Merry Christmas!

So, I'm into my final week of this year's Christmas vacation - I'm heading back to NY on Tuesday morning.

So, to sum it up thus far:

-I've eaten a lot of Norwegian food. Which is always great. Also, there is music on MTV here - clearly, Norway is in the stone age of Music Television.

-I've visited a large number of tiny Norwegian towns, and a lot of relatives. Which is nice, but also kind of sad: I guess spending time with old relatives kind of reminds one of one's own mortality, or at least it does to me.

-I've taken the world's hairiest ferry ride. Yeah, that's me:

But - BUT! - I didn't throw up! With one fist clenched to the chair, and the other one gripping a barf bag, I somehow survived. It was pretty interesting though, so glad I don't have to do that every day.

-I've realized that I'm really homesick, and I think I'll move back to Norway for good(ish) next year(ish). So I'm going to start looking for jobs Until then, I've got a quasi-diplomatic visa now, which is kind of cool, so I can stay as long as I want (Or rather, as long as I want to work where I do.)

-I've been to a lot of parties. Apparently, I get headaches from red wine, so I'll probably choose a slightly different poison for tonight.

-Ouh, and I paid back my student loans on Tuesday. Yup, the whole damn thing, and I am officially debt free. And - AND! - I keep my teeth clean, and I can ride a bike, so yeah, I'm quite a catch.

-And finally, Alisa sent me these photos (actually, she just tagged me on facebook, but I am taking the liberty of publishing them here, for your viewing pleasure. I am robot-dancing with Andrew, who for the occasion is the tennis guy in the Royal Tenenbaums. And no, there is no extra stuffing, but thanks for asking. But a pretty damn good party it was.

-Johnnie is coming to Nueva York next week, which is gonna be pretty sweet too. I was supposed to see her for the New Years' weekend, but because I'm an idiot, I totally messed up the time I work and such, so alas, she had to come to NY instead. Oh well, it should be fun, though, since a bunch of people from D.C. is coming up for the weekend, and we should be quite a merry little bunch.

-OK, I guess the only thing left is to wish you all a great Christmas, and a wonderful new year! 2006 has been a pretty fun and eventful year for me, at least, so here's for a great 2007!