I'm coming home! (soon) (hopefully)

Guess who's so lazy that she has requested airport assistance?

------------><------------

Yup, that's right! ME! So now I'm getting pushed in a wheelchair from gate to gate as I travel. Sweetness!

Only thing to worry about now is if my flight takes off or gets cancelled. Amsterdam had a shitty day with snow today, and lots of flights got cancelled. So I'm crossing my fingers it won't come to that. Even though I have a travel record to break (24 hours from Andenes to Stadlandet one Christmas yeeears ago), I don't want to try to break it at this time. But if I do, it's a bitterweet bonus :D (It's important to always look on the bright side)

Christmas vacation!

End of week 11! And I scored 91,something on the last test. Only 2 errors, though! So not that bad.

One of the instructors came into the classroom while we were taking the test, and started writing on the whiteboard:

"Munter Jul! =)"

Only problem though, is that's not how we say Merry Christmas. But she gets points for trying.

So it's only 40 hours until I leave Grand Forks for Norway! :D I'm really looking forward to 19 hours and 40 minutes of traveling. Weeee.... REALLY looking forward to how I'm going to get from one gate to another without crutches. Hopefully I'll get some assistance. Which reminds me of a note...

Note to self: Using crutches doesn't become more fun when tipsy on margharitas.

Song of the day: Michael Franti & Spearhead - Ganja Babe

Update! On my foot.

I can kinda walk again! Weee!

Weird thing though, the guys in my class gave me a small meat chopper and told me to walk around while they laughed. Apparently, I look like a zombie from Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (it's a good thing they're specific about it) by the way I'm dragging my foot along.

Also, I now go by the name "Crippled"

Song of the day: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero

End of week 10

So since I twisted my ankle, this week has been fairly uneventful. The days have been filled with going to school, then going home and placing my foot on a pillow and my laptop on my lap until bedtime. And in between there some mild taunting and helpfulness from my classmates.

This is what my climbing buddy meant I sounded like when I fell:



In my defense, I believe it was slightly exaggerated.

Anywho... I got a 96% on my test today, so yey! And since I have nothing else to tell you guys, I give you these pictures of my car.

It's so small you can put it sideways into mom and dads garage! Awesome. Thanks for the pictures mom.

How to get an excuse to not go spinning

Twist your ankle! Works like a charm.

The truth is (even though I'm happy that I avoided spinning) I went rock climbing at the wall at the Wellness Center without safety (it's called bouldering). And at the top, I slipped and landed badly on my foot. The good news was that I finally made it to the top on an intermediate route! Wohoo! So worth it.

So I hopped around on one foot at school, and at lunchtime I got one of the people working at the school drive me to the doctor. And now I've got crutches! (PS: Nothing's broken)

The epicness from my sister

<3

End of week 9

Wohoo! Scored 100% on the test on Friday *proud face*

And because of that, I had to celebrate!

By mixing a drink into a flower vase! Hmm.. my hair was really flat on that picture.. Do you know why? Cuz I got a package from my twin sister with a home-made hat! Sweet! And some other stuff, like pajamas pants, make-up removers and the best part, an old school nintendo-controller as embroidery! Epicness.

Just kidding, mom! I wasn't drunk! Honest!

Song of the day: Bliss 'n' Eso - Happy in my Hoddie

Las Vegas/Picturemania! Let's call it Vegasmania!

Vegas is... wow. I wanna go back! There's so much to do, and so little time. And so much to spend money on.

First off, the trip. Our flight left Grand Forks airport at 0505 in the morning last Thursday, so the most normal thing was of course to stay up until 0130, go to bed, get up at 0300 to shower and get to the airport. No problem!

We arrived in Las Vegas around 1000, mostly because there's a 2 hour time difference between Grand Forks and Vegas. But sadly, our room wasn't ready (IN CAESARS PALACE!), so we got to wait 2 hours before we got it. And since it was Thanksgiving, I don't think much was open that early. Not that we saw, at least.

But when we finally got our room, this is what we got:

                           

                                                     

Yup, that's right. A jacuzzi. I think it's a must in every hotel I'm gonna live in from now on. Sadly, I didn't have time to use it.

