Another good song, this time by Drake

Love this song by Drake......God's Plan.

Worth seeing--Timelapse of the Entire Universe

This video--Timelapse of the Entire Universe--is pretty incredible and worth seeing. Check it out here.

Christmas video greeting from the US Embassy in Oslo

The US Embassy in Oslo seems to be starting a fun Christmas tradition--making humorous video Christmas greetings! This year's video Is called Merry Furry Christmas. Enjoy!

A good song--Cantaloop by US3

I'd never heard this song before until recently; it's from 1993. Twenty-four years later, and still cool.

Tide rushing back in at Mont Saint Michel

I took a video of the tide rushing back in at Mont Saint Michel in France when we visited there in mid-July. It was a beautiful day to visit--blue skies and sunny. We had been walking on the beaches surrounding the island when the water began to come back in. It did not come all the way up to the island as happens at other times.

A peaceful place

On the last day of my recent stay in NY, I visited Sleepy Hollow cemetery where my brother and parents are buried. It was early morning on a lovely summer day, and there was a gentle breeze blowing--nice after the very hot weather we had for most of my visit. In this short video you can hear the wind in the trees and perhaps the brook rushing in the background. The cemetery is a peaceful place and I know my brother is at peace there.

Another good song

Another song that's getting some airplay here on MTV.....love the song, and it's a sweet video........

Loving the Alien by David Bowie

An unforgettable live version of this song.......





(I agree with him when he says that this is perhaps the way the song should always have been done. The original version is good, but this version is just perfect--moving, serious, and memorable).



"Loving The Alien"

Watching them come and go
The Templars and the Saracens
They're travelling the holy land
Opening telegrams

Torture comes and torture goes
Knights who'd give you anything
They bear the cross of Coeur de Leon
Salvation for the mirror blind

But if you pray
all your sins are hooked upon the sky
Pray and the heathen lie will disappear
Prayers they hide
the saddest view
(Believing the strangest things,
loving the alien)

And your prayers they break the sky in two
(Believing the strangest things, loving the alien)

You pray til the break of dawn
(Believing the strangest things, loving the alien)

And you'll believe you're loving the alien
(Believing the strangest things, loving the alien)

Thinking of a different time
Palestine a modern problem
Bounty and your wealth in land
Terror in a best laid plan

Watching them come and go
Tomorrows and the yesterdays
Christians and the unbelievers
Hanging by the cross and nail

American embassy employees try Norwegian Christmas food

Ok, so the reactions were probably staged, but the video is amusing, as are the comments afterward. Some Norwegian Christmas food is an acquired taste, and varies according to what part of the country you live in. The Christmas food I've tried and liked the best is pork ribs and meat-cakes (ribbe og medisterkaker) and cured lamb (pinnekjøtt). I've tried lutefisk and rakfisk but they are not favorites although I will eat them if served. I doubt that I will eat a sheep's head (smalahove) any time soon.

Lily et le Bonhomme de neige (Lily and the Snowman)

A very sweet little video by

Cinémas Cineplex!

I know you'll like it as much as I do.

Waxwings chatting and taking a break in their travels

My last post was a photo of what I believe are Bohemian waxwings (sidensvanser in Norwegian) sitting together happily in the tree across the street from where we live. After listening to them 'chatting' together, I am pretty sure that they are Bohemian waxwings because they have a high trill sirrr as mentioned on the link in my previous post. You can hear that in this short video. They are migratory birds, so I wonder where they came from and where they were off to. In any case, they decided to take a short break from their trip in this tree, and it was just so enjoyable to listen to them.

If you need a good laugh today

This was my laugh for the day--it's a great little video (posted by Mark Muldoon on YouTube) of a male cockatoo that loves Elvis, and the female by his side that doesn't! And she isn't too interested in the male either!

Another adorable animal video

As many of you know, a little hedgehog stole my heart during the summer of 2013. Hedgie, as we called her, now lives happily on farmland in the south of Norway. It was a privilege to have helped her on her way to a (hopefully long) hedgehog life. Today, I came across this adorable video on social media of a tame porcupine eating small pumpkins, and it reminded me of Hedgie. You have to listen to the sounds this little porcupine makes as it eats the pumpkins--so sweet. All I know is that if I owned a lot of land and lived somewhere out in the country, my backyard would welcome hedgehogs and porcupines alike. Here's the video.......

