Consistently Inconsistent

Blogging off

2006-12-24T13:59:00.000Z

Hello again ... unfortunately I don't really feel the need to blog these days and when, like now, I do get a chance ... I don't really have anything to say ... so, if you want to keep updated with the goings on I suggest you read Joannas twolands diary at www.twolands.blogspot.com ... other than that I am now resigning from blogging and wish you all a good christmas and a happy new year.
Toti

Happy Christmas

2006-12-13T13:09:00.000Z

Well, it's been a mighty long time since I've written one of these! We've been in England now for almost two weeks and things are moving forward. Jolyon is really enjoying school although he sometimes feels lonely at home I'm sure. He got 20 out of 20 for his mental maths and no-one in his class has ever done that before.

We've found a nursery for Elijah and he is going to visit on Friday and start properly in the new year.

I've got a job! I'll be managing a team of community support workers who care for carers with an organisation called Crossroads. I'll be working part time, 12-5 which means I get the morning with the boys ... and I'll be starting this coming monday.

Joanna is still waiting for her CRB clearance so she can start but I'm sure it will arrive soon enough.

We've narrowed down the list of potential houses after two days of extensive searching and I'm hoping we can put an offer in on one sometime next week. We're also searching for a second car ... looks like I'm going from the three litre beast to a one litre Citroen Saxo ... :-( ... Oh, well ... they won the world rally championship last year .. or maybe the year before, I can't remember ...

Sorry it's so short ... too much going on ... you might not hear from me now until after xmas so ... happy Christmas and have a great new year!

I love you all ...

Irregular blogging for a couple of months at least!

2006-11-28T09:25:00.000Z

Yesterday was another step towards leaving Iceland. After work, school and daycare we all moved in to amma Kristíns and afi Freyrs' house where we will live until Sunday, when we leave the country. Amma K and Afi F looked after the boys in the evening whilst me and Joanna went to our house to pack up stuff that we didn't want in storage and Joanna is there again this morning.

I drove to the airport to pick up our removal men last night. Their flight was delayed so we didn't get back to Reykjavík until 2am this morning. That is why this blog won't make much sense ... ha, ha ... no, the old musician is quite used to late finishes and early starts! Just waiting for them to get themselves sorted and start packing really, might phone them in a bit ...

Boys enjoyed being at my parents last night, Jolyon couldn't wait to get rid of us so he could have a cheeky night. Then he was so tired this morning after all his partying. A good day all round and we intend to enjoy this week as much as we can before we go.

One last thing! As I had some annual leave left I am taking it this week. That means that today is my last day at work! That feels a bit weird ... especially as I've not told anyone at work yet ... just plan to bring a cake in this afternoon. This of course means that blogs will become rather irregular for a while again. I will try to blog from my parents but we'll be very busy packing and stuff so I make no promises. Then when we're in England the blogs will be quite irregular as well so for a while now, maybe a couple of months ... I can only keep you updated as and when I get a quiet moment with the computer. Sorry about that folks, just part of the change I guess. Hopefully, once we get our own house, the blogging will get back into a regular routine, although it is unlikely to be as frequent as it has been .. so until next time ...

adios, amigos

Shaken, not stirred

2006-11-27T08:13:00.000Z

Hello folks,

Saturday evening Joanna and I went to see the new James Bond film, Casino Royale. Daniel Craig is one of Joannas favorite actors and has been in films like Falling and Layer Cake. I'm a fan as well ... but not to the same extent as J. It was a great film ... Mr. Craig made bond into a bit of an unlikeable, nasty piece of work, as you would expect a sectret service agent to be. A bit rougher around the edges. This film is worth seeing! They definately didn't just stir around in the whole James Bond thing ... they picked it up and gave it a good shake ... shaken, not stirred ... did you see what I did there? Shaken, not stirred ... good isn't it ... uhmm ... right, let's continue ...

Debbie has been staying with us all weekend and it's been great. After Saturday school we all had a really nice lunch at my parents (we took the leftovers home and had them for tea). Then the boys stayed there whilst Debbie, Joanna and I went swimming in the open air salt water swimming pool near my parents. That, plus the over-the-counter drugs my parents had plowed Debbie with, more or less got rid of her migraine for the time being. By Sunday the two girls were on a roll, quite literally, around the Golden Circle in Iceland, leaving me and two boys in Reykjavík. Jolyon spent the afternoon with his second cousin, Kristján Geir, and me and Elijah went to visit Amma Sigga, which was really good. She kept saying he must be afraid of her but when it was time to leave, he puckered up his lips and gave her a big kiss ... it was so nice! Joanna bought herself a really nice coat on her travels, would go well with leather boots, a whip ... oops ... right, NEXT!

Sunday evening was cool. Me and happy-shop Árni went to visit our friend Fúsi. 15 years ago we were all members of a thrash metal band called In Memoriam and were quite popular. We tended to nicely battle out the top 'metal spot' with a band called Sororicide, who were good friends of ours. In fact the guitarist in that band, my late cousin Fróði Finnsson, was the one who got me playing bass in the first place and hence was the reason I met the guys in In Memoriam. Anyway we met up because Fúsi is making a documentary about the band. It was great fun! It was one of those where you see burned out rock stars sitting on a sofa remenicing about the good old days. It was all very relaxed ... maybe so relaxed that some of the stories should be edited out as they were never meant to be known by anyone outside of that group ;-) We taped about 40 minutes of us talking and telling stories and comparing receding hairlines and growing guts. There were stories I'd long forgotten about partying in Denmark with members of two other Icelandic rock bands, Bootlegs and Jet Black Joe, run-in's with the local over-the-top christian organisations and the story of how I first got introduced to arguably my favorite metal band in latter times, Pantera ... not personally, just musically. Then we compared stories about our children.

Fúsi had also gathered together about four hours of taped concerts, interviews and other material with the band. Most of it came from our drummer, Stjúni. We watched some of this and it was quite funny. We all had hair down to our waist (which is cool), our t-shirts tucked into our tight, black jeans (which is not cool) and looked like we were 12 years old. Blimey, we were young! In actuality I was 17 when I joined the band and about 20 when we took our extended break. Now you all have to watch out for the In Memoriam Reunion gig ... for which I will fly over to Iceland especially! Date to be announced, and sorted for that matter! This documentary should be cool though! I'll post it on YouTube when it comes out for all to see!

Finally, here is what I know of these five young rockers and their 'crew' now. Árni the singer now runs his own happy shops in Iceland and is a happily married father of two children, a nine year old daughter and an 18 month old son. Bass player me is of course a happily married, soon to be living in England, father of two boys, nine years old and 18 months old. Drummer Stjúni is a happily married father of three (I think) living in America. Guitarist and main songwriter Fúsi has remained true to the rock and roll lifestyle, although he rides the fast lane with a seatbelt and drives at (more or less) the legal speed limit. Franz, our other guitarist, I have only seen sporadically since the band took this extended 'break' and the last time I met him was in 1999, I think. I do know he's still playing in bands around Iceland though. Rúnar, our manager is a semi-pro basketball player here in Iceland and has a partner and no children ... that he knows about anyway. Svenni, our spiritual drinking guide during those years, has a Finnish partner and a daughter who is about 1 years old. How times change!

