Good morning from sunny Oslo

I'm posting this photo today because the weather forecast for the week ahead is the opposite of what you see in the photo. Rain is predicted for nearly every day this coming week, along with colder temperatures. In other words, this coming week is the spring weather we should have had in late March. However, in late March and most of April, it was almost as though early summer had arrived, with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. I hope this chilly and rainy spell doesn't last long. But at least I'll have this photo to remind me of the way it was.......

Akrobaten and Oslo S

I was in the neighborhood of the Oslo S train station in the late afternoon. The area south of the station facing the fjord was fairly deserted today, just a few people walking around. No surprise--today is May 1st--Europe's Labor Day. It's a national holiday and most people spend it with friends or family. When I walked back toward the city center proper, there were a lot of people sitting outside in the outdoor cafes or waiting for trams and buses.

I had arranged to meet a few people at the pedestrian bridge called Akrobaten (Acrobat), but we must have gotten our wires crossed so it didn't happen. But it wasn't a lost photography opportunity.  I took advantage of the beautiful weather and the lack of people to snap some shots and to walk across Akrobaten that connects Grønland with Bjørvika. Enjoy......

standing on Acrobat bridge (Akrobaten)

entrance to the Acrobat bridge 

the photographer reflected in the glass of Akrobaten

looking upward--office buildings in Bjørvika

Oslo city buildings reflected in the glass of Akrobaten

Akrobatens nearest neighbor bridge--Nordenga bridge--for cars and pedestrians

whoosh--there goes the Train to the Plane (Flytoget) on its way to Oslo Airport

April news and updates

I was asked to write a short article in English for the Norwegian magazine Our Amazing Norway, which is a magazine written by expats for expats. It published its first issue in 2011. The topic I was asked to write about, interestingly enough (some of my friends might say ironically enough) was ‘figuring out the Norwegian workplace’, something I’ve written extensively about in this blog. Of course I haven’t figured out the Norwegian workplace completely nor have I figured out what Norwegian bosses want. It’s well nigh impossible to come to a complete understanding of either, firstly because there is no such thing as perfect knowledge, secondly—workplaces are different depending on whether you find yourself in the public or private sector, and that would be true in any country. But I was able to give some comments, ideas and tips about how to deal with a new workplace and a new boss in a foreign country.

The magazine itself deals with the daily lives of expats who find themselves in Norway, in a foreign country with very few guideposts on how to survive here if you are a newcomer. You’ve got to be tough and to figure most things out on your own—that was my experience when I moved here over twenty years ago. I wish this kind of magazine had been around when I first came to Norway; perhaps some of my ‘trials and tribulations’ would have been less in number, or less intense in degree, had I been able to read about how others tackled their new workplaces and a new country. The founder and publisher of Our Amazing Norway is Marius Slavinskas, himself an expat, originally from Lithuania. He’s lived in Norway for eighteen years and is married to another expat, an American from California. So we all have something in common—our expat experiences—and those are definitely worth sharing. We ‘speak the same language’, so to speak.  

Our Amazing Norway is published twice a year; my article will appear in the June issue. Check out the magazine online: http://www.ouramazingnorway.com/. They’re also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ouramazingnorway. I’m so looking forward to the upcoming issue and to seeing my article there. I’ll let you know when the article is published; you will be able to purchase the issue if you so choose or perhaps you’d like to subscribe to the magazine.

I have other news that involves my photography, but I’ll save that for another post, after I find out a bit more of what type of project might be involved.

And finally, I am well into my novel about being an expat and my memories of growing up in Tarrytown and New York. I realized the other day that I finally understand the reason for my extensive photographic documentation of most aspects of my life and that of my family and friends since my early teen years. I was waiting for the day when I would write a novel about my life as an expat from New York. Many of those photos will find their way into my book, along with the stories that accompany them. I’ll update you about the novel’s progress from time to time.

Something about this song I really like.......

'And you know, we're on each other's team'........

