Surviving in the world of blogging

Ive been trying to think of ways to resurrect my blog. Its not the first time this thought has crossed my mind, as I am an infrequent blogger. I blog when I have excess energy, and unfortunately that is not something I have been blessed with lately (lately being several years…). I found that once I was done with my studies and was forced to wear the chains of adulthood (generally referred to as “fulltime job”) my spare time was reduced to almost nothing. Suddenly I found myself exhausted come Friday, and going out or sitting down with the computer to write, was unthinkable. Also, sitting in front of a computer all day at work doesn’t exactly render spare-time computer work arousing. At least, these are the excuses I am giving myself…it could of course be that I am getting old and lazy…or just lazy.

So the result of all this is what you have now stumbled upon. A half-dead blog.

“Why don’t you just delete it or leave it be?” you ask, and it is a perfectly valid question. I have asked myself that as well and I think my answer to it is that this blog holds a special place in my heart. It contains all, -well not all, but quite a few, of my thoughts and rambles over the past 6 years and also quite a few memories. Almost like a diary, except this one is far more public. I also still enjoy writing a little here and there, and can’t quite accept the idea of leaving it completely behind.

Instead I am trying to think of ways to give it a new voice. If I have ever had a theme on this blog it has been the total lack of one. I have enjoyed not having to write about one specific topic or from a certain viewpoint. And I guess this very thing is also what has made it difficult to keep up. –Almost like a vicious circle. I have no specific topic because I don’t want to have one, and hence I have problems writing.

– Quite the pickle Ive gotten myself into, huh…?

I did try the theme blogs though…photo and film, both interests of mine, but I found it too time consuming. And although I haven’t quite given up the idea of maybe getting back to ‘em, I have left them idle for even longer than this one (bad girl). So that leaves me with a conundrum;

What to do?
-give up?
-find a theme?
-write once a year? – And if so, what about?

I know that a blog, in order to be “successful” (I guess success can be measured in many ways) in the world of blogs, needs a theme. Or at least that is what they keep telling me. It needs a theme to attract readers and mostly, to keep readers. But how do you get around this if it is the writing in itself that interests you, and not necessarily the topic you are writing about? I find it amusing that one of the entries that get the most hits on this blog is a ramble on flies in the rain…I had a silly thought and decided to put it down on paper…or screen…

So whats the key? How do I survive in the world of blogging? How do I resurrect my blog?
Any ideas?

I welcome any with gratitude.

App addicton

So...When you are stuck in the Saharan desert (work not pleasure), you suddenly find yourself bored at night. Not because the Sahara in itself is boring...but because there really isnt that much to do after working hours.

You can always turn on the TV, and watch one of the 20 arabic satellite channels, but somehow that isnt as fun when you dont speak the language...Nor is it stimulating watching other foreign shows (spanish, french, german) with arabic subtitles. -Although I will admit that getting TV signals in itself is impressing enough! I can also concede that arabic is a beautiful written language...

Anyway, my point is that you have time to kill in the evening, and this is where my latest app addiction manifests itself.

I wrote about wordfeud in a previous entry and although fun, I quickly lost interest. It just wasnt amusing enough to hold my attention. Draw Something, on the other hand, has what wordfeud is missing...It has the laughing factor.

The game is simple; you draw a word, your friend guesses and finally draws a word for you to guess. And so it goes. You get points and I assume someone wins in the end...But who cares? It lets you laugh out loud while watching your friend draw "Madonna"...or "hurt". It also lets you snicker while watching your dad trying to guess your drawing of "plague". In fact, I have so much fun drawing and guessing that Ive never even bothered to learn the rules. I just play and laugh.

Its a fun way to pass time.
Enjoy. I know I do.

Carpe Diem et Anno

I was almost hit by a car this morning.

As the environmentally conscious person that I am (and lacking a driver’s license) I take the bus to work every morning. It is not a long walk but it does require that I cross a three-lane street. Two of the lanes go in the same direction while the other is in the opposite direction. I was going to cross the street at a pedestrian crossing and a car in the first lane stopped to let me pass. As I was crossing I noticed another car approaching in the second lane, so I reduced my pace while waiting for the car to slow down. I continued to walk, although slower, realizing a little too late that the car was making no effort to slow down. It approached me in an incredible speed and if I hadn’t already noticed it, I wouldn’t have been able to turn to the side just in nick of time to save my toes. I had to support my weight on the hood of the car as it came to a halt. The tires grazed my boots and my knees were shaking.

I realize that it was dark and rainy and the visibility was probably poor, but still, as you approach a crossing and the car in the lane next to you has stopped, it should be a sign for you to stop as well. –Or at least reduce your speed.