Rock on, dude!

Celebrity gossip (it sends a chill down my spine)

2006-11-24T09:14:00.000Z

Is it just me, or does Michael Jackson seem a bit ... umm ... odd? Like ... he named his two sons Prince Jackson and Prince Jackson II ... and then he calls one of them 'blanket', presumably named after an item in his house! I don't know, maybe the other one is called 'pillow'? So, if you think money buys you happiness just look at Micheal Joseph Jackson ... he's rich as anything and he's not happy with himself ... he wants to be a middle east white woman! Shame, I was a big fan when I was a kid ... wore the glove, danced the dance etc. etc. ... Now I just find him creepy ... I did even before his infamous trial.

He's not the only celebrity that has strayed away from reality ... although he's probably gone further than anyone. Another, in my opinion, is Tom Cruise. Now, yesterday me and Joanna had a moment celebrating our last night alone in the house on Framnesvegur. We had a meal and watched TV. The only thing on was Entertainment Tonight ... this is an American celebrity gossip program. Just the kind of stuff that turns me green and makes me feel ill whilst winding me up no end. In it they dedicated more or less the whole show to the wedding of Tom and Katie Holmes ... DON'T DO IT KATIE! .... AHHH ... TOO LATE! Sorry, I'm rambling! My reason for finding Tom Cruise odd is, aside from his egocentric erratic behaviour, is the Scientology bit.

I can understand people would gravitate towards a belief that says people are 'immortal spiritual beings' (called a thetan) and will continue to live past the death of the body. Most people have some reservations about the process of dying and this would be a comfort. And if you go through the dying stage often enough your spirit eventually finds its true form of spiritual freedom and you become an Operating Thetan or OT. In my book OT means Occupational Therapist but hey, I might be wrong!

The bit I don't get is how intellegent people like Tom and John Travolta and many more can buy into things like the 'Silent birth and infant care.' I.e. a woman must give birth to her children without any sort of medication and without making any noise! Now, I'm married to a tough woman who gave birth to our two children without using any sort of medication or pain relief but If I'd have told her she had to remain silent throughout, I would not be here to tell the tale! That's just silly! Also, they mustn't breast feed their children and must cut off all connections with friends and family who critisize the church. Members are also pressured into giving large amounts of money to the church and the church commissions 'operations' to wiretap and infiltrate government agencies and individuals that critisise the church. Check out information on Operation Snow White, Operation PC Freakout and Fair Game. It's scary stuff.

Other scary celebrity stuff is the recent racist rantings of Michael Richards, aka Kramer. You can google it because I can't be bothered to write about it ... all I can say is that if that is the stuff that comes out of your mouth when you loose your cool ... then that is the stuff that is going on in your head, even when you stay cool. Appology or not, Michael Richards is a backward thinking racist who is scared of a multicultural society. He should move to Iceland ... then again, Icelandic society appears racist because of it's ignorance to other cultures. Michael Richards is just racist!

Speaking of Iceland ... I was sat in the lunch area at work the other day and there was a conversation about immigrants going on next to me. These two men were discussing what can be done to help people integrate ... learning Icelandic, teaching the Icelandic customs, learning Icelandic life-skills, learning how Icelanders act ... basically ... learning to be an Icelander. This is fine and dandy except that one thing they never considered was what do Icelanders need to do? How about learning to live in a multi-cultural society, learning to live in an international world rather than on an isolated island, learning to show tolerance, learning that communities can co-exist despite talking different languages and learning that Icelandic with a different accent isn't a bad thing but will take the Icelandic language from being black and white to having colour and tone ... all variations. Think about how dearly the british love all their different accents, liverpool, manchester, cockney, indian, chinese ... it's been the basis of many theatre, comedy and drama scetches. The start to great friendships. It's just what Iceland needs ... they just don't know it yet ...

So, there you go ... my whinge of the day

One-way-ticket

2006-11-23T09:40:00.000Z

We got a really positive e-mail from Jolyons teacher yesterday saying how he is a completely different boy, so kind and caring and clever and fun to be around ... I could go on and on ... We've definately got the old Jolyon back. He's grown in character and inner strength in the way he has dealt with this negative experience he's come through. I am sure now that the experience itself will no longer take away from his childhood, but enhance it, and his life in the future.

Elijah and his childminder Hulda (or du-du as Elijah calls her) will really miss each other. Hulda, if you and your family want to move to England you've got all our support!

I went to the cinema last night with my parents which was great fun. We saw an Icelandic film called children. As a teenager and young man I always felt that Icelandic actors were very theatrical and that this didn't transfer well onto the silver screen. Just prior to my leaving for England some actors, from the 80's generation, were breaking through (Baltasar Kormákur, Ingvar Sigurðsson and Hilmir Snær Guðnason to name a few) who were really good when it came to less theatrical, more realistic acting.

Since being in England a new generation of actors, my age and younger, have come onto the scene. Since I've lived away for so long I hadn't seen any of these people act and I was blown away by their skills last night. The film was a 'low budget' artsy, black and white film ... very dark, violent and real. It was held together by a group of amazing actors of my generation. I have to say though that in the films I have seen recently the older generation of actors has done no worse than my own generation ... I guess serious cinema is just such a relatively young artform in Iceland. I have made myself a promise now to keep a much closer eye on Icelandic films whilst living in England. So ... lots of Icelandic DVD´s for christmas and birthday!

Yesterday as we were all driving home there was a modern version of an old Stevie Wonder song on the radio. I forget which song. I commented something about the guitar playing being very good in it. Joanna said: 'You'll have to find a band in England to play with.' She's right! All this jibber-jabber and poppycock about giving up music is not realistic ... it's just depressive rambling. Playing music has set such strong roots in my soul that I can hardly be without it! That is to say, it keeps me mentally well and I get more vulnerable when I am not playing and lean more towards negative thinking during those long periods of not creating music ... covers or originals. So just remember folks, when I start talking about giving up music or something akin to that ... it's unhealthy negative thinking and has no place here! I will try to remember that but as Joanna knows oh, so well ... I frequently need reminding!

Love

What have we got to look forward to? ... Plenty!

2006-11-22T09:46:00.000Z

We sold the Beast yesterday! It's all good and well being all cosmopolitan but we've already done the 'having-a-house-and-a-car-in-two-different-countries' lifestyle, and it's not for us. Much better to tie up all the loose ends and start afresh. My dad is pleased as well because it means we're not leaving the car for him to sell. So we say goodbye to the beloved Beast (I'm sure I loved it more than Joanna did, though).

