So, here I am in the middle of a friday, writing a blog post, while kid number 3 is getting into all sorts of mischief.  Am I worried?  Am I stressed?  Nope, nada, nothing.  After kid 1 (a massive stress fiesta), and kid 2 (a sort of I’ve seen this before but this is new WTH do I do now), kid 3 is very manageable.  Now, all the ladies out there are probably wondering, what’s the big deal – but to guys, child care is a big deal.  Women seem to know things about babies without even trying.  Babies seem to know their mama can fix things way better than their papa (hello boobies), so when the kid suddenly realizes that papa is staying at home full time and is responsible for keeping him alive, he looks a little worried.

Button your way to diaper heaven

Now, my wife threw me a curveball with this whole child care thing way back during No.1.  After the grace period of the first couple of months of getting used to the fact that we are now responsible for another human being for the (hopefully) next 18 years (until they move out), she decided to take it up a notch.  I come home one fine day and see that we now use cloth diapers!  Now, when you hear cloth diapers, you think folding white pieces of cotton cloth, and then taking safety pins and trying not to poke the little squirming monkey on the changing table – and this is what is going through my head.  But, no, just like mobiles (cell phones to you yanks), cloth diapers have come a long way – velcro and buttons baby!  Biggest plus? Cloth diapers are one way where you can be somewhat environmentally conscious – NO TRASH!  And, we’re re-using diapers from kid No.1 on kid No. 3, so now it’s working out way cheaper than buying packs of plastic diapers, since I think I must’ve walked into a store to buy disposables only once for No.3, and that was for the plane ride to India.

A cloth diaper ca. 2012

There’s no safety pins or square pieces of cloth – now there’s velcro and buttons and they’re form fitting as well.

Velcro strips are way easier than safety pins

And they come in all sorts of colours and designs – way cooler than those disposables.

No boring white ones here

So, have I made my case yet?  I know, if you’re a guy, probably you’ve not thought of anything else, but what the consequences are if the little bugger were to take a dump in one of these – I mean that was my first thought.  And trust me, it’s the (bleep)storm that you think it is .  It’s as stinky and smelly as the disposable, but you learn how to deal with it.  And, by that I mean, you figure out how to clean the diaper, and get it all in the loo and flush it away.  And that’s where the famous ‘bumwasher’ comes into play.  A little handheld sprayer, found in almost every Indian toilet to wash your bum, is perfect for the cloth diaper poop scenario.  So much so, that I’ve now installed one in our bathroom so now just I can just wash away all the poop into the toilet and voila – problem solved.  And no stinky diaper in the wastebasket or in the house or in the trash outside.

The bumwasher

And, believe you me, I honestly think that the whole pooping issue is what keeps people from even giving it a try, and the fact that there’s a lot of laundry to do.  But with washers being fairly energy and water efficient these days, and just letting them hang dry, the amount of trash you save more than makes up for it.  Also, the bathroom where you change diapers and does become a little crowded (the mess is because I’m in charge, the wife had it way neater when she was home), but it’s only temporary.

The diaper changing table

So, I’m not writing this to ask for a medal or anything (my wife is probably laughing at the fact that I actually wrote this), but because as a guy, initially, it’s a totally messed up concept especially when considering disposables. Yes, you change them more often, and there’s some laundry, but there’s no stink in the house, there’s no stinky trash, and you don’t generate tons of landfill waste with the plastic disposable diapers. Of course, when travelling, you go for the disposable convenience, but when at home, there’s really no reason why you wouldn’t. We used cloth diapers in India and it works a charm, as trash removal/disposal is something that is not very well organized back there, so why contribute to the problem.

Also, maybe it’s just me, but because of this whole poo cleaning bit, you pay more attention to your kid, and you can tell when he has to go, and you take him to the toilet. Both kid No.1 and No.2, were pooping in the toilet by the time they were a year and a half, and were out of diapers before they were two. Kid No.3 will poop in the toilet if you hold him over it. I mean, this is how they were doing it before the disposable diaper came into play, so nothing wrong with it now.

