After a few days of balmy 45° F weather, the temperatures have dropped back down below freezing, disappointing us all in our hope that spring was here to stay. I must admit that during our brief warm spell it was amusing to be walking around in a lighter jacket, enjoying the sun, while still navigating [...]
It’s been a long time since I’ve had one of those ex-pat moments, when something random makes me realize just how different life is here. Today I had one of those moments, and strangely enough it made me feel extremely uneasy. What was this semi-life-altering moment you ask? I realized that there’s a new major [...]
Thanks last year’s nose dive in the NOK-USD exchange rate, Oslo has fallen to 5th in The Economist’s annual cost of living ranking for 2009. I’m actually a little disappointed about this. Our complaints about the exorbitant prices always felt more justified, given that we lived in “The Most Expensive City in the World.” But [...]
Today was a big occasion at work, because it was the first day that lunch was served in our new cafeteria! I know that meatballs and mashed potatoes probably don’t sound all that spectacular, but everyone in our office was in heaven. New visitors to our office will probably think that our cafeteria is very [...]
Today, Erin wrote about how spring has finally arrived in North Carolina, and it inspired me to celebrate the same. Ignoring a heavy snow shower last weekend, spring appears to have arrived in Norway as well! While spring in NC might mean sunshine and 70°F weather, here it means melting snow and the filthy slush [...]
So there’s this candy/snack here in Norway called Smash that’s basically crispy Bugles corn snacks coated in chocolate. They’re pretty tasty, but more than the taste, I think it’s one of their commercials that endears them to us: The ad has been running at the cinema for ages. So now it’s reached the point that [...]