The contract

I've got the contract on my desk in front of me. Another year in Norway, bringing my total time to nearly two years. It's a big decision, but at the same time it really isn't. I love Vancouver, but do I really need to hurry back? Vancouver is where I will end up in the long-run, there is little doubt about that in my mind, so why not experience what else the world has to offer? The 'couve will still be there when I decide to go back, even if it will cost me $500,000 for a one bedroom apartment. If I decline this contract, then I go back to work in Vancouver, doing whatever role is available, and pass on the best opportunity I've had in ages. Going back to "whatever is available" is a very different opportunity than having a specific task and key deliverables to work on. If I leave Norway in July, I most likely won't have completed the initiatives I told myself I would, and that isn't good either.

Ah crap, so I guess this means I really do have to learn Norwegian.

Here is a picture of Mr. Garden Gnome. I had planned to take pictures with him everywhere, but I've been terrible at keeping up (I keep forgetting to take him on trips with me). There should be more soon - he just needs to get around a little more. I'm going to Oslo for the day on Thursday, so perhaps I can take him with me then.


On another note, check out Pilate's new album, Self Control for Life's Speed. It rocks.

Interesting ways to sort photos

I've discovered some cool features on the photosite that I use:

A better way to view my photos: http://public.fotki.com/Mattycross/
This is a better link than the one I posted previously.

View photos by tags: http://search.fotki.com/Mattycross/
The larger the font of the tag, the more photos associated with that tag.

View a map of my photo locations: http://maps.fotki.com/Mattycross/albums/
Shows the location of where the photos were taken. Click on a location and it will show all of the galleries associated with that location.

Geeze, what will these crazy technology people come up with next?

Dam you, Amster!

Yes, I know I didn't spell it correctly.

So I'm back from a week-long adventure in Amsterdam with Darren. I've made it back in one piece (well, mostly), thank god. So, a few things to note about Amsterdam:

1. A week in Amsterdam is a long time.
2. Never trust cab drivers - especially when they are simultaneously ranting about Japanese tourists, screaming at other cars, and offering you "any drug you want: you want it, I got it".
3. If you want to be able to sleep at night, don't book a hotel on Rembrandtplein. The picture below is from my hotel room, and all those lights are bars and nightclubs.

4. The best places to hang out are away from the centre. Really, they actually are.
5. Everyone in the Netherlands speaks better English than I do.
6. If you don't watch where you're going, you'll get run over by a bike. The only warning you'll have before getting shmucked is the sound of a bell. *ring* *ring*
7. If you don't like Rembrandt, get the hell out of Amsterdam.

While Amsterdam isn't the cheapest place ever, I've never been so happy to pay $7 CDN for a beer! That's the beauty of living in Norway... once you're used to the prices here, everything everywhere else seems dirt cheap (even if it really isn't...). That said, I paid 35Kr (about $7) for a latte today - that hurt.

So while I wouldn't recommend visiting Amsterdam for a whole week, I would absolutely recommend going for a few days. A trip through the red light district is a given, but once you've done that there are a lot of other things to discover. There are some great areas to chill and hang out around the museum district, some damn good Italian and Indonesian food (and I imagine some other types that I didn't get a chance to have), and quite a few museums to visit (Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank House, Van Gogh museum).

So yeah, go hug a can of Heineken or something.

Photos and Scotland

So, I finally decided to sign up for a photo storage site. I think it's been a long time coming, and considering the number of photos I have (and their dire need to be organized), it's a great idea. Now I begin the painfully slow process of uploading all of my photos, full size, to the site. Ahh, why didn't I decide to do this, oh say, five years ago?

Click this link if you'd like to check out some of my photos. I'm warning you: there's a lot of them.

















So this is the view that my Dad and I had from the hotel room in Edinburgh. Not bad, huh? Edinburgh was fantastic; I had never been before, so it was great to see a new city and learn about its history. After lots of good food and conversation with my Dad, I hoped on a plane from Aberdeen back to Stavanger. Great weekend, but too short! '

Back with more as soon as my life calms down a little...