Twitter Updates
New Stuff:
New Blog Post: Gone Until Sunday
September 3rd 2010, 4:08 pmI feel like it's been a long day already, I've been all over the place!
Anyway, tomorrow morning sis and I are leaving for Oslo, intending to do a lot in a short span of time, mostly having fun. Can't wait!
So I'll be gone until Sunday, but I'll blog a full account of the trip and review the show I'm watching once I get back.
Byeee!
New Photo: Age of Aquarius
September 2nd 2010, 11:45 pm
Model: Anna.
Today, my stepsister and me shot Anna and her boyfriend Sverre, and it was a lot of fun!
J.
New Blog Post: Horrible
September 2nd 2010, 3:10 pmSo anyway, I arrive at my mom's today, and she'd clipped me this obituary. The father of a former classmate of mine committed suicide a few months back, and now, as it turns out, so has his stepmom.
That is one of the most awful things I have ever heard. Especially since there's two other, younger kids. I can't even begin to imagine what that's like.
I never saw the stepmother much, but I always did like the father a lot.
Makes you wonder, but most of all it's just plain, old-fashioned horrible.
J.
New Photo: O
August 31st 2010, 5:36 pm
Tonquin Park, Tofino, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
J.
This Month: September
August 30th 2010, 9:54 pmThis month's...
...album: Aida Original Broadway Cast Recording, featuring Heather Hadley as Aida, Adam Pascal as Radames and Sherie Rene Scott as Amneris. A powerful story that never goes out of style, spiced with Adam Pascal's rock voice: love.
...TV series: Legend of the Seeker, based on Terry Goodkind's The Sword of Truth book series, starring Craig Horner as Richard Cypher, Bridget Regan as Kahlan Amnell and Bruce Spence as Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander. If Xena was your childhood heroine and you (like me) find sword fights a turn-on.
...read: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. An interesting novel on a futuristic society, with important messages on what really matters in life.
...comic: Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. We can all identify, am I right?
...photographer: Lee Miller. Wether documentary or art photography, coming from her, always meaningful!
Enjoy September!
- Janne out.
New Photo: City
August 30th 2010, 8:12 pm
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
I was bored, so I mashed several photos together, because frankly, I didn't know what to do with any of them individually.
J.
New Blog Post: Last Week
August 29th 2010, 8:58 pmI've been trying to blog for over a week, but I never seem to actually get there. Anyway, here goes.
A lot's been going on this week. Most recently, our locker room got broken into and robbed at work.
I was on my evening shift on Friday, and as one of my colleagues and I were counting cash at the registers, our other colleague comes down from our locker rooms on the top floor and reports that her cash has been stolen. And it was quite a bit of cash, since she'd just been to the ATM that day. We all refuse to believe that someone in our own staff would go through the purses, so we report it to the commander-in-chief (we lack a boss right now) and I go up to check on things.
Sure enough, my wallet was empty of cash too, even though I didn't have much there. Coins, mostly. Thankfully, my mobile and iPod was still there. I don't like the thought that someone went through all my private stuff though.
None of us were really thinking that anyone had gotten through the main door up there, as you can't get through it without a code. And sure enough, the back door was unlocked and ajar. And watching the surveillance tapes yesterday morning confirms that thought, that is where the thief got in. Wether that's good for anything though, remains to be seen.
In other news, I've been limping for most of the week, and though it seems paranoid, I think my sleeping pills were doing it to me. They have no known side effects, but the last go I had at them, my cheek got all painful and swollen, and this time my foot did. I limped for a few days, and the moment I got off the pills my foot got back to normal pretty damn fast. Coincidence? I don't know, but I'm not using those damn pills again, since they never worked in the first place.
So now I'm pretty eager to get back to excersising, sweating a little, since I've been on my ass for days now.
Anyway, I won't be working much next week, I have a lot of time off, and on Saturday sis and I are flying to Oslo, getting a few things from her old place, going to the theater to see Next to Normal, and then sleep over at our aunt and uncle's. Then we'll be taking the train back home on Sunday. So I think this week'll be over pretty fast anyway.
I was sort of hoping to get some photo shoots over with soon, because in 12 days I'm off to Portugal, so September is pretty full up soon.
I can't wait to go to Portugal though, can't wait to get away from this place for a spell.
Anyway, that's it for now.
Janne
Last Week's Broadway Blogs (week 43)
August 29th 2010, 10:18 amA recap of the new blogs on Every Day's A Broadway Play, my theater blog:
28/08/10: Newsflash Week 34
25/08/10: Movie Musical Review: Candide
24/08/10: A Love That Flourished in a Time of Hate: Aida
23/08/10: A Failing Love Affair: The Last Five Years
- J.
New Poetry: Wasted on a Legend
August 27th 2010, 1:45 pmIt's been ages since I wrote anything, I just haven't had time to think! Maybe now I can take it up again, as things are less crazed around here.
Anyway, I just started watching Legend of the Seeker (based on The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind, and this was inspired by that story.