I got away with a scare and a joy of being alive and well. It also reminded me of how easily everything can come to an end. How quickly life can change. Ive always had the “live now” philosophy to life as opposed to delaying everything for later. Ive met too many people in my life who keep saying “I’ll do it later.” Or the standard: “One day I want to do that”. People take for granted that you can delay dreams and do it some other time.

It probably comes from having medical issues in my closest family. Medical issues related to the heart and nerve system. I have grown up seeing how fragile life is, and how easily the body can change from fit and healthy to weak and helpless. You can go from perfectly healthy and above average fit, to immobile and dependent on others in only a year. -Without the possibility of improvement. There aren’t medicines for every condition. Not everything can be avoided or fixed. And yes, it can happen to you as well. -Just as easily as anyone else. Instead of thinking: “That only happens to others”, I’ve changed it to: “That could happen to me as well”.

I have learned from this that life is what you have today. Your health is what you have now. Do not put off things you wish to do. Do not wait. Do it now. –Today!

For this reason I try to make the most of it. I move out of my comfort zone at work to try new things, I am continually trying to and working on becoming more spontaneous (unfortunately Im still very fond of planning), I travel to the destinations I want to travel. I don’t have a perfect economy, but I make different priorities. We don’t own a car, although it would be a great benefit to have one. Instead we spend our money traveling. People wonder how we can afford to spend two summers in a row in the US, driving from coast to coast, living in nice hotels and eating great food. We can because we buy our furniture at IKEA and take the bus to work instead of driving. We can because we buy our clothes on sale and in the cheaper stores. There is plenty of time later to buy a car or an expensive chair, -you can do that even with cancer. But the chance to travel far, to a country you want to visit, may not ever come again. You may have a child (blessings!) and suddenly a major roadtrip becomes economically and practically impossible. You may lose your job. You may get sick. You may get hit by a car...

We all live our lives differently. We make different priorities. –And there is no right or wrong way. I just wish and hope that everyone will remember that a chance may not come twice. An opportunity may have en expiration date. Don’t tell yourself that “I will do that when I retire” or “one of these days I will have to try that”.

It is far better to regret something you did, as opposed to something you wish you would have done but never did.

I for one, am planning to make 2012 a magnificent year. -A year of travels and play. -And a year of new, scary and hopefully educational experiences. I can only hope that I will be allowed to do so, and that I will leave this year even happier than I am today. This year will never come again. Imagine the opportunities!

I wish you all an Exciting and Happy 2012.

Wordfeud

Don't start with it... It is dangerously addictive. Since my other half and I first downloaded it, we've hardly said a word to eachother...Only typed it on the board,-for points!

The art of growing up

You hand me the envelope that arrived in the mail today and sit down by the kitchen counter to play with your ipod. I look at the envelope and recognize the logo as one of several credit card companies. I open it slowly, with a knot in my stomach, just to discover that the amount is a tad higher than expected.
I sigh.
You look up from your 'angry birds'-game and ask; “is something wrong?”
I look at you, the piece of paper and then you again. I sigh.
-“Growing up sucks.”

There. I said it. It sucks. Simple as that. I think sometimes you just need to say it out loud. Get it out of your system… although saying it out loud tends to make people frown. They call it “whining”… and nobody likes that. To be honest with you, I don’t like whining either…

2011 was (and still is) the year I turned 30. 3-0… a combination of numbers that frighten me. The safe, comfortable “2” that used to be first, is now gone…

With the number thirty, comes great responsibility. There are certain expectations that follow the number. And I think it is those expectations more than the actual number that bothers me. ‘Cause lets face it; not turning 30 would be far worse.

You look up from your game, raise an eyebrow and ask what kind of expectations I am talking about. I look at you… still 29 and innocent…I shake my head and put the bill down on the counter.

In our society today, being 30 usually means that you should have fulfilled a certain list of tasks. If you have not fulfilled this list, you have, thanks to our wonderful society, reasons to be concerned. The list, which I admit may be different from community to community, usually comprises the following (to a minimum):
- A fulltime job
- A privately owned apartment or house
- A partner

Although I do currently possess all of these things, and thereby shouldn’t have to worry, I still dislike the word ‘expectations’. I disagree that you are falling behind on anything if you miss one or several points on the list. In fact; the freer you are from the list, the more you can truly live!
Let me explain.