First on the agenda was to explore Caesar's, which is HUGE. There's a shopping mall inside the casino, where they've painted the ceiling like a sky so it feels like you're walking in a street. And bucketloads of designer stores. Made me feel out of place in my jeans. Remind me to buy some new clothes so I can go back to buy clothes. Makes sense?

Since it's Vegas, we had to watch a show of some sort! Sadly, it's not easy being the one choosing the show when you're traveling with a bunch of guys. So what one show in Vegas did I end up watching?

Peepshow.... oyh.

But I did find an exhibition I thought I'd go see when the boys went to see another show called Fantasy, another striptease'ish show;

You know, since I had a mild childhood obsession regarding the Titanic. But sadly they were closed that late in the evening...

Other stuff I did in Vegas:

Ride the roller-coaster at the New York New York building:

Visit an aquarium:

With sharks and stuff! Just... not on this picture.

Go to the Stratosphere and enjoy the view:

And while at the Stratosphere, do some roller-coaster rides at the top. Being shot up into the sky when you're already 300 metres above ground is surreal. And awesomescary (yes. That's a word. From now on).

And since we spent such a long time at the Stratosphere, eat dinner at the fancy restaurant there:

Which cost a lot of money. But it was worth it because of 2 things:

1.       The food was delicious!

2.       The waiter. 

Cut to scene:

Waiter:      Are you ready to order? We'll let the lady order first, right boys?

<3

Cut to scene 2:

Waiter:     And how is the lady and her entourage?

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

'nuff said.

What else... what else...? Oh, yes! Gambling! Slot machines are devils from hell. I could not win on those things. But blackjack on the other hand was as fun as payday! I didn't lose, I didn't win big, but I had loads of fun while playing it.

And PS: I got facebook raped while being in Las Vegas. Twice. That's what you get when you pay 15 bucks for internet and lets your friends (note, one in particular) use your computer. But karma's a bitch, cuz he lost the most out of everybody! Hah! ahahahaha!

Good news day!

I'm going to Vegas, baby! And since the Norwegian government isn't too keen on gambling, e.g. using my credit cards in casinos, so I've cashed out a few  Jacksons (I've always wanted to say something like that!).  50 Jacksons to be exact, you do the math.

One of my partners in crime going to Vegas

And why not have some fun with the Jacksons before I gamble it all away? By the way, I withdrew the cash from a drive-thru ATM. How freakishly weird is that? And cool, because you don't have to get out of your car. Unless the person driving (hint, she's blond and is going to Vegas) stops just far enough away so I have to hang out the window with half my body to do the deed. I'll figure out a revenge one day. One day.

Now... The plan was to shop for a dress or two today to use while staying in Vegas, but Grand Forks really isn't THE place to be when it comes to shopping... oyh.. Let's hope I find something in Vegas. On Thanksgiving day. When most shops are closed. Probability = 30% or less.

Good news number 2, the 3 big tests we were supposed to have next week have been postponed to after new year :D Which means I can enjoy sin city without boring paragraph reading (it would most likely be panic reading) at the hotel. Crisis averted.

Aaaaaaand good news numero tres! I've booked tickets home for the Christmas holiday! My feet are touching Norwegian soil December 19th and leaving January 2th (typo, but I'm too lazy to fix it) next year. Sweet! I only had to sit at a total of 40 minutes on the waiting line for KLM's support center, due to a minor technical problem, for a problem that they fixed in less than a minute.

Also, I've become slightly more geek than before. I've been in ATS (if you don't know this acronym, I suggest you go back to an earlier entry, this one. In the bottom.). While playing Microsoft Flight Simulator in multiplayer with 5 others from the class, one of them wondered about a command, and I answered "just press SHIFT + Charlie". I mean... Charlie? Really? I could just say 'C'.

And no, playing MFS in multiplayer isn't geeky. It's called practicing. We had a tower and everything! ... fine. I give in. It's geeky.

Current mood:

(I think I've become a GIF junkie)

Song of the Day: Carpark North - Just Human

Winter's here!