Kind of says it all--what's important in life. Nice to be reminded once in a while.





Here are the lyrics to TEAM, written by Lorde and Joel Little:

Wait 'til you’re announced
We’ve not yet lost all our graces
The hounds will stay in chains
Look upon Your Greatness and she'll send the call out
(Send the call out [15x])

Call all the ladies out
They’re in their finery
A hundred jewels on throats
A hundred jewels between teeth
Now bring my boys in
Their skin in craters like the moon
The moon we love like a brother, while he glows through the room

Dancin' around the lies we tell
Dancin' around big eyes as well
Even the comatose they don't dance and tell

[Chorus]
We live in cities you'll never see on screen
Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things
Living in ruins of a palace within my dreams
And you know, we're on each other's team

I'm kind of over getting told to throw my hands up in the air, so there
So all the cups got broke shards beneath our feet but it wasn't my fault
And everyone's competing for a love they won't receive
'Cause what this palace wants is release

[Chorus]
We live in cities you'll never see on screen
Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things
Living in ruins of a palace within my dreams
And you know, we're on each other's team

I’m kind of over getting told to throw my hands up in the air
So there
I’m kinda older than I was when I revelled without a care
So there

[Chorus]
We live in cities you'll never see on screen
Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things
Living in ruins of a palace within my dreams
And you know, we're on each other's team
We're on each other's team
And you know, we're on each other's team
We're on each other's team
And you know, and you know, and you know

Quotes about Light and Darkness

A Happy Easter to you all!

• I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. ― Jesus Christ
• The true contemplative is not one who prepares his mind for a particular message that he wants or expects to hear, but is one who remains empty because he knows that he can never expect to anticipate the words that will transform his darkness into light. He does not even anticipate a special kind of transformation. He does not demand light instead of darkness. He waits on the Word of God in silence, and, when he is answered it is not so much by a word that bursts into his silence. It is by his silence itself, suddenly, inexplicably revealing itself to him as a word of great power, full of the voice of God. ― Thomas Merton
• It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness. ― Peter Benenson
• Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness. ― Anne Frank
• When you light a candle, you also cast a shadow. ― Ursula K. Le Guin
• How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world. ― William Shakespeare
• It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but that you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it. ― Arthur Conan Doyle
• Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.  ― Martin Luther King Jr.
• We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are. ― J.K. Rowling
• Fear can only grow in darkness. Once you face fear with light, you win. ― Steve Maraboli
• Love is not consolation. It is light. ― Simone Weil
• Light, Light, The visible reminder of Invisible Light. ― T.S. Eliot
• You have to find what sparks a light in you so that you in your own way can illuminate the world. ― Oprah Winfrey
• Most of us are imprisoned by something. We're living in darkness until something flips on the switch. ― Wynonna Judd
• But hope is no less realistic than despair. It is still our choice whether to live in light or lie down in darkness.  ― Rick Yancey
• Love is a weapon of Light, and it has the power to eradicate all forms of darkness. That is the key. When we offer love even to our enemies, we destroy their darkness and hatred... ― Yehuda Berg
• Anxiously you ask, 'Is there a way to safety? Can someone guide me? Is there an escape from threatened destruction?' The answer is a resounding yes! I counsel you: Look to the lighthouse of the Lord. There is no fog so dense, no night so dark, no gale so strong, no mariner so lost but what its beacon light can rescue. It beckons through the storms of life. It calls, 'This way to safety; this way to home. ― Thomas S. Monson

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.
 

