Well, the weathermen said we were supposed to get another 10" of snow today, and Hubby told me he wanted me to stay home from school, because he didn't want me to get stranded out in Roskilde when they shut down the trains and buses again.
Personally, I didn't want to get stuck out there either, so it wasn't a hardship to stay home.
So Hubby and I snuggled down together in bed with visions of snowdrifts dancing through our heads.
Unfortunately, we got a dusting.
C'est la vie.
Of course, this means that I missed a day of school, but I think I can manage. I've been looking at my calc book to try to keep on top of the class, I'm going to see if I can bug Marietta on Monday about the homework that's due.
The chemistry is mostly a refresher for me, so I'm not AS worried about that, honestly.
A 4 day weekend is nice.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Wow Snow!
We had a winter advisory in effect for yesterday, saying we could get quite a bit of snow over the course of the day...
We woke up this morning to about 10" of snow on the ground. Everything looks so pretty covered in white (and best of all, we don't have a lot to shovel personally - maybe 4 feet from our door to the sidewalk).
Classes for me were canceled - both Danish and otherwise.
Maybe later I can convince Hubby to go have a snowball fight with me!
We woke up this morning to about 10" of snow on the ground. Everything looks so pretty covered in white (and best of all, we don't have a lot to shovel personally - maybe 4 feet from our door to the sidewalk).
Classes for me were canceled - both Danish and otherwise.
Maybe later I can convince Hubby to go have a snowball fight with me!
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Happy Day-After-Valentine's Day!
I know - a day late and a dollar short, that's me.
Hubby and I slept in - or I should say I did - and he went out to do some errands before work, then came back for some quality snuggle time. Since he had to work from 3pm-midnight, it cut into the 'romantic dinner' possibilities. We decided we'd do romance on Friday, when he has the night off from work.
When I woke up and went out to start up my computer to do my classwork on, the sneaky bugger had left me a dozen roses on my keyboard.
At least he put them where I'd be sure to see them!
Today (the 15th) is also Hubby's grandfather's birthday - he's 90 years old - and starting to get a little crochety, but I think he's funny and a wonderful person.
Imagine 90 years - all the history he's lived through... it's mind boggling, to say the least.
Tillykke med fødselsdagen, Aage.
Hubby and I slept in - or I should say I did - and he went out to do some errands before work, then came back for some quality snuggle time. Since he had to work from 3pm-midnight, it cut into the 'romantic dinner' possibilities. We decided we'd do romance on Friday, when he has the night off from work.
When I woke up and went out to start up my computer to do my classwork on, the sneaky bugger had left me a dozen roses on my keyboard.
At least he put them where I'd be sure to see them!
Today (the 15th) is also Hubby's grandfather's birthday - he's 90 years old - and starting to get a little crochety, but I think he's funny and a wonderful person.
Imagine 90 years - all the history he's lived through... it's mind boggling, to say the least.
Tillykke med fødselsdagen, Aage.
Friday, February 09, 2007
How to waste a half hour of your day....
The Danish train system operators are sneaky bastards.
I took my normal bus from my house to Glostrup station, then headed out on the train to Høje Taastrup, and switch trains there to head to Trekoner.
Well, today (due to snow) the schedules were a wee bit...off.
While I was riding the escalator down to the track, I looked at the video monitor which announces which train is where. My train was scheduled to arrive in 5 minutes on Track 4, situation normal.
Then it was delayed.
Then they said it would be arriving in 10 minutes on Track 4.
10 Minutes elapsed, and the train appeared, so I got on it.
Apparently, they switched the trains - as the train was leaving, I looked at the monitor again, and it was the train to Roskilde, but this particular train wasn't stopping at Trekroner.
Great.
So instead of getting to school at 8:20, I was in Roskilde in 8:25, and then I had to figure out where the damn bus to RUC was there, which would be leaving at half past, and travels around Roskilde to pick up other people, so we ended up arriving at school at 8:50.
