What?!

I just read an AP wire story that claims foreign students at OSU think studying in the US is harder work. I have to disagree.

The story, which nicely adds that foreigners boost tuition revenue with more than $15 million a year, reports that OSU turned to an outside recruiter to help the foreigners adjust to American university life.

Now, read this:

On the board of a classroom at Oregon State University recently, new international engineering students made two lists about what it's like to study in the United States.
Under "hard," they wrote: "homework," "wake up at the morning" and "a lot of things to do and to read!" The "easy" list was blank.

(Source: Associated Press)

I was an international student myself at the University of Oregon, and I felt the studies were easier than those of my home college, University of Bergen. Waking up in the morning is nothing new, and I am definitely no stranger to homework! And - the finals here in the States usually involve multiple choice. We don't have that back in Norway!

Maybe OSU just didn't recruit enough smart Scandinavian students? :P

It's like, whatver

ANNOYING WORDS

(AP) -- What word or phrase do Americans find most
annoying when used in conversations?
It's, like, "whatever."
The popular slacker term of indifference was found "most
annoying in conversation" by 47 percent of American adults
surveyed in a Marist College poll released Wednesday.
"Whatever" easily beat out "you know." The other annoying
contenders were "anyway," "it is what it is" and "at the end
of the day."
"Whatever" is an expression with staying power. Immortalized
in song by Nirvana in 1991, popularized by the Valley girls in
"Clueless" later that decade, it is still commonly used, often by
younger people.
Pollsters at the Poughkeepsie, N.Y. college surveyed 938 U.S.
adults by telephone. The margin of error is 3.2 percentage points.
Whatever.

(Soure: Associated Press)

'Tis the Season!

It's barely the beginning of October, but Christmas decorations are already covering store shelves. Even before people can carve their pumpkins it's obviously time to cue the carolers.

I snapped this picture during a shopping trip at Rite Aid.

Americans ARE crazy about decorating for every occasion, but come on... The Thanksgiving turkey is still kicking!

What do you think? Is this too early?

Guilty Pleasures!

I admit it.... I don't have a lot of self discipline.



I am not good about diets, I don't get up early, and I am pretty lazy when it comes to housecleaning. But at least I admit it, right?



One of my favorite things is cuddling up in a blanket with a cup of tea, reading a good book. I welcome cooler weather just because of this.



Now, let's take a look at my Top 10 Guilty Pleasures!



1) I love reading glossy mags under the covers. Especially while eating popcorn. (Yes, it leaves a mess.)



2) Eating chocolate. LOTS!



3) Postponing chores..... I HATE chores. I'd rather surf the web and read about piglets.



4) Shopping!! (Savings account? Whaaaa..?)



5) Playing Super Nintendo.



6) Watching 90210! (Don't tell anyone, but I actually enjoy it. Love me some 90s retro action!)



7) Reading stuff that grosses me out... I know you like that too.



8) Pretending the bills don't exist. Out of sight, out of mind.



9) Iced Vanilla Lattes. (Daily. Don't tell hubby.)



10) Reading boring people's facebook statuses. I don't know why, but it amuses me.

Some of my pet peeves

I have many pet peeves. Here are a few:

* Annoying roommates. The ones who walk into your room without knocking on the door, and want to keep an eye on EVERYTHING you do. I once lived with 5 sorority-type-'oh-my-god-it's-like-totally-whatever' girls that did nothing but diet and watch reality shows on MTV.

*Snoring.

*Bums who ask for my money. I work hard for mine, I suggest you do the same.

*Hipsters. God.... They all pride themselves on being so damn 'different' but they all look the same to me. If you try to hard to fit into a crowd... you suck.

*Heidi Montag. Go. AWAY.NOW.

*Annoying interns.

*Religious nuts. I respect your beliefs, but I don't necessarily agree, so don't preach to me.

*People who hide behind religion to justify their wrondoings.

*Breeders. Both of kids and dogs.

*Did I mention ROOMMATES?! I once lived with somebody who kept a rattlesnake and guns in his room. Can you say INSANE?

*People who only talk about themselves. Seriously, I don't care what you had for dinner or what your kid learned at school. I just don't.

*People who keep their dogs barking.

*Jehovah's Witnesses. I don't come to your house, so don't come to mine.

Now, talk to me. What are yours?

