Ragnar the Mighty

my friend Alice invited me over on tuesday to come over and help cook supper for the person she's staying. randomly, the person shes staying with is Vala Ragnarsdóttir, dean of the school of engineering at the university of iceland (which isn't so random, Alice was giving a talk on sustainability at the university last week). so Alice has already started when i arrive, and i get busy helping with the cooking for 15 people. eventually everybody files in, and we have supper. of the 15 people i think something like 4 or 5 of us are ex-pats from europe and north america. the rest are icelandic, i think mostly Vala's family. i eventually get to sit down once the foods out and everybody is relatively happy, and get seated beside Vala's dad Ragnar.
apparently Ragnar was (is?) the owner of a big aluminum factory here in iceland, and was a big big producer of work and an economic force in his day. he was born here in Reykjavik 80 years ago, as was his daughter Vala. he sits a little hunched over, still a big strong man, somewhat oblivious, wearing black framed glasses and a nice suit. i keep trying to lure him out in conversation, with varying success. he speaks softly and i have to lean in to catch what he's saying. the whole family seems to get a kick out of my being in iceland for 12 days and sitting with a prestigious icelandic family all the same.
eventually Vala and her family are all caught up in conversation, in icelandic of course, and i'm spacing out eavsdropping on this language i have no comprehension of. they're cute; most of them are quite blonde, tall and thin. very easy to get along with.
very random.