A fulltime job is necessary to pay the bills. And more importantly, to pay back the humongous student loan you’ve built up. However, having a full time job makes it very hard to be spontaneous. Everything needs to be planned weeks and weeks ahead. There will be no sudden weekend getaways with cheap flight tickets, unless you have cleared it with your boss first…2-3 weeks ahead (when the flight tickets were expensive and out of question). The irony here is of course that when you were a student, and actually had the time and opportunity to be spontaneous, you had no money to go through with it…

An apartment or house is something that usually follows the fulltime job. Without the job you won’t afford the apartment. Nor will you get a loan to cover the expense. Owning your own home is also great in that you can do whatever you wish with the interior. Paint whatever needs to be painted, buy furniture that is meant to stay in the same spot for years to come. However…(of course there had to be one) with a home comes stress. Suddenly it is your and not your landlords problem if something goes wrong. Suddenly you need to take care of leaks, mold, cracks and whatever unforeseen problem that may arise. There will be worries, there will be large amounts in your bank accounts, written in a nasty red color with a minus in front. Don’t misinterpret me. I still think owning a home is wonderful…it just tends to be a little stressful sometimes.

A partner is something most people would like to have, regardless of sexual preference, religion and social status. I am not going to say anything bad about having a partner, since I do find not having one worse than the little annoyances that comes with having one. Besides, I think it is good to have another person around to relate to… whether it is a partner, a friend or family. Living all alone for too long makes people eccentric. The problem I have with this point on the list is not related to having one, but the stress that comes with not having one at this stage in life. People tend to get married and start families once they reach the end of their twenties and beginning of thirties. Not having a partner in all this mess, when everyone around you start popping babies and invite you to couples dinners, is a situation I do not wish upon my worst enemy. The horror of having to sit through an entire dinner with only one topic (babies, babies and more babies) without being able to relate to it, is like watching a foreign movie without subtitles.

Don’t get me wrong. Im pretty sure that when the day comes (if it comes) that I decide to breed I too will become obsessed with this tiny, wrinkled, drooling individual that is incapable of doing anything else than eating, sleeping and move bowels.

So what would be the alternative?

This is where we have reached the main issue with getting older. There is no alternative. You will get older. You do eventually need a fulltime job. You will need a home, although it is perfectly ok to rent and not buy, you will save a whole lot of dough by actually buying. - And the older you get, the stronger the needs become. You are expected to be responsible. If you wish to have kids at some point in your life, you need to start thinking about it…the clock (which I have heard so much about and never paid attention to) is actually ticking! Suddenly it becomes apparent that if you want more than one child before you reach 40 (when the chances of complications increase) you better get busy! Can you hear the clock? Tick…tick...tick. I want to smash it.- With a Barbie-pink bat covered in rhinestones and glitter.

It is starting to dawn on me why earlier generations always claim the twenties as the best years of their lives. They were years filled with no expectations and reckless living. Although I’ve always been aware that life happens today and not tomorrow, I’ve still found myself twisted up in the web of maturity…thinking ahead, dreaming of having a fulltime job (instead of being a poor student), owing my own place (instead of living in a mold-infested closet sized dump). And I worry that the years of dreaming is now behind me. I worry that I soon will start looking backwards instead of ahead. I worry about things I didn’t know you could worry about. And I realize that ‘worry’ and ‘mature’ are two words that go hand in hand.

The way I see it; I can do one of two things. I can be miserable and long for the carefree years of being a student, being poor but being free. Or I can embrace the future. I can continue to look ahead and dream of things that will be instead of what was. I can remind myself how stressful exams, grades and uncertainties were and embrace the comfort of a steady income.

And most importantly; I can take advantage of every opportunity I get to experience something new. ‘Cause lets face it. Opportunity knocks on everyone’s door, regardless of sex, nationality and not to forget; age.

Bring it on sister! Im ready for my thirties.

In the Wake of Terror, Oslo 22th of July.

The past week, Ive been wanting to write something about the recent terror attacks in Oslo, Norway. I’ve sat down a couple of times, reached for the computer and opened Microsoft Word just to stare at an empty, white page…

It is not that I don’t know what to write about, it is more a question of how to write. How do you express and put into words an emotion you’ve never had before?

I realize that alone is a testament to my protected way of living. The very fact that I now feel in ways I’ve never felt before, is a proof of the comfort of the society I’ve grown up in. I imagine that if you are from the US or the UK, and especially London, you may look at the photos from Oslo that has been circulating the media lately and wonder what is different from Oslo to what keeps happening all over the world? You may look at images of people crying, dust covering destroyed buildings and pieces of paper caught in the wind from the explosion and think that this…this is no worse than September 11th. This is no worse than terror attacks in London. And you are right.

Any act that takes the lives of innocent people is equally atrocious.

I think part of the reason why Norwegians are so consumed of what has happened, why we are so shocked by this particular incident, and why every TV station is running 24/7 on news from Oslo and Utøya, is the very fact that this has never happened before. Not only has it not happened before, we never in our wildest dreams thought it could happen. Not in Norway. Not in our small, somewhat naïve society.

