...and shit, but it's almost time you FUCKIN LEAVE US ALONE FOR A
BIT,
shall you? Ok, it's not that I don't like the sun. In fact
it's a welcoming sight when it winks back in February after four
months of polar night, but in summer it's a tad more irritating.
I want to share with you b0ggers the fact that up here in the north of
Norway the polar summer has come, and with it the infamous Midnight Sun.
Since the beginning of May we don't have "proper" night,
just some twilight around midnight up to 3 AM. Then, as mid-may approaches,
the sun refuses to set and stays high in the sky from late may until
mid-july.
That might sound fun. For tourists it is. For me is a damn nightmare. You
can't sleep well, you can't rest your eyes - it's like
always being in a well-lit room without a chance to enjoy some light while
you're out to go to the pub or have a decent, intimate spot with your
woman. The sun is always there. Always. How does it feel like? Well, like
this:
What time do you think it is? 10:00 AM? 2:00 PM?
No way. It's half past midnight, today, on a street two blocks away
from my home.
Here we have a sort of "medical condition" called summer
hyperactivity. Usually some people during the summer months sleep less,
suffer hynsomnia and start being hyperactive and nervous, just because
their metabolism is always at a peak level, like it was always daylight,
and it waits for a night that will never come, to relax and basically slow
down, preparing for the night.
That's why the state prepared places called "nightariums"
where people can bask and relax in complete darkness. They're useful,
I too suffer hyperactivity sometimes but don't go in nightariums. I
prefer acting like a prick and bitching about.
Anyway, I remember something weird that happened to me 2 years ago.
I was home alone and building a bookshelf in the porch. I grew tired, so I
went inside and fell asleep on the couch.
Then I suddendly woke up, and didn't know how much did I overslept. So
I gave a look at the wall clock and saw it was four o'clock!
I remembered that it was Saturday, and I had to go to the supermarket
immediately before the beer stands shut down (in Norway, on Saturday, you
can't buy beer after 5:00 PM).
So I grabbed my linen bag and stormed down to the main street, towards the
Coop supermarket.
Once I reached the main street I couldn't see anything. Not a single
person was on the street, all the shops closed and I could only see a
couple of trucks in the distance.
So I began walking towards the main square to give a look at the digital
clock next to the domechurch. I just knew that I was going to be an idiot.
And in fact I did. It was 4:15 AM.
It's just like that. I should know better BTW. The position of the sun
varies in the whole 24 hours, and in the nighttime it tends to be more of a
"yellowish/orange" hue, rather than white. But on extremely clear
days it can really be a bitch. And on cloudy days - blargh - impossible to
tell if it's day or "night".
I know that generally people in Scandinavia (Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki to
mention a few) have this as well, but here's a bit more extreme.
2 AM.
Good night - those of you who can. It's 02:45 here and I still
can't get to sleep. I will haunt you all until I break loose and sleep
for a week straight when it August comes.
I had a nice unrelated, but I saved it for later. I now need sleep.
sleep.
sleep.
sleep.
...
posted by sisteskrik on Sunday 11th June 2006, 19:54:24
haha somewhat like alaska except right now from midnight(sunset) to
3am(sunrise) it looks like its about 4:30pm in the rest of the US where its
dim but you can still sit outside and read
you just seem to have the extreme, but i guess its the same in Barrow, the
most northern city in alaska, where they get sunlight all the time in
summer and none in the winter
good luck and do what i've done and invest in some blackout shades
I was about to say the same thing. I live in Sweden so it's dark
for just a hour or two so I just put a black sheet over the window and
it gets dark in the room.
I can't. Black sheets just don't do enough. I've
been in Stockholm last summer and it's indeed light during
the nighttime - but some tents are enough to shed some
darkness.
I've got the midnight sun right over my windows (from SW) so
it needs just more than a simple sheet. When it's not
clouded, the sun filters thru the sheet's fabric, and to the
sides and so on.
I don't mind, I'm used to it of course, but it makes me
nervous as a side effect.
ANDIHAVETOVENTSOMEWHEREEEEEEEEOOEGREHGSJDFHthà#€#yge
HB0GWASMADEFORSUCHTHINGS.
juckum on Monday 12th June 2006, 06:01:20 (#35584)
Here in Stavanger (South-west coast) we have night from about 1:00
'till 6:00 in the morning, but I'm able to sleep. Unlucky for
"the jævla nordlænningan" :D:D.
Thelula on Thursday 15th June 2006, 15:06:08 (#35660)
Hey sisteskrik, thanks for the insight into how things happen in your part
of the world. I know what you mean about wanting to be alone with your lady
in the evening in the dark - for extra 'romance'. Cool. :o)
Dear Sun, I know you're our friend...
