A Roll in the Universe

Corroding metal siding

Here's a follow-up to my last two posts: The Indians visiting here noted that Norwegians didn't stay long at the office, leaving to go home to dinner with their families, and that on the weekends, the whole family did things together. The right-wing government insists that Norway wants shopping malls to be open on Sundays. We don't. That's one big reason why the left won so many counties and cities. Because parliament said they'd leave the decision up to the counties and cities. Heh. Sundays in Norway: Fewer buses, fewer cars, fewer people. The only thing open is restaurants, the gas station, the movie theater and some museums and souvenir shops. You can't buy clothes or shoes or rugs or hair-cuts or massages or electric tea kettles on Sundays. Instead, you stay in and watch Tour de France or some other sport—or, as the Indians noted, you and your whole family take a Sunday walk or hike. Some people will even go to church! The stores are op...

Youngstorget, Oslo When I first moved to Norway in 1969, politics here were so left-leaning that they were approaching extremism. Yesterday, in local elections, the Norwegian Labor party (Arbeiderpartiet) once again became Norway's most powerful party, and had its biggest win in Bergen since 1967. A fact that makes me happy now, but which was my bane as a child. So what's changed? The anti-US sentiments of the 1960's and early 1970's that permeated a lot of Europe (partly due to the Vietnam war) eased by the 1980's. The anti-American sentiments I heard as a child, were virtually gone when I came back to Norway in 1981. Since then, Arbeiderpartiet's close ties to Norway's largest union, LO, have loosened, making the party more accessible to those who don't like LO. More importantly, I've changed. I'm going against Winston Churchill's advice: “If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative...

As an American, I sometimes get asked what I think about some happening in the US that has made the news in Norway. What it is about Americans and guns? Or all the whining about increased gas prices? These questions are fairly general and therefore comfortable. Being questioned and criticized as if I was directly responsible for whatever unpopular man got into the White House, was and is not comfortable. Currently, we are in a project at work that involves an Indian company, and so I have spent two weeks listening to the lilt of Indian accents and English spoken with rolled R's and thick L's and have another week to go. At the same time, the news from India reports two sisters have been sentenced to be raped by a local, unofficial village council because of something their brother did; the sisters are from a rural town outside Delhi.* I have chosen not to bring this up. As friendly as we are with each other, I know from personal experience that what gets into the interna...

So I got my own domain something like four years ago, and the stuff I have here is still in limbo. It's like moving house: Taking everything I have in the old home, and trying to make it fit and function in the new one. Some things look fine, some don't fit, some have no purpose in the new place. And some things end up in new configurations that bring new joy and discovery. I'm hoping very much for that last. I have this website/blog*, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and now Flickr (because I discovered I'd better have an extra back-up of my photos). In trying to post something everywhere, I'm feeling scattered. I like short tweets. I like instantly posting a photo. But I also like having complete control over my own stuff and waxing on about it, offering far more than 140 characters at a time and why not a handful photos, too? The one thing that bugs me the most is Facebook. It's like a bar that you hate, but all your friends love it so that's where you...

Ferry to Stord I never tire of taking ferries. A break in the driving, and a chance to get some fresh sea air. West coast landscape somewhere along the bus ride to southern Norway Lindesnes lighthouse is at Norway's southernmost point, all of 2518 km from Norway's northermost point, Nordkapp. Our first destination: Lindesnes The landscape is so beautiful here at the southernmost point of Norway Lindesnes lighthouse is Norway's oldest lighthouse, dating back to 1656 In the year of light 2015 (according to the UN), there is an awesome exhibit in the dark at Lindesnes A little farther west along the coast brings us to Lista and the coast off Lista Lighthouse  Next stop: Flekkefjord, one of Norway's cute all-white southern towns. Flekkefjord has no tides. We were just inches above the water. Another view of Flekkefjord We stayed at Utsikten Hotell in Kvinesdal. Somewhere in the distance is the North Sea.   Everywh...

Prologue: On the way home from a midnight birdwatching session, I saw two tawny owls. First one by the side of road, and another atop a lamp post. Beautiful birds, calmly staring back at me. The myth is that old dogs can't learn new tricks. The truth is, we can, but we might need a bit more coaxing. And coffee. Last year, I was forced to switch jobs and with that, learn a whole new set of skills. I was wondering how my then 53-year-old brain would handle it. Turns out, it handled it just like a 23-year-old brain would: With patience, notes, and lots of coffee and candy. Because heavy-duty learning is exhausting ! I hadn't realized that. I just thought you're tired in college because of not enough sleep or something. Turns out you're tired because learning several new things every single day is like running a marathon every single day—but brains need more energy and more recovery time than bodies do. The brain marathon hasn't ended. There's always somet...

Birch flowers I can see a change in the silhouette of the birch tree in front of my building. The naked branches have filled in with small, oblong flowers that look nothing like a blossom but that herald the renewal of life—and allergies for those so stricken. Winter has surrendered to Spring, Nature's New Year. I wanted to say something smart and deep and wonderful at the start of the year on this new blog location. The closest I came was a line from a John Lennon song, sung by a co-worker at Christmas: "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" . I heard the line "without any fear", and that pretty much summed up 2014 for me. I had spent last year trying to get rid of fear. The fear in my thinking, in my heart, in my knee-jerk reactions. I have used ho'oponopono mostly, and some ideas from "A Course in Miracles" (ACIM). More and more I follow the advice from ACIM and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. And when I do, I have the loveliest day. I still do ...

Moonrise from my kitchen window (Trying to automate posting this photo led me into the land of IFTTT . I still don't have automation, but I've acquired a new password to herd.)