mandel9000

After so much time spent indoors I got dressed in layers of wool, grabbed some reading material and the camera, and went out for a walk today. It was cold and beautiful outside. 

I’m currently reading Mayhem by Granta editor Sigrid Rausing. It’s a family memoir of sorts, about the Swedish Tetra-Pak heirs and the death of her sister-in-law Eva in 2012. The story is quite grotesque but the book is mostly about what it’s like to deal with addiction in the family, also philosophically, and about tragedy and mourning. I also finally finished the New Yorker exposé about the Sackler family and the opioid epidemic. True crime about Big Pharma. 

When I did the TCB tour last Christmas I posted some photos of the new Edvard Munch museum. This is a progress report. 

The Opera to the left there. What I particularly like about that building is that all the workshops are on ground level with huge windows, so one can get a glimpse of props, costumes and stage design when walking by. This is the wig room. 

All stage performers have their own sewing bust made to measurements. It’s quite funny because the 30 small and skinny ones are the ballet dancers and the 20 more robust ones are the opera singers. It’s very easy to tell which is which. 

This is the front:

That Italian marble is deadly when covered with a thin layer of ice, like today. I had sneakers on and got out of there quickly. 

This was around 3:30pm.

I crossed this bridge from that new part of town and went home. 

Poor me, I have the flu. Better today though, but I’ve spent the last couple of days in bed with nothing to report, so please excuse the lack of updates. 

On Friday, after popping a few pills and feeling somewhat up to task, I travelled to a barn to see an intimate invitation-only showcase with the Swedish duo First Aid Kit. 

This is me on the tube:

This is the band on “stage”:

The sisters were lovely but the whole thing left a sour taste in my mouth. Is this the state of things? Instead of fans, they had invited PR and event people, plus a lot of so-called influencers who experienced every second of it through their phone. Us sceptics got the last laugh when the organisers discovered that there’s no cell service in that area and that the influencers weren’t able to post anything on social media. The despair. Ha,  how ironic (in the Morrissette interpretation of the word)!

After that I went to an art opening that I really wish I had photographed, it was really good, but I checked my coat when I got there and left the phone in it. I’ll go back soon, will try again then. 

Well put, garden gnomes and Volvo! Ed, I don't mind people taking the piss out of me every now and then and I appreciate nasty jokes as much as the next person. More, even. Keep being you, by all means, just tone down the chauvinist banter. If this is going to be the reaction every time I post a fit pic, I'll simply stop posting them. It's getting tired and old and certainly won't encourage more women to participate here. Pro-tip: Next time you want to write nice hips, just go with nice fit. 

RE: front rise 

Comparing the official TCB size chart on the first page with my own after wash measurements, they're more or less identical. Mine measure <1 cm less in the waist, thigh and desired inseam. The only place where they differ significantly is the front rise which I have at 30 cm - 2,5 cm or a full inch higher than the TCB measurements. A deviation I for one am very, very happy about! 

I received the contest TCB 20s on Monday night and have been a bit occupied by them since (that whole soaking and measuring business), but tomorrow I'll be back in the Roys and documenting my leg again! 

Great news!

Let's see if this works... Pre and post wash + dry: 

Edit: Haha, apparently not. @aho, please teach me how to embed instagram. Thanks!
Edit 2: Figured it out!

Fingers crossed, @nycsurfer530!

No worries, Volvo! 

Do you know if any participants have yet to receive the jeans (or a shipping notification)? If we're all ready and eager to begin this week, maybe the 15th isn't too optimistic a suggestion after all. 

Mine is down from 33" / 84 cm to 30.25" / 78 cm after a 40 c wash and 45 minutes in the dryer. One cm below requested but that's fine!

It would make me very happy if we could just let that joke go and focus on the contest from now on. 

I did take some photos (and fit-pics) after washing and drying but the sun is going down right about now and they came out a little dark, so I think I'll wait until tomorrow. I've worn the jeans for half an hour now and they've already stretched out quite a lot. Very soft and comfy too. 

5 minutes ago, MJF9 said:

The belt loops with a little wear... 

