Here is Aaron and his dog Furies. I stayed with Aaron and his wife Cris in Everett and had a great time. Thanks!

We went for a walk just north of Seattle along Puget Sound. Here are some random pictures from the walk.

We also went snowboarding at Stevens Pass. This is only 2 hours from Seattle!

I am moving up to Seattle March 5th to find a place to live and will start work the 17th. Updates will come soon. Start checking airline tickets because you are coming to visit!

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I took some random pictures in the last week before I left.

Goodbye apartment

Goodbye silly supermarket where NOTHING is on sale

Goodbye low afternoon sun and untouched snow

Goodbye cool skies

Goodbye frozen lake

Goodbye Sanna. I hope to see you soon.

I think having to leave Finland due to permit issues is...

Goodbye Finland

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Here you can see the sky and the ski hill all lit up

We stayed in a great cabin only a short walk from downtown.

There were wild reindeer wandering around the cabins! Unfortunately I couldn't get any pictures of the ones with big antlers

Here is the entire group sitting down to a great Christmas dinner.

Guess what we had for Christmas dinner...Reindeer!!! It is a common food in Northern Finland. It tastes similar to great roast beef but with a stronger flavor. Here is my christmas plate.

The four mystery piles around the side are different potato and carrot casseroles. MMMMMMMmmmmm!

After dinner Santa made a delivery. Finland is the home of Santa Claus. People do not give gifts to eachother, they are all from Santa. He makes his porch delivery in the evening.

I received many great gifts for Christmas and my birthday.

The gifts were all Finnish. The hat and wood cup are traditional to the nomadic reindeer herders of Northern Finland.

Sanna's family are into cross country skiing so I gave it a shot

I was crap for about an hour until I got the hang of it. Its fun and a killer workout. My super gift from Sanna was a Polar heart rate monitor so I could keep track of my workouts like she does. My heart rate hit 95% of max while skiing!

Check this thing out!

Its a snowmobile with one ski! You have to balance the crazy thing while riding it like a motorcycle!

Another cool thing we saw was this:

Its a Mink. It was like an otter/ferret and very rare.

Log cabins are popular here since Finland is mostly forest and there were many huge ones.

That one belongs to Finnish Formula One racing champion Keke Roseberg

This one is only the garage of another huge cabin:

We took a trip to the top of the ski hill. Here is the view back down on Levi:

The summit looks like another world with tons of snow covering the small trees.

This shack was up there too. Brrrrrrr!

Overall it was a great trip. On the way back from Northern Finland I just had to take this picture:

The Finnish are very against illegal downloading of music and other copyrighted content so they started a new branch of the police. Since illegal downloading first started in Germany with techno music they call the new police branch TechnoPolis!!

Yeah Right

I will leave you with this sunset shot I took near our apartment...at 1 in the afternoon!

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I finally got her to start carving and then something crazy happend...she liked it! Now she is hooked and wants to do it more.

Here is her side of our pumpkin

And my side

The weather has been getting colder. Here is one of the frozen lakes near our apartment.

There has been lots of snow and I LOVE IT! This is the view from the bedroom window.

And the view from our kitchen window

This is my pimp ride. I found it in a thorny bush and fixed it up. Notice the pimp white wall back tire. (Don't notice the yellow wall front tire)

I went for another walk around the frozen lake near our place. This time after some fresh snow. Here is a snow covered boat on the edge of the lake.

And some plants on the shore

What time do you think those pictures were taken at? 1 in the afternoon! The sun rises now at 10am and sets by 2:20. It never gets very high so it always feels like sunrise or sunset.

I have said this before but Finnish people LOVE candy!

And they love saunas. Check out this sweet sauna hat I found that comes with a free monster spoon.

Sanna likes piggyback rides

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So where am I now...Finland. The northern coastal town of Oulu to be exact.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oulu
I moved in with my girlfriend Sanna while I apply to jobs in the US and Europe.

Here are some pictures about where I live now and what I have been up to:

This is everything I own on this side of the Atlantic.

I took a 20 hour train ride and then a 4 hour bus ride to get from southern Sweden to Northern Finland!

The old buildings and fall colors made the city quite nice but the leaves are mostly gone now.

The city powerplant...is not that exciting but I like the picture

Sanna and I live near the university in Oulu. She is in the mechanical engineering department so I got the tour. Here are the department's vehicles that the students can use:

The fire truck is a General Motors from 1928. The entire cab is wood. Ironic?

No university machine shop is complete without contraptions like this monster scooter Sanna and I are riding.

It has already snowed a couple times. We live at 65 degrees north latitude which is farther north than Fairbanks Alaska but our weather is not that harsh. We are only a 2 hour drive south from the arctic circle!

