SHhhhh

An Aerial View of the Fiji Islands ...shot through the window of a twin otter

2012-01-23T03:34:00.000-08:00

Stationery card

2011-12-11T23:07:00.001-08:00

Gallery Of Memories Christmas Card

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The Roaming Koala

2011-12-06T02:37:00.000-08:00

The Great Ocean Road

2011-11-13T21:35:00.000-08:00

Koalas! Kangaroos! Kookaburra! Cockatoo! Get your Australian animals here!!

Back in October (oh why has it taken me so long to post??) we took a drive with Mario's CSIRO coworkers Shiri (from Israel) and Nadine (from Switzerland). Wildlife and breathtaking vistas abounded!

So, without further ado...

Our good little car - made it the whole way and back

An aboriginal mosaic sun dial in Torquay

Then we were off to see some kangaroos!

He wanted to jump with the kangaroos, but the sign said you could only golf with them.

Aparently, kangaroos really like golfing

...and eating

...and jumping!

Big awesome caterpiller

No, that's not food!!

yum

wild cockatoo

One of many waterfalls we saw on the trip

Vogue, vogue...

To the lighthouse!

At the lighthouse

Driving, driving..................

To Teddy's Lookout!

At Teddy's Lookout

Our first koala sighting!!

He came down from his tree...

walked over to another tree, scurried up it and promptly started GROWLING at us! It was the craziest sound ever! I'll try to upload some of the videos I took of the koalas, soon...

The crew

We pet this one. He didn't seem to mind, but we were ready to run for it if he got upset!

This Koala is holding a baby against its chest. It's kind of hard to see, but once you know it's there, isn't it just too cute for words?

A couple of the Twelve Apostles are visible on the right

The Twelve Apostles at dusk

Melbourne!!!!

2011-11-13T20:37:00.000-08:00

Hi folks,

Wow! The time here in Melbourne has really flown by so far! I'm living in one of the cooler neighborhoods - St. Kilda - on the safer side (which is good). Our studio came fully furnished. It's small but really cozy. Currently, I'm teaching Elementary-level English as a Second Language to international students from South Korea and Colombia at Menzies Institute of Technology downtown. It's really fun and the students are fantastic. I'm also editing the English translation of a German book about Human Resources - so there's plenty of work to do!

So, if you have been wondering why it took me so long to get some pictures up on the blog, let a full-time+ work load and having far too much fun exploring a new city be my excuses :) I hope you like the following images. They begin with a little tour of my living quarters, then expand to some night shots of the local haunts (Windsor, Prahran, Balaclava). Finally we'll wind up at St. Kilda pier, which is only about a 15 minute walk from my apartment!

The view from our 3rd story apartment in St Kilda

The hallway in our building

Our apartment at 28 38 Charnwood Rd. in St. Kilda, VIC

One of Melbourne's old fashioned electric trams

Prahran district

Check out the gorilla ravishing some poor mannequin on the top story

The Eye! I swear it moves - looks direc you sometimes, or looks suspiciously to one side or another.

Let's take a walk to St. Kilda Beach!

That's right, there are penguins living in the rocks!!

In the evening light

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."
- Albert Einstein

All About My Summer

2011-09-17T01:01:00.000-07:00

This summer, I spent the month of June working as an editor at Intermedia (at the University of Oslo) on a project called Sansetap, created by award-winning veteran Norwegian film and tv man Bjørn Skaar. Earlier last Spring I traveled to Haugesund on the west coast to do some shooting for the project. We also spent a few days shooting in the Oslo area during the month of May.
The project presents profiles of several hearing-, vision- or mobility-impaired people in Norway. Videos on the website also document how technology can help people with disabilities through a vast array of aid devices.
Visit http://www.sansetap.no/ for more information about the project.
(The segments I worked on have not been uploaded to the website yet, but I will keep you posted when they are.)

Next, it was on to Munich, Germany for a month of English tutoring - - along with some sun, fun and relaxation. I spent the month with a wonderful family in their beautiful home in the western part of Munich. Here are some photos from July:

At the Staffelsee Lake with my host family

Staffelsee

Pointing out their property on the Staffelsee

Statue in a little Bavarian town nearby

Later in the month, I went for a weekend camping trip to see some must-see Bavarian historical attractions which include the fascinating Rococo Weis Church, the "fairy tale castle" Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. Later that week I also visited King Ludwig II's Linderhof Palace.

The Weis Church was built around 1746 with an elaborate Rococo style interior. It seemed that every surface was covered, bearing sculpture of cherubs, elaborate paintings and even a few mysterious relics. Now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the church was built to accommodate the overwhelming number of pilgrims who came to see the wooden Christ statue after tears were seen falling from the "Scourged Savior"s eyes.

The Scourged Savior himself

In the front part of the church, next to the altar, there was a strange object hanging in a glass box above a confessional, as I remember. I have not been able to find any confirmation of this, but it looked to me like an arm. It could have been a relic, as it is not uncommon for old churches to house alleged preserved body parts of saints.

We continued on and finally made it to the campground on the Forggensee.

We found a choice spot on the top of a hill with a great view of the lake, the Alps, sprawling pasture land and...

Neuschwanstein Castle! We could see it from our campsite!

That evening, we drove to Füssen, an old town nearby, to kill some time and see the sights there. It was drizzling and all the shops were closed, but it was really nice to see the old castle walls, churches and medieval streets.

The river was a beautiful, bright turquoise color. Why?

Unfortunately, the locals were as medieval as the streets! They locked us up for loitering...

At least we were allowed to keep our umbrella

The next day: a short drive to Neuschwanstein

A short drive, but a long line. It took over an hour to get tickets!

The view from Hohenschwangau

The view from Neuschwanstein

I think the view from each of these neighboring castles tells a lot about the different functions and personalities of the buildings themselves. Hohenschwangau was a family estate for King Maximillian II of the Wittelsbach family, bequeathed to his son Ludwig II. Ludwig II went on to spend oodles of money on grandiose, ground-breaking, and sometimes eccentric building projects. Neuschwanstein is his most famous unfinished architectural undertaking, and a bit surreal, as the enormous castle was never inhabited by the king for more than a hundred days or so.

It was chilly, but after the a long day of walking up to the castles and touring them, I just had to take a swim in the beautiful Alpsee!

On the drive back to München

My last days in Germany were bittersweet. I was sad to leave Bavaria, with its lovely lakes, fields, mountains and friendly people. On my last day in Munich, the father of my host family took me to visit Nymphenburg Palace. There are a lot of lovely public green spaces in Munich, the English Garden, areas on the banks of the Isar, but I think the enormous park around Nymphenburg is one of the best.

We followed this classic BMW to the palace, along with a film crew.

One of the guest houses at the palace.

The ballroom... or was it the pool house?

Later, we visited the English Garden one last time, got a frozen yogurt and walked through the gardens at the Residenz Munchen.

Finally, I spent August in Barcelona. My main reason for going to Barcelona was to take a CELTA course at the International House language school. The course was intense but really a lot of fun. Our group of trainees had very good chemistry - we were always laughing and making jokes with each other, which made the everything (including the workload) seem lighter. The course consisted of 40 hours per week at school, plus several more hours at home planning for lessons and completing assignments. Each trainee taught 9 lessons - 3 classes with each of the 3 levels (Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced). The students were a lovely group of adults who had a fervent desire to learn English.

I lived with a very nice, fun Spanish family with two daughters (ages 10 and 13) in Cabrils. For 15 hours per week, I tutored the girls in English. I didn't have much free time to go sightseeing, but here are a few pictures I took while I was there.

On a hike with my Spanish host family on my first day in Cabrils.

The fort: our goal looms majestically in the distance, bathed in the golden light of sunset.

Finally, we arrive at the fort, built in the 1400s by Catalonian families to protect their farmlands.

I took this picture on the way back to the car, before we briefly got lost in the woods. The tiny dot on top of the tallest hill is the fort. A good hike for my first afternoon in Spain.

So there it is, my summer. Much to be remembered and almost nothing to regret. Now, on to new and even more exciting adventures in Australia!

My trip to Ireland: Dublin, Cork and Blarney

2011-05-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

After handing in my master's thesis, I took a 5 day trip to Ireland with my friend Christopher. Of course, I brought along the 5D markII, expecting the Emerald Isle to be photogenic at least. I must say, my expectations were far surpassed! Ireland is a beautiful country - warm people with charming accents, livestock grazing in the greenest fields, quaint pubs, castles, history and more. I promise, no one is paying me to write this! It really is a wonderful place. I can't wait to go back!

So, without further ado, here is a photo tour!

Dublin


Christopher and I took in a free walking tour

The General Post Office on O'Connell Street became famous leading up to the Irish fight for independence when it was used by the organizers of the rebellion for meetings and such


		One of the first sights you will see as a tourist in Dublin is this statue of trade union leader Jim Larkin. He stands before the 'Spire of Dublin', completed in 2003 for €4,000,000, reaching 121m toward the sky it is claimed to be the "tallest sculpture on the planet," putting Ireland at the top of the international list for municipal phalli! Someone in the know, please tell me: are the the Irish just compensating or what?

Father Mathew, the temperance reformer, with an advert for what one might presume his suggested drug of choice would have been for the members of his flock who just couldn't keep off the booze.

In what appears to be a confessional right outside the main entrance to the Royal Palace in Dublin

Inside the Portrait Hall in the Royal Palace

The ceiling of the main hall, where important diplomats and head of state are entertained (including President Obama on May 23rd of this year)

Christ Church Cathedral, founded c. 1030 after the Norse king Sigtrygg Silkbeard, decedent of the original viking founders of Dublin, made a pilgrimage to Rome.