Diaper covers.

So, if you have kids in diapers, give those Bum Geniuses a shot and I think your kid will thank you for it. Now, I have to go change his diaper .

Don't I look cool?

Back in 92, as an international undergrad, there weren’t many of us – I recall maybe 6 in all, compared to the 100+ grad students that showed up at international orientation. The grad students had there life all sorted, whereas us undergrads got shipped to dorms, and we got to integrate with the locals. And the first thing they do, was invite you home for thanksgiving, because that’s what you do when a friend can’t go halfway across the world back to his family. I got to love that holiday. With all the food, the family, the football – it really didn’t get any better that that. And I miss it. I miss it a lot.

So in the spirit of Thanksgiving, where everyone gives thanks to all the family and friends in your life, here is an album of my family back when I was a wee lad . Apologies in advance to any embarrassment that may be caused to my Mom, Pop or LilBrother

Mom, Pop and LilBro awaiting the shuttle launch in 1981.

]]> http://www.casachitti.com/?feed=rss2&p=549 1 http://www.casachitti.com/?p=537 http://www.casachitti.com/?p=537#comments Sat, 06 Aug 2011 23:00:48 +0000 chitti http://www.casachitti.com/?p=537 [...]]]> Seven years ago today, I got married to a woman who for some strange reason, said yes that day, and is still sticking around to this day.  The reasons baffle me, since if I were to imagine myself to have an out of body experience, and watch myself over the course of one day at home, there is not really much I have going for me.  We are now a family of 5, of which 4 of us are boys – and I mean boys, as once again, I don’t think I’ve ever matured enough to be considered an adult.  So, we have one incredible woman, who watches over 4 boys in the house – 2 require quite a bit of work – whereas the other two (those in the middle in case you’re wondering) can pretty much fend for themselves.

Now, some of you might be saying that 7 years isn’t that long, and it really isn’t.  I recall having a conversation the other night wherein someone mentioned a 50 year anniversary and my initial reaction (which unfortunately was louder than I intended it to be) was a ‘uffda – that’s long’, which you can guess was interpreted the way you think it was.  Tone and I have been together for a lot longer than 7 years – closer to 13 as a couple, and have know each other since 1995.  It took a while for me to ask her to be my wife, which when I look back on it, was a bit unfair to her, and I think if I had waited much longer, she would be happily married to someone else right now.  But, once again, for some odd reason or the other, she waited, and here we are.

I am a difficult and strange character – probably due to both my genetic make up and upbringing.  I grew up on a farm in africa, away from the cities and such.  I learnt to entertain myself – so the closest description you have of me is a country bumpkin nerd.  I like automotive machinery and beat up old pickup trucks.  I also like to play video games, and do stuff on the PC.  My wife on the other hand, is an Oslo city girl who’s afraid of the dark.  Somehow, she thought I had a bit of culture to me, but I managed to hide it long enough, that now, she keeps wondering how she ended up with a wannabe redneck.  If it weren’t for her, I’d probably be driving a pickup on the farm (with a gun rack).  This is what she is stuck with, and now you begin to wonder why she’s been with me for so long (hell so have I).

Over the last 13 years, we’ve moved across an ocean, had a long distance relationship across countries, and even after our wedding, managed to go to two different countries for a period of time.  She’s stuck through me trying to finish school, all the while being my sugar-mama.  She waited for me to sort out cultural differences before tying the know.  She still waits for me to get off my lazy ass.  So, all things considered, I’m a very lucky guy to have her still around after all I’ve put her through.

Then I had the thought that it might have been my physical attributes, and my prowess in you know where.  But those that know me, and I’ll be honest – that’s probably the least likely reason she’s still with me.  Yes, I’m a realist, and I’m not going to lie.

I read an expression yesterday – Marriage is like a castle under siege – those on the outside trying to get in, and those on the inside trying to get out.  It was probably made up by someone who didn’t have a wife like mine.  A wife who is perfect for me in every way I could ask, and there is nothing I would want different.  If I could do it all over again, I would probably do the same thing and make the same choices (not sure if she would, but hey, I’m writing this, not her).

