My strange life on the little Island

The greenhouse effects not working or what?

2011-04-19T08:47:00.001Z

18. april 2011... Looking out of my bedroom window... snow outside in late April and my woolen socks in the foreground

I somehow thought spring was coming couple of weeks ago - but I was wrong - terribly wrong.

Yesterday I actually was out on my racer bike but this morning we had some brand new snow in the city!

My new watch

2011-04-11T20:05:00.002Z

Just to help me following the deadlines for all my projects!

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2011-03-23T21:59:00.003Z

On a lecture in meteorology last Monday the Meteorologis Einar Sveinbjörnsson made diagram shoving the average wind in Reykjavik from year to year since 1940 something. And it showed how much it have decreased since then. He said the reason was all the new city building in Reykjavik. For comparison he was talking about the two airplanes. One in the middle of Reykjavik and the other in Keflavik where there are not so many big buildings as is in Reykjavik. He suggested we would look at some real data for this.

In Iceland all weather data is very reachable since it is all on the web page of the Icelandic Meteorologic Office so I checked it out. I will not describe why but I used the data for Reykjavik (not the airport) and for a small town, called Stykkishólmur.

Ég svindlaði örlítið og tók ekki flugvellina, heldur Reykjavík og síðan Stykkishólm til samanburðar. Hvor það er alveg eins og flugvellirnir er reyndar ekki alveg ljóst en niðurstaðan er merkileg samt.

Rauða línan er meðaltalsvinur fyrir 5 ára meðaltalsvind í Reykjavík og sú bláa er fyrir Stykkishólm. Það er greinilegt að línan fellur verulega fyrir Reykjavík og mun meira en fyrir Stykkishólm. En það sem er kannski undarlegast í þessu samhengi er hvað línan fyrir síðustu 15 árin er lík fyrir Stykkishólm og Reykjavík en þá minnkar vindurinn verulega á báðum stöðum. Það sem sker Reykjavík helst úr er e.t.v. það hvað meðalvindurinn minnkar mikið á áttunda áratugnum í Reykjavík á sama tíma og hann er að aukast lítið eitt í Stykkishólmi.

Skiing with my rescue team

2011-03-16T09:22:00.002Z

I have been long enough in the rescue team with out going skiing with the people there. Finally I managed to go skiing with some of the newbies there in Blafjoll area where we went almost 20km. Great day in variable weather. The weather was not always bad in the beginning when Sigþóra came smiling but still complaining over my continuous photography.

And then again the weather was not so good and people were falling down all over the place.

Not doing so badly

2011-02-01T23:51:00.003Z

Igla... the monster worm eating my trees!

I'm perhaps not doing so badly. There are weekly exams or so in two of the courses. I have not yet got any result from one of those courses but I have got test results from the other one. And I can say I'm not doing so badly there at all!

In the environmental course I'm working on a project about the climate change regime with 5 other people. Before I started this study I had no idea what those International regimes really were but now I'm reading the UNFCCC document and tht Kyoto Protocol to find out the norms of the regime. I hope I have some success in that.

The photo above is related to the climat change. That insect is coming more and more common in my forestry in Myrdalur. That worm will change to a butterfly or some kind of an ugly moth but not before it has eaten some leafs or one tree of the tree is small. Since it is really getting warmer in Iceland those creatures are becoming more and more common in the south part of the country and even they are beginning to spread over the whole seashore of the country.

What did you learn in school today

2011-01-24T22:47:00.002Z

Anthropocene

What have you done?

I have some doubt about if the courses I'm attending make any integrated knowledge base I can use in the future but two of them connected surprisingly this morning.

One is about history of the Earth and the professor holding the lecture began telling us about a new article he is writing about the newest period he think has begun some decades ago and he wanted to call it "Anthropocene". That is the age of the human being and began when the man started to have serious effect on the Earth, effect that will never go back.

Later I was reading an article in the environmental course and there was talked about this Anthropocene as some kommon knowledge!

Better now

2011-01-23T23:55:00.000Z

The illness in first week of the year was really very bad. I got high fever, almost 40°C and had this debate with the illness for the first week of the year.

And now I'm the schoolboy. I'm not sure what on Earth I'm doing there but I hope it will be OK. I'm now in four classes and they are all somehow different and the people in them as well. Two of them are geology courses and one is geology. The fourth is from the Environment and natural resources line. That is the line I' going for. The difficult thing is that I think I have to quit one of the courses and at least until yesterday I liked least the environmental course. That course is teach in English and it is very different from the other courses and in that course I Have to think a little bit different than in the other courses. But perhaps that is the best. I don't know exactly. This blog in English is moreover at the moment some playground for me to practice my English writing. I just hope I'm not totally hopeless in that!

Last Friday I went with some of the students from the environmental line to a science trip to the Icelandic electric power company Landsvirkjun. It was strange to be there a guest since I used to work for them as a consultant. The people I met there didn't know me at this time. I got to know some of the other students. They are a little bit strange as myself so that's perhaps not so bad.

More things to tell about... on the photo in the beginning of this blog entry is me and Anna Maria when we went on out bikes along the shoreline in Reykjavik yesterday. Below is a photo from my current knitting project. A new brown sweater that is supposed to have a hood. I will be a renewal of my favorite sweater that has become teared down on the sleeves.

A new year beginning with illness

2011-01-02T20:58:00.002Z

I have been busy for the last couple of days or more.

Christmas time was just great. I was at my sister's home on Christmas eve (24th of December) and on Christmas day my people including Anna Maria came to my home and had some icelandic traditional smoked lamb meat for dinner - called hangikjöt.

On Second Christmas day I was with Anna Maria at her house with her boys and her mother. All went very well. The days that followed I was very busy selling fireworks for moneymaking for the rescue team I participate in.

On New Year's Eve I in a great party with Anna Maria's family and now I have my first illness of the year. I'm not very often ill but I began feeling something not so good in my stomach yesterday when visiting my brother. I had to leave very early to go home and throw up and lie in my bed with fever as well as the throw ups.

Since it was coming out of both ends it is something we call Gullfoss and Geysir here in icealnd. Geysir going uppwards but Gullfoss (The Golden Waterfalls) is going downwards.

What is the matter with Christmas lights that can't be turned on after hours of preparation

2010-12-21T22:48:00.005Z

All the Christmas lights in the living room at my apartment

Some days ago I was trying really hard to make my home more Christmas like. In the morning I went to a shop in Reykjavik and bought some indoor Christmas lights on a sale with a 30% discount. I thought the discount was because there were only few days to Christmas and most people put those lights up in beginning of December. I just thought it was a bargain but I didn't know it was just some junk lights not working at all!

I put plastic suckers to the window and fixed the lights with them. Before I started I tried the light series and yes it was working just great. All colors of lights. Then after one hour work I could just finish half of the lights since I didn't have enough suckers for fixing them to the window. Before I went to the shop again I wanted to see how marvelous the lights would be so I turned them on and... nothing happened. Nothing at all did happen. I just had some ugly dark bulbs made of glass and plastic in my window. Not Christmas like at all.

I was not sure if I wanted to go to the shop just crazy and claim for new lights or if I should just throw this garbage out of the window and just use old fashioned candle lights not depending on Electric at all. But before I could do either of this I had to take down those stupid lights as I did. And of course... when I was in a bad mood scraping down the last lights the whole series turned on. I'm not sure if I was more disappointed or surprised. Since the suckers were more or less still on the window I just threw all the lights up again and afterwards I bought some more suckers. I also found from last year the very beautiful lights made of full wool from my sister and with some candle lights and the christmas houses I also have I just think it is not so bad at all.

Lunar Eclipse

2010-12-21T16:08:00.005Z

When the Moon was almost orange on 21st of December 2010.

It was cold... terribly cold. I got this great idea (or was it bad idea) yesterday. I should take some photos of the Lunar Eclipse since I'm unemployed at the moment so I have all the time in the world.