Wasted on a Legend
Through all the miles behind our feet
Your secret life confess,
But this freely given haven, love
You never shall possess.
I will teach you all the pitfalls
Since the mountains first arose,
Swinging blades and still keep smiling;
Getting bloodstains out of clothes,
It's the tyranny of ages, but
The rules do still apply,
It's an art to just keep living
With the reaper standing by,
It hardly counts how much you love
When fate is not your own,
When bones of all your people lie
Just waiting to be shown,
For freedom is a greater cause
And our lives grow thereof,
If life's inconsequential
You will have the time to love.
We are wasted on a legend.
True, but nonetheless
That dream you so desire
You never shall possess.
- J.
New Photo: Against the Vastness
August 26th 2010, 7:24 pm
Long Beach, Tofino, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
- J.
New Photos From Canada
August 25th 2010, 5:17 pm
Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Both shots from Grouse Mountain, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- J.
New Photos From Last Week's Shoot
August 25th 2010, 4:19 pm
Model: Heidi.
- J.
New Photo: Another Land
August 24th 2010, 12:43 pm
Model: Heidi.
J.
New Photo: Every Story
August 23rd 2010, 9:15 pm
Model: Heidi.
Title randomly taken from Aida, simply because that's what I was listening to at the time.
- J.
Last Week's Broadway Blogs (week 33)
August 22nd 2010, 10:06 pmA recap of the new blogs on Every Day's A Broadway Play, my theater blog:
22/08/10: Newsflash Week 33
19/08/10: Movie Musical Review: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Musical Reasons to Tweet
- J.
New Photos From Yesterday's Shoot
August 19th 2010, 1:24 pm
Model for all these: Heidi.
- J.
New Photos From Today's Shoot
August 18th 2010, 10:47 pm
Models for all these: Heidi.
- J.
New Blog Post: Behind the Scenes of Today's Shoot
August 18th 2010, 9:34 pmHad a great day at the shoot today with Heidi and Sivan! Here are some behind the scenes shots. The photos, the results of the day, are coming up shortly.
The photographer and the model.
Sivan with the overly fluffy makeup mirror.
Heidi and Sivan.
The photographer at work.
I got the role of makeup artist for the day.
...lipgloss.
Changing.
The photographer trying out the set.
Rock on.
Shooting.
Me shooting, Kitty modeling.
Last few shots.
JJ.
New Photos!
August 17th 2010, 8:46 pmA few new photos today:
Chinatown, Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
Tonquin Park, Tofino, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
Calgary Zoo, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
- J.
Two New Photos
August 15th 2010, 11:21 pm
Models (starting at the back): Dan Robin, Mikal, Thomas, Lise, Eirik, Blend, Sivan, Ken, Liv-June, Tine, Trine, Beate, Marina and Heidi.
Models, from the left: Back row: Dan Robin, Ken, Thomas, Eirik, Mikal and Blend.
Front row: Lise, Trine, Marina, Sivan, Beate, Tine and Liv-June.
Draped in front is my sister Heidi.
- JJ.
Last Week's Broadway Blogs (week 32)
August 15th 2010, 9:07 pmA recap of the new blogs on Every Day's A Broadway Play, my theater blog:
15/08/10: Newsflash Week 32
14/08/10: Laid Bare
- J.
New Photo: Like I've Been There Before
August 15th 2010, 7:47 pm
Models (starting in the top left corner, going clockwise): Blend, Eirik, Beate, Sivan, Trine, Liv-June, Lise, Heidi (sis, that is), Dan Robin, Marina, Ken, Mikal, Tine and Thomas.
I did this shot lying on my back in the garden.
- J.
New Blog Post: Heidi's Birthday Party Photos
August 13th 2010, 10:58 pmSome shots I took at Heidi's party last night, games and all! :) Great gang!
Janne
New Blog Look
August 10th 2010, 1:52 pmI just updated the look of my other blog, Every Day's A Broadway Play, so have a looksee:
Making it a bit more mine than the standard blogspot designs, yeh know.
Anyway, I hope I'll be able to do some photos too soon, I've just been busy lately, but things are slowing down soon, I think!
...so I'll see you 'round.
Love J.
New Blog Post: Long Time No See
August 8th 2010, 07:25 pmLong time no see! So yeah, it's been ages since I really blogged. Well, you know, same old, same old... More or less.
I've still been working a lot, but the amount of hours is going steadily downward soon. Not sure how to feel about that. I'll love having some me-time, but I also really love a busy day. Too bad the summer is usually chronically slow.
For the last week, I've been working on my sleep problem. I've never been a talented sleeper, but it's kind of been worse than ever lately. So, after much cursing and exhausted, insomniac tears, I tried some sleeping pills. The first night I tried them, I did sleep, but they pretty much haven't worked since, even though I tried mixing them with painkillers. However, it's not all bad, I have slept better, though "better" still doesn't mean good.
For those who've been saying I've never looked better this summer though: Thank you. Yes, I am a good actress.
Anyway, in the good news section: Both the trip for Oslo and Portugal, both in September, seem in the bag, and I'm so looking forward to both!
