One year of bloging

Dear blog,

Tomorrow you will be one year old, congratulations with that. On the day before the last day of the year I created you, at the time I was kind of single parent but since many have joined this family and hopefully there are even more followers. In a way you are kind of like Jesus...not that I am God. At least you were born very close to each other (2003 years and 4 days). Since the begining we have had 164 posts which everyone can see is which isn't to far from one every two days. There are 12 "writers" some with tens of blogs whilst other not even a single one... but come the new year... Also there is a guest account and if anyone wants to write through that or have their own please contact me at ingiulfar@ru.is.

As a present I would like to give you a counter so we can all know with certainty how many people are actually reading this stuff.

With best regards,
Úlli

Christmas Blogging Spirit

I'm glad everyone has found their blogging shoes for the holiday season. And those Krauts do need to get with it...honestly. Twas three days after Christmas and all through the blog, not a German was stirring, not even...ahh, can't think of a word to rhyme with blog that makes any sense.

Ulli, well done on finally finding a suitable chick with no baggage. And I know what you mean about the cold. It was -20 C here last week, and we haven't gotten above 0 in quite some time now. My best friend from high school is coming down from Minnesota to visit for New Year's, and it was -29 C up at his house when I called him last week. Sadly, we haven't had much snow to go with the cold, just a bit to dust the ground in white for Christmas.

Well, I went to Medieval Times yesterday. It's this castle where they stage a medieval tournament, complete with knights and horses and a medieval banquet. Kasia and I took her nephew (he's 5), but I think I enjoyed it as much as he did. The food was great, and we were front row.

Christmas was alright, though I managed to accumulate a bunch of useless shit, as frequently happens. People feel the need to get you something, so they just throw some stuff in a bag and send the junk your way. Truly offensive to my minimalist way of thinking. I wasn't able to visit St. Moritz, although I was close. I went to south central Illinois (my home state) to be with my mom's family for Christmas. Some areas down there had about 10 inches (.25m) of snow, so I felt much like I was in the Alps (cheeky laugh). As for New Year's, we're going to Rosa's Lounge, this Italian-owned blues bar in Chicago, one of the cradles of the blues. My buddy's brother is playing so it should be a good time. It's more my style...laid back blues listening and no dancing or formal clothing required.

Too bad Vegard lost at that quiz game. I was really looking forward to meeting up with him in the world quiz game finals. I'm not sure how I would do though, considering I average about a 60% in the world geography olympics, that site Walker blogged about a while ago. It's always the small ass countries and the African nations that get me. And I can't differentiate all of the _____-stans in the former USSR. The Pacific islands are damn near impossible. After all, which dots are the Federated States of Micronesia? Only Caroline from NZ would know, but her hotmail account has gone inactive. She's lost to us forever.

I found it interesting that the US had only pledged $15 million to the relief effort in Asia, and the EU has rang in at $4 million. The US spends $15 million on weapons development on any given day (before lunch, I'd wager), yet that's all we can afford to help these millions who've been displaced. A bit disgusting.

Merry Xmas, War is Over

Merry Xmas to you all

Here on Xmas morning I started reading Adams blog and since he was encouraging everyone to post something I decided to do so. First up I've been working for the last two weeks and haven't had any of the Xmas spirit since being too busy to do so. But there is kind of a tradition to go on the 23th downtown and buy the last present so there is a flood of people downtown. Well first I had to eat the fish I told some of you about but anyway I used to hate this fish smell and flavor more than anything but now I love it. Then I went on a date with this girl I've been seeing and we walked from here house downtown in minus 10 degrees (for those who use fareignheit it's damn cold). We walked a little bit around the centre but since we both had given all our presents we just ended up at a cafe for a couple of hours. Then we went to my place were she spent the night.

About the girl, she is couple of years senior to me, very pretty and has no kids.... hey!!!

The day after Xmas comes (at 6 o'clock to be exact) so she went to her little town and I just slept and played Football Manager on my computer. Around 5:30 we all dressed up and went to church, that's what is the biggest hypocrisy ever because I'm not sure that anyone in our house really believes in god except if somebody dies or is about to get married.

We came home around seven and started eating the greatest food ever specially the first dish ... lobster. Afterwards we opened up our gifts I usually don't get that many present since none of my friends trade gifts (all students, all broke). But I got a book called the belladonna document, golfbag and driver and a car.

You heard me I got a car. A Nissan Micra its not worth more than 1.000 Euros but still a car. I've never got a present worth a even fifth of this. So now I got a car and I'm happy about that, the insurance though will cost more than the cars worth but I can get from A to B. The thing about this is that as you know my grandfather passed away and he had just bought a jeep and my grandmother had this Nissan Micra at least a decade old. My dad went to the store and they decided to take the car back give her some money and new smaller one. She gets it in January so I will get "mine" then too.