We seem to be managing to wrap up the last few bits here before moving out. Counting days now, not weeks or months. Two days till Deb comes, five days till we move out and movers move in, nine days till Joy and movers fly out and eleven days until we fly out ... I shouldn't have done that, it seems so near. It's be great for Joanna to start work and stuff. I'll need to get a job and I'll need to get a car ... I've said all this before I know but ... ah, whatever!

We look forward to spending time with my parents and we look forward to spending time with Joannas parents but mostly we look forward to having a house that feels like home for the four of us. We look forward to Jolyon being settled at school and we look forward to Joanna working again. We look forward to me getting more time with the boys and in the long run ... we look forward to having a long, happy life together ... wherever in the world that is!

So for now, adios amigos

A great weekend! Missing the beast already!

2006-11-21T09:27:00.000Z

Took the day off yesterday to sort out all sorts of moving issues ... that's why you've not heard from me ... sorry! What a cool weekend we had!

Friday night I played my last gig with 'Menn Ársins' and had a great time! I was determined to enjoy the playing and I did ... we'd not played for a while so it took us a couple of songs to get going but hey ... maybe that was just me. In fact I hadn't touched an instrument since our last gig and during a couple of the songs I got cramps in both hands and they just folded up in a wierd way ... I don't think anyone noticed though! It was great fun though!

Saturday was the usual morning routine ... Joanna and Jolyon went to Saturday school and me and Elijah went to my parents. Joanna said it was the worst day of teaching as she had eight students that did not want to be there! They all got a good telling off ... Joanna style! I know what that is like from experience ... it's something to be avoided ;-) Saturday afternoon we had a big going away party for family and friends. For a couple that don't know many people we sure managed to 'pack 'em in' at my parents house ... I think there were about 70 people that came through the door ... and not everyone made it! Of course it helps to have a large extended family and to be at the age where your friends all show up with spouses and two kids ... it ups the numbers a bit. The day was finished with Jolyon having a sleepover at his friends, Elijah having a sleepover at my parents and me and Joanna having the earliest night in the history of early nights ... child free!

During this party a family from Akranes drove down to have a look at the Beast as I had advertised it for sale (boooo! ... hoooo!). They got to borrow the car and give it the once over ... they want to buy it and hopefully that transaction will be finished by lunchtime today ... I am going to miss that car. Especially ...

... as Iceland is now covered in 3 feet of snow. Yep! When we woke up on sunday everything was white ... people were out shovelling and anyone who didn't have a 4wd was busy being late to work or stuck sideways in the next pile of snow, stopping traffic and making sure everyone else was late to work. The Beast sailed through all the snow ... with the help of a bit of fancy Freysson style driving. (Joanna says I'm very skilled at driving in the snow and Joanna never lies and is always right :-) ...). Everything is still covered and although it isn't snowing at the moment the snow isn't going anywhere as it is still very cold ... about -4°C this morning, which is actually warmer than it has been.

Busy days ahead! On Friday Debs is coming to visit for the weekend which we are all looking forward to! On Monday Debs goes and the movers arrive. We will hopefully be moving into my parents house on that day. Not only have we taken over one of their cars but we're going to take over their house as well! On the Friday after that our cat, Joy, flies off to England to the Quarantine kennels. Unfortunately she has to stay in quarantine till April but we can visit. Then on the Sunday after that we all fly over to England ... blimey! It's gone by so quick this last month. It's all a bit scary now ... a bit real ...

We will miss our family and friends in Iceland but look forward to starting a new life (again!). Hopefully we'll take all the positive stuff we've gained in Iceland with us and be able to settle down to a nice routine in Yorkshire.

I would like to end this blog with some wonderful words from my friend and pianist in Menn Ársins Halli, off his blog ... just to blow my own trumpet a bit more ... boost my ego ...

Well, it’s time to say goodbye – Thorarinn Freysson, bassist for Menn Ársins, is moving countries along with his family to England and at the same time abandoning the Menn Ársins camp. It will be hard to fill the shoes of this great musician, and I doubt one can find a more easy-going bassist than Tóti. [ … ] My dear Tóti, just remember that once a man of the year, always a man of the year, unlike the title of miss freezing plant 1985 …

Love you all!

Virtuoso? ... me? ...

2006-11-17T10:06:00.000Z

Sváfnir, the singer and guitarist in Menn Ársins wrote a blog yesterday which made me go all warm and fuzzy inside. Here is a translation:

A Bassfriend says goodbye

Our friend Thorarinn Freysson, who has plucked the bass with the Men from god-knows-when, is moving at the beginning of December. And we're not talking about a quick nip between postcodes - oh, no. He's going to England with his English wife and two children.

It sucks to see such a kind, mild mannered, bass virtuoso and last but not least, a competent seaman who always travelled in the old fashioned way, reading the stars and compasses, none of this GPS-nonsense. Just set off.

But note that Thorarinn hasn't sung his last song with the Menn Ársins. he will be on our team visiting Hafnarfjörður tomorrow, Friday the 17th November, at ... exactly - you got it right: Café Aroma. Now lets all turn out and say goodbye to the lad.

Other than that, things are looking good basswise at the moment. Tell you more about that later.

It brings tears to my eyes. What a great band and what great company. I shall miss them and the music sorely. I hope the bass issues get sorted and they can continue to grow and become the biggest band in the world ... they deserve it!

As for me ... my life consists of filling in job application forms. All a means to a better end, I know ... but blimey! It's sooooo booooooring. Looking forward to the last gig tonight and intend to have a blast. Then we got our going away party tomorrow and some friends have already confirmed their coming. Everyone around me seems to have children so there will be about threethousandfourhundredandsixtynine kids ... and that's just the ones that are still on bottles!

Anyway, I love you all

Running away from music

2006-11-16T09:28:00.000Z

Good morning everyone,

Going to talk about running today. I've been running for a while now and although I took a break whilst we were in England (and the week after that!), I've started again and it's great! There is a problem though. This knee pain keeps coming back and at the moment I can only run for about 10 minutes and then I have to stop so the pain and damage done doesn't increase. That sucks, man! Now, I've done some self-diagnosis on the internet and believe I have a very common running injury called 'Illiotibial Band Syndrome' (IBS).

The Illiotibial band is a band of strong tissue that begins on the outer side of the pelvis and attaches to the outer part of the knee. Excessive strain can lead to the tendon shorting which causes the band to rub on the knee cap and produces pain. This can happen with a sudden change in exercise soooo ...

... two years ago I didn't do any running at all. Then I went out to run with my neighbour, didn't do any stretches and only had a minimal warm-up session. That, along with trying to keep up with him meant that I did some damage.

