I’ve been loving this Retro Stefson song lately. So far, I’ve relied on the radio to play it for me but I think I really must invest in their album. I love the record player I gave my boyfriend for his birthday two years ago – buying a vinyl record somehow feels like a nice investment, as opposed to a cd.
In other news, I’ve started another blog. That one is in Icelandic. A lot of world was meant to be a place for me to practice and hone my English. These days, since I don’t really have as much free time as I once did, writing a post can seem overwhelming (not that I was the most productive blogger even before baby… Oh well.) Anyways, I’ll probably be posting there more than here. I’m not sure what will become of this little place of mine – we’ll just have to wait and see.
I’m so looking forward to Easter! Believe it or not, it is not solely because of all the good food and chocolate I’ll be allowed to consume (not that I don’t consume said chocolate even when I’m not allowed, but during Easter I don’t have to feel too bad about it… Anyone else like me out there?), but because of the annual music festical Aldrei fór ég suður, which will be held in Ísafjörður for the ninth time this Easter.
It features lots and lots of Icelandic artists, beginners and veterans, bands every Icelander knows as well as local singer/songwriters from the West Fjords. Each artist gets only fifteen minutes to perform. Admission is free and the artists all donate their work. The festival is attended by lots and lots of people, locals mix with people flying in from Reykjavík or other parts of the country and the ages range from still-in-the-womb to 90+. It’s an amazing experience and I can’t wait for Friday night, when it all begins!
There’s plenty of good Icelandic music and artists. I thought I’d share two videos from artists I like: Ólöf Arnalds covering Mr. Tambourine man with her sister Klara (I happen to be acquainted with both of them and they really are the nicest people!), and Snorri Helgason (who will perform at AFÉS) singing his beautiful Mockingbird with Mr. Silla. Do you like them?
ps. Wish me luck with my third go on that televised game show thing. We keep winning so we keep going back. And I started out not really caring about the competition at all, but now I really want to win! So please, fingers crossed?
I may be the last person in the northern hemisphere (I’m trying to not be too dramatic here, but yes, I really mean the world) to watch the widely praised ITV series Downton Abbey. Accordingly, I will very likely not be the first to tell you that it is great. Granted, I am quite partial to period drama. When I was little I loved books like The Secret Garden and A Little Princess, and I’ve read Pride and Prejudice about twenty times since I first reached for it when I was about 12 years old (as I’d already read everything else at home and wasn’t really bursting with excitement at the thought of sitting down with For Whom the Bell Tolls). I wanted to be Elizabeth Bennet. Or Jane Austen herself. Or just anyone who knew them, nevermind the fact that the former is fictional. So it’s not all that surprising that I’ve completely fallen for the goings-on at Downton Abbey.
Just in case you happen to be that other person on earth who hasn’t watched it yet; do it! Especially if you’ve previously enjoyed movies like Pride & Prejudice (although I much prefer the BBC series), Sense and Sensibility, Gosford Park or series like Upstairs Downstairs – which I somehow haven’t seen. Downton Abbey follows the lives of Lord and Lady Crawley, their three daughters and extended family, as well as the lives of their multiple servants during the second decade of the 20th century. The first episode actually begins with the family receiving news of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. The costumes and sets are exquisite, the script is excellent and Maggie Smith is amazing as the stubborn, outspoken Dowager Countess of Grantham.
I give you a tiny bit of dialogue:
Lady Grantham (Maggie Smith): “You are quite wonderful the way you see room for improvement wherever you look. I never knew such reforming zeal.”
“Antisthenes says that in a certain faraway land the cold is so intense that words freeze as soon as they are uttered, and after some time then thaw and become audible, so that words spoken in winter go unheard until the next summer.” ~Plutarch
It snowed today. The first snow I see fall this winter. Large white flakes, falling quietly to the ground. It was, as always, beautifully serene. It made me both happy and a little bit sad that I’ll be sitting this Icelandic winter out in a faraway, much warmer land where nothing stays white for long. Although the dark and the cold (and the dark, again) can drain me of all energy, an Icelandic winter also holds a certain charm. And I just realised that I’ll miss it. Lit candles, two pairs of woollen socks, tea, bread fresh from the oven, playing cards for hours on end, Irish coffee, the stars, cheeks and nose turning red from the cold. And the northern lights.