September 4th I'm going to Oslo with my sister, I to see a play and she to pick up her stuff at her old living place. We're stopping by our uncle and aunt's on the way before going home on Sunday.
As for Portugal, I'm going there with my mom, gran and uncle, and we're staying a couple of nights in Lisbon before moving on home to Nazaré, to my mom's apartment. I think it's going to be awesome! I can't wait to get away for a bit!
Next week is my sister's birthday, she's having a barbecue which I think'll be fun!
That's it for now, I'll try not to be a stranger!
Janne out.
Last Week's Broadway Blogs (week 31)
August 8th 2010, 09:07 amA recap of the new blogs on Every Day's A Broadway Play, my theater blog:
08/08/10: Week's Notices (31)
06/08/10: From Comic to Stage: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown (and a book wish!)
05/08/10: Album Review: As I Am by Kristin Chenoweth
01/08/10: Movie Musical Review: Funny Girl
- Janne.
Last Week's Broadway Blogs (week 30)
August 1st 2010, 07:14 pmA recap of the new blogs on Every Day's A Broadway Play, my theater blog:
01/08/10: Week's Notices, Movie Musical Review: The Rocky Horror Picture Show
29/07/10: Bringing Ugly Back
27/07/10: Movie Review: Shrek Forever After
26/07/10: Theater Review: Spelet om Heilag Olav (with video clips!)
- Janne.
New Poetry
July 30th 2010, 09:44 amTwo new poems today:
Streets
Walking the streets of the barrio;
No footsteps at my heels,
There are no other hours
Than those which the city steals,
And through the clotheslines swaying
And the screams off balconies,
Carried through the alleys
On a nonexistent breeze
Come the spirits of the streetbound,
And every one's a friend,
But I never even knew them,
But this oneness, they can mend,
There is no greater loneliness
Than that which is a crowd,
But the fado tells the stories
Of our heartbreaks all aloud,
And even though I swore I'd never
Be so much alone,
The streets and all their sorrows
Is my blood, the stones my bone,
Every moment is a lifetime
That I know I won't get back,
Until the shakes of Judgement Day
Makes kingdoms quake and crack,
And so they walk the roads with empty
Hands and dirty feet,
And so the city's earthen heart
Is drumming out their beat.
A Unicorn Called Horse
An insignificant, but true story about a stuffed unicorn that currently presides over my desk at work. Someone left him on top of the copy paper last week, so I brought him into non-fiction where I usually work to keep me company on those extremely slow nights. This was very much poetry-writing to make the time pass.
There's someone sitting on my desk;
A unicorn named Horse,
As I was thinking “what to write?”,
It struck me that, of course!
His right hoof is no longer blue;
I guess it doesn't hurt
That some careless kid some time ago
Had dragged him through the dirt.
I pet him when I'm lonely and
With nothing much to do,
When the shop, dead as a doornail
Doesn't yield a single clue
As to what I could be doing just
To get the clock to move;
It's nice to have a friend around
When getting in this groove,
'Cause though he doesn't talk much,
He's a listener, I swear,
And I sure feel much better
Knowing he is sitting there,
And if you ask: “What is this verse?”,
I'll tell you that, of course,
This is a little poem on
A unicorn called Horse.
- J.
New Photo: Mama Who Bore Me
July 27th 2010, 11:34 am
- J.
New Blog: Theater Review: Spelet om Heilag Olav (with video clips!)
July 26th 2010, 6:49 pmSo, yesterday, I went with my family to see an outdoor play at Stiklestad, a play that's done around this time every year; Spelet om Heilag Olav.
It was a fun end to the work week for me, and since I've never seen the play before, and can't compare it to other productions that is (it's been running for like forty years), I was very pleased with it, I had fun!
We drove up there around noon yesterday, and spent the day looking around the historical site, having dinner and then seeing the play at 7. It looked ominously cloudy for a while, but the rain actually held off until we were reaching the car, so a win all around!
Ola B. Johannessen as Gamal-Jostein and Isa Katharina Gericke as his granddaughter Gudrun.
Spelet om Heilag Olav
By: Olav Gullvåg (book and lyrics) and Paul Okkenhaug (music).
Directed by: Bentein Baardson.
Actors: Henrik Rafaelsen, Per Frisch, Hildegunn Eggen, Isa Katharina Gericke, Andreas Ven Langø, Lars Bendik Austmo, Ola B. Johannessen, Paul-Ottar Haga, Eva Gun Tromsdal, Ralph Carlsson, Morten Røhrt, Kevin Hovdal Holmli, Lars Melsæter Rydjord, Rolf Erik Lyng, Urmila Berg-Domaas, Hanne Bjugan, Ingrid Haugmark, Espen Herrmann, Arne Espen Dillan, Tor Ove Hallem, Tore Stavrum and Torbjørn Andre Moe.
The play tells the story of king Olav (a historical figure, known as the holy, he's now a saint) and his quest to make this country a Christian one, which in the end, he was killed for.
Henrik Rafaelsen as King Olav.