We live a few miles from the sea. During my August visit to Finland we took a ferry to an island off the coast of Oulu where many people live. The baltic sea freezes this far north so that those people can drive to their island homes in the winter!! Ice highways on the sea!!

Here I am at the beach.

And me playing in the snow:

and the reason I'm in Finland:

I am not sure what will happen next. I will have to see what companies are interested in me. Keep your fingers crossed...

Mike over and out!

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I took a ferry from Stockholm to Turku which must be one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world. The trip is 10 hours and winds through thousands of scenic islands.

To see more of the islands once I got to Finland, Sanna and I spent a day island hopping. Here is one of the many small ferries we took.

We stayed in a small cabin owned by her company. Here is the view from the sauna. The water is actually a small inlet from the baltic sea.

After leaving the coast we went inland to her home town of Turenki. Near there her family has a summer cabin on a lake.

Rowing is fun. She is actually fishing and Im doing the trolling.

In Tampere we stayed with Sanna´s sister Heidi ( second from left). Here we are out on the town.

Sanna and I climbed a lookout tower. Notice the trees and lakes in the background...Welcome to Finland.

We went to another island off the coast of Oulu. The island has sandy soil and the forest floor is covered with soft green moss. Cool!

Finland, Finland, Finland...

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My role on the team was a "technical communicator" but my duties were pretty much project management. I worked with planning, technical documentation, the overal design, testing, and tons of other things. I had my hand in most things since I was the only one on the team to build something like this before.

In 10 months 27 of us designed and built a race car. We took it to England and competed against 69 other teams from all over the world. We placed 12th and came home happy. It was an intense competition and a great end to a year.

Check out our website for more details: http://web.student.chalmers.se/groups/formula/joomla/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Here are some pics.

We did lots of testing in the month leading up to the competition. I hate electrical gremlins.

To get to England we took an overnight ferry. Lots of fun on the super windy deck.

We redefined the meaning of car camping.

Part of the competition is an acceleration event. Here is Kris lined up for the start.

With cold tires and excessive wheel spin he still put in a 10th place run hitting over 60 mph in 4 seconds.

I got to drive in part of the competition. I drove in qualifying but not the final race.

This is the start of qualifying. You get 2 shots to set a fast lap on a track you have never driven before. Here is our other driver after his run returning to the pits. I was up next.

My buddy Ciaran was there and he snapped this picture of me driving back to the pits.

We finished all the events and were happy with our 12th place overall finish. We were the highest finishing scandinavian team and E85 fuelled car. Go team!

Now I'm locked in my room finishing my thesis

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About a month ago I went home. Home home as I call it. My sister was graduating from USC and the whole family was gonna be there...except me. Thats when my uncle stepped in and decided to surprise my family by flying me home secretly. I bout the $700 tickets Wednesday and was home the next Monday. The surprise worked well: Mom said bad words, grandma jumped so high she left the ground and Laura was speachless.

I was only in San Mateo for 3 days and in LA for 3 days. I had a chance to see a few friends at home and in LA. Sorry if I missed you. I also made sure to get some mexican food, pizza, and In and Out burger. All things I have been craving for a long time.

The graduation and everything went well. It was great to see the family. It was all too short but thats how it always is. Thanks Uncle Ross!

Here are some fields near Amsterdam on my way home.

Here are the fields near the bay area. I get bored on planes.

Check the leg room on a "real" airline (not ryanair)

Within the first couple hours home I went for a tour of the lagoon with my uncle's friends.

There is no such thing as mexican food in Sweden. I miss real (American) Mexican food!

I miss torturing Molly.

She misses torturing me.

On the way to LA I bought a medium drink. This is larger than an extra large drink in europe!

LA is weird

While in LA I met up with my old roomates Chris, Miles, and Kevin and we went to the pier.

I could not find Pamela

This is weird. Cop on roof?

Chris loves nachos

Kevin and miles love....to finish their drinks

I like the pacific!

There was a farmers market. mmmmmm berries!

I knew I could fill the governators shoes.

My sister's final project.

The Fam

Miss you all!

Heydå

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We stayed all five nights in Pula which is on the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula. The plan was to stay with a couchsurfer in Pula for the first couple days and then go up the coast to stay with another host in Porec. At the last minute the guy in Porec canceled! We were quite worried about where to stay because there are no hostels in that part of Croatia and hotels are expensive. We ended up staying all five night with Dave and his dog Riley. Dave was a chiropractor from New York who just moved to Croatia. He was super nice and had a sweet apartment overlooking the water. Dave had free time so he showed us around and even adjusted our backs! It felt great. I recommend it.

Here was the view from Dave's place.

Sanna and spent most days exploring the coastline.

