have been harvested now, and I could just smell that they were wonderful. Apples which have been shipped and stored don’t smell much like apples, but these smelled just glorious! So good in fact that I was inspired to bake!

Seasons first apples!

Here you see the end result: A typical Norwegian apple cake. Although I am used to making apple pie from growing up in New York, making a Norwegian apple cake is much easier! No pie crust to roll out! Needless to say the results were good enough to eat!

Norwegian Apple Cake...yummmm

Whenever I make anything with apples I am not sure if it tastes or smells best…the smell of baked apples is just so good. I can still smell it in the kitchen and it reminds me of my childhood. Hope you all have a good weekend! And are enjoying the season wherever you may be.