Thankfully, IBS is easily treatable. What I need to do is warm-up, stretch before and after running, put ice on after exercise and wear good, supportive running shoes and knee support. Currently I run in my 'two-dolla-Aldis-own-trainers'. When we get to England I should be able to afford some decent shoes and knee support. Until then, it's all about warming up, stretching and cooling down.

Also I need to strengthen my thigh, hip and lower back muscles. Hopefully I'll be able to get rid of this annoying little pain-in-the-knee and do some proper running. Whilst recovering I should think about doing some cycling or swimming instead. Problem ... can't justify going swimming three times a week without taking my family and cycling is a bit dodgy in the icy weather now upon us here on the icecube we call Iceland. (The teperature is down from -7°C yesterday to -8°C this morning. Brrrrrrr!!!!

Last gig with band tomorrow :-(. I've not been able to play music at all other than with the band since moving to Reykjavik as there isn't anywhere in our house for me to sit and play without disturbing everyone (I'm a misunderstood artist in my house, you see ... booo hooo! no one understands what I am playing ... booo hooo!). It wouldn't be fair either to play at my in-laws as it will be even more crowded soooo ... we'll see how it goes after this gig ... maybe it's time to call it a day? The instrumens are being packed away in storage so they won't be accessable until we've found ourselves a house to unpack everything in anyway.

On that depressing note,

Love

Brruuumm ... brrruuuummmm ... beeep ... beeep

2006-11-15T09:30:00.000Z

Another step closer. Yesterday afternoon I got the confirmation of Joy's 'ticket' to England. Unfortunately the invoice said 'Live Dog' ... ha, ha ... it's being sorted! By the end of this week there will only be two weeks until we arrive in our new homeland. My job search continues and much to the dismay of my wife I'm looking at driving jobs (which Joanna won't let me do in a million years anyway) and warehouse jobs ... I always liked working at Nói-Síríus. Part-time nights ... or just something to fit in with school ... as somebody said: 'How the mighty have fallen'. I'm struggling a bit with the emotional side of having to take such a big step down. The part time thing doesn't bother me and in fact I see that as a positive. A chance to spend more time with my boys. It's just that going from a regional manager of 12 Supported Housing schemes and a team of 24 people, back to the floor ... applying for night time care assisstant posts, is a big chunk of pride to swallow ... such is life ... look forward not backward.

Me and Joanna were discussing this yesterday and she planted the seed of doing something more with my time, such as some studying. An NVQ assessors course was her idea and that sounds good and sensible ... I'll definately look into where I can fit that round the routine. My own slightly different idea was to do something I've wanted to do for years but never did ... automotive mechanics. Problem is, the courses that tend to be NVQ's which means you need to be working in the industry ... and I'm not ... in fact, by the end of this month I won't be working in any industry ... Looking into City and Guilds but can't work out if that is workplace based assessments or not ... or if it is just for teenagers as the websites imply ... time for some phonecalls when I get to England, me thinks!

Things are plodding along nicely here ... movers have finally decided how best to shift our stuff, they'll be here from Monday to Friday the last week of November and then we're sorted. Now all we need is a mortgage, house, job, nursery, second car, friends for kids, band ... oh, okay ... we're not quite sorted yet :-) ... oh, and I desperately need a motorbike, a chopper with a 550 engine will do ... no, it's not a dream, it's a necessity ... helloooooo ... birthday next month ... Joanna? ... hello? ... you still there? ...

DJ Tóti Tank and the cool cool breeze

2006-11-14T11:26:00.000Z

Yesterday I sat down to write a blog. As any reader can tell, my head wasn't in it ... it's a load of waffle from someone who feels he should say something but can't. I had too much else going on, kept leaving the entry, then coming back to it etc. Today I have been out for a run and have cleared my head ... still don't know what to write, like ... but I'll try.

In Iceland there is a thing called the naming committee! This is a committee of three people that tell you what you can call your child and what you can't. It has to be good old fashioned Icelandic names with a history. Foreigners in Iceland used to have to change their names when they moved here but that has thankfully changed. They also tell you how many middle names (one per person) you are allowed etc. Did I tell you there is only one place to buy alcohol ... the State Alcohol store! Imagine the committees dilemma when Jolyon Isaac and Elijah Benedikt turned up ... let alone Joanna Burton! Wow! That must have been a headache.

Anyway, my old politician school chum, who now wants a seat in parliment, has put forth the idea of this committe being shut down. The first sign of intelligence from him since his reporting days. I once tried to change my name to Þórarinn Járnsíða Freysson (Translates as Thorarinn Ironside Freysson). I wrote in my application that as an artist, I needed a more flash name ... or something to that extent. The other day my parents planted the idea of me sticking a legitimate surname on my name. There are two surnames floating around in my family which I could take ... Finsen and Zöega ... what do you think? 'Thorarinn Ironside Freysson Finsen' or 'Thorarinn Ironside Freysson Zöega' The Finsen clearly defines my scandinavian roots but the Zöega looks really cool ... :-) I don't know ... Maybe I'll call myself 'Thorarinn Ironside Burton-Freysson Kristinarson Finsen Zöega' That should cover everything and offend no-one.

For referrence, in Iceland our surnames usually come from our fathers first names. My fathers name is Freyr, hence I am Freysson, son of Freyr. My mums name is Kristin so I could, in these times of equal rights, be Kristinarson, son of Kristin. There are some proper surnames floating around though, reminisent of old Scandinavian settlers, I think. In my family there is the Finsen, on my dads side and the Zöega, on my mums side. So to cover those two I would need both surnames. Then of course I am married to a foreigner! Coincidentally ... my wife is also married to a foreigner ... funny that! To cover that side of the family I would take up the Burton name. Then the Ironside bit would be my own ... well ... it was my grandmums idea at the time ... she likes stirring up the system ... Problem is would I use the Icelandic Járnsíða or the English Ironside. As I am bilingual and view both countries as my home ... I could stick both in. Then, so nobody gets offended because their name comes after somebody elses, I would have to put first names, then middle names, then surnames, all in alphabetical order ... do I put Thorarinn under T or Þ? Oh, and so I don't confuse the English system I would have to fit Tóti in there somewhere, wouldn't I?

So, until next time ... I leave you in peace.

Thorarinn Tóti Þórarinn Ironside Járnsíða Burton Finsen Freysson Kristinarson Zöega

Tying up the loose ends ...

2006-11-13T12:21:00.000Z

The internal organs of blogger. com have changed so I'm appologising in advance if either this blog is all wrong or my old ones have disappeared ... we'll see when I post this.

I am still trying to sort out issues re tax and payments due and all sorts from the Icelandic tax office and government. This is 9 months after J, J and E arriving and 3 weeks before we leave the country ... that's just plain silly ... one day I´ll stop moaning about it but for today I'm going to try and get it sorted with more letters and phonecalls.

Other things ... Today I booked our cat, Joy, on a flight to England, two days before our arrival. Unfortunately she'll have to stay in quarantine for a while before she can be released to her new home. I'm hopeing we'll have a house for her when she gets out ... fingers crossed.