Taking on the challenge of doing push-ups for one hundred days

I quit going to the gym a few years ago. I could never get motivated enough to get there more than once a week, and I ended up spending a lot of money on a membership I seldom used. I liked the cross elliptical trainers best; those are the machines that work your legs and your arms (in a cross-country skiing way). But they were always in use, so that you ended up having to wait to use them. So, I'm now biking and walking as much as I can, having integrated those exercises into my daily life and routines--walking to and from work, biking to and from work, biking instead of taking the bus, walking instead of taking the car or the bus--those kinds of things. That's what works for me. I realize that I don't miss the gym at all. In fact, I wouldn't go back, because I realize that I enjoy being outdoors while I'm walking and biking. I missed being out in nature.

I decided recently that in addition to these activities, I wanted to strengthen my arms since I've never had much arm strength. Serendipitously, I came across a video and a website link that inspired me to start doing push-ups. Normally, I am a bit skeptical when it comes to books or shows that promise that after 30 days, you'll be in great shape, for example. But I decided to start doing push-ups. Over one month later, I actually do have muscles in my upper arms that weren't there before I started the push-ups. I can tell you that push-ups do work to build up arm muscles and to make your arms stronger. I don't know that I'll get to the point that the young lady got to in the video after 100 days of push-ups (I'd like to), but after one month, I have muscles that I never thought I'd have. She did it as part of the Give It 100 movement (https://giveit100.com/), and documented her progress on video each day. I'm challenging myself without documenting my progress each day. I'll keep on going, because I got results, and because I want to see how far I can actually go.

Here is the website link to Womanitely: 7 Exercises that will transform your body---http://womanitely.com/exercises-transform-your-body/. I'm doing some of the other recommended exercises as well. I can do them at home, whenever I want, and there's no pressure. Just do a few of them once a day. You'll see a difference after one month.

And here's the video that originally inspired me to try doing push-ups:

Goodbye Palisades, Hello LG Tower!

Please join the fight to stop LG from building its high-rise tower in Englewood Cliffs NJ, that will RUIN the Palisades. This fight can be won if enough people voice their opinions, boycott LG and step up to the plate to fight. Let's win this for future generations. Because if we lose this fight, the beauty of this historic natural park/landmark will be destroyed forever.
 

This video will touch your heart

A wonderful video, actually a commercial from Thailand, with a positive uplifting message. If it doesn't bring a tear to your eye, I don't know what will.

Beautiful song and video

I heard this song by INXS on the radio the other day, after many years of not hearing it played. What a beautiful song! And the video is also, having been filmed in Prague, which is a lovely city. 

I love the lines:  'Cause we all have wings, But some of us don't know why'. There's something to reflect on--the knowledge and awareness of having been given great talents and gifts that should be used, but not knowing exactly why they were given to you. I love the vulnerability and honesty in those lines. That's how I choose to interpret them. 

"Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS

Don't ask me
What you know is true
Don't have to tell you
I love your precious heart

I
I was standing
You were there
Two worlds collided
And they could never tear us apart

We could live
For a thousand years
But if I hurt you
I'd make wine from your tears

I told you
That we could fly
'Cause we all have wings
But some of us don't know why

I
I was standing
You were there
Two worlds collided
And they could never ever tear us apart

The beauty of the Akerselva river in winter

Two short videos taken on Sunday January 22nd 2012 when I was out early in the morning walking along the Akerselva river. The first one shows the mallard ducks swimming in the icy river--you've got to love these birds. I love watching them. As I often say, birds rule. The second video shows the waterfall near Hønsa Lovisas house and the ice buildup and formations at the base of the falls. Pretty cool looking. I have always been fascinated by rivers in winter--especially when they freeze, either fully or partially. I remember back to my teenage days when I took pictures of the Hudson River (in Tarrytown, New York) that had almost frozen over. It was like watching a land of ice come to life. Very solitary, very beautiful.

Fun on a Friday--'The Joy of Books' video

Loved loved loved this little video that's making the rounds on YouTube, about books coming to life in a bookstore after closing time. The accompanying music is a perfect match for the frolicking and fun. It's so wonderful to experience this kind of creativity. Made my day......(Friday the 13th, no less!)
.
As it says in the end--"There's nothing quite like a real book". Enjoy! You can find the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SKVcQnyEIT8

and mentioned on a blog called The Scholarly Kitchen here:

http://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2012/01/13/the-joy-of-books-a-short-inspired-film-full-of-passion/

and some information about who made the film and who did the music here:

http://keithlyons.me/2012/01/14/the-magic-of-books/