Doubled in bulk—Making Norwegian Whole-Wheat Bread

This is Easter week—a job-free week, one that I am taking advantage of at home. The weather since Tuesday (a gorgeous spring day) has returned to something resembling late winter/early spring. It’s been rainy, windy, chilly, and gray--not so motivating in terms of wanting to be outdoors. But today is shaping up to be a nice day, so we'll see. I was looking through some of my old cookbooks on Wednesday, and happened upon one that I have used on occasion--Beard on Bread. On the cover, it states: “To: All Bread Lovers. My 100 favorite recipes, with variations. Everything you need to know about breadmaking”. So I decided that I would make some bread for Easter. James Beard (1903-1985) was an American chef and food writer, born in Portland Oregon. Beard on Bread (catchy title) was first published in 1973, and given to me by my aunt and uncle as a school graduation present, if I remember correctly. They knew already then that I loved making bread, both yeast and non-yeast. My mother never made yeast breads after a few fiascos; she said that the dough never rose for her. I cannot say the same; I have had good success with the yeast bread recipes I’ve tried. It’s all about not killing the yeast cells that are there to do the job of leavening. If conditions are right for them, your success is assured.

I came upon a recipe in his book called ‘Norwegian Whole-Wheat Bread’ and tried it. What surprised me was how fast the dough doubled in bulk and how it took over the bowl I had set it in (see photo)! You won’t be disappointed with the results. I’m including the recipe here as Beard wrote it (the comments in parentheses are mine).

Norwegian Whole-Wheat Bread

Taught in the Norwegian Government School for Domestic Science Teachers in Oslo, this recipe makes a very dense, coarse bread full of honest flavor, and it slices nicely. The dough will be stiff and difficult to knead, but I am sure you will find the results worth your labors. 

2 packages active dry yeast

4 cups warm milk = 100^o to 115^oF, approximately

8 cups whole-wheat flour

2 cups fine rye flour

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1-2 tablespoons salt

Cornmeal

Makes 2 free-form loaves

In a large mixing bowl dissolve the yeast in ½ cup of the warm milk. Allow to proof. Add the remaining milk, and gradually beat or stir in the three flours and the salt to make a firm dough (I used 7 instead of 8 cups of whole-wheat flour and 3 instead of 2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour since I didn't have enough whole-wheat flour left). Remove the dough to a well-floured board and knead 10 to 12 minutes (I used an electric handheld mixer with dough hooks and that did a good job—it was a tough dough to knead). When you have a satiny, elastic dough, form it into a ball. Place in a well-buttered bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover and set in a warm spot to rise until doubled in bulk.

Punch the dough down, turn out on a floured board, and knead again for 2 or 3 minutes. Cut into two equal pieces. Sprinkle one very large baking sheet or two small ones with a bit of cornmeal. Shape the dough into round loaves, and place them on the baking sheet or sheets (I used two adjustable-size bread pans instead and adjusted them to long). Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in bulk, which will take as long as 2 hours, because this is a firm-textured bread………Bake in a preheated oven at 375^oF  for about an hour, or until the loaves sound hollow when you tap them with your knuckles. Cool thoroughly before slicing. This bread cuts beautifully and will remain fresh for quite a while if wrapped in a towel or placed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Protect the Palisades--Don't let LG win

In recent months, I have become an avid online supporter of protecting the Hudson River Palisades from those who would destroy its natural beauty. I've signed my share of online petitions, shared them on Facebook and tweeted them on Twitter. There comes a time in each person's life when he or she has to take a stand. This is my time. I just never figured that it would take the form of environmental preservation issues, but it has. No apologies for that--I'm quite happy about it. I grew up in a Hudson River valley town--Tarrytown--and looked across the river for years at the beautiful Palisades, that were always especially lovely in the autumn. Talk about the colors of the foliage; you didn't need to travel to New England to witness the gorgeous colors. But like so many people, I may have taken that view for granted. And now it may change unless more people act to stop what is happening.

In short, the fight is to stop the multinational electronics manufacturer LG (a South Korean company with headquarters in Seoul) from building a high-rise office building on the Palisades that will ruin the natural beauty of the Palisades and open for more development along that lovely ridgeline. The alternative suggestion is for them to build a low-rise office building, but they are refusing to consider that because they were granted permission to build their high-rise building by the borough of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey and its mayor Joe Parisi. Hence the fight.