People who have seen this play for forty years in a row might detect differences between past productions and this one. I, however, seeing for the first time, hold no such ideas, but I have heard that this year's director wanted to bring the play back to its original form, using the original text.
I was very pleased, I had lots of fun watching this, even though the play is awfully short (one act).
The music was wonderful (I sat in the first row too!). The choreography by Arne Fagerholt, a strange mix of at times wild at other times subdued, which I figured worked pretty damn well (even though my gran commented that there was a lot of "showing of ladies' underclothes" through the choreography; many lifts, but I told her that if she thought that was bad, she'd seen nothing yet (in the last play I saw, people fucked onstage)). The costumes were absolutely beautiful, made in authentic fabrics as fitting in 1030 (when this play takes place), and yet colorful enough to not be dull.
As for the actors, these stand out: Hildegunn Eggen as Gudrid and Paul-Ottar Haga as Tormod Koldbrunarskald were the only ones I'd seen on stage before (in Spring Awakening and Les Mis, respectively), and as usual their performences are absolutely rock solid (Paul-Ottar Haga has amazing pipes, a rich, deep and powerful voice that I always enjoy).
As the play started, I was very uncertain about Isa Katharina Gericke as Gudrun, but she absolutely redeemed herself in my eyes when A: I figured out what was going on ("oooh, the girl's crazy!") and B: She opened her mouth and sang in a rich soprano. About my initial thoughts: I take them all back.
Another pair stood out to me. Lars Bendik Austmo as Einar and Urmila Berg-Domaas as Helga, and the strange dynamic between them, both of them filled to the brim with sass. I very much enjoyed their push-and-pull bickering, a good team, I think.
Another actor who made me smile was Ralph Carlsson as Arnljot Gelline, a swedish outlaw and heathen. He thoughtfully questions the new faith (Christianity), and dares to ask the questions we're all too chicken to ask, with a "this-is-too-big-for-me" attitude. I very much enjoyed that, and I figure his role is too small.
Urmila Berg-Domaas as Helga.
Below are some video clips I did at the show:
More clips from the play, and other videos and vlogs at my youtube channel!
Love, Janne.
Last Week's Broadway Blogs (week 29)
July 25th 2010, 09:47 amA recap of the new blogs on Every Day's A Broadway Play, my theater blog:
19/07/10: Next to Normal in September!
20/07/10: "You Know, Black Is This Year's Pink" ...No, Wait
21/07/10: Life for Rent
22/07/10: Next to Normal: Current Cast
24/07/10: Gregory Maguire's First Play: Grimm, 13: Life Is Unfair, So Are Reviews
- Janne.
New Photo: On the Windowsill
July 21st 2010, 10:28 am
- J.
New Vlog: Vlog 8 - Summer, Next to Normal, Portugal
July 20th 2010, 6:30 pmLove, Janne.
New Blog Post: Next to Normal in September!
July 19th 2010, 9:51 am
After a "what the hell" sort of situation, I bought my ticket for Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's Next to Normal at Det Norske Teateret in Oslo in the beginning of September.
This rock musical and Pulizer Prize-winning show is one of my all-time favorites.
It tells the story of a suburban mother who struggles with bipolar disorder, and even more with the cure. It describes the toll her illness takes on the whole family, and is also something of a criticism of the over-medication and electroshock treatment part of "modern" medicine.
It's a show that has very much pushed the boundaries of what you can and can't write a musical about; it shows that there IS no limits to that.
Even though the mystery of how I'll get my ass home is still somewhat unsolved, I can't wait to see it, I'm so excited!
(Link to one of my previous Broadway blogs about Next to Normal: Every Day's A Broadway Play: Electroshock Treatment Goes to Broadway)
Love, Janne.
New Photo: Tap Tap
July 18th 2010, 10:54 am
The bad weather came back on my day off (go figure), so here's an ohmage. Or something.
- J.
Last Week's Broadway Blogs (week 28)
July 18th 2010, 10:16 amA recap of the new blogs on Every Day's A Broadway Play, my theater blog:
17/07/10: July Cast Recording: Shrek, Washing Up Cabarets
16/07/10: Top 10 Shows
12/07/10: Electroshock Treatment Goes to Broadway: Next to Normal
11/07/10: Green Girls
- Janne.
New Poetry: How the Summer Goes
July 17th 2010, 9:11 pmA pretty accurate description of a workday in the city.
How the Summer Goes
I'm pretty sure my sandals
Are eating up my toes;
The leather chews and munches,
But that's how the summer goes.
I wish they'd pop the hydrants;
The air is standing still,
But laughter from the streetbound
Weaving past the windowsill,
I want nothing more than join them;
It's just two hours to go,
To where the nonexistent
But chilling breezes blow.
And I woke today with longing
For the day to swallow down,
With dreams I couldn't extricate
For fear that I would drown.
I turn the fan back on again,
And swirls of air abound,
Before, I couldn't hear my thoughts;
Now, it's a welcome sound.
The word around the water-cooler:
"Oh my god, it's hot!"
