Why roadtrips in Norway are no good

Bad roads, closed roads, sheep, sketchy boat schedules and bad fast food. I really love this commercial that hits the nail on the head when it comes to road conditions over here.

The wonderful world of Ally

My wonderful and talented friend, Ally Burguieres, is a writer and artist currently residing in New Orleans, Louisiana. Take a moment to view these amazing paintings....

If you are interested in purchasing some, or want to know more about Ally and her art, visit her website.

The 83rd Academy Awards

It's Oscar time! I love the Academy Awards, and I am always excited to see who wins and who loses (just joking). Here are the nominees in some chosen categories, and my picks are the ones in italics.

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
Colin Firth in “The King's Speech”
James Franco in “127 Hours”

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone”
Jeremy Renner in “The Town”
Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech”

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”
Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter in “The King's Speech”
Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

“How to Train Your Dragon” Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
“The Illusionist” Sylvain Chomet
“Toy Story 3” Lee Unkrich

DIRECTING

“Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
“The Fighter” David O. Russell
“The King's Speech” Tom Hooper
“The Social Network” David Fincher
“True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

“Biutiful” Mexico
“Dogtooth” Greece
“In a Better World” Denmark
“Incendies” Canada

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

“127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
“The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
“Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
“True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“Winter's Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

BEST PICTURE

“Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
“The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
“Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
“The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
“The King's Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
“127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
“The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
“Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer
“True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
“Winter's Bone" Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers
“Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)” Algeria

What are YOUR picks?

The ultimate guilty pleasure

OK, I *have* to admit it... I am officially hooked on the CW soap Gossip Girl. I've always ignored the buzz about it since I don't usually follow whatever's cooking in the mainstream lane. But somehow I gave in. The show is cleverly written, which surprised me. The dialogue is fast, fresh and filled with annotations of everything from People magazine to Russian cult movies. The characters may be shallow and the plots change turns faster than most people change underwear, but we forgive them because of the soundtrack, the fashion and the pace.

I didn't think this show would be my cup of tea, but OMG.... I surrender. Perky Serena, sinister Blair, innocent Jenny, ambitious Rufus, preppy Nate and free-spirited Vanessa drag me flat on my face into the Upper East Side drama. And I'm not sure I want to leave just yet.

Here's my advice. Have a little faith, and if that doesn't work, have a lot of mimosas.

Get ready to spark!

Since Norwegians don't rely on cars as much as the average American, we often turn to the spark. Winter is the essential time to kick the dust of this ancient method of getting ahead. We call it spark, others sparkstøtte. It came into use in the 1900s here in Norway, after it was first made in Finland.

To be honest... I don't really use it that much. These days, the activity of sparkstøtting is mostly for older folks or kids. But it's fun, and it brings back some dear childhood memories.

I took Jamie on a trip to introduce him to real Scandinavian culture!

Blogging hiatus

As you've probably noticed... I've been slacking on this blog for a while. Don't get me wrong, I have every intention of keeping it. But I have been feeling uninspired and unable to produce something. I always have tons of ideas in my head, but I often lack the energy to sit down and get them out. Oh well. I plan on doing something about that! I finally got my laptop working again, and I was able to upload a few pics. Success!

So what has been going on lately? Basically just settling in. Working, getting around, being social.

Some friends and I decided to start a club. Girls only with lots of wine, chatting and plain and simple fun.

For the first meeting, I made a few tapas dishes. Aspargus wrapped in serrano-ham and bacon, chili marinated scampi with rice, and tortillas with goat cheese, salami, apple, onion and ruccola. And deviled eggs!!

Beauty Buzz

(I stole this survey from my friend Denae's page. Thanks hon!)

HOW TO SAVE A BAD HAIR DAY? A quick shower and let the hair air dry. Or wear a hat.

WORTH THE SPLURGE? Kanebo Cream Foundation

CHEAP, BUT WORTH A MILLION? Olay Total Effects Moisturizer with a Touch of Sun.

I WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME Cake-y makeup looks horrible. (Then somebody finally DID say something). I was 13 and clueless.

I'M SO GLAD SOMEONE TOLD ME To be adamant about skin care. What you do to your skin in your 20s will benefit you in your 50s. That means no tanning and no smoking and plenty of moisturizer.

BEAUTY PET PEEVE? Greasy hair. And people that never wear any makeup. I think just a little goes a long way, especially in a professional setting.

FAVORITE BEAUTY TOOL? Hair straightener

BEST BYGONE BEAUTY? Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. Use it for EVERYTHING.

I WON'T LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT A little mascara.

I WISH SOMEONE WOULD INVENT A freckle eraser. (Kidding!) Allthough I used to want this when I was younger.

LIPSTICK OR GLOSS? Both. I love full, red lips at parties, but sometimes gloss is better. I am in love with Too Faced's Lip Injection. It gives you full, plump lips with a sting. For weekdays I prefer Aquaphor or Rose Bud's Salve.

I FEEL CONFIDENT When I feel happy and loved