The northern lights really are as beautiful as people say. I still run out to watch them whenever they appear, gazing at the swirling sky until my neck hurts, mesmerized by the green and sometimes pink and even purple. So, I found this video, by Flatlight Films, to comfort me. It is gorgeous. Hope you enjoy it.
I’m constantly on the hunt for good TV series to watch. Lately, I’ve even preferred them to movies. When I like something I just don’t want it to end. And movies do, so much sooner than TV series. I have a varied taste, I guess; I’ve watched and enjoyed everything from Cougar Town to The Wire (which is probably the best written series ever – I love good writing!). And I adore Mad Men, which is so aesthetically pleasing that it makes my toes tingle.
I watched the late news last night and absent-mindedly kept one eye on the television while I turned to my computer. The only channel we get here is the National Icelandic one, and, sorry to say, that one doesn’t really have a reputation of being very up-to-date or attuned to what’s best in television every given season. Last night was a lucky exception, I believe. They just started airing a new BBC mini-series called The Hour.
The Hour is set in London in the fifties. Friends Bel Rowley (Romola Garai) and Freddie Lyon (Ben Whishaw) work for the BBC. They get their big chance when they are recruited to work on a new weekly news program, namely, The Hour. Dominic West (The Wire!) plays Hector Madden, the face of the new show. Then, the murder of a prominent academic is covered up by authorities, Freddie’s childhood friend dies under rather mysterious circumstances and the plot thickens…
I can’t wait to see more! I really like the look of the series. Unsurprisingly, really, as I have always had a weak spot for dashing British men in trenchcoats. Being a journalist, I’m fascinated with the work environment depicted in the series and look forward to seeing how Bel manages in a male-dominated environment and rather misogynistic society in general. I feel some girl power moments coming up!
Ah, I couldn’t stay away for long. I just have to share this trailer. How much am I looking forward to this movie? Answer: a lot! [Insert squeaky I-am-excited-noise here.] It’s not that I’m the biggest Marilyn fan, not at all, the movie just looks… beautiful! And she was a fascinating character, after all. And I really like Michelle Williams, she’s so talented and seems to be a genuinely nice and grounded person as well. I have a bit of a crush on her.
Update: Oops! I encountered some technical difficulties resulting in this post not being published at all. I’ll publish it now instead, as a reminder to not stress this coming Sunday…
I’ve grown to like Sundays in the last few years. Before, I loathed them, like so many people seem to do. And I get it, I do: the weekend is coming to a close, Monday morning looms just around the corner, you might be tired or hungover from Saturday, not much gets done and yet you feel you’re completely wasting your precious hours off if you don’t do… something. Anything. I’ve been there. However, I’ve now conditioned myself that Sundays were never meant for anything other than rest – off the top of my head I seem to remember at least one guy who shares this opinion. J… what was it? Luckily, I’m really good at resting.
This Sunday has been spent doing a little bit of work for a project I’m currently working on. Working while laying on the sofa, sipping tea and taking frequent breaks to just gaze at the candlelights and rose bouquet on the coffee table doesn’t really seem like work. Apart from that, I’ve eaten a long and leisurely breakfast/lunch, read my favorite blogs (to be revealed in an upcoming post), played cards with my boyfriend, listened to jazz on the radio and tried to plan the hectic week starting tomorrow morning. There are many, many things to be done and far too little time to do them in. Even so, I decided not to sacrifice my Sunday and get started on the packing and organizing that awaits me tomorrow. Today, I’ve rested. As that’s all my Sundays are intended for, I consider this day a success! I’m cheating a little bit, since I have a work meeting later this evening. Don’t tell anyone.
Coming up: I plan to go make a pizza with all my favorite things/everything we have in the fridge: cherry tomatoes, serrano ham, basil, mozzarella… Yum. And while I make the dough I’ll be watching the lovely Audrey in Breakfast at Tiffanys, another excellent lazy Sunday thing to do. Doesn’t the opening scene make you want to watch the whole thing? Do it, I say!