Elijah was a bit poorly this weekend due to more teeth coming out but he has recovered back to his jolly self and Jolyon is jolly as ever, so much calmer and relaxed. Me and him do breathing exercises now which help with anger and conflict management ... that's a relief for mummy anyway :-)

Last gig with the band is on Friday and the going away party is on Saturyday ... to be held at my parents. Hopeing to see some friends and family there ...

Finally ... the car on the pic is for sale ... Joanna says so ... I don't want to sell it!

Love to you all

A Short Story

2006-11-10T08:36:00.000Z

Chapter One

Sometimes when I write these entries I go on about stuff that I don't really know that much about, gathering information off the internet as I go along. This is never a 100% full proof way of gathering facts, but then again, is there a full proof way? I try and use websites that I trust or that seem trustworthy as far as reporting facts go. Then I try and mold my own opinion as clearly as possible based on these facts.

Other times I get my facts from people making fun of the facts ... I'm mainly thinking of one person ... Jon Stewart of the Daily Show. The Daily Show is a programme on Comedy Central in America which features this comedian, Mr. Stewart, and sometimes guests. His chosen issues are current affairs, mainly political. Now, I've never actually seen a full Daily Show programme but have found an immense number of clips on YouTube, where they go almost immediately after being aired in the U.S. This programme is worth having a look at if you are into people making fun of president Bush and the state of the world.

I know that in reality there is nothing funny about the plight of the Iraqi people, but one finds ways of coping with these brutalities ... my way is black humour ... which is unjustifiable as I am not even in Iraq. But it's the same option that a lot of people who are stuck in Iraq, or in any war for that matter, turn to.

Chapter Two

There are times when I reflect on my teenage years and my early twenties and think, 'If only I knew then what I know now.' Then I wonder if, in twenty years time, I will look back at all these entries I've written and say, 'If only I knew then what I know now,' and feel embarrassed about writing such a load of nonsense. Can't tell the future though, can you?

I think one of my best qualities is my ability to put myself in other peoples shoes. That's why I was so darn good working in the mental health care field. There is a group of people that I struggle to do this with, that is older people. I find that the knowledge and experience they have gained, simply through having been on this earth longer than me, makes it difficult for me to know what they are thinking or how they see things. This is purely because I haven't been here long enough to gain their wisdom. It's something worth considering next time you get the chance to really sit down with someone who has lived life. Become a sponge, soak up the experience.

Chapter 3

I've discovered a new poetic truth about myself! (This happens approximately every other week and I feel a great need to share it with someone ... this time you are my victims). Here goes ... 'Life is a drive and I'm constantly looking in the rear view mirror!' ... what do you think? This is my way of explaining that I focus far too much on the past. Problem is that when you constantly look in the rear view mirror, you regularly crash, stall and miss what is in front of you. I need to look forward (front window) whilst focusing on the present (inside the car, steering, changing gear etc). That's pretty simple and cool isn't it ... what kind of life driver are you?

The Icelandic National Party

2006-11-09T09:20:00.000Z

Well folks, this one has been brewing inside me since we got back to Iceland.

The first news items that welcomed us back were reports from the Liberal Party in Iceland. They were airing their views on the immigrant issues, which are close to my heart for obvious reasons. Note that I’m not a fan of the word immigrant, I just lack the vocabulary knowledge to find a word with the same descriptional value of certain individuals situation.

First, some history. The Liberal Party is not, as you would think reading the name, a left wing party. In fact it is very right wing and was founded by Sverrir Hermannsson (who was later involved in some business fraud issues if I remember correctly) in 1998 when he resigned from the Independent Party, as he didn’t feel they were far enough to the right. That was how it looked to me anyway as a young man with limited interest in politics and no knowledge of immigrant issues. In the municipal elections of May 2002, they won a seat in the Reykjavík City Council. The party also won a seat in the town council of Ísafjörður, in the Westfirðir area. In it’s second parliamentary elections of May 2003 the Liberal Party doubled it’s support from the last elections and got 7.4% of the total vote. In the latest polls they are ranked last .. that is fifth after my old school chum in the progressive party that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. This doesn't mean they won't get a seat in congress ... they might well do in the upcoming elections.

Now, as we are speaking of immigrant issues, keep in mind that on the Liberal Party webpage they say:

The Liberal Party is a political movement emphasising liberal views, democracy and equal citizen’s rights.

The party opposes all priveleges and monopolies of any kind, but supports freedom and independance of the individual.

The Liberal Party will help those who are left out by the existing authorities.

The Liberal Party supports the co-operation of Iceland with other European countries on an equal footing.

At this stage lets keep in mind that according to the online english dictionary the word liberal means (amongst other things):

Favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.

Favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, esp. as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection of civil liberties.

Free from prejudice or bigotry; tolerant: a liberal attitude toward foreigners.

Note that last one ... a liberal attitude towards foreigners.

This all sounds great. The fact that they also oppose whaling is a good enough reason to vote for them, surely! But ... ooops! ... They’ve been talking about immigrants. Now, this isn’t a stated policy like the ones I’ve taken off there website but rather the things that they have been saying in interviews with the media and articles that they have been writing.

This off their web page:

Very cheap labour has been flooding into the country from the poorer countries of East-Europe which lowers the wages of Icelandic workers. Immigrants work low paid jobs for wages that Icelanders would never accept but these outsiders gladly do because of shortages and difficult situations in their home country.

There are examples of employers making Icelandic workers redundant to hire cheap labour. Or is their any other explanation for contractors making people redundant at the same time that there is a big need for increased labour.

I couldn’t find any of these examples when I searched but I found laws that clearly state that this practice would be illegal ... I didn’t find any examples of these laws being put into practice. Anyway their statements are contradictory because in the first sentence it says that there are examples and in the next it doesn’t quote them but instead implies that ‘there must be examples, there is no other explanation.’ This is a naive and childish form of backing up your words and doesn’t really hold water as far as I am concerned.

Just for the record, there are many other reasons for mass redundancy. The fact is that the Icelandic economy has been on an upswing for a few years but is now going back. House prices have stopped rising, it is harder to get a mortgage than when we moved here a year ago (i.e. they don’t lend you 100% anymore) etc. That is the most common reason for mass redundancies, cutting out disposable employees ... harsh but true. There have been no reported mass-hirings of Eastern-European workers as far as I remember. Not in the same numbers as the redunancies that have been reported anyway.

One of my best friends here is a freelance plasterer who does work for individuals and contractors. He told me that, yes, there is a notable increase in Eastern-European labour in his trade and that sometimes he feels like a foreigner as he doesn’t understand the languages being spoken in his workplace. But he also told me that he has never been short of jobs, can charge what he wants and has got higher wages now than he ever has in this industry. He has been plastering for 20 years and knows alot of people in the industry. He doesn’t know anyone who has been sacked from a job to be replaced by cheaper labour.