St. Patrick's Cathedral founded 1191

The very popular, self-guided, 11 euro Guinness Brewery tour

In the cylindrical "Gravity Bar" on the top floor, with windows all around offering a nice view of Dublin.

The Brewery from above


Finn's Hotel, where James Joyce's lover, inspiration and future wife, Nora Barnacle, worked as a chambermaid. The two met on June 10, 1904 and six days later decided to take a walk together through Ringsend, a seaside village suburb of Dublin. That day is the one day that inspired Joyce's legendary literary masterpiece Ulysses.

Cafe en Seine is a really, huge cool art deco style bar with great decorations and a range of (albeit quite pricey) food and drinks

A burger joint

A drag show with touring American comedy team called the "Screw You Review." Very funny!

The Crann An Or, Tree of Gold, outside the Irish Central Bank. Now that the "celtic tiger" seems to have fallen asleep (or shot itself in the butt with a tranquilizer dart), Dubliners look upon this sculpture differently. Money no longer grows on trees, so to speak. Yet, the work was originally designed to symbolize the valuable skills of the Irish labor force as the true gold that just kept growing and growing.

Doors of row houses are often all painted different colors. It is said that this was to help the drunken men remember which house was theirs as they stumbled home from the bars in the evenings.

Christopher over the river Liffey

Est. 1198

Traditional fare: lamb stew and Yorkshire beef pudding with Bulmers ciders


Stuffed and a wee bit potty, we were back at our hotel - saying goodbye to Dublin. The next morning: packing up to head across the island to Cork.

On the road from Dublin to Cork

Approaching the famous Blarney castle, about 10 km from Cork

There is even a rhyme to remember when the Blarney Castle was made: "Cormac MacCarthy, bold as bricks, made me in fourteen forty-six!"Cormac the Strong was the chieftain of the MacCarthy Clan, and Lord of Muskerry. Formerly on this site, there had been a 10th century wooden hunting lodge used by the Kings of Munster. The castle itself was surrounded by an eight-acre enclosed area surrounded by a perimeter wall and several small watchtowers.

The MacCarthys remain one of the most ancient clans of Ireland. St Patrick himself converted one of the MacCarthy ancestors to Christianity. Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) is credited with coining the term "blarney" when she learned that the MacCarthy chieftain would not relinquish his ancient rights and accept the authority of the English throne. He would offer lavish praise of the queen to her emissary, but never agreed to her terms.

The stone spiral staircase gets narrower and steeper as you go up

Not for the faint of heart

At the top of the castle. There would have been a roof above the room where those people can be seen standing below. They are in what would have been the chapel. Below that, a banquet hall with an enormous, man-sized fireplace, and below that laid the family room. The family room had a stone floor, which is still intact. Since the wooden floors are gone now, one must imagine what the rooms would have looked like from remaining structural clues like the stone supports that held up the floorboards and different shaped windows.

Christopher kissing the Blarney stone: I hope the "gift of the gab" comes in handy as he completes the final draft of his master's thesis!

Yours truly, having just enjoyed my brush with death and anticipated eloquence

What we very well may have looked like from below, while hanging over the edge of the castle roof, kissing the Blarney Stone!

We learned the difference between blarney and baloney:
"Baloney is when you tell a 50 year old woman that she looks 18.
Blarney is when you ask a woman how old he is, because you want to know at what age women are most beautiful."

Poised for defensive action in an arrow hole

"The murder hole: When the outer doors had been battered down, assailants entering the lobby below were easily 'dispatched from here' [ie: disposed of, rubbed out, sent to meet their maker] by boiling liquids, stones or other missiles."

The Poison Garden from above

The Poison Garden at Blarney is just another thing that makes this place so cool. It has been active since the 18th century and now holds living samples of the worlds' deadliest (and/or most psychedelic) plants, including Mandrake, Deadly Nightshade, Henbane, Oleander, Opium Poppy, Wolfsbane and Woormwood, just to name a few. The Cannabis specimens were seized by the Irish police (Garda) in 2010 and thus are currently absent from their 15ft 1/2 spherical cage.

Finally, I ventured down into Badger Cave, a series of tunnels under the castle that were purportedly used by inhabitants to flee when Oliver Cromwell's men besieged the castle in the 17th century. Legend has it there are three extraordinary hidden passageways from the cave: one that leads to Cork, one to the lake and one all the way to Kerry (80km away).... The castle inhabitants are said to have squirreled away all of the MacCarthy's gold down these tunnels while they escaped the English.

Fellow tourists and probable Blarney Stone survivors

Back in Cork, we discovered this strange window arrangement while exploring the town.

The English Market in Cork

Drisheen and tripe: local specialties...

Church of St. Anne Shandon: the clocks were installed in 1847 with the inscription, "Passenger measure your time for time is a measure of your being." The internal mechanism remains the largest clock in Europe. Still, the four different sides never read the exact same time, earning it the nickname "the four faced liar."

Old books on display at Shandon

Where we played the bells of Shandon. Set list from our free concert included such timeless hits as "Oh! Susanna," "The Last Rose of Summer" and "The Final Countdown!"

In the bell tower at Shandon

18th century bells, each with a different inscribed dedication

The view from the top: Cork city

Leaving the Emerald Isle

Can Art Influence Political Policy on the Environment?: A Case Study Examining Rolf Groven's Eco-Art

2011-05-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

My master's thesis is finished! I would like to thank everyone who was involved in this project for their help, support, inspiration, coordination and interest! I also plan to publish the .pdf version on my personal website. If anyone can suggest any other places I could publish this thesis for free on the web, please let me know. It was a lot of work and it would be a shame if no one could read it!

All the best to everyone! Hope you enjoy it.

Can Art Influence Political Policy on the Environment?: A Case Study Examining Rolf Groven's Eco-Art http://www.scribd.com/doc/55964929/Can-Art-Influence-Political-Policy-on-the-Environment

Brussels: Metal and Glass, French Fries and the "Chicken In Disaster"

2011-05-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

These photos are from a trip to visit my good friend Samuel, who is currently living and working in Brussels - the capital of the European Union. Mario and I stayed with Samuel for 4.5 days and had a really fun time.
We first met Samuel while he was studying abroad for 1 year in Oslo on an ERASMUS stipend from his homeland of Switzerland. Now, Samuel is on a fast track to success - having already run for public office in Zurich. He has worked for 2 international law firms in Brussels and is now applying to graduate school for an advanced degree in Law.

We began our first day of sight-seeing in Brussels with a tour of the Palais de justice de Bruxelles. Just outside, there is an overlook with a stunning panorama of the whole city.

Samuel and Mario outside the Headquarters of the European Commission.

The Headquarters of the European Commission

The Atomium in Brussels: Originally built for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair, tubes connect large spheres with windows. When standing inside the top sphere, 335 feet above the ground, you have a pretty good panoramic view of the city.

The Atomium represents a unit cell (or diagram of the spatial arrangement of atoms) of an iron crystal...

...magnified 165 billion times!

We saw a free circus performance! It was a very clever show, all of which was set backstage during and after a circus. The two actors were funny Italian clowns.

The next day we took the train to Brugge. At one point I was looking out the window and noticed this sight: a parking lot that stretched for several blocks and even included a covered section that was almost as large, completely FULL of...


bicycles!! Cool! Apparently the Flemish love their bikes!

Entering Brugge

There are a lot of canals through the old medieval city, which was mostly built during the 12th - 15th centuries. We saw Michelangelo's "Madonna and Child" (1501-1504) in the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk, Church of Our Lady.

Portrait in Brugge, for which the photographer put his life in danger in the middle of the street, blocking incensed honking drivers! Thanks Sammy.

Interesting neon design over a french fry stand at a fair in the old city center

Only an hour or so after this picture was taken, we attempted to get dinner at an all-you-can-eat pasta for 3 Euros restaurant in an otherwise very expensive district of Brugge. That restaurant was full, so we tried another one down the street. We sat down and the waiter gave us menus, but before we even had a chance to open them, he came back asking for our order. When I asked for more time he said "You're taking two tables for three people, you order for three people! You order now!" So we said "Okay, I guess we'll leave then." After the unbelievably rude waiter snatched our menus away from us and we got up to skulk away hungrily, we looked back at the sign to see what the name of that place was anyway --- "Chicken In" the sign said. Ha! It was probably a good think after all that we "chickened out" on Chicken In.

Back in Brussels: sights on the street

The Manneken Pis: Dutch for "the little man peeing." This 24 inch tall sculpture was created in 1618, though its origins (a stone statue and mythological back-story) purportedly date back as far as 1388.

An interesting clock near the Cinquantenaire Urban Park

This art nouveau building used to be a department store and is now home to the Musical Instruments Museum.

Spiraled sculptural seating. Public art abounds in Brussels - especially in the metro stations.

A mystery castle in the moonlight

Johanna Blakley: Social media and the end of gender | Video on TED.com

2011-05-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

Johanna Blakley: Social media and the end of gender | Video on TED.com

Rolf Groven Malerier at Galleri Tonne A.S.

2011-01-24T09:58:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday (22nd January), Galleri Tonne in Oslo hosted the opening of Rolf Groven's 40 year retrospective exhibition. Below is a translation of the program for the exhibition:

"Rolf Groven broke the art-critical mold in 1971. This year he made his debut at the Norwegian National Autumn Exhibition with Mary and baby Jesus as Vietnamese, burned by napalm. The picture caused a sensation in the media and inspired fierce debates about art. At this time, figurative painting was on the rise, so Groven's old-fashioned style could be accepted in some art environments. His pictures have been frequently used in textbooks for schools and universities. In the 70s and 80s, many of his paintings were reproduced as posters and the reproductions were scattered by the thousands both at home and abroad.

