"It don´t matter if you black or white.."

(Picture: copyright -videodetective.com)

One of the perks of being a teacher in High School is to be with students who are so "up to date" on what films to see and why. Before Christmas all my seniors had to work on a project where they chose a topic related to the subject Norwegian and presented it orally, a 15 minutes presentation, to 15 of their class mates. A lot of them naturally chose films and film analysis or studied book and film and how sucessful the film adaptation was. It was in this process one of my students introduced me to"Glory Road". Believing that the students have SO much to teach me, too, I borrowed it over the holidays and finally sat down to see it yesterday.

"Glory Road" is based on a true story and from Texas in the 1960s when coach Don Haskins led the Texas Western to the NCAA National Championship with an all-black starting line up. I must admit I thought this film would be a lot of basket and not so much more, but I was totally wrong! Just the fact that Josh Lucas (from "Home, Sweet Home") played coach Don was a huge and great surpise. I simply love his Texas accent! One of the main characters from "Bones", Emily Deschanel, played Don´s wife and even Angelina´s Dad, Jon Voigt, had a minor part, too.

First and foremost this film again made me painfully aware of how bad racism was in the South in the 60s. These boys had so much going for them because of their baseballskills, but were put down again and again by rude comments, violence, whites trashing their stuff etc. No wonder they did not believe in themselves! It is therefore so great that there are people in the world like coach Don, who saw beyond color and who chose these guys for their skills regardless of color and what others said and thought!

I know this is yet another "pursuit of happyness" and "American Dream" film, but I was still very touched by it. In addition to the basketball scenes (which I totally loved!), this film has so many other topics - dignity and never to stop believing in yourself, love, friendship, hatred, family values and more.

If you love sports, but also want to learn more about the American South in the 60s from a true story, and like a blend of various topics in addition, it is well worth spending a couple of hrs on this one!

For trailer, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvsICT_HLfY

I am in a New York state of mind

Day 3 was the big “go see NY”-day! On our way down to Empire State Building we debated whether to walk or get on one of the double deckers/guided tours, and just a block away from ESB we were talked into a tour.
The tour ticket meant we did not have to line up for the entrance to the ESB, but there were tons of other lines in that building! Security line was one, and then to get to all the elevators, the line through the shop (clever people!), the line for photos, that we bought, of course, and the line to see the view on deck 86! It was a beautiful day, so we took plenty of photos.

On our way back down we had to stand in all the same lines again, but it was worth it – the view from up there on a sunny day was just fabulous!
We got on the bus and headed towards Ground Zero. On our way we passed Greenwich and Carrie Bradshaw´s house, and saw a whole bunch of cops and SC agents outside a famous restaurant that made us wonder what celebrity was there for lunch.

At GZ we walked past the construction site where the memorials will open in 2011, September 11th. There will also be a grand opening of the new WTC (only one) on the 11th of Sep 2014. It still was an emotional atmosphere there, and we were not allowed to take pictures of the site – I just had to take one, though.

The museum was also very interesting, but sad, and brought back the horrific pictures from the TV-screens that day.

After GZ we did the obligatory Starbucks visit and looked at the bridge to Brooklyn before we got on the bus again.
As we drove past the 9/11 site, the guide told us that the Church nearby was the only building that did not get a scratch, and that was the 3 time it had survived (the fire and 1776). Some of the other buildings in the area were damaged and it took years to fix them.

On our way to the Statue of Liberty we passed Wall Street. The corner of WS and Broadway is the oldest corner in NY, and we also saw the “good luck” bull they had moved to the harbor since they closed down the area after 9/11. If you touch it, you´re supposed to get lucky with money/stocks.
The line for the Statue ferry was even longer than the ESB lines, so we decided to skip it. We looked around, though, and got some nice pictures and a few minutes in the sun (in the park). We also looked at the 9/11 memorial and the eternal flame – burning so that the victims will never be forgotten.

