Blue Eyes

Don't you all have those "special songs"? The one's that carries certain memories, songs that make you think of a specific moment or person? I have quite a few, some really old which actually have gotten additional or even whole new meanings along the way, and other's that still are a bit painful to listen to, reminding me of dishonesty and betrayal. Or a broken heart. Yet other's make me smile although the one I shared the song with no longer is in my life. Just a sweet memory.

And then there's this one. First time I heard it, or at least the first time I really listened to it, somehow it made me feel like it was "my song". I could listen to over and over again, and I cried, knowing that I had no one to share it with. Well, technically I had, still married as I was, and I wished he would "sing" those words to me, but that's just the point, isn't it? You can't force a moment like that, when that piece of music turns into something magical. So there I sat, lonely, and the tears were running down my face...

I haven't listened to it for quite a few years now (I only had it on tape! How old fashioned...), but somehow it resurfaced to my memory, and I found it on YouTube. Crappy video, but the song is still nice. And vacant...

Blue eyes
Baby's got blue eyes
Like a deep blue sea
On a blue blue day
Blue eyes
Baby's got blue eyes
When the morning comes
I'll be far away
And I say

Blue eyes
Holding back the tears
Holding back the pain
Baby's got blue eyes
And she's alone again

Blue eyes
Baby's got blue eyes
Like a clear blue sky
Watching over me
Blue eyes
I love blue eyes
When I'm by her side
Where I long to be
I will see

Blue eyes laughing in the sun
Laughing in the rain
Baby's got blue eyes
And I am home, and I am home again

Picnic Update

I feel I want to use Lou Reed's words here. "Such a perfect day..."

It’s Time For a Picnic

I’m planning a little rendezvous on Friday, a lunchtime picnic in the woods. And for that I need to prepare a little meal.



I have a long time favorite, which I first got served at a café in Joondalup, at the outskirts of Perth, Australia. Since then I have varied it from time to time depending on availability of the meat, but the basic is a Ciabatta filled with cream cheese, “plain” cheese, red onion, sun-dried tomatoes and avocado. And to this you add the meat, which could be almost any, as long as it’s tasty. But I prefer Pastrami, turkey breast or maybe grilled chicken. With a few olives on the side you should have a real treat. Ideally you would wash this meal down with some lovely wine, but for a Friday lunch break, I think we’ll have to stick to coffee. And I have a dessert planned as well...

Sounds good, doesn't it?

Barbara Ganley

Yesterday's Word

Just noticed the "Word of the Day" from Sunday. It stood out in a way, and I really liked the sound of it. Prolix. Sounds like something my doctor could prescribe me, to be taken when behaving irrationally. (Which I never do, by the way...) Back to prolix.

I like the letter X, 'cause it's also a symbol and visually intriguing, and I like pro, which is a

prefix meaning "before, forward, in favor of, in place of," from L. pro "on behalf of, in place of, before, for," also in some cases from cognate Gk. pro "before, in front of," both from PIE *pro-, extended form of base *por- "forward, through" (cf. Skt. para "beyond," pra- "before, forward, forth;" Gk. paros "before," para- "from beside, against, beyond;" Goth. faura "before," O.E. fore "before, for, on account of," fram "forward, from"). Pro and con is attested from c.1400, short for pro and contra "for and against" (L. pro et contra). Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

I'd like to think of myself as a pro person. Pro life, pro love, pro lixus [akin to līquī to flow; see liquor].

But after a closer inspection this word then turns out to be an adjective, and not a noun which I thought it was! To my ear it still sounds like something I could get over the counter:
"Two bottles of anti-dandruff shampoo and a carton of Prolix, please!"

No, no, it wasn't, but I'm afraid this word suits me quite well after all...

You Wanna Kiss?

Yesterday I felt a little blue, as I sometimes do for no particular reason. It's more like it's too much going on, and I get a little confused and tired. Teenagers, studies, grownup and moved away children with heartache, sinusitis, "writer's block" (not that I'm a writer, but I do need to write those assignments...), and the anxiety about the future (and everything regarding it) that strikes me from time to time. I called a friend, and after talking to her I felt much better. I guess she could be rich by now if she only charged me for her counseling.

So when I woke up this morning everything seemed a lot brighter, but I knew there was still potential for improvement. All I needed was a kiss. Or two.

And boy am I lucky, as I won't settle for kissing just any stranger passing by. (Have to have known them for at least a couple of hours...) So thanks to the wonders of technology, and a few MMS and SMS later I got myself a date in a park, somewhere in between his and my place.

20 minutes of sunshine, ice cream, and kissing. Wow, what an afternoon! And now I'm quite content again. Thank you, darling.

And Your Name Shall Be...

What’s behind your name? Have you thought of that, or does it even matter to you? But I believe we can agree upon that your name is important, whether you’re interested in the etymology or not. I don’t think it’s possible to be indifferent towards your own name. It’s one of the first things we get to know about yourself, and it follows you for the rest of your life. Unless you decide to change it. And that is something that is not easily done. Well, the official procedure is quite simple, but try to get your father to call you Douglas after you turned 30, when he thought he christened you Michael and consequently has called you that for as long as he’s known you.

