Grilled by Susies The Boss

July 12, 2006
| 52 Comments

I’ve met a new blog friend named Susie, signed up as Barefoot Mistress who gave me an offer I can’t refuse.

Susie – my chalanger!

She has sat up 5 questions for me on her blog and of course I accept her challenge:

1. So that we can all get to know you a bit better, may I ask you to write me a 55 in which you tell me a little about a hobby of yours?

I could say blogging of course, but that is too obvious. Another one is golfing. I started 4 years ago and was quite sceptical because I looked at it as a snob sport but I was wrong. The last years I’ve had most of my quality times at the golf course and with my wife. I love competition and in golf you are your own opponent. I love the nature and what is more wonderful than walking around the course and exploring the woods and mountains and the best: listen to the birds or watch a deer with its baby or a fox with the same, not to mention a duck mother with her 9 ducklings in a long row. Golf is also a very social game and I’ve met so many nice, gentle, interesting and charming people on the course. I would say golf is the best recreation you can ever have.

2. I saw your post in which you dispel the myth about polar bears roaming the streets of Oslo. Is there anything else about myths, lore or local reputation that you’d like to straighten out right here while you have the chance?

Thanks for giving me this chance Susie!
There is one major myth that I try to clear up in my blog regularly: Norway has an image of being a very cold and snowy part of the world. Of course it is that way in the winter time, but we have delightful summers. Then we have very long days and in the northern part, the sun does not go down at all. Norwegians are as know for their summer cottages, boating and love of the sun shine as they are for skiing and winter sports. As we have four significantly different seasons, we are good at taken advantage of all of them.
In addition to that I like to challenge the idea that in the winter time people need to stay indoors because it’s so cold. The Norwegian people have a very strong belief that we all need to be outside to be healthy. Even the small children in the preschools are outside two hour in the middle of the day every day. The wintertime doesn’t have to be cold if you know how to dress you know!

3. On your blog in May, you wrote about the russ festivities, the wild celebrations of graduating students in your country. Please tell us what you did when you were, erm, russing. Don’t worry about your reputation, it’s safe here!

I went to an alternative high school which means that I wasn’t a russ myself, but since ‘it’s safe here’, I will tell you a story about what I did when I started college: Next to our student dorms there was an egg storage house. One night we ‘borrowed’ a case of eggs and smashed them in the hall way of the dorm. Then I drove with a scooter over it to make egg liqueur (yes we added moonshine too!).

4. On your blog, you mentioned your hometown of Porsgrunn and it’s famous porcelain.
‘Crazy locals joke: Let me end with a saying about people from Porsgrunn, which I hope you understand: Never serve them soup for a late supper! Why: because they will always turn the bowl over to see if it is made by PP.’
OK Renny, I have to know, have you ever turned your soup bowl over to see if it was PP? And also, please tell us about some of your favourite handcrafts, arts or foods that Oslo is famous for.

I always check to see if it is a PP, but ‘usually’ after the disk is empty. I’ve been told that I did this one time, but naturally I had so much to drink, I don’t remember :-)

Oslo, the capital, is a cultural centre of Norway. We have an opera house (and a new one is being built), theatre district, and many parks and museums. My favourite places are Vigeland Sculpture Park and Holmenkollen Ski jump.

5. And lastly, Renny, what do you think about the president of the United States? Do not hold back, we can handle it!

I understand that Bush came into a difficult period after the 11th of September. My wife is an American and that tragedy affected us deeply. However I do not support Bush’s decision to go to war in Iraq especially without the approval of the United Nation. I don’t think it makes the world a safer but more violent place. May I ad that I don’t think one man should take a role of the world’s police. One might wonder if the real interest is to secure the oil resource.

Thanks for playing Renny! You can post your answers on your blog and let me know when you’re ready…take your time!

So I did and I’m glad you gave me this chance:-)

Habits