As you can see, the water was amazing!

There were almost no tourists so we had this beach all to ourselves

After so many months in cloudy Sweden I promptly fried my feet in Croatia.
Sunblock was really hard to find for some reason. I guess Croatians dont burn.

Here is Dave and Riley; our gracious hosts.

A mile from Dave's place is the 6th largest Roman arena in the world

Dave adjusted my back and neck. It felt great. I didnt know anything about chiropractic work but Dave filled me in and now I can say SEE ONE. Thanks Dave!

There are lots of old cars in Croatia...and older car cover methods.

While exploring a national park we found the coolest bar EVER!! Here is the sign.

and the seating

and the swings

And the ping pong table

and the bar

Can you read the sign? Thats right, SELF SERVICE!! The taps face out! You pour your own drink and put the money in a bowl. Now that is trust!

The bar also had a slide, merry go round and lookout tower. It a bar for the kid in all of us. I loved it.

With Dave driving we were able to explore some of the beautiful coastal towns. Check out the boat parking at this harbor.

Sanna ordered some ice cream and got this:

Cool huh.

We went on a cave tour. Super cool and creepy.

There was a rare species that lived in the underwater lake.

While you are waiting for the cave tour you can ride a donkey. Not my thing but sanna was all about it.

Overall it was a great trip. Thanks for everything Dave!

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This blog will have no plot. It is just pictures and comments from my past three months in Sweden.

When I returned to Sweden from my winter trip I moved into a new apartment. It is much smaller than my old one and does not have the great view like my last place. The good thing is that it is $100 a month cheaper. Here is my view:

I have 162 square feet which includes a bathroom, kitchen, mudroom, bedroom, office, dining room,....not really. I can sit on my bed and touch the desk, stove, fridge, sink, and bathroom all at once. Cool huh!

This was also waiting for me when I moved in:

Sanna had bought me all the best candy from Finland and even black licorice vodka. Finnish people love black licorice flavored everything. I don't. She is trying to convert me to the dark side but it wont work!

Oh yeah, this is Sanna:

Sanna Rocks!
Attention male engineers: This is what engineers look like in this part of the world!

The weather in Sweden has been uncommonly warm so we only got a dozen days of snow. I rode my bike to school every single day. Including this day:

All bike shops sell studded bike tires for the hardcore bikers. I didnt have them though...

The snow melted fast and March was the warmest in Sweden for over 100 years. People were in shorts and sandels. Then on Easter is snowed again. Crazy.

Here is an interesting bike I spoted a few weeks ago. Its like west coast choppers meets the Beverly Hillbillies.

How often do you see the rescue diver responding to a ladder truck call?

Have you ever seen a mutant bell pepper? Weeeiiiirrrrrddddd!

What is this for?

Can you guess what the most popular car companies are in Sweden? Do you know which car color is the 2nd most popular in Sweden?

I went for a walk in the neighborhood around my place. If these pictures do not say Sweden then I dont know what does:

My university has two campuses and one is on the other side of the river so you get to take a ferry. I like boats

There was a ski/snowboard jump competition a week ago at the university. I went to it in 2004 and there was a huge snowball fight. This year it was so warm there should have been a swimsuit competition instead.

Moosies are big!

I am going to Croatia with Sanna to get some real sun. Round trip tickets from Sweden for $75!!!! If you are lucky I will post some pictures of our trip soon.

Bye for now

Mike

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I finally met up with her and we took a walk through Hyde park. Here is an old couple out for their evening metal detector walk.

Erin had a sweeeeeeet company apartment in central London. I'm sure it would cost thousands to rent but Accenture hooks it up. I actually didn't get to spend much time with Erin since I was only there two days and she is a busy busy girl. She is a great cook and has a soft couch. Thanks Erin, You Rock!

I spent my one touristy day in London walking around and visited two of my favorite museums ever: The Inperial War Museum and the Tate Museum of Modern Art. On the way to the museums I passed Big Ben and the London Eye:

This thing is awesome!

I like the war museum not because I like war but because I like the rich history and amazing technology. Tanks also work as back scratchers.

Then it was on to the Tate. You cant take pictures inside the showrooms but you can in the main hall. The featured piece was a towering set of tube slides!!! I rode the top one!! It was fast!! I want one!!!

Randomly in the Museum I ran into an English friend of mine who studies in Sweden. Weird! We then walked along the Thames river to tower bridge. No this is not London Bridge!

We went our seperate ways and I was on a plane back to Sweden the next day.

Overall during my month long trip I spent only $850. That included all flights and food and housing and...everything. Thank you sooooo much to those who helped, housed, fed, or otherwise made my trip kick ass. I owe you big time!