Random Nostalgia

Because we all long for things in the past....

Let's talk hair!

My friend Natasha has the longest, silkiest, most perfect hair. I am envious, especially since I chopped off my locks last year. I am trying to grow my hair back out, but it takes time, and I am now sporting a in-between-awkward-state do.



My friend says she smothers her hair in oil before she goes to bed. No doubt it's working, it looks so beautiful. I could do the oil thing, but I am kind of lazy when it comes to bedtime routines. My daily scrub and moisturizer is pretty much all I have the energy to do before snoozing.



Turns out there are a number of things you can do to boost your hair health. A website called "ARA Lifestyle.com" promotes OOKISA, a hair renewal product that's reportedly popular in Asia. The products include a varieties of tea said to help thicken each individual hair. Hmm.. might be worth a try?



Another website called "UK Hairdressers" have several nontraditional approaches to shiny locks... How about washing your hair in beer? Or rinsing it in fabric softener?! You can also crush some aspirin and apply to your scalp to fight dandruff. Don't take my word for any of these advice actually working....



I'd be happy to get any feedback!

Doggie Galore! (cuz there ain't nothin' cuter!)

MMMmmmmmmm

There is one GREAT thing about living in America, breakfast!! Breakfast is usually big and greasy, and has everything you usually put on different dishes combined in one artery-clogging meal. Whether you wake up hungry for steak and eggs, or granola, waffles, or even a tofu scramble... it's all just minutes away. Everything is bigger and better and available 24/7. Last Sunday I woke up with the biggest pancake hunger ever. I needed it sweet, and I needed it fast.

Thank goodness we live just a short drive from "the Original Pancake House", which has the best coffee in town, hands down. And need I say free refills? All you can drink coffee and ice water. And we haven't even gotten to the pancakes yet.... there are dozens of varieties.... crepes, Swedish pancakes, silver dollar pancakes, old fluffy buttermilk pancakes...fruit, whipped cream, marmalade, tropical syrup, maple syrup, dusted sugar... oh, you name it. You can even get a bacon waffle with tiny bits of bacon inside. The omelets are also yummy, and they come with freshly made salsa.

But back to that particular Sunday.... I already knew what I was having. Chocolate chip buttermilk pancakes with whipped butter, fresh strawberries with whipped cream... and a good ol' dose of Maple syrup smothered all over. Mmmmmm.......

Lane County Fair: Real American Values!

Two weekends ago, Jamie and I decided to check out the madness that was happening at the fairgrounds. I've only been to the fair once, and that was 3 years ago. I decided I'd go with no expectations or pre-biased opinions. This is all good fun, yeah?



First stop, The Animal Barn!! I adore nothing more than tiny little piglets. I love them! The sight that met me, however, was slightly less heartwarming. Huge, panting animals in small disclosures, trying to escape the sweltering heat. I did see some cute, baby piggies though, and I sent them all my best wishes from my heart. (Yes, feel free to go "aw" here).







Some of the other creatures we saw, were chickens, sheep, goats (some had loooong ears!), peacocks, and rabbits, to mention some. I don't care much for rides, so we skipped that part.





One of my favorites, however, were the displays of produce, jam, bread and other locally grown products. I loved how they tried to re-create the essence of each individual grange. My own personal favorite was the Santa Clara grange. Yay for visualizing true, family values!!

Watch closer...

It's the hottest show on TV right now! Yes, I have a slight obsession with Simon Baker and "The Mentalist". But since I work at a CBS affiliate, I have the right to promote our network's shows.

The plot is awesome, the writing kicks ass... and the hunt for "Red John" will keep you at the edge of your seat through each episode.



Thanks, Bruno Heller, for giving us a reason to watch prime time TV again! Or at least have an excuse to use the TiVo!

Home sweet home

Today's Fascinating Read - Centralia!!

Centralia, once a booming mining town in Pennsylvania, is now a ghost town with less than 9 residents. I wonder why someone is *still* living there.... A mine fire has been burning beneath the borough since 1962... and it's still smoldering to this day.

There is enough coal in the eight-mile vein to feed the fire for up to two hundred and fifty years, but it may burn itself out in as few as one hundred years.