I read the main shadow would start making The Moon dark at 6:30 in the morning so I had to wake up very early. I went to sleep shortly after 10 o'clock and I woke up at 5AM. I made hot water for Swizs Miss chocolate drink since I knew it would be very cold. I had some worries about the long waiting time for the eclipse to finish so I took some wool with me so I could just do some knitting while waiting. I went off from my home at 6 AM and I had to stop and return home again after just 200m drive since I both forgot my down jacket (absolute must because of the cold weather) and my forehead light (also a must because of the darkness).

I drove outside of Reykjavik the road toward Krisuvik. I was almost to late because the eclipse was starting when I stopped the car on a place I thought would be preferable for my astronomical observation. In the beginning it was preferable but after one hour or so a couple of strong lights appeared not far a way and was in a nearby mine I had forgot. Well, the lights were in opposite direction from The Moon so it was not a total catastrophe.

I put my camera with my longest lens on the tripod. 300mm with 1.4 teleconverter so I had 420mm telescope lens. When the shadow appeared on the moon I also put my Celestron astronomical telescope in use and unfortunately the cold began to bite my hands, my feet and my face and finally my body. I was drinking my hot cocoa but nevertheless I was colder and colder. Finally I decided to have the engine running and also in dawn the temperature rose for couple of Celsius degrees I think. I did finsh the photography project but it was far to cold to do any knitting! My hands were freezing most of the time. I also was more busy doing the photography work than I had expected.

I just hope I can do something of the photos but the photo above is just one of them. I do not regret doing this and I'm pretty sure I would be devastated if I had not gone. In that case I would be thinking of all the wonderful photos I did not take!

In all I was watching The Moon (and also The Venus) for more than three and a half hour so it was quite a job I did there.

About Venus, I think I saw it was not full as the moon. It was about half at that time. I could clearly see that in my astronomical telescope.

Below is one photo that shows how the moon was disappearing during the Eclipse.

Knitting

2010-12-20T23:18:00.000Z

Since no one seems to be reading this I will use the opportunity to tell one of my secrets

Knitting a long wool scarf in my kitchen year 2009, wearing a sweater I also made.

It is perhaps not so much secret but sometimes do some knitting. Yes I love to knit some clothes mostly made of the marvelous icelandic wool (see the traditional icelandic wool sweaters, called lopapeysa). I wear the traditional icelandic lopapeysa very often but I usually never talk about that I have knit them more or less all myself.

I had liked those sweaters very much for some years and I owned couple of them and some how I got the idea of making them myself. I just tried and now I also like very much to knit.

Although I like those woolen sweaters very much now I have not done so all my life. When I was young I never wore them while everybody else in my family were using them. When I was young I told my mother I couldn't wear them since I itched so much while wearing them. I'm not sure if that was the real reason. I think I was just thought those sweaters were not good looking and cool kids were not wearing them at all. So during my teenage years I never owned a lopapeysa and everybody thought I didn't like them, but I did.

Somehow my mind changed and I began to desire one when I became a teenager. But since everybody thought I hated them I did never ask for one or buy myself one. My mother used to knit them for selling and I can remember I tried them on, just to feel how they felt. I even began to like the itching when the wool was next to my naked body.

Some of my knitting projects you can see here on my Flickr page.

Family gathering

2010-12-14T11:00:00.006Z

WARNING: This blog entry could be rather boring for people to read but I think someone could like the photo

The beard of my uncle Ásgeir

I very seldom meet my family, that is the relatives of my parents but that happened last Thursday at my parents home. There have always to be a reason for people to meet each other - at least in my family. The reason this time was that one of few cousins in my father's family was in Iceland. She lives in Denmark and has been there for many years and when she is in Iceland there you could say you had a reason for a party or what you call it.

My father's siblings were there almost all. That is his two sisters living in Reykjavik and his brother with the great beard. Funny when people around 80 years old start to change their appearance as my uncle Ásgeir did. Two of them are in good condition but not one of the sisters that has got Alzheimer disease. It was strange and sad when she thought she had never been at my parents home before and also had to ask where her own daughter was living. This disease is in the gens of the family but only females have got it as far as i know so I'm perhaps safe but not all my relatives. I just hope for a remedy before too late.

I had my camera with me and wanted to take photos of the family, since I never know when I'm meeting them all for the last time. I were just able to take a few photos of the beard of my uncle and even fewer of my aunts when some people started to argue over my photography. I just hate that kind of an attitude. I was perhaps taking the last photos I could take of this people and people were just complaining and criticising me as some paparazzi!

My two aunts and my cousin

2010-12-13T09:53:00.002Z

On The Pool in Reykjavik last Sunday.

Always about the ice. Although we don't have so much ice any longer on the streets and it is unfortunately melting also in the Reykjavik Skiing area, the birds on The Pool in Reykjavik still have their ice but water flowing over it. That conditions make a great scene and opportunity for photography since The Pool appear as a mirror that the birds are walking on!

I went there yesterday [Sunday 12th December] and shoot those images there.

The cold days are over

2010-12-13T09:48:00.003Z

Or what...

Self portrait from my bicycle tour last Friday in Reykjavik

Last Friday there was suddenly no more icen on the streets in Reykjavik so I used the opportunity and took my racer - The Red Lightning out for some training. Went very vell untill the rear tire went out of pressure. Luckely enough I was very close to my home when that happened.

The day after we had some ice again so now I'm thinking of buying nail tires for my racer and hybrid bikes as well as I have for my mountain bike.

The cold days

2010-12-10T10:49:00.003Z

Winter is just one of the great seasons you can have.

My bike on The Pool in Reykjavik

I love the winter. Cold days, dim light, wool sweaters, snow, ski tours and everything. I love that all. But not to cold. The first days in this week was almost to cold for my opinion. It is not to good to take much to cold air in to the lungs. I you do that you can get cold. At least I can.

Anna Maria before the walk to Keilir, and you can see the small mountain in the left hand side of the photo

On Sunday I went with Anna Maria yes the girlfriend to the small mountain Keilir. That was just great walking tour. We started in the afternoon around 2 o'clock and had to drive some distance to get there and then walk to the mountain. So we were on the top of the mountain around 5 o'clock and at that time the last light of day was disappearing! We had to walk back in the darkness. But of course we were expecting this and had lights with us.

It was I would say too cold on Monday but on Tuesday I went downtown on my bike and did one thing spectacular. I biked on The Pool in center of Reykjavik. With the studded tyres under my bike. Flat surface and great to bike on!

Yes - truly a new beginning...

2010-12-01T19:26:00.007Z

So many things have changed from my last post.

First: I am leaving my job where I have been most of my time las 10 years or so. My boss didn't like me and moreover I didn't like him so very much. But what I didn't like at all was that I did not make the decision my self but was actually fired.

This means I have now all the time I can imagine to do what ever I like to do. But I think I will not have all the money to do everything I would like to do in the future. But someone said time is money and I really think he has something right.

One of consequences is that I had to give the car I had from the company. I had a big jeep that I had to return. Well I was able to have the car three more months but it was more economic for me to give the car back.

Second: Some thing strange that is not valid any longer

Third: I applied for new study in the University of Iceland. What I am aiming for is a master degree in Environment and Natural Resource.

I was indeed to late for the application so at the moment I'm registered to some business administration education that I was able to apply for at this time. But I am planning to take courses in the environmental program.

I will use this blog for the next couple of month to practice my English since part the teaching will be done in English!

...and then the second thing was valid again :-(

Is this a new beginning?

2010-10-21T23:41:00.003Z

One has to look somehow and that's how I look now. Last post was more than two years ago and if the purpose of this blog is to practice my English... I certainly need some training or what?

I perhaps got this blog idea again tonight when I was writing some text in English where I work. I very soon realized I needed some English writing training.