Groven comes from the Romsdal region of Norway, born in Fræna in 1943. After graduating High School in Molde, he was a construction worker, sailor in foreign trade and a student at the University of Manchester. In 1971 he finished his architectural education at NTNU in Trondheim. He practiced in that field for four years before he started painting full time.

Groven has participated at the Norwegian National Autumn Exhibition six times. In 2010 he exhibited his new works "Paven" and "Angel with Gun" at a Film Festival in Krakow. His works have been purchased by the National Museum."

A view from the loft at Galleri Tonne. I really liked the space - it has just enough personality of its own, but not so much that it's overpowering. They were using some very yellow tungsten bulbs to light the paintings, though. So that is the reason, if the colors seem wrong.

Another shot looking down from the loft. One of Groven's newest paintings (2010) at the far right. There seemed to be a steady flow of guests during the three or four hours of the opening. The show has already proved to be a complete success for Rolf Groven.

On the left, one of Groven's newest paintings. It deals with a topic that has been very controversial in the Norwegian news during the last few weeks. Maria Amelie, a 25-year-old illegal immigrant from Russia, has been deported back to her country after publishing a book about the life of immigrants in Norway and earning the title Norwegian of the Year 2010. Supporters of Maria Amelie claim she was a refugee. Many Norwegians fear for her safety upon her return to Moscow, especially in light of the news today that a suicide bomber killed 35 people in the very airport where she is scheduled to land this afternoon.

Groven talking in front of the painting "Karbokamerater" (2004) which won an award for a visual arts competition announced by the newspaper Dagbladet.

Another new painting, just completed this month. It represents a more international political issue in current Norwegian debates: the continuation of (and expansion of) oil drilling off the west coast of the country. Especially given the disastrous aftermath of the Gulf of Mexico spill last year, many Norwegians are reevaluating the investments their country has made in oil exploitation and exportation.

Groven with a friend and one of the many congratulatory gifts he received at the opening. To the right, his partner Anne Katrine who helped to document the day on video.

Growing international appeal: Groven talks with two international students from the University of Oslo.

After the exhibition, Groven and Anne Karine hosted an open house at their residence near Vigelandsparken in Frogner. Here, Groven talks with a close friend - a singer who has performed at the Oslo Opera house and teaches theater students at the Arts Academy in Oslo.

An artwork by Groven's daughter hangs in the foreground with one of Groven's own paintings in the background.

Oljemaleri Symboler i Kunst undersøkelse

2010-10-07T04:14:00.000-07:00

Brudeferden i Hardanger

2010-10-07T03:42:00.001-07:00

Zion National Park

2010-08-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

A video

2010-08-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

Check out this 30 second commercial I made for the Headonism Head Massager.
Part of a full ad campaign for this product I am creating for my portfolio. Please do give feedback!

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcjxGBxjst4

June Gloom? Evading doom!!

2010-06-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

After completing a long and painful master's thesis proposal process, submitted at the beginning of June, I naturally found out that there were hours and days more work to be done! I underestimated the difficulty of devising a research question that is specific and narrow enough to cover in 100 or so pages over the course of a year. However, I think I've finally got it:

How do Rolf Groven's parody landscapes, like "Oljemaleri" (1975) satirize Norway's contemporary relationship with nature? Does he use irony to show the dichotomy between a spiritual reverence for nature and utilitarian exploitation of nature?

Check out his work here: http://www.groven.no/rolf/index.html,

Oljemaleri:

http://www.groven.no/rolf/previewpages/previewpage14.php

Rolf Groven is a contemporary Norwegian painter born on 11 March 1943. He is a self-professed environmentalist. Groven's paintings are political parodies rendered in a figurative style. He repaints the most famous works of Norwegian artists (including The Scream by Edvard Munch and Bridal Procession in the Hardanger Fjord by Adolph Tideman and Hans Gude). He contemporizes these images by adding loaded symbols of unsustainable development or environmental destruction (oil rigs, coal-fired power plants and flooding from global warming). I suggest that Groven's satirical paintings look at environmental issues from a pragmatic (albeit hyperbolical) perspective. His works are an explicit cry for change, using satire to condemn political corruption and flawed policy. He exaggerates problems in the landscape, perhaps in hopes of inspiring policy change.

His use of comedy toward and environmentalist end is rare from an international perspective, and almost unprecedented in Norwegian art. There have been several influential illustrators from Norway and Scandinavia (the Muhammed cartoons scandal a few years ago put Denmark on the map for political cartooning), but it is a rare case when their satire deals with environmental issues. Groven's paintings of exaggerated destruction thereby command the viewer's attention, not only thanks to their skillful rendering but also the originality of the subject matter.

Norsk Code: Once upon a time in the West

2010-06-09T04:52:00.000-07:00

The latest edition of Norsk Code: published in the Exeter Newsletter

Legs dangling over the 1,982-foot precipice above Lysefjorden; this is where one gets a sense of Norway’s indescribably sublime natural landscape.

When you walk into a lab and someone is wearing a mask like this, suddenly it's the most stylish accessory you've ever seen. Roald Kommedal is a professor at the University of Stavanger who works primarily with biofilms - any accumulation of microorganisms that adhere to a surface. The topic of our interview became even more relevant the next day as I treaded cautiously over steep and slimy rocks up to Preikestolen.

Stavanger: Norway's oil city. It is arguably the most international of all Norwegian cities and it's the heart of the country's booming economy.

I visited Stavanger for the first time a few weeks ago. My parents and boyfriend would join for the half-work, half-play weekend away. We only got a sporadic night's sleep aboard the overnight train from Oslo to Stavanger as the cabin lights gleamed down on us and our unlucky seats did not recline.

Once in Stavanger, we ambled sleepily up the hill from the train station among quaint, old whitewashed houses teetering awkwardly on steep, San-Francisco-style streets. The edifices seemed out of place when juxtaposed against the enormous, glass encrusted, modern architectural triumphs that lined the city center. In a city with a population of only 120,000, perhaps it's actually those corporate colossuses that should be ogled as black sheep.

All day Friday it rained, which is generally considered to be the natural meteorological state of Stavanger. That was just fine with me as I had a lot of work to do that day. I completed four interviews with portraits. I even had time to visit Sjokoladepiken, a well-known gourmet chocolate shop on Stavanger's most colorful street — Øvre Holmegate.

We spent the next morning lazily enjoying a typical Norwegian breakfast of cold meats on bread, including smoked salmon or liver pâté for the strong-willed. They also served us a modest portion of more familiar fare — bacon and eggs. The American influence is strong in Stavanger and manifests itself in strange ways. There is a greening copper sculpture dedicated by the American oil companies to Norwegian emigrants to the USA. The statue depicts a hoofed animal writhing awkwardly in space, its neck pulled back and turned, legs stretching in unnatural directions. The gesture is actually what you might expect to see if you dropped an antelope into an enormous vat of petroleum. Hmm.

My faithful companion and I were determined to hike up to the world-renowned Pulpit Rock — featured in most photographic brochures boasting Norway's sublime landscape. My parents are not the type to be wooed into a perilous climb up steep, wet rocks and along mountain cliffs. They decided to stay in town. We made plans to meet for dinner at 19:00.

To get to the base of the trail to Preikestolen, one must travel more than an hour by ferry and bus. We were setting out late, and the bus driver warned us twice that we should take care to not miss the last bus, which would depart at 19:15. As we got off the bus at 14:45, I asked the driver what time the soonest bus would leave. He laughed and told me we would never make it for 17:15. I told him I had a date for dinner at 19:00. He said, "Cancel it. It's impossible." That word "impossible" rang in my ears like an antelope's gallop to a pursuing lion.

We had two hours and 45 minutes to complete what fearless, athletic, outdoorsy Norwegians deem a solid four-hour round-trip trek. My boyfriend and I might not be the fittest people in the world, but by God we were the most determined that day. We passed everyone, dodging toddlers and making up inspirational fantasies about being pursued by horribly singing Russians. We pushed on at full speed, even as our legs began to ache and our throats got dry. We made it to the top in one hour and 15 minutes. We must have broken a record. Gloating, we took some pictures and rapidly munched a candy bar appropriately named "Kvikk Lunsj" (pronounced "quick lunch"). After a 15-minute pause we were back on our feet again, literally running down the rocks to make that bus. There was no problem overtaking any of the hikers on the way down — gravity was on our side. Suddenly, we came up behind a group of gray-haired Norwegian women, picking their way down some wobbling wet rocks. We came up behind them and started to pass, but each time we started to speed around, they seemed to dash ahead with superhuman speed. Laughing and talking as they went, those women were nimble as mountain goats. We huffed and puffed, and finally managed to overtake them. As the path in front of me started spinning due to exhaustion and hunger, I pushed on. The thought of that bus driver's face, twisted in shock and awe, drove me forward.

In the end, the glory was ours. We made it back in time for Indian food with my folks. For any readers whom I've convinced to visit Norway, do check out Stavanger and Preikestolen — and take time to eat the Kvikk Lunsj!

I got to believe they come for rock n' roll

2010-05-18T15:24:00.000-07:00

I've been shooting, I've been interviewing, I've been traveling, I've been writing, I've been studying!!! But I haven't had time to blog? Please, oh please, dear readers - do not feel neglected. You know, I've missed you very much. Here are some photographs to express my appreciation for your continued interest:

I can't believe it's the end of the year already! Before I hunker down and start really studying for my upcoming Norwegian exam, I'd like to reflect on some lessons I've learned this year:

1. Put reminders everywhere for silly, easy-to-forget things like renewing your monthly travel pass.
2. Never assume that being a "native English speaker" will give you any special advantage. Maybe it will, but certainly not always.
3. Don't be afraid of strangers. They won't bite. ...well, most won't, and if you're randomly bitten by a stranger at least you come away with a good story.
4. People love to talk about themselves. Let them. Let people talk, period.
5. Be observant about what your friends need and try to give it to them before they ask for it.
6. I can live off of less than $1000/mo in the most expensive city in the world, but I'm not sure how long I could keep it up. It involves no travel and almost no extra cash for new clothes or other "necessities." According to the World Bank, 1.4 billion people live off of less than $1.25 per day, or about $37.50/mo.
7. ...None of the other lessons seem very important after that.