The fire started when mine workers burned trash in a dump over an open coal seam, which was actually a common practice. But what they didn't know, was that the seemingly extinguished blaze was still continuing underground. Today there are many different variations as to what exactly caused the fire, but one thing remains.... anthracite goal is extremely flammable.

"This was a world where no human could live, hotter than the planet Mercury, its atmosphere as poisonous as Saturn's. At the heart of the fire, temperatures easily exceeded 1,000 degrees. Lethal clouds of carbon monoxide and other gases swirled through the rock chambers."

(David DeKok, "Unseen Danger: A Tragedy of People, Government and the Centralia Mine Fire", 2000)

Drop out of school and be a bum!

Yes, you read it right. Who cares about something as trivial as education? Fire up that bong instead, and take it easy. Life is hard enough.

Or... you COULD work hard in school, and do something with your life. There's still no guarantee that you won't be a bum, though.

But here's the thing... President Obama is set to speak to children in America's schools tomorrow, and some thinks... that's BAAAAAAAAAAD! I mean, how dare he? How could a leader of a nation do something so incredibly foolish as to encourage kids to read and learn? Yeah, that's really bad political propaganda, and just another sign that end times are near... We're one step away from a socialist-communist famished nation with a president-turned-dictator at the steering wheel.



Republicans are encouraging everyone to celebrate "National Keep Your Child At Home Day" . So what message does that give? Mom and dad don't agree with the President because they're scared he might turn us into little left-wing liberals? Or, mom and dad are trying to push their political agenda on the kids?


Come on! What happened to common sense? Are we so caught up in this republican vs. democrate war that we can't see straight? As an independent, and a non-citizen of this country, I say: Let the kids go to school, and let the kids hear the President. There are far worse things in this country to worry about. Far worse.

A year has passed...

It's been a year since I wrote this.... I just thought I'd be fun to revisit some of the thoughts that occupied my head last September.. We all know how things have turned out, but remember... this was written before the '08 Presidential Election. I just want to share with you some of the crazy newsletters that come into my inbox weekly.
Yes, I have strong opinions, but this is MY blog, and I can write how I feel. :)