So, ultimately, I guess, after 7 years, I must be doing something right since she’s quite a catch.  What it is I’ll probably spend the rest of my life trying to figure it out.  But for now, I love her, and she must love me.  So, to her, I say – ‘Happy Wool Anniversary!’

While holed up at work, summer has been trying to break through here, and while not quite succeeding (that’s what you get for living this far up north), the temps are slowly creeping up, and so you can say we’re going through a late spring.  This means, that the person with the green thumb in the family, namely ,the wife, planted some tulips last winter, and they flowered now.  I thought I would play with a macro lens.  Didn’t realise that a windy day is not conducive to taking macro shots of flowers.  The pictures you see here are the ones I’ve felt happy enough to share to the internets.

My project for this summer, besides trying to survive through a newborn in the house, is to try to see if I can actually take up golf again.  I played a lot back in the US (probably explains why I took so long to finish up with my studies), and was a decent striker of the ball.  Don’t get me wrong, the ladies were not lining up next to my Escalade, but hey, I was having fun trying to hit a little white ball.  Due to the sheer inaccessibility of the game in Europe, and especially here in Norway,  when compared to the US, I stopped playing.  But last year, my dad took me out for a round in Kodagu, and got me hooked again.  Got myself a set of clubs, and so now am going to try to figure out if it’s worth pursuing here.

I’ve already run into a couple of hurdles, namely the whole club membership, and the requirement for a golf card?   Plus, expenses – it’s not bloody cheap here.  Well, this year is a trial, so if it works out, all good, if not, no big deal me thinks.  Though, I’m hoping it works out as my kid is very keen on trying and he’s only three and a half.

The sun sets late into the night again, and if the timing is right, look out colour.  I took my camera out on the 17th of May.  Ended up taking more pics of my kids than the atmosphere, but did manage to get these two interesting overcoats.

The expedition has calmed down quite a bit.  The photos have slowed down, and free time is spent trying to recover.  Staring at a PC for lots of hours at work, you just don’t feel like firing up the one at home.  If Max co-operates, he’ll give us some time to relax, before saying hello world, and then the chaos will resume once again.  Looking forward to it!

I did find out though that the Grape holds enough diesel to lighten my wallet by 800+ kroner in one go. Now to save the republic.

What you see here, presented before you is the new vehicle by which the nordic clan of the muthanna’s now moves around in.  The colour is officially listed as white grape, yet I fail to see where the white comes in?  In fact, I’m struggling to see where the grape comes in as well.  Even my photoprocessing program struggles to accurately represent it’s mysterious hue and tone for you, dear reader, to appreciate it’s radiant beauty.

As Alex so bluntly put it – “I like black cars”.

Yes, all you wondering folks (all 2 of you in fact), this is what we’ve replaced ZoomZoom with – a 2008 Ford S-Max Titanium TDCi.  The 7 seater that tries hard not to be a minivan.  It shall hereafter, and forever, be referred to as the Grape.

To be fair to the Grape, it’s not a bad looking ride for a minivan.  It’s based on the rather smart looking Mondeo (which you yanks do not have the pleasure of getting due to your love of boats), and it’s a nice medium sized minivan.  Sitting inside, they’ve made ample use of the volume to give you the impression that it’s a big car, but you step outside, and you realise you still have acres of room in that parking spot.

It’s quite a small little 1.8L oil burner, that puts out 125 hp, and about 320 Nm of torques, so it’s got just enough oomph to not get you killed when passing other vehicles on Norwegian highways.  We’ve had it for all of 9 hours now, so there’s still a lot to be found out about it.

Now, to be honest, it’s not a bad car.  It is surprisingly nice to drive, and I guess for a 7 seater minivan it’s not the worst choice out there.  The second row of seats can hold three child seats with room to spare, and the two extra seats in the back can hold an adult for short distances.  The wide stance, and relatively low COG due to the low roofline does give it a decent handling feel, and if there were to stiffen the suspension by about 25% it would actually handle quite nicely.  I guess a good sign is to hear the wifey say “I’m pleasantly surprised” after what sounded like someone about to start driving a Toyota Avensis.