To those of you who are not familiar with Norwegian customs and law, I can give a few pinpoints into our governmental system regarding crime and safety.

• In Norway the justice system is based on integration rather than punishment. This usually means short (in international standards) jail sentences in apartments rather than prison cells.


• Our police officers are not allowed to carry firearms on a regular basis.


• Governmental buildings are rarely fenced in and thereby accessible to the public.

In fact, the last time I was in Oslo, the only building I can remember being surrounded by guards and fences, was the US embassy! The royal palace on the other hand, the very neighbour to the US embassy, has no fences. This is just the way our society works. It is to a very high degree based on trust.

So when I sat on the bus on my way home from work, Friday July 22nd, and a young woman in front turned and asked whether any of us in the back had heard of “the bomb that went off in Oslo”, we looked at her with a frown wondering who this crazy person was. I got up to get off at the next stop and she looked at me and asked me if I had internet access. I shook my head and got off the bus. But the terror in her eyes worried me, and I made a phone call to my boyfriend, who was still at work, and asked him to check the online news. Words like “Al Qaeda”, “terrorist attack” and “car bomb” intertwined with “Oslo” filled the online media. The knot that grew in my stomach is indescribable. I told my boyfriend to use other means of transportation home rather than the new, much profiled and hyped, light rail he would normally use. I couldn’t help thinking that if this was in deed a terrorist attack, Bergen could be next.

Obviously, as the evening went on and new reports of shootings at Utøya ticked in, it became apparent that all of this was the result of, not extreme islamists, not Al Qaeda, but an ethnical, blonde Norwegian.

It was someone who had grown up in our society. Someone who had grown up and spent his life in the better neighbourhoods of Oslo, with a normal, Norwegian, standard education. Someone with a deranged mind. Someone who believes that by blowing up buildings and gunning down innocent children, will prevent Norway and its government from welcoming new citizens from other parts of the world.

I do not feel like mentioning his name. I do not want to take part in making this individual immortal. But he claims to be anti-Islamic. He is against multicultural regimes and “Muslims taking over Europe” and his delusional way of showing that, is by doing exactly what Al Qaeda is known for doing; car bombs, terror and mayhem. By being against them, he becomes them.

It makes no sense to me.

Someone who could very well have been my neighbour, anyone’s neighbour, has caused the biggest loss of innocent lives since World War II in Norway. In a country with 4.6 million people, nearly 100 lives is a very large number. It causes a sense of grief in the whole population. Everyone knows someone who has been, directly or indirectly, involved in this.

It is then a great comfort to see how everyone cares. To see the flowers that decorate Oslo and every other major city in Norway, in remembrance of the victims. To see people hugging each other in the streets and lighting candles. And to see Norwegian embassies all over the world decorated in flowers. People care.

In the wake of the terror that was meant to frighten us from being democratic and open minded, to make us build fences and close our hearts to others, the people of Norway, both Christian and Muslims alike, have done the exact opposite.

It makes me proud and very hopeful for the future of our open, free society that we love so much.

An Ode to Evolution and Microbiology

I feel bad. I feel terrible to be honest. This poor blog has been gravely neglected. And there is no one to blame but myself.

Ive been over-worked and low on energy...and no energy creates bad writing. So to spare the few souls of you who might be reading what I write from time to time, Ive stayed away.

But today I had to write something.

I recently visited my old laboratory at the university. The building in which I used to do all my nerdy microbiology-stuff, is now an abandoned building. If you dont know me, you are probably wondering "how damn old is this person?" I can ease your mind by telling you that the building was abondoned already towards the end of my studies due to the rise of a new and better (read: modern) building.

Anyway... We, my significant other and myself, still have a keycard to enter the building, and used it to to leave our bikes there (dry and safe). Now, ofcourse we had to take a little look around the building. There is something very sexy about an abandoned, large, dark building... And to my big surprise I found one of my favorite poems still hanging where I last saw it. All alone... totally abandoned. (I am so sorry to those of you who now expected this post to be of the naughty, sexy kind...I am a nerd. Get over it.) And I took it with me (yes I stole it) and would like to share it with you. So to the biologists out there (and those of you who find science interesting) this is for you:

To the photosynthetical prokaryotes

In the beginning the earth was all wet-
We hadn't got life - or ecology yet.
There were lava and rocks - quite a lot of them both -
And oceans and nutrient Oparin broth.
But then there arose, at the edge of the sea,
Where sugars and organic acids were free,
A sort of a blob in a kind of a coat -
The earliest protero-prokaryote.
It grew and divided: it flourished and fed;
From puddle to puddle it rapidly spread.
Until it depleted the oceans's store.
And nary an acid was found any more.