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
OK, I am sleep-deprived, and crabby. And probably can't spell very well right now because my contacts are foggy. But -- I just have to share this, because it made my day. Circus '08 continues. Yes, I know this is not a statement from the McCain camp, BUT - it shows just how messed up some self-proclaimed Conservative Republicans can be. And some readers actually believe this, because they simply don't know any better. Just read and weep... seriously. --------------------------....--------------------------....--------------------------....-----------"Now we move to a real patriot, a woman who will be John McCain’s vice-presidential running mate, but who is far more qualified on all levels than Obama to be president. The article title begins with the fact that Obama is afraid of a woman. That woman is Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. As I mentioned at the start of this column, Obama launched his first attack on Governor Palin before John McCain had time to make the official announcement.McCain was set to introduce Palin at noon. Some reporters pieced together flight information on the various “short-list” candidates, and reported that Governor Palin was to be McCain’s running mate. Within 15 minutes, without doing any research on the Governor, Obama made a hasty and unfounded attack public.He said that McCain had chosen “the mayor of a town of 9,000, with zero foreign policy experience.” If Obama’s handlers knew anything about politics outside of Washington, DC, they would have stopped him before he put his foot in his mouth (yet again) by missing the fact that she is the Governor of largest state in the Union. (Although much smaller in terms of population, Alaska is twice the size of Texas, and almost six times the size of California.) Yes, she was a mayor, and a darned good one if you ask the people she led. And she used that beginning as a stepping stone to greater and greater responsibilities until she defeated a corrupt incumbent governor, and embarked on a successful crusade to crush corruption in Alaska. (Before Palin, Alaska had the same reputation for political corruption as Chicago, where Obama learned his politics.)As to foreign policy experience, she is the Chief Executive of a state that is uncomfortably close to Russia, and was once owned by Russia. She is also the Commander in Chief of the Alaska National Guard (!!!!!!!), which would be our first line of defense should Russia try to do to Alaska what it recently did to another former Russian possession, the nation of Georgia. (You may say even Russia is not that crazy, but that’s what everyone was saying about Georgia just a few weeks ago.) (Holy shit... I am rolling on the floor laughing!) So I would put her knowledge of foreign policy way ahead of Obama, who served just 143 days as a junior senator before his arrogance persuaded him that he was capable of running a nation. His only foreign policy experience has been the blunders he has made during his campaign for the Oval Office. His mistakes during his pronouncements on international affairs made his inexperience and lack of preparation painfully evident.As far as the other two people in this race, McCain’s foreign policy experience overwhelms that of Joe Biden. And Biden was added to the Obama ticket with the express purpose of propping him up in this critical area where everyone (including his own party members) acknowledged his weakness.So where Obama picked his running mate to try to make his ticket credible, McCain further strengthened an already strong campaign by bringing aboard someone who had vital experience that Obama, Biden and even McCain lacked: executive experience. Rudi Giuliani put it best when he spoke Sunday on “Face the Nation.” “She’s vetoed legislation; she’s taken on corruption in her party and won. She took on the oil companies and won. She administered a budget successfully.” Obama, meanwhile, has “never run a city, he’s never run a state, he’s never run a business, he’s never administered a payroll, and he’s never led people in crisis.”Oh, by the way, Palin has an astounding 80% approval rating form the people she governs. Obama shares in the shameful 9% approval rating of Congress.Setting aside for a moment the fact that Sarah Palin is far more qualified than is Barack Obama to be president, ask yourself this question. Who would you feel safer with as vice-president, knowing that she or he could become president at any moment: Joe “Politics-as-Usual” Biden, who has run a committee? Or Sarah “The Reformer” Palin, who has very successfully run the largest state in the United States of America?"Excerpt from CONSERVATIVE TRUTH 09/01/08Obama’s Fear of a Woman; Thoughts on a Liar and a Leader By Tom Barrett Publisher@ConservativeTrut....h.org--------------------------....--------------------------....--------------------------....-------------Seriously... if living in a state that borders to Russia makes one an expert of foreign policy, then Gaaawd help us. And even comparing Russia's relationship to Alaska (or the US) to that of Georgia...? What the hell is wrong with this person? Oh that's right... he is a CONSERVATIVE. Or just a Bible-preaching nutcase that believes being a "pro-gun, anti-gay, pro-life, white male, Christian, ignorant-to-anything-other....-than-what's-American-beca....use-that-makes-you-not-pat....riotic, right-winged-off-the-chart....s Republican that sways everything that's not conservative into the DEVIL", is the perfect American, and thus hits a home run with the ignorant and scared and uneducated God-fearing Americans who believe that "freedom" comes from invading foreign countries and bombing their civilians because they don't count as much as those who died in the 9/11 terror attacks.Oh, and by the way. Sarah Palin is a firm believer of abstinence only sex ed in schools. Whops! See how well that's working? Oh, shit that doesn't matter. Bristol is going to MARRY the baby-father. Oh, well bless them. It's all forgiven. Never mind she DID have premarital sex (which Christians say is a NO-NO!), she's going to marry him even though she probably doesn't love him...because, hey!, after all they just got nekkid...what's love got to do with it? But that's OK, they can divorce after high school...and go down the same line again with someone else. It's OK, it's all forgiven.
Hallelujah.

C'est la vie

I don’t think there is anybody out there in the world who has never wondered about life and what it is all about.

No matter what we have, what we gain of experience, wealth or other materialistic values – we always crave and want more. And no matter how happy we think we are, we always think that things can be better. It is never good enough; it is always just as good as it can be. We can be content and satisfied, but it is just temporary. Tomorrow is a new day, and there are new possibilities. We seek out to what we think can heal our inner wounds, what can fulfill us and what can patch together our weary souls. We crave affection, attention, confirmation, pleasure and comfort. We smoke and drink and stuff our bodies with dangerous substances to make us escape into our own manufactured reality where everything seems to fit – for a little while. And then reality bites. Haunts us down, drags us back and slaps us in the face. We wake up and smell the truth, and we need to let go of our pathetic illusions, which are nothing but false and shitty perception of a phony alternative universe.

How about we slow down the pace and embrace this ambiguity of life? Yes, it’s a cliche but life definitely is a roller coaster. What is good today might be bad tomorrow and vice versa. But it is a resolution – none of this is in our hands. We are not supposed to weave our own web, all we can do is follow our intuitions and our feelings, to make the best out of what we have, and allow ourselves to be happy. It is allowed to think “this is perfect”, even if we are afraid it might be gone in a second. But the temporary ecstasy is worth it.
Because what we have today might be gone tomorrow. Even so, pain is life just as much as pleasure is. What hurts like hell is the confirmation that you are alive. Which is nothing less than wonderful.

