A Roll in the Universe

...Because I haven't got a thing to say except that I downloaded the audio version of "Start Late, Finish Rich" . Let's see if I get really daring and actually buy *gasp* stock! (I can't believe I'm now in the "middle-aged" target group. How and when did that happen???)

It's leap day and by rights I can get the day off from blogging, according to Blog365. But it strikes me as so boring! I love daily updates on all the blogs I read so I can't let my own readers miss out! The proposed law change in Norway to give gays marriage rights equal to those of straights has prompted some sheriff somewhere south in the country to claim that gays getting married will mean an increased crime rate in Norway. Never mind that the crime rate has been rising for quite some time now. One commentor to the debate posted this amusing comeback to the fallacy of seeing a correlation between trends simply because they happen at the same time: Before the Christian People's Party was formed, there were far fewer divorces A rise in the price of housing in Norway gives Norway more Olympic gold medals An increase in the Moslem population in Norway gives Norway more chances at getting Olympic gold medals More asthmatics means more criminals A higher average in e...

Bergen has a club of sorts for people in the insurance and finance industry, and since that's the industry I am employed in, I meet a lot of current and former co-workers at the meetings. Tonight we our venue was one of the Hurtigruten's ships. We heard a talk about a new insurance company starting in Norway, and after the talk, we moved to the ship's forward restaurant for an excellent cod dinner and a view of fog settling on Fløien. (When codfish is so good it almost tastes like meat, you understand why it is such a prized fish.) We had coffee on deck 7 and I left as they were testing the ship's alarm systems; the ship will leave for Kirkenes tonight after 10 pm. I enjoyed the company, the conversation, and mentioning my 25th anniversary party (which conflicts with the club's own 80th anniversary party). But what got to me was how many of my colleagues had gray or even white hair. One had been a dark brunette before, and I had to comment on her new blonde look....

Before I visited friends and family in the US last summer, I had read a lot about Wal-Mart and its business practices, which made me decide I never wanted to shop there. But when the toilet clogs at 11 pm, and you really have go (and it's a no. 2), and your host has no plunger, Wal-Mart it is. And Wal-Mart's bathroom it is. I must digress a bit: One thing I like about American stores is the fact that they have bathrooms. It's a surprise if you encounter one that doesn't. Grocery, book, clothing - all have a restroom. Here in Norway, you never hear of a store apologizing for the inconvenience because the north bathrooms are closed for renovation, so please use bathrooms at south end because Norwegian stores don't have bathrooms. At least, I've never discovered any. Considering the lack of public toilets in general in this country (a 7-story shopping mall in town has a few stalls on the 5th floor), I'm sure tourists believe Norwegians are like TV-heroes: Yo...

I have nothing to report, nothing to add, nothing to say, so I find myself wishing it were leap day today so I could just ignore blogging today. It's not like absolutely nothing happens in my life or that I'm unhappy or whatever. I have a friend laid up in a hospital in Austria because on his last day of winter vacation, he got run down by a Dane on the ski slope, and got his leg and wrist broken. We've been texting each other. Funny thing is, I dreamt about running over a cat, leaving it with a broken leg. In other news, I ate spicy noodle soup, and changed purses today, just because, and am pleased by that (and the soup). I was a bit tired of the other purse and wanted something a tad classier looking, and anyway I was looking for the lottery card, because of course, the gang at work put me in charge of purchasing the lottery tickets every 10 weeks, and for that I need the lottery card with the pin code (oh, what was that code again?) so that we don't have to moni...

Because she really was fast ! (And totally game.) It really wasn't until I got an orchid as a gift and took a good look at this odd plant, that I began to realize why people like this flower. It is one of the planet's most common flowers, with the tropical varieties being what we appreciate as potted plants, while local varieties, just as beautiful but far more modest, get left alone next to a rainy path in Fyllingsdalen. Some time this summer, I will try to get a good picture of the local wild orchid. In the meantime, here is a Photoshopped version of an immigrant that used to sit on my desk:

Read through the comments below about your friend (that's me, in this case; you didn't know we were friends?) and then follow the instructions at the bottom. Have fun! What time is it? 
1:52 pm What's your full name? 
Keera Ann Fox (not exactly a secret) What are you most afraid of? 
Spiders, heights, and being helpless What was the last movie that you saw in a theater? 
Rattatouille Place of birth: 
Long Beach, California - because its hospital was the closest, according to my mom Favorite food 
Stuff that didn't originate in Norway, with the exception of brunost What's your natural hair color? 
The one I have now: Ash brown Ever been to Alaska? 
Yes! Ever been toilet paper rolling? 
What's that? Love someone so much it made you cry? 
Yes, I'm happy to say Been in a car accident? 
Not really. Was in the car at the time my mother hit that lady's garage post but can't say it was an accident so much as sudden parking. And I wasn't in th...