And musing on those hours off
That frankly, you ain't got,
We're living in the moment
Since the last one wouldn't stay,
It's time to stop and think,
But we just wallow it away.
The city never could decide
Which soundtrack it would play,
But no one gives a flying fuck;
They all play anyway:
As jazzy cats and rappers mush,
Donations in a tin,
Whoever said you needed teeth
to rock the violin?
And as the quiet falls again,
And night comes closer still,
I keep the town outside at bay
And stave it off at will,
I think my ears are playing games
with footsteps on the stairs,
But this house is so old and cracked
I hardly think it cares,
This place has seen a hundred years;
It doesn't get impressed,
It's seen all fashions come and go,
And I dare say, undressed.
My papers flutter in the breeze,
"No more work today",
If those pages could have talked,
That is what they'd say,
'Cause all I do is dreaming,
For I cannot leave my post,
The workday ends in hours,
An eternity at most.
And there go all the people,
Passing through with their hellos,
And all I do is waiting,
But that's how the summer goes.
- J.
New Photos!
July 17th 2010, 9:48 amSome edited photos from Wednesday:
Heidi and I.
Me.
Thomas.
- J.
New Blog Post: Birthday Party Photos
July 16th 2010, 8:58 pmOkay, here's some photos from the birthday party on Wednesday (all photos by Heidi):
Thomas and I.
Heidi and me.
Sverre and Inger Alice.
Mom.
Eyvor.
The boys.
Sigri, Kristin, Silje.
Hans, me, Sigri.
Eyvor, who wouldn't look out of place at the Royal Ascot.
Thomas.
Eyvor, Eirik, Inger Alice, Elin and mom.
Anna and mom.
Thomas.
Me.
Me, mom and Thomas.
Janne
Some Temporary Downtime
July 11th 2010, 10:48 amSome of you might have noticed yesterday that we had some downtime. The domain expired, but it didn't really cross our minds. It was back up again after a short while though, so everything's ok now!
- Janne.
Last Week's Broadway Blogs
July 11th 2010, 10:37 amA recap of the new blogs on Every Day's A Broadway Play, my theater blog:
10/07/10: In the Heights on So You Think You Can Dance
09/07/10: A Favorite Movie Takes the Stage: The Lion King, Now There's an Idea
07/07/10: The Sondheim Treatment, Theater Reflects Life: Avenue Q
06/07/10: Brodwography (or not, that's a really bad word)?, A New Aquaintance: Avenue Q
05/07/10: Singing Superheros
04/07/10: A Show For the Season: In the Heights (Calor, Calor, Calor), Every Day Is A Broadway Play
03/07/10: Hi Y'all!
- Janne.
New Photo: Shadowland
July 10th 2010, 08:05 am
- J.
New Photo: Spring and Summer
July 10th 2010, 07:46 am
Since I don't have time to do any summer photos right now, you'll have to make do with one from the spring instead.
J.
Every Day's A Broadway Play
July 4th 2010, 10:16 pmI made a new blog for a particular interest of mine. it's brand new, so check it out.
- J.
New Photo: Just Another Day
July 2nd 2010, 10:09 am
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Chinatown, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Janne.
New Blog Post: Portugal in September
July 1st 2010, 10:35 amHaven't got time for that big a blog right now, since I'm going to work quite soon. These are still really busy days, and yesterday's workday felt like three days when I'd only completed half of it. One of those days with plenty of unforeseen problems, and unpractical thinkers getting in the way. Things usually work themselves out though.
Anyway, the good news as of yesterday is that we get to go to Portugal in September! My mom's coming back from there in ten days, and then we'll get plane tickets.
Last time I was there, it was with my mom and my granma, and those two will come this time too, as well as my uncle Jostein, which will be so much fun! So excited! Definitely something to look forward to!
Nazaré, here we come! ...yet again, haha!
Love, Janne.
New Photo: Queen
June 30th 2010, 9:53 am
Royal London Wax Museum, Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
- Janne.
New Blog Post: Music Quiz: Expo 86
June 28th 2010, 8:50 pm1. Put your MP3 player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
- - -
1) IF SOMEONE SAYS "FUCK YOU!" YOU SAY:
Company of Jersey Boys – C'mon Marianne
I try reasoning?
2) WHAT'S THE BEST THING THAT'S EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?
Heart - Alone
My independence? Well, ok!
3) WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT'S EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?
Company of In the Heights - Finale
So... Finding a home, being a rolemodel, getting that second date, even singing bolero... The worst? Wtf? Nooo!
4) WHAT WILL OPRAH'S NEXT SHOW BE CALLED?
Company of American Idiot – Before the Lobotomy
Mwahaha! If she made that show, even I would watch! Thank you, Green Day!
5) WHAT WILL OBAMA'S FIRST EXECUTIVE ORDER BE?
Company of Rent – Light My Candle
Yes. His people need a little bit of light right about now. Especially down there in Louisiana.
6) IF YOU COULD SAY ONE THING TO THE PERSON YOU LOVE, IT WOULD BE?