You're way ahead, @MJF9!

Whoah, they shrank! Figured I'd take advantage of the industrial laundry in the basement of my building to get all shrinkage out before we begin. I brought a measuring tape and did some quick measurements when moving the jeans from the washer to the dryer just now. Rise was still 11.5-11.75" which is more than enough for me. Waist is spot-on at 30" and the inseam at 79 cm, just as requested. 

Aha! It's quite different from the main denim. Lighter (in weight) for sure, and at first I thought it looked a bit like duck. Will be interesting to see how it fades compared to the rest of the jean. 

Btw, I think the belt loops are in that denim (or was it duck?) that was initially used for the pockets before someone here noticed the mistake.

***Deleted***

Indeed! My biggest wish is for my cat to become a TCB model. 

A couple of initial thoughts: Excellent pre-soak fit!

I've been a bit worried about the rise being too low, but on my size 30 it measures a little over 12.5" or 32 cm now. I can't imagine that ending up (too) short after soaking/washing? We'll see! I'll take som pre-wash pics in daylight tomorrow and then go ahead and put them in the machine. 

I was just about to post something sad here, but then my phone rang. The contact info DHL had didn’t make any sense here, but luckily I’m the only person in Norway with my name and so the industrious delivery guy found me. Yay! 

And this is what usually happens whenever I put something on a surface to take a photo of it:

Very nice jacket, bartlebyyphonics!

Wooohooo! Congrats, Volvo! I haven't received a shipping notification yet, but great to know that it's so close to happening. 

Wow!

I had four meetings today, all in different places, and thus spent most of the workday walking between them. A nice break from the daily routine, I usually just sit in front of the computer. Anyways, I passed by a rather special place and took some photos. This is not a denim related post per se, but about the place where I live, which is part of a tour too I guess (hope!). 

First, one more of my view, just for context. I'm so happy that I have this balcony and this view. It's a real mood boost when I feel low - I just go out there and look at the "world" outside and feel my worries and problems diminish, just like that. To the right you can see a building taller than the rest in that area, dressed in scaffolding. That's the government quarter where the bomb went off on July 22nd 2011. 

As you can see below, it still looks like a construction site, six years later, mostly because of the ongoing debates about what to do with it. The government had decided to renovate/refurbish the buildings and the art there before the attacks happened, but so much was destroyed that tearing everything down and start fresh was then suggested.

Tearing down everything is probably the easiest option, and maybe cheaper too for all I know, but problem is that many people, especially those working in art or architecture and conservationists, believe that the buildings and original artworks should be preserved. There are among lots of renowned Norwegian artworks also five original murals by Picasso (see the wall to the left). 

More info and probably explained better in this recent piece in the Independent that came up when I googled for some of the terms and names here. 

My office is about three minutes away, two streets below and shielded by large buildings. When the bomb went off we first thought it was the elevator that crashed down, but when we opened the window (we have no direct line of sight), debris was falling on it and the sky was full of papers. We stayed put for about ten minutes, checking for online news, but the biggest newspapers were also based close and affected so no info was posted until later. When we decided to leave it was like walking into a disaster movie. People in our street were relatively unharmed, but most of the windows had broken and glass fallen down, so many were bleeding from wounds and even more crying or in shock. I made my way through as fast as I could, as the police closed off the area, and went home in the other direction and watched tv for the rest of that weekend. Such a surreal memory. 

And not to take anything away from those who suffered losses, lost loved ones or were injured that day, it's beyond horrible, but to think that there are places in the world were people live in those circumstances on a daily basis... It's just heartbreaking.

Hope this wasn't too much gloom.

To end on a high note: My cat frozen mid-wash on top of my records. Ten seconds later, fifty of them (records) were on the floor. 

Thanks! It's snowing in all other parts of the country it seems, but not in Oslo. The temperature fell to almost freezing today, so hopefully it'll start soon (for photographic effect I mean, personally I don't enjoy it that much). 

Roys are here! Just a quick teaser now, jeans and a very small sample of the Oslo skyline, more to come later. 

They look great by the way!