But that colour – good god you’re probably wondering, of all colours to choose from, you had to choose that.  Well, I’m guessing 120, 000 NOK is a good enough reason?  That’s the difference between this and getting a new one exactly specced the way I wanted.  Also, my choices were a Volkswage Sharan that cost 200, 000 NOK more, a Ford Galaxy which really IS a big minivan, and the VW family of Caravelles and Transporters that are also a small fortune.  Yes, the market is not exactly a welcoming place for those who decide to have more than the standard family definition of 2 offspring.

So, hopefully the Grape is in good shape, and doesn’t come with any nasty surprises.  And I am eagerly awaiting to see and feel what the Grape has to offer me.

There was an article today in one of the newspapers asking if being parents made people happy (sorry in Norwegian, and the title literally means ‘Crushers of Happiness’).  Basically, it was a bunch of studies asking people if they felt they were happier after having kids.  My wife and I have been having this discussion about life with our two boys, and it always ends with the statement – “But I’m soooo appy”.  Happiness is relative, like all things in life.  Hand on my heart, I am a happy fellow, content with my lot in life at the moment.  At the moment is the key term here, since it is all about to end.

OK – I’ll admit to playing a drama queen at the moment, but due to statistics and probabilities, I now find myself in a situation that is perfectly described by this short little clip.  Yes, casamuthanna is expanding by 1.  Max as he/she is temporarily being referred to will be making an appearance sometime in June.  My dear mother is coming to visit around the same time – or should I say, coming to help with the chaos that shall come to define our lives.  This leads to a slight problem.

Namely, where does one put an extra adult or two in the zoom-zoom?  Also, the fact that while it can fit three seats in the rear, it’s not exactly convenient when it comes to strapping the young uns in.

So, with a heavy heart, we have to let zoom-zoom go.  And trust me, in this country, given the prices of cars, and the general Norwegian taste for vehicles, Zoom-Zoom was my perfect car.

Zoom-Zoom was a late 2007 model Mazda 6 wagon.  I picked her up brand spanking new  exactly 3 years ago, just as Mazda was releasing the new model (read fatter) after trading in our previous zoom-zoom which was Tone’s Mazda Protégé.  We imported that baby (the Protégé) from the US, and it was a peach to drive what with a 1.8l 127hp engine, it really went zoom-zoom.  But, with the addition of kid number 1, a wagon was needed, and after eliminating the VW Passat wagon on account of price, and the Toyota Avensis on account of the wife and I having a pulse (yes, it was that pathetic and dull to drive – sorry if you drive one), Mazda it was.  The two pics above show her in her winter and summer garb, and she is a hoot to drive.  Yes, she’s an oil burner, a 2.0l 127hp lump, but with lots and lots of torques (320-340 Nm).  She had a 6 speed manual box, and a dash that was asking you to go fast.

You want more proof of her “made for drivers” ethos?  How about this.

These are your standard three pedals.  Go fast on the right, control on the left, and a minor little pedal in the middle to keep you out of trouble.  What’s so special about this you may ask?  This…

Heel and toeing!  The spacing on the pedals is perfect for a little heel and toeing.  You can squeeze the brakes, and dab the gas, and match the revs when you downshift with no problems.  Even in a diesel.  Try doing that in the Avensis, and all you get is unintended acceleration (see what I did there?).  In fact while we were test driving the cars, the wifey got into the Toyota after the Mazda and after about 5 minutes said, and I quote, “Driving this Avensis makes me want to commit suicide due to boredom”.  Even my kids enjoy the car and helped out with her every now and then.

Not everything about it is perfect.  The most glaring fault is even though it’s got an ample behind, it’s not exactly striking, and the rear tail lights have a certain ricer factor to it.

But the trunk/boot is spacious enough to carry all our katundu.