Anyway... The photo above is couple of weeks old. I was on a camping hiking tour with my rescue team where I'm in charge of training the newbies in the team. We were walking through the mountains Botnssulur in Iceland... yes, where I live. Well... I don't live in the Botnssulur mountain but I Live in Iceland... in Reykjavik where all the people in iceland lives.

staring

2008-09-19T00:35:00.004Z

Perhaps I will start bloging again in this international language someone else can understand. Above is a part of my head behind my glasses under my self made wollen cap. The last couple of weeks I have been taking a photo every day and the self portrait above is one of them. So while I'm taking those photos it is easy to write something down here in the blog.

And - yes - important
If someone is reading - please leave some messages since if no one is reading I will not write anything for the next year or what.

A small campfire and "bread of leaf"

2007-12-21T16:42:00.000Z

It was last weekend. The weather was just great on Saturday. HK had been asked to lit a campsmall fire in the Reykjavik forest area called Heidmörk if someone is interesting or what. We had some problems with the fire but with some help we managed and we had this good fire. Later came a woman reading from her book for some children but it was actually a part of some Chrismas acviviti.

But not time for more writing now. I gotta go!

And yes.. this is the "bread of leaf"... laufabrauð sko

....

The health effort

2007-12-13T13:28:00.001Z

There has been a health effort where I work for last several weeks. I was doing well in the beginning but later on I had too much to do in my work and had no time for running or any exercises at all. But this lunch time I finally went to the gym and even to the scary scale they have there. I was expecting some bad new but it was better than I had in my wildest dreams. More than 1 kg off since the last time I was there. Perhaps it’s just best to do nothing!

. . . .

The wind

2007-12-13T09:21:00.000Z

There was such a heavy wind last night I just thought everything would blow away. In the middle of night I woke up from some sound I heard. There was an open window and the wind was coming inside. I closed all the windows and had to go outside and check if something was really going wrong. Nothing serious happened but the trash cans outside had fell down. I just put them on safer place and went to sleep again.

The weather was nice in the morning!

photo from some mbl.is news

The tiny house in the tiny forest...

2007-12-12T20:41:00.000Z

The main plan was to check if the house still existed. If the strong wind had blown it away or the mice had eaten it. Happily enough neither had happened. The first problem was to get in to the house since the door seemed to be totally stick fast but after some struggle we were able to open tod door. The door is actually brand new from last summer and my brother the door carpenter was with me.

First I didn’s see any sign of a mouse there but after couple of minutes I did actually find some shit from a mouse and hpfhphhh I did find the first dead one or rather what was left of it. Only a tiny piece of a dead one. I just throw it away. After some chocolate, one bear and some whiskey HK gave me we went to sleep in the house.

It was a great cold Icelandic night. While we were sitting outside I was wearing my wool underwear, one of my great thick woollen sweater with the greatest turtle neck you can imagine and a thick down coat (or should I say parka). Almost the same clothing while sleeping. Well actually not wearing the coat but as a substitute there came the sleeping bag for -30°C or something. The heavy woollen sweater was used as a pillow.

And there came a morning. A great one. The photo above is from that morning. Great one so extremely beautiful. It was just eight something in the morning. I had to go outside and pie. The moon was there and the star Venus and the mountain Burfell and just me. Soon enough my camera joined us and I did the above photo with the aid of my tripod.

Later in the morning or in the lunch time (actually I just went to sleep again and we both was sleeping to 11 something in the daytime) we did find the second mouse. A big one, not eaten but totally dead. It was something like this one:

... well actually it was some days ago to be precise!

I need to sleep tonight!

2007-07-11T10:56:00.001Z

En það var ekki gert síðustu nótt

Búinn að fá nóg af því að gera ekkert skemmtilega kreatíft. HK á fjöllum en ég einn heima í kotinu. Hugmyndin að vinna eitthvað en lítið úr verki fyrir utan svona þetta endalausa að koma sér fyrir í nýrri íbúð og reyndar hjálpa Ralldign og Krstján svona smá að mála. Var reyndar ekki mikið duglegur verður að játast en þetta var nú reynar líka hálfpartinn eiginlega búið hjá þeim.

Síðasta nótt var seint og um síðir ákvörðuð dauð og ómerk og haldið út í myndatökuleiðangur. Það var farið í Hvalfjörð og ekki gert mart merkilegt á ljósmyndasviðinu annað en að komast að því að nýja fína fjarstýringin er alls ekki að gera sig þar sem hún neitar að taka amyndir á á Bulb tíma. Það var svo ekki fyrr en uppi á heiði sem eitthvað þolanlegt myndefni fannst einhverst staðar í þokunni. Fyrst eitt hús, svona frekar yfirgefið einsamalt á heiðinni og svo þetta undarlega skilti til að láta mann vita hvað býr í þokunni!

Svo í dag [eða gær miðað við dagsetninguna eftir miðnætti] þá ætlaði minn að vera fram úr hófi skófi duglegur og fara út að skokka. Eins og hafa má fyrir satt að þá verður sívaxandi bumbunni á mér allt að vopni. Haldiði ekki að það hafi allt verið heitavatnslaust hér hjá manni og því ekki hægt að fara í sturtu og þá skokk eiginlega ekki mjög fýsilegt. En minn sá við þessu og skokkaði bara í Laugardalnum með viðkomu í sturtuklefa þar og reyndar heitum potti líka. En það þarf að fara að taka á honum stóra sínum ef ekki á bara illa að fara með vaxtarlag Raggans!

hehemmm

2007-04-01T11:47:00.001Z

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Candlelight

2007-01-11T22:15:00.000Z

In the kitchen, candlelight.... the camera on top of the fridge.... the triopod in the car wayting...

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Out in the cold

2007-01-10T22:16:00.000Z

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At the toilet

2007-01-09T22:17:00.000Z

Busy time at the toilet ... what am I supposed to do with all this paper ... some paperwork ... who made those documents ?

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In bed...

2007-01-08T22:18:00.000Z

...going to sleep soon... a little bit after midnight but I still count this as the day when I woke up last time!

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In the darkness...

2007-01-07T22:19:00.000Z

For some explanation - it is only a photo, there is no darkness around me at all those days now or anytime!

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Inside the mirror

2007-01-06T23:46:00.000Z

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The window of the soul

2007-01-05T23:50:00.000Z

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There are boxes everywhere...

2007-01-04T11:21:00.000Z

... and we are becoming a little bit crazy!

Last evening we went out to see a flat we can perhaps buy and that can indeed happen...

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The green stairwell

2007-01-03T23:52:00.000Z

In the stairwell where I live now. Terrible green!

I have to walk there up and down million times since we are still moving out. This evening we moved several boxes to my parents house since our new house will be rather small!

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Moving out

2007-01-02T23:50:00.000Z

We are moving out. After just 10 days or something like that I and HK have to move out. We don’t own our apartment but we are renting it from another guy. He plans to use the apartment for him self so we have to move out. As you can see we have something to do before se can leave!

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In Langholt

2007-01-01T11:53:00.001Z

First day of a new year. I woke up in the Langholt. A house in the countryside belonging to HK’s family. It is both the first day of a new year and also the first day of this self portrait project. I almost forgot about this project and had this photo more or less by coincident!

I plan to have one photo each day I make myself with myself somewhere in it or at least some part of me in it.

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Did anyone see the sunset in Reykjavik

2006-08-02T00:09:00.000Z

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Thanks Sigurrós

2006-07-31T13:21:00.000Z

Sigurrós - Thank you!
Concerts around the country and no one knows where next!
I have been twice.
Last evening in Reykjavik!

back from summer holidays in the mountains

2006-07-31T02:53:00.000Z

I'm back for at least couple of days. Mountains were great. Nice weather and great days with hanakata. hot springs in many places and nice weather every where...

Even concerts withs sigurros... perhaps more later !