Norsk Code

2010-04-06T13:07:00.001-07:00

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20100330-NEWS-3300341

Also, in case you didn't catch it:

2010-03-06T07:37:00.000-08:00

The most recent installment of Norsk Code, reproduced here for your convenience.
(I hope this isn't copyright infringment... but I'll also include the link to view it directly on Seacoast Media Group's own website, below)

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20100223-NEWS-2230355

Norsk Code: Getting serious

Fulbright scholar presents project, learns of Arne Naess

Anne Worsøe is the head of New Business for Statkraft, Europe's largest renewable energy company. In our interview she talked about "The old folk songs about the true Norwegian - that was a guy who actually mastered the ocean. In the storms, he went out there, got his fish and came back to feed his family. He was a strong Viking personality, mastering the nature."Stephanie Haas photo

February 23, 2010 2:00 AM

It's Thursday, Feb. 18, at 12:09 p.m.

I am sitting in the Arne Naess Library at the University of Oslo's Center for Development and the Environment (SUM) trying to garner some inspiration while surrounded by Naess's literary collection. Naess was a prolific biographer of Gandhi, expert hiker, natural philosopher and national hero. His colleagues remember him as a man who never owned a car and climbed up the side of the two-story SUM building to enter his office through the window just for fun. Naess also founded the "Deep Ecology" movement. The philosophy emphasizes nature's inherent value and our ethical imperative to value quality of life over economic success.

Why should you care about who Arne Naess was? Perhaps because his son, Arne Naess Jr., was once married to Diana Ross and fathered two of her children? Probably not. Naess's philosophy may well come to influence your life in some very profound ways as the call for global change rings too loud to ignore.

Policy makers and grass-roots organizations alike recognize the urgency of the climate change situation. It is only a matter of time before radical ideas, like the ones espoused by a crazy old mountain-climbing Norwegian philosopher, will infiltrate all of our lives.

I gaze out the window, which the aged philosopher purportedly breached with pick and rope in hand, at the blowing snow and gray sky. Winter has settled its frigid claws into our sides, sending shivers through our tired bodies.

The weather may well be the same here as it is at home, but this annual immersion into survival mode has deleted my memory of previous years. If I were wise enough to follow the Norwegian example, I would have tried cross-country skiing by now. The wintertime activity raises endorphin levels and gets one outside enjoying the snow.

Tall, lean Norwegians, clad in the finest sporting attire — an image of athleticism — stand proudly holding their thin skis riding on the subway up to the track around Sognsvann Lake.

Cross-country skiers are everywhere. Yesterday, I saw several students leaving the local high school on skis. I was on my way to the Norwegian Technical Museum to check out their permanent exhibit on the Norwegian oil industry. All of the text in the exhibit is in Norwegian, which seems a bit strange since other permanent exhibits (like another on music) also include an English translation.

Apparently cross-cultural accessibility is more important in learning about the first recording of Aha's "Take On Me" than the history of the oil industry in the third largest oil exporting country.

Right now you might be thinking, "Arne Naess? Cross-country skiing? Aha? Where is she going with this article?" Allow me to clarify. This meandering style also has some significance within the context of this Norwegian experience.

Last Thursday I attended a seminar held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where all the Fulbrighters from Norway got together and presented their projects. It was a truly multidisciplinary day, with topics from food to pollution to peace. Those following a more pedagogical track here in Norway shared accounts about their teaching experience.

One point that they all agreed on is that there is a trend in Norwegian writing, especially at the pre-university levels, that involves "exploring all sides of a topic, but not really making arguments or conclusions about that topic. Students in Norwegian schools, even through the University level, will write essays detailing their 'thoughts and feelings,' while in U.S. academia, frankly, no one cares about your 'feelings,'" says Julia Edwards, English teaching Fulbrighter from Maine.

"It is, therefore, a challenge to teach university students how to form an argument or thesis statement that they have to fight for, prove and support with evidence because that is just not the way the Norwegian education system teaches writing."

After the seminar we all got together for a ski weekend near Lillehammer. It was exciting, to say the least. Near-death experiences included. It was also productive, as I completed three interviews, including one with Lars, the lift operator. As the sun dropped below the glacier-ripped horizon, we rode the ski lift backwards down the steep mountain, feet dangling high above the slanted trees.

Photographer Stephanie Haas of Stratham is in Norway for one year on a Fulbright Scholarship.

Yes! I am still alive!

2010-03-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

Greeting my poor, neglected readers. Please know that I haven't forgotten about you - on the contrary, in fact! I have simply been so busy accruing new and wonderful experiences that it has been impossible to write here.

You will, I hope, forgive the slightly hyperbolical language. Things have more or less fallen into a harried routine here in Olso. With the cold biting through my skin and every bone, it is all one can do to keep moving - trudging through snow drifts and ice patches - on to the next task, as mundane as it may seem. Old man winter finally got the best of me the last week, scratching my throat to a dry, bloody-red mess complete with uncontrollable coughing fits. Itches came from deep in my lungs and are unsatisfied even with the most violent of convulsions. Finally, I'm feeling healthier again, with the more familiar excess of slimy mucous coating the wounds in my pharynx.

On a brighter (and hopefully less graphic) note: My friend from England came to visit last weekend. We journeyed out over the frozen crusts of Sognsvann lake, testing our courage over the slushy parts of ice and trudging through almost three feet of snow.

Working backwards chronologically, the previous Thursday aforementioned German hunk was kidnapped before his birthday. After we rescued him from his captors, we took him to a concert. Reports of the kidnapping are vague and mysterious. Some say a terrorist plot was involved. Others claim it was all a figment of the birthday boy's imagination. Photographic evidence is, as of yet, unavailable, but investigators are on the case.

The Fulbright ski weekend and Viking party... photos can say more than words in this case, I feel.

Heather, Alex and me with Barry White, US Ambassador to Norway at his house!!

I skied down this slope. Almost fell of the edge of the mountain when distracted by the devastatingly gorgeous scenery.

The hallway next to our room at the hotel looked like something out of the Shining. Meant to photograph one of the hotel staff there, but I'm sure I could not have done Kubrick justice.

We were entertained by a 2 man Bulgarian cover band in the empty basement bar at the hotel on Saturday night. Their set list was vast and extensive, ranging from New York, New York to I Kissed a Girl to the most obscure Madonna song any of us had ever heard.

The decor was very 70s with a retro mod twist.

Prep for viking party: I wore my helmet everywhere

Skiing at Tryvann

Vi gikk på beserk

I got to DJ for an hour. Don't think I'll be doing that again any time soon. The thinly veiled, boiling rage is real this time.

While on the ski weekend, I completed a few interviews. Since then, I have been running a bit behind schedule, but I expect the project to pick up rapidly after the first week of April when my term paper and final for another class are due. I am waiting for the spring weather and that age-old familiar call "west! west! west!" to lure me to the opposite shores for some captivating consultations with whalers and oil (wo)men.

This month's "Norsk Code"

2010-02-09T12:46:00.001-08:00

Here it is! This month's Norsk Code!

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20100202-NEWS-2020320

Copenhagen, Germany... Why did I wait so long to post???

2010-01-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

I have so much to tell and so little time!! My Christmas break was actually busier than I expected, so I did not get a chance to write about my experience in Copenhagen at the COP15 summit. However, have no fear - there is a link!
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20091229-NEWS-912290318

Here are some more images from Copenhagen 7 December to 12 December - the first week.

Daniel Lau from Australia on the 28th day of his fast. Climate Justice Fast participants consumed nothing but salt and water starting as early as the Barcelona Climate talks on Nov. 6. They promised not to eat until a 'fair, ambitious and binding' deal would be reached. Finally on Dec. 20, they ended the 44 day fast in disappointment at what Copenhagen failed to achieve.

Lumumba Di-Aping, ambassador from Sudan and head of the G77-China group, right, and Bernarditas de Castro Muller, negotiator for the G77-China group from the Philippines, left, attend a press conference Dec. 9.

The tombstone of the military-industrial complex, one of several figurative funerals held in Christiania during the two week summit. Christiania is a hippie commune in the center of Copenhagen that has operated independently of the city since the 1970s. Other funerals (one each day) celebrated the death of such perceived vices as Capitalism, Egoism and the American Dream.

Inside the Bellona installation at the Rådhusplass.

Marius Holm, Nestleder of Bellona and Conference Delegate

Mari A Sæther, Deputy Director General of the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment

Dr Robert W Corell, recipient of the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) Lifetime Achievement Award

An interactive display in Bellona's area of the delegation hall

Next, I went home for a few weeks of good home cooking and catching up.

Finally it was time for a Deutschland adventure!!

First Erlangen, then a day in Nuremberg:

Mario's friend - an excellent tour guide!

The Zeppelin Field Grandstand - the only part of Hitler's planned Reich Party Rally Grounds to be completed and used for Nazi rallies.

Now there is a ladies' toilet where Hitler might have entered onto the grandstand.

Across a frozen lake: what would have been the largest stadium to date, planned by the Nazi architect Albert Speer, was never completed. The building has now been integrated into the Documentation Center.

