Yeah, well, I read whenever there's a comment and update less than I should.
Let's see, where was I... Ah yeah, boat trip.
Yes indeed, nothing quite like a week spent cruising the fjords of Norway in a great big boat with a digital control system that would put HAL to shame for its diabolical malfunctions, sharing the company of a philosopher who seeks life's meaning in a game of bridge, his batty French wife who played tennis with Clinton, the good friend from the prestigious French academy that they were accepted into but never studied at, and his Spanish princess of a wife. Oh, yes, and then the two dogs named after various conquerors of the Asian continent (quarrelsome to their namesakes), plus the yacht girl who spent her free time skiing, rafting and parachuting and who could run the boat damn near single-handedly, but who was an utter disaster when it came to a round of Cut the Rope.
Shame I was sick for all of it. Whee.
I don't have any pictures right now, but once my folks get finished with the trip they should be able to zap a few shots along the tubes up to where I'm stationed, so I can post a few examples of what Norway can look like when it wants to.
Now, much as I could write about the fascinating tales of impressing our high-class French and Spanish friends (who are well-acquainted with the grand cuisine their respective countries are famous for) with bog-standard items from the standard Norwegian breakfast table, I'd rather talk about something that happened before we arrived at the boat.
On the train ride heading up to Trondheim, after many stops and a couple train-switches, I wound up sitting in the same carriage (the "please turn off your phone and shut up" quiet section) as a rather pretty lass who was decked out in summer clothing that may or may not have been better suited to slightly warmer weather than what we were actually experiencing.
After sitting in silence for a bit, she got up and repositioned herself closer to where I was, with full sightlines now open in both directions. Taking the opportunity, I looked and was looked at in return. occasionally we'd share a glance for a moment or two.
Taking all this into consideration, it did not take long before my mind filled with thoughts of "you only live once", "what's the worst that could happen", and of course "I don't live anywhere NEAR here and it's gonna be a long time before I ride the train again".
So, all this on the table, I decided to have a bit of fun.
I got up from my seat and started walking towards the on-board restroom, which just happened to be a couple cars away from my position (note that I was at this point completely oblivious to the one directly behind me). On my way there, I passed by her seat and gave a little "follow me" pinch to her shoulder, all stealthy-like (a WEE bit forward, perchance?)... I then continued down the passageway, let myself into the restroom, and waited.
...and waited...
...and waited some more...
...and then grinned at myself in the mirror. "Yeah yeah, c'est la vie. What were you really expecting, eh? At least the attempt was entertaining." I washed up a bit, opened the door, nodded to the old fart who had apparently been waiting for a chance on the loo for some time, and started back to my seat.
At which point I almost walked right into the legs of the gal, who had indeed followed me and had in fact sat down in the nearest open seat by the restroom. As I entered the carriage she stood up, explained she'd come after me to have someone to talk to, and requested that I sit down and keep her company.
And... Well, that's exactly what I did. We plunked down in the baggage section just by the toilets and started gabbling away about nothing and everything. We kept at this for quite some time before we both looked at the time and realized she had better get her gear in order for her station. We said our farewells and went back to our respective places in the silent carriage.
As fate would have it, however, the train had been seriously delayed and wouldn't be arriving at her stop for another fifteen minutes at least. Realizing this, she gathered her bags, got my attention, and motioned for me to follow her back to the original meeting spot by the crapper. Naturally, I followed.
So we got right back into chatting again. No real profound statements about life or the universe, just talking about our respective backgrounds and quirks while I tried to be as charming as possible while oozing green sludge out of one nostril and breaking into coughing fits every three sentences.
When the train finally did stop at her destination, we said our farewells again and I suggested she add me on Facebook or the like. She said she would, then left on her way.
A couple days later, when we'd managed to bump into a port with an open Wifi access point that I could leech from, I checked my profile. No action. "Alright", I thought, "she's got other priorities right now".
Couple days after that, another chance, checked again. Still zip. "Ah well, guess she was just throwing me for a loop. All's fair and whatnot"
Few days after that, last stop for me on the boat trip, I open up Face again to check other items. And there's the friend request. I accept, and suddenly I've discovered her Facebook profile... And also that of her boyfriend's.
I really, truly, honestly have no idea what makes chicks tick. The research process is fascinating however, so can't complain.
Beyond that, it's the last few precious days of summer leave before I'm hauled back up to service in the name of the king, which translates into climbing mountainous swamps in search of small metal fragments (and annoying the bomb technician by constantly claiming ignorance of said items, and calling out "FOUND SOMETHING!" every time a "suspicious" scrap is found, forcing him to run back and forth along the line of soldiers) for a week, and then spending three days the week after that walking Norway's highways. Yes, that does mean three days of walking, not three days where we walk every day.
Why are we doing this? Because we can and because nobody wants to.
Also, I went to a civilian doctor's office today. Looks like I'm getting better of my own accord. As predicted, this is just precisely in time to get back up to the place where being properly sick can get you a week or two of chill time.
I think I need a drink...
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Topic: All I Want For Xmas is an HK416 (Read 74779 times)