Night tour in photography

2006-07-02T19:50:00.001Z

perhaps not so wise...

I got this strange idea in my mind last Friday evening. Go somewhere and take some strange night. I’m not sure about the results but this is what I did as you can see above.

On my way back home I met some horses I had to make some photographs of. They were more or less standing still and the exposure time was several seconds I guess.

When coming to Reykjavik back I noticed this place on the coast. Used polarasing filter... Somehow very blue but nice anyway I hope...

Coming from the mountains

2006-06-27T19:24:00.000Z

I will try post some English word of my life here more... Perhaps some days....

I am coming from the mountains now to say. HK my girlfriend started working in the North-East interior of Icelandic as a ranger in Herdubreidarlindir and Askja if that means anything to anybody.... We came there on the National day of Iceland 17th June.

We came on two cars. Our new 4wd car end the working car HK will use this summer. The working car is brand new and is using the original tires so it will perhaps cause some problems for them this summer since they have to relay on this car.

First we stayed in Herdubreidarlindir but we also went to Drekagil and Askja. On the road from Drekagil to Askja we came to deep snow. We were actually checking the road The Icelandic Road Administration and our conclusion was that the road could not be opened the next couple of weeks!

We went several more tours between Herdubreidarlindir and Askja. Once we met a guy from France there who planned to walk or run over Iceland in six days or something like that. After we talked to him he made the decision not to run over the mountains but go back the road to Myvatn and go less difficult roads from there. Almost no one is in the Icelandic highlands on this time of year so it can be very dangerous to be alone there walking and not with much experience of tours of this
kind.

While driving those roads late in the eveinings or during the night we had very beautiful landscape there. First a waterfall in Jökulsá á Fjöllum "The Glacier River on Mountains"

And the sky behind Mt. Herdubreid was just great!

bloggsíðu á frakknesku.

Playing for myself

2006-02-12T11:31:00.000Z

I was home alone this weekend and ended doing some strange things!

Just one photo

2005-12-06T11:37:00.000Z

Last sunday afternoon....
No it is not moonlight. Just a little bit underexposed photo made black and white

my socks from HK

2005-11-12T22:44:00.000Z

I love my new socks rom HK!

they have indeed some great stribes :)

And also my new sweater

...yes unbelivably...
I made it myself!

And even I like my feet!

whatdoesyourbirthdatemeanquiz

2005-10-30T22:09:00.000Z

Your Birthdate: February 17

Your birth on the 17th day of the month suggests that you are very lucky financially, because this date indicates a solid business sense.
Although you are probably very honest and ethical, this birthday enables you to be shrewd and successful in the world of business and commercial enterprise.
You have excellent organizational, managerial, and administrative capabilities enabling you to handle large projects and significant amounts of money with relative ease.

You are ambitious and highly goal-oriented, although you may be better at starting projects than you are at finishing them.
A sensitivity in your nature, often repressed below the surface of awareness, makes it hard to give or receive affection.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Aurora Borealis

2005-10-27T18:10:00.000Z

I was out with HK couple of days ago. It was terribly cold but that was ok since we had each other and those great lights on the sky!

strange

2005-10-21T21:38:00.000Z

You scored as Islam. Your beliefs are most similar to those of Islam. Do more research on Islam and possibly consider taking the shahadah and officially becoming a Muslim, if you aren't already.

Despite the actions of some - who go against the teachings of Islam - Islam is a religion of peace; the word "islam" means "peace through submission to God." "Muslim" means "one who submits to God." Islam is the third of the three Abrahamic faiths, and it shares much with Judaism in Christianity; its differences are the acceptance of Muhammad as the last and final prophet, and the oneness of God - in other words, that Jesus, though he was a revered prophet, was not in fact God, and only one God exists. Apparently the Taliban could not read (though their name means "students"), because the Qur'an states that men and women are equal as believers, and that all believers should be educated and seek knowledge. Modesty in dress and behavior is required in Islam for both men and women to preserve the values of society and move the emphasis from superificial appearance to intelligence, knowledge, and God.

Islam

75%

Buddhism

54%

agnosticism

54%

Christianity

50%

Paganism

50%

Satanism

50%

Judaism

42%

Hinduism

38%

atheism

38%

Which religion is the right one for you? (new version)
created with QuizFarm.com

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When my creativity disappeared…

2005-10-15T17:01:00.000Z

I didn’t get any ideas what to photograph and I just ended with this silly photo of that lonely leaf on the pavement outside my home.

..............

I must...

2005-10-15T12:01:00.000Z

... go out and take some photos before I go mad...

If I will not post any here or even on Flickr, you know what has happened!

thin covering of snow

2005-10-13T20:41:00.000Z

This morning when I woke up I realised winter is coming very soon. There was a thin covering of snow all over the place and it reminded my of my trip to Kilimanjaro.

There was something in the air I could find with my whole body. And then I had to go work...

the sky was burning

2005-10-07T01:05:00.000Z

no just a fototototo.............

Well new place

2005-09-29T20:37:00.000Z

Yep - this is now my own domain: eirasi.net what a geek I am!

Monday evenings...

2005-08-15T23:36:00.000Z

What are they for if I may ask? Just for nothing but sitting on my balcony writing something stupid in my blog while drinking some cheap red wine after eating a hamburger from my barbeque and watching the candle light burn down.

I’m not sure if this is the real life but anyway this is what I’m doing now and I don’t think it’s bad at all. Well I might accept some company but private is not always the worst thing in the world. At least not when it is me that don’t have the company.

There is jus one problem. I think it is starting to rain on my neck... and even also in to my glass of red wine. And that drinkt didn't need that!

and....

You Should Learn Japanese

You're cutting edge, and you are ready to delve into wacky Japanese culture.
From Engrish to eating contests, you're born to be a crazy gaijin. Saiko!

What Language Should You Learn?

But... why on Earth did it have to start raining now when I was having such a great time. Well have to go inside!

My Self Portrait Project (SPP)

2005-08-09T15:12:00.000Z

Yesterday evening I was sure something would fall down to my head!

desperate

This was actually done while I was doing some self portraits yesterday evening. But I’m trying to make one self portrait per day now.

2005-08-08
nothing but the head

You can see the rest of them in my Flickr Self Portrait Project (SPP) set.

The old fashioned icelandic wollen sweater in fashion again!

2005-08-07T23:39:00.000Z

It is so strange. The new fashion for girls and women in iceland is this old fashioned sweater made of icelandic wool. Well it is a little bit redisigned but it is still the old ancient sweater that was considered the most off fashion perhaps one or two years ago.

And this is only female fashion. I'm supposed to wear fleece or something made of plastic if I'm outside in the cold. At least those redisigned sweaters are not for men!

Those photos are of normal icelandic girls watching gaypride yesterday. I think there where hundreds or thousands of icelandic girls andyoung women wearing this old traditional sweater. And it is a pity I think those beautiful sweaters seem to be designed just in some women style. At least only women seem to wear them.

A man doesn't usually wear a sweater like this only if he is doing some rough job outside, fishing, going horse riding or hiking some mountains. And mos commonly he doesn't wear clothes like this in those activities either because he would most likeley wear some fleece made of plastic!

white or black...

hiking

2005-08-06T21:35:00.000Z

I’m back from a short hiking trip in my strange country. It was a great hiking tour around a lake called Langisjór (The Long Sea). The tour is around 50 km and we were 2 and a half day hiking.

Walking shadows on The Long Sea

some of my photos from last week - not so good?

2005-08-01T09:55:00.000Z

Last week I was trying to take some photos to put in a challenge on DPC where the subject was “long exposure”. I did not submit any photos to the challenge since I wasn’t too sure about them. But here are some of them and the last one is just crazy funny I think!

First there were the fast flying ducks on the pool in Reykjavík:

Then I went to Hvalfjörður, a fjord close to Reykjavik and there were some birds. I liked the colors in this one and perhaps I should have submitted this one to the challenge.

