Best albums of 2011

December 31st, 2011

One of my favorite things to do at the end of each year is to review the year in music. Call it one of the few traditions I still have, if you like. How I go about this has however changed a lot since I first started. This year I decided to sit down and simply write down the 10 albums I remember as the best of 2011, meaning the albums that I’ve listened to the most AND formed some sort of connection to.

The other ones out there? I’m sure they are great – and I’d really love it if someone would recommend a whole bunch to me, as I’ve gotten so lazy about it that I’ve more or less stopped looking around. I have a few selected sources, and I stick with those, and I’m sure all those end-of-year lists that pop up everywhere nowadays will add some perspective to my view of 2011 in terms of music. Mind you – if I had chosen 20 I probably would have been able to fill the list with more good releases, but somehow I think 10 is enough to really highlight the ones I consider to be the best.

In no particular order (it’s funny because it’s true):

all10

Adele – “21″
Ane Brun – “It All Starts With One”
The Black Keys – “El Camino”
PJ Harvey – “Let England Shake”
Lykke Li – “Wounded Rhymes”
Bon Iver – “Bon Iver, Bon Iver”
M83 – “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming”
The Dears – “Degeneration Street”
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “Unknown Mortal Orchestra”
Florence + The Machine – “Ceremonials”

My work here is done. See you next year!

2011 recap

December 30th, 2011

Went through the photos taken with my mobile phone this year, and thought that might be a good way to recap 2011. Seems to me these photos are much more telling than the few instances I’ve had my camera with me.

skiing
2011: The year of skiing.

easter
2011: The year Easter and Summer was one and the same.

kindle
2011: The year I started reading again. You know… books. Also the year Kindle saved Christmas (more on that later).

roadtrip
2011: The year of zen road trips.

officedec
2011: The year I got my office decorated.

wingmirror
2011: The year of the broken wing-mirror, which still isn’t fixed properly.

flight
2011: The year of long flights.

toronto
2011: The year of FINALLY!

elevator
2011: The year I ate dinner in an elevator.

corona
… and drank Sol on Corona St.

lincoln
2011: The year of the fancy ride.

fiat500
… and the cute ride.

restroom
2011: The year I visited the land of the fancy public restrooms.

binge
2011: The year of the best dessert EVER.

boring
2011: The year of the most boring train ride EVER.

observation
2011: The year of towers and observation decks.

cliffwalk
… and over-hyped cliffwalks.

sunset
2011: The year of the perfect sunset.

hill
2011: The year I became a runner.

rain
2011: The year of rain.

fog
… and fog.

dagmar
2011: The year “Dagmar” took my much anticipated Christmas vacation.

freezer
… and the contents of my freezer.

I’d say 2011 was a pretty good year. Wonderful travels, books, music (more on that later), and company. Personal achievements have been made, and ground work for future achievements have been set. I still procrastinate (see wing-mirror), but not as much as the year before. I’ve traveled more than 10.000 miles, and put over 2.000 miles behind me through exercise only. If I can keep this up; 2012 is going to be even better!

Early riser. I’m not one. Yet.

November 9th, 2011

Arriving to work 10 minutes before everyone else allows you to sit through the sounds of a new day being born. From complete silence to the distant sound of the first door opening, the first few footsteps. That first cup of coffee in peace as you listen to the phone ring in the office next door. Someone out there was hoping for another early riser. It all adds up, and less than 30 minutes later the place is buzzing. As you listen to the choir of ring tones, walking/running, different radio stations and various chatter, you realize you were the lucky one to get those 10 minutes this morning. Just like you were the lucky one to get a stress-free morning as you didn’t have to hurry to work. You actually set the alarm early enough to be able to lie in bed an extra 10 minutes as you gradually woke up trying very hard not to let those eyelids close. Without a doubt you succeeded – as always.

Remove the “as always” and it sounds familiar enough to make it a goal to keep trying to reach the “as always”. 

Forget me not…

November 1st, 2011

Today, for the first time since that day, I found my eyes searching for your name again. Green blob? Red blob? Orange blob?

Today all I wanted was to spend a few minutes with you. A short break, maybe ask a simple question. There was never any need to prepare, just check in. “What’s up?” And take it from there. More than anything I wanted it to be like old times, but my mind has adapted and accepted.

The best part was to laugh with you. Think of something that the moment it left the brain in an attempt to manifest itself in an expressive form, a smile would form just by knowing the same would happen on your end as I pressed send. No poker face. Those moments were few and far between the last couple of years, and although I missed them I knew that wouldn’t bring them back. All we had was the 5 minute recap-your-life sessions, but somehow that was enough. I knew you were still there. I knew you were fine because you had accomplished that thing you always longed for. You earned that time.

Those random moments where you entered my mind and took a while to leave became precious. Now you can’t leave until I let you. I hang on to every bit I can so I won’t forget. Friendships form in all circumstances and lasts if there’s a room and a need for them. You’re no longer here to need me, but I still need the lesson. I don’t want to forget to meet every day with the thought that I’m privileged after all. No hiding, no stopping. Keep going. I see the words before me. “Never waste another day”.