Now, if one considered that terrible trend,
One might have predicted that that was the end -
But no! In some sunny wee lochean or slought
appared a new creature - we cannot say how:
By some strange transition that nobody knows,
a photosynthetical alga arose.
It grew and it flourished where nothing had been
Till much of the land was a blue shade of green.
And bubbles of oxygen started to rise
Throughout the world's oceans, and filled up the skies;
While, off in the antediluvian mists,
Arose a few species with heterocyst
Which, by a procedure which no-one can tell,
Fixed gaseous nitrogen into the cell.

As the gases turned on and the gases turned off,
There emerged a respiring young heterothroph.
It grew in its turn, and it lived and it throved,
Creating fine structure, genetics and love,
And, using its enzymes and oxygen-2,
Produced such fine creatures as coli and you.

This, then, is the story of life's evolution
From Oparin broth to the final solution.
So, prokaryologist, dinna forget:
We've come a long way since the world was all wet.

We owe a great deal - you can see from your notes -
To photosynthetical prokaryotes...

Ralph A. Lewin

Happy summer!

BlogWriter Lite...

...any good? Not sure yet, but i will let you know once Ive figured out how to use it properly!

Feeling sexy

The constant battle of an addiction

Hi, my name is Ski and I am an addict.

There, I said it. They say the only way to get over such obstacles is to first admit it to yourself and those around you...So now that Ive done that, I reckond the next few steps will be easier. Not that admitting it was so hard...but I need help and I can no longer deny it.

My addiction has been sneaking up on me for several years now...Ive seen the signs and the subsequent dangers lurking in the shadows, but I have ignored them. I have turned my back to 'em and denied their existence.
Why? Because it is easy.

It is easier to ignore a personal flaw or a weak spot of ones being than to face it and fight it. Its easier to run as various rock bands (read: Linkin Park) have been screaming at us for years, and it is true. It IS easier to run. Ignorance is bliss...and all that. There is a reason such clichés exist.

But I can no longer run. I must face my own weakness, and I am doing it here. Right now. On this half deserted (but not forgotten), deeply cared for, blog.

I have issues with the color purple.

*deep sigh*

Purple is my heroin. It is my source of euphoria and the target of all my desires (...literally *cough*).

I own everything purple. The pillows on the sofa are purple, my underwear, my clothes, the curtains and the bed sheets, the candles and cups in my cupboards, my shoes, my cellphone (for real) and believe it or not...the computer I am writing this very text on at this very minute...it is purple.

Whenever I am out looking for clothes or windowshopping...I stop when I see something purple. I am like a raven to shiny objects...except I need them only to be purple. It can be an ugly item for sure. If it is purple, it is beautiful in my eyes. It has gotten so far now that I am trying to push everything purple on my man as well...poor soul.

I recently got a new job, and at my first day I received an orchid from my new coworkers. Guess which color it was? Exactly. And although I usually kill orchids immediately (for some reason I just cannot keep those suckers alive...) this one is still blooming like the magnificent being that is it. It was only yesterday that I realized that the most probable reason for why I always remember to water it, is its color. Its beautiful purple flowers smiling at me...although orchids kinda look like they are pouting with their tongues sticking out at you.

I had known my coworkers for no more than 3 days when one of them made a comment on how spot-on they had been with the color of the orchid. It took her 3 days to figure that purple is my color... Since then I have tried to avoid wearing purple, because I realized that I cannot wear that particular color every day...I will become a caricature of myself. But I have failed. I cant avoid the color, because I do not own enough clothes to build an entire outfit without it.

So what do I do? I go shopping. I try to find clothing of various other beautiful colors...green, blue, yellow, purple...no. Green, blue, yellow....red? No I hate red....p...p...pink?..cant wear it with my red hair...I went shopping and came home, today, with a yellow shirt...and a purple one.

So here I sit. With another purple clothing. Another purple item that I love. I need help. I need detox. I cannot do it on my own. I realize that now.

We are going to a party tonight...And I want to wear a skirt with my new purple leggings that I bought earlier this week. I will try to avoid wearing them, but just the thought of putting them on makes my heart beat faster. It gets me exited and deeply sad at the same time. I know that when you are addicted to something, you have to end it cold turkey. You must stop immediately and never look back. I am going to do that. I will. I will throw away my purple items. I will donate my clothes to the salvation army and give my purple earrings to my friends. I will.

Tomorrow.

Or the next day.

Tonight there's a party.

Beautiful English

Don't you just love it when a translation from one language to another is done word by word without any understanding of the new language?

I wonder how you are supposed to bring the elevator with you to the fireplace. I mean... sure this winter has been colder than usual...but how do you move it? The elevator...? Cause surely they have had problems with it since they tell people not to...? Perhaps they have superhero-guests at this hotel in Bergen.