The only up side to it all is the fact the bus was heated so it was at least comfortable to sit in while I was pissed at myself for not looking at the monitor again before getting on the damn train.
I took my normal bus from my house to Glostrup station, then headed out on the train to Høje Taastrup, and switch trains there to head to Trekoner.
Well, today (due to snow) the schedules were a wee bit...off.
While I was riding the escalator down to the track, I looked at the video monitor which announces which train is where. My train was scheduled to arrive in 5 minutes on Track 4, situation normal.
Then it was delayed.
Then they said it would be arriving in 10 minutes on Track 4.
10 Minutes elapsed, and the train appeared, so I got on it.
Apparently, they switched the trains - as the train was leaving, I looked at the monitor again, and it was the train to Roskilde, but this particular train wasn't stopping at Trekroner.
Great.
So instead of getting to school at 8:20, I was in Roskilde in 8:25, and then I had to figure out where the damn bus to RUC was there, which would be leaving at half past, and travels around Roskilde to pick up other people, so we ended up arriving at school at 8:50.
The only up side to it all is the fact the bus was heated so it was at least comfortable to sit in while I was pissed at myself for not looking at the monitor again before getting on the damn train.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Back to School...
Today was the first 'real' day of school again.
I'm taking Mathematics A and Chemistry A.
The Chem course I'm expecting to be close to a cakewalk, since I've had it before (yet they won't let me test out).
The Mathematics A is going to be a mite tougher. I'm going to have to study hard for that, as I've never had Calculus before.
So, I'll be taking notes, and copying, and recopying until I feel I have a good grasp of the subject matter.
Oh, I also have to sign up for the Dansk 3 test for May, to finish up my requirement for learning Danish within 3 years of moving here. That'll be another load off my mind too.
It's spitting snow right now, I hope it dumps a meter out here. I'd like to sit inside with a nice cup of hot chocolate tomorrow and watch the flakes fall.
I'm taking Mathematics A and Chemistry A.
The Chem course I'm expecting to be close to a cakewalk, since I've had it before (yet they won't let me test out).
The Mathematics A is going to be a mite tougher. I'm going to have to study hard for that, as I've never had Calculus before.
So, I'll be taking notes, and copying, and recopying until I feel I have a good grasp of the subject matter.
Oh, I also have to sign up for the Dansk 3 test for May, to finish up my requirement for learning Danish within 3 years of moving here. That'll be another load off my mind too.
It's spitting snow right now, I hope it dumps a meter out here. I'd like to sit inside with a nice cup of hot chocolate tomorrow and watch the flakes fall.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
An Afternoon with Hubby's Grandfather...
..and Uncle.
First of all, I should say that sometimes I feel slightly odd around Hubby's family - and not really in a bad way, just sometimes things are said/done that make me go, ?? or feel slightly out of place, because that's not how we'd do it in the US.
One big thing that has taken some time to get used to is the fact that most often, Hubby refers to his grandfather by his first name, Aage (pronounced like owe-uh), and his uncle by Jonne - (pronounced Yunna, but whose actual name is Hans Jørgen - this I understand, because I have an Uncle Jere whose name is actually George - but I digress).
He tells me it's because his Mormor (grandmother), who passed away last summer, would get confused sometimes when Hubby would call for his grandfather by Bedstefar - she'd had a stroke and had become rather forgetful of who was who, etc.
We started the day off an hour late; as Hubby abused the SLEEP button on our alarm clock, but we bought the groceries and fetched a fresh loaf of bread from the baker. We had one casualty with the beer for Hubby's Grandfather and Uncle, and I swear it jumped out of the bag and broke, really.
So an hour late and one beer short, we arrived at his grandfather's apartment and hauled the groceries up 3 flights of stairs. Hubby's grandfather is going to be 90 this month, and he still gets up and down his stairs every day. He's due for his yearly checkup for his driver's license on Monday, and he's a little worried because of the pain he's had in his foot that they might fail him - because he does drive a stick shift, and he's walking slower due to a sore on his heel that's been paining him.
