Update

Yes, a quick update on my various problems will be the topic of today's post. Fascinating, I'm sure. There isn't much to tell, so at least it will be pretty quick.

No news on the job front. I still haven't been given any date that I can expect to be back at work by. Bah, humbug. Things are going OK at the Oslo branch (although my boss says that they're feeling my absence, which makes me wonder how much money they're actually saving on my salary since I do move some merchandise when I'm there, but oh well, whaddya gonna do) but not so good at the other divisions. So, no specific date yet. I'm applying to other jobs, partly because I have to in order to get the money from the state that I'm entitled to, and partly because I really want a new job now. My situation has had the unsurprising, but I think in my boss' eyes rather unfortunate, side effect of making me lose most of my interest in my current job. Seriously. When I walked out after my so far last day back in July, I was really depressed about it. Now I could hardly care less if I never set foot in the place again. Huh.

So, I'm applying, but so far no luck. If anyone knows of an opening, let me know. :-) I'm relatively flexible and not very picky. :-)

I did actually get a job, but it doesn't pay, so it doesn't really cut it in that respect. I'm volunteering at Friends Fair Trade, a fair trade store (duh) here in Oslo. I've been thinking about doing that for at least a year, and finally I figured that if I don't get around to doing it now, I never will. OK, there's no money in it, but it's going to look great on my resume, it'll give prospective new employers one more person to talk to about me, and I'll learn a thing or two since they use a computer system I'm entirely unfamiliar with and I get to do stuff on their website and so on. Plus I'll meet new people and do something good for the world. (I'll keep it up when I go back to work too - let me have an earful if I don't - my contract says that I have to work a minimum of four hours per month, and that really shouldn't be a problem.) Also, the guy who owns the store is going to let me put up a BookCrossing shelf there. :-)

As for my mother, she's optimistic, and actually with some reason too. She's had an MRI or whatever it's called, a brain scan, and it showed that her head and its contents are 100% A-OK. So, there's no tumor or anything like that that's causing her symptoms and nothing in her head that we need to worry about. At least nothing that showed up on the scan. >:-) She's been to see a specialist - not the neurologist yet, that's on October 20th, but some other kind of specialist doctor person - and this woman said, and get this, that she's not at all sure that my mother has Parkinson's at all. So, yay!! She did some tests and she only found two things that could indicate that it is in fact Parkinson's ... I now, one week later, don't remember exactly what they were, but there were only two indications out of all the tests she did. Plus these tremors that my mother is experiencing, but those aren't perceptible by anyone else, so I'm not sure they count for all that much. She said there were only two indicators. So she wasn't willing to accept that diagnosis yet, which of course leaves us a bit more in the dark but gives us a bit more hope too. After October 20th I guess we'll know more, but now we feel we have reason to hope for the best. Fingers crossed. :-)

In other news, and totally unimportant in comparison, yesterday I uploaded my 100th video to Youtube ... this year. Don't say it, I know. o_O It's this one about the visit to the mine. I've just been going a little video crazy lately ... but it's so much fun. :-) Stop by my channel, why don't you, and check out what I've got over there. Some of it is interesting. (Paz, I know that you've been watching! ;-) I've got a bunch more videos coming too ... from the Nordic Ark, for instance, this year's visit, and also more book reviews on video since that actually seems to work pretty well. Talking's easier than writing. ;-) I've got some in English too ready to upload. But of course lynx kits are hard to beat ... :-)

Finally, to Anne Ida and everyone else who's seen the jacket I bought in France (I'm wearing it in the last picture in this post): I am soo happy with it, I get lots of compliments on it. Just this afternoon it made a drunk on the street interrupt his incoherent ranting and shout after me the beautiful colors!! look at the beautiful colors!! Aww. I think his friends were relieved that they could stop restraining him for a little while.