Finding a job

It has been almost a year since I finished my Master degree. In fact, I believe that March 1st will be my 1 year anniversary. Or, at least it will at that date be one year since I handed in my thesis. The exam came a little later. Either way its odd how quickly time goes by.

When I finished, I decided to give myself some time off before I started prowling the job market. Mostly because I had, at the time, been swimming against the current for a full year, before I was able to get the proper equipment for my laboratory work, and thus finish my degree.

So I took the time off. I relaxed in the sun, I exercised, I wrote. And I loved every second. I loved every second of 3 months, before I started checking out the available jobs out there… Taking those 3 months off was probably a strike of genius, cause the minute I started actively looking for a job, I realized how few available jobs there were out there. And at this point in time people were starting to ask me; what do you do now? Do you have a job? Where do you work? Have you found a job yet?

In the beginning, saying “No” to these questions is not a problem. People don’t expect you to find a job right away, but once you are pushing the 6 months-mark (which in reality for me was a 3-month mark due to my time off) people are starting to get impatient. And worst of all, they are starting to give you that “Oh, I’m sorry”-look that people tend to give the unemployed.

Now, I was far from unemployed. I had my job at the supermarket where I’ve been working the past 9 years, and I was working as a laboratory assistant at the university. But a supermarket job is, in the eyes of “master degree”-educated individuals, not a proper job. Nor is a project-based laboratory assistant position. (Some people can never be satisfied, and to tell you the truth, I predict few jobs are as hard as that of a supermarket employee).

But the constant questions were starting to get uncomfortable. I was essentially having 3 jobs; supermarket, laboratory assistant and writing. I was writing my story which I am still working on, and writing takes time, effort and creativity. But I couldn’t tell people this, mostly because writing will not be a job unless you make money off of it (which you won’t unless you sell it to a publisher). But none of these three jobs were providing my wallet with a comfortable stack of currency. Hence the sad eyes on everyone.

Perhaps people were asking me out of care. Out of concern for me as a person. I know some were asking out of desperation, simply because they too find themselves in the same situation as me. But they seem to forget that nothing comes easily. Very few people on the planet find a job before they have finished their education. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule, but microbiologists are not part of that lucky group. In fact, in Norway the average newly educated person is unemployed up to a year before finding their first job.

And now it has been a year. And I have found a job.

I have found a great job that I am really excited about, and I know that my writing, my patience, my loyalty to the supermarket I’ve been working at for so long, all have been contributing factors to the job I have now been offered. People seem to forget that seemingly unimportant events and details can lead to something important in life. They seem to forget that there is more to a person than the job they hold. Isn’t it a fact that the first thing we ask a new person we meet is: “What do you do?” as in “what do you do for a living?” I used to say “I work in a supermarket” and people would look sadly at me and say “oh”. Now I give them the name of my new employer and they say “how?”

How? Patience.

So the moral, if there is one, is: Stop harassing people with questions about their work. Jobs will come to those who are patient, hardworking and who take initiative. Lets hope the financial crisis ends soon too, so that it gets a little easier and requires a little less patience.

Oh, and any job no matter how low in status, is better than sitting on your ass doing nothing. Supermarket employees should be saluted on a daily basis… that job is tough.

The two of us...

...On a lunch date

Mayday...

I think my blog needs resuscitation.

I had plans of reviving it a while back, and I sort of did, although only halfhearted. It is not because I have anything against it. In fact I think very dearly of this blog, but I have not had much to report.

I do write a lot. I pretty much write every day. I have now written 200 pages of a story I am working on. A story I started working on mostly for fun, and to complete a goal I set for myself when I was roughly 12 years old. The story is not finished... and as long as I am working on it, it is difficult to find additional creativity for this blog. I have had to choose between the blog or the story, and as the blog will continue to be here even if I leave it be for a while, I chose the story. Mainly due to the fact that the story will vanish if I dont get it down on paper.

So thats what Im working on... getting it down on paper. Whether or not it is something worth sharing some day, only time will tell... But for now I am enjoying the new form of creativity which comes with playing with words... with imagination... Creating characters and situations for them to overcome.

So untill then, I am afraid this blog will only be updated once in a while... when I feel a little extra creativity pushing through. Either way, I am having fun.

Weather yakk

I was sitting here in front of the computer, trying to come up with something to write. I tried to open up the 'new post' feature in hopes that the white, empty box was going to inspire me to start writing. 'Cause sometimes, thats what happens...sometimes. Not this time...

So I was staring at this white, empty section of the computer screen, wondering what to fill it with. I checked plinky.com, but they wanted me to write about something that makes me want to be a kid again...which I guess is an ok topic. Ok, but not inspiring. I dont want to write about being a kid again. I am a kid. At heart, and sometimes mind too, it seems.

