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[Kagus]

It's peanuts.


Alright, now let's just see what all I can pull together out of this thread...  Where was I...


No other gathering occurred after that first one, but we didn't need those silly other people anyways...  We had an unholy stockpile of DVDs and the possibilities of homemade and home-warmed pizza!

I also managed to finish out Red Dead Redemption.  Not bad for a little over a week playing, considering how much dicking around I engaged in (this is kinda why I haven't been updating a whole lot...  Figured it wouldn't be particularly thrilling for y'all to read about me playing a game).

I took the train up to my granddad's place on Monday, and I've been hanging out here since then.  The first few days were spent getting somewhat settled in, and also poking around on the net for various methods of improving my Norwegian.  You see, since my previous education (and indeed, most of my life) was based outside of Norway, I need to complete a particular test in order to qualify for a place at a Norwegian university. 

This test, called Bergenstesten (Bergen being one of the major cities in Norway), takes roughly 6 hours to complete, is dealt up into 5 parts (if you don't get a passing score on any one of the five parts, the entire test counts as failed), takes 5 weeks before you get your results, and costs 1800 kroner for the privelege of taking (roughly 300 US dollars).

Furthermore, even though they most likely could afford it (1800, times 238 participants that day...   Yeah, that qualifies as money in the pocket), no computers were used for the test.  Someone high up really must love paper...  That, or they're trying to ensure job security for the team of people they've got on call to read the scribblings of over 200 people...

So, yeah.  My truly abominable handwriting (developed over many many years of disuse, thanks to a combination of the digital era and just not giving enough of a damn) will be turned over and inspected by a team of professionals to find out if there is actually anything being presented in there.  And if they do find something, but that something just ain't good enough, then I get to go back and take it again for another 1800 numbers and 6 hours in a chair.


Yes, gentlemen, that was a fun day for me.  Hand hurt like a right bastard for a couple hours afterwards.  But, now it's over with, and I can finally just sit back, relax, and...

...oh, right, I'm going into military service in two days.  Damn.


Lessee...  I have a number of feminine features, I have long hair, and last I checked I could do maybe 3 real push-ups...  Yep, I'm not gonna be picked on at all.  Probably doesn't help that I'm likely gonna have a sergeant at some point who's at least one year younger than I am.

Yes friends, Wednesday will be a day of great joy for me.  I shall run for many minutes, I shall do many push-ups, sit-ups and chin-ups and be ranked on them, and I will be shipped off to a lovely little piece of Norway which has been keeping at around -20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) the past few days.


This will probably be the last real update for a while, as I can't really see myself getting into too much tomfoolery in the next couple days that would be worth mentioning.  And once I've been shoved into boot, I won't have any real access to a computer for a few weeks or so.  I shall do my best to keep the highlights clear in mind for when I can start updating from the inside, but y'all know how well my memory works for things like these...


I am, of course, still open for any questions or comments that might pop up in those two days.  Cheers.

[yamo]

you REALLY want an XM25

http://www.astantin.com/xm25-astantin-20101201/xm25-photo3-xm25-carbine-kills-bad-guys/

[Eagleon]

Looks heavier than hell. Wouldn't want to tug that around in pilates, let alone military training (Norwegian or not *shot*)

[Strife26]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OurWeaponsWillBeBoxyInTheFuture


As far as final words of advice, if you get this message before you get in . . . Just remember that every day is only 24 hours long. No matter how bad it is, it'll end. Just have a point where you stopping giving a damn for all the shouting.

[Kagus]

Sounds a bit like the advice an ex-SEAL gave me in regards to marching.  "Just put one foot in front of the other".  Seems to me like military service will be quite the exercise in meditation...


Hehe, yeah, I remember seeing a few videos of that thing getting used.  Programmable rounds...  Truly delicious stuff, if you ask me.