My name, Karin, is according to the website Behind the Name:

From the Greek name Αικατερινη (Aikaterine). The etymology is debated: it could derive from the earlier Greek name ‘Εκατερινη (Hekaterine), which came from ‘εκατερος (hekateros) "each of the two"; it could derive from the name of the goddess HECATE; it could be related to Greek αικια (aikia) "torture"; or it could be from a Coptic name meaning "my consecration of your name". The Romans associated it with Greek καθαρος (katharos) "pure" and changed their spelling from Katerina to Katharina to reflect this. The name belonged to a 4th-century saint and martyr from Alexandria who was tortured on the famous Catherine wheel. Another saint by this name was Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century mystic. This name was also borne by two empresses of Russia, including Catherine the Great, and by three of Henry VIII's wives.

So, following my own free interpretation, I must be something like “pure torture”? (To myself or everybody else?)

And why don’t you check out your own name? You might learn something exciting or new about yourself...

In Space No One Can Hear You Scream

In 1979 I was 13, and not the least bit interested in horror movies. But I was interested in a boy, and when he suggested we'd go see Alien I "happily" followed along. I didn't see much of the movie though; after that first jump in the chair when the "egg" cracked and that crablike creature threw itself at Kane's face, I pretty much buried my head in my boyfriends sweater. Tried a few glimpses now and then, but when that slimy eel-creature chewed his way through Kane's stomach from within, I don't think I saw one bit more. Have a very vague memory of the actual full grown alien, black and shiny, with its hideous extending mouth, but that's it. From back then though. As you might understand I have watched the movie more closely later. I still can't say I like horror movies, but I can appreciate the art behind a film like Alien.

Ridley Scott is a very thorough director and producer, and maybe that's why movies like Blade runner, Thelma & Louise and Gladiator, besides Alien, have so many fans. And in this thoroughness he obviously employs highly qualified professionals at all levels, such as the Swiss artist H. R. Giger for creating the monster.

But how can this almost 30 year old Hollywood movie have anything to do with my temporary trainee position at the Institute of Marine Research where I am now? A lot actually. Browsing through last month's news articles I came across this one. The very source of inspiration for that terrifying Xenomorph. Maybe not so scary though, only 30 mm long...

Frisky People In Springtime

April has indeed proved itself to be a month full of surprises and strange events, and I thought I'd share a few of them with you.

I have been ill for a few weeks now. A nasty cold has set up camp in my body, which is rather unusual for me, and this time it has been even worse since it developed into a serious sinus infection which I'm now munching penicillin for. Boring but necessary details, as I wanted you to understand how much I welcomed my sense of taste back and how much I looked forward to meet a certain someone for lunch yesterday. Being able to breath normally again and all that.

Anyway, we met in town a little too early to go to the restaurant - they open at 1 o'clock - so we decided to enjoy the sun and each others company in the park for a while. We found a empty bench and sat down. The air was warm, and for a moment I forgot all the problems and worries that waited for me at home. Time flew as quickly as the giddy birds in the sky, but twenty minutes later or so we started to get hungry so we headed for the restaurant, where we had a most wonderful lunch talking about this and that.



Pic "stolen" from Vinod.

After lunch we went to another place and had a cup of coffee, still all smiles.

But as we both had various businesses to attend to afterwards, we had to finish off this lunch break, and I followed him to the car. We were not going the same direction, but he would let me off at my bus stop. His car was parked on the bottom floor and we took the stairs down. And this is what we saw as we approached the car:


He asked me:
What do we do now? Report it to the police? (Is it a felony to begin with?) Pick up our phones (with Video function) and post it to YouTube when we get home?

Damn if I knew. Did this really happen? In a parking house in Bergen at lunchtime?

And I thought I was adventurous, kissing like a teenager in the park...

Happy Easter!

Yet another contribution from my brother:

April Fools' Day

Did you get tricked today? Well, technically it isn't 1st of April anymore, but it was when I woke up this morning, and as I haven't gone to bed yet I still consider it April Fools' Day.

When I was a kid this day was pretty important, and we all made our best to fool everybody around us. And there was always the joke in the paper to look for, like "the police department is giving away all lost bicycles they had in storage for free". When people arrived at he place where they supposedly could pick up a free bike, they were met by a poster saying "April, April". And a reporter taking pictures of people pretending they didn't fell for it. They were only there to spot other people making fools of themselves...

That "April, April" is the short version of the Swedish "April, april, din dumma sill, jag kan lura dig vart jag vill." This means something like "Stupid fish, I can trick you where ever I wish." I didn't get to say that very often - I had (and still have) serious problems with tricking and fooling people. And when I got to call my mom a "stupid fish", I guess she only pretended to be fooled to make me happy. I heard the words a lot though. That's the downside of being as naïve as I am.

As I'm about to go to bed now, and I haven't heard anyone shout "April, April" to me, it means I made it through the day without someone making me believe something that wasn't true? I sure hope so.

But April really is one of my favorite months, as soon as the first day is over. April is the spring month, the month when everything seem to explode and come to life. And for my own part, so many significant things have happened to me in this month. (Apart for the most obvious fact that I have my birthday in it.)

So let's see what April can bring this year...