You all know the story about Joanna and her nursing licence which won’t be recognised in Iceland. I won’t go into all that again cos it’ll just ruin my day. This is what the so-called Liberal Party has to say about that:

The educated people of Iceland are more tolerant towards immigrants. This is because they have built a wall around themselves. Doctors from Eastern-Europe do not get to work here unless they retake their doctors studies and the same goes for nurses and other areas of practice.

You all know that you don’t have to come from Eastern-Europe to end up in this situation in Iceland. The Icelandic BNP (The INP?) continue:

It is a different story for labourers. Nobody ensures that they have the learned skills [...] The workers union doesn’t look at every individuals certificate but concentrates on the companies that employ the workers and ensure they get the correct wages.

They put this forth as a complaint. What is wrong with that? The union ensures the wages aren’t discriminatory and the employment agency checks out the certificate. They want labourers to get the same stone-wall treatment that my wife, my children and so many others get here. I know that a couple of employment agencies were taken to court for offering cheap labour but they lost their cases and were put out of business. I’m sure that most employment agencies actually ensure that their employees recieve decent wages which ensures that they will continue to work for the agency and hence continue to bring in money to the agency. That’s supply, demand and good management.

The last straw was when they said:

Iceland is not a multi-cultural society and shouldn’t be.

I saw that on their website yesterday ... funnily enough, I can’t find it now ...

So ... not a nice ‘welcome back to Iceland’, but more of a ‘oh, I thought we were rid of you’ sort of vibe. I believe that they are scare mongering to get labourers to vote for them. Unfortunately they will probably succeed to some extent, such is the fear of the foreigners influence in Iceland.

We’ve made the right choice in deciding to leave :-(

England report

2006-11-08T09:10:00.000Z

Hello folks,

Nice to write to you all again. I feel like I should write a really long entry as they've all been rather short this last week ... but you all know why. Before I start, you should click on this. It's Menn Ársins, the band I have been in whilst here in Iceland. At the moment there are three of the original songs on there, unfortunately not with me playing the bass, but they're great songs nontheless.

England went well. Joanna has got a job that she's really looking forward to. In fact she was offered two and probably three jobs so she left out her last interview. When we came back to Iceland there were invites to two more interviews for her. And she was worried about not getting a job ... I always knew she would and I always told her she would. It's great news and she should be so pleased with herself.

I went to three interviews and wasn't quite so lucky. I got too cocky and big headed and didn't bother reading up on stuff before my interviews. I can do the jobs, cos I've done them before, but I was too self assured, never having really failed an interview before, properly. And maybe I didn't want the jobs enough? Anyway this little knock to my self confidence can only be a good thing. We've got more of an idea what sort of job would fit in with what we think will be our initial routine in England and so I am taking it more seriously now.

The job I really want is as a Police Officer. I have applied in a certain area but these applications can take months and if they are accepted I've still got tests and assessments to got through before having any chance. And if I don't get in the first time I have to wait 6 months before applying again. So ... this is more of a long term plan, once we are all settled in. In the mean time I hope to get a part time job that will give me further experience relevant to the role of a Police Officer as well as enabling me to spend time with my boys and do all the school runs etc. I get to be the house-husband for a while (or house-wife as my father-in-law calls it!). Ideally I want to work three to four nights a week ... that would be great!

It was also great spending some time with Rita and Brian and I know the boys loved it. Six people in a house is alot but we all get along very well and had a great time. Lit a bonfire on bonfire night and Rita and Brians neighbours, Pauline, Jenny and Angel (who is Jolyons age) came over to visit. Jolyon also went to stay at his new school for a couple of hours and was really pleased ... wanted to start straight away he told me! The next steps are to find a house and a nursery for Elijah. Jolyons school has got a nursery which takes kids in at age two and a half as long as they are out of nappies but we need something until then to let him mingle with other kids.

Anyway, the next three weeks should be business as usual until the weekend, then Debs comes to visit. After that we have movers in, cats moving out, some nights at my parents and then flying away to england. Oh, by the way, if anyone wants to buy a beast* in top condition, it is still for sale!

*The Beast is our 2000 Izuzu Trooper 3.0TD 7 seater, automatic four wheel drive, driven only 119.000 km, loved every inch of the way :-). MOT (Skoðun) until March 2007 and all insurance paid and up to date.

We love you all

It's all working out!

2006-11-02T11:26:00.000Z

Good news at last! Out of the three interviews Joanna has attended she has been offered two jobs and was in line for being offered the third. This means she has acccepted the job of Clinical Team Leader which was the one she wanted most. It also means she's not going for the interview on Friday so we can have all day together, the four of us. This is great news for her and for us! Congrats, babe!

I'm going for my third interview today but I've not heard anything back about the two posts that I've already been interviewed for. Just have to wait and see. I was more bothered about Joanna getting a job, anyway ... I'd be perfectly happy staying at home for a couple of months ... but a job would be nice as well.

So everyone here is in a great mood. Joanna and Jolyon are in Mossley visiting friends and Elijah is being walked about in his pram by grandmum. That is why I'm here blogging at the moment.

I don't feel the need to rave on about the injustices of the world at the moment so the few blogs you will get whilst we are here will just be chilled updates of what's going on. On Wednesday next week I'm back in the old DeCode routine and will commence blogging as before, until we leave to move to England in the beginning of December. With Joanna having a job it means we can start house hunting as soon as we arrive in December. That should be good fun. And once I've got a job, I can buy a car. I want another beast but I might have to settle with something a bit less masculine :-)

Love

Safe in England

2006-10-31T13:47:00.000Z

Here we are, safe and sound. All four of us had a long journey yesterday but are safely in Thorpe Audlin, Yorkshire, England. The journey was good but two young boys were very tired by the time we got home. 11pm, that was.

Me and Joanna both had job interviews this morning and will update you on how that went. I think I did okay but this one was more difficult than I thought. Job sounds fine though.

Anyway, this was just going to be one of those quick blog entries, the kind I don't like readin myself! :-) Just to let you know we are here, safe and sound.

Love from all of us.

Irregular blogs for a while ...

2006-10-27T09:22:00.000Z

I've got a few basic beliefs about blogging. If it's gonna be really short, like two sentences ... don't bother. Nobody likes waiting for weeks for someone to put a new blog on and then when it comes, all it says is: "Went to the movies, it was fun." And then they have to wait for another few weeks. If that is your writing style ... there's not much point, really!

Another is to write as often as possible, preferably every day. Loyal readers deserve to get frequent reading material. That's easy to say when you're sat in front of a computer at work every day. Joanna for instance doesn't write every day but she writes long and good quality entries ... there's nothing wrong with that style ... this are just the guidelines I have set myself ... they are subject to change with circumstances.