But I didn’t get so many comments or favs on it from other users on Flickr so I thought it wasn’t so good at all.

But the funny shot is from last night - totally different and still so funny. The crazy man with a hat in his bed. And yes, it’s me!

..............

just happy now

2005-07-27T08:17:00.000Z

My picture won!!!

....

yes ... just lazy

2005-07-27T00:11:00.000Z

This is a raven flying down. Not to my head but he was flying down. That crazy bird saying krúnk krúnk.

Last couple of weeks I was on summer holyday. It was great. The first week I was walking in the Hornstrandir area in the north west part (Westfjord) of Iceland. Beautiful place as you can see.

This picture is from the first evening there and the only evening we had some raining! As you can guess it was not raining very heavily.

The second day we had very heavy storm but the rest of the time we had just great weather. As you can see:

And, yes, I went with my sister and her boyfriend

In the end of the tour we stayed for couple of days in Reykjafjordur but Kristján (Ragnhildur’s boyfriend and Ragnhildur is the sister) is from that place. Well his grandparents lived there.

This picture is taken inside a house close to the beach there and some fishing stuff inside.

But anyway… I have been busy enjoying the fine weather here in Iceland the last couple of weeks and not so much time for my blog. I have also been on a photography journey and have some not so bad photos I think. On that DPC thing I think I will have some congress now and even a ribbon in the texture challenge. Not so bad.

But since I don't have all the time for my blog you can see something happening on my fotopages:
Fotolog
Flickr

Lazy blogger or not?

2005-07-21T12:06:00.000Z

..............

hmmmmmmmmmmmm
........

No I'm just strange ....

My new running shoes

2005-07-05T08:27:00.000Z

I think they are great!

Asics Gel Kayano

Expencieve though I must say!

Me and my folk in my country

2005-07-03T21:25:00.000Z

The weekend was in the country. In the south part of Iceland I and my family have a land to raise a forest and there we have a little cabin. Well it is very little and you could perhaps use the word tiny for it. Last autumn we decided to make a new window for the hut and last weekend was the time to put it in place. My brother did most of the window, designing it and everything.

The designer, carpender and engineer: My brother Gunni

My mother taking care of everything!

My father had some things to do as usual.

In the evening we had a kind of a birthday party since my father's birthday was last Friday. All of a sudden we had some rain and soon after that there came the most marvellous rainbow I have seen for years!

The great rainbow over the mountain Búrfell

In the old sagas the rainbow was the bridge to the land of gods where Walhalla was supposed to be. As you can see in my face I’m very much afraid there will come some trolls and take us and eat… or even worse, change us to snakes or anything terrible.

The coward in the country!

Since it was getting cold we led the stove outside. Well we didn’t have much heat from it but it looked nice to have it and we felt a little bit warmer. I wrote in my diary:

"It is rather chilly and I’m more or less freezing and you can tell from my handwriting. We had that very bad weather forecast for tomorrow and it is now almost two o’clock after midnight. Gúnni [my rother] is brushing his tooth. My hands are cold and U2 is playing in the radio. Then I will go to sleep… I will blog this!"

There was a fire in the stove

The weather didn’t turn as badly as the weather forecast had predicted. There was some heavy wind around 8 o’clock in the morning but just for half an hour or so. I and my brother went home before noon but our parents stayed a little bit longer. Around noon the rain started and they went also back home.

When I came home I became extremely tired and went to bed in all my clothes. Not as I’m used to sleep! ;-)…. I woke up about 9 o’clock in the evening and stayed awake until 3 o’clock in the night when I finally went to sleep. Not in any clothes this time. Slept until next day and was too late to work. It was a good weekend.

crazy photos

2005-06-29T19:37:00.000Z

I went out of town last night and did some crazy photo stuff. I'm not sure what I will post since it was just crazy stuff but here is one not the most crazy...

... but just strange !

Ruins

2005-06-07T23:01:00.000Z

..............

Just one stupid quiz from Mozilla

2005-05-13T22:10:00.000Z

The Greeks were a more relaxed and artistically
refined sequel to the civilizations of
Mesopotamia. Yeah you're cool, but it wouldn't
hurt to shut up once in a while.

What is your ancient civilization?
brought to you by Quizilla

I really thought those quizes were out of date but I saw this one on the Stína the fine blog.

Perhaps I'm pussled

2005-05-11T12:01:00.000Z

You could say!
..............

Strange thing

2005-05-08T23:52:00.000Z

There is a movie in TV about people living in Africa and I realised I recognise the language Swahili when spoken. I can understand some words, “asante” and some basic words.

climbing yesterday

2005-05-08T22:19:00.000Z

I went climbing yesterday Mt Eyjafjallajokull on the south coast of Iceland.

It was great and you can see some pictures on my Flickr page

lack of connection

2005-05-01T01:07:00.000Z

properly. The main road in town that is aside my house has been under some heavy construction the last couple of weeks and I think they had cut my line. That telephone line is not so terrible important it self as a line for my speakers telephone but it is for the Internet. Now in the middle of Saturday evening night I have no idea of what to do at all since there is no Internet here any more. This is actually written in MS Word for Door or something (was it perhaps word for windows or word for stairs? … who cares? I don’t… have any one heard of that Bill Gates?) So I have to post this blog when I come to work tomorrow. Yes, on Sunday… working on Sundays is a bad thing but I some times do it anyway.

To night I went to Jon Bjarni, one of the fellows that climbed Kilimanjaro with me last month. Well, last month if it is still April. Part of the group came there and watched together a tv program showing some Icelanders climbing that same mountain. It was interesting to see how it was for them. When watching that program I realised how great my team was on the mountain. They in the tv program where 5 people but we were 8 in my group. They more or less walked as 5 individuals but in my group we walked there as an 8 person group. Always together and if anyone was wrong there were always 7 friends for help.

After the program ended we discussed what to do next. And we more or less decided that the next project for the group would be in South-America. There is a mountain called Aconcagua and we have to climb it. We have not decided yet when it will be but we are talking about January / February next year (2006) or year 2007. We have to make the final decision late summer this year. But we will do it I’m sure.

I went to Jon Bjarni on my bike and managed to bike home after several biers. On my way I think I met one girl / woman I think I could like a lot. She recognised me but I didn’t recognise her until to late. But I have to talk to here as a part of business next Monday and then I can ask her if I actually met her. She lives in same street as I do but her home is more downtown than mine.

But now I’m at home without an Internet, looking through a photography book: “The Family of Man”. One of my favourites and which I bought in 1987, Wow that’s almost 20 years ago. I must be old!

Happy summer every body

2005-04-21T11:32:00.000Z

Happy summer every body, originally uploaded by eirasi.

I never know how it is else where but here in the cold Iceland we are now celebrating for the summer. It is here today. Always the last thursday of April every year. Regardless of how the weather is. But it is ok at the moment although not that 30Â°C as I and that giraffi had couple a weeks ago in Kenya.

What I have ever done...