Hubby started making lunch, and his grandfather and uncle sequestered themselves in the second bedroom that's used as an office. I was busy working on my chem notes for school, so I didn't mind at all. Apparently Hubby's uncle found his grandfather's pen that had been missing for months (that his grandfather had thought one of the cleaners had stolen it - and when it was found, they must have put it back!), and they had a nice discussion about things they've lost in the past.
I kept having the "Hook" flashback - where one character says, "I've lost me marbles..." and later in the movie, they actually find a jar of marbles...
At lunch, we had the fresh bread with some luncheon meats on it (I opted for roast beef, the others will dump anything on bread - the Danish tradition of smørrebrød - literally 'smothered bread') , we had fregadilla - which is a type of pork meatball/patty, sauteed. Then comes the cheese.
I know I've griped about the cheese Hubby's grandfather eats, but I cannot get over the stench of it. I'm of the opinion that cheese should be tasted and not smelled from down the street. This cheese is so old, I think it remembers Custer. His Grandfather doesn't really need to cut it with a knife (he certainly can't use a cheese slicer for it) - he could just smear it on like a paintbrush onto his bread.
Just thinking about it makes me shudder.
After lunch, there's usually coffee and chocolates/candy/cake/what-have-you in the living room. I usually nurse a chocolate milk or soda then, since I don't do coffee or tea.
That's when things took a turn for the really weird.
Hubby's grandfather started commenting on the many non-Danish words that are regularly appearing in Danish vocabulary - many words are borrowed from French and English, and there are some that fear (rightly so, in my opinion) that they might lose their language in the future.
(Remember, there's only ~5.7 million people in Denmark - that's not a lot of native Danish speakers, in comparison to people that speak Spanish, French, English or other languages)
Then he started in on the word "fuck". I kid you not - he used the word "fuck". It was just completely WRONG to hear him say that - apparently it was used in one of the political cartoons printed in the paper.
It went from 'fuck' to 'shit' and 'motherfucker' and it was all I could do not to burst into a fit of the giggles to hear it come out of his mouth at that point.
I then jumped into the fray mentioning that you don't hear the 'f' word or the 'mf' word on TV, radio or in the newspaper in the US, because there are decency laws and the FCC will fine you a substantial amount of money for using them... which of course brought up the infamous 'wardrobe malfunction' of Janet Jackson in the superbowl, etc...
That was a losing battle there, I tell you.
They find it odd that such things caused an uproar, and I honestly agree with them - they say it's the 'crazy people in the Bible Belt' that are 'uptight' about being human.
I don't think they're too far off, honestly - although I did point out that in the US, you don't normally find a naked (or pastie-covered) breast on national TV at one of the most watched sports events nationwide, and that some parents do actually try to be aware of what their kids watch and keep them away from things they shouldn't see at that age.
It's hard to explain the 'morality' sense in the US, when people in Denmark are raised with sex, nudity and sexuality displayed openly and rather matter-of-factly. It takes some of the 'mystique' away from the opposite sex, and in some ways I feel it's a good thing - having it laid out in the open - it doesn't encourage promiscuity in my opinion - it makes it less exciting or 'forbidden' to youth.
I'm rambling - but it's just been a weird day like that.
First of all, I should say that sometimes I feel slightly odd around Hubby's family - and not really in a bad way, just sometimes things are said/done that make me go, ?? or feel slightly out of place, because that's not how we'd do it in the US.
One big thing that has taken some time to get used to is the fact that most often, Hubby refers to his grandfather by his first name, Aage (pronounced like owe-uh), and his uncle by Jonne - (pronounced Yunna, but whose actual name is Hans Jørgen - this I understand, because I have an Uncle Jere whose name is actually George - but I digress).
He tells me it's because his Mormor (grandmother), who passed away last summer, would get confused sometimes when Hubby would call for his grandfather by Bedstefar - she'd had a stroke and had become rather forgetful of who was who, etc.
