Blog
Beware the ideas of Marx, dum dum…
EPI told me a funny story the other day. There was a guy he knew up in Akureyri (in the north)who immersed himself in the writings of Friedrich Engels. One suspects Marxist theory. Anyway, this guy sat and sat, studied and studied, working his damndest to get a grasp....
The amazing Belafonte
Harry Belafonte was in Iceland last week to promote UNICEF. I confess I knew very little about him before he came (except that he sang songs and has a daughter named Shari who is an actress). Last night, however, I got around to watching an interview with him on...
Burning rubber
Cripes! Big, bad blaze last night. Down at Sundahöfn harbour, in a recycling lot. Immense piles of rubber tires, rubber tire bits, scrap metal and other mish-mash. All set to be transported out of the country (not to some obscure garbage dump at sea, one hopes), but...
Of sleepless insanity
Today YT got the deja vu taste of what it’s like to be a nine-to-fiver in an Icelandic winter. Spent the day reading proofs and editing copy for my friends up at Iceland Review, which meant that I left the house in the dark and arrived home – you guessed it – in the...
Social studies
Interesting experience last night. Went to dance mentioned in previous blog. It was held at a community centre out on Seltjarnarnes, which is a tiny municipality adjacent to Reykjavík (which makes up for in affluence what it lacks in size). Now, here in Iceland one...
Balmy
Today it’s a balmy –1 degrees Centigrade, a veritable heatwave compared to temps in the –20s that we’ve had lately. The wind has picked up, making it safe to go outside again, and the weatherman promises that we’re in for a warm spell, with rain and the accompanying...
Welcome to Athens … er, Reykjavík
First news item currently up on the Morgunblaðið website: Today, people in Reykjavík are asked to limit use of their cars, not to have them running in a stationary position and those with respiratory illnesses are advised to stay indoors. Why? Pollution! Who'd have...
When Polly became a girl
Today, 18 November, is exactly one year since Polly became a girl. Let’s have a round of applause for Polly... (clapclap) Thank you. Back in the momentous year 2000, YT decided to indulge the then-eight year old AAH’s craving for a pet by going out and buying her a...
Joni revisited
A few days ago EPI decided to surprise me by bringing home a DVD about Joni Mitchell. This because, although I no longer speak in Joni lyrics on a daily basis (as I used to) I still think she’s one of the greatest artists to ever walk this earth. And YT is not someone...
Why blog?
As expected, today we have resignations en masse among teachers. Daily activity in the schools is still in utter chaos, with some teachers showing up, others not, and those who did show up reportedly feeling like crap because they’re betraying their colleagues. Plus...
Truant teachers
Well. AAH trotted off to school this morning in the winter darkness like a trouper, only to return 45 minutes later because none of the teachers in her school had shown up for work. In Reykjavík, 80-85% of teachers stayed home to demonstrate their pissed-offness at...
Peopleweary bounceback
Happy to announce that I’ve bounced back from my people-weary state thanks to a good night’s sleep and a long leisurely breakfast with the family. Phew! People-weary is not a good way to travel through life. Being one of those SAD* things. EPI and I cosied up in our...