Dokumentationszentrum at the Reichsparteitagsgelände

Up to the Nuremberg castle

A view from the castle - the towers of Saint Sebald

Und jetzt, Berlin!

Guys selling wurst out of bizarre, one-man-band-style contraptions

Das Fernsehturm (big TV tower)

The German Constitution

Interesting architecture over the river

Entrance to the Reichstag

The view from the glass dome on top of the Reichstag

Brandenburger Tor from above

Looking down through glass ceiling at where the Deutsch parliament sits

Architecture within the glass dome

Berliner Dom and Das Fernsehturm

The Victory Column

This is where things got creepy... I found my name on a piece of the wall!

Checkpoint Charlie!

My gracious host switched sides... 20 years too late!

Project Proposal

2009-11-25T11:14:00.000-08:00

Introduction
The issue of sustainability, especially from an ecological perspective, is rapidly becoming one of the top concerns in the global consciousness. Policy makers the United Nations Climate Change conference in Copenhagen this December, will develop a strategy to tackle the ecological crisis caused by excessive CO2 levels in the atmosphere. Norway has been one of the leading countries in sustainability research and ecological consciousness since the defining Brundtland Report in 1983. In February 2008 the Global Crop Diversity Trust built the Svalbard International Seed Vault on Spitsbergen, the first large-scale seed bank designed to withstand catastrophes like nuclear war. Tomra, one of the world's top companies for recycling innovation, is based in Lier, Norway. However, the question of sustainability is complex in Norway, where a government strongly invested in biodiversity still mandates a quota on Minke whale fishing. Also paradoxical, Oslo is currently the city with the highest cost of living in Europe, and the Norwegian economy is booming mostly thanks to their lucrative oil reserves. My goal is to investigate individual and national Norwegian perspectives on sustainability, and to compile a compelling photographic document of the individuals I interview.

Background
    I was awarded a Fulbright grant from the United States Department of State to finance my first year of study at the University of Oslo (UiO) (2009-2010) and the photography project. As a Fulbright grantee, I act as a liaison for communication between Norway and the US. A greater philosophical understanding of the concept of sustainable development has helped me realize how much all of the world can benefit from the sharing of ideas. I could think of no better country in which to conduct my research than the homeland of world-famous eco-philosopher Arne Naess, developer of the Deep Ecology movement. My project allows my own American ideas and concerns about sustainable development to mingle with the Norwegian mindset. The final project aims to enlighten citizens in both countries and inspire more creative solutions to issues like global climate change, increased socioeconomic inequality, and the energy crisis.

Current Status
    I have begun making a large series of photographic portraits to illustrate excerpts from semi-structured interviews I conduct with Norwegians from a broad sociological spectrum. I have met with and photographed politicians, students, businessmen, scientists, teachers, activists, and other potential stakeholders in the broad field of sustainable development. I am well on my way to having one political representative from each of the parliamentary parties in Norway. I have already interviewed and photographed approximately twenty Norwegians, including Erik Solheim, Kurt Oddekalv, Frederic Hauge and a group of children from the environmentalist group EcoAgents.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change granted me a press pass to attend the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen from 7 - 18 December this year. I will attend as a photographer on behalf of my local news agency in New Hampshire, Seacoast Media Group. I will also document many events at the convention to include as a special section in my compilation of interviews and photographs with Norwegians. This will serve to establish a current, international context for the responses.
   I am also enrolled in the Culture, Environment and Sustainability Masters program at UiO's Center for Development and the Environment (SUM). My intensive study of interdisciplinary research methods in Environmental Studies has informed my photography project and facilitated connections with Norwegians who specialize in this field. My photography project has reciprocally informed my research. Justin Carter, from the Glasgow School of Art, has taken an interest in my project and agreed to supervise me on my thesis work next year. He has worked in Stavanger and Trondheim making site-specific artworks and facilitating workshops integrating ecology and art. Karen Syse, the program director at SUM, has also agreed to supervise me on the anthropological side of my interdisciplinary project.

Methodology
Through conducting semi-structured interviews with my photographic subjects, I became intrigued with an idea that has developed into a plan for my master's thesis. The next step will be to analyze the subjects' overall level of satisfaction with their own lifestyle choices, their workplace, national government and international policies in terms of promoting a more environmentally friendly future. Some preliminary interview questions inquire about their literacy level regarding environmental issues, pinpointing the subject's areas of particular interest. The American Scandinavian Foundation fellowship would financially support the analysis required for my master's thesis by covering the expenses involved in carrying out the project and living expenses.
   I stratify my sampling when choosing photographic subjects based on their political or organizational affiliation, gender, occupation, age and geographic location. Based on background research on the individual or preliminary meetings, I develop a question set for that particular Norwegian (see attached for two examples). I also include standard questions inquiring about the aforementioned levels of satisfaction. Some research questions for the analysis I will conduct next year are:
1. What trends can I detect through cross-analysis of all collected responses?
2. How might the subjects' responses differ from individuals from other nations? Is their relationship to the environment a particularly Norwegian quality?
3. Is there more information needed from any particular individuals? If so, contact the person for follow-up questioning.
4. Are there qualitative trends in the level of environmental literacy among subjects in terms of sociological status?
5. Do subjects assess Norway's international policies as better, worse or the same quality as their national policies?

Proposed Result
The final product of the project, including the interview texts and photographs, will ultimately be a book. I have communicated with two different artist book publishers on the subject - Visual Studies Workshop Press and Preachers Biscuit Books. I also plan to contact powerHouse Books in Brooklyn, NY as the project evolves further. The book may also be available on the web through my website. I have some experience in two-dimensional and graphic design from my classes at Rochester Institute of Technology and I will use those skills for the layout of the final book. Colorful environmental photographs from my travels around Norway will accompany the portraits of Norwegians. The book will be an artistic exploration of sustainability from all perspectives and aspects. I intend to keep any and all travel stubs, tickets, receipts and found objects that I acquire while I am doing research and photographing individuals in Norway. When the time comes to compile the book, I will use the innate impulse for collage that pervades much of my work to add visual interest using these elements. In this respect, the final product will have a personal touch that I hope will intrigue my readers and remind us that despite some of the larger-than-life rhetoric used to describe sustainability, the concept is truly about each one of us and our children.

November - In a nutshell

2009-11-23T08:06:00.000-08:00

The project is coming along well - slowly but surely. I have decided to also focus on getting representation from the corporate sector. As my thesis concept develops in my mind, I realize the significance of getting a broad sample of Norwegian participants. To analyze the cultural connection between Norwegians and their ideology about nature and the environment, I will need to speak with many different Norwegians.

This weekend I will travel to the Lofoten archipelago with a group of friends in hopes of seeing the northern lights, the world's largest maelstrom, and, of course, to meet with some of the locals. I hope I will meet some people with 20 minutes to spare for a photo and interview session. As I may have said before, I have found Norwegians to be surprisingly receptive to random approaches. I had quite a bit of luck with this technique at a Bodens Marked (farmers market) this fall.

Hollmenkollen Park Hotel emerges from the mist

Last Wednesday I attended a workshop about CDM - Clean Development Mechanism. The presentations were enlightening, providing many facts about Carbon Emission Reductions (CERs) and how they cohere with the various stipulations of the Kyoto protocol. One presentation posed the question of whether or not REDD programs - those dedicated to reforestation or the halt of deforestation - should be classified as CDM projects. If that were the case, the Norwegian government would probably already have surpassed their Kyoto responsibilities due to the 5 billion NOK in foreign aid and relief funds they invest in rainforest protection every year.
A Parliamentary Advisor from the Finance Department reported that 85% of the CDM projects Norway has invested in are small projects. He explained that it is difficult to find larger projects that meet the UNFCCC criteria and also generate enough CERs to make it worth their while.
There was some disagreement among presenters about the actual percentage of Norwegian electricity that is produced from hydro power (vannkraftprosjekter). Most news sources and the website for Statkraft (the Norwegian government-owned power company) claim that 99% of Norwegian electricity is generated by hydro plants. The presenters at the workshop seemed to think it was less than this, also mentioning that Norway exports some of its hydro power to other countries.

Near the end of the workshop an interesting question was posed by Arild Angelsen of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in Ås:
"Why are we more concerned with where our carbon credits are coming from than our coffee or cocoa or other goods we purchase from the tropics?"
He was responding to the concern that a disproportionate number of CDM projects are taking place in China.

My main concern when listening to the presentations is whether enough money is being spent on developing newer, more efficient renewable technologies so that we are not spending a lot to quickly reduce our carbon debt (per Kyoto) but ignoring the quality factor. The CDM model is interesting in theory, as it forces industrialized countries to help undeveloped nations establish more ecologically sound energy sources while their energy demands grow. I am skeptical about whether this is being embraced aggressively enough to slow the consistently steep increase in worldwide atmospheric CO2 concentration.

Frederic Hauge of Bellona, a Norwegian NGO I met with last Thursday, is a strong supporter of Carbon Capture and Storage technology. He looks forward to developments in CCS technologies which may work to sequester CO2 in biofuel power plants, thus potentially using the stored energy and forcing it back into the carbon cycle.

Grant Application = Finished!!!

2009-11-02T07:31:00.000-08:00

I have been out of the loop for a few days (or years, I can't quite tell!) due to some voracious work on my grant application to stay in Norway next year. My intention now is to analyze the qualitative data I have collected from my Fulbright project for my master's thesis. The conceptual framework is basically to identify the ideological relationship Norwegian individuals have with sustainable development. I want to analyze their overall level of satisfation with their own lifestyle choices, their workplace, national government and international policies in terms of promoting a more environmentally friendly future. Follow up questions might be necessary next year to fully explore these variables.

The final product will still, ultimately, be a book. This may set the date back on projected publication, as I would like to include some of my more analytical conclusions within the text.

