Looong week

Well, my computer is still infested with that virus. It's a nasty one and none of the updated anti virus software, or malaware programs my brother in law tried worked. It'll have to be reformatted and/recovery disc fixed. I'm just glad I have the opportunity of his assistance in these matters, as I was completely clueless of what to do.

Hubby is back at work today. JUBILATIONS!!! He had a pretty bad concussion and was bruised all over from the car crash. Apparently two of the women in the other car, got some fractures, but nothing too serious. Hubby's one foot/ankle is still giving him trouble, but he is too restless to sit at home for another week. His boss handed in his resignation last week and things are happening that he doesn't want to miss out on.

Even though he ought to have stayed home for a few more days, I  have to admit I'm relieved to be back to the routine of normal everyday life. I love da hubby, but I'm just a mere mortal. I'm afraid I'd have tried to strangle the man if I had to spend another week with him at home. He's never been very good at helping around the house and he rarely tidies up after himself, but when he is legitimately 'ill' oy vey! The expression; 'Hotel guest with privileges' doesn't quite cover it... I know I probably shouldn't get so riled up about it, but a 40 something going on 16(going on 16?!? who am I kidding, say 12! Simen is 16 and he's a whole century ahead of his dad...) gets the worst out in me fer sure!

We finally got around to giving Georg a good shower and scrub yesterday. It's a tough job, as there is a lot of dog and fur and he was grimy-dirty as hell! He'd been in numerous bog holes and rolled around in the sand at the beach.  He's at his worst regarding the shedding of his winter coat. Nothing helps. I brush him down several times a day and it amounts to nothing...or at least it seems like nothing. It's unbelievable how much fur and underfur that dog is able to produce! The other day I went a little nuts(I admit, the fur and the drool gets to me every now and then) and I used the vacuum cleaner on the poor thing. As with most other things I do, he accepted it willingly enough and just stood still looking miserable until I was done:P Golly, I love that dog!

Runar finally got a nail clipper (claw-clipper?) for extra large breeds the other week, but it's a very VERY slow process, getting his claws clipped. He is terrified of it. Turns out he got one claw clipped too far in and it hurt him at his previous home. I can't really force him, I mean, I know Kristian said he had to just lie on top of him to get it done, but he's more than 10 kg heavier than me, I don't stand a chance.... So, we do it by mutual agreements of sorts. I don't force him and he has to give me his paws for one claw at a time to be clipped...per day. I've managed 3 one day, but 1 claw per day seems to be the average for this type of grooming. Oh, well, in time I'm sure he'll relax a bit more. Things take time with Georg, it's just how it is. He's as gentle as the day is long, but holy smokes! his head is full of wool. Say one thing about  Georg the St Bernard, say he isn't a quick thinker!

Thank you, safety belt!

Hubby was at a seminar and stayed the night in a hotel, this morning I got a phone call from a somewhat odd sounding hubby

"I've been in a head on collusion, bad one, the car is dead, but I'm alive. Got to hang up, don't worry about me."

and he hung up.

I think I stopped breathing for a bit. After about 5 minutes he called again from the ambulance. He was relatively unharmed, he thought, but he was on his way to the hospital or a thorough check and X-rays.


He's home again now. Badly beaten up, but no permanent injuries. He's alive thanks to the safety belt (the air bag in the steering wheel did not open, but the air bag on the passenger seat side, where nobody sat, did)

A car from the opposite direction lost control of his car and hit our Volvo at an approximately  45 degree angle. As you can see from the pictures the margins for having hit him directly in the door aren't big. He is very lucky to be alive. He remembers seeing the car and just steered the car into the rail, hit the breaks and let go of the steering wheel and thought, oh, well, I'm dead! He couldn't do a thing to prevent the car from hitting him.

Here's some photos of the car:

There were 4 adults in the other car, nobody got serious injuries.

The Dark Thorn by Shawn Speakman

What breaks a man, which choices a man makes can ultimately lead him down the opposite path of what he initially wanted, what atrocities are a man capable of doing given the conviction he is doing the work of good, the work of God? There are some very fascinating issues Shawn Speakman delves into with his story, The Dark Thorn.