Over and out,

Mike

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I spent most of the bus ride talking with Peter, Kathryn, and some not so bright guy who moved to Spain to play roller hockey. He was not so bright because he constantly told stories that made him look like a fool. Sorry dude but I fear for your safety sometimes.

Ok back to the other two. Peter and Kathryn were both about my age and were travelling for a few months just because. Both had quit their jobs and didn't know exactly what to do next. Peter was going to settle in Paris soon just for the fun of it and Kathryn was moving on to travel Asia. She is actually in Malasia now and loving it more than Europe. Since I had no couch arranged in Sevilla the three of us decided to all look for a hostel. They also had maps and guidebooks and I didn't...

After being rejected from two posh looking hostels we settled on getting a three bed hotel room in a not so posh hotel. It was cheaper though and we got our own bathroom which is nice.

That night we wandered around and were suprised at the number of American college students everywhere. I found out there were many study abroad programs and language schools in Sevilla. We finally found a bar with Spanish people in it and it was sweeeeeet. One euro beers, dogs, dreadlocks and a bunch of guys singing and clapping Flamenco style. We were super out of place but the people were nice.

The next day we began our exploration. Check out this tiny car that is so small it can park with the motorcycles.

Most streets in the inner city are so narrow that only small cars and motorcycles fit. Lots of backing up goes on.

We met another American girl at a cafe and she showed us around town some. Here are some colorful buildings bordering the palace garden:

The Sevilla Gang:

Peter, Lizzi, Kathryn, and me

After exploring Sevilla's gardens, cathedral and old town(this could be any european city really since they all have these three things) it was bar time. Two nights in a row we went to a great Flamenco bar. Flamenco is a song and dance style that originated in southern Spain. It is characterized by a guitar player, a singer/clapper and a woman dancing in a flowing flowery dress. Its dramatic and fun.

Tapas was another Spanish highlight I recommend. Its pretty much lots of small plates with different types of food. Something good for everyone. I'm not sure exactly what I ate. I wish I remembered more of high school Spanish.

Another day of checking out the cool neighborhoods and shops and it was time to part ways. I was on my way to London and they had more of Spain to see. Always short but always sweet.
............................................................................................
This is only one of many entries about my month long winter trip. There are only afew pictures here so if you want to see more then check out http://picasaweb.google.com/mikerwallace

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The friend I was supposed to stay with in Lisbon was out of town until the next day so my last couchsurfing host Gabs called her friend Hugo in Lisbon and he said I could crash at his place for a night. What a sweet place! Right downtown, big, modern, and best of all my own bedroom, for FREE!!

Hugo was an early 30's physical education teacher who loved cooking, Nine Inch Nails, and incense. He was super laid back, quiet, and very hospitable. His girlfriend Sofia was also great. I have never seen a couple so affectionate. They even held hands and crossed feet while eating dinner. In Hugo's words they are still "burning". Cute huh! That night I walked around Lisbon and luckily caught all the cities Christmas lights before they were to take them down the next day.

Here is the largest (fake) Christmas tree in Europe:

The lights did a cool show that made the bells swing.

That night Hugo and Sofia took me to some hip bars. One had cabbage ceiling lights and concrete furniture. Weird. Cool.

The next day I explored the city. Very hilly like Porto and some very different neighborhoods. A great place to take pictures. What was weird is Lisbon is the San Francisco of Europe. It has cable cars and a bridge that looks super similar to the golden gate.

Here is one of the many street ascents. You can see the castle in the back.

Even at those sidewalk cafes the beer was less than 2 euro. Portugal was beautiful AND cheap. My kind of place!

I walked around all day seeing the sights and waiting for my friend to call me about staying at his place. He never called. I called him in the evening and he said he was too busy to see me or let me crash at his place. WHAT THE F#*@!!! He said I could stay with him 2 days earlier. What do I do now. He is sooooo off the friends list.

Lukily Hugo was sympathetic and let me crash at his place again. He even cooked for me again and took me out to another sweet bar. THANKS HUGO, YOU ROCK!!!!!!!

The next day I took a train 30 minutues out of Lisbon to a nice beach town Sofia recommended.

Lots of colorful boats everywhere.

I took a couple hundred pictures that day. They comb the beaches and everything was clean. Surfers were out and the afternoon was sunny. It was around 70 degrees F but the Portugese were all bundled up. It was funny because I was walking around in a T shirt. Hugo said only tourists do that. Oh well I got to soak up the sun when I can.

You dont see beachfront castles much in the US.

That night after dinner with Hugo and Sofia we went to see a movie. The theater was on the top floor of an apartment buiding. You had to walk up the stairs past everyones front doors. Im sure they love that. The movie was a funny Turkish remake of Star Wars. Very odd but entertaining.