Please support this fight against LG. You can read more about this on the following sites:

http://www.protectthepalisades.org/

https://www.facebook.com/ProtectThePalisades

https://twitter.com/StopLGTower

http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2013/07/protect_the_palisades_editoria.html

http://www.nynjtc.org/issue/protecting-palisades-ridgeline

The feeling of Easter--walking along the Akerselva river

Spring has arrived in Oslo, and I took a long walk today up along the Akerselva river. Watching the river and the land come back to life after winter’s pall warms my heart the way the sun warms my face and hands. It’s the best feeling in the world—walking along the river on a sunny blue-sky spring day, not a care in the world. This is the feeling of Easter—a peaceful rebirth of the heart and soul, and nature reflects that. Trees and bushes are budding en masse, the magpies, seagulls, ducks, pigeons and sparrows are out in force, sitting in the tree branches, searching for worms in the earth, sitting at the river's edge, or flying overhead. Green ivy is starting to make its way up along the stone wall of a house. Daffodils and tulips are blooming, forsythia likewise. And the river? It does what it does best—flows along through the natural curves and bends in the landscape, through the city that borders its banks, and over the small waterfalls. The stillness and peace of a walk along the river, out in nature, are gifts that money cannot buy. I have waited an entire winter to feel like this. 

Flirting at the river's edge

Reaching for the sun

Pigeons roosting

Magpie nest

Hanging blooms

Reflections of spring

The Akerselva River winding its way through Oslo

River curve and tree shadow

Ivy on its way to taking over a wall

Daffodils add color to the greens

The waterfall at Hønsa Lovisas house

Tulips are a true sign of spring

Cleansing and rebirth--Darren Aronofsky's Noah

It’s hard to have a clear opinion about Noah, Darren Aronofsky’s new film about the ark-builder, family man and reluctant servant of God given the task of saving the animals in order that the old corrupt world can be destroyed and a new purified one can take its place. That's because it raises so many unanswerable questions, using the biblical story of Noah. The Earth must suffer fire to cleanse what little remains in the way of civilization and flood waters that will wipe out mankind and allow for the birth of a new world. Noah is aided in his task of building the ark by the Watchers, creatures that are essentially beings of light (angels) that disobeyed the will of God by helping mankind, and who ended up punished by God--trapped by the elements of Earth—mud and rock. They are also called the 'giants in the earth'. When Noah (played by Russell Crowe), his wife Naameh (played by Jennifer Connelly) and his family meet them, they are giant stone creatures resembling small mountains when stationary, who destroy any person who dares to cross into their territory; they no longer trust humans. But they come to understand that Noah, who visits his grandfather Methuselah (played by Anthony Hopkins) in order to discuss with him the dreams he’s been having, is a good man, descended from the line of Seth, and not of Cain (who murdered his brother). The latter line has succeeded in the space of five generations in ravaging and plundering the Earth and destroying the creatures—animals and birds—who live on it. The Earth is a devastated place, lacking food and water. Noah and his family are nomads and vegetarians, who at times run into large groups of marauders who think nothing of murdering innocent people and taking what they want from them. As you watch the film, you know that the end of the world is coming; it cannot continue this way forever; the film is pervaded by this apocalyptic vision. It’s hard not to make the jump to the present day, where mankind’s brutality, violence, and continual devastation of the environment have marked our own world for extinction—in our case perhaps via global warming and/or natural catastrophes caused by our destruction of the planet we live on. The symbolism is not subtle.

