Vintage Stories

:: New Blog ::

2010-02-01T04:39:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting a change for some time now. Vintage Stories never agreed with me, I think it was a phase with vintage things last year that created the name and I was never completely happy with it. So I've created a new blog that has a better feel. It's still very much a baby yet, I'm still organising the side menu and making a header, but it will be this blog that will be my main one from now on.

I hope to hear from you all again HERE!

:: Things I Wish They Had In Norway ::

2010-01-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

Being a relative frequent flyer, so to speak, I constantly find things that I wish they had in the freezing snow land that is Norway. Norway is a very anti-social country, and we're always behind when it comes to import/export. Denmark and Sweden, two of our neighbours, are way ahead of us when it comes to being suave and international. You can get everything in Sweden and Denmark, from Vidal Sassoon hair straighteners to Loubotin pumps. What can you get in Norway? Why, fish! Oh, and brown goat cheese that tastes like caramel. Eh, it's an aquired taste.

Anyway, these are my top "I wish they had these in Norway"-items:

Snack A Jacks Caramels. Oh, I LOVE these! They used to sell them in Norway when I was smaller, but now they don't anymore:( For some reason, though, they sell them in all the other flavours, but not the only one I like; the lovely caramel.

Starbucks white chocolate mocha frappuccino. We don't have Starbucks, which is actually quite nice, because they do pop up everywhere, don't they? The only places I can think of where I haven't seen them lately are Samoa, Leh, Oslo, Prince Edward Island and North Wales. It's almost as common as McDonalds, so it's really rather exciting to be one of the places that have escaped Starbucks for the time being. But, I do enjoy my white mocha frapp, like here in Grafton Street, Dublin. Good times.

High tea. This is very British, I know, but I simply adore this meal. The little tea sandwiches, the scones, the petit fours, and of course the tea. And the more stylish, the better. So far, I've had tea at The Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin (where this photo was taken), The Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan, The Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, The Willow Tea Rooms in Glasgow, and Brown's Hotel in London. The Shelbourne is still a favourite, both tea and ambiance-wise, but it's tough to beat a good cuppa and a view of the Nile!

These are only a small handfull of the things I miss in my country. What about you? Is there anything you wish you could have where you live?

:: These Are Vintage Stories ::

2010-01-29T02:56:00.000-08:00

"It wasn’t until she’d caught sight of herself in the mirror on her way to the reception that she saw that her eyes were the same colour as the camisole. She thought about her grandmother who’d loaned it to her and continued down the stairs."

"I’ve seen that blouse before, he said. It looks better on you than your mother."

"The preparations for the wedding were meticulous and a lot of care was given to the choice of underwear. Nearly every day after breakfast she crept up to her room, opened the top drawer of her chest of drawers and stroked the soft fabric and the lace carefully
with her hands."

"Was life and love less complicated when the pattern to this dress was young? Probably not, but we don’t need to pretend nothing happened."

What kind of dress are you picturing now?

All pictures from Kappahl

:: Vintage Stories ::

2010-01-28T13:46:00.001-08:00

I realised the other day that I have never explained why this blog is called Vintage Stories. Last April a relatively boring clothing shop in Norway debuted a line they called "Vintage Stories". It was a limited edition thing, and the clothes were made with attention to detail. It was mock old vintage fashion, which is perfect for vintage novices like myself who still find real thrifting a wee bit scary:) There were tops, skirts, cardigans, brooches, necklaces, earrings, skirts, the list is endless. The only thing missing were coats and shoes! And attached to all the different clothes were little notes with parts of a vintage-feel story. And I thought the idea was just so good - the idea of combining fashion (or other solid things for that matter) and writing! Don't you?

Since April, the collection has come out again, and I went completely gaga. I now own:
Five tops
One black lace blouse
Two lace scarves
One lilac beaded necklace
One lilac silk teddy

Lovely? Oh yes!

All pictures from Kappahl

:: New year, new opportunities? ::

2010-01-17T12:22:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

I'm back. I really am a terrible blogger, and I'm surprised anyone bothers to check my blog anymore:) But I am thankful to those who do, I really am!

Anyway, I'm back in Trondheim for my last semester, to try to get some better grades. A C ought to get me into the places I want to go. The plan is to start a Masters degree in September, and the choices are; Bradford (Yorkshire), Coventry (Midlands), St. Andrews (Scotland), Ulster (N. Ireland), Tromsø (N. Norway), Drammen (E. Norway), or Oslo (You all know where that is, don't you?). I know I can't pick and choose, because peace and conflict studies are hugely popular, so I'll be very happy if I get into any of those places. Fingers crossed, eh?