Here is a photo of the man who conquered the wasteful yellow pages in Norway (Sverre Stakkestad) with his son at the EcoAgents landmøte a couple of weekends ago.

The Road to Copenhagen and the Quest for Brundtland

2009-10-15T05:38:00.000-07:00

After being granted press accreditation for the UN COP15 (Climate Change Conference) in Copenhagen, I have begun my travel plans. I have already booked a the bus to arrive there on 7 December, which will take all night and should be a blast because it drives up onto a ferry for part of the way! Once there at 07.25, I will have to hit the ground running on the first day of the conference. I really don't know what to expect. I'm sure there will be a schedule provided when I check in and collect my press badge. I hope to be very busy!
Just being in the midst of this internationally historical event should be impressive. I'm sure many people will gather for demonstrations, protests and performances. There will undoubtedly be a plethora of "decisive moments" just waiting to be captured. Funny, as my professor Doug Manchee from RIT just reminded me: Photojournalism was the only concentration within the BFA Photo program that I was not enrolled in at any point.

Last weekend I met with an environmentalist activist group for kids called EcoAgents at Maridalen Skole, in Nordmarka east of where I live. It was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL setting. As I rode the bus up there, the sun was golden and falling sublimely on the sprawling, grassy landscape. Enchanting vistas of the fjord and the city of Oslo creeping up the scooping, glacial hills have almost lost their novelty as they are so common. In fact, every day as I ride my bike to school I catch a post-card-picture glimpse of the view. Three things I saw on my way to Maridalen skole, which were just unbelievably perfect:
A pasture with 9 white sheep, and one black one.
A herd of Clydesdales. Yes, Clydesdales. I am not making this up.
A woman sitting in the grass in a pasture next to a fence with a dog beside her. A colt and his mother grazing on the other side of the fence, golden light illuminating their coats in an almost melodramatically resplendent way.

No, I did not catch a photo of any of these scenes. Yes, I regret it. But it could have served as little more than proof that I actually was there and saw these things. The scratches on the bus window and the swift movement of our passing would have prohibited me from truly capturing the magnificence of the scene. I will just have to hope that you believe me.
Honestly, I'm fairly sure that my humble hands could not have done justice to what I saw anyway. I'm glad that I just sat back and enjoyed.

On Tuesday I had a very successful interview with the Minister for Environment and Development, Erik Solheim. I was impressed with his eloquent responses to my questions. He had some borderline-yogiesque insights about balance and compromise that I cannot wait to include in the book.

Gro Harlem Brundtland, that most inspiring of historic leaders, that woman of wisdom, power and grace, continues to allude me. I have tried almost every tactic I can think of to find her contact info online. I have contacted groups she is or has been involved in (with the exception of the illustrious Elders, whom I think are far too wise to publish a contact address on the net). I have tried to go through Arbeiderpartiet, though somewhat half-heartedly. I do plan to photograph a representative from that group as soon as I can. Perhaps they will have some information for me as to how to get in touch with my hero. I will fly to France to meet her!!

And now for some totally random photos:

A Productive Week

2009-10-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

Next Tuesday I have an appointment to meet and photograph Erik Solheim, the Minister of Environment and International Development. A very nice Norwegian from my Research Methods class has offered to assist for the photo shoot so we can make the most of our scheduled half hour with Mr. Solheim. I'm really looking forward to this and having a hard time narrowing down which questions to ask him.

This week I touched base with a representative from a local children's environmentalist organization called Miljøagentene (or EcoAgents) and tomorrow I will attend their annual conference. I look forward to getting these well-informed childrens' perspectives on a range of environmental issues. Last Sunday I photographed Malin Jacob, a vice president of Natur og Ungdom (Nature and Youth), a youth environmentalist group based in Oslo that has connections in many European cities. Those pictures came out very well (below).

Last week I met with Lars Andreas Lunde of the Høyre party. He currently serves as a parliamentary adviser on the committee for energy and the environment. The interview went extremely well and I had an opportunity to photograph him in the main parliamentary chamber. Lars is the second political representative I have photographed, the first being Chris Olsen of Venstre (the Liberal Party). I also found out Chris is an excellent cook and a fellow Stan Getz fan.

I met with Pal Larsen, owner of a local apple juice business. It is very common for Norwegians to have apple trees in their yards, often bearing more fruit than one family can consume. The fallen apples can become a nuisance if not collected as they will attract a variety of animals (most unwelcome of which are the rodents). Pal's customers pick their apples and bring them by the bagful to his collection facility. They are then turned into apple juice and can be sold back to the customer at a significantly discounted rate (less than a quarter of what they would pay in the store). Below is a portrait from that shoot.

Of course there is more, but if I told about all of these fascinating individuals here then nobody would want a copy of the book!!

Press Cred

2009-10-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

My latest article in the Exeter Newsletter:
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20091006-NEWS-910060331

More views from Frognerseteren!

2009-10-03T04:19:00.000-07:00

Project Update

2009-09-28T04:25:00.001-07:00

Goals: Photograph and interview at least one representative from each of the main Norwegian political parties (Arbeiderpartiet, Fremskrittpartiet, Høyre, Sosialistisk Venstreparti -done-, Krestelig Folkeparti, Venstre, Senterpartiet, Rødt and Miljøpartiet De Grønne).
Environmental groups should also be represented - Norwegian Society for Conservation of Nature (Norges Naturvernforbund), Zero Emission Resource Organisation (ZERO), Nature and Youth (Natur og Ungdom), Bellona, Eco-Agents (Miljøagentene)...

That should be enough for today's calling list!

Athens

2009-09-25T03:43:00.000-07:00

After a semi-spontaneous and very welcome visit from my parents (carrying the most delicious of rations-cargo: homemade fudge!!), the three of us made our way down to Athens, Greece for a weekend. It was a fun-filled journey of sight-seeing and copious Greek food consumption that left us all wishing we could stay in the masterpiece archeological metropolis for longer.

Our journey took us first through Freiberg, a charming city closer to the Munich airport than the main Bavarian capital. We ate some wurst and enjoyed the beginnings of Oktoberfest (including an odd but entertaining parade, complete with marching band, through the airport).

Finally, we arrived in Athens after nightfall to enjoy a generous portion of Ouzo at the hotel bar, to scope out our room and to collapse immediately into a much-needed slumber. The next day, we hit the Acropolis.

Theater of Dionysus

Frieze behind marble stage

Herod Atticus Odeon - Theater from 1st Century AD on slopes of the Acropolis, still in use

Past wall of Odeon looking at Filopappou Hill, "the Hill of the Muses," which we could see from our hotel balcony:

At the Parthenon

Sprawling Athens, seen past the crumbling wall around the Acropolis

Erechtheion: dedicated to Athena and Poseidon after mythical contest in which Athena's olive tree surmounted Poseidon's freshwater spring and secured her rule over the city.

Frieze at Hephaistos (460-415 BC)

Acropolis from the Hephaistos at the ancient Agora

Inside the Church of the Holy Apostles (AD 1000) in the Agora

Statues of "the Odyssey" and "the Iliad" (2nd C AD) at the rebuilt Stoa of Attalos

Gold mosaic on Byzantine church precariously holding its ground in the middle of a modern Athens street.

Miscellaneous Oslo Photos

2009-09-15T16:31:00.001-07:00

Opera House

Sunning on the summer iceberg

Santiago came to visit me a few weeks ago after completing his summer studies in Copenhagen.

The bustling Karl Johan's Gate

The lawn around Akershus Castle

Rådhuset on left

I love Vigelandsparken

Blueberry Warrior

2009-09-15T13:11:00.001-07:00

Credit: Jeremy Jimenez, ordained minister, photodocumentarian and salsa dancer

Begerka, berries and Blå bon-bon blues boys

2009-09-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

I have been riding my bike so much lately that sometimes it feels awkward to walk! I have devised a system that some may consider lazy, but I contend it is merely a resourceful method to accomplish as many tasks as possible while still conserving vital energy reserves for later. Here it is: I ride my bike downhill from Kringsjå Studentby, the area where I live, to my classes (either near Ullevål Stadion or at the UiO campus at Blindern). Then I bring my bike on the T-Bane back up the hill with me when I'm finished. Now, the hill down from Kringsjå boasts at least a 10% grade (see "Measuring Hilliness of Routes," Roberts, Kenneth S. http://www.roberts-1.com/bikehudson/r/m/hilliness/index.htm) for about 2 km. On a good day, I walk my bike only a small part of the way. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not against exercise by any means; I'm just against suicide, which is what that road can turn into after a long day of classes! I really feel that my love and dedication for Begerka boogie bike has a linear relationship with the amount of arduous riding I do. The average hilliness of roads around here is enough to have firmed up my leg muscles into a state that's twice (ballpark estimate) as solid as they were before I came here!

Anyway, yesterday I joined a couple other Fulbrighters and former Fulbright Program Officer for a berry-picking excursion. We walked the traditional route from Frognerseteren to Sognsvann (about 4km as the crow flies), finding occasional blueberry goldmines along the way. Tyttebær, like a miniature Norwegian version of the cranberry in taste and appearance, but growing more in hilly areas than bogs, grow in abundance near most blueberry bushes. I picked almost a whole liter of berries, enough to make a healthy supply of jam, I think. I also found a few raspberries - though these were few and far between and were begging to be eaten immediately rather than squirreled away in my berry container. I granted them that privilege. hahaha I will try to get a hold of a certain photograph a fellow Fulbrighter took of me after I had applied my "bushel-berry-badass" war paint.