The next morning I was on another bus to Sevilla, Spain...

Check out more pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/mikerwallace

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Getting there was not so much fun though. My flight was out of Dublin at 6 am and I was in Belfast. In the middle of a dark and stormy night I walked a mile at 2am through Belfast and sat at a bus stop. No one was around except the occasional passing taxi and the homeless guy sleeping across the street. I must have looked a little scary since the other people who showed up for the bus avoided me. My black clothes, hooded sweatshirt, scruffy face, and low hat are sometimes good for urban camouflage. I dont look like a gullable travelling foreigner so I don't get treated like one. On the other hand people are less likely to start up conversations.

I caught the bus to Dublin airport and finally got some sleep. Two hours of bus sleep later I was at the airport. Two hours of plane sleep and an awesome sunrise later I was in Porto, Portugal.

WTF! Raining and Cold! I want my money back. Oh well.

I explored the steep back street alleys of Porto for most of the day. I was meeting Gabriela that night to stay at her place. I met her through www.couchsurfing.com and she said I could crash at her place for a couple nights. Couchsurfing is a great website/community with the soul purpose of connecting people with places to stay for free while travelling. Its by travellers, for travellers. Check it out.

I was super tired from not really sleeping the night before and I had hours to go before I met Gabriela so I needed a warm place to rest. Where can someone rest for free...the library! I grabbed a Portugese book, found a soft chair and was out like a light. Jerked awake an hour later. Another tip: The top floors of public libraries are also good place for clean and quiet toilets

Met up with Gabriela and went to her SUPER SWEEEEEEEET place. She is an engineer who has travelled more than anyone I ever met. She lives for travelling and enjoys meeting different people. That is why she is couchsurfing host and that is also why she kicks ass. Thanks Gabs! I had my own room and so did the other Canadian traveller staying with her. Gabs took Doug and I to some cool bars and even an unmarked nightclub where you have to knock to get in.

I spent the next two day wandering the city and the nearby beaches. Every night Gabs was the entertainer. Ok its time for pictures...

Finally a warm sunny beach!

Old beach Comber

Later I went to another beach with tons of surfers. Attention CA surfers: Go to portugal!

I met up with Canadian Doug and we walked across the river to go Port wine tasting. Good stuff.

Here is a shot back at the main city waterfront.

And a shot of me

Unfortunately most of my city shots were taken on the cold rainy day so I left them out.

Soon I was on a bus to Lisbon. The plan was to stay with a Portugese guy that studies in Sweden with me. That was the plan...

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And on with the blog...

Ireland is greeeeeeen. No doubt about it . It was last time I was there and it still is now. Anything you have heard about Ireland being green is true. The problem is that the other half of your view (especially in winter) is grey. I was there a few summers ago and saw some sun but even in summer you can experience rain, hail, mist, and even a rock shower in one day(I have only heard of rock showers but apparently they can happen in certain parts of Northern Ireland).

I went to Northern Ireland to visit my friend Ciaran for Christmas and New Years. Ciaran was one of my roommates last time I lived in Sweden and now he is back in Belfast getting his Ph.D. He is also actively pursuing a career in photography. Check him out at http://ninja2.livejournal.com. There is even a picture of me in there!

I spent Christmas with Ciarans family pictured here.

They had a super decorated house and a massive collection of Christmas cards. You can see some of them on the back wall. I even got some Christmas presents from his family. Warm clothes of course and socks for the traveller. Thanks Ciaran and family!

We went mountainbiking in the mud but unfortunately our bikes had no fenders. You should get fenders when you go because this is what happens:

I have never had so much stuff in my eyes before that day.

Other fun outdoor activities in Northern Ireland included hiking cave hill. If you want to know why its cave hill then check out my other pictures on picasaweb linked above. Here is me and the man at the summit.

The hike was gruelling, treacherours, and we had to turn back on two previous occasions due to weather. We were the only ones to summit except some school girls and the 80 year old man who took our picture.

I bet you didn't know that the small town of CastleWellen has the largest hedge maze in Europe...now you do. I got lost for more than 30 minutes and had some 5th grade girls tell me how to get out. When I say get out I mean get more lost! Thanks for nothing girls!

New years was at a house party. There was no countdown, only a bell chime at 12. I was thrown off. I love the countdown part! Everyone linked hands and sang some song and jumped around. I just kinda made noise since I didn't know the words. Anyways it will still fun.

Thanks for everything Ciaran and the Branney family!!!

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And on with the blog...