I've terminated my Copenhagen Uni-blog, as I'm not there anymore, so now I should have lots more time for this little gem:) I have vowed to do all the things I was planning to do last year, such as: Write more, blog better, use my Orbitrek, eat better, wake up earlier in the mornings... Any like-minded souls out there? I've actually been rather good already, I've used a vegetarian cookbook! Not once, but twice! My carnivorous boyfriend was actually really pleased with my veg enchiladas *proud* - so I've drawn up a whole meal plan for the coming week:) God, I feel like a proper houswife... Can anyone say pathetic? No, only kidding, I WILL be a more sensible eater from now on. And it's actually quite fun to cook! I think I could learn to like it. In time...

I think it's good to do little things one at a time - I've started cooking, and I HAVE to wake up early to go to class, so now I just have to start exercise and write and blog more, and ideally the to latter will go hand in glove. My goal was to make this a writing blog, but sadly the only trace of literature here is the title...

The writing is terrible at the moment; I have too many ideas! I can't decide which one to focus on. I did mention this a couple of posts ago, but I'm still pondering. I have faith in all the stories, I just can't make up my mind - and I HAVE to do one at a time, I really can't do several stories at once. I guess I'm a bit of a man in that area:)

Well, tomorrow is another day, and I here is my plan:

-Wake up early
-Write for at least ten minutes
-Exercise?! - I got the Debrett's ladies diary for Christmas and it actually contains a routine that's quite good! Ha! Who needs the gym when you have Debrett's?
-Go to the hairdresser
-Go to class
-Go to the grocery store
-Make dinner (veg paella with cashews, perhaps?)
-Blog.

So there. By this time tomorrow we'll see how much of this I've managed to do:) Wish me luck, and have a nice day tomorrow!

:: It's In There Somwhere! ::

2009-12-20T14:45:00.000-08:00

Well, we humans never learn, do we? As a writer, I ALWAYS write things down, because I don't want to forget. If I see something, hear a funny story, hear a nice name, I write it down, so I can use it later. I always carry my little moleskine notebook with me. But yesterday I was stupid. I mean, as stupid as I could ever be. I was reading something (of course I can't remember what), and I came across a girl's name. And it hit me right away, that this was a perfect name for a character. I have started mentally working on an idea for a book, and this name suited the main character perfectly. I was actually struck by the fact that I hadn't thought of this name by myself - that was how great that name was. Do you see? Argh, but did I write it down? NO. Why? Because it was such a good name that I was sure I wouldn't forget it during the next couple of hours. And did I forget? OF COURSE. How typical! Mr. Murphy has clearly paid me a visit. All I can remeber about the name is that it had an "f" in it. It was quite short, and sounded sort of like the name Flora, or Fiona. At least I think so:) I've tried to google it, but I can't find a thing... Pity me?

:: Because I Have Nothing Better To Do... ::

2009-12-20T07:08:00.000-08:00

I took up on (can you even say that?) Iris' invitation and copyed her tag:) It's been a busy month for me, not only because of Christmas, but because of exams and moving etc. It's difficult going back and forth between two countries all the time, even though Norway and Denmark are quite close. I'm sure Aussies and New Zealanders can relate to my feeling, yes? Only kidding, I have never felt so isolated as I did when I lived in New Zealand. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful place and I loved it there, but it's so... island-y, you know? Even the closest place is hours away by plane. I suppose that can be both good and bad, but for time being, I'm very happy to live in Europe. I can get to all kinds of places in a matter of hours by plane; London, Dublin, Copenhagen, Geneva, Rome, Paris, you name it. I love that. Europe is such a hub of culture, and I don't want to sound arrogant, but it is where culture started, isn't it? I know people came from Africa, but true culture came from Europe. Art, music, all kinds of languages spoken across the globe today, as well as the people of many other continents, are direct descendants of Europeans. I love my continent, and I don't think I could ever live in a place where there wasn't all that difference in culture. North America is big, but it's mostly the same, you know? I get restless easily, and living in Europe gives me the opportunity to see many different things in a short amount of time and for less money than it would cost someone who didn't live where I do.

So, I don't know how I started thinking about Europe, and maybe some of you will take offense, because I know that most of my readers are non-Europeans:) Well, if this generates a debate, I'm happy about it! So, now that everyone knows how much I love the continent:), let's get on with today's tag, shall we? And for everyone wanting to do it, go ahead! Let me know, so I can see what you answered!

1.Where is your phone? On the ugly coffee table that came with my apartment.

2.Your hair? Long-ish and brown. Trying to make my fringe the same lenght as the rest, but I fear I don't have the patience for it!

