Allergies

I'm allergic to birchwood pollen, and let me tell you - it sucks! It really blows so bad, I ant even begin to express how much it blows. First off, there's no way of knowing when the pollen season will begin or when it will end, never mind how severe it will be.

It all started when I was 18, and a Russ. Living in Oslo, the celebrations took place at Tryvann, an area more or less surrounded by a forest of birchwood.

Not knowing what was going on, or why my throat was constricting, I had more than a few panic attacks (which only served to exacerbate the situation). Eventually, the meds my doctor prescribed kicked in, but I still remember the horror I felt at the thought of not living to see my 19th birthday.

These days, I get a shot before the season starts, then medicate more or less heavily to survive the days. Of course, the meds make me drowsy as all heck, seriously impairing my performance at just about anything that requires any sort of concentration at all.

To add insult to injury, there are other side effects as well; for example, when I go to the dentist to have work done, the dentist has to use way more local anaesthetic than she normally does, and even then, there's no guarantee that it'll actually take effect.

Another thing about allergies; they tend to move in packes. In addition to my main allergy, birchwood pollen, I am allergic to furry animals, nuts, strawberries and apples (to mention but a few). Really, the list goes on an onl, and the above are things I really like.

Still, it's not all for nothing; with all this cortisone in my body, which I get in the shot I mentioned earlier, outside of the pollen season, I am mostly free of cross allergies for the next few months, which at least means I can eat strawberries in summer.

New coffee machine

As I have written elsewhere, I love coffee. The heady smell, the fragrant taste, the warmth, all of these are part of my affection for coffee. A few years back, I bought a Senseo, a single or double serving machine that has served me very well since. I have, however, been searching for something else.

Last weekend, I found it.

That last sentence isn't, strictly speaking, true. I have known for some time now, what this "something else" is. A nifty little machine called Nespresso. Catchy name, eh? I first encountered the concept in Israel, but at the time didn't actually consider buying one of my own. The machine just seemed too big and bulky.

This all changed when a friend of mine showed me the very sleek one he'd gotten a hold of. Compact, simple and efficient, and with a design that appealed to me, I knew I'd found what I was looking for. A Nespresso Essenza.

Since I saw the one my friend had, I'd been thinking of getting one of my own for some time. Then, last weekend, I went shopping with my parents, and found that Nespresso had started a campaign to promote their products which included a discount in the form of a cash-back for almost a third of the price of the model I was getting. I thought this was an offer too good to give up, and went for it.

Since I plugged it in, I've been very pleased with my purchase, and I can say that it was definitely worth the money. Now, my Nespresso machine and my Senseo are living life side by side, both dedicated to serving good coffee.

A wonderful week

For my birthday, my amazing girlfriend not only gathered my friends for a surprise party, she also gave me a trip to a spa. A beer spa. In the Czech Republic. This of course meant we had to go to Prague. I know. Really sad, isn't it?

Well, over christmas, we ordered tickets and a hotel room, and then she started on finalizing the plans. As it turned out, the guy who arranges the spa, is also a tour guide in Prague, and offered to pick us up at the airport, take us to the hotel, and then take us on a guided tour of the city.

Arriving in Prague after a slightly delayed flight from Oslo, we met our guide, Filip. He's a local, but speaks fluent Norwegian. After leaving our luggage in the Hotel, we drove to the top of the old town, and started our tour at Klasterny Strahov, the Strahov monastery. The monastery brews beer, an excellent amber lager called Sv. Norbert.

Having sampled Sv. Norbert, we went to the Castle, and saw its amazing cathedral. After that, we went to the "Little side", where we stopped for our second pit stop at another of Filip's favorite haunts, that served the best gulasch I've ever had, with traditional Czech steamed knödel bread, along with a very nice lager called Svijany, and grog.

That's right, grog. Not unrelated to the drink sailors have drunk for time immemorial, it is a real heater, as it's served hot, and based on a rum-like liquor. The pub, ancient as it looked, had a theatre stage in the back. Apparently, this is where anti-communist meetings were held during the communist times. Being in there was like breathing history.

Following the heater, food and beer, we went back outside, to cross the beautiful and ancient Charles bridge. Unfortunately, parts of it were under restoration. Even so, it was gorgeous, and immediately after crossing it, we went into the Klementinum, the old city library. From the Klementinum, we went on to the old town square and its beautiful town hall.

Leaving the town hall behind, we went on to Prague's kubist house. In the second floor of the house, there's an amazing 20's style kubist cafè called Grand Cafè Orient, a very nice and charming place, full of atmosphere.