School was done for the next month. I had spent nearly 4 months in the same country...boring! It was time to get back into the travelling groove, see the world and really mix things up...Norway! (That should be funny b/c Norway is very similar to Sweden..get it...fine, I suck)

I took a bus to Norway. The intention was to see a Big Bang concert (Great band thats super popular in Norway. They sing in english and are moving to LA soon. Check them out!). When we got to the Norway border the bus was stopped and a drug sniffing dog was put on the bus. Guess who the dog liked...ME! You know me, I always carry tons of drugs They questioned me and searched me and everyone thought I was some American drug addict or something.

When I finally got to Oslo (Capital City) I met up with a Swedish guy I know there (Thanks Tobias!!!). He had a sweet place with a spare couch that I crashed on for 3 nights. I walked around Oslo during the day and we hung out at night. Here are some shots I took while wandering around:

Trees after sunset

There is an awsome park in Oslo that has tons of gates and statues done by one artist over 100 years ago. Here is one of the gates.

I have been to Oslo 3 times and I always go to this park. This time it was misty. Very cool...below freezing actually.

Then I walked down to the waterfront and saw this sunset:

The next morning it was off to the airport and on to Ireland...

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Now I have a new bike, or at least new to me. I decided not to buy another bike and instead build a bike. There are always mangled bike carcasses in the bushes around my apartment so I pieced afew of them together and made a mutant hunk of junk. It doesn't really stop or shift or operate quietly but it gets me around. Maybe its for the better because now I can't ride full speed in the street with the cars like I used to.

Speaking of bikes, check out this all platic one (it's not mine).

On a happier note I went to a great cocktail party put on by some Swedish friends. Here is a picture of one of the many weird drinks they came up with.

If you look closely you can see the champagne flowing down a big drill bit. Yes, they are engineers and yes it was clean.

Thanksgiving is just another day in the rest of the world. Fortunately I got invited to a catered thanksgiving dinner by the woman who started the exchange program with Cal Poly. She is a memeber of an American club in Sweden who get together on American holidays. Here is a picture of her and the other students from Cal Poly.

My friend Sara moved into a new place. Check out the dinner she prepared!!

It took me like 2 hours to get all the meat out of that thing. Thanks for being patient Sara!

My friend from Cal Poly (and PG&E) who is studying in Spain came to visit me along with three other American friends of hers. I took them out to the islands and we had a blast.

Megan is second from the right.

Göteborg is all lit up for the holidays. They converted a fountain to an ice skating rink.

Next to the rink was a singing Christmas tree!

Here is me messing around in a grocery store. I like these product names.

I don't like FUN light. Who would? I need full strength fun!

Christmas plans:

12/20-12/22 Oslo, Norway staying with a Swedish friend and seeing aBig Bang concert.

12/22-1/4 Ireland with my old roommate from last time, Ciaran

1/4-1/13 Portugal. Lisbon with a friend from there. Rest of country solo

1/13-1/16 London to visit a friend and then back to Sweden to start building a race car!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. The cards are in the mail.

Ciao

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Can you find the white dog?

Brrrrrrrrrrrr

To escape the snow I went to Copenhagen, Denmark for the weekend. I stayed with the sister of one of my old roommates. Meet Heather:

Heather is a CalPoly architecture student who is studying in Copenhagen. There are actually more than a dozen CalPoly students in Copenhagen so I hung out with a slice of home.

Copenhagen is a super bike friendly city. Check out this bike parking lot in the city center:

Bikes were EVERYWHERE. There were so many bike that they used hand signals to avoid accidents in the bike lanes. weird. Cool.

We spent most of the weekend wandering the city. Here is the ramp up to the top of a tower.

It wrapped up 7 times before you get to the top! Here is the view:

Another interesting building:

If you look closely, the tower is made from the tails of beasts.

I went out to the bars with a group of CalPoly kids. We were in luck because that night and that night only Carlsberg Christmas beer was FREE! Thats right, FREE BEER! The only drawback was that they had jingle bells cranked. We couldnt take it so we left early, or just in time if you ask some. Here is the party crew:

OK. Some people are asking me if I am actually going to school because I rarely talk about it in the blogs. Yes, I go to school. I am currently working on two different things: my masters thesis and the formula student team. These things combined are a full time commitment. The thesis is not very exciting right now because I spend my time reading technical papers. The hard part is next: Taking all this material bouncing around in my head and forming my own insightful thoughts on the subject. Unguided independent thought is hard. Ug!

The formula student team is, of course, becoming an even larger commitment than I planned. I am not only a member of the technical communication team, I am also an advisor to the suspension and unsprung mass teams. Since I have done most of this stuff before I am also meeting with the faculty advisor to help plan things. Its fun but time consuming. It will all be worth it when we win!