We jumped on the bus again, and went past the harbor, the oldest police building in the country, and the bridges (the legendary Pepsi sign) and headed towards China town. It would not have been much of a town if the Chinese had not been allowed to bring their wives in the 60s. Then the town flourished.

We passed little Italy, and moved on to see the nice houses of the rich (McEnroe), the UN building, the Raul Wallenberg building and monument onto 5th Ave – with Sacks and then Waldorf Astoria where Obama stays when in NY.

Soon we were at our next stop – Rockefeller Center – were they still skated and the nearby Magnolia Bakery! We actually had to line up to get our cupcakes and the best double chocolate fudge brownie ever, but we got it and ate in the sun in front of R Plaza.

Next we visited the NBC-store and walked down to Macy´s for some shopping, before we headed back to 70 Ave at 38th W to have an hour to get ready for dinner.

At 8:15 pm we were ready for Brooklyn, the bridge and River Café.

Another taxi ride later we were there and ate a wonderful (and expensive) three course dinner in a restaurant with more waiters than people (although it was crowded)!

After dinner one of their cars took us back to the hotel – a smooth ride this time.

Good night!

Another day in (shopping) paradise!

Saturday morning we were all set to go after a quick continental breakfast. We headed towards the Grand Central thinking that was the place to go to catch the bus. The GC was unbelievably beautiful, but just the train station, so we decided to go back to the hotel to ask them if they knew where we would find the buses.

Ten minutes later we were heading for Port Authority, a few blocks down from Times Square. The bus left at 11:30, so we had plenty of time to kill before we were ready to go. Little did we know that the lines were extremely long more than 45 minutes before the buses left, but we got some papers, magazines and Pepsi and then went up to gate 310. Already we were far from the entrance, but I figured they had more than one bus – and luckily they did!

The ride there was absolutely memorable as the driver seemed to not know how to drive. The bumpy roads and the heat were quite interesting, too, but at least I was on my way to shopping heaven! My husband didn´t care much, I think.

Woodbury Common with its 220 shops was way too much to cover in one day! Even running and not eating much I did not cover more than less than hundred stores. Among them were Calvin Klein, Polo, Guess, Juicy Couture, Tommy Hilfiger and Converse. I am definitely going back another time. The thing is, I guess, to catch the 8:30 bus from NY, because in the afternoon, on a Saturday, the place was really full!


If possible, the ride back was even worse! That driver sure did not know how to use more than the breaks and there was no air condition in the bus! With 8 huge bags and tired legs, we decided to try TGIF for dinner – at TS. The restaurant had 5 floors, all crowded with people, but we only had to wait 10 minutes for a delicious American burger and the largest Pepsi they had (my request)!

After a day in shopping heaven we walked back to the hotel, turned on the TV and the computer and wedged out on the bed until we fell asleep.

I had a dream…

I have actually had this dream for many years – to visit New York, its humongous Times Square and of course some of the city´s other classical sights and stores! Today, however, I fulfilled one of them, standing in front of a million neon signs on Times Square on a Friday afternoon and night (I just had to come back after dark!) just sucking in the atmosphere, the sounds, the visions – summed up in one word, the heart of NY!

Let´s go back to 04:15 am on Friday the 19th of March.

I cannot really say that I got a lot of sleep the night before I was leaving for NY, so I got a bit emotional when the attendants at Torp told us the flight was delayed. With not so distant memories of a flight leaving just before my eyes in Glasgow on the 23rd of December, I was not that far from freaking out. Was someone going to ruin my flight to NY as well?

It all turned out for the best, though, because at Schiphol we were upgraded to first class, and that was SOME experience – all due to my husband´s long legs! Champagne as we entered the flight, a three course lunch with wine, drinks at all times, fabulous chairs that we could make into beds and access to tons of movies, music, games and so on. I was very happy with my novel and getting as much sleep as possible, but I must admit I had a glass or two of the sparking (and the not so sparkling) drinks!