The fear you once had of not leaving a mark on this world was a wasted time of worrying.

Perhaps I should be grateful that I lost you in phases. A smile formed behind my tears that day, and it continues to appear. Like so many times before with you.

All you need is a gentle tech-push

October 17th, 2011

Yes I just made up the word tech-push. Hold on, you’ll see…

I’ve been gradually easing myself into reading books again. I don’t know for sure why I stopped in the first place (hence the again.. yes I have read books in the past), but it probably was one of those “in school we were forced to read these boring books which took all the pleasure out of reading entirely” kind of situations. That and the fact that every single book read had to result in a book report. Some books might have been good, but when you read them with one goal in mind; to finish it with as much info as possible to conduct a decent enough analysis to get you a decent grade – it kind of takes the fun out of it.

When I picked up the “habit” again a few months ago I had 4 or 5 books lying around that I had started, but not finished. Some I hadn’t even gotten through the first chapter of. All results of late night amazon.com surfing or catching a book review somewhere thinking “this sounds like the kind of book I would like, let’s buy it!”. For some reason the interest was gone the minute I received the order confirmation. Most of them are still collecting dust on my bookshelf (at least it appears that I have read several books).

Sometimes change of habits are brought on by increased ease of access, which is most definitely the case with my new found love for reading. Technology – as crazy as it might be, you gotta love it for mixing things up. These days I find myself reading a chapter or two when I find the time during the day on my phone’s brilliant Kindle app, while my Kindle lies safely on my nightstand at home. Said Kindle will sync my current position in said book when I do a little reading before bed later that same day. The best part? I find myself WANTING to read again. No wait.. that’s the almost best part. The best part? That I find myself so completely relaxed and recharged after a tiny reading session like that. Not to mention oddly inspired.

I know there’s a certain charm to cuddling up under a blanket with a worn out paperback, but charm schmarm. It’s not all that bad to cuddle up under a blanket with your Kindle either. Just sayin’. The Kindle also facilitates one of my other deep needs; to read at least 3 books simultaneously. Yeah, still doing that – only this time I’m actually finishing them – AND I don’t have to get out from under that blanket to go get the other ones.

This post was brought to you by Amazon Kindle (it seems), but no really – it wasn’t. Embrace the ebooks and whatever device you may be reading them on!

Canada

October 3rd, 2011

I spent 10 wonderful days in Canada recently. I walked a lot, slept quite well in firm hotel beds, ate more than enough, and took a (pardon my french) shitload of photos. I don’t have anything bad to say at all, it was just simply an awesome trip from start to finish. Here’s a few highlights! The entire set can be seen on my Flickr page or simply scroll down to the slideshow at the bottom of the page.

Toronto’s skyline is certainly recognizable, and the CN Tower definitely plays a part in that.

After visiting Niagara Falls every waterfall I ever see again will only make me shrug.

Big city vibe in Toronto.

Vancouver is much more laid back. It has to be because of the beautiful scenery that surrounds the downtown core.

One of the best experiences was this sunset in English Bay (Vancouver) on the last night. I had to tell myself to put the camera down so I could take it all in.

Vancouver’s skyline can be seen from several angles, this one from False Creek.

Definitely my most successful trip to date. The Canadian people know how to make you feel welcome without pushing themselves on you. I wish they would stop apologizing though – there’s really nothing to apologize for. Really.

 

 

Rainy Friday

August 5th, 2011

The drive home from work today felt more like floating silently around in a submarine. Judging by the slow traffic I’m thinking I wasn’t alone in that boat (ehm… submarine). I’m choosing to call it dense rain – the kind you normally only find in a shower.

This naturally put me in the mood for music and wine. I haven’t listened to “Knives Don’t Have Your Back” in a long time. Thank you rainy Friday for reminding me to do just that.

Just in case you also forgot and there’s no rain to remind you, here’s a clip of Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton performing “Our Hell”.

 

App suggestion: Read It Later

August 4th, 2011

Everyone and their mother are running around equipped with smartphones these days, which changes how, when, and where we process information. Reading isn’t just a book or newspaper thing anymore – personally I’ve started reading a lot more since getting a smartphone with a decent sized screen.

The name Read It Later kind of says it all. I find myself coming across quite a lot of articles and blog posts that I just don’t have the time or the right frame of mind to read right there and then. I guess bookmarking is still an option, but won’t help if you find yourself without an internet connection. Read It Later is available for just about any smartphone out there, and if you prefer saving up and doing your reading on a computer that’s doable too. I’ve only tested the Android version, but one of the features I really like is the ability to sync between computer and phone – that way I can do my surfing on the computer and my reading on the phone. So easy – just save it for later, and read it when the time is right. Perfect for commuters or anyone into stacking up decent reading material to look into later.

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Read It Later also has a brilliant article view, which makes all that messy stuff of web pages made for web and not mobile disappear. The article view only give you the actual text, with images related to the article, and/or video if that’s included. I’ve been testing a few other similar apps lately and I’ve got to say Read It Later is the best one yet – just what I need.

There’s really no excuse for not reading interesting stuff anymore – or uninteresting stuff if you’re into that.

Visit www.readitlater.com to find the right version for you.