Now I've tried to write every day from work (during my breaks :-/) but I haven't written during weekends. This is because I don't feel comfortable writing unless I'm on my own or at least have the computer to myself. We live in very close quarters in our house here in Iceland and that is virtually an impossible scenario there so I take breaks over weekends. I don't know what it will be like when we're living in England ... we'll see.

My third one is that when a blogger takes a long break, writes irregularly or stops all together, he should put on his blog an entry saying that this is going to happen. The readers deserve this little gesture of courtesy.

So, to comply with my own guidelines, this blog is to let you know that after the weekend Joanna, the boys and I are going to England for a week. Hence, although I will try and blog from there, it is unlikely to happen unless I'm on my own, which is unlikely to happen as there will be six of us living in the house. Maybe when Joanna and Jolyon are visiting friends and Elijah is in bed I could sneak up to the computer room and blog ... I will try to fit it in. Other than that I will blog again when I get back to Iceland although I won't promise you a date ... not sure what our lives will be like once we're back. Hope you will patient with me ...

Enjoy life,

The Icelandic Ambassador to the EU and Belgium Exposed!

2006-10-27T08:20:00.000Z

If I were you I would read this entry from Joannas TwoLands blog diary. It is the biggest load of political sleaze I have ever read in my life ... What happens with these kinds of letters and this kind of text is two things:

1. Mr. Stefan Haukur Johannesson, the Icelandic Ambassador to the EU and Belgium, who wrote this letter, feels justified and in fact good about himself in fighting the pro-whaling battle on behalf of Iceland.

2. The people who are already pro-whaling, and especially those that make money off it, sleep soundly at night because they feel that what is being done is justified for other reasons than money.

I don't know about the rest of you anti-whalers but that letter made me feel sick. It, contrary to it's purpose, didn't make me go, "Ooooohhh riiight, it's sustainable whaling to positively control the marine stock (as if it was stocks of product readilly available to us at our whim) within the 200 miles of Icelandic water ... that's okay then, I'm all for it!" No! To me it sounds more like 'word salad'. Maybe Mr. Ambassador needs a holiday ... or a retirement ... or a sacking ... because that letter has made me even more anti-whaling than I was. That means, that as far as my involvement goes(and I don't think I'm so special to be the only one who thinks this) the letter had the opposite effect to what it was intended to. Which in turn means that Mr. EU and Belgium is pretty rubbish at his job of selling it to me. Which means he should be sacked ... or supported through this difficult time he's clearly going through and given a loooooonnngggg holiday ... on an Icelandic whaling boat marooned on a piece of ice floating in the Atlantic ocean, being harpooned by whales, dragged into the ocean and gutted ... he might see it slightly differently then.

Me and Joanna were discussing this 'scientific' whaling that has apparently been going on since 2003. In fact it never actually stopped prior to that year as far as I know. Has anybody ever seen any research papers from these scientific researches? Have any interesting findings come from them other than, whale blubber is good for you? 200 Sample subjects to be killed, for what? "Sustainable marine stock??? control," says Mr. Icelandic Ambo, but does he believe it?

When Joanna did her research for her masters degree, all of her 'sample subjects' survived her research and yet the research produced important information in her field of practice. And as a Psychiatric Nurse, her field of practice is in bettering and even saving peoples lives. Her research was deemed good enough to be published in a recognized, widely read and respected medical journal. I'll admit I don't read marine journals but having had a decent look on the internet, I could not find any reference to any publications made around scientific whaling. But I did find this. Here are some quotes for those of you not bothered about the link:

"The science they perform consists of DNA sampling, physical measurements such as earbone size, age ID, and most importantly, the contents in the digestive tract."

"The data on what the whales eat is then perverted to help their propaganda campaign, which argues that whales eat too much commercially important fish, and that we should cull the population to save our fisheries. They selectively release data on certain species, while ignoring data on others, especially baleen species."

"Australia and many other countries use non-lethal data collection techniques, such as 'knicking' the skin of a whale for biopsy samples to determine DNA and toxin levels. Analysis of faeces is the most accurate way of determining the animals' diet.
Also, tagging whales with data sensors and tracking their movements tell us much more about their behavior and life patterns than any forensic data could provide."

By the way, the 200 minke whale samples studies that Mr. Brussels talks about in his letter and says will end in 2007, that's what they've been catching each year. As well as 200 fin whales and 100 Sei whales every year. That means that the 200 sample studies are actually 500 ... per year. That means that from 2003, the official start date of the scientific whaling, until 2007, they won't have caught 200 'sample studies' as implied, they will have caught 2,500 'sample studies'.

The fact they need to twist their words in such a manner is proof to me that they know what they're doing is wrong, inhumane and probably illegal. So let me end this blog in big bold letters and say:

STEFAN HAUKUR JOHANNESSON, THE ICELANDIC AMBASSADOR TO THE EU AND BELGIUM IS LYING TO US ALL.

Don't visit Iceland

2006-10-26T08:34:00.000Z

Elijah is going for his MMR jab today ... I'm a tad nervous. I hope that all will go well but the potential problems with it were just so widely publicized in England that you can't help but to worry. It's worth it though. The potential outcome of contracting a disease that could be prevented with it is certainly no better an option. I'm sure my little man will be fine.

As observant readers might have noticed I have changed my personal details and the slogan on this page to "Don't visit Iceland until they stop killing whales for individual profit." I feel strongly about this ... although my passion fades in comparison with my wife Joannas. I would like to urge anyone who reads this not to visit Iceland until they have ceased to kill whales. The hunters are aiming to sell their product in the Japanese market but the Norweigans have been trying to do that since 2001 and not succeeded. Japan slaughter their own whales, they don't need to import them! Let's hope it all goes pear shaped for the b******s as soon as possible and we can go back to whale watching, which is a magnificent experience. I can name plenty of other reasons not to visit Iceland but this is the biggy. There are plenty of reasons to visit Iceland as well but those things will be here for thousands if not millions of years ... so there is no rush.

On another note, we are still counting down the days until we go to England. Joanna has so far got four job interviews and I've got two. Hopefully one of us, if not both of us, will come back to Iceland, knowing that there is a job waiting when we move back to England permanently. Once those things are secure, we can seriously look at mortgage sizes and therefore do some proper house hunting. It's all fairly positive these days in the Freysson-Burton household.

Why do we fight?

2006-10-25T09:36:00.000Z

It's almost time for our 'holiday' trip to England! When we booked it, it was going to be a relaxed visit to Rita and Brian, my in-laws, so they could spend time with us and the boys and we could spend time together etc. This has changed as we are moving back to England. Now the week is filling up with various job interviews for both of us, maybe some house hunting, visits to friends, both 9 year olds and adults etc. It's all positive and we're looking forward to it. We very much intend to try and get some family time together as well, but it might not happen till the weekend before we come back. Not to worry ... a month after that we are permanently moving and will have plenty of time together.