TEMPERATURE OF THE DAY:

-12 degrees

Yeah... It's not summer anymore. *sigh*

And with winter came the new experience with year-round car tires... We kept wondering why lots of cars had bodily damages here, and when snow came, we figured it out. Dude! You have no grip with these tires! You'd think that a place with such a cold winter would learn to use good winter tires, but apparently not. But so far so good. Luckily we have a minimum of hills here are non-existent.

By the way, here's a picture of a picture!

It's the picture one of my roomies bought at Minneapolis. When in America, you do everything BIG ^^ And I must admit that it's nice to have something on the walls.

In other news: I gave a guy a haircut this weekend! I must admit that I'm pretty good while drunk. But I should probably get a look at the results when sober before I make that my final statement... I woke up the day after, thinking that was the best party so far over here, until 3 seconds later when I remembered that I kinda tried to pole-dance at a club... I seriously doubt it looked sexy, though. Oyh...

So! We only have 3 days of school this week due to thanksgiving! So we have 5 days off! :D What to do when you have a few days off you say? Why, go to VEGAS, baby! I have to withdraw money from the ATMs here before I go, though. Norway isn't too keen on us Norwegians spending money in casinos. So how much should I bring? (I'm staying at Caesar's Palace btw :D)

But there's a but... we learned today that we're going to have 3 major tests/exams next week. Seriously? Tell us this late? That's just low... They could at least give a heads up earlier... We've already paid for the trip. Guess it'll be an all-out effort at the airports and in-between gambling.

FML

End of week 7

Man! Time moves fast over here. I've been here 2 months already (7 weeks at school, 8 weeks total. 1 month = 4 weeks). Had the weekly test today (or yesterday... depends on who you are and where you are) and scored 92%... that"s 23 right out of 25 questions. Last week I got 96%, 24/25. It might not have been the best idea to go to the Harry Potter premiere at midnight the evening/night before a test, but to be honest, I had read as much as I could. And I read for 4 hours before school, mmmkay? (I now consider my defense against motherly and sisterly attacks about studying strong enough)

Did I tell you that we've begun in the simulators? If you've read between the lines at one of the entries you'd know. Aaaaanywho.... We've been in the simulators for 2 weeks now, and it's so much fun! And slightly scary at times since you're being evaluated. I won't tell you guys too much about it, because there's probably only one reader who knows what I'm talking about (hint: she mixed southeast and southwest one time. And she controls aircrafts).

There's not much else to tell, really. Mostly because I HAVE NO LIFE! Seriously! Except for the weekends, we more or less spend time at school, or studying at home (with the frequent breaks to check out facebook. And transport tycoon.) But I think I'm supposed to party this weekend, so hopefully it'll be a nice break from school.

In other news, after 2 months here, I found out that I only know 3 things about our kitchen.

1. Where the coffee maker is
2. Where the noodles are
3. Where I can fill water into the coffee maker and pot for the noodles (the sink)

Cut to scene:


Me:                      Uhm... Where's the frying pan?
Roommate:       In the cupboard in the corner
Me:                      We have a cupboard in the corner?!

*Opens said cupboard*


Me:                 Wow! We have a lot of pans and stuff!



What can I say? You can live a long time on noodles and Subway. In my defense, the other roommate didn't know about the cupboard either. But she only lives on coke and chips, so she's not that familiar with the kitchen either.

Song of the day:  Placebo - Every You Every Me

I have a problem....

A classmate gave me an internet address... And now I'm fucked. Anyone remember the great game that is

TRANSPORT TYCOON?

(click the link and play!)

Well, I remember it as a cherished childhood memory. And it's highly addictive! Hopefully it won't take too much time from the studying I have to do, but boy is this game fun to play!

I'm off to playland! Cya!

Definition of Fail

When you go to a pizzeria and order a pizza, but they are out of pizza bottoms. Since the guy who makes them isn't working that day.

Seriously? There's only one guy who knows how to make the pizza dough? But the best part was the comment from one of my classmates:

Cut to scene:


Waitress:          I'm sorry... We're out of pizza bottoms.
Classmate:        Do you have flour, water, salt and yeast?