Company of Miss Saigon – What A Waste
What?
7) IF YOU COULD SAY ONE THING TO THE PERSON YOU HATE IT WOULD BE?
Company of Spring Awakening – I Believe
That "I believe all will be forgiven"? I don't know if I'm that nice.
8) WHAT WOULD YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY BE CALLED?
Company of Next to Normal – Seconds and Years
Actually, that's a really, really good title for a bio.
9) WHAT IS LOVE?
Glee Cast – Express Yourself
So true. Words of truth by a well-known oracle: Madonna.
10) WHAT IS HATE?
Company of West Side Story - Tonight
Huh. I don't get it.
11) WHAT IS YOUR BEST TRAIT?
Muse - Blackout
Haha! Yeah, kinda! No, actually, I wish I could sometimes!
12) WHAT IS YOUR WORST TRAIT?
Company of Nine – Guarda la Luna
Hmmm...
13) WHERE WILL YOU BE IN FIVE YEARS TIME?
Company of Sweeney Todd – Wigmaker Sequence
Yes. I figured. In 5 years, a serial killer will be teaching me about different shades and textures of blonde hair... Wtf?!
14) HOW DO YOUR FRIENDS DESCRIBE YOU?
Company of Next to Normal – He's Not Here
Haha, well yeah, I've been kinda absent lately, I know! But unlike Gabriel, I'm not dead!
15) WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR YOU?
Owl City – Panda Bear
Aw.
16) WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR YOUR BEST FRIEND?
My Chemical Romance – Famous Last Words
Mwahahahaha!
17) WHAT DO YOU WISH YOUR LOVER WOULD WHISPER IN YOUR EAR?
Yiruma – What Beautiful Stars
Oh Yiruma. Such a sap. You gotta love him. And his slender piano fingers and classical music.
18) WHAT WILL SAVE THE WORLD?
We the Kings – All Again For You
Ah yes.
19) WHAT IS LOVE?
Jennifer O'Connor – Exeter, Rhode Island
God, so true! Haha!
20) WHAT IS HATE?
Catherine AD – The Heart is a Lonesome Hunter
*nods*
21) WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH?
Company of Jersey Boys – Rag Doll
Not really sure what to make of that.
22) WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS?
The Blues Brothers – Flip Flop and Fly
My great weakness is indeed this movie. It was my childhood folklore, and it has all these awesome musicians in it; Aretha, Ray Charles and James Brown. Gotta love it.
23) WHAT DO YOU DREAM ABOUT?
Lights – Lions!
That sounds like an average nightmare in my house.
24) WHAT GIVES YOU NIGHTMARES?
Company of the Lion King – The Morning Report
Aw no!
25) WILL YOU EVER FIND 'THE ONE'?
Company of Sweeney Todd – My Friends
So probably never, but I'll always have my pals the razors? Oh, that's so sad!
26) WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?
Glee Cast – Gives You Hell
Sure. I take pleasure in giving hell.
27) WHAT MAKES YOU SAD?
Brooke Fraser - Shadowfeet
Hm.
28) WHAT'S THE STUPIDEST THING IN THE WORLD?
Company of Ragtime – Sarah Brown Eyes
What?! No!
29) WHAT DO PEOPLE LOVE ABOUT YOU?
Company of Sweeney Todd – Pirelli's Death
Jesus...
30) WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Death Cab for Cutie – Expo '86
Ok!
Love, J.
New Photo: A Squirrel and A Goose
June 26th 2010, 10:03 pm
Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
J.
New Photo: In A Day or Two
June 25th 2010, 10:30 pm
Chinatown, Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
- J.
New Photo: Green Road
June 25th 2010, 9:25 am
Wild Pacific Trail, Ucluelet, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
J.
New Photo: Yeah Yeah Yeah
June 23rd 2010, 10:12 am
Models: Tine, Tom Inge, Lisa, Magnus and Sivan.
- J.
New Photo: Lisa, Tom and Tine
June 21st 2010, 8:38 pm
Models: Lisa, Tom Inge and Tine.
Trondheim, Norway.
J.
New Photo: Get This
June 21st 2010, 8:07 pm
Models: Lisa, Tine, Magnus, Sivan and Tom Inge.
Trondheim, Norway.
- J.
New Blog Post: New York, New York?
June 20th 2010, 11:03 pmSo, there's some stuff come clear to me over the last couple of days. I've been thinking a whole lot, budgeting some, and and come to some conclusions.
I've had the New York travel plan in my head for quite some time, and it's like this: When you don't have a lot of money, things seem very undoable. However, I've now calculated approximately what it's going to cost me, and it seems a whole lot more doable when you actually have a number to work with.
The plan is to go in May 2011, if I can manage it.
I am working a whole lot, so I will be making some cash this summer. So, I'll do my best to put money aside, I figure I'll make a savings account (when I can get to the goddamn bank, banks are never open these days, it's the one drawback of online banking! People work!) so I can't touch the dough. I only have the one account right now, actually.
(Well, either it's travel money or it'll be used to bail me out if work goes down to a minimum this fall. Fingers crossed for the first option.)