2005-04-16T11:14:00.000Z

Have you ever:

( ) gotten lost in your city
(?) seen a shooting star / what in a hell is a shooting star? Is it in the sky?
(x) been to the United States
(x) had a serious surgery
( ) gone out in public in your pajamas
( ) kissed a stranger
( ) hugged a stranger
( ) been in a fist fight (been in a cat fight...)
( ) been arrested
( ) done drugs
(x) had alcohol
(x) laughed and had milk/coke come out of your nose
( ) pushed all the buttons on an elevator
( ) made out in an elevator
( ) slept in an elevator
(x) swore at your parents
( ) kicked a guy where it hurts
(x) been in love
(x) been close to love
( ) been to a casino
( ) been skydiving
(x) broken a bone
(x) been high
(x) skinny-dipped
(x) skipped school
( ) flashed someone
( ) saw a therapist
( ) done the splits
(x) played spin the bottle
(-) gotten stitches
( ) had an IV ?
( ) drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour
( ) bitten someone
( ) been to Niagara Falls
( ) gotten the chicken pox
(x) kissed a member of the opposite sex
( ) crashed into a friend's car
( ) been to Japan
( ) ridden in a taxi
(x) been dumped
( ) shoplifted
( ) been fired
( ) had a crush on someone of the same sex
(x) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
(x) stole something from your job
( ) gone on a blind date
(x) lied to a friend
( ) had a crush on a teacher
( ) celebrated Mardi-Gras in New Orleans
( ) slept with a co-worker
( ) been married
( ) gotten divorced (does breaking up co-habiting count?)
( ) had children
(x) saw someone die
(x) been to Africa
(x) driven over 400 miles in one day
( ) been to Canada
( ) been to Mexico
(x) been on a plane
(x) seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show
( ) thrown up in a bar *cough*
( ) purposely set a part of yourself on fire
(x) eaten sushi *insert Homer Simpson-esque sounds*
( ) been snowboarding
( ) met someone in person from the internet (reader, I married him)
( ) been moshing at a rock show
( ) cut yourself on purpose
(x) been to a motor cross show
( ) lost a child
(x) gone to college
(x) graduated from college
( ) done hard drugs
(x) taken painkillers
(x) love someone or miss someone right now

Stupid... I have not done a list like this for months now. I must be bored or something!

Some pictures

2005-04-06T19:16:00.000Z

After the Kilimanjaro klimbing we went to a Safari in Kenya. We visited Lake Nakuru, Lake Elementaita and The Masai Mara. Some pictures:

..............

Out of Afrika

2005-04-06T09:10:00.000Z

Well, I'm back. Had a great tour to Afrika, Mt Kilimanjaro and Safari. Some pictures to come next weekend I hope but here is one. My brother and I at Uhuru Peak. We all (8 people) managed to the top.

So many things to do

2005-03-13T20:50:00.000Z

I have been extremely busy the preceding days preparing for the trip to Africa. I have to take both, clothes for extremely cold and difficult condition on for the top day on Kilimanjaro where I have to be prepared for -20°C and I have also to be prepared for +30°C I could have in the safari tours on the days that follows.

I have also been reading some tourist guides I have for the area and also medical and diseases information needed. And there is another complicated thing that I’m not sure what to bring with me since most of the food is included but perhaps not all and I’m not sure if I it is better for me to take my own primus or not.

Well. Anyway… Last Friday evening I had time for relaxing with some friends from work when we had a “adventure” trip in south Iceland. We went to a ghost museum among other things.

The following pictures are from that trip.

In the bus...

Davíð, Davíð, Helgi og Bergþór outside the gohst museum...

Davíð and Helgi in a good mood. Davíð is going with me to Kilimanjaro.

But it is London next Thursday and I’ll be in Africa early in the morning next Saturday.

Got vaccination!

2005-03-08T21:20:00.000Z

I was vaccinated today against various illnesses such as yellow fever and some other that I don’t names of in English. My health is okay now and my car has fixed it self. Yes by some magic. My cars sometimes do that for my surprise.

Well, going to London Thursday next week and will be in Nairobi Saturday morning that same week. Interesting.

Hamburger

2005-03-07T23:14:00.000Z

I must be a great cook since I could make that delicious hamburger earlier tonight!

Bon appetite!

Hey…. there was that sound again. What is it?

My health is not so bad any longer I hope.

2005-03-06T01:03:00.000Z

I think I’m all better now. I even went outside the apartment to day and not only to sea a doctor. First I was going to drive my car but that old bastard seems to be even worse than I am. I’m even afraid it is seriously ill. Well that stupid car is just some metal junk. And I have two of them although the other one hasn’t been from home for couple of years. Yes, they like it here. Perhaps I just buy the third one, who knows.

Since the car was demonstrating I used my legs and went downtown. Not far for me to go since I almost live downtown. It is always so strange to be out among other people after illness or having been from all other people. Last week I met one doctor, one secretary at the doctor’s office, my sister and my mother. To day I met couple of hundreds on the street. Yes the main shopping street in Reykjavik where the merchants says no one ever come.

I met one woman I work with downtown. After we talked couple of minutes I got a terrible cough she said I was still with bad health and shouldn’t let anybody see me on the street. Since I always listen to attractive women (and all women are attractive) I went straight away home. Well I was going home anyway.

Later I had to go to the nearest shop to buy some onions since I was making some Indian chicken and it needed some onions. Then I realised I am not so much ill any longer.

Jibbý!

Well yes....
Since it is more than midnight it is just appropriate to post that sunset photo I took couple of weeks ago when driving with another woman I work with.

Sunset on Hellisheidi

And yes again ....
I have been hearing those sounds again. It is as someone is here in the apartment. Today I thought I saw somene but I didn't. I'm wondering what it is....

It's all on it's way

2005-03-03T12:44:00.000Z

Or isn't that said in English?

I’m better to day than I was yesterday and I was very bad the evening before yesterday. I will not get the vaccination until next Tuesday and I should be OK by then.

I have been in so much contact with the secretary of the doctor that does the vaccination that I’m almost considering her as one of my friends! She is calling me home to let me know about possible times and everything.

And my last entry on DPC is doing well. It has got 6.444 at the moment and would be my second highest if that was final.
highest if that was final.

But it is so strange, I have been hearing some sounds recently. Am I going mad or what?

Being ill

2005-02-28T21:29:00.000Z

It’s just terrible for me. I noticed last Saturday there was something wrong with me. I didn’t feel properly but did nothing about it. Sunday I was becoming ill with 38°C fever.

That illness can be a serious matter for me since I’m planning to go to Africa in the mid March. Today I had a plan to go for vaccination but was refused since I have this fever. That fever must go down before Friday. If not, there are possibilities that I can’t go to Africa at all.

Damn illness.

Usually I don’t take some minor innless seriously and go to work if it is not very bad. Now I have to listen to my body and stay at home until that fever goes down. It is somewhere between 38 and 39°C now.

Then some more positive news. My last entry on DPC went just fine.

It ended in place 7 of more than one hundred other photos.
That can’t be so bad. As you can perhaps see it is one of the hiking photos from previous Saturday.

Lazy blogger

2005-02-26T14:13:00.000Z

Well I can be a lazy blogger but I’ll not admit I’m a lazy hiker. Last weekend I went hiking with some of my friends from work to a mountain close to Reykjavik called Botnssúlur. The tour was considered as a part of preparation for the Kilimanjaro tour next month. On the picture above you can see the group without me as I did the photo.

We woke up early and began walking around nine o’clock. The sky in Thingvellir was just marvellous as you can see on that photo.

After we all came together at the service station in Thingvellir we could go on to the mountain. As you can see on the guy in the middle who is my brother, some of us were rather tired at that time of the day. It was a Saturday after all.

One of us got stuck in the snow where we parked the cars. We helped him out of the trouble and set off walking after that.

We became in two groups most of the time. Most of us were age around 30-40 and we went not very fast and chose not the steepest paths. The two in the front you can see are fifty-something and they went in a head of us younger once and they also did some ice climbing in the steeper slopes of the mountain. You can see the top of the mountain Botnssúlur (Syðsta-Súla) in that picture.

On following picture you can see us walking to the top.

After a long walk we came to the top where we could sit down. The guy reading the newspaper had it with him not to read but to sit on as he did after I took that picture. He can't read anyway...

On the way down ...

And finally down where we reach our cars.

More pictures and bigger versions of them is here:

http://kilimanjaro.heima.is/myndir/botnssulur2005/index.html

You can also see a map of that mountain her:

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=5460704&size=o

Some newz

2005-02-22T20:54:00.000Z

I finally did some things on that dpc web. Well I didn't win this time but I got very high voting and more comments than I could imagine. So it is nice.