View of Oslo Fjord from Frognerseteren

Rustic restaurant, also at Frognerseteren

Last night a few friends took me to a way cool cat's club that hosts a free jazz show on Sunday nights. Despite the glitzy, sequined or mirror-covered images suggested by the joint's name (Blå = "blue") the atmosphere is eclectic and welcoming. Missed the band this week but I will probably return there again weekly!

Two more portrait and interview sessions completed this weekend!! Pretty productive weekend! There is so much happening in 'mitt liv' right now, I should probably write more than once a week.

Hal Wilhite: Professor at SUM

The Project Proposal

2009-09-07T16:27:00.001-07:00

You can also read more about me and my project at the following link (stories from the Seacoast Newspapers):
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090410-NEWS-904100337

The issue of sustainability, especially from an ecological perspective, is rapidly becoming one of the top concerns in the global consciousness. The "going green" agenda and such films as An Inconvenient Truth by Nobel Peace Prize-winner Al Gore have enlightened average Americans to a cause that some other countries have been profoundly aware of for many years. Norway has been one of the leading countries in sustainability research and ecological consciousness since the defining Brundtland Report in 1983. In February 2008 the Global Crop Diversity Trust built the Svalbard International Seed Vault on Spitsbergen, the first large-scale seedbank designed to withstand catastrophes like nuclear war. Tomra, one of the world's top companies for recycling innovation, is based in Norway. However, the question of sustainability is complex in Norway, where a government strongly invested in biodiversity still mandates a quota on Minke whale fishing. Also paradoxical, Oslo is currently the city with the highest cost of living in Europe, and the Norwegian economy is booming mostly thanks to their lucrative oil reserves. My goal is to investigate the broader meaning of sustainability and to compile a photographic document of the current trends of environmental consciousness in Norway.

As a student ambassador for the US in Norway, I can act as a liaison for communication between the two countries. A greater philosophical understanding of the concept of sustainable development has helped me realize how much all of the world can benefit from sharing ideas. I can think of no better country in which to conduct my research than the homeland of world-famous philosopher Arne Naess, developer of the Deep Ecology philosophy. My project will allow my own American ideas and concerns about sustainable development to mingle with the Norwegian mindset. The final project will enlighten citizens in both countries and inspire more creative solutions to issues like global climate change, increased socioeconomic inequality, and the energy crisis.

I hope to be enrolled in the Culture, Environment and Sustainability Masters of Philosophy degree program at the University of Oslo. My intensive study of Sustainable Development will inform my project and facilitate connections with Norwegians who specialize in this field of study. My photography project will reciprocally inform my research, perhaps even finding a place in the completion of my thesis. Thanks to a Norwegian initiative for furthering higher education, study in this degree program at the public University of Oslo will not incur any tuition fees. The Fulbright grant will financially support my first year of study in this program by covering my travel and living expenses and the expenses involved in carrying out my photography project. I plan to apply for an American-Scandinavian Foundation grant to finance my second year living in Oslo. Art is a crucial medium

To make myself more competitive for this graduate degree program, I am currently enrolled in two Environmental Studies classes at Rochester Institute of Technology. Next quarter, when I will complete my degree in Photographic Illustration, I will take another liberal arts class called Sustainable Development. Professor Harold Wilhite of the Centre for Development and the Environment (SUM) at the University of Oslo, has agreed to affiliate with me if I am accepted to their graduate degree program. This summer, I plan to enroll in the University of Oslo's International Summer School Intensive Elementary Norwegian language study program. This program will teach me the basics of Norwegian grammar, and provide me with a level of proficiency necessary to engage in conversation with native speakers. Until then, I will continue my self-propelled language study using Pimsleur teaching aids while practicing conversational Norwegian with those individuals I have met in Rochester who speak the language.

My studies at SUM will give me a deeper understanding of the complex concepts of Sustainable Development. This expanded knowledge will help with the creative aspect of my proposal. I will make a large series of photographic portraits to illustrate excerpts from interviews I will conduct with Norwegians from a broad sociological spectrum. I plan to meet and photograph students, corporate executives, scientists, teachers, artists, activists, and random people I meet anywhere and ask them one simple question: how do you define sustainability? This will serve as a jumping-off point for a more lengthy conversation about an issue that concerns us all. Connections with teachers and peers at the University of Oslo will be invaluable networking resources for finding apt candidates for portraiture. Already, my mentor here at RIT, Chip Sheffield, has put me in touch with several Norwegian individuals who have knowledge and insight regarding sustainability. In fact, he may be able to put me in touch with Gro Harlem Brundtland herself. Environmentally-conscious groups, such as the Norwegian Society for Conservation of Nature (Norges Naturvernforbund), The Green Warriors of Norway (Norges Miljøvernforbund) Zero Emission Resource Organisation (ZERO), and Nature and Youth (Natur og Ungdom), might also be able to supply me with contact information for other potential portrait subjects. I will offer copies of the photographs I make as compensation for my subjects’ time. I also plan to visit the offices of the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment and other government agencies dedicated to environmental protection. The promise of a professional, flattering portrait will be an important bargaining tool in making appointments to photograph businesspeople or political officials, especially.

The final product of my photography project, including the interview texts and photographs, will ultimately be a book. I have communicated with two different artist book publishers on the subject -Visual Studies Workshop Press and Preachers Biscuit Books. An online self-publishing source such as Lulu.com may also prove a venue for printing the finished product. The book will also be available on the web either through a university’s website or my own for easy access to all interested parties. I have some experience in two-dimensional and graphic design from my classes at RIT. I also plan to ask colleagues who work as graphic designers for input on the layout of the final book.

Colorful environmental images and other photographs from my travels around Norway will accompany the portraits of Norwegians. The book will be an exploration of sustainability from all perspectives and aspects. I intend to keep any and all travel stubs, tickets, receipts and found objects that I acquire while I am doing research and photographing individuals in Norway. I will make use of Norway's extensive train transport system. For meetings to photograph Norwegians in more remote areas, I may need to rent a car. When the time comes to compile the book, I will use the innate impulse for collage that pervades much of my work to add visual interest using these elements. The portraits may be interspersed with more reflective pages of collage and travel notes. In this respect, the final product will have a personal touch that I hope will intrigue my readers and remind us that despite some of the larger-than-life rhetoric used to describe sustainability, the concept is truly about each one of us and our children.

The Project Update

2009-08-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

The project is going very well so far! I have found Norwegians to be generally quite friendly and receptive to the idea. So far I have photographed an incoming freshman at the University of Oslo who is going into International Relations, but has a strong interest in Environmental Studies. She took some Environmental Science classes both at her high school in Norway and when she did an exchange program to England for 6 months. She provided some very interesting insights about how they teach the subject in both countries: differences and similarities which betray the countries' political and cultural agendas.

Going off a lead from one of my helpful advisors in the Fulbright office, I checked out an apple juice stand downtown, located near the castle. I found it and after inquiring of the attendant about the legendary owner of said stand, I was told he will be working this week. She also gave me his number, so I set up a time to meet with him and talk tomorrow! This should be fascinating. I think he will have a lot of interesting things to say about buying local, slow foods and fair trade... among other things. I heard he is quite opinionated, friendly and talkative. I'm really looking forward to meeting him!

After obtaining the juice man's digits, I sped through the palace grounds toward the harbor. My aim: to obtain some fresh fish (probably cod) from the fishermen regularly stationed there who sell the catch fresh from their boats. They had sold out of fish (only prawns) so I tried to strike up a conversation with one man on the boat. Something I said seemed to make him uncomfortable, or maybe it was the sheer fact that I was sticking around for more than 30 seconds to talk. (Norwegians can be very shy people, but I have found in general they will open up if you are friendly and polite). Finally he passed me off to the real fisherman and captain of the boat. I was happy to find this man to be much more friendly. Kristian Kristiansen, an interesting example of Norwegian redundant nomenclature, gave some great personal anecdotes and information about fishing laws here. The well-traveled former smuggler took me for a beer on his friends' fjord cruise ship and told me stories about living in a van in Australia for 3 months. Finally, I made a few portraits of Kristian on his boat and got his card. As an after-thought, he went back onto his boat and came back with a generous serving of halibut from his own personal stash. When I tried to pay him for it he insisted that he only gets this "most delicious fish" once-in-a-while and likes to share it with his friends. He would not take any money for it at all. I plan to return to the harbor and visit Kristian again as soon as I can to bring him some prints of the portraits I took. He said someday this spring he may be able to bring me out on a fishing trip with him. Looking forward to that!!

There is, of course, much more to tell... but that's all for now.

Kristian Kristiansen

Column in the Exeter News-Letter

2009-08-25T13:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the first publication of my monthly journal in the Exeter News-Letter, it's called "Norsk Code"

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090825-NEWS-908250338

Even Blogger has turned Norwegian! Thankfully guessed "Logg på" meant "Log in"

2009-08-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

Went to Prague last week with 7 others from UiO. We were there from Wednesday until Sunday. We did a lot, saw even more.... I should just let the photographs speak for themselves.

One day with a little rain; the mist over Praha!

Atop the castle hill, not looking down but back at myself.

Turistas!

The world-famous, 600-year-old astronomical clock in Old Town Square.

Interesting facade

Bottom part of the astronomical clock (added in the 1800s). Contains the traditional signs of the zodiac surrounded by a ring of circles representing the months of the year (depict harvest activities) enclosed by an outer circle with 365 names. A marker at the top indicates the day.
At a picnic on the banks of the Vltava river we celebrated the name day of our new French friend, Christopher. He randomly joined our group on the way to our impromptu picnic, and we were all glad he did as he sang us cute french songs.

The clock counts as one of the oldest still-functioning machines. These sculptures, added around 1490, perform an interesting little play every hour. The skeleton (death) rings his bell and nods his head while Vanity, Greed and the pagan Turk shake their heads "no!"