Running the numbers by my dad, he thinks I'm budgeting with way more money than I need (especially the plane ticket), but that's how I like it. On the safe side. (I also include theater tickets in this, they don't come cheap exactly, but I swear to god, when you've seen a great show or play, the cinema will never be the same again, after having living, breathing actors and musicians performing right in front of you. Thrilling.)
My sister was sort of included in this though, but there are several problems there. First of all, it seems unlikely she can come up with the money, and also she can't go when I can go. We don't seem to be able to get time off at the same time.
Also, my plans are very selfish. What I mean is that I go to feed my interests, some of the point is going to see Broadway shows, being a play geek. So maybe it is more sensible to go by myself.
Apart from the shows though, I'd plan on seeing some of the usual tourist traps too though, and we all know I love traveling with my camera.
However, I need to locate those balls. To travel alone, I mean. I am always scared of getting lost in places I don't know. Especially in Portugal on the first few trips there, because hardly anyone speaks English. Not that that'll be a problem in NYC. But all sorts of things freak me out, but more than anything; subways. They scare the shit out of me. They're claustrophobic, and not only have I seen The Taking of Pelham 123 (wonder what happened to Mr. Travolta, he looks awful in that flick, like Danny Zuko went and had a baby with Paul Tetul Sr. I mean... Come on!), but there's no landmarks after which to find your location on the way! I mean, I'd hate to want to get off at Bowery and suddenly find myself in the Bronx! Subway maps are goddamn spider webs. The London underground is an absolute nightmare for sure. This is why I loved the Vancouver skytrain. Elevated trains... You see EVERYTHING!
Thankfully, NY streets are paved in yellow cabs. I WILL avoid subways at all costs.
The trick with me is to outweigh the freakouts with desires, and when it comes to travel, the desires always outweigh the scares, I love to travel, so I'm sure I'd manage. When you have to find your way on your own, you gotta do what you gotta do, and anyway, you're never alone in places like that. Americans have been very good to me (you know who you are!).
Anyway, that's just me thinking out loud. Wish me luck.
The Brooklyn Bridge, NYC.
Love, JJ.
New Photo: China Decorates Our Table
June 20th 2010, 12:14 pm
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Chinatown, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- J.
New Poetry: Love Song of New York
June 18th 2010, 2:02 amI am an insomniac. That and the nightmares I have when I do sleep are rather a problem. However, you have to turn those destructive habits into something creative, right?
So, my sister and I are planning a trip to New York. It's way in the future, and will be so for some time, because neither of us have any money. But we've made some calculations to have a goal to save towards, and hopefully we can make it happen.
So, what I'm saying is: This is inspired by New York and images in my head.
Love Song of New York
Wampum into concrete,
The stones put down in code,
Paved in taxi cabs and lights;
The yellowest brick road,
If only I was bold to
Become what you became,
But I feel a little closer when
The billboards scream your name,
And I turn at every corner,
At the asphalt's every fork,
And I hum a quiet prayer
And a love song of New York.
- J.
New Blog Post: On Racism and Perceptions of Beauty
June 17th 2010, 10:55 pmToday, I watched something of an experiment on TV, a discussion with a bunch of white British people, and a bunch of non-white (African, Asian, Middle-Eastern mainly) people and the topic racism.
The scary thing is that some white people are in denial, believing that racism doesn't exist today. It may be subtle at times, but it's there for sure.
I do not tolerate descrimination of any of these; skin shade, lack of one of your senses, sexuality; these are ALL things that none of us have any control over.
That show actually brought back a lot of bad memories for me, mostly from my school days. I should probably have included a picture of me at about 1-2 years old here; I looked even more like imported goods back then (remind me to show you old photos, guys!), which is why my mom claims I'm from Inner Mongolia.
Anyway, I have to say - you're proud of your country until you're excluded from it. I'm not a foreigner in this country despite the fact that some people think so (I don't mind that they think that though, or that they ask; it's an honest question), but I think I come as close as I can to knowing what it's like without actually being foreign. As I was growing up, I got a lot of comments that my eyes were the wrong shape, to having the wrong colors for a Norwegian, subtle statements in themselves, to the wholly racist "you can be glad you weren't alive yet in 1940, or you'd have been sent to the concentration camps for sure". That's some examples.
This is part of why I don't miss school at all. It's also part of why I'm so guarded and so single. You never ever let your guard down.
Well, until you go elsewhere. I kind of grew up thinking life was like that everywhere, but clearly the perceptions of beauty are not blonde hair/blue eyes everywhere. In other countries (of note: Portugal, Canada), I can feel so relaxed, I can totally let my guard down, and more importantly, I can see more of a life for myself elsewhere. That's the real scary part, I think. When you start thinking "is this it?" at home.
To not get too depressive here, I feel totally thankful to have lived where I've lived and knowing the people I know, I think I'm a richer person for it. For the record.
Love, J.
New Canadian Photos
June 16th 2010, 6:09 pm
Tonquin Park, Tofino, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- J.