What it means to be Norwegian after July 22, 2011

July 27th, 2011

Being Norwegian has gotten a whole new meaning these last few days. The eyes of an entire world has been on this tiny, seemingly peaceful country that I call home. Now however it’s not just about calling this my home, it’s about feeling so completely at home.

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Tragedy struck on Friday July 22, 2011. First a bomb exploded in downtown Oslo, and already people were talking about one of the darkest days in Norwegian history. The worst was yet to come. The details of this horrible tragedy have been spread to the entire world, so there’s no need for me to repeat the details.

Shortly after the explosions in Oslo there was a massive media coverage going on. My plans for the evening was to have dinner followed by a nap to recharge after not sleeping enough the night before. During dinner the news of the explosion came through the radio, and minutes later I was glued to the TV like most of Norway’s population. I remember thinking “Wait, this could just be a gas explosion or something, why are they making the worst case scenario assumptions this early?”. I’m only assuming I was hoping to be right, the speculations and assumptions were flowing around through the general media coverage, and through social media. In the back of most minds were thoughts directed towards the type of terror we’ve seen all over the world since 9/11. Minutes later there were reports on twitter about immigrants being harassed in Oslo – people were acting out already, only based on assumptions. 3 days later people across all cultures and religions are hugging each other, smiling to each other, accepting each other.

The nation was already in despair when news of shooting at Utøya started spreading. What now? My immediate thought was that this was some sort of reaction to the attack in Oslo – someone gone mad as a result of hearing the news. Nowhere in my mind was there room for there to be a completely different link between the two places. I was franticly zapping between the two major TV channels to find answers. It was an endless stream of speculation and no real news for the first few minutes. The rest of the night is mostly as blur as it suddenly dawned on all of us that this was indeed one of the darkest days in Norwegian history. Darker than we had ever imagined. In a shocked stage, at a point where the news coverage had come to a stall due to a lower frequency of news reports, I decided to try to get some sleep. Around 2AM I browsed the online newspapers and refreshed my twitter feed one more time. Nothing new since 2 minutes ago. The number of casualties at Utøya were said to be around 10. A horrible number in itself, but the rumors on twitter was five times that. I braced myself thinking 50 was a worst case scenario to be met with waking up the next morning.

As if Friday night hadn’t shocked us, all of Norway went into a quiet shocked stage Saturday morning. The number was raised to “at least 80″. Going into my nearest town on Saturday was a surreal experience. At a time of day when finding a place to park is usually hard, it was all so very quiet. The few that had decided to go out were going about their shopping as quietly as possible. The few words that were shared were all about one thing. Rarely can you look at several people and know what they are all thinking. In the short line to pay for our groceries that day were people that all had the same thing on their mind. You rarely see strangers interact with each other in Norway – this was not the case on Saturday July 23rd.

What followed was days of more interaction between strangers. Stories of people reaching out to complete strangers, such as the young muslim woman who was approached by someone wanting to give her a hug at the enormous gathering in Oslo on Monday night. People holding hands – people crying together. All over this tiny beautiful country of ours have people gathered in the streets to be together, to walk together, to raise a single beautiful rose toward the sky together. If that doesn’t warm a Norwegian heart – nothing will. In one man’s head his operation was successful. Looking at the big picture it’s pretty obvious it was a big failure.

The number of casualties from the two attacks on Friday are still uncertain but for now placed below the number that shocked us Saturday morning. The heartbreaking stories from Utøya, resembling scenes from a horror movie, are starting to surface – numbing us even more. When the camera equipment will be packed down, the journalists will leave the affected areas and the affected people, and the spotlight will fade – I sincerely hope that we will not forget, and that our support will continue to help those most affected by this horrible tragedy.

I have to admit I have no idea what has happened around the world since Friday. I catch small glimpses online from time to time, but my mind is completely unable to process anything else right now. The media coverage is partly to blame, but even when I drag myself away from it for a few hours it’s impossible to keep my mind focused. Bad things happen, tragedies happen, but it’s impossible to not get completely caught up in it when it’s this close.

 

“We are so few in this country, each fallen is a brother and friend” – Nordahl Grieg.

 

Today I’m proud to call Norway my home. I’m proud of the people I share my Norwegian citizenship with. During the circumstances one would think that we would all feel unsafe and filled with fear. I’ve never felt as safe in this country of mine as I do now – and it’s all because of how we all stand together and offer what we can to the people around us. Today we all feel loved. That’s a safety that armed police in the streets can never replace.

Now you all know how we get through those cold winters. We carry an enormous source of heat in our hearts.

Brilliant radio concept

July 22nd, 2011

I have to share this because it’s simply brilliant. OK here goes:

1. Pick a topic – any topic.
2. Choose 5 songs that are relevant to your chosen topic.
3. Play the chorus (or the most recognizable part) of the 5 songs in any given order.
4. Repeat the segment. But wait. Before you do that remove one of the songs and change up the order of the remaining songs! Then ask people to pay attention and figure out which song is missing, and if they’re clever enough they can call (or even better text) in and win a big prize of basically nothing.
5. Lean back as money keep piling up.

I mean. REALLY??