Well that’s disappointing…
The Oslo House of Literature may not become the writerly hangout I was hoping for. I’d nested in on a comfy corner table, ready to get some work done when I was told to vacate the seat as the area was only for people who were going to eat (my expensive coffee did not qualify). I haphazardly gathered my things, went to the other side of the room—more cramped—less table space—less conducive to writing and looked around, trying to puzzle out the now mysterious laws of etiquette in the now alien place—unsure of how to get to work, let alone explore all the wonders I thought were on the upper floors. What I thought was paranoia blossomed into unwelcomeness.
I watched the waiter fix up the still undisturbed, would-be table, as if a plague rat had died there and liquefied.
No wonder the same waiter gave me the evil eye during my whole first visit.
Maybe all the bindings on the wall were just decorations. Maybe this is really a House of Dinner—the books more a theme than a function (the way a Rain Forest Cafe allows you to feel like your in the jungle without any actual heat or having to be around animals—you could see books while you eat without having to open them or see the unsightly way they are birthed or the smelly creatures that make them). I chugged my coffee (a double shot—and now I’m jittery like Rikki-Tikki-Tavi on crack), exited like a piece of riffraff, and walked back to my apartment…which brings us to now.
I’ll have to keep searching for a proper away-from-home writing nest, but for now, I best just get to work.
Pity, as I was looking forward to writing out tonight.
Joshua Alan Doetsch 
Ah, Raven Boy.
BURN IT TO THE GROUND.
Then piss on the ashes.
It will be beneficial both to your bladder and the general run of poverty-stricken Scandinavian writers everywhere.
Then you may build a MIGHTY PALACE out of the urine and ash, where all writers might gather in a writerly manner, with or without the purchase of entrees.
That might be a little extreme.
But then…who was it that said the Temple of Excess is the Temple of Knowledge? I forget…
csecooney said:
Ah, Raven Boy.
BURN IT TO THE GROUND.
Then piss on the ashes.
It will be beneficial both to your bladder and the general run of poverty-stricken Scandinavian writers everywhere.
Then you may build a MIGHTY PALACE out of the urine and ash, where all writers might gather in a writerly manner, with or without the purchase of entrees.
Korea’s similar
A lot of places will kick you out if you don’t order food. Do Norwegian versions of fast-food joints charge more for eat-in than for carryout? That’s pretty common outside the U.S. too.
Re: Korea’s similar
The fast food places don’t charge more. But that might be because they’re so expensive to begin with. I wouldn’t have been surprised by the treatment at an actual restaurant. But the House of Lit’s website touts itself as an enlightened, multi-functional place that welcomes all sorts of people, artists, and thinkers. It’s powered by big grants.
I’ve only been there twice now, to write, so my experience may not be typical or I may not just get the unwritten rules of the place (I haven’t seen the upper floors or what they have to offer).
I’ve sent emails inquiring about the process of getting a key-card to use their upstairs writing offices that they offer. But I was passed on to a different person’s email and then never heard back from them.
mrs_borglum said:
Korea’s similar
A lot of places will kick you out if you don’t order food. Do Norwegian versions of fast-food joints charge more for eat-in than for carryout? That’s pretty common outside the U.S. too.
nevermore_66 said:
Re: Korea’s similar
The fast food places don’t charge more. But that might be because they’re so expensive to begin with. I wouldn’t have been surprised by the treatment at an actual restaurant. But the House of Lit’s website touts itself as an enlightened, multi-functional place that welcomes all sorts of people, artists, and thinkers. It’s powered by big grants.
I’ve only been there twice now, to write, so my experience may not be typical or I may not just get the unwritten rules of the place (I haven’t seen the upper floors or what they have to offer).
I’ve sent emails inquiring about the process of getting a key-card to use their upstairs writing offices that they offer. But I was passed on to a different person’s email and then never heard back from them.
Eating is not a problem…
Um dude, so why didn’t you just order some food?
Re: Eating is not a problem…
On some days I might have. But I had already eaten and was ready to get to writing and am used to coffee houses that let one do that if you but order a cup or two of coffee.
I’m more bummed about the long term as eating out is freakishly expensive in Olso and I won’t be able to afford it every time I want to duck out the apartment and write somewhere.
joliefleur98 said:
Eating is not a problem…
Um dude, so why didn’t you just order some food?
nevermore_66 said:
Re: Eating is not a problem…
On some days I might have. But I had already eaten and was ready to get to writing and am used to coffee houses that let one do that if you but order a cup or two of coffee.
I’m more bummed about the long term as eating out is freakishly expensive in Olso and I won’t be able to afford it every time I want to duck out the apartment and write somewhere.
nevermore_66 said:
That might be a little extreme.
But then…who was it that said the Temple of Excess is the Temple of Knowledge? I forget…
You might have more luck finding a writer friendly place on the east side of town.
Perhaps at Grünerløkka. This place looks interesting: http://www.lufthavna.no/havna
Hmmmmmm….I think I may have to try that place this weekend.
darkamber said:
You might have more luck finding a writer friendly place on the east side of town.
Perhaps at Grünerløkka. This place looks interesting: http://www.lufthavna.no/havna
nevermore_66 said:
Hmmmmmm….I think I may have to try that place this weekend.