Each year on the 17th of May, Norwegians fill the streets celebrating by waving flags and cheering – the 17th of May is the day the Norwegian Constitution was adopted in 1814. … On May 17, 1814 the Constitution of Norway was signed in. At the time, this was considered one of the most radical democratic constitutions in the world, now it is the oldest in Europe and second oldest in the world that is still in use. The Constitution declared Norway to be an independent nation. … Norwegian Children know that on this day they will generally be allowed to eat as much ice cream as they wish. Also, it is very common to eat many pølse (hot dogs) on this day. … On the 17th of May, Norwegians will wear their finest clothes. Many Norwegians wear their Bunad, this is a traditional Norwegian costume that is specific to where they are from. In Norway there are at least 200 styles of Bunads. The designs are elaborate, hand-made, with embroidery, scarfs, shawls, and gold or silver pieces. Learn more here

From Antony Gormley:
How can you make a work that becomes a way of looking again at a city rather than
simply occupying it?

My solution was to repeatedly cast the same simple bodyform and put it around the
town, one on every contour the height of the sculpture.

So the whole of downtown Stavanger has been mapped in 1.95 meter contours. One
sculpture lies more or less anywhere on every contour line.

They are displaced vertebrae from an imagined column, the head of one connecting to
the foot of the other. They are all facing out to sea, 8 degrees west of true north, the
first one in the museum and the last in the sea.

These single-skin body forms are the simplest way to identify the space of the body
as a contained space, by wrapping the body as a single surface.

I think of them as uninscribed objects; they don’t memorialize anyone in particular.
Each one simply identifies a human space in space and shifts attention from the
intrinsic qualities of the sculptures to the context that contains them.

Today, a friend of mine was reading the back of a water bottle in Spanish class. The label said that it was imported from Norway. She looked confused and said, “What the heck is Norway?” Some friends and I successfully convinced her that Norway is similar to a Walgreens, and will be opening shortly across town. MLIA

Today while stuck in traffic on the interstate my roommate and I played rock-paper-scissors with the kids in the car in front of us. Best. Rush hour. Ever. MLIA

A few years ago our school had some American students visit for the day (I am Australian). I got linked up with my American buddy for the day and she attended all my classes with me. When it came to say goodbye she looked so confused and I asked her what was wrong. She said “Today was great, but I still couldn’t find where you keep the Kangaroos you ride to school with”. I laughed until I saw she was serious. MLIA.

Today whilst at the traffic lights i noticed that someone had drawn faces on the lights. There was a sad face on the red one, a neutral face on the orange and a really happy face on the green. Thanks mystery graffiti artist for making traffic jam fun. MLIA

Last night, I couldn’t fall asleep so I decided to turn on the TV. Right as I turned it on George Lopez said “you couldnt sleep either?”. It made my night.MLIA

Yesterday I was at Walmart buying tampons when I ran into my boss. Today at work he brought me chocolate. I love my boss. MLIA

Today, my mom called our house phone and asked if I was home from school safely. I answered and told her I wasn’t there yet. She reminded me to call me the moment I got inside and hung up. I wonder how long it will take her to realize. MLIA

Today, I was driving down a small neighborhood street when I noticed my friend driving the opposite way. I decided to stick my hand out the window and see if he would high-five me. He did. It hurt. A lot. MLIA

Today I learned that the Welsh term for Microwave is popty ping. I am never calling it a microwave again. MLIA

Today my dad almost got hit by a police car that started drifting into his lane. The police officer was texting. MLIA.

Today I was teaching my 3 year old the ABC. I asked him what apple started with, and he said A. I asked him what banana started with and he said B. I asked him what a car started with, and he answered “Duh mommy a key”. That kid is going places. MLIA

Today, I saw a homeless man holding a sign that said, “I bet you can’t hit me with a quarter.” I was extremely bummed when I realized I had no change with me. MLIA

Today I was having a bad day so my mom made me some playdough and gave me a bucket of cookie cutters to play with. I am 18 years old. I’m glad she still knows what makes me happy. MLIA

Today I was chewing some bubble gum. I looked inside the package, and it said “Made with real bubbles.” It made my day.

Yesterday I was on facebook and found out that my mom has a facebook account. Today, I found out that she denied my friend request. Guess who’s not getting a crayon colored mother’s day card this year? MLIA

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