3.Your Mother? Probably sitting at home, blogging, or twittering. She's such a techno-buff!

4.Your Father? No idea.

5.Your favourite food? Kraft's Mac&Cheese dinner (I know...).

6.Your dream last night? I actually had a quite disturbing dream, but I forgot it - that always happens...

7.Your favourite drink? Tea, and freshly squeezed orange juice.

8.Your dream/goal? Travel the world, publish some books, being happy, having a family.

9.What room are you in? The living-and-bedroom. Small apartment!

10.Your hobbies? Reading, writing, playing the violin, watching crime on the telly.

11.Your fear? I don't like rock climbing or guns.

(12. is missing)

13.Where were you last night? At home, celebrating Christmas Eve! Boy and I are not celebrating together this year, so we had our own celebration early, complete with all the things we do with our families. Dinner, presents, cake, stockings from Santa, you name it:)

14.Something that you’re not? I'm going to copy Iris and say; "A skilled mathematician."

15.Muffins? Apple and cinnamon? Can't say I eat a lot of muffins...

16.Wishlist item? Boring things like books and DVD's, as well as a mini laptop and money...

17.Where did you grow up? Drammen, a smallish town near Oslo.

18.Last thing you did? Watched an episode of "Midsomer Murders" with Boy.

19.What are you wearing? Jeans and a fabulous jumper from Oasis.

20.Your TV? None.

21.Your pets? None, but my grandmother has a cat who hates everyone.

22.Friends? A radical, socialist lesbian, a male nurse, an anti-American who's going to UC Berkeley in a few weeks... They're quite a bunch:)

23.Your life? Love it!

24.Your mood? Great, but getting hungry.

25.Missing someone? Not really, if you don't count Johnny Depp.

26.Vehicle? Legs, and occasionally the bus.

27.Something you’re not wearing? Shoes.

28.Your favourite store? Topshop, Benetton, Oasis.

29. Your Favourite colour? Purple, aquamarine, fuchsia, and chartreuse (it just sounds so pretty!)

30.When was the last time you laughed? Can't remember. Oh, that didn't come out right! Probably today, but can't remember exact time:) Haha. There, I laughed!

31.The last time you cried? Can't remember, last time I watched a Disney-movie, I expect:)

32.Your best friend? Boy, and my radical lesbian!

33.One place that I go to over and over? Dublin! I love it there.

34.Facebook? Yes, though I try not to.

35.Favourite place to eat? Stone Oven Café in Devonport, Auckland:) It's been a while, though. In Norway, probably fish soup at "Bølgen & Moi" in Sandvika.

So, there you have it. Normally, I don't much care for tags. I think they're boring to write, and I can't imagine other people having any interest in where I like to eat, but I do read what others write in their tags, and I suppose someone will read this. I suppose it's therapeutic as well; as I haven't written in so long, this will get the wheels rolling again, without my having to think up some brilliant post. A bad excuse, perhaps, but so be it. Happy holidays, everyone! Is it snowing where you are?

:: Updated post on "Very Special Places" ::

2009-11-26T03:17:00.001-08:00

Good morning everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that I've added another competition to my publishing opportunities post on my travel blog; Very Special Places. This new opportunity is really cool, so if you want to travel and love writing, you'd better join!

*Also, and this has nothing to do with this post, but I urge everyone to head on over to Amnesty and sign THIS petition!

:: Just A Quick Question ::

2009-11-25T14:20:00.001-08:00

I have wondered about this for some time, and I can't seem to find a definite answer: When someone leaves you a comment, how do you reply? Some people (me included) get a comment, then trot on over to the commenter's blog and leave a reply there. That way I know they read it. I figure it's the polite thing to do. Some others (myself included) just reply to the comment underneath it, so that when someone else wants to comment, they can read all the comments related to that post. That would be the polite thing to do for the other commenteers. But then the original commenter might not stop by that exact post to see if you've answered, so they might miss your reply. Those are basically the two ways to go, unless you do like Casey from the blog Casey's Elegant Musings and email your reply. This is a very sweet thing to do, and when I asked her why she didn't just comment on her own blog or on mine, she said that some people regarded it as spam and that if we wanted a longer conversation it would be nicer to do that by email. Honestly, I could just eat her up, she is the sweetest person in the world:)

So, what do you do? A little bit of both? Should there be a strict rule on these things? Should we perhaps consult Debrett's?

