It's time to get down

Aeh feck. You know when you've mentally written a brilliant blogpost in your head but by the time you reach a computer (or in my case can be bothered to open Blogger) you've forgotten and lost the flow of the text and now your words just kinda stumble over each other. Every time. Every fucking time.
But the general gist of it was as follows:

The temperature outside the last week or so has kept itself at a steady -12 to -16 degrees centigrade lately. I don't mind the cold since I then finally got to pop on the down jacket I bought on Svalbard this spring. I bought it rather late in the season so this week has been the first proper oppurtunity to test it out.

It's a Klättermusen Iving waterproof down jacket. It's way too expedition for my usage, but us UNIS students got it for less than half the price it goes for on the mainland since they've put a lovely little UNIS-logo on the arm.
It only came in unisex sizes, so I got the smallest one (size small) and still runs a little big. Now I'm 175cm tall (that's 5'9'' for you non-metric feckers), so that's a whole lot of jacket!

 (Note the remote control for the camera in my right hand there...)

I guess we can do a little review kind of thing while we're at it. Mind you I have only used it around town so far, and the wind the last week has been non-existent. But my general impression is that it is a superb jacket. It's kept me nice and warm when waiting for the bus, though as I said, it's a wee bit big on me, and hence I get a little too much air around the lower part of my upper body. More clothes underneath and that won't be a problem.

The down filling seems a little thinner under the arms, which I guess could be nice if you're moving about in it a lot and need a little ventilation.
It's a little on the heavy side weighing in at 1170 grams. Not a problem while wearing it, but if put in a backpack I guess you would notice it. But, then again, it is meant to be an expedition jacket, not a Sunday stroll-jacket.

My favourite part is the pockets! Two large ones to put hands and other things in, two still rather big ones on the chest. I also very much like the system for tightening the wrist areas and lower jacket edge. Simple enough so you can tighten and release even if wearing big-arse mittens. And the hood has a wire across the entrie edge.

Okay, that ended up being more writing than I intended, but I have decided that I shall not be afraid of writing in the posts, as long as I have some pics as well.

If you want to read more about the Klättermusen Iving jacket, take a look here.

Procrastination

It's exam time for the eternal student, and being the queen of procrastination that I am I have just finished wathing an episode of Doctor Who (still mourning the loss of Christopher Eccleston (ninth Dr) after I finished watching his season last week, but being nicely comforted by David Tennant (tenth Dr). Both yum in their own way), and googling all the outdoor gear I want but don't need. Need to learn to use the gear I already have first.
    Let's add some pics of the ninth and tenth Doctor to have something to look at shall we (there's something about big ears...):

Okay, from geeky thing to another: I bought this ingenious little thing on eBay not long ago, and I've been using it intensively ever since for revising for my exams. It's a pencil lengthener!

One end is for standard size pencils, the other for slightly larger pencils. I stuck a rubber on the big-pencil-end instead since I recently also bought 144 pieces of rubber to put on the end of pencils. Imagine all the money I'll save on not throwing away half used pencils! The lengthener cost about a pound or something from Hong Kong via eBay.co.uk.

Got any tips for smart little gadgets that make everyday life so much easier? Or a favourite Doctor?

Gear bonanza

I ended up going slightly bananas while shopping today. I had the oppurtunity to use a 25% discount on everything and anything at this sportsshop today, and I used it alright. Bought a bunch of outdoor gear. Oh! How I love acquiring new  (or used) gear!

 Right, so in the picture above we have:

• Trangia 24-TET cookware set
• 2 cans of Primus Power Gas
• Primus ExpressStove Titan
• a sami knife
• winter tent pegs from Helsport, 31cm long
• Bula waterproof gloves
• Iris Merinowool longjohns and longsleeved polo
• The North Face base camp duffelbag 72L
• X-socks Carving Ultralight

 I have neved owned a proper little stove before, really looking forward to trying it out this weekend. Yay!

 What kind of stuff do you love shopping for?

semi-outdoorsy

I bought a new sleeping bag and a new, fancy-schmancy sleeping mat while I was up on Svalbard, mainly bevause I didn't have any except for an old worn sleeping bag of my brothers from the seventies or eighties. And because I kinda of like buying things. At least Svalbard taught me that it is wiser to buy useful stuff rather than just pretty stuff, even though you can wear pretty stuff too. I never been one to buy ornate figurines or anything.

....Anyway, since I bought the bag and mat, I've slept outside, in a tent, once. And twice inside, on the floor. I'm trying to become more outdoorsy (more on that later) but old habits die hard. So tonight at least I am sleeping outside on my balcony. Roofed balcony. It's gonna rain tonight, but luckily the wind'll be blowing from behind the balcony area.

It's a comfortable, though not very summery 10 degrees celsius outside. Good night.

 I won't have any trees around me but at least I'll have my little lilac bush besides me.

Feeling pissy

The urbandictionary.com says this: (arrow down) about being pissy

 

Pissy ( Pis-Sy) Adj.

1. Easily irritated or bitter

2. Abnormally sensitive to a stimulus

3. State of being excessively bitchy without due cause

4. Excessive Grouchiness’

 

I haven't been excessively bitchy outwards though, only in my head. And I do have due cause. 

 

This has generally been a rather strange weekend. I have not felt like being social in the slightest. My original plan was to get a welfare rifle from school on Friday (no, no massacre planned, you need a rifle incase of polar bears if you want to veer off out of town for a trip) so that I would be able to go a hike or a ski by myself. But the queue was half way down the hall already when I arrived, even though I showed up half an hour early. 

Therefore, no going on trips alone. If I wanted to go out I would need to join up with someone who did get a rifle. And I did ask some people here and there to let me know if they were going anywhere n Saturday. Didn't happen. As in they went, but I never heard a word. 

I did, however, have the oppurtunity to go skiing on Sunday, but a loooooong trip, and I just didn't feel like it, especially since it involved people. 

It's not like I haven't spoken to anyone all weekend, I just haven't been actively social, haven't exactly been seeking out long conversations with everything and everyone.

Anyway, enough text. Here what I did do, besides brooding.

- I've watched five episodes of Foyle's War. Bear in mind each episode last for an hour and a half

- I finally went to the gym. I wanted to go indoor climbing, but no one else was there. 

- I went to town. In town I got loads of free clothing to make into a costume for the upcoming Icebreaker party which has the theme "Fairytale". There's a place in town called Bruktikken (combination of Norwegian words for used and shop) where you can deliver things you don't want and others can pick up the stuff for free. 

- Also in town, I bought a new, feisty, very warm fleece jacket from Norrøna.

Yay! I'm wearing it right now and it's super comfy! The reason I bought this particular one was because it actually had long enough arms without being five sizes too big in the waist. Only took me two weeks to find it.