Best. Comment. Ever. Times infinity.

Aaaaaanywho... I'm going to bed.

Song of the day: Gomez - Little Pieces

Want

Just realized that the my favorite band at the time is touring in the US! But unfortunately I can't go, because it's too far away, and they're all sold out! Boo!

I would soooo contemplate on skipping school to see these guys. And maybe lose my chance at becoming an air traffic controller.



*drool*


I can't get enough of their music. And I found loads of extra songs I didn't know about!

Youtube = <3 <3 <3 <3

 Okokokokokokok. I'll stop talking about stuff you probably don't care about, and onto something else that you probably don't care about. My new shoes!

Aren't they the most awesome thing ever? A classmate and I went to the store in our lunchtime and bought them. And we ended up wearing them throughout the rest of the school day. We were told "No GUM, DRINKS, FOOD or TOBACCO in the simulator!" Nobody said weird shoes that are surprisingly comfortable.

The name could be planned better though. The Vibram FiveFingers. It kinda sounds like something you can find at an adult store. Which my classmate painstakingly found out when he wrote on facebook;

"Love my new Vibram FiveFingers!"

Milestone week and stuff

Phew! Why are there only 24 hours in a day? Last week contained of;

• Getting up
• Making coffee
• Sit down and read for the milestone test we had on Friday
• Go to school and remember you didn't eat breakfast
• Sit at school and study
• Go home and sit down to study
• Go to bed and remember you didn't eat dinner

And no, getting up didn't mean at 2 PM! I know 99% of you guys are thinking that. It was 12 PM. (did I mention we had the late shift?) But guess what! I aced the test ^^ 100%! Stuff like that makes me happy.

After school last Friday 11 of us jumped into 3 cars and set course for Minneapolis! I was lucky enough to drive the whole way there, about 4-5 hours. The destination? A sleazy, cheap motel.

Mmmm... We doubt they washed some of the sheets properly... But what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Or we'll be in a House episode next week with some weird disease.

Now... What is the first thing we do after getting a mediocre nights sleep? (We arrived at 1 AM) Go to IKEA and eat Swedish meatballs! It wasn't fried or covered with cheese! Sweet salvation of food. The other girls went kinda berserk at IKEA. You've seen the pictures of our car? Let me jolt your memory:

4 people in this car, not so much space to begin with. But the best buy was a picture/canvas, measuring 2 meters wide :D And it actually fit in the car! I didn't, though. But I volunteered to drive with the guys in the OLDSMOBILE! Remember that beauty? Let me jolt your memory:

The seats are made from heaven, and the car flows on the road while you're listening to the silence that is the motor. I've said this before you say? Like 10 times? I can't say it often enough! Okay? I'll give you guys a picture of the ridiculously big canvas when/if we get it up.

IKEA wasn't really the biggest event this day. That was Mall of America, the biggest mall in North America. It's huge... Too huge... You need days to get through it. And it has a bloody amusement park in the middle of the mall! (Yes, I took a roller-coaster. And no, I didn't scream. That much. *ahem*)

You can always count on Americans to go one step further than anyone else

I managed to find close to nothing while walking around there! I did buy a pair of shorts and a sports bra, but I managed to forget them at the motel when we left... We went back after a while, but they didn't have it. Probably went in the trash. So not only did I spend 65 dollars on clothes I'll never see again, I owe one of the guys a new bathing shorts since he had his in my plastic bag. FML.

After a tiresome day at a too big mall with too many people, we went to relax at a water park right next door. Do you know what's not fun in a water park? Not getting any water on you until it's been 40 mins.

First thing 4 of us did, was to line up in a queue to do one of the bigger rides. When we're almost at the top, we're told that they have to have a 10 minute break for some reason. So we decide to just skip the ride, and go swim in one of the pools. But once we're down, we realize the 10 minute break meant the whole god damn water park! But it was all good when we finally got to play in the water =)


We spent the evening in downtown Minneapolis, which made us realize that Grand Forks really isn't that grand. At all. After a good dinner at an Indian restaurant we went out in the cold streets to find a pub of some sort.

