Employed!

I'm now gainfully employed! Well, starting on the 7th anyways. I'll be working as an "investigator" at the Swedish social security administration (Forsakringskassan). I'm really excited, but a little sad about being away from Inara full-time. Andrew also got extended until June at his job and passed his Swedish exam to move on to the next level. He'll work part-time and take classes part-time.

Happy times over here, just in time for Christmas and as an extra bonus neither one of us starts going to work until January.

Roar

When I walked into the kitchen yesterday evening, I saw this:

Other particularly humorous things she's doing nowadays:

- Fake snoring. She lays her head down anywhere and snores with a huge grin on her face. 

- Roaring. When asked what the lion or tiger says, she leans her head all the way back, opens her mouth wide and roars. Well, more like meows and it's probably one of the funniest and sweetest things I've seen. Andrew and I fell over laughing the first time she did it.

Also, I went to a follow-up meeting at her preschool last week and the teacher I talked to had only positive things to say about Inara (can't really imagine her saying anything negative about anyone, but still). She plays well with the others, but is very independent and when she makes up her mind to do something, she gets it done. Go Inara! She rarely cries during the day and if she does it's because she's hurt herself. The only thing she's had to work on is waiting her turn, which she's apparently gotten a lot better at. 

Famous Again

As you may recall, Inara and I made fame in the local newspaper almost a year ago and now the turn has come to Andrew. He definitely outdid us though, appearing in no less than three pictures and getting quoted just as many times. The local newspaper, Gotlands Allehanda, did a story on a program he's participating in through his Swedish language courses. It's meant to welcome immigrants and teach them about Gotland and its history. A pretty neat incentive if you ask me.

They're asking Andrew what he thinks is the weirdest thing about Gotland. He answered that he thinks it's weird how people don't pick the apples and walnuts that grow everywhere and that he picks blue strawberries, blueberries, everything. 

Up Top

So the time has come again that I, Andrew, post.  I realize this is why most of you follow the blog and apologize for the long delay between posts.  I have been busy doing stuff, let's just leave it at that.

So as I'm sure you're all asking yourselves in your myriad of languages, "Why is Andrew, who is great, posting today?  He must have something really good to say."

To which I respond my dear readers, you are correct.  I have recently scaled a 80+ meter (240 ftish) turbine and have captured the event to share with you.

I shall begin on the ground.

For those that cannot read Swedish this sign says "Welcome to the Grötlingbo wind turbines. Please climb
them and throw rocks down."  Seriously who leaves a gate open with a sign only in Swedish before
 something that could kill you?  In the US people put "peligro" and "achtung" on signs.

Here is a movie of my class standing by the above sign while an epileptic films the terrain and turbines.

Yes, enough of scenery let's get to the action.

There it is.  Just asking to be climbed.

Meh. Not that tall.  But it is shiny.

ACTION SHOT!

I peed on the tree to the left of the shadow.

This wasn't some old fashioned turbine, it was a big new sucker.  It even had an elevator (not pictured because this post isn't about the people who took the elevator to the top like chickens.  To you chickens who read this, bock bock.).  The elevator was two person and very slow.  Oh did I mention this was a race against the clock?  It was.  To climb the turbine it had to be off.  Something about...blah blah...dismemberment...electrocution...didn't really pay that much attention.  Anyhow when a turbine is turned off people are losing money.  Money the university had to pay them, so the ascent must be done as quickly as possible.

That's where the climbers came in.  Unable to abide by the interminable ride on the elevator, and ever aware of the ticking clock, three brave souls climbed the full 80 meters to the nacelle (the box on the top of the turbine).

Here we see the first of the climbers, Nikolaos the Greek.  The harness was cutting off blood flow to his brain.  He doesn't normally look like that.

There are unfortunately no pictures of my heroic climb up the turbine as my camera was sent up the elevator.  But rest assured I climbed the full 80 meters faster and with more grace than the others, hitting my head no more than 3 times.

This big blue thing is the generator.  It is where the magic happens.

Oliver and Niko up top.  Oliver is suffering from oxygen deprivation.

I think I saw something interesting?

I enjoy pointing in pictures.  It gives me something to do.

Nice broad gesture here.  I could be indicating the Baltic sea, or possibly the row of turbines on the horizon, but I'm not.  I'm stretching.

Okay.  So I wanted to walk around up here on the top of the nacelle.  They told me not to.  I told them I hadn't ever fallen off a turbine before.  They still said no.  I said I would stand in the middle and not jump a lot, just spin my arms like a turbine and make whooshing noises.  Still no.

The blades were pretty dang big.  Skit stora in fact.

The nacelle was surprising spacious.  Nearly the size of our first apartment.  Seriously.

I begin my heroic descent.

Well there it is.  I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. Expect another post tomorrow or Sunday.  It has been a busy week for our exploits.

Please comment your immense satisfaction.

Andrew's School

So this post is going to be Inara light.  Deal with it.

I figured it was high time for me to post some pictures of my classmates doing all the awesome class stuff we do.  Or in this case two things, of which only one has to do with class.

Let's start out with something light, a dinner party...

Okay so these were already up but now I'm gonna start naming names.  On the left closest to the camera is Merijon of Albania, next is Eftun of Turkey, followed by Paul of England, then Oliver of Ireland and finally Mehdi of Iran.

Closest the camera is Nic the Greek then Jacopo the Italian.  Down at the end there is Paul's Swedish fiancee (financier?) Betty.  Betty appears bored but its probably more her trying to understand Oliver.

Here we see a Swedish mother protecting her young.  Notice the concerned expressions on the the Greek and Italian's faces.  They know not to approach her in her agitated state.

Here we are at the base of an Enercon wind turbine.  On the left closest to the camera is Haseeb of Pakistan and on my right in the picture in the brown coat is Åsa the Swede.

We got to climb up inside the turbine.  It was surprisingly roomy inside.  And warm.  It is about 240 feet tall.  We only got to go up to the second floor though.  I did promise not to tell if I was allowed to climb the rest of the way but no dice.

Standing next to some of the inner workings of the turbine with the Swedish technician who helps maintain the park.  He will remain nameless to protect his identity.

Me, heroically, climbing down.

Konstintina the Greek gets her own picture since she apparently refuses to appear in pictures with everyone else.  Or it could be most of these pictures were taken by her.  One of the two...

We are watching the turbine re-start after we'd been inside. Either that or someone is about to jump.  I don't recall which it was.

 I actually had more pictures but when I looked for them I was unable to find them.  I promptly blamed Maria who blamed Inara.  Inara is asleep now but first thing tomorrow I'm going to get the truth from her.

Andrew