Bill Gates gets a pie in his face
Geggjad Video a Gates

Icelanders

Me and Freyja went to town tonight to see two new Icelanders who just moved to town. One is studying at Leeds Uni, and the other one not. We went to Akbars and ate, then to Sela Bar, and saw some jazz while we drank beer and wine. Lana came to meet us and it was fun.

Manchester United Meber again

I just renewed my membership to Man-Utd and will be going to a few games before I go home. My hope is to get tickets to the Manu-Everton game. I will know in 10 days time. Annyhoo..aaaah crap. Blank...or writers block sounds better :)

Manchester United goal
Paul Scholes scores for Man Utd against FC Copenhagen... Shot from the South Stand at Old Trafford....by me

You Tube.

I just set up an account on YouTube so I can publish my videos. Here is my first one. Manchester Unted v FC Copenhagen, Paul Scholes scores.

New Look

Just trying a new look. Here is a picture from Manchester United v FC Copenhagen at Old Trafford, Oct. 17th. 2006

Thorunn and Sveinbjorn

Thorunn and Sveinbjorn came to visit us last weekend. It was fantastic to see some freinds, since we have been alone here in Leeds for over a year and have had no visits from any freinds. We met them at Manchester Airport, and took them to Leeds, and the day after we went to Manchester again, but this time to see a football match. England v Macedonia at Old Trafford. It was a boring game, but the everything around the match was fun, the people, atmoshpere and all that. We did some sightseeing in Machester before and after the game. Sunday was just shopping in Leeds and then we went to the movies and saw The Departed by Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon and many many others. Great movie. And as a result I am listening to the fantastic band, The Dropkick Murphys. We then went to Akbars to eat, a good Arabic place. The Monday went into more shopping and walking around the University area. That same day I picked up the flu and have been sick since. It was sad to see them leave.

The Gym

We went to the gym today for the first time since we came to the UK. It was fantastic I had forgotten how good it feels to work out. Yesterday we went to the Wike Ridge Golf club and tested the driving range there. My swing was rusty, but it was not as bad as I thought.....well.. kinda..it was shit. But so was Freyjas swing... But there where indications that we had done this before, and we have not forgotten it all. Both showed signs of earlyer form. We will go again, and then we will be better.

I will be posting a few images and reviews on concerts I have been to here in the UK, but to brag a little here is a picure of me, Freyja and Jeff Healey....a genius and an inspiration. See his website and Wikipeadia.

In the news...

Freinds leaving left and right. It is hard to say goodbye to freinds who are leaving to their home after finishing school. But we will survive. One of the Icelandic girls who was here, Lovisa told me that there are two new Icelanders here in Leeds now. I sent them an e-mail and one was eager to meet up, and the other one had no interest what so ever. But that is her choice. Annyhoo.. we went to Sheffield the other day and it was raining and the city is crap. I am teaching one man Icelandic once a week after Rory McTurk set that up for me. The ICS Newsletter is up and running again, and new people taking over, but I will have a hand in it until I leave Leeds. The new guy Tom, seems to be cool. And yes...we survived the Leeds tornado the other day, it ripped up trees and roofs in Harehills that is close to where I live. I have some video of the rain I took on my digital camera. I need to find a good place online to store small videos and images to use on the blog.

lets try again

After a loooong pause...I am blogging again. The reason for the absense is fist and foremost my work on my MA dissertation. After I handed that it, I was so tired of computers and had not will to write. But I have been getting the urge to start blogging again and the urge to write more. So here goes.

We both finished our work and are in that sense: "When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" I took the liberty of quoting Martin Luther King and his I have a dream speech to show my feelings after finishing my hard work. Actually he has a point in this fantastic speech that you can see here.

Me and Freyja went to London last weekend. We met my brother that I had not seen for over a year, and it was nice not being on the damn sighseeing tour yet again. We had not tourist places to go and see, so we just hung out, and drank beer. We met my brother in front of the UBS bank on Liverpool Street and while he and his bank buddies went into the UBS bank to see some brokers, we went to the pub across the street, and the first thing we hear is Icelandic being spoken at the next table. Three Icelandic guys sat talking and what a conversation :) One of them was talking about a freind who walked into Rod Stewart while he was banging this chick in a bedroom and then he wanted the icelander kicked out. Then one of them wanted to revenge for his father, but we missed the whole story, but it sounded like something out of the Sopranos. Then they went and my brother walked into the pub just as they left. We had a few beers and I drank for Freyja as well. So after talking to my brother and his freinds and some other English bankers I was feeling ok, but after we walked out the beer started to kick in, and adding to my headache, and they painkiller I was eating to battle that, I was more than drowsy. :) So me and Freyja ended up eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream we bought on Leicester Square.

The Saturday was spent in Camden Town with Reynir Thor, and old freind of Freyjas who we met at a party in Leeds a few months back by a very strange coincidence. He showed us the Camden market, and we sat and drank beer and talked for hours and hours. Then in the evening we went to town to see my brother again, and the Icelandic candy he brought us, and we ended up at a chinise reisturant in Soho with him and two other Icelandic bankers. It was great.

The Sunday was simple, woke up late, went to the TATE Modern museum and saw some Picasso, Warhol, Kandinsky and so on... very arty and very touristy. Then we took the tube to Kings Cross and landed on our couch here in Leeds around 21.00

Thanks

Gunnar and Herdis. Freyja was happy to read you birthday greeting.

The day went ok, did nothing for a while, then we did some writing and around 9 we went to an Italian restaurant in Chapel Allerton. Had a very nice pizza there and a glass of Peroni, the Italian beer.