After landing on Newark we had to go through the tiring, but none the less interesting customs where you now must scan ALL your fingers and have your photo, too!

The taxi ride from Newark to our hotel (situated very close to the Empire State Building in the theatre area) took about 45 minutes and took us through Soho and other interesting parts of the city. I was totally excited just to see the skyscrapers ahead, but I must say the 21 degree temperature and the sun shining from a clear blue sky wasn´t bad either.

After a quick shower and change of clothes we were ready – ready for the time of our lives! I am not very fond of not being able to find my way around a city on my own, so we grabbed our map and I led on, confident that this would be just a walk in the park.

15 minutes later we could see the first neon signs in the distance and very soon Times Square revealed itself in all its colors and all its majesty! This was even better than I had thought, and I recalled all the New Years Eves in front of the TV watching the crowd count down before a new year was a reality. I had had a dream, and now, finally, after 37 years, my dream had come true!

After TS we wandered up to Central Park (we passed Carnegie Hall on our way) to get a feel of nature in the city and it was really beautiful! I could only imagine how wonderful it would be later in the spring. Also I noticed all the kids playing, the teenagers playing football, the grown-ups running or cycling – What a fit crowd of citizens! We decided to walk for a little while, but then turned around and headed back for the Trump tower and the silver globe.

On our way back to TS we just had to stop at a MackieD to get a tiny fries! It was a clean and cool shack, but all the pictures of Ronald McDonald caught me by surprise. I guess it is true what Morgan Spurlock documented in “Super size me”, they really do their best to lure the kids in!

One fries later, we passed one of the fire stations in NY, and it was a very special atmosphere there, I could tell. Even nine years after 9/11 people came to sit by the golden signs put up in memory of all the firemen who had lost their lives rescuing others at the Twin Towers that day, and fresh roses were lying on the ground still. Also they had put up a beautiful quote next to it all:Having worked with Americans in Norway on the day that forever changed the world, I immediately got goose bumps and remembered my terrified friends Marjie and Kathy looking devastated as we watched the news on our computers in a staff meeting. Cindy, our secretary, came crying into our meeting saying “They have crashed in the twin towers! Two planes have crashed in the Twin Towers!” Little did I know how that particular moment would affect all of us, not just the Americans, but people all over the world…..

Back at TS we once again enjoyed this amazing spot and its people (It was Friday night and packed!) in the dark, before we wandered towards the Empire State Building. My husband drew attention to the fact that it was literally NO litter or garbage in the streets, and then I recognized it, too. This must be one of the cleanest big cities in the world!

Not far from the ESB, still on Broadway, I spotted Macy´s – my ultimate shopping mall in the states so far! I did resist the temptation of going in, though, because I was going to save that for the big shopping day Saturday.

We suddenly realized that we were starving and had no other option than Pizza Hut in the area. I got another “Super size me” flashback (“McDonalds, McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut”) and a better understanding of why Americans tend to eat at these places a lot. I mean, they are everywhere and so easily accessible – no wonder people just walk in for a quick bite, like we did.

It was already 10 pm, and we headed back to the hotel. A few issues with finding our way this time, but we got there, eventually. We called it a night after having tasted the American chocolate which is not even close to our wonderful Norwegian Melkesjokolade, to get some sleep before the S and the S – Saturday and Shopping!

The winner takes it all! The loser´s standing small....

I have come up with two great ways of dealing with my anger (that pops up now and again), one way is to go to my Sunday kick boxing class to kick and hit it out of the system, the other way is to write to get my anger out of my system! Being in bed since Thursday with the swine flu, option one was not really an option, so here we go:

Recently the media (news, papers, web pages, magazines etc) have been packed with the latest on the "Mueller case", you know, the skating coach that (finally) got fired. It is no well hidden secret that he was quite a character even before he was hired, and that he had a history of being "the coach from hell". Not just in his ways of coaching, but also in his way of speaking to people and his way of treating them as human beings (if he thought some of them deserved to be called human beings, that is).