:: Nanowrimo again... ::

2009-11-25T03:36:00.000-08:00

Wow, I'm SO boring! Is this Nanowrimo all I have to think about? And the worst part is that I haven't written anything new! My God, I'm not even going to hit 10.000 words! Pathetic. Although, I didn't join to win, especially since it's exam time. I joined to have a community that I knew were wannabe writers like myself, and I love the whole "let's exchange frustration"-mode we have going:) If there's one thing psychology has taught me, it's that humans LOVE to complain, but often they don't want their problems fixed because then they wouldn't have anything to complain about - am I right? Oh, come on, you know you like to bitch about something every now and again:)

So, what's the matter now, VS? Creative dead-end? You hate your characters, you say? Don't we all? Your project is too light, too mainstream? Not a bad thing, people like mainstream, that's why they call it that! No, I have all of those problems, and still there's more bitching to be done! You see, a couple of days ago I read on Andrea's (fellow Nanowrimo-writer) blog that she had a problem with her idea. The problem being that she had gotten another one. Yes, 2 ideas when she should only have one. I brushed this off, saying that it's okay to have both! If only this could apply to boys as well, eh? Not funny? Well, nevermind! So, after telling her that two ideas was in fact better than none, I settled with this. But a seed had been planted in my mind - and now I'm sure you can guess what my problem is? I now have 3 - yes, you read that correctly - 3 ideas that I would like to develop! Oh, woe is me:(

1. A crime story set in the 1920. A small, privatly owned island in the English channel is the backdrop. The Seigneur (the big cahuna of the island) is having a party and one of his guests gets murdered. Who did it? Lucky there's a detective in their midst, eh? Need I say where my inspiration for this came from? I love me a good Poirot:) Also, I visited the Channel Islands this summer and thought they would be the perfect setting for an old world murder.

2. A building in Dublin houses three very different people, and they try to get along with each other as best they can: A French boy who is intolerably narcissistic, a girl who writes a fashion blog for a living, and lastly a goody two-shoes with bad self-esteem who is desperate for a boyfriend. I'm a big fan of Alexander McCall Smith, and his series "44 Scotland Street" is where I got my idea for this.

3. New idea. Set in the early 1900's - 20's or 30's or something - a group of people (I think it's a school, but I haven't worked that out yet) disappear while on a field trip in a lagoon in Wales. A couple of people remain, but they remember nothing. A search party is organised, but no trace can be found. My main inspo for this is "Picnic at Hanging Rock" - which is a great book/film. I know this idea sounds like a pastiche of the book, but these things have a way of working themselves out, don't they?

So, do you see my problem? Which of the ideas should I continue with? Nr. 2 can easily be done along with another, because it's so easy to write. But the other two need lots of research and will be much harder to write, so I have to concentrate on one of them. But which one?

:: Wonderful Copenhagen? ::

2009-11-22T14:25:00.000-08:00

G'day all!

Have you ever heard that tune, "Wonderful Copenhagen", by Danny Kaye. I love it. It's so ancient and cool. Not that there's much truth in it, I would hardly use the word "wonderful" and "Copenagen" in the same sentence. Ouch, that sounded harsher than it was intended - well, no matter. That's hardly the point of this post.

Actually, I was wondering how my Nanowrimo friends were getting along! I have made barely any progress beacause of my paper for the U, but now I have a bit more time on my hands, so I can at least get some writing done during the last week of November. But if I reach 50.000 words during this week, and you don't hear from me again for some time, please call 911, mkay? I will be found on the floor, lifeless from too much caffeine and too little movement.

I don't like most of my characters. Is that bad? I find them funny, and I create horrible situations for them so I can laugh at them - does that make me mentally unstable? And if so, is that bad? As you can see I'm in need of some creative input, I feel like I'm just writing on auto pilot and not producing anything worthwile... What about y'all?

:: I Heart My City: Alexandra's Copenhagen ::

2009-11-18T13:43:00.001-08:00

Hurrah! I have been featured! For the first time! Hurrah, I say!

National Geographic's Intelligent Travel blog has featured my contribution to their "I Heart My City" - which is insanely cool. Here it is, for your reading pleasure:)

Copenhagen is My City

The first place I take a visitor from out of town is Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest amusement parks in the world.

When I crave cake and hot chocolate in old world-settings, I always go to La Glace; the oldest confectionary in Denmark.

To escape the harsh city-life, I head to the free town of Christiania, where one makes love, not war.

If I want to be amazed by beautiful marble sculptures and a breathtaking winter garden, I go to the New Carlsberg Glyptotheke, where they also have a lovely tea room.

For complete quiet, I can hide away in the Royal Library; a vast modern building known as the «Black Diamond».

If you come to my city, get your picture taken with the Little Mermaid, an iconic statue depicting the herione from the famous fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen.

If you have to order one thing off the menu from the Art Nouveau style Café Norden it has to be the famous pancakes.