Then I started writing a few lines about the weather. Simply because people expect you to talk about the weather during awkward silent moments. Not that the moment was awkward...lets face it, Im the only one staring at the white box. But it got me thinking about this whole concept of awkward moments, about silences between two people talking. Why do we always fill them with weather talk? Why the weather? Why not politics, or personal opinions about topics. In stead of saying: "Oh, boy, it sure rains today." Why not go for: "Oh boy, I wish the bus tickets were cheaper."... Personally I would have skipped the "Oh, boy", though...

Perhaps people talk about the weather because it is safe. There are few people in this world who prefers a cold, rainy day over sunshine (and yes Beat, I know you are the exception), and few who would be offended if you said you hated "that annoying wind". Which means that you can express your opinions about the weather without irritating anyone. This is obviously in contrast to talking politics, where the potential provocation is so much higher. You say Obama sucks and the guy you talk to plants his fist in the middle of your face.

That just doesnt happen with the weather. The weather sucks! And everyone agrees. Personally I understand the safety of it, and the peacekeeping qualities that it holds...But it truly is boring. It truly is coward.

Next time someone brings up the weather during a quiet moment, I will start talking about chopsticks. It makes just as much sense.

Where do flies go when it rains?

Im back in the lab (where Im usually at when I update this blog) and noticed a tiny fly buzzing around the window...desperate to get out. Normally I would let the poor creature out and let it fly, "fly up and away"...back into the freedom of the wilderness. However, it is raining cats and dogs outside today, and I figured it was safer for the bug to stay indoors (Yes, I made that executive decision).

But this tiny winged animal had me wondering...where are all the flies when its raining? Do they gather up in special caves? Do they hide somewhere? First I thought of rocks and places they could crawl under...But everytime its raining, the rocks get flooded...right? So the bugs would drown underneath them. I mean...this is why worms crawl up and out of the soil during rain, cause the tunnels get flooded.

Then I thought about leaves. Perhaps they sit underneath the leaves on the trees...which I guess could be possible. There are still leaves on the trees, although they will probably fall off pretty soon...but what about the wind? Rain usually comes with a great deal of wind (like today)...so...won't the bugs fall off? Or at least get wet? And if their wings get wet, wont they drown?

You may be reading this (if you havent left the page already) and wonder why the heck you should keep reading this...and I wont blame you for leaving...I just seriously want to know the answer. So if you are a zoologist (Im afraid Im only a biologist...ecologist...and microbiologist) or just have a general deep facination for bugs, please give me a shoutout.

Cause the way I see it...Rain may suck balls some times, and we get irritated and annoyed by the need to walk around with an umbrella, or a raincoat...
But for a fly...Rain is Armageddon.

Superpowers

I dont like to break promises...In fact, I never break promises. And I promised to get back to the blog and post something interesting...or at least something semi-interesting. As if I have tried to come up with something engaging to write about. So hence I am currently updating the blog. I am writing this as you are reading it...sort of. Or actually, when you are reading this, I have finished writing it, but still, it is an update, so stop complaining.

I was browsing through my facebook homepage earlier today, and discovered that I had over 100 different invitations. Not invitations as in the oldfashioned; "I want to hang out with you, want to come over for a party?"-invitation, but the typical facebook invitation similar to: John took the "If I became a giant, how many people would I have stepped on during my first day"- quiz, and wants to invite you to take the quiz as well!! (with lots of exclamation points to emphasize how exciting the quiz really is).

Usually I skip all the invitations, just browse through them and leave them be. I probably should delete them once Ive decided not to do them, but I dont. Why, I cannot tell. Perhaps because I never like to throw away stuff and because I might want to do them later. I mean, you never know when it is crutial to find out how many people the giant version of yourself would have stepped on. Perhaps your life will depend on it...some day. So I keep them. And today I did one. I did it because I actually, believe it or not, wanted to know the answer. I wanted to find out what my superpower would be.

I figured the answer would come out as something like: You will turn blue when you become angry. Or: You will gain strength in the presence of children...the latter would actually be pretty cool...I could have a kid strapped to my chest all day...like a nanny-dayjob, and still be a superhero which no one could harm. Super-nanny. The real deal...not the stict british ladies who yell at american families on TV...

Anyways, my superpower turned out to be way cooler. I will get the gift of telepathy. Controll your mind with my own brain. And I started thinking about how awesome that gift would be. Always get my will, always have things done my way, get stuff for free and never have to fight for anything. I was thinking out ways to use my power for my own benefit, and I started laughing. A deep, heavy laugh from the bottom of my stomache, through my throat and out between my lips. A sincere, real; mwahahaha!...And I realized that if I gain a superpower, I will fall into the evil hands of power and become a supervillan. A telepathetic maniac who wants to destroy our safe society, step on the little people and truly be a giant. "With great power comes great responsibility" my ass...

