Hi! My name is Arild, and I wish you all a very warm welcome to my own private, little compartment on this blog. If you’re reading this, you may already know I won the web design contest that “Battlestar Galactica” composer Bear McCreary announced on his blog a while ago. Among other things, I won:

• 2 VIP Passes to “The Music Of Battlestar Galactica” Concert at the House of Blues, Thursday, July 23rd in San Diego (including open bar and exclusive autograph signing)
• exclusive behind-the-scenes access to Sound Check on the day of the show
• Bear’s personal baton (honestly, I didn’t know he had one) and signed set list used in the concert

Photo of me cheering and whooping after the announcement. (Not entirely true; this pic was taken in Budapest a year ago, but I imagine I did something similar.)

I’m sure this award will produce heaps of good memories and anecdotes, plenty enough for me and my friend to share with you guys along the way. And yes, I sincerely want to share this experience with all of you. I know how many Bear McCreary fans there are out there, even on the “wrong” side of the puddle. Considering your die-hard devotion to this man, I think it’s the only right thing to do.

So, as you can see, I’ve set up this mini-blog, which eventually will be an account of our journey across the Atlantic to the other side of Earth and to this strange and peculiar place called San Diego. You know, incidentally, I’ve heard rumors saying they have bears in San Diego. With this blog, I’m officially on a quest to confirm these rumors and find one! Preferably one with a goatee that plays the accordion and composes music for famous TV series. But I guess maybe that’s too much to ask for…

If you’re interested, you can read more on the details about the trip here and, of course, on the frontpage as soon as my friend and I start sending you postcards! (We hope that you will reply with one of your own!)

All I can say is thank you to the fans who seem to appreciate the new website that I’ve set up for the Battlestar Galactica Orchestra. Also, thank you so much to Bear and his crew for choosing my design out of the many that were submitted—and for what I’m sure will be a trip to be remembered and treasured!

Grab your gun and bring the cat in,