Ragnchild

And by that I don’t mean the fans yelling and throwing things, or the judges trying to make a fair decision facing someone bigger, stronger and more popular than themselves. No, it’s now a proven fact that football is quite dependent on chaos. Recently, a German mathematician did a statistical analysis of matches which showed that 40% of goals in football are based on luck (read more if your German is up to it).

Actually, this is something I’ve been wanting to prove for a long time, it’s also one of the reasons why I don’t like football. I dislike like the way one team can be on top of a league one season and then suddenly have to fight to keep the 10th place. Continue reading Football is chaotic

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been discussing a movie with someone and they have said something like “relax; after all, it’s just a movie”. Now, the reason that I get to hear this often is that I have a quite specific opinion about what a movie should or should not be. For me, a movie is not just a way to spend your time, an opportunity to forget the rest of the world for a while. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with entertainment, but I think that a movie should have a message as well. Ideally, it should tell you something that will hopefully make you a slightly more reflected person when you are done watching it. I know that this may not be a commonly accepted view, but take a moment and think about what movies really are. Continue reading It’s not just a movie

I must admit that for me, the time between Christmas and new year is often the best part of the holiday. Usually, I spend the beginning of December trying to deny that Christmas is imminent and preaching about how people ruin it by starting too soon. Then I start making a long list of the things I have to do, which includes buying presents for my German relatives early enough so the post can them there in time. I was so proud when I managed to finish early enough with the presents this year, or so I thought, it turned out that they didn’t get my presents before leaving home after all, hopefully they’ll get there soon.

Then, when Christmas finally arrives, it’s time for family reunions and church and presents and lots of food, and before you know it the magical moment that you’ve been waiting for has passed. Continue reading And soon another year has passed

Do you ever get the feeling that there’s just not enough of you to go around? Sometimes, I just feel that there’s so much to experience and learn, so many interesting people to talk to, and so many things I should have read or seen, that it just overwhelms me. In a way, it’s a good feeling, because all these things are what I consider meaningful, and I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to explore them all. However, I sometimes feel like my life is a big juggling exercise, barely managing to catch one ball safely before another comes tumbling down. In my opinion, there’s not much point in doing many of the things that you like if you don’t have time to take a breath once in a while and actually enjoy the feeling of doing what you enjoy. Continue reading I’m just one person, you know

After having moved out of the place where I’ve lived my entire life until now, and having spent some time at what is now my new home, I’ve finally come to realize that this is actually quite a big step for me. In the beginning it was (and it still is) just fun to be able to live by myself and take more responsibility for my own life. However, I’m now beginning to realize that it’s more than just that, it’s a new way of life.

At this point, I’m starting to buy household things for myself, thinking about which of the items from my childhood I want to keep, and that also brings about some emotional changes. I’m starting to feel all grown up, and all these little decisions, like which laundry detergent to use or what to do in the holidays, seem to add up to something larger. It’s like the values and opinions I’ve been thinking about for a long time suddenly start to materialize in a whole new way, which is both scary and great at the same time. Continue reading Moving out and growing up

Have you ever tried reaching the end of a rainbow? I have, but it always dissappeared before I even got close. Somehow, I always imagined that if I could just walk fast enough, or maybe use a helicopter or something, I could reach it. However, I recently found out that it’s actually impossible to reach the end, because the very nature of the rainbow makes the ends move away from you as you get closer. When you think about it, that makes a nice metaphor of how some people keep chasing something that will never give them real satisfaction, and the closer they get to it, the less satisfied they seem. Continue reading The end of the rainbow

The tourist season has really started over here in Norway, and I am just as surprised each year by how interesting the tourists find this country. Sometimes it’s quite incredible what they are fascinated by, they buy t-shirts with stupid drawings of elks on them and woolen sweaters in the middle of summer, I even saw one tourist taking a photo of a manhole cover. Still, when you are new to a country, it is perhaps logical that it seems more interesting than if you have lived there your whole life. Now, since most of the people reading this post are not from Norway, I thought that it would be interesting to present some (random) facts about Norway. Here we go:

Cheese slicer, the Norwegian specialty
Yes, this interesting little artifact was actually invented in Norway, and is still used frequently today, it also fits very well with the famous Norwegian brown cheese. My theory is that it was invented because food is expensive in Norway and so people wanted to make thin slices, but that’s a another matter. Continue reading Norway in a nutshell

Yes, I know this might be a rather unusual blog subject, but it’s something that I find important. Today is World Blood Donor Day, which is a global celebration of voluntary blood donors, and also a day for creating awareness of the importance of donating blood. Many people have a desire to help others, but it’s often hard to find the right opportunity. Well, this is your chance. Most healthy people can give blood, and it’s a really great way of helping others. It really does not cost you anything at all, since your body replaces the blood you donate, and you also get your blood checked for various things, including hemoglobin levels, which can be practical. Continue reading World Blood Donor Day