When we left Grand Cafè Orient, it was getting late, and so we headed towards our hotel.

The next day, Tuesday, Anne and I grabbed our cameras, and went to town. Some of the results for my shoots of the day can be seen on Flickr. We started out in the Prague City museum, at the Florenc station on the Prague subway. Among more or less interesting exhibits are two pieces that stand out. One is a gorgeous mural by Salvador Dali. The other, and the key piece of the museum, a huge, intricate, detailed paper model of the city made in the years 1826-1834 by Antonin Langweil.

Following the museum, we took the subway a few stops, and then switched to the city's tram line number 22. Forget any other tram line, the number 22 is the way to get around town. We literally only used that, and our feet, to get around town. We went back up to the Castle, from there moving back to the Charles bridge, and then to the other side of town, where we took photos around the town square before heading back to the Grand Cafè Orient for some hot drinks.

In the evening, we went to a restaurant called Cowboys. It's a nice enough place, but there are better places, even for their specialty, steak. The next day was spent walking around town without cameras, doing a little light shopping, and enjoying the town. Among other things, we picked up a few very nice pashminas.

Thursday morning, Filip picked us up at our hotel, taking us to the Chodovar brewery where the spa I mentioned a while back is located. The spa treatment started with a bath in a mix between hot water and dark beer, with cold beer served on the side to go with the bath. We were then taken to a room to relax, before we had a massage.

This was followed by lunch, nice pike in a rather strange curry-ish sauce. Following lunch, we went to Plzn, the home of Pilsner Urquell. We were taken on a tour of the brewery, and served some of their famous beer.

On our way back, Filip recommended a place for steak called Ambiente - the living restaurant, and even made reservations for us. Although the steak at Cowboys was nice, this was something else entirely, and at half the price to top it all off.

Friday morning was spent finishing our packing, before we checked out of our hotel room, waiting for our transport to the airport in the lobby.

An auspicious evening

In 1952, the Norwegian chapter of B'nai Brith International was established. My grandfather was a member while he was alive, and my father has been a member for many years, serving in the council.

Some years ago, my father asked me whether I wanted to attend the lecture and dinner accompanying the meetings, and I accepted. Since then, I've attended most meetings. A year and a half or so back, I was first approached with regards to membership, but being too young, I wasn't eligible.

That all changed October last, with my 25th birthday.

Today, I was initiated as a member, with my father as one of my sponsors. An auspicious evening indeed!

She got in!

My gorgeous, lovely, caring girfriend had an email waiting for her today. It told her that she'd been accepted to the folkehøyskole she wants to attend. In short, folkehøyskole is a year off, doing whatever, but within a somewhat curricular manner.

I was never in doubt that she'd be accepted, but knowing is a great relief. While there (far to the north of Norway), she'll be spending her time taking photos, and gaining technical skills in photography. I am proud and happy for her!

Congratulations babe!

Violence - It's not the answer

Following the Israeli attack on Gaza, there have been two major demonstrations against Israel in Oslo that have turned very violent. The first demonstration was a counter-demonstration against a peaceful, pro-israeli demonstration.

First off; I am certain that Israel is in the right in acting against Hamas. If this had been anywhere else, a military response would have happened MUCH sooner. There's something about having fifty to seventy rockets fired into civilian cities, that just doesn't sit right. I have a serious problem with civilians being targeted, never mind blindly firing rockets in the general direction of civilians.

That being said, I can't - and won't - answer for the methods used. I feel saddened at the thought of innocent civilians losing their lives. Even so, the problem with fighting organisations like Hamas is that they do not follow any conventional rules of warfare; they do not consistently wear uniforms, they hide among the civilian population and so on.

I may disagree with the people demonstrating in support of Hamas, but as long as they choose to do so within the limits of law, I will fight for their right to voice their opinion. When they do not; when they attack people more or less indiscriminately, when they break windows and generally wreak havoc, they should pay the consequences.

I also think that these consequences should be severe. A criminal record, and a hole in ones resume of two to ten years, would probably be a deterrent to many of these people. Heavy fines should also deter them.

I do not claim to have the answers to the conflict in Israel, although I do think that Israel has a right and a duty to repel attacks. I think that, broadly speaking, the answer lays in dialog, in diplomacy, and in mutual respect. I do not think I will see true peace in the middle east while I am alive.

New blog

So, I decided to make another blog. More specifically, a playlog for when I GM RPGs (GameMaster, RolePlaying Games).

Find it at rpg.razumny.no