New Photo: Next to Normal
June 15th 2010, 1:05 pm
Self-portrait.
T-shirt quote is from Next to Normal by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey.
J.
New Blog: Janne Reads Jetlag and Alcohol
June 13th 2010, 6:25 pmIn my mailbox yesterday was Morten Andersen's Jetlag and Alcohol. Big yay. I absolutely loved the book, and I did review it over at my goodreads.com account, but I figured I'd share some examples of this wonderful, gorgeous book, just to give you even more reasons to get this work.
It's a collection of very real photographs, showing the heartbeat of New York City through the faces of the people and the streets themselves. A true testament of what this city represents.
(With some comments, off the top of my head.)
Subway sleeping. Makes people vunerable somehow, displaying their humanity in public. In NYC you'll find business men sleeping next to the homeless on the subway. A reminder that we're all the same, all human somehow, I think (though it is a shame when you were planning to get off at Times Square and you wake up in the Bronx). Around here we all sit rigid on the buses and look anywhere but at eachother.
This one, I feel, speaks for itself, but it'd be really good with a blues soundtrack.
So many colorful characters! Makes you wonder what their stories are.
Just when you think it's getting darkly realistic, the future generation lightens the mood.
This girl reminds me so much of Rosario Dawson, and such a beautiful smile.
The thing with living in the city is that you're never alone...
...on the other hand, there is nowhere lonelier. Every man is an island and all that.
JJ.
New Blog: Broadway Babies
June 12th 2010, 10:46 pmNYTimes.com - Cultural Studies: The Glee Generation
I am happy to direct you all towards this most excellent article.
See, I'm one of those theatre geeks. With me though, the dance came first, then the geekiness, not the other way around.
I'm glad to see that Broadway babies are finally getting some respect over in NYC. It is kinda hard to say wether this article can speak for the whole country though (after all, Broadway has to have become like the mother of theatre, no?). Here though, it doesn't seem to be frowned upon, it's more like no one knows what you're talking about at all. It's like: "Oh, you like musicals? Like, Grease?" Which, along with Mamma Mia seems to be the only musicals people have really heard of. Am I right?
That comment is also somewhat like a blow for my pride, since I don't care for any of those musicals at all (though I do suppose they're better on stage than screen).
It's not that I don't approve of good old Chicago, Guys and Dolls, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera (I like many of those classics very much), but it seems Broadway is coming into a new age of alternative stage musicals too. I'm talking about the rock musicals.
Electroshock treatment comes to Broadway through Next to Normal, bohemian life and AIDS though Rent, American Idiot tells the story of a beloved rock band and Spring Awakening tells an old story with new, rockin' indie-inspired music.
(I'd also like to mention In the Heights with its salsa, merengue and soul, so refreshing, but hardly traditional, an amazing show. As well as Fela!, African-inspired, and guess what? Dances With Wolves will become a Broadway stage musical (says playbill.com), and Native American musicians will be preforming, it has to be a Broadway first.)
Maybe there's a wider range of music too, bringing in a wider audience? Maybe that's what makes it more accepted? I don't know.
Just thinking: people around here really need to open their eyes to this awesome world of theatre geeks, because frankly, I have no one at all to share it with.
Love, J.
PS I: I've been testing this no-one-gets-it theory out lately by walking around dressed in my Rent logo jacket and my "Valium is my favorite color" shirt from Next to Normal. Yeah. People do look at me funny, but since they do that anyway, this is not valid research.
PS II: Oh, and you had better prepare for musical features in the future.
New Photos!
June 9th 2010, 6:50 pm
All photos taken yesterday, around the neighbourhood.
- J.
New Photo: Itzy Bitzy
June 8th 2010, 5:59 pm
It's been ages since I just went wandering with my camera. Even though it wasn't included in today's plan, I simply threw in my purse and the groceries when I got home, and turned in the door and went out again, it's such a lovely day (and that right there's one of the results).
J.
New Photos!
June 8th 2010, 11:04 am
Models for both photos are Magnus, Sivan, Lisa, Tine and Tom Inge.
- J.
New Photo: High, Deep
June 7th 2010, 8:25 am
- J.
New Blog: Tasting Images
June 7th 2010, 7:42 amI've been deeply desiring quite a few photo books lately, but you know, you can't buy everything, so I settled on a single one for now; Morten Andersen's NYC photo diary Jetlag and Alcohol.
There's also a lot of other books I would love to have though, full of inspiring works: Edward S. Curtis' The Women and The North American Indian: The Complete Portfolios, Sally Mann's Deep South, What Remains and Proud Flesh, and Annie Leibovitz' A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005.
Anyway, here's a little photographic feature, a taste of the three widely different photographers.
Sally Mann
Soundtrack:
Billie Holiday: Strange Fruit
A Fine Frenzy: Rangers
Tori Amos: Indian Summer
Annie Leibovitz
Soundtrack:
U2: One
Tori Amos: A Sorta Fairytale
Christina Aguilera: Beautiful
Edward S. Curtis
Sound