There is an American documentary out called 'Why do we fight?' It tries to look at what has changed in American society over the last six or seven years that has pushed America into so many conflicts and wars. I've not seen the documentary, and doubt I will, but I saw an interview with the director, who had an interesting and valid perspective on this. His theory was that since Bush took over the emphasis has shifted from spending money on education and health to spending more on defense and military. This has tilted the balance of society towards war.

The number of jobs available within the military and within companies with a business interest in war and conflict increases every day in America. This documentary director talked about an older lady he interviewed who works in a warehouse where they store bombs and other affiliated merchandise. "I'd rather be making toys, you know, but (lifting of shoulders) ..." was her take on the situation. He also spoke about a 'Military Industrial Complex' which is now open to the public. This was apparently one of Henry Kissingers visions. An industrial complex in America is like a warehouse shop ... like B&Q in England. You can take your kids there and shop for laser guided semi-automatic guns, bullets, rifles, pistols, grenades etc. I don't know where they draw the line, or if they draw a line! War has become such a large part of American culture in such a short time and nobody really knows how it happened. That's scary stuff!

So rather than looking at Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, North-Korea, Cuba ... whatever ... America needs to take a long, hard look at itself and introduce some tough love. Because the problem isn't primarily threats from the outside. The biggest threat to America is America ... and it's going to implode again one day, just like on September 11th 2001 ... and they'll blame it on someone else and start another war. And with each war they start they have to put more money into the military. And with each American dollar they put into the military they tilt the balance even more toward needing to be at war, needing to use those bullets. They are tax deductible after all! It's a vicious cycle that needs to be broken.

Paris, France

2006-10-24T12:21:00.000Z

This lovely picture is taken in a large maze in some Barons castle in France. This is the setting of the new video from 'Menn Ársins' ... the best band in the world. I'll be sorry to leave them ... The picture was taken by Erpur, the director of the video and Sváfnis brother.

Love all ...

A bit of Lithuanian, please officer!

2006-10-24T08:22:00.000Z

Joanna had a much more positive day yesterday. Although she (and I) did consider harpooning a few politicians, dragging them home and then slicing them open at a press confrence. But you can read Twolands to get the gist of that one.

Me and Jolyon went to see afi Freyr and amma Kristín. She had just come back from Berlin, Germany last night. We had supper there and chatted and amma Kristín had bought J the 5th series of the Simpsons, so he'll have to cross that one off the list for Father Christmas! He also got a World Cup 2006 Germany football shirt, a cool skateboarding hat and socks! Grandmums always buy you sock, don't they :-) Elijah got socks too, and a hat ... and when he goes on Friday there is a toy car waiting for him ... "brrrrrr". He loves his cars. Me and Joanna got After Eights ... Yes! I love chocolate!

Once again the band has gone international. Whilst filming of the new video is in full swing in Paris, France and the bassist is nipping off to Thorpe Audlin, England (no less of a culture centre than Paris, I'll have you know), the singer and his wife are going for the weekend to Ljubljana, Slovenia ... just because he can. I've never been to Slovenia ... I'll have to read about it.

I'm reading a really interesting book at the moment. It's called Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez. It's his true account of growing up as a poor mexican immigrant in East Los Angeles in the 60's and 70's and how he got involved in gangs and what effect this had on him and his loved ones. It's also a very strong critisism of the way that American authorities have dealt with immigrant issues and how their indifference and suppressive attitude escalated into the gang warfare that still plagues those same streets today. It's a lesson that Iceland needs to learn, but probably won't. And the thing is that Mr. Rodriguez isn't just writing a retrospective autobiography from the comfort of his 'writer-who-made-it-out-of-the-slum' house on the hill. He wrote it in the mid 90´s whilst still living in east L. A. and at the time had children of his own who he feared will go the same route. In my edition of the book he writes a new preface ... ten years after he wrote the book. In it he admits that he wasn't able to save his children from the same streets that claimed his youth. Although they are all alive, his oldest son is in jail for three counts of manslaughter, gang related. He's still living it now, 10 years after becoming a fairly successful writer. Once it sets its roots in society and within your family ... it won't let go ... Iceland, remember that!

Reading the Icelandic newspapers Iceland has become a rougher place. There are two main reasons for this. One is that there are certain areas within Reykjavík which have the cheapest housing. In these areas new Icelanders are gathering, living their own community within the Icelandic community. These people aren't causing the problem. The problem is Icelandic society, the government and the Icelandic people isolating and judging them. This first generation of immigrants might feel that although this is not good, it's better than where they came from. So, they work their low wage jobs and forget about the education they worked so hard to earn ... so they can raise their children in a 'better' place. Their children don't know as much about where they came from and they won't necessarily accept being treated like this. This will cause friction between the two communities which, generations down, leads to situations like you have in so many places around the world, East LA included.

The other reason is that Lithuanian organised crime has its sights on the country and is infact already here. Lithuania is a small country with borders to Latvia, Belarus, Poland and the Russian Federation. It's capital is Vilnius. In the last couple of years there have been an increasing amount of Lithuanians arrested by customs with larger and larger quantaties of cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine or chemicals to make amphetamine. We are seeing increasingly creative ways of these coming into the country, by plane, ferry, hired boats etc. It's difficult to get these into a small island and hence the sales price is very high. A bit of Lithuanian drug history:

The Lithuanian drug market was fairly limited before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Problems with drug abuse existed, particularly in the prisons, which were supplied by soldiers including from Central Asia serving as guards. Since the early 90´s, the trafficking, sale and abuse of drugs have increased rapidly, despite extensive measures taken by the Lithuanian government to control the narcotics problem. In 2004, Lithuanian law enforcement agencies estimated that the domestic drug trade amounted to $200 million. Lithuania is also a producer of poppy products and synthetic drugs for domestic use and export. The most popular drugs in Lithuania today include synthetic narcotics, poppy straw extract, heroin and cannabis.

These organisations are going to set there roots here for a few reasons. One is that they have plenty manpower and persistence. Two is that this caught the Icelandic police authorities completely by surprise, they thought nobody wanted the hassle of moving drugs to an isolated island. And three is the classic Icelandic attitude. Reading interviews with politicians and police officers of high authority, this isn't an Icelandic problem ... it's a problem with foreigners and foreign attitude and influence. It's all Lithuanias fault, not ours. Wake up! You're playing in the playground ... it doesn't matter who's fault it is ... it's everyones concern! But they don't see that. Police here are also undertrained, undermanned and underprepaired. Akureyri is the second biggest town in Iceland. 30 years ago it had a population of 5.000 people and 50 police officers. One officer per every 100 people. It now has a population of 15.000 people and 51 officers. That's approximately one officer per every 295 people. No wonder their loosing the battle.

2006-10-24T08:21:00.000Z

Laughing babies

This should make you laugh, or at least smile ...