I was smart enough to not have any ID with me, since I couldn't find my wallet that evening (don't worry, mom. I found it the day after.) And the Americans are pretty nazi when it comes to seeing an ID that shows you're over 21 years old. Which brings me to;

Definition of Irony

We found a pub, but everybody needed to show an ID before going in. One of the girls gave me one of her IDs, and I gave it a go. And it worked! I got in!

The irony, the ID showed that I was younger than I am. Have I misunderstood the use of a fake ID? I think not! I'm getting too old!



Sunday was the real reason we went to Minneapolis. a NFL game, Vikings versus Cardinals. Yes. American football.

My understanding of football before the game:       0/10
My understanding of football after the game:          3/10

Things I learned:

- There are 4 rounds, each are 15 minutes
- but 15 minutes in American sports means approx 45 minutes due to a whooooole lot of breaks
- When your team is playing bad (I was told they were playing bad. I didn't know), the game is really boring.
- After 2 hours and 20 minutes you're ready to quit this bitch,
- But then the Vikings suddenly picked up the pace and created an extremely exiting game at the end!
- I might have become a supporter.

Another fun part of NFL. We showed up at 0930 to find a place to park, but the game didn't start until 12 PM. What to do? Go to a pub nearby and get a coffee! With Bailey's! At 10 AM!

And since it was my birthday, I got to drive the whole way back to Grand Forks with the Oldsmobile ^^ I actually asked the guys if I could, and they just grinned from ear to ear and went to buy a bunch of beers.

Now, now. Before you ask, I drank that coffee 6 hours before I sat down behind a steering wheel. A cup of coffee and Bailey's is long gone before that time.

Halloween

Cut to scene:

ME:        You'll never get me in a short dress or skirt! Nevergonnahappen!

I failed... But none the less, it was a pretty awesome night, and I LOVED the cape. The cape was awesome. I should wear a cape every day! *swoosh*

The Halloween party was a true success. Almost everybody had dressed up, and it was a nice variation too! We actually went down to the garage to take a group picture of the class!

And here's the crime fighting squad, plus 2 bad boys.

They were really bad boys too! One of them kept giving me the finger all night, and the other kept closing the door when I came...

Now... what do you do when you're outside a bar, freezing and waiting for a taxi that never shows up? I don't know what you guys do, but I walked to a hotel nearby and checked in. And while you're at it, why not choose a room with a jacuzzi and fireplace? It was sweet! ^^ Sitting in the jacuzzi watching Golden Girls on rerun.

The cons? Sitting in a Batwoman outfit on Subway the day after, waiting for someone to come pick me up. But still worth it!

End of week 4

It's Friday already? Time moves too fast! I've been her over a month already! And sorry for not updating, but time has been spent on school and studying. Believe it or not. And by the way, I scored 24/25 on my test today... 96%. Boo! Shame on me. I failed on a trick question... I just assumed the guy who wrote the test had written a small error without knowing it.

Other news, not that much. It's Halloween this weekend, so it's only natural to have a Halloween party with costumes. Which I bought on Wednesday. Stay tuned for pictures over the weekend! Unless I think I look really stupid. Then I might have to photoshop a bit. So sis, expect me in dire need of a photoshop tutorial on msn on Sunday. Mmmkay?

Also, I've started rock climbing at the wellness center. So. Much. Fun. At the moment they're not using ropes, but it's still fun, even though I don't really like to jump from 3-4 meters. But gosh! After being there only 3 times, I've already progressed! I am definitely going to continue with it. Only sad thing is that next week we're back to the late shift again, which means we're at school when they're open.

But a funny thing happened the other day when we WALKED the whole 800 meters to the wellness center.

Cut to scene:


Receptionist:       Welcome to the Wellness Center... Did you guys walk?!
Classmate:           Uhm... yeah. We live over at Hamline. Not far from here.
Receptionist:        But it's cold!

It was like barely below freezing and wind calm. A pretty comfortable temperature to walk in when using jackets and caps. The people over here are really, REALLY, fond of driving e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e.


