Pyramid

Valentina's uncle Snorri Ásmundsson, a very humorously controversial artist, sharpens his thoughts in a plexiglass rendition of the Great Pyramid of Cheops at the intersection of Laugavegur and Skólavörðurstigur. I'm sure a dose of Pyramid Power has given this ecclectic Icelander a serious brain boost, and us Saturday strollers a good giggle.

Concert

Here's just a tiny slice of this weekend's Iceland Airwaves life: a gig by a local act (could it have been Jakobínarína?) at the alternative music boutique, 12 Tónar.

It's been lovely, as usual, having lots and lots of visitors here on the Lava Rock, especially ones who are here for music, music and more music. The festival's really for the tourists, anyway. Get's way too crowded at our local venues, making it hardly worth stepping out at night. But like I said before, it's nice to see new faces on our downtown sidewalks, and always a little sad when they're gone.

Sport

I knew as soon as posted my last entry that the weather would change.

As a matter of fact I actually knew while I was writing that I was jinxing the whole Indian Summer affair, at least in my own universe. But I went ahead anyway, accepting that we were long overdue for a cold snap. It was time to whip out the mittens and get on with it.

Fall is actually my favorite time of year, probably because I'm a late September baby. When I came across these footballers practicing on a recent chilly evening, I got nostalgic; many a teenage hour was spent by me out on the Cupertino High football field rehearsing drill team routines. Over and over again we'd whip out our moves, dancing about to the music of Mr. Gomez's two hundred-strong marching band, our breath hot and white under the field lights and our brows sticky with quick-cooled sweat. Though waiting with frozen fingers for the woodwinds or drumline to grasp those certain tricky measures was never fun at the time, watching these boys run about in the cold made me want to be back there again.

So say goodbye to summer and hello to a new and decidedly snappy autumn season, full of its own uniquely falltime pleasures...

Evening

It's a little cheap tossing skyline shots from our balcony onto a site dedicated to life in Reykjavik, but yesterday's sunset was a wonder.

We are slipping gently into winter here on the island: most days this last month have tipped to the better side of 10°C. To you readers in southern latitudes that may seem hyper-chilly (that's only 50°F!) but those in northern climes will know that a windless, sunny double-digit day, even the lowest double digit, is cause for joy.

I've been lax about noting celebrity visits to our lava rock, so let it suffice to know that Yoko Ono was here the other day, as well as director Atom Egoyan, Brendan Fraser and Dilana from Rockstar: Supernova performing with our very own Magni. I know I'm forgetting some slebs, but that's going to have to do for now.

A blogger named Antoine sent me a link to his site detailing his trip to Iceland, so check it out. Also, a certain Osman is starting up a kind of blog directory, Whole Blogs, so check that out as well (there are some interesting international sites linked on his site.)

More later...Have a groovy weekend!

Reykjavík

Been ages since I've added a new post but that's a good thing...I've been happily busy, you see.

This pic is shot from the top of the Hallgrímskirkja tower on a lovely day last year. Amazingly, the link I added above is for a Wikipedia article on this, our famously oversized church. But maybe not so odd after all when one of the first and very prolific writers for that prodigious online encyclopedia is an Icelander living in a small trailer somewhere New Mexico-ish, happily typing away and filing entry after entry on his native country.

Of course there is the ubiquitous exterior shot of the tower on the Wikipedia link, as well as one very similar to this one, taken in winter. I have to say, though, that I like mine better! ;-)