I hate sundays

2005-02-13T22:52:00.000Z

Now I'm realising all those things I had on my plan for the weekend but I haven't finished yet. They are so many you wouldn't believe it. I have somehow become to a bad mood. I'm not sure why but perhaps the reasons are all those things I haven't done this weekend.

I have been shooting some photographs most of the time. But still I have not done what I planned to in that area. I had a plan for a self-portrait, a bridge photo and a negative space photo. Well they are there all in some parts but not all as I liked or planned. I had an idea of a self-portrait showing me with an old camera taking a self-portrait. I didn't manage to do that. But I did this instead which I like a lot.

Well actually it wasn't this one but since it is doing ok in that challenge I decided to put another one here on the blog.

And for that photos of negative space and bridges I'm stuck with the following:

Or for the bridge:

In my Kitchen

2005-02-12T22:23:00.000Z

Me in my kitchen half an hour ago

There is a challenge in dpchallenge.com about self-portrait. I don't think I will send this but this is I in my kitchen making my dinner this evening. As usual I'm making my dinner rather late and as sometimes before it is some Chinese style as I like.

And well about the meal. I am some how practising for my birthday next week when I will perhaps invite some of my friends and family to my house.

I love Saturdays

2005-02-12T10:30:00.000Z

I think Saturdays are my favourites days. On Saturdays I usually don't have to anything really. I can have to something during the weekends but those things can usually wait to Sunday. Perhaps it is the fact that Sunday follows Saturday that make me love Saturdays. I'm not sure. I like them anyway and today is a Saturday.

One thing I have to do this weekend is some photography stuff. I would like to make three immortal photos to send to as many challenges. One self portrait, one picture showing bridge and finally one picture representing negative space.

I have an idea for both the negative space and also the self portrait. The bad weather at the moment is just disturbing for that work. And one evening this week I tried to get some bridge photos. I'm not sure about them and I don't think I'll send them to the challenge but this is one of them:

But more about that photo challenges. Last week I had one picture on DPC that did better than I expected. Well perhaps it did better than I expected since I didn't expect so much after my last entry to that web. See post below. The subject of the challenge was "traffic sign". I went out of town and sent this one to the challenge:

This weekend I have the problem to decide which lens to buy for my camera before I go to Africa next month. I have always those hard time making decisions for myself. But last week I did manage to make a decision about buying new cross country skis. So now I'm a happy mountain guy who have to go skiing…

Meow, my name is Brandur son of Lotta the tiny cat

2005-02-03T23:11:00.000Z

Couple a month ago I was babysitting two cats for my parents while my mother was on sea. You can read stupid things about it here.

Those two cats were Brandur and his mother Lotta. While I was looking through my pictures from last year I saw this one showing that yellow cat Brandur. Since I liked that picture so much I decided to share it with you who might be reading this.

Well, I must let that picture also appear on my Icelandic blog since my mother usually reads that more than this one I think.

about something else

2005-01-28T23:18:00.000Z

I'm always trying to satisfy those needs of mine about creativity by taking some photographs. One evening this week I vent to a cemetery to take some photos. I was thinking about a dpchallenge competition about light and did plan to capture a light in the cemetery at night. I don't think the photos will do anything but perhaps the brown ribbon on dpchallenge but they are scary enough to be good as they are. Here are two of them.

I'll perhaps post more of them in my fotolog.

I wasn't particularly afraid of all the ghosts there since most people buried there died long time ago. But I was afraid since it is a dark place close to the centre of the city and all kind of people can be there. And that people isn't necessary nice people. Can be all kind of junkies or some crazy people.

But unfortunately I didn't see anyone there. Neither they were dead or alive.

That cemetery is a matter of a fact one of my favourites places in Reykjavik to take photographs. I think this one here is about 20 years old.

Later on I made a charcoal drawing of that photo.

The drawing is from year 2001 I think. I wonder if I should keep on drawing. My mother says I should go to art school. Should I?

>

That dp challenge thing....

2005-01-28T22:49:00.000Z

Another thing that make me sad now is totally different. It is that photography challenge at dpchallenge.com, where I posted this photo last evening in the "three" challenge.

It is not doing as I expected or I hoped for. When I woke up this morning it was at average 5.8 on scale 1 to 10. And today someone was giving it the lowest score that is 1. Well another guy was giving it a 10 so perhaps I shouldn't be so disappointed. But I am and this photo challenge web is somehow destroying the last peace of self confidence I ever had.

It is now around 6 which is perhaps not so bad but I was indeed hoping for at least 6.5.

It's so strange

2005-01-26T01:48:00.000Z

If you read my last blog (from this very morning) I can tell you I fell a sleep one hour before I had to wake up. And it is just amazing how tired I could be after that one hour long sleeping. At least I was much more tired when I woke up but I was when I fell to sleep.

Now I'm going to have some sleep again since it is more than midnight where I live. I don't think I will stop drinking coffee but I almost (or perhaps I did) promised myself to stop drinking that unhealthy Coca Cola. I had one 2 L bottle and I drank all of it this evening. I will be fat and ugly if I continue to drink that black liquid in such quantities.

Well. Now I have to get some sleep and I hope I can sleep to eight o'clock next morning.

"Breakfast for two"

Perhaps I should stop drinking... coffee

2005-01-25T06:32:00.000Z

It is no good. Last couple of nights I woke up at 5 AM. Last night I was laying in my bed for at least one hour until my brain finally decided to sleep again. And of course I Had to wake up couple of hours later and was awfully tired when I had to go to work.

This night I woke up at the same time and now it is 6:35 and I'm not sleeping yet and I have moreover started my computer as you could guess. Perhaps I should just go out of bed now and try to start this day real early!

I'm not sure the reason for this is all that coffee I'm drinking everyday. I doubt that. In bed not able to sleep I started to think nonsense as usual.

I'm some kind of a strange creature as someone might expect. I started to think about last Saturday when I was in a bookstore and saw that girl who used to work at same place as I do couple of years ago. I always kind of liked her and I hoped she liked me as well. Once or twice I had perhaps some reason to believe she did like me as well but at other times she just ignored me. That was sad. Later I heard she thought I was gay and told every body who wanted to know I was. Then I hated her.

Perhaps she is just gay her self.

I'm not sure if she saw me in that bookstore. I don't care. She has seen me many times. I'm not sure if she has any more boyfriends last years as I have girlfriends. Perhaps I have more. I don't know. Perhaps I should have asked her for a cup of coffee (since it was the bookstore with the great café inside) but of course I didn't. If I had done that she would have refused or not. If not I would have been all clumsy and not know what to say to her.

I'm not sure if anyone understands me but this Charlie Brown here is somehow more like me than anything else.

How strange it is I still think about her for couple of days every time I see her. And I see her quite often walking up or down the main shopping street in Reykjavik. Sometimes she is drinking takeaway coffee as I do and usually she is not with anybody. I sometimes think she is also just as stupid as I am.

Well now I have to wake up after just one hour. Perhaps my brain wants to sleep that hour?

Lets party and have fun!

2005-01-24T23:12:00.000Z

Last Saturday I went to friends of mine because they were having a kind of a party at their house. It was great. If there have to be a reason for everything, purpose or something, then the reason and purpose for the party was to meet one of our friends that lives now in Africa. He is working there for the UN for the peace there. I'm sure he is doing a great job!

Since one other friends got a new questionnaire game last Christmas we played it in the party. It was a great fun although I didn't win the game. That was okay since the game was all about pop music and I don't know as much as all my friends know about pop music. I know more about other things anyway. If anyon reading this bullshit knows about Icelandic TV programs, then the game is called "Popppunktur" and is based on a popular TW show with the same name.

As in all good parties some of us got a little bit drunk. The reason for that was firstly the bear I drank. Then it was the red wine I drank and finally it was all the whiskey I drank. But that was okay since it was a good 12 years old whiskey and that can only do you good.