Heydå från Sverige,

Mike

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I almost choked! Do you know how much that is in US Dollars? $957.61!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right. Nearly $1000! What the hell is it made of? Baby seals!? Actually it was just a big down parka with a gore-tex shell and a fluffy fur collar. I did'nt try it on. I did'nt even touch it after that for fear I might mess it up and have to buy it. I did'nt buy any jacket at all. The cheapest one I like was over $250 so I went online and saw it for $150 in the US. I think I'll become an illegal importer to make some money on the side.

A couple days ago the sun actually came out. The trees are turning colors and losing thier leaves fast. The fall colors are quite nice. Here is a picture from the roof of my apartment building:

Check the weather forecast that I saw when I logged online the other day:

I miss the sun! That report was a few days ago. right now it is almost freezing outside. It's hovering at 33 degrees! I am looking forward to the snow. It could start anyday now with these temps.

Last week I went to a soccer game. The local team was playing a home game and we got free tickets. The cheap seats are'nt even seats, you have to stand! Here is a picture of Jay (England), Me, and Erica (CalPoly) at the game.

They really know how to cheer here. There is one section where all the hardcore fans sit and scream their heads off. They have dozens of songs and chants with different dancing/jumping routines. To keep them in sync, they have a conductor who starts and stops all the songs so its quite organized. Then there are the guys with drums....

I met Juleitte Lewis on Saturday night, backstage at her concert. I knew she was an actress but she actually has a rock band too, Juliette and the Licks. An American guy I know here is friends with the guitarist so after the show we went backstage. Backstage the beer is free but in front of the stage a bottle is $7!! I told her the show was good and really high energy. She says it was bad because she was singing flat. We chatted for another minute while she did a funny iceskating thing on a towel to clean her feet. She was cool. Then we hung out with the band while they complained about their European tour. Getting paid to ride around Europe in a posh bus and rocking out everynight must be horrible! They were really nice and kept telling us to drink their beer. We hung out for about an hour and then they went to bed early, mostly sober, and without any of the Swedish groupies. Sorry but I did'nt take any pictures of them, or the groupies http://www.julietteandthelicks.com/

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One of the many bridges the boat has to go under is suuuuuuuper low! They call it the cheese grater. We cleared by less than 2 inches! You should have seen the look on everyones face when the tour guide said we are going under and you have to lay on the floor. Awesome!

Later on the boat tour we went out into the main shipping lanes. Göteborg has the largest port in Scandinavia. Check out this monster ship under repair in the dry docks:

I felt bad for the tour guide. She had to say everything three times. Once in Swedish, then English, then German. She was quite talented.

Last Sunday I went to the botanical gardens. The place was packed. Swedish people take every opportunity they can to enjoy the outdoors while the weather is nice. On request of my mother, here is another shot of me:

I finally used the flower mode on my camera:

This weekend was great. I saw two friends I have not seen since the last time I was in Sweden. One guy was an old roommate of mine here in 2004 and he never left Sweden! When he first moved to Sweden I showed him around, taught him some Swedish, and introduced him to Swedish people. This weekend he showed me around town, introduced me to his Swedish roommates and proved that he is fluent in Swedish. The tables have turned!

Ok I need to go to the gym before it closes.

Hejdå

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There is a lake near my place so I rented a canoe two weeks ago with a bunch of other international students. There were lots of little islands to explore. I named the smallest grassy one Nap Island and that is what we did there.

Here is another random building near my apartment

I Don't know why I like it, I just do.

I have a Masters thesis now. It not with a company but instead with a professor at the university. Here is the preliminary description:

Master's Thesis –Robotic Vehicle Control with Application to ESP Testing
The current stability systems used in cars are built using proprietary specifications for vehicle response. To compare the performance of different vehicles requires a system that can measure the vehicle dynamics under specific conditions and then reverse engineer the vehicle control specifications. The objective of this Master's thesis is to first develop a system that can reproduce the same test conditions in different vehicles in a repeatable manner. Specific topics to be addressed:

1) Assess the current state of the art for testing electronic stability systems
2) Identify the types of vehicle maneuvers that will allow stability programs to be analyzed
3) Develop a mechanical system that can steer, brake, and control vehicle speed independent of the driver
4) Collect vehicle data using the system and test maneuvers listed in 2) and 3)
5) Preliminary analysis of data and identify steps needed for a complete assessment procedure.

I am currently doing some background research on the subject and discussing the details with the professor. I have my own Saab to work with which is cool. It will be the biggest remote control car I have ever played with

As part of my masters degree program, I must be part of a project team. Once again I am on the Formula Student team. Instead of designing part of the car, I am one of two people in the communication subgroup. We will deal with all the related paperwork, sponsors, PR, marketing, and general organization. I am actually looking forward to it because this has been a problematic area for many teams. I am also an advisor to the suspension and unsprung mass group. The Chalmers 2006 formula student car is one of the fastest in the world! Hopefully we can do even better!

