Ragnchild

Ok, it was just my computer, but I still feel kind of proud. First the background story. A while ago, one fine, sunny day, I turned on my computer and it refused to boot. Now, I do have this belief that I’m not too bad with computers, but when I was suddenly presented with a BIOS screen that told me it couldn’t find my harddisk, I had to admit I felt quite helpless. To make matters worse, I was at that time on what I consider to be the wrong side of the Atlantic, and supposed to be enjoying myself, but I could only think about how it would be hopeless to get help with my computer before I got home, and I really wanted to know whether my hard disk was completely fried.

Well, I survived a week of agony before getting home, and found out that I should take a look at the hard drive before doing anything. That turned out to be a good idea, because it had actually physically fallen out of place, meaning that it was not connected to the computer. Well, I thought, this explains it all, I put the drive back in place and hoped that all would be well. I turned on the computer again, same result. It could now find the drive, but the Windows installation had obviously been damaged. At this point I felt quite frustrated and was almost ready to give up hope of getting my files back. Continue reading I can fix stuff!

I must admit that for me, the time between Christmas and new year is often the best part of the holiday. Usually, I spend the beginning of December trying to deny that Christmas is imminent and preaching about how people ruin it by starting too soon. Then I start making a long list of the things I have to do, which includes buying presents for my German relatives early enough so the post can them there in time. I was so proud when I managed to finish early enough with the presents this year, or so I thought, it turned out that they didn’t get my presents before leaving home after all, hopefully they’ll get there soon.

Then, when Christmas finally arrives, it’s time for family reunions and church and presents and lots of food, and before you know it the magical moment that you’ve been waiting for has passed. Continue reading And soon another year has passed

Do you ever get the feeling that there’s just not enough of you to go around? Sometimes, I just feel that there’s so much to experience and learn, so many interesting people to talk to, and so many things I should have read or seen, that it just overwhelms me. In a way, it’s a good feeling, because all these things are what I consider meaningful, and I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to explore them all. However, I sometimes feel like my life is a big juggling exercise, barely managing to catch one ball safely before another comes tumbling down. In my opinion, there’s not much point in doing many of the things that you like if you don’t have time to take a breath once in a while and actually enjoy the feeling of doing what you enjoy. Continue reading I’m just one person, you know

After having moved out of the place where I’ve lived my entire life until now, and having spent some time at what is now my new home, I’ve finally come to realize that this is actually quite a big step for me. In the beginning it was (and it still is) just fun to be able to live by myself and take more responsibility for my own life. However, I’m now beginning to realize that it’s more than just that, it’s a new way of life.

At this point, I’m starting to buy household things for myself, thinking about which of the items from my childhood I want to keep, and that also brings about some emotional changes. I’m starting to feel all grown up, and all these little decisions, like which laundry detergent to use or what to do in the holidays, seem to add up to something larger. It’s like the values and opinions I’ve been thinking about for a long time suddenly start to materialize in a whole new way, which is both scary and great at the same time. Continue reading Moving out and growing up

Finally, after two weeks of Internet blackout, I now have a working access in my own room at the new school, which makes me feel so much more at home here. You see, things have changed quite a bit lately. I’ve just moved from home for the first time, and started a new school year at what’s called a “Folkehøyskole” (People’s high school). Basically, a Folkehøyskole is a boarding school where you learn about subjects that you have chosen yourself, in addition to being a place that tries to further the personal development of the students. Continue reading A new chapter

Have you ever tried reaching the end of a rainbow? I have, but it always dissappeared before I even got close. Somehow, I always imagined that if I could just walk fast enough, or maybe use a helicopter or something, I could reach it. However, I recently found out that it’s actually impossible to reach the end, because the very nature of the rainbow makes the ends move away from you as you get closer. When you think about it, that makes a nice metaphor of how some people keep chasing something that will never give them real satisfaction, and the closer they get to it, the less satisfied they seem. Continue reading The end of the rainbow

This is the story of a famous book, a slightly frustrated fan and some desolated mountain areas. Once upon a time there was a girl who worked high up in the mountains, so she decided to order the last Harry Potter book through the Internet. This seemed like a good idea, until she discovered that the store had decided to automatically send the book to her home address, which is not very helpful because she is currently living in another part of the country. So the girl decided to ask her mum to forward the book, but then discovered that said mum did not return from holiday soon enough to be able to send the book so that it would arrive for the girl’s day off. She then called all her friends, and one of them was kind enough to send her copy on the same day, and the girl also postpones her day off, so that the post has two whole days to transport a book across a distance that takes about five hours by bus.

Two days later, the girl sits on the stairs, waiting anxiously for the post, and when it eventually comes, she runs to the mailbox, eager to start reading. It only takes a few seconds for the truth to sink in - there is no book there! Continue reading Can I have my book now please?

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of useless job advertisements and applications that didn’t pay off, I have a job. What surprises me most about it is how the job hunting situation was suddenly turned upside down, my future boss actually seemed very happy to have found someone that would work for her. When she called me back the first thing she did was to ask me if I did want the job, just to make sure, as if I had to consider my 10 other great job offers. Another funny part is the place that I’ll be working in. It’s a place that rents cabins to tourists (the way I understood it), and it’s high up in the mountains, so I’ll actually be benefiting from the parts of Norway that I’ve always found funny, and the fact that tourists seem to think that they’re magnificent. Continue reading I got a job!