Note the rubber mats – rule number 1 when buying a car here is to make sure it has rubber mats on account of kids and weather.  Speaking of weather, living in Norway, snow makes an appearance every once in a while.

But she handled it with nary a complaint.  In fact, she used to regularly take us to lots of faraway places without once complaining or giving us problems.  There were numerous trips to Åre so that we could partake in some skiing.  She was also equipped with an engine warmer, and a cabin heater that you could plug in so that all the ice was thawed from the windows before you even stepped in.

And there were trips to the fjords of the west coast, where she needed a little help every now and then on account of her lack of floating abilities.

And she also made it to the southernmost point of the country.

I had plans of taking the same shot (minus the mother), all the way up at Nordkapp, but obviously that’s not going to happen (sniff).  She was a very welcoming car who had a 7 speaker BOSE setup with a sub to liven up the yard on a nice summer evening.

She was most appealing from the front, with eyes that made you look twice (Xenon lights FTW).

Her best quality though was how she drove.  With her summer shoes on, the suspension was stiff enough to hug the corners, and the torquey engine with the six speed just right for the twisties, and on the two lane highways for when you needed to pass.  Too good in fact, and she’s cost me one ticket worth about 500USD (ouch).  On the back roads, with those pedals, I know for a fact I have kids that do not get car sick .

In the three years we’ve had her, she’s driven only 36000 kms, so she’s still pretty much new.  She’s averaged about 0.5l/10kms or 47mpg, which is pretty darn good for a full sized car.  In 6th, at 90 she’s pulling about 1500 rpm – got to love diesels for that.

She did need a chin job though.  Lost a fight with a hidden ice clump hidden in a snow bank in a parking lot.

But that was fixed up with no problems.

So, tomorrow, we’re going to trade her in for a different set of wheels.  Our options are sparse.  Our options are not good.  But what can we do?  In a country where they have a 100% tax on cars, happiness is bloody expensive.  Wait, I’ll be a bit more specific – motoring happiness is really bloody expensive in Norway.  It’s a perfect country for motoring nirvana, given it’s winding roads around breathtaking scenery, and yet, the rules and regulations try really hard to make driving a mundane task of getting from A to B.  Actually, they succeed in doing exactly that.  So, to that, I have to bid farewell to zoom-zoom and with that, a little bit of the happiness in my life as well.

If those researchers from the article previously were to question me now, I think you can guess what my anser would be .

Yes, I’m a drama queen, and insane.  If you read this far, I apologize for wasting your time.  If you get what I’m saying, shed a little tear for me.

Hello loneliness…(to be revealed tomorrow).

Now you see why I have no need for whitening cream.  The little bit of tan I develop during the summer months disappears during the winter months, and I have illusions that I’m a white man.  OK – so I exaggerate a little, but dang if I haven’t seen some ethnic Norwegians sport a tan that makes me look white.  Which brings me to the title of the post – migrations.  Yesterday, on the state run TV channel – they showed the entire India-Pakistan cricket match live.  All 8 hours of it.  With commentary.  In Norwegian.  The match was written about in the online editions of the Norwegian newspapers, both before and after.  A country where cross country skiing is a religion, just showed 8 hours of cricket.  The news was pushed aside.  This made me happy.  Not only did I get to watch cricket at home without paying a dime extra, but it tells me that societies can integrate and respect other cultures.  Norway has a sizable Pakistani and Sri Lankan community, and the state channel took it upon themselves to broadcast a cricket match.  They’ll be showing the final between India and Sri Lanka on Saturday as well.  Pretty neat wouldn’t you say?

I’d like to say I’ve integrated well here.  I speak the language (decently), I own two pairs of cross country ski’s, I like risgrøt, I like akavit, I like moose stew, I like fish, I like julebrus, I like tomato herring, I own more than 1 winter jacket, I own more than 5 pairs of gloves, I have an ample collection of wool socks, I live in an old wooden house, I own various power tools, my car has a tow hitch, my car is diesel, my kids speak trønder, I bitch about car taxes, I eat dinner at 5 pm, I took 3 months of paternity leave for both my kids, I like RBK, I mock the Danes (the Swedes I like), I read the local newspaper every morning, and to complete the integration, I married a Norwegian as well.