A viewing bubble above the city.

Prague castle in the distance.

13th Century Old New Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter. Clock in Hebrew, read backwards, on building behind.

Franz Kafka riding the shoulders of a headless giant through the streets of his home-town, as described in his short story "A Dream."

The House of the Black Madonna - Cubist building, architectural novelty.

Oslo!

2009-08-15T05:21:00.001-07:00

Norway is fantastic! I have been so busy since my arrival on Monday evening it's been impossible to sit down and blog a bit. However, to make good on my promise to my hundreds of glowing fans (hahaha), I'll give a brief run-down of what's been going on... IN OUTLINE FORMAT!

I. Flight
A. Next day arrival, delay, taxi
II. Too many bags
A. My parents = porters?
i. They were great :)
III. Housing
A. Shortages
B. Electricity issues
i. Note to self: Do not plug US 60Hz surge protector into 50Hz outlet. EXPLOSIVE noises and fumes will occur!
C. Dynne: [Norwegian] –noun, a usually down-filled quilt, often with a removable cover; comforter.
D. Roommate
i. Very nice and clean Bosnian/Croatian guy; IT major
IV. Administrative
A. 5 billion log-ins for different accounts at school, new bank, etc etc... EVERYTHING here is computer/internet-based. Nobody writes personal checks anymore!
B. Police station odyssey
i. Had to arrive at 7am for an 8:30 opening at the police station to have residence permit stamped into my passport. But it was kind of worth it... I mean, it's a really cool stamp! haha It's got my picture and holograms - verrrry official!
C. "Take a numbers" everywhere... I mean, EVERYWHERE... you know? Numbers like you get at the deli counter? But you take them to talk to people at the phone store, the Trafikanten (Central Oslo metro station spot to get monthly student passes for the "T-Bane" - Norwegian metro)
V. Fun
A. Vigelands Park experience (sublime: temperature, breeze, weather, park, art, hot air balloons floating about...)

B. Transportation
i. T-Bane
> Stops running around 12:30, though the clubs stay open until 2. So one night after a party organized by the school, I had to hitch a ride with another international student with a couple of wonderfully kind Norwegian boys who were waiting to pick up their girlfriends later in the night. What luck!!!!
ii. (MY NEW) Bicycle named "Begerka!!!!" ("Boogie" for short)
> Graciously donated for FREE by my administrative advisor at school. It's a Diamant - Norwegian brand 15 speed with a back rack :)
iii. Ferry - Super cool way to get from Oslo city out to the peninsula Bygdøy, where several museums are located.
C. IKEA adventures
i. Huge, just like in the US... and comparable prices!
D. Buddy groups
i. Orientation groups assigned by the school. Though three of us who met on the first day have been trading off and attending each others' buddy group activities, depending on which events most tickle our fancy!

Now off to unpacking and meeting up with some other Fulbrighters and my new Australian friends for some drinks at a football (soccer) pub.

Another work of ...art?

2009-08-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

Need to start making some mail art. Will create and send, even if from Norway!

New do-do's

2009-08-01T20:13:00.001-07:00

Ecological Issues Series
2009

Colony Collapse Disorder

Acrylic and newspaper on canvas

Factory Farming
Acrylic on canvas

Invasive Species
Acrylic and ink on canvas

Ecological Footprint
Acrylic on canvas

New Hampshire H-towns

2009-06-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

new projects

2009-05-28T21:29:00.001-07:00

A day ago I found myself lamenting what seemed to be a creative lull in my life lately. Increased productivity, decreased creativity. To be fair, it is almost impossible for me to evaluate any given period of time in my life for its value (creative, productive, or otherwise) until much later. However, since my feeling of the current moment is all I really have to go on for determining truth in the matter, I decided to try to take advantage of this increased impulse for productivity that I am feeling and make some stuff.
One project is a secret. It's out there on the web, but I can't tell you where it is or how to find it. Yes, a mystery. Go ahead and try to solve that one if you have the time.
So I have been investing more time on this venture... along with trying to relearn the drums, working, preparing for Norway, using up some old photo paper, attending drawing sessions and saving the world. Blah blah blah. The truth is this piece is pretty sub-par in my opinion, and I did not spend any time on it at all. It is intended to be the unimpressive prototype for a visual poetry project. As words come to me I will google them and use a screenshot of the first page's results. Then I will combine them digitally and present to you, oh my viewers, a finished work of ART. or dada. You decide. But don't tell me, I want to be surprised. Just write a letter and let me know what you think. But I can't tell you my address, because that is a mystery.

lines and planes in [cyber]space

2009-05-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

2009-04-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

If you're reading this you should have already found my website: www.stephhaas.com

I have this really beautiful diary. The pages are... divine. They're small but divine. Ever come across something that was small but divine? Very few things actually are. I think that matryoshka dolls come close.

I wrote this:

Sleeping problems:
a sign of our age!
BURP BURP
Need to be doing something before I sleep? That came from anguish! Respect elders' sleeping problems.

So there it is, a mumble in this vast, echoing virtual wonderland. Wish we lived in your flash fantasy.

2008-10-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

Some images for a certain cyber-cowboy prowlin' the open range lookin' for some event reference photos.

2008-07-20T20:52:00.001-07:00

Timeless battery stolen souls would-be
butterflies
Pinned under glass for looking pleasure
pumped

But who is it wants to be saved?
The young ones children virgin peaking
hallowed
A war for the future that is now
will always be
seen
as a crock.

2008-07-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

Silent earth moaning dream peeking

maidenhead

Fools wild through timber-soaked

flea-markets

Means what? Revelry and wine,

Sire!

2008-07-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

"Object reference not set to an instance of an object." RN

For Immediate Release

2008-04-09T09:19:00.001-07:00

Attention! Look! Everyone WATCH OUT!!!!

Your blog is standardizing you! It's another venue to keep you like everyone else! Check, reference, be sure that your opinion coheres with the general opinion.

Advertise yourself and your thoughts - but do not, DO NOT as you do this, waver from an acceptable way of thinking, pick a side but maintain a standing within some extreme of the established spectrum. Deny, DENY with all your might that the world is three dimensional - keep to your one dimensional opinion and you'll be fine.
Maybe, if you're a "highly creative individual," you spread out into the world of the plane. You creep up or down from the line, you veer off the well-trodden path.

But when, with a BLOG, can you move forward or backward?
When can you spin upside-down in a senseless, impossibly open universe?
How can you type out your autonomy on a standardized venue which caters so essentially to our human instinct to herd and follow?

This is the quietest rebellion. Even more silent and futile than rolling your eyes at the parent demanding that you clean your room. "Don't even THINK about it!" they cry, with tears welling up at the corners of their eyes.

2008-02-23T12:05:00.000-08:00

"I like poems, but not weird poems, you know?"

"...ohhh - that's a nice phone, though. [...] If you don't mind me asking, is it better?"

quiet

"Bless you!"

"One hundred dollar question. Which of these states has no Pacific coast line?"

"National Running Associaton?"

Earlier today, Javas sold me a day-old bagel. It was very hard. It was quiet in Javas. The workers moved slowly. The clock was thirty minutes slow. I also bought a banana.

In 1961 Piero Manzoni canned and sold his own shit 90 times.

Help me help you!

2008-02-16T09:24:00.000-08:00

Please.

if you please,

here it is! Again again again again again...! ...A BLOG!
Until now I had played Bartleby - "I would prefer not to," to, to... to blog! To post my whats, whens, wheres and hows for no one or everyone or anyone.

I'll post photographs. Or I will post nothing. Or I will post words, erratically strung together like lumpy pieces of stale pop-Pop-POP-*POPCORN!* on a string!

These hundreds of thousands of strings of ones and zeros strung together, spun around themselves into threads, woven into sheets, sewn around lumpy cotton imagination into some several-dimensional space and this is my blog. This is just mine, just one of the [insert broad, vaguely researched, hyperbolic, yet still potentially convincing qualifier here] [OR according to December 2007 Technorati blog search engine estimate, 112 million*] blogs on the internet.
So who could possibly be interested in reading this one?

***SHhhhh***

An Aerial View of the Fiji Islands ...shot through the window of a twin otter

Stationery card

The Roaming Koala

The Great Ocean Road

Melbourne!!!!

All About My Summer

My trip to Ireland: Dublin, Cork and Blarney

Can Art Influence Political Policy on the Environment?: A Case Study Examining Rolf Groven's Eco-Art

Brussels: Metal and Glass, French Fries and the "Chicken In Disaster"

Johanna Blakley: Social media and the end of gender | Video on TED.com

Rolf Groven Malerier at Galleri Tonne A.S.

Oljemaleri Symboler i Kunst undersøkelse

Brudeferden i Hardanger

Zion National Park

A video

June Gloom? Evading doom!!

Norsk Code: Once upon a time in the West

I got to believe they come for rock n' roll

Norsk Code

Also, in case you didn't catch it:

Norsk Code: Getting serious

Yes! I am still alive!

This month's "Norsk Code"

Copenhagen, Germany... Why did I wait so long to post???

Project Proposal

November - In a nutshell

Grant Application = Finished!!!

The Road to Copenhagen and the Quest for Brundtland

A Productive Week

Press Cred

More views from Frognerseteren!

Project Update

Athens

Miscellaneous Oslo Photos

Blueberry Warrior

Begerka, berries and Blå bon-bon blues boys

The Project Proposal

The Project Update

Column in the Exeter News-Letter

Even Blogger has turned Norwegian! Thankfully guessed "Logg på" meant "Log in"

Oslo!

Another work of ...art?

New do-do's

New Hampshire H-towns

new projects

lines and planes in [cyber]space

For Immediate Release

Help me help you!

SHhhhh