After many "unfortunate" incidents, he was sacked and then all hell broke loose. Angry people from all over Norway harassed the girl, who actually paid too big a price for going to the skating association with this anyway, in all sorts of horrible ways, saying she was just a mediocre skater and would be nothing anyway, and why should she "rob" the Norwegian nation for all the gold medals this fabulous coach could bring us?

Reading this, it reminded me of my stay with my family in Tampa, Florida, when I asked dad´s cousin´s wife (who was thank the Lord only married into my family!) if she really meant that the US was better off winning no Olympic medals than having a black runner, Carl Lewis, win them. She almost shouted out a "yes"! I could not believe what I heard - the US in the 1990s and people still lived in the slavery years when blacks and whites were both separate and not at all equal! That was racial discrimination, the one(s) made by Mueller - sexual.

My question is (or rather my questions are, as I cannot seem to stop at one): are we living in a society where only the winners matter and the losers must stand small, and I mean literally small, with no self-confidence and no self-respect, yes, with nothing but "you deserve this for being such a bad sport not coping with a few sexual comments here and there!" I wonder if coaches and other authorities around the world know how much power they have and how easily they can use that power to break people rather than to make them better? Think about kings and presidents, bosses and teachers. Are we really aware of the huge responsibility that lies on our shoulders and that you, the people, the workers and the students are at the mercy of us and the decisions we make, the words we use and the ways we react?

This Sunday I had a discussion going on with one of my students in the E-class about what some teachers can allow themselves to do. I could not believe what she told me! I must say that most of the teachers I know are fair, respectful and do listen to their students, but unfortunately not all are. I guess that goes for people in all occupations, but a recent study shows that teachers generally are too afraid to speak up about their students rights in fear of being treated badly amongst their colleagues.

Anyway, this was not really supposed to be a blog entry about teachers, but about people in power and how they deal with this power. Another topic I tried to shed some light on was whether people of different races or different sex deserve to be treated like crap just because they are mediocre and not winners!

Well, luckily, the winner did not take it all all this time. In fact he lost, and it was about time he did, if you ask me!

Go you people who dare say your opinion!

DECEMBER QUIZ

Where is this picture taken?

Remember, both city AND location is necessary:0)

"OH MY GOD!" (No offence)

Foto: Astri Marie Remme

Tonight, at 7 pm, I checked in at "Hotel Hvarnes". I must admit that I was not sure what to expect, but as soon as I "entered" the lobby, I knew that this was a "show for me" (Susanne and Eline will know what I am talking about!) It started off with a fierce song and a catchy melody. And I promise you, these girls (and boys) can sing!

The guests were many. Petter Solberg with his selfmade English always makes me laugh, but no one, NO ONE is like the one and only Jan Thomas! Eline´s interpretation of him was "spot on", and I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants! JT has always been my favorite. Now and again I take my laptop with me to the couch to watch an episode or two of Fanthomas. (My husband rolls his eyes and thinks I am mad, but there are so many fascinating things about this (wo)man!) I also loved the Facebook visitors, the wedding guests (especially the priest!), the bubble babes and the bet.

All the songs were great, but "Back to the 90s" certainly took me back to the 90s and the 80s (Aqua´s original lyrics).

To sum it up, this was a show packed with a lot of humor, energy (where do you get all that energy from, Susanne?), catchy music, meaningful lyrics and "spot on" numbers. If I was to critique "Hotel Hvarnes" for a magazine or a newspaper I would certainly give it a 7 on a scale from 1 to 6.

Way to go girls! I am already looking forward to visit "Hotel Hvarnes" next year!

PS! If you have seen a show, a film or a play lately that you think was so exciting that it is worth sharing with me and the other students in class, feel free to write me a blog comment, a report, a review or just a personal text on it!