Last weekend I went to Stockholm for an AIESEC conference. It is a student organization that helps students find jobs in other countries. I drove a new Volvo V70 300 miles accross Sweden to get there. Driving in Stockholm was fun. I guess I scared/impressed some people with my "San Francisco" style of driving. They are not used to big city driving in Sweden.

Here is a picture of the front door of the Handel University of Economics in Stockholm where the conference was. Its very old and the door is super cool! You actually go in and out this way.

The weather has finally turned gloomy here. It is not expected to get better. I guess I will have to buy an umbrella and a good jacket. Two things I normally don't need at home.

Time for some Swedish flash cards and then it's bedtime.

God Natt från Sverige

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The coast of Sweden is littered with thousands of rocky islands. Many people live on these islands or at least have summer homes on them. I took a day trip with some other international students to the islands closest to Gothenburg. These islands are unique in that there are no cars. All the roads are narrow and people get around on bikes or these cool motorcycles/tricycles.

Here is one of the many small island harbors.

I like this garden fountain. Heavenly.

This house is a common example. Bright colors, green yard, and chairs out front.

Here are a couple of the people I went with: James from Cal Poly and Ian from Queens University in Belfast. Mmmmmm lunch.

......................................................................

Since the weekend sun continued into the week I took some more pictures of where I live.

Here is my building.

Exciting, I know. Notice all the bikes. It is rare for a student to have a car here. People of all ages ride bikes. They ACTUALLY obey all trafic laws too. Crazy!

Here is my living room, AKA the only room I have.

Notice the blankets/furniture covers. The sandpaper blankets that came with my apartment are just slightly softer than the steel wool couches. I know the walls are blank, I am working on it.

Here is my office/kitchen/bedroom.

Around the corner to the left is a minifridge, two burner stove, minioven and tiny sink. This place is actually really big for a student apartment. Other people have only enough room for a bed and desk.

Since I am on the topic of buildings, here are some more buildings on campus that I like:

I almost forgot. One perk of where I live is the park I cross to get to school. Here is the path I walk every morning.

I talked to a professor today about possible masters thesis work. Looks like I might be developing a remote controlled SAAB...

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Before I talk about Sweden check this out:

It's an ipod vending machine at San Francisco International airport. No Joke! This thing was full of every ipod product and accessory. Right next to it was the cell phone vending machine. There was even a line of asian tourists waiting to use the machines.

After flying through London and getting super searched I landed in Sweden. Raining! How fitting. I remember it as a rainy place and the memories came flooding back.

I spent my first 8 days in Sweden sleeping on my friend Mattias' floor while I looked for my own place. The university finds housing for exchange students but not masters students. Crap! After numerous, emails, calls, and appartment visits I still had nothing. I went to the offices of a housing management company and asked for help. They said use their webpage. I said it's no help and continued to give them my sob story until they offered me an appartment right on the spot! I now have a furnished studio appartment near the university with all utilities included for $540 a month. Most Swedish students don't believe I live in this building because the waiting list on the internet is around 3 years. I just got lucky I guess. A huge perk of this building is the pool on the first floor and the bar on the second. The best part is the bucket on a pulley between the bar and the pool. Hoist money to the bar, down comes beer! I'll get some picture of the setup later.

About the title: I have been sick for the majority of my time here. I am finally getting over a bad cold. Many international students are sick right now. Damn Swedish germs!

Ok, too much typing, back to the pictures.

Here is the view south from my balcony. Typical Swedish countryside. I am one mile from school and about 3 miles from downtown.

Here is the view north from my roof. This neighborhood is mostly students.

Classes have just started and should be good. I am currently talking to numerous professors about possible masters thesis work. I will hopefully have the masters degree in automotive engineering by June.

Here is popular lunch spot on campus. The building in the background is a restaurant. Much better food than anything on the calpoly campus.

The buildings on campus and all over the country for that matter are very cool to me. Sweden is very modern and stylish in every aspect. Check out the electrical engineering building.

Glass is heavily used in Sweden. I am guessing because of the limited light for the majority of the year. People here rairly have hats or sunglasses on, even on sunny days.

I hope this guy is not serious.
Bikes are very expensive in Sweden.

There has been no shortage of social events in the past couple weeks. I have been meeting tons of people daily. So far I have been hanging out with mostly people from english speaking countries. There are a few Americans, English, Irish, and Australians. We have a great time making fun of everyone else. They make fun of us too. Even the mayor gave a speech last night and made a crack about Americans. It's all in good fun.

I will post more pictues of where I live and who I hang out with soon.

Until then...

skål (Swedish for Cheers if you couldn't guess)

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