This urban fantasy brings the reader into the wonderful world the Arthurian era with Knights Templar, powerful fey, secret tools and weapons of magic. It also gives us a glimpse into the history of the Catholic Church and its war on paganism.

The protagonist, Richard McAllister, is a broken man living on the streets of Seattle. Still, he is much more than a homeless miserable shell of a man; he is a Knight of Yn Saith charged with guarding the Seattle Portal into Annwn, a world unknown to most. A world the fay of the Arthurian Britain escaped into when the Roman Church and its Knights Templar hunted down anything and everything connected with Pagan belief. There are several portals around the world. With the help of a mysterious wizard, Merle, the knights work both for and against the Church in order to keep the two worlds separate.

The Dark Thorn tells a thrilling tale of overcoming personal hardship while fighting to prevent events of catastrophic scale destroying not only one, but two worlds. It is a tale religious extremism, greed and hunger for power, but also of perseverance, personal growth and accepting responsibility even at a high personal loss. There are turns and twists that will take you completely by surprise and keep you wanting ever more.
Shawn Speakman's words create visual fodder for your imagination. He has created a universe of his own that I want very much to see more of. His characters are believable with both unforgivable flaws and honorable bravery. His writing style is very much his own, but some of it, like his style of description, reminds me of the early works of Terry Brooks. The way he mixes the life of modern day world and the secret world of Fay and its Seelie Court reminds me of the universe of Jim Butcher and the main protagonist's self loathing and bitterness reminds me of Donaldson's Thomas Covenant.

I highly recommend this book and I believe it'll leave you like me; wanting more.

Computer virus

Got some sort of computer virus. It also affects my internet connection. I haven't been able to get rid of it using safe mode. Have no idea what else I am to try. I'll be able to borrow my son's laptop now and then during evenings, but otherwise I'll be offline until I've fixed it.

Oh-uh

There is something very odd going on in my kitchen. I was running the dishwasher and wanting a glass of tap water, I turned the tap on. Suddenly it sounded as if the dishwater was filling itself up with water. I turned off the tap, but the sound of running water in the pipes was still there. And has been for an hour now...  <.< Dratted house imps >.> .

Barf Festival

Saturday afternoon, hubby took Georg for a walk along the beaches. Georg not only bathed in the winter cold sea, he drank it. Liters of it. This morning he barfed all over himself, the hallway floor, parts of the wall and a door. Without my knowledge. Apparently he tried to eat up the evidence. Obviously he failed. Naturally he decided to hide the evidence by rolling in it, pretending to play Barf Festival. Craptastic!

Also one of the windshield wipers just up and died on us on the automatic. One of the back tires blew up on the stick shift car, which also happen to be the only car with studded winter tires. Temps suddenly decided to rise above freezing, giving us a bit of sleet and rain on Saturday. Yesterday, the weather gods discovered this mistake and temps quickly dropped below freezing again. We no longer have snow. We have various types of ice.

Dear Mr Murphy. Go home!

Hubby took me completely by surprise today

It's Mother's day tomorrow, up here. Runar took Georg and told me he was heading for the farm and that he'll be gone all day, so that I'd have some time to myself and would be able to relax when my niece, Trine, visits with her 1.5 yrs old son, Jarand.
 Georg is a gentle giant without so much as a single aggressive cell in his body, but he IS a pup and he doesn't quite realize that his paws feels like a knockout hit when he - in his mind - discretely paws you for attention.  I was very pleased and surprised that he thought of it.

About 20 minutes after he had left he came back with this cute little chocolate cake and a huge bouquet of flowers, gave me a quick kiss, told me "Happy Mother's Day" and ran off again.

I'm not his mother and he shouldn't have given ME this, but I don't really care. My heart is flowing over in giddy happiness. This is the man that forgot our wedding anniversary 15 times out of 21. Suddenly, out of the blue, he does this.  He'll be able to get away with murder now. =D