The party was in a new house and the African guy didn't know it properly and when he opened one door and walk through it he was in the air falling down where the balcony will be in the future. Well he didn't hurt himself since he fell only one or two meters and he is also fully trained soldier.

Well it was fun anyway. I had my tiny camera with me and took some pictures showing part of the fun.

In the beginning there was that game, Popppuntur...

...and everyone was playing. The guy in the black jacket was in my team. I don't understand why we didn't win the game since he knows everything about pop music. Well it came clear that evening that some other know even more!

This is the lucky disk that gave us a great luck in the game...

But the timing wasn't as good as Snorri thought!

And he gave it a closer look.

But me myself was semi cool all evening.

Yes it was the time of that night!

But now talking seriously:

I told the friend from Africa I plan to go there in two months from now. He is actually in Liberia that is on the west coast of Africa. I'll be on the east coast but at similar degree of latitude as Liberia I think. He told me some bad stories about malaria and other sickness I could have there. He knew one guy who became ill on Thursday one week. He went to a doctor next Saturday but that was too late. The malaria had become in his brain and was dead next Sunday.

So if feel something strange happening to me in Africa I have to go to a doctor immediately I think. I don't want that malaria in my brain and I don't want to die in Africa.

Shit happens as someone said and was fired or what?

2005-01-15T23:04:00.000Z

One week ago there was a great party where I work. We had a big new years celebration with the costumers of the company where I work. After the party with the costumers I went with some peple from work (which I like a lot) and also some of the costumers (which I also like a lot and have known as a nice persons for several years and even for longer time than I have been working where I am working)

Well after a while everyone got drunk and I was not the best one. After that I was walking from one pub to another and fell down and on my other side and I'm afraid I broke a ribbon or something. I'm still not good which is bad since I was practicing 5-7 times a week for the Kilimanjaro trip in March. But I think I will go to the gym again tomorrow but I have to go slowly!

But anyhouse.

Today was beautiful weather. Temperature has been above zero now for couple of days so it was not so cold at all. But Ice and snow still everywhere. I went out in my car to take some photos. I drove outside of the town (Reykjavik) to a little lake called Hafravatn where I saw three guys fishing and they were from Russia of all places. They didn't speak any Icelandic and almost no English neither. Since my Russian is as poor as their Icelandic I couldn't speak to them but I think it was ok to take some photos.

I also saw that guy flying over the lake. I think I would like to do that!

Those photos were not as good as I was hoping for. I had the idea of sending them to the biggest newspaper in Iceland. But I think they are not good enough for that. Long time ago when I was in college (or you would perhaps call it high school) I was used to sell that newspaper photos that were mostly from life at school. Then most people who knew me thought I would be a photographer. When I meet people now from that time that I haven't met for a ling time they sometimes get surprised when they hear that I "just" went to a university and became an engineer and is working at a computer company.

rrrring rrrrrrrrriiiiiinnnnng

2005-01-13T20:10:00.000Z

The postman always rings twice, wasn't. But it was a post woman and not so Icelandic since she was from Asia somewhere and hardly spoke any Icelandic. She was delivering my Swahili dictionary I ordered at Amazon.com couple of months ago. It is strange how this delivery service can be sometimes. Yes I know Iceland is far away from the states but I can't understand this. Perhaps the book wasn't on stock.

You might wonder why on Earth I'm ordering a Swahili dictionary. You should know. I'm going to Africa after a couple of months.

But stop disturbing me, I'm trying to work now!

My fotolog page

2005-01-12T18:33:00.000Z

I have been on fotolog for a long time. Fotolog is one of the most nice communities on the web I have seen. A lot of people there likes my pictures and gives me comments. But the servers there and connections are really bad I have to say.

Some days ago I noticed a couple of emails I got in my mailbox from them about pictures I posted at least one month ago didn't go through. And at the same time some pictures I posted many times to get through began to appear there all at the same time.

At that moment I decided to go finally to Flickr. But to my disappointment Flickr was also doing poorly and having trouble with all the pictures they were getting at the same tim. I think nothing is totally good and perhaps I will stay at Fotolog also for some more time.

You can see how my fotolog page appeared:

And how ironic things can be. That picture is from Flickr since I can't publish fotolog pictures on this page.

..............

Climbing Kilimanjaro

2005-01-05T01:14:00.000Z

I'm not sure if you [the reader] know about what is on my mind those days. Apart from work (which is unfortunately usually most on my mind) I'm now thinking the whole time about Africa. I'm going to Kenya and Tanzania in March this year to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.

I should be doing something else now but I have been making a web page for the group and made a short version of it in English if anyone is interesting.

The holydays are over

2005-01-03T01:25:00.001Z

If I'm not wrong then there will be just a Monday tomorrow [today if you have a syndrome or something"]. And moreover there will be five days working until next weekend. What I can look forward to is the new years party next Friday where I work. Til will be a great party with all the customers. The party is in the first week of the year every year. It was good last year but I will never forget the party the year before that.

But the time is past midnight and that Monday will be for real when I'll weak up next morning so I think I should go to bed not later than now.

Joke of the day

2005-01-02T22:45:00.000Z

THE TRAIN DELAY
A mother was working in the kitchen listening to her 5 year old son playing with his new electric train in the living room.
She heard the train stop and her son saying, "All of you sons of bitches who want off, get the hell off now cause this is the last stop! And all of you sons of bitches who are getting on, get your asses in the train 'cause we're going down the tracks."

The horrified mother went in and told her son, "We don't use that kind of language in this house. Now I want you to go to your room and you are to stay there for TWO HOURS. When you come out, you may play with your train, but I want you to use nice language." Two hours later, the son came out of the bedroom and resumed playing with his train.

Soon the train stopped and the mother heard her son say, "All passengers, please remember to take all of your belongings with you. We thank you and hope your trip was a pleasant one. We hope you will ride with us again soon."

She heard her little darling continue: "For those of you just boarding, remember, there is no smoking in the train. We hope you will have a pleasant and relaxing journey with us today." As the mother began to smile, the child added, "For those of you who are pissed off about the two hour delay, please see the bitch in the kitchen...."

I'm now moving some posts from my old blog to this blog. Most of them appear on the original date but some of them "accidentally" appear as of January 2005. This one is btw from my friend Stina.

And yes, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!

My photography page

2004-12-26T16:02:00.000Z

I have been thinking of setting up some fancy photography page for myself. I'm not quite sure how fancy it is but there aren't many photos ther yeat.....

In the kitchen preparing Christmas dinner

2004-12-25T19:56:00.000Z

In the kitchen, originally uploaded by eirasi.

My mother and my brother making sugar brown potatoes.

They were eaten with couple of Icelandic wild geese after some of us in the family went to church.

For you who might not know, we in Iceland have different Christmas costume than some other countries since Christmas eve is at 24th of December and we get the presents that evening.

Merry Christmas to everybody

2004-12-24T01:58:00.000Z

Easter some years ago

2004-12-18T14:39:00.000Z

I went skiing with my friends. It was a great tour around Easter. I don't remember what year it was but most likely it was year 1999.

We began the tour in a cold weather at temperature 10-15 degrees below zero. That picture is from day four in the tour when it was much warmer temperature, even above zero.

The day after it had began raining and the tour changed immediately to water skiing project!

I might write more about that tour but now I have to go out and buy some coffee - my mind is n danger

One of my pictures: The pigeon

2004-12-17T19:41:00.000Z

The summer of 1987
I went to Czechoslovakia for one month as an IAESTE exchange student. At that time I was studying mechanical engineering at the University of Iceland and I spent a part of that summer working in a lorry factory Prague named Avia. It was a great time and I took a lot of photos on my old Olympus OM-1. Those days were no digital!

This photo here below are originally colour slides but I made it monotonic as it is in Photo Shop.

The pigeon, originally uploaded by eirasi.

...............