We started the day off an hour late; as Hubby abused the SLEEP button on our alarm clock, but we bought the groceries and fetched a fresh loaf of bread from the baker. We had one casualty with the beer for Hubby's Grandfather and Uncle, and I swear it jumped out of the bag and broke, really.
So an hour late and one beer short, we arrived at his grandfather's apartment and hauled the groceries up 3 flights of stairs. Hubby's grandfather is going to be 90 this month, and he still gets up and down his stairs every day. He's due for his yearly checkup for his driver's license on Monday, and he's a little worried because of the pain he's had in his foot that they might fail him - because he does drive a stick shift, and he's walking slower due to a sore on his heel that's been paining him.
Hubby started making lunch, and his grandfather and uncle sequestered themselves in the second bedroom that's used as an office. I was busy working on my chem notes for school, so I didn't mind at all. Apparently Hubby's uncle found his grandfather's pen that had been missing for months (that his grandfather had thought one of the cleaners had stolen it - and when it was found, they must have put it back!), and they had a nice discussion about things they've lost in the past.
I kept having the "Hook" flashback - where one character says, "I've lost me marbles..." and later in the movie, they actually find a jar of marbles...
At lunch, we had the fresh bread with some luncheon meats on it (I opted for roast beef, the others will dump anything on bread - the Danish tradition of smørrebrød - literally 'smothered bread') , we had fregadilla - which is a type of pork meatball/patty, sauteed. Then comes the cheese.
I know I've griped about the cheese Hubby's grandfather eats, but I cannot get over the stench of it. I'm of the opinion that cheese should be tasted and not smelled from down the street. This cheese is so old, I think it remembers Custer. His Grandfather doesn't really need to cut it with a knife (he certainly can't use a cheese slicer for it) - he could just smear it on like a paintbrush onto his bread.
Just thinking about it makes me shudder.
After lunch, there's usually coffee and chocolates/candy/cake/what-have-you in the living room. I usually nurse a chocolate milk or soda then, since I don't do coffee or tea.
That's when things took a turn for the really weird.
Hubby's grandfather started commenting on the many non-Danish words that are regularly appearing in Danish vocabulary - many words are borrowed from French and English, and there are some that fear (rightly so, in my opinion) that they might lose their language in the future.
(Remember, there's only ~5.7 million people in Denmark - that's not a lot of native Danish speakers, in comparison to people that speak Spanish, French, English or other languages)
Then he started in on the word "fuck". I kid you not - he used the word "fuck". It was just completely WRONG to hear him say that - apparently it was used in one of the political cartoons printed in the paper.
It went from 'fuck' to 'shit' and 'motherfucker' and it was all I could do not to burst into a fit of the giggles to hear it come out of his mouth at that point.
I then jumped into the fray mentioning that you don't hear the 'f' word or the 'mf' word on TV, radio or in the newspaper in the US, because there are decency laws and the FCC will fine you a substantial amount of money for using them... which of course brought up the infamous 'wardrobe malfunction' of Janet Jackson in the superbowl, etc...
That was a losing battle there, I tell you.
They find it odd that such things caused an uproar, and I honestly agree with them - they say it's the 'crazy people in the Bible Belt' that are 'uptight' about being human.
I don't think they're too far off, honestly - although I did point out that in the US, you don't normally find a naked (or pastie-covered) breast on national TV at one of the most watched sports events nationwide, and that some parents do actually try to be aware of what their kids watch and keep them away from things they shouldn't see at that age.
It's hard to explain the 'morality' sense in the US, when people in Denmark are raised with sex, nudity and sexuality displayed openly and rather matter-of-factly. It takes some of the 'mystique' away from the opposite sex, and in some ways I feel it's a good thing - having it laid out in the open - it doesn't encourage promiscuity in my opinion - it makes it less exciting or 'forbidden' to youth.
I'm rambling - but it's just been a weird day like that.
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