I love it.

And at the same time, I am truly greatful of not having the power of telepathy... And if I...who honestly believe I am a nice, gentle person, could have thoughts like these...what wouldnt a fundamentally bad person be capable of...given the same powers? I can only imagine, and only sigh in relief.

Superpowers are ment to stay in books. Thank [insert religious preference]. But I guess it is still legal to fantasize...
Mwaha..ha..ha

Logic and the lack of it

Ah, the wonders of being useful. And with being useful, comes the natural and logical "updating of the blog". It is one of those activities which follows working in the lab just as naturally as drying ones body after a shower. The minute I enter the lab, I register the computer in the corner, and as soon as there are a couple of minutes to spare, I log on. It is how it works. It is how it has always worked. The very fact that I still feel that way after having been away for months, indicates a strong pavlovian respons. Blogging and laboratory-work goes hand in hand...or so it seems.

I have been away for months, hence no "updating of the blog". It really is quite logical if you think about it. Obviously when one is going through the "updating of the blog" phase of the day, you need something interesting to write. There really isnt any point in updating something, if you dont have something to update. Right? Also very logical.

However. I am not always a fan of logic. (Excuse me for a minute when I check the temperature of the autoclave) Ok. I am back. For you that was just an annoying extra sentence to read, for me it took quite some time. Anyways. I was talking about logic. Or lack of it. The blog entries I have most fun writing, are the completely uninteresting ones. The ones which really dont have a story to tell. Only a situation to describe, or a thought Ive been holding in for a while and suddenly feel the desperate need to get out.

This is not one of those entries.

As if you hadnt already noticed. No flies on you.

This one is just uninteresting. Or at least meaningless. It is simply my respons to being back in the lab. Me testing the water if you will..making sure it is safe to swim in after such a long time. Hopefully I will be back to update again with something more interesting within a couple of days...Time will tell.

In the meantime I can tell you that if you live in Bergen and want pizza, they serve great pizza at Kjøttbasaren, but you will get food poisoning if you order the chorizo sausage.

There you go...an update with a good advice at the end.

Logical...

Didn't you use to have a blog?

I did...and I do. I really do. I just seem to have lost my creativity a bit...or that is, I am using it on something else these days. Something which I am enjoying a bit more. But I have not forgotten my faithful companion, my dear web log, my blog. My conscious is letting me know it is there, and it will not let me forget it. I am sorry for the neglect.

As I have no news to report, I will instead wish you all a wonderful summer... with a promise to update as soon as I get my mojo back.

~Ski å

The end of one phase and the beginning of another

I realize I have somewhat neglected my blog lately...In part out of exhaustion, in part due to the uneventfulness of my life. But I am not complaining. I finally finished my master thesis...and I did well. In fact, I will admit I am proud of myself. I have no plans of going further than a master degree (although I should be careful to utter the word never) so I guess that means I have officially ended my education. It feels good.

But I am tired. 9 years, 2 bachelors and a master have taken its toll on me and I have been in desperate need of some time off. So thats why Ive been absent lately. I have been enjoying myself. Ive taken care of stuff I should have taken care of ages ago, like fixing my national costume so that I could finally wear it for the constitution day this year (yay!), Ive slept, Ive read books, Ive worked out and explored some other interests which I am not going to bore you with right now. Ive also booked 2 weeks of bliss in Turkey this summer with my man, and I cannot wait! To be perfectly honest...I cannot remember the last time I had 2 weeks off without feeling guilty about anything. It will be heaven.

It has also been a time of recognition for me. I have spent 21 years in school...which is 3/4s of my life...Although I have learned a great deal, both about the topics I have been studying, and about extracting information and separating good info from bad…reliable from non-reliable, I am happy to be done. I am ready for a steady income and some real responsibility…

Being a student usually means putting the “starting-a-family-phase” on hold. I have friends who ended their education years ago, who is now getting into that phase of their lives. As much as I would like a family one day, I am more excited about having some time to travel and enjoying time away from study halls. So...that's where I am right now. I have the time...but not the money. Ironic as it is.

So if you'd ask me what I am up to these days, besides enjoying myself...I will say: saving money. I have worked a little extra at my part-time job (which I have had the past 9 years) and I am trying to live cheaply so that I can spend the next couple of months planning a trip to somewhere exotic. The idea of being able to travel to some place Ive only dreamt of visiting before, excites me beyond comprehension.

You know...this is probably when I get accidentally pregnant...

Either way. Let life begin!