I am trying not to talk about terrorism and all that Middle East bullshit going on today. I am thinking about it every day and night, and in fact I am becoming somewhat of an expert on the subject. The main reason I am trying not to talk about it is that I probably will get boring if I dont talk about anything except terrorists.

But I just want to say that Al Qaeda does not exist as it did. It is now more an idea, or an ideaology. And one of the points in my essay will be that Bin Laden has lost the plot, and the control over his group in most aspects, simply because those who are taking control are more media savvy than he is. And he is good at playing the Western media.

The same thing is happening to parents who have kinds who are surpassing them in computer literacy. Next, we who claim to be able to work pretty well on a computer, will be surpassed by our children at the age of 13 when they are using programs and programing languages we dont even know about in a few years time. We will all turn into a computer illiterate dinosaurs. I love being optimistic :)

Freyja has a birthday

My girlfriend for the last 7 years has a birthday today. But she did a very common thing today. She was so unhappy about getting older and started crying. I had to comfort her by holding her, and letting her hold 3 teddy bears telling her that we are not old. Well, she stopped crying and became her happy self again. But it was soooo sweet.

Nancy Sinatra

is the person I have been listening to those last few days. The best of album is Awesome!! Lee Hazlewood is the man behind her, and he is fantastic. Here is a video with the two of them, a song that was voted to be the best duet in history.

It has been warmer in the city today then expected and I have had a hard time working in this heat. But the good news is that I got a reply from one of the people I sent questions to and it seems that I am going into the right direction. My research and way of thinking seems to be paying of. Now the issue is just to write it down.

Part of my dissertation....Al Qaeda doesnt exist as a group, just an idea, and the governments and the media keep telling us that there is a sophisticated group out there. When there is none.

Many things

Freyjas family came here, we went to London and just had fun here in Leeds, York and Manchester also.

Then I met Arnoddur and Harri who I know from Iceland. I met them in a small town called Keighley (pronounced Keithley) It was so much fun to see them, I have not seen any of my Icelandic friends since August last year.

Gunnar got married to Herdis and I was very dissapointed for not being there. But I have talked to Gunnar alot the last few days, and that has been quite nice.

Freyja has been working extremely hard at the lab for the last 10 weeks, and Lana stayed at our house for 2 weeks until she got her place up in Roundhay. Now she takes the bus past our house all the time, and we met up with her on a very warm night and had a beer at a Tapas bar in Chapel Allerton the other night.

The heat has been quite high, and now it is humid...that equals sweat. I have been very busy the last few weeks.

I have now finished my research and can start to write.

Guests arriving.

Freyja's parents and sisters are on their way for a visit. It will be fun, but hard at the same time since I have to study alot at the same time.

My dissertation is going ok. I have an extensive material and there are so many books and articles on it. My main problem is focusing down on a line of approach. But I think I have it now.

Next on my reading list is the Al Qaeda media strategy vs the USA media strategy. But I hope to talk to my supervisor early next week non the less. Need more focus. I have stopped searching for articles and stuff online, there is so much material there. I only have one book to buy and I am ready. Then just keep reading and putting stuff down on paper first.

I need to read about 30 articles more and 5 books. Then I am all done and ready for writing a good draft. Takes about a week to do so.

My battle plan is to finish a draft in about two and a half weeks. Because of the guests I wont be able to study as hard as I would like to, but...I as we usually say...Things will work out. Eda, thetta reddast.

The beer issue

Gunnar said...

It won't work. Buy your self a case of beer and keep it in the fridge. Then restrain your self from having any beer until the dissertation is finished. That is a very good pressure with a nice ending.

This was Gunnars reply to me question yesterday. I very good answer, but with one major flaw. Beer in England is liki water in Iceland. Almost free, at least compared to the beer prices at home. I have a case of beer and have had for a long time, but I dont drink beer at home usually, I go to the pub. I need stronger motivation people.....!!!

I can and will drink myself silly when the dissertaion is over. And a case of Carling beer for example is only about 10 pounds. That is a pretty cheap price for a MA dissertation. Good try Gni, but we need more ideas.

Out of print quota, shit have to walk all the way down to the library to buy more, and then back here to the Hauldsworth. Crap.

MA dissertation online?

I have been thinking about putting my work in progress online so people can follow it and at the same time I put pressure on myself to do well and do it quickly. What do you think?

Sunday is Brazil Day.

This is what I heard on TV yesterday, because Brazil are playing Australia in the World Cup today. But before that Freyja and me are going to the Farmers Market to buy jam, and some stuff before her parents come here for a visit next week. Then there is BBQ in the garden with our neighbours who are going back to Vietnam for the summer. And then Brazil is playing...and in the evening there is study and reading for MA project. Fun.. all planned to the detail.

Washing day

Not much happening today. Hot in Leeds. Around 25 degrees, but no sun.

Did our laundry, and in great volumes to. Towels, bed sheets, clothes... all of them almost. But it was nice, while the dryer was working, we just sat down outside and had a pint of beer at The Hub. Peetermans from Artois that do Stella Artoise beer and I liked it alot. Then we were supposed to go home to study, but postponed it for Sunday, and did what we wanted to do then. We went to town and bought a little bit of clothes Freyja needed, and two magazines.

Eidur Smari Gudjohnsen gone from Chelsea to Barcelona, hope he will do well there. Better there than at Chealski. All their Russian mafia money.

Books and money

I just spent hours in Borders and two Waterstone bookshops in Leeds today. I was looking at the political and media sections looking for books on terrorism. I bought 4 books. And today only was 15% discount in Waterstones, so I made some money...in that sense.