The reason for the thread title, however, is the fact that the Norwegian military is finally starting to edge out the G3 rifles they've been using since...  What, the 60's?  The rifle they're bringing in now (in a period where the military budget has been getting a number of significant cuts) is the HK416.

[Nikov]

Newer isn't always better. I don't know for sure, but I imagine the 416 will have a star chamber. If you're going over weapon familiarization and the sergeant says "star chamber", smear your face in ash and rend your garment. That's all I've got to say about that.

[olemars]

This will probably be the last real update for a while, as I can't really see myself getting into too much tomfoolery in the next couple days that would be worth mentioning.  And once I've been shoved into boot, I won't have any real access to a computer for a few weeks or so.  I shall do my best to keep the highlights clear in mind for when I can start updating from the inside, but y'all know how well my memory works for things like these...

When I was in, every base had a bunch of public "internet machines" (thin clients with basically just a browser) in the cafeteria. And that was in 2001, so I imagine they might have gotten a few upgrades since then too.

[Urist is dead tome]

Hmmm.... I underrated the level of intrigue of this thread.

This may give me some insight into military life. Which I need.

[Siquo]

You write funny. I shall be reading.

[Sowelu]

Cheers!!  We'll miss you while you're without access.

[OperatorPants]

Good luck! A good friend of mine just finished training over there, he says he hates the HK416 now. From a gun nuts perspective, the HK416 is essentially a piston AR but shits itself more often in cold weather.

After conducting a few tests, and burying a few guns in the snow, we've discovered that the lame gimmicky short stroke piston design (as seen on the HK416) would shit itself, and be much more vulnerable to being frozen. Meanwhile, the DI system in a standard AR chugged along just fine. We only tested two SS pistons on two different ARs, and one DI system on both ARs, but the results are conclusive enough for me. However, he said he learned a way to fix it while in training, something involving letting the parts soak in hoppes #9 for a few hours before each long period in the cold.

I hope that tip helps you out.

[Erkki]

I have no idea how though the Norwegian arms service is.... But once you've lived in a hole in the ground for 2 weeks, in either -10 to -20C or even worse, -5 to +5 with all the snow, wet and mud.You're from toes to nose covered in crap and your own shit, and you have slept an 5 hours a night on average, and even that broken to just few hours at a time... The last thing in a situation where you are literally dead tired(you dont know how tired you can be before you try) and still supposed to be working effectively in whatever role you're supposed to do, be it combat, marching or some support role, the last thing you want is your now dirty, greasy and annoying hair under the helmet, or else how in your way. Especially if you manage to get some pets that like to live in it.

Its not about the hair getting in your way as much as its about hygiene....

BTW, have fun.  While it lasts.

[Kagus]

Last night before service.  Get up niiiiice and early tomorrow morning to go and head on down to Gardermoen for a day of Fun and Happiness (or a year of Fun and Happiness, depending on how you look at it).

As per usual custom, I'm freaking just a teensy bit.  Funnily enough, I think the cup of coffee I had half an hour ago really helped calm my nerves (strong coffee has an odd effect on me).  Now I'm sitting in a room that, at the moment, looks more like a battlefield than anything I'm likely to run into during my service period.

I really have no idea what to think about the coming morning.  I have strong doubts regarding how I'm going to rank on the physical tests, but I also have no idea what they're going to do about it if I do end up giving lackluster results (the thought of not getting in is actually a wee bit more unnerving than that of getting in).


Well, I guess there's only one way to find out...  Anyways, this will most likely be the last post for a while, so ta ta for now.  With any luck I'll find some way of recording my comments during the PC-less period, so I can punt out a halfway-decent update once I get back on.

Guess I'll see y'all when I see ya.  Cheers.


"Thank you for holding, your post is important to us..."

[olemars]

I have strong doubts regarding how I'm going to rank on the physical tests, but I also have no idea what they're going to do about it if I do end up giving lackluster results

You'll fit right in.

[Siquo]

Yeessss, listen to your mentat.