The one thing I try not do however is bitch and moan about the weather.  I’ve accepted the fact that I do not live in the tropics.  I live far up north, near the North Sea – not exactly known for it’s balmy weather.  Yet, the locals whine about how cold the winter is, and how mild the summer is.  Gets old and annoying real fast.  I used to be like that.  Til I had kids.  They will not complain about the weather.  They will have a peek, and then promptly choose the appropriate gear for the conditions.  The expression here goes – “No such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes”, and once I began to embrace it, the weather doesn’t bother me as much.  Thus, the winters get more fun if you do this.

There are even certain areas where you’re not allowed to walk, just ski!

But now, April is upon us, and the temperatures start climbing a wee bit.  We’re in for some pretty yucky spring weather – read grey skies and cold rain, but that too shall pass, and we’ll get an all too brief summer.  This is where my Indian roots come in handy.  I can just head over to my folk’s place in the middle of winter to thaw out just a wee bit when the days are short, and make sure I get back in time for good skiing weather.  Or at least, that’s what I’ll be hoping to do.  But for now, it’s time to hang up the skis, and get ready for spring.

Remind me to tell you the story about a Norwegian skier who managed to piss off an entire country next time.  Makes NBA/NFL trash talking look tame in comparison.

Oh – seeing that I’m well on my way to becoming a grumpy old man – I will inevitably start bitching and whining about the weather come summer .

Zoom-zoom just had her three year service done, and this is her mileage report

That’s not too bad, a bit under 20000 miles to all you US folks in three years.  We’ve been pretty bad about driving, and are driving way too many short trips, and with the winter weather and a diesel engine, that’s not exactly a good thing.  We had a nice little ice rain the other day, leaving our roads looking like this

So you can imaging the sliding fun going on.  A cool head, a very light foot, and some essential electronics on the car make winter driving a breeze.  Key thing going is tires/tyres.  Next year, definitely getting studded.

However, the northern latitudes do give us this in the morning this time of year.

Spring is right around the corner, which means two months away .

If it makes no sense to you, don’t worry, it makes no sense to me either.

A bit of good news first, a bit belated, but hey – my lil bro who was laid off just before we went stateside last year, got a job back in his good old college town.  Yup, he’s become that guy in the bar who you think ” wait – wasn’t he here ages ago, and shouldn’t he have graduated by now?”.  Unfortunately (or should I say fortunately for him) he’s taken, so he can’t use the “Chicks dig older guys” advantage in a college town situation.  BTW – do chicks really dig older guys, cause as I get older, I’m more and more juvenile (as my wife would attest), and very rarely do I meet guys who get more mature with age – maybe I’m meeting the wrong guy.

What’s with all this talk about age you wonder – I had a birthday sometime this past month, and I got toys as gifts.  Granted, big boy toys, but toys nonetheless.  I also want a pick-up truck and am debating on getting a test drive to see if the kiddie seats will fit in it.  And I read other blogs of people getting all dramatic about turning a certain age (I believe it was the BIG 3-OH), and I laugh at the naiveity of said authors about aging.  All in all, I’m turning into a grumpy old man, as my three-and-a-half year old son rather bluntly answered in the affirmative with no hesitation if he thought his papa was grumpy.

Maybe it’s the fact I’ve not had so much free time this past month to go take pictures and relax at home.  I tried to take a few pictures over the past couple of weeks and this was the best I could do with a “real” camera.

[Show as slideshow]

But I did get my hands on a new phone and the camera capabilities are surprisingly fun. Here’s a sample of some of the images I’ve taken with it.

The tree

The door

Tha hall

i-can

The entire album is linked on the right through my jalbum links.  I got to say, I’m quite impressed with the camera on the phone, and hopefully I’ll be able to put it to good use this year.

Hopefully, I won’t be as grumpy as I sound from now on.