Plan 43 fun things to look forward to!

for 3 days in a cabin in a cabin in the mountains, it’s going to be 9 portugese people and me. This should be an interesting cultural exhange experience. ;) The thing is, norwegians love our cabins, and we have a completely fixed idea about what cabin holidays are all about. They’re about hiking or skiing during the day, then making dinner, having some wine and read or play board games and just relax, not having to do anything else. So, when my portugese bf asked me if I had any ideas about things to do in the area where the cabin is, I said “Do?? What do you mean “do”? I tried to explain the whole books and board games concept to him, and he said “what, so everyone’s going to sit by themselves with a book? What’s social about that?”. So apparently, the books will stay home. And, it seems they have made all kinds of plans, including rafting and cycling. On second thought, I should bring the book to have something to do while they are rafting down scary rivers, that is definitely not my thing. ;)
So, I’m just going to go with the flow and have a completely new and different cabin vacation experience. They are all lovely people, so I’m really looking forward to it. And the extra bonus is all the yummy food, deserts and wine the portugese always brings with them. ;)

to look forward to!
A lovely concert this weekend for instance, with the suplovely Akademie für alte Musik Berlin, hooray!
Ithree weeks, I’m going to Hemsedal with my boyfriend and some of his colleagues, for a weekend of skiing. Suplovely! Off to buy skis soon, I haven’t done much skiing the past years, but I do very much enjoy it. (downhill that is, not cross country. I’m the one Norwegian who do not have the cross country skiing gene).
Also, in March, we are hopefully going to Lisbon! This depends on finding someone to watch Cora and also getting some days off work, but hopefully it will work out. Hooray again!

planning our trip to England. Yay! Supexiting! It’s so good to have something nice to look forward to, away from all my troubles here. We’ve now booked a hotell for part of the time, and made some plans for places we want to go.
Also, we’re going to a cabin in the mountains this weekend, we’re bringing our dogs, good books and wine, hopefully a lovely weekend!

And I’m gradually starting to feel a bit more up to planning some nice things again. It’s good to be able to not feel exhausted and panicked all the time. I’ve seen the trauma specialist twice, and it has helped. She told me that every one of my reactions and feelings are completely normal and common, which was good to know. And she told me to try to be nice to myself, expect to feel down, and to feel nervous and stressed, panicking at every loud sound. I’ve tried to do that, and gradually do feel better.

So now I’m trying to get back to planning some nice things. Today, I searched around for agility classes, poor Cora deserves some more fun activity now. But agility classes are expensive. But then I remember there’s a dog club that has agility practice with a trainer present. I’ve heard that they are always full, with long waiting lists, but decided to give it a try anyway. And we got in right away! I had to pay for membership, but during autumn, as long as the practice can be done outdoors, it’s free for members. So as of next week, Cora is once again an agility dog! I’m expecting a very proud dog, and lots of poodle smiles. ;)

Also, I’m going to England with a friend in september. Planning and booking has gone very slowly, we’ve both been completely exhausted from everything that has happened, and not had any energy to book tickets or find hotells. But my friend has now got some information about possible places to stay, and we’ve decided to meet this weekend and do a bit of planning. Very much looking forward to that!

this year, because clearly, temps are not humans with rights, and should not be allowed time off. Argh.
But, I’ll have to make the most of that week and plan something to look forward to at least! I can chose either a week in the last half of august or in the last half of september.
I’ve been thinking about going to a classical music festival, because that would give me the opportunity to write some articles and make some money, in addition to great music events. I have very little money to spend these days, so that would definitely make it easier for me to afford a little travelling. But I haven’t really been able to find any festivals I find very interesting during those weeks.

So, a possible plan b, would be to go away in september, when regular concert/opera/ballet season has started in different places, go to some fun things, and hope that the editor at my previous workplace will accept an article or two from that. It would have to be something really good or unique in some way, in order for me to sell articles about it. Or, find some other article-worty, fun place to visit, and try to sell articles from that. In big cities it should be possible to find something. I’m thinking maybe London, Berlin, Vienna or possibly Italy somewhere.
Hmm.

after the good job news. The good mood definitely comes and goes, I’m still struggling quite a bit. But still, better than I was, definitely. So, I’m thinking it would be good to act on that and make some fun plans, before gloominess kicks in again. I now have work through August, and I know that if everything is still uncertain in june and july, life will be extremly challenging again. So it would be nice to make a few nice spring/summer plans now, while I’m feeling a bit better and have some initiative.
Since I have a contract for only a few months, taking a long summer holiday is probably out of the question, and I can’t afford to go away for weeks anyway. But, a few days here and there should be possible. I am actually going to Spain for a week in March to visit my parents who spend a few months there, which will hopefully be quite nice. My relationship with my parents is not uncomplicated though, so a whole week could be a bit challenging, but still, hopefully nice.
It would be nice to get out of Norway and do something fun sometime during spring/summer too, if I can find quite inexpensive ways to do it. Maybe a weekend trip, or a few days at a classical music festival again? Hm. Must make up a plan I think, so I’m not stuck in Oslo all summer.

I really need a few days off work, I`m really tired. And I`m making some nice plans to look forward to as well. I`ve just set up a playdate for Cora on Friday with the spanish waterdogs Fudge and Paco. I haven`t seen their owner in a really long time, so it will be nice to meet her, while Cora gets a chance to run and play as much as she wants. She gets to do that too rarely because of Agathas back. My ex is watching Agatha so Cora and I get to meet friends. I`ll probably meet another friend as well, not sure when, and maybe the nice cellist if he has time between rehersals and I can find a dogsitter. And maybe go to an art galery on saturday, again, if I can find a dogsitter.

Other than that, I look forward to playing piano, reading, watching easter crime shows on tv (a bit of a morbid tradition, everyone reads crime novels and watches crime series on tv during easter) and relaxing. And enjoying the quietness of the city while all the mad people have left for the mountains to go skiing. Another weird tradition. Just when the snow has finally disappeared and the first signs of spring are here, Norwegians insist on gathering their families and chasing after the snow up to the mountains. Who wants more winter now?? Crazy people. But while they do that, I get to enjoy the city being more quiet and peaceful than any other time of year.