The last thing we did was go to my aunts house where all of us cousins played a board came called 70 minutes. Its named after this TV show around here that lasts 70 minutes (used to be a radio show called SevenTen) they do a lot of silly stuff and sometimes are very funny. Then there is a challenge where you can email them a challenge the somebody of the cast has to do something somebody else (in the cast usually) for example lick toes. In the board game you have a card telling you what to do, I had to scream ASS as load as I could in front of the house. Then there is the disgust drink where in the board game, you would have to throw the dice three times and the ingredients would be on rules, then you mix that with milk and have too drink. My cousin for example got one spoon of salt, one spoon of butter, dash of coke mixed in milk. I got 4 spoons of sugar, dash of coke and milk. I was the only one to finish it:D

Well now I have to start reading my book because my mom got the new Dan Brown book (the author of the DaVinci Code) and we're going to trade.

Merry Xmas to you all... War is over
Úlli

Vacation

There are quite a few things that you can't do late November and early December. Probably everyone who reads this knows what your talking about. You can't give neither time nor attention to certain things that you want to. This is usually a problem because quite a few things are released at this time. Afterwards though you can enjoy so many things you have been wanting to do.

I personally had a whole list of things I wanted to do after exams but the top three were defiantly these:

3)The fourth season of West Wing (released in late October)
2)Play Football Manager (released in November and is very time consuming)
1)Read The Da Vinci Code (My mom has the book but about 10 people have borrowed it since last Xmas)

I have done number one and three. First about WW, I really enjoy this show and since the 4th season was out I really wanted to see it. The worst thing about this is that Rob Lowe quits so the show isn't as fun but still great. Also you may be wondering why I'm watching the 4th season when the 6th is on TV. The reason is that I came in late so I wanted to see it from start and also I never seem to be able to sit down and watch a show.

The Da Vinci Code was magnificent and I hope to get the new book by Dan Brown this Xmas. I began reading the first 50 pages in one night when I had some time to spend. Then I yesterday and the day before I read the other 400, I wouldn't let the book down but I had. I finished it at 4 o'clock this morning so today got kind of ruined.

Other things I've done is work from 13-21 (usually), joined the local gym to get my growing 'pansa'. Also I'm starting the work on my thesis having my first meeting on Friday. Also this weekend I have a farewell party for this great foreign exchange student from Denmark, Amin. The day after there is a welcome party for another friend of mine who is coming home from a semester in Germany also a couple I know where moving and they have a houswarming party (I think it's called).

Anyway I am enjoying life without school. Hopefully I have more stories next time.

Another thing what happened to Svana on this blog!!!

Kveðja,
Úlli

Relationship type

Hey Pips,

Long time no see. Well a lot has happened to me for the last few weeks some even worth telling, some good some bad but that's life I guess.

First about a month ago the winter came in all it's glory, first he showed us a bit of snow everyone thought would go away, and fall would return. But no, he took the temperature down to -15 (-30 in one part of the country). So now when it's just around zero it feels quite warm. Tim will tell you the Farenheit.

The sad thing happened. My grandfather past a way quite unexpectedly, he was 83 and for a short while he had been quite sick and they couldn't perform a surgery so he was coming home to spend his last months and everyone thought he would live at lest past new years. But as we say here "The ones God loves die young". For me 83 isn't that old.

My grandfather (which I'm named after) used to be the city street engineer (probably a better word available). And was in charge of putting asfalt on every street in Reykjavík. There was a 10 year plan but he did it 8 I think (not alone though). He was always with a smile on his face and everything he did, he did well. He was very organized in everything about everything.

Here in Iceland when somebody dies the people who know him write a short article about him telling some story or something about the person. I for example wrote one (grandchildren often do but the persons kids rarely) then this I published in Icelands biggest newspaper. Quite a wonderful tradition. Anyways what was said about my grandfather was mostly what I have said and that he was one of those who had a good presence (he didn't need attention). Also in the funeral the priest (who knew my father) said this Icelandic saying that summed it up perfectly I think it would go "virtues don't need attention" (again there is a better way of saying this).

For the past couple of weeks I have taking exams, I started Monday last week and have taken five since and tomorrow its the last, but also the hardest one. Making and analysis of annual reports (or something) afterwards I'm going to watch Barcelona and get wasted.

I started seening this girl three weeks ago but wasn't really liking it just wasn't right so I called her an hour ago and couldn't see her again. I guess I'm not the relationship type.

Well have to go back to study.
Úlli

p.s.
I'm writing this on a cordless keyboard on wide screen in a class room...Pretty nice