When I arrived home about 4pm yesterday I turned on the tv to get a quick summary of the news and heard about one person having been shot to death at Virginia Tech. A half hour later it rose to 15, then 20 and finally at/around 33. Whenever a tragedy hits, somehow I´m more attentive to my surroundings, the pleasant weather and normal activity transpiring around me. It was interesting to hear several BBC and Sky News commentators, both from England. They simply could not comprehend America´s gun laws and the violence associated with them. From here in Iceland it seemed all the more strange. I asked a few people at work ho understandably were horffified. 'It´s Bush´s fault' said five. Of course, not true, but this remark shows the deep-seated animosity towards W.

Yesterday I set in motion renewal of both living and work permits, one year close to being completed. Dealing with that dept. is not pleasant as had been my experience last summer. This time the computer was down. Then I was told that as a citizen from a non-EU country, I should have applied three months ago. That went contrary to info they told me early March, one month. However, I´m not surprised. Later in the day (today) I visited several places for print-outs of tax forms, etc, with one more to go under the vague heading of "social services." I guess it has something to do with being a productive alien or whatever. I only hope tomorrow's visit to that office will conclude this run-around.

Last week I started to draw curtains to my bedroom when going to sleep because it was light around 5 am. This appearance of early light can be a bit difficult adjusting to. I heard that others have the same problem, but after a few weeks people get used to it.