God tur!

For the past few days, some woman has been training her dog right underneath my bedroom window. Well, not exactly right underneath, because I am on the 4th floor, but it sounds like she is right underneath the window. I am simultaneously impressed and utterly at my wit's end. This woman has a voice that sounds like a female cookie monster, and, seriously, she is so loud.

This is what it sounds like:

Hey!
<Garbled dog's name>!
Kom!
<really loud whistle>

And then this cycle repeats about a dozen times without a pause.

At first, because I couldn't understand the dog's name, I didn't know what was going on. Was this some kind of sports practice and she was calling out drills? Was there a really unruly kid running around out there? Finally, this morning, as I was stubbornly trying to sleep in much longer than I should, I dragged myself out of bed to settle the issue.

It's a public path back there, and I doubt I have the talent required to yell irritably out of the window and make her rethink her ways, so I guess I just have to hope this dog is a really fast learner. So far, given the number of times this whole demonstration has taken place, I don't have very high hopes.

The mega-conglomerated super awesome top ten list comes out on Ground Hog Day. I don’t think that’s because ground hogs have anything special to say about music. I think it’s purely logistical. See, we’re waiting a month before we pass judgment on 2006. That way, we’ve gained some objective distance. At least, that’s what the powers-that-be tell me. I think maybe I’m not supposed to list my own list early, but it’s not the mega-conglomerated super awesome top ten list. It’s just my personal favorites. To be honest, it was a stretch to come up with ten. I had qualms about including albums that I didn’t typically listen to in one sitting (or walking, as the case may be). So, really, only the upper parts of the list are likely to become staples in the musical archive. You’ll also notice there’s a good chunk of happy on here. I’ve really been in the mood for happy music lately, and I have a number of albums in my possession that were probably worthy of my appreciation in terms of quality, but I just couldn’t bring myself to listen to too much gloom. Oh, and because of my penchant for the pen (I’m in fine form today, yeesh), I’ve added some lyrical embellishment for your reading pleasure. So, without further ado …

List the Magic Suffix

(as in idea-list, rea-list, nove-list, cyc-list, ana-lyst …)

10. Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain -Sparklehorse

“Come on, come on, come on, come on … it’s not so hard”

I don’t know what you’re saying, but it sounds beachy. It also reminds me of this terrible band I used to listen to in junior high …

9. Ships -Danielson

“Go get the lovely books let’s grab those lovely books gather up all these books we’re gettin’ looks looks, we’re gettin’ the looks …”

They’re singing … about grammar.

8. Through The Windowpane -Guillemots

“I love you through sparks and shining dragons, I do”

Hopeless romantics on a grand scale, complete with bird and dolphin noises. Only for those who could cry for miles …

7. Return to Cookie Mountain -TV on the Radio

“I was a lover before this war”

AND after.

6. Dreams -The Whitest Boy Alive

“By the rhythm of your language, the sparkle in your stride …”

No secret: Jeg elsker Erlend Øye. Hvorfor har han flyttet til Berlin?!?! (I love Erlend Øye. Why did he move to Berlin?)

5. Knives Don’t Have Your Back -Emily Haines

“It’s pathetic, it’s impossible … like guns and stilettos”

Sounds like what it feels like to be a woman in the 00s. For further musings on the subject, see me.

4. Let Me Introduce my Friends -I’m from Barcelona

“We’ll aim for the stars! We’ll aim for your heart!”

Lately, I’ve really needed a big group of friends to sing twee songs with. Hey, thanks, guys!

3. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood -Neko Case

“My nightgown sweeps the pavement clean”

Neko makes falling for the devil sound good.

2. The Life Pursuit -Belle and Sebastian

“If I could have a second skin, I’d probably dress up in you”

Prison breaks! Fashion! Gender-bending! Theology! Brilliance!

1. Ys -Joanna Newsom

“And though it may be madness, I will take to the grave your precious long face”

I, too, will always remember:

“The meteorite is the source of the light
and the meteor’s just what we see
and the meteoroid is a stone that’s devoid
of the fire that propelled it to thee”

Shabby poetry presses take note of the powers that exist beyond the scope of your vision.

Welcome to beautiful Kringsjå. This is where I live. They just added the sign a couple of months ago. Before that, none of us had any idea where we were. The studentby (or student city, as we might say in English) is a veritable labyrinth, and I live in one of the farthest buildings out. When I first moved in, there were two occasions when I got lost trying to find my building after dark. Thankfully, I don’t have that problem anymore. I have a German friend who once said of Kringsjå, ”For meg, ser det ut som GDR.” (To me, it looks like GDR.) And my friend Lisa has an Estonian friend who says it smells like communism. I’m inclined to believe both of them. However, one can always find ways of making a place feel homey, so today I thought I’d show you some of that ways I’ve found.

The first time I went to the Munch Museum, I found out how wonderful Munch’s prints are, and I felt rather sad about how rarely one sees photographs of them. I also found out about Munch’s generally happy-looking paintings. Here is my homage, then, to Norway in winter and to this calming little Munch postcard that I keep on my window to remind me of summer and its varied hues.

And here is my homage to fun things people send me in the mail. From left to right:

Cootie catcher and kitchen witch from Elise, tweed yarn and Frog and Toad card from Esther.

Another little thing that makes me happy is the Matisse print that Elise sent me. We had Matisse all over our kitchen for two years, so it was nice to put a little reminder of that up in my own kitchen. This is my designated cupboard. I’m the only one in my hallway who has made any attempt to decorate my cupboard, and I’m also the only one who has anything on my outside door. (An elephant. And a nametag.)

And the thing that is always nice about my room is the path to the Oslo community forest that goes under my window. There’s no one on it right now, but as you can see from the photo, there are lots of footprints and ski tracks that have been left behind.