The group of marauders descended from the line of Cain is led by a man named Tubal-Cain (played by Ray Winstone), who is ruthless, dangerous and proud. He believes man was made in the image and likeness of God, using that as an excuse to behave badly; he is not God-fearing, preferring to believe that man can behave like God and decide who lives and who dies. Noah is presumably the hero and Tubal-Cain is the anti-hero. Except that it never is that black-and-white, because as the film nears its end, it’s clear to all that Noah is not without sin. In fact, he is a guilt-ridden, deluded, plagued man, angry with the world and with God for assigning him this mission, merciless and ruthless in his own way. The tasks of building the ark, saving the animals, and saving his family prove to be too much for one man’s sanity, especially when he is challenged by his son Ham (played by Logan Lerman), whose pleas to save the young woman he has met and wishes to take with him onboard the ark are ignored, resulting in her death. Ham and Noah become estranged, and Ham is tempted to betray his father by Tubal-Cain, who has managed to come aboard the ark, threatening the survival of all those on board.

The film’s imagery is impressive. It’s hard not to be moved by the scenes of earthly devastation, the eventual flood (rising waters and death by drowning), the battle scenes between the marauders and the Watchers (and their eventual deaths and release from this world), the scenes of birds and animals making their way to the ark, as well as the segment on the creation of the world in seven days. The latter is especially impressive. But it’s also a provocative film as well as at times an over-the-top and illogical one. The numbers of innocent women and children who perished in the flood is hardly justifiable, if God is a righteous God. But we know that the God of the Old Testament was hardly a merciful God, in contrast to Jesus in the New Testament. In fact, the lives of women and children in this patriarchal age were worth very little. Why did God allow that? Why did God spare Noah and his family alone? Surely there were other good families that could also have been saved? Why did Noah first listen to Ham’s wish to find a woman to take aboard so that he would not be alone in the new world, only to vehemently repudiate that idea (he concludes that his only task was to save the animals, not that humans should repopulate the Earth. The scene where he tells his infertile adopted daughter Ila (played by Emma Watson) who is together with his son Shem (played by Douglas Booth) that she is a gift no matter that she cannot reproduce perhaps portends this)? Was that the correct conclusion? Who can know? Why did he consider murdering Ila’s twin daughters, only then to change his mind (he presumably goes against the will of God as he had divined it)? Did God really want him to kill his own grandchildren (one is reminded of the story of Abraham being asked to kill his son Isaac)? These questions are not answered in the Old Testament, and Aronofsky does not answer them either. I left the theater knowing that I had seen a film that would make me think about the things that Aronofsky is clearly preoccupied with—what are we doing to our planet, are we incurring the wrath of its Creator, is the Apocalypse coming, why are we so preoccupied with the end of the world and can we stop it, can we cleanse our world of sin, how can we be reborn and what will it take, is there a merciful Creator, is love the answer to all things (do women intuit and understand that message better than men), and are both men and women necessary to keep the balance between the cerebral and the emotional worlds we inhabit? We cannot have too much of the one or the other as mortal human beings. Or can we? What is Paradise, and why were its original inhabitants so willing to risk their happiness for something they (perceived that they) did not have? Why were they so gullible to temptation? And if they did not have happiness, then how could where they lived be called Paradise? Is it man’s curse to be forever dissatisfied with what he has? Or is this perhaps the greatest temptation of all—to trust others (sometimes in the guise of well-meaning, wise, 'religious' seekers and worldly leaders) to define happiness for us, when we know deep within ourselves what it really is? We must constantly be on the lookout for, and be able to identify, those who would deceive and mislead us, and we must not deceive ourselves. Not easy tasks, much like building an ark and rebuilding a broken world. 

A Sinkhole and a Chimney Fire

Our little neighborhood in the Sagene district of Oslo has been the subject of two newsworthy events within the past several days, both rather disconcerting. On Tuesday evening, a sinkhole about ten feet wide and fifty feet deep opened up in the road in front of a housing development right around the corner from where we live. Sinkholes seem to be a more common occurrence around the world now than they were before, or perhaps it’s just that they make the news more often these days, especially when they claim lives, as did the one in Florida in March 2013, when a house fell into a sinkhole that suddenly opened up, taking the owner with it (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/01/florida-sinkhole_n_2788114.html).