Also! THE MOST AWESOME THING EVER!

 If you've ever watched the show Castle (which I lovelovelovelovelove), you probably know that it's a show about a writer following a detective to get inspiration to write books. THESE ARE THE BOOKS FROM THE SHOW! They're totally fictional, but ABC has actually printed them as books! And it actually says that Richard Castle is the author, even though he's fictional. And the picture of the author is the actor playing him. Frigging AWESOME!

I'm so going to read these books. I promise. They will not end up like all the other books I buy. On my shelf, unopened... It's not my fault I have the attention span of a 3-year old... Oh! a coin!

Errr... where was I? Oh! Gotta go my minions. I have to get ready for bowling night with the class! And by getting ready I mean sitting on the sofa surfing the web until i have to go.

Song of the day: Linkin Park - Waiting for the End

Definition of good cook

The opposite of me:

Managed to set the oven mitten on fire by just taking a pizza out of the oven! I guess my mother was right.

Cut to scene:


Mum:        That sister of yours.... she's not very domestic, is she?
Sister:       Nope.


Anywho... I'm off to watch a horror movie in 3D! Should be... interesting. I might bring my brother next time if it's extra scary ^^ Get it bro? Cuz you're a wuss.

End of week 3

And I aced my weekly test. Again! :D It's all good ^^. So far. So what to do on a Friday when you're finished at school at 1030? Why, join 3 other classmates on a road trip to look at a good old American muscle car, which one of them was contemplating on buying. It was only a 4-5 hour drive one-way, in the outskirts of Minneapolis.

What's best though, is that they own the previously mentioned pimpmobile! Which is actually a 1983 Oldsmobile of some sort. But it is Aaaamazing on the road. It feels like it is floating on the road, you barely notice the bumps on the road. It's in excellent condition, only been driven about 40 000 km. And the seats are a dream to sit in (also, the front seats are electrical! And all the windows are electrical! Truly, truly a luxury car in its time, and still is). Just look at it:

Aaand here's the object of our road trip.

Sweet or what? Mustang Fastback 1971, about 280 hp. *drool* Only cost $8000, and my buddy ended up buying it.

Here it is 10 mins after the purchase:

Dead battery

Here it is 30 mins after the purchase:

The radiator leaked

Here it is 40 mins after the purchase:

Dead battery

I did sit in it when he tested it around the block before buying it, and it is a noisy car. Very noisy. So I was lucky enough to be one of 2 to drive the Oldsmobile home, which is extremely quiet. You almost can't hear the engine. While the other 2 drove the Mustang, but not before buying some earplugs ^^.

Funny thing, we ended up driving 2 different routes back towards Grand Forks. Which would turn out to be a bad idea for the Mustang crew.

But before I dive into that cosy story, we, the Oldsmobile crew, received a text message from the Mustang crew while on the road. It went something like this:

"How are you guys doing? We've bought ourselves some gloves! It's fucking freezing here!"

I laughed. Out loud. Alot.

The sun had set, the car's heater didn't work and they had to drive with their windows slightly open because of exhaust fumes entering the cabin of the car.

We, the Oldsmobile crew, got home at around 11PM. The Mustang crew? Oh, about 3 AM, only 4 hours after they were supposed to. Why?

1. In the beginning they actually drove East when they were supposed to drive West for about 10 minutes or so.

2. They had to stop to buy gloves and neck warmers to keep them less cold warm.

3. About 40 mins from Grand Forks, they went out of fuel. And ended up stranded at the highway.

Now... They did have spare fuel, but before they could fill it in the gas tank, the car shut down. And it wouldn't start again, which brings me to;

About 7.5 hours after purchase:

We had to come find them and jump start the car again =) The poor guys had to wait 1.5 hours in the cold! And this time we drove together all the way back, with just a few detours to a gas station and Wal-Mart (they're open 24/7!)

All I can say is, EPIC ROAD TRIP!


Oh, by the way, I got to drive the Oldsmobile when they got stranded at the highway. It made me love it more <3

Song of the day: Depeche Mode - Wrong