Meet Mr. Bryson!

If you're not already familiar with this brilliant author and linguist, 'tis the time!

Bill Bryson is one of my favorite authors for various reason. One of them is that he so often captures the bizarre moments I often find myself in.... As a foreigner I am constantly puzzled and amused by America in all its wonderful glory; double standards, weird rules, right-wing bias and that EVERYTHING IS BIGGER IN THE USA! I could go on... but I want you to read it for yourself.



Mr. Bryson has a unique way of observing everyday life in the most humorous and ironic ways.



I want to share with you a passage of his book "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" on the author's returning to America after living 20 years in England.



ON THE HOTLINE



"I came across something in our bathroom the other day that has occupied my thoughts off and on ever since. It was a little dispenser of dental floss.

It isn't the floss itself that is of interest to me but that the container has a toll-free number printed on it. You can call the company's Floss Hotline twenty-four hours a day. But here is the question: Why would you need to? I keep imagining some guy calling up and saying in an anxious voice, "OK, I've got the floss. Now what"

As a rule of thumb, I would submit that if you need to call your floss provider, for any reason, you are probably not ready for this level of oral hygiene."



**********************************************************************************************

President Obama to demystify health care reform

CNN is reporting that Obama is looking for ways to simplify his health care plan and to make it clearer and more concise. About time! Maybe now we won't have Palin shouting out about "death panels"? It's obvious that his health care proposal needs a serious round of editing. Not necessarliy in the means of content, but in order for the reform to pass... he needs support that can only come from UNDERSTANDING! Nobody wants to vote for something that's not 100% clear to them, right?

It's also time to calm the fears of so many American citizens who believe that a universal health care system is just another way for the government to violate one's personal freedom. Come on! Think about the millions who are unemployed right now... or the millions with part-time jobs that DON'T offer health insurance! God forbid you getting cancer AND losing your job....

If tears could build a bridge....

I am feeling blue today... but it's OK. I still need to grieve the loss of my best, furry friend, Sasha. She was always by my side, and I loved her with all my heart. Nature is funny that way, it sometimes goes against its own rules. Sasha got sick, just after turning 2 years... We had to put her down. But I will always love you, Sasha.





If tears could build a bridge, and memories a lane, I'd walk right up to heaven, and bring you home again.

Lost in Translation

If you know me, you've probably noticed my accent. My hubby tells me it gets stronger if I'm upset or angry. But the weird thing is.... I am starting to forget Norwegian! I can speak it just fine, but writing.... The thing you need to know, is that my language has two official variety of written forms. The way I speak is nowhere near either of them. When I write letters and e-mail to family and friends, I write in dialect. To be clear; writing in dialect is not grammatically correct in any way, but it's how I feel I best express myself. Now, whenever I have to write formally, that's when I get into trouble. I can't remember!!

Since 2003, I have written nothing but English, English, English.... I'd like to say my written English is pretty darn awesome, but somehow... SPEAKING it can be troublesome.
Let me give you an example of how explaining to a friend that "no, there aren't any polar bears in Norway" became totally lost in translation.

In Norway, a "polar bear" is called " isbjørn". The name is derived from "ice" - "is" - which makes sense, because the bears live in a cold environment. So I said "ice bear", and everybody started laughing. To my defense, I was under the influence of alcohol during the incident, but somehow... my friends now call me "Ice Bear". Fun.

Baby steps

I have a lot on my mind, but not a lot of time right now to type it all down. Also, I am just getting my feet wet when it comes to customizing and making my blog all fancy-schmancy.

Right now -- my coworkers and I are looking at the clock, waiting for the Friday evening to start. We're all going out for a beer to celebrate good ratings. Life is good.

Happy Friday, all!

Take two!

Aight, I am back in the blogosphere. After a long break, I've decided to jump back on the horse and write a "proper" blog. I started my first a year back, but somehow I forgot my login information and all that jazz, which put me on ground zero.

But here I am! Ready to share with you little tidbits of nothingness, my thoughts, ideas and just plain simple braindust from the top of my head. Here you go. I hope you'll come along for the ride. :)