The one in our neighborhood did not result in any casualties, luckily; the police and fire departments were on the scene immediately, and a geologist was called in for consultation. As it stood on Wednesday morning, road crews were busy working on it. Why it developed is a mystery, but it seems as though the combination of steady rain and recent roadwork contributed to its formation.

Sinkholes, whether they are on land or in the water, are scarily fascinating, as this link clearly demonstrates:  http://abcnews.go.com/International/photos/incredible-sinkholes-world-18651806/image-corvettes-collapse-giant-sinkhole-22481216. They can also suck in whatever is near them in the space of seconds, as the following video depicts. In this case, the sinkhole devoured trees in Assumption Parish, Louisiana http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcOPz_7KVQU&list=FL4rKLincZWuFolZVFChzj5g&feature=share.

Besides the sinkhole, our neighborhood also experienced a chimney fire on Wednesday evening. If you have never seen one, be glad that you haven’t. It’s a powerful reminder of how fast a fire develops, especially on a windy evening. The homeowners had clearly forgotten to clean their chimney before they lit a fire in their fireplace; whatever creosote and ash buildup that remained from previous use had obviously not been removed. I was watching TV in my living room when suddenly I noticed that the sky outside had become foggy. Within seconds there was a blanket of fog outside. And the fog was moving and blowing about, since Wednesday night was quite windy. But then the fog got thicker and darker, and I knew that it was smoke from a fire and not fog. I looked out the window and saw where the smoke was coming from—the chimney of one of the houses right across the street from where we live. As I watched, the smoke got even darker, billowing out of the chimney, followed by fire that leapt up out of the chimney. At that point, I ran to get my phone to call the fire department, but then I noticed that there were people in the house. I could see them through the windows, and I wasn’t sure if they knew their chimney was on fire. I decided instead to knock on their door and let them know, but when I got there, there were already people who had had the same idea, and who had called the fire department as well. The firemen arrived very quickly, and set about putting out the fire. Two of them made it onto the roof, and lowered down a device called a fire scrubber into the chimney, which by this time was spitting out glowing embers of quite some size. The fire scrubber removes the burning creosote by scraping the sidewalls clean; this took some minutes but it worked.

One thing is certain; had the roofs been made of wood, they would have caught fire. Luckily, they were Mediterranean-style clay tile roofs. However, the houses they sit atop are often old wooden houses that do burn rapidly and effectively if they catch fire, unfortunately. Watching what transpired was a reminder of how quickly accidents and disasters can happen. In the case of the sinkhole, no one could have really predicted that it would have happened, but with the chimney fire, it’s clear that it could have been prevented if the homeowners had remembered to clean their chimney before using the fireplace. 

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.

This is the kind of book promotion I like

I'm a Kindle book reader; I download a lot of e-books to my iPad from Amazon.com. Every now and then I get emails from Amazon recommending books for me to read; their recommendations run the gamut from science fiction to workplace organizational behavior. I've gotten several emails from Amazon.com lately recommending Management and Leadership books that might be of interest to me. Imagine my surprise when I saw the first book suggestion--my book! Couldn't be happier with this kind of book promotion, especially if these types of promotional emails are being sent to other customers with similar interests. Thank you Amazon!

Want to see a touching and beautiful pet video? This is it.

Quotes about friendship

One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.

--Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

--Marcel Proust

The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing... not healing, not curing... that is a friend who cares.

--Henri Nouwen

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.

--Albert Schweitzer

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun.

--Charles R. Swindoll

So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good.

--Helen Keller

A true friend is someone who is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else.

--Len Wein

Each friend represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.

--Anais Nin

There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.

--Thomas Aquinas

Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over.

--Octavia Butler

Friends... they cherish one another's hopes. They are kind to one another's dreams.

--Henry David Thoreau

A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.

--Walter Winchell

You can always tell a real friend: when you've made a fool of yourself he doesn't feel you've done a permanent job.

--Laurence J. Peter

Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend.

--Plautus