Per Sigurd Digre

Life in US before getting married.

Norway/Egypt, Feb2000.

I went with Tara to see her sister in Cairo, Egypt for a week, a very special experience indeed. Her sister Mariane and husband Mario are very nice in-laws to be.

I took Tara to Norway so she could meet my family and friends the next week. It was one very busy week of travelling around Oslo, Sarpsborg and the neighborhoods.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

My Bedford office is within biking distance from my condo, but since Oct99 I have worked with FiServ in Ft Lauderdale. Tara came down and spent most of December and January with me in Florida while I worked.

I have now worked with FiServ in Ft Lauderdale since 15 Nov. Florida is the dream destination during the cold winter months. I asked Tara to delay getting a job and come down and stay with me in Florida until we finish the two-week vacation in Egypt and Norway in February. We've spent a week in Orlando where we went to Universal Studios's new park and had a day of wind-tunnel skydiving with some colleagues. We've spent a few weekends travelling down and up from Florida Key's, Key West and Miami. We spent christmas in Bahamas, and had a dinner cruise around Ft Lauderdale harbor for the New Year's, Millenium night. The Y2K celebration down in Ft Lauderdale was rather lame, but on the other hand there was no 'extra' computer work to be done around Y2K either. Tara's last weekends down here we've spent seen monkeys and alligators.

Here's two video clips that require Windows Media Player: the Python, Internet???.

Sweet home, Billerica.

6 Nov 99, I bought my dear Tara a diamond ring and asked her to marry me, we're now engaged. The wedding has been scheduled to May 13 in Skjeberg Kirke, Norway.

31 Nov 99 I bought a 2 bedroom condo in Billerica, 3 miles from my office in Bedford. Tara moved with me to Boston and she settled in my condo, while I was working with my new client in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Tara's been there more than me, and she has since Mar99 had a job as forensic nurse with Lowell Hospital.

Nova Scotia cruise.

Week of 16-23 Oct I had a cruise with Norwegian Cruise Lines and my cousin Julie Williams from New York to Boston, Halifax, Quebec, Montreal, lots of food and nice relaxation.

Philadelphia and Tara.

I have been spending time with the same girl for a long time now, Taramarie, since Feb 14, 1999. She is a happy and entertaining woman whose presence gives me a lot of pleasure. We have travelled around every weekend seeing different parts of the east-coast from West Viriginia to Niagara Falls. I worked with Pierce Leahy in Valley Forge, Philadelphia for 18 months Apr98-Oct99.

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Visiting my home country. (Dec 21 to Jan 3)

I went home to Norway to see my dear family again after a year in US. All the members of the family (including the cats) were doing great. My sister Marianne's been steady with her Dutch boyfriend Evert for a year now living happily in grandma Marie's old house.
I have had two short busy weeks to meet so many friends, and I hope I haven't dissappointed anyone by not having had the time to drop by.

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Working out at Bally's.

Thanks to Stig, I started training in a serious manner again. 7 days a week, mostly fitness with a little bit of weights. Since I've been following the Zone diet (Stig's diet suggestion, a book by Barry Sears, "Enter the Zone"), I have gained a pound and decreased my bodyfat from 18% to 13%. .

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Visiting New Orleans.

I got a visit from my dear friend Stig in the beginning of November. We had planned to drive down to Texas, but decided it was enough driving and didn't go any further than New Orleans. For one week we've been driving, shopping and training. Stig is a fanatic about Nike stores, fitness and Balance bars. He certainly gave me the inspiration to start training seriously again. Which I certainly has not regretted since.

We had a great time in New Orleans and a very disappointing one in Jacksonville. We did enjoy the nice water in White Sands and Panama City. Driving was very nice, the weather was almost perfect and we had a good time on the trip. Then Stig flew down to Australia. I am looking forward for Stig's next visit.

Family visits.

My family from Norway have been visiting from 14 July to 2 August. I showed them around in Boston the first week and the two next weeks they have spent with my american cousins in Red Hook. My 15 year old sister, Ellen, has been visiting Erin Kutsch with her family down in Baltimore for a week.

Settling down in Boston.

Jan 21, I moved into a 2500 ft² (250m²) loft apartment in middle of central Boston that I share together with one other person. It has good space under the ceiling and a very nice view out over the city. There is also an elevator going straight from the street up into the apartment (with key). This apartment is situated on North Washington street 90, 200m from the North Station of central Boston, 800m from Massachussets General Hospital and 1000m to Boston Common (central park). There is a panoramic view in the direction of Old North Church. To get there by car drive the I 93 highway, exit to North station, go Causeway under the highway up to N.Washington street. Parking costs $15/day in the nearby parking lot.

I bought a sportscar on Jan 9.

After landing in Boston 17:00 Jan 3, of course Sabena managed to loose my luggage. Finally same morning 07:00 as I was checking out of Bedford Motel to go to work I got the luggage. I am sorry I have been a bit bad at keeping up contact with all my friends.

Progress Software Corporation in Bedford, Boston MA, signed a contract with me October 1 and I landed at Logan 3 January to start working for them on monday the 5th. I am working as a Progress associate consultant helping clients with their software projects.

Boston the city of joy.

The place I am living in is such a nice, high class city. They can boast some excellent universities including Harvard and MIT. Historically, it's the place they started the uprising against the English, Boston Tea Party, and wrote the constitution. Boston has a low rate of criminality and a very high educational rate. Nice areas surrounds it such as Cape Cod. My favorite football team is of course the Patriots.