The Magasin du Nord located in Kongens Nytorv is my one-stop shop for great shopping.

When I'm feeling cash-strapped I go to Rosenborg Castle. There is an entrance fee to step into the castle, but the gorgeous 15th century gardens are accessible to all!

For a huge splurge I go shopping in the main shopping street, Strøget, where they have everything from Topshop to Coco Chanel.

Photo ops in my city include the Wheel of Copenhagen, and the best vantage points are from the top of the Wheel.

If my city were a celebrity it'd be Danish / Australian crown princess Mary, because it's stylish, international, and friendly.

The most random thing about my city is the hot dog stands on every corner that sell bright red hot dogs.

My city has the most uncouth men.

My city has the most fashionable women in Northern Europe.

In my city, an active day outdoors involves a bike ride around the city.

My city's best museum is the National Museum, which has everything from Egyptian mummies to modern day Danish culture objects.

My favorite jogging/walking route is around the Botanical Gardens, which is located between one of the main metro stations and the university's city campus.

For a night of dancing, go to Koloer Bar, where they have a strict dress code but great surroundings. Or, for live music, check out La Fontaine jazz club, which has concerts and jam sessions during the weekends, and a poetry night once every month.

You can tell a lot about my city from looking at the architecture; Copenhagen is clearly the most beautiful city in Scandinavia. Sit by the fountain in Amalienhave (next to the Royal Palace Amalienborg) and gaze across the canal to the new opera house!

You can tell if someone is from my city if they boast a lot about it. People from Copenhagen cannot stop talking about how beautiful they think their city is!

In the summer you should head towards the two main beaches in the city; Amager beach or Islands Brygge.

A hidden gem in my city is Dragoer; a small fishing village on the island of Amager.

For a great breakfast joint try Jensen's Steakhouse, where they serve breakfast steaks until 4.00 p.m!

Don't miss the Roskilde Music Festival in the summertime, the biggest music festival in Scandinavia.

Just outside my city, you can visit the castle of Elsinore, where Shakespeare's «Hamlet» takes place.

The best way to see my city is by going on a canal tour by boat, where you see the city from the waterfront.

If my city were a pet it would be a dog; energetic and always happy to see you!

If I didn't live in a city, I'd live in the British countryside, in a cosy Marpelian village.

When I think about my city, the song that comes to mind is «Wonderful Copenhagen» by Danny Kaye.

If you have kids, you won't want to miss the zoo, which turns 150 years this year, and has all kinds of animals.

My city should be featured on your cover or website because in only a few short weeks Copenhagen will be hosting the United Nations Climate Conference '09, which most Danish people are pretty proud of!

*They even tweeted it!

*For other travel musing, check out my travel blogtravel blog.

:: Nanowrimo update ::

2009-11-13T10:14:00.000-08:00

Ok, I thought I'd give y'all a quick update on my Nanowriting - any progress, you think? by now i should have written about 25.000 words - which I haven't. I'm still at 7400-ish, and that's probably the way it's going to stay for some time. I had a reality check a couple of days ago, and realized that I really had to starty studying for my exams that start on Dec 1st. As you may understand, this makes me very unhappy! If I had my way I would be a house-wife with a maid and a nanny - and perhaps a chauffeur, so I could just sit and scribble all day long. Ah, bliss...

What about you? How is your Nanowriting going?

:: NaNoWriMo ::

2009-11-06T04:48:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

I see that I've been missing something important by being away from blogspot for a couple of months - it's national novel writing month, also called Nanowrimo (because everyone loves a good abbreviation)! I was too late to join Andrea's Nanowrimo group, but there's always next year:) A note to fellow Nanowrimo bloggers; feel free to add me as a writing buddy (my username is "vintage stories"), and we can help each other out!

So what is Nanowrimo, you ask? Well, it's simply a web-community where you sign up and share your progress on writing a novel of 50.000 words in ONE month. Crazy, I know, but it's worth a try! You can add as much or as little of your novel as you want, and you can join regions (i'm in the Norway region) and have writing buddies and all kinds of fabulous stuff:) My new story is already 7.500 words, so I feel I could make this work quite well. It's just a manner of balancing the studies and exams with the writing - not an easy task though!

And as if I'm not busy enough, I've been thinking of entering several travel writing competitions, and I've started a proper travel blog that you can visit HERE. In the last post on that blog, I mentioned National Geographic's "I heart my city"-campaign, and I just wanted to let you all know that I've just entered! So, look out for "I heart Copenhagen"!

Looking forward to "meeting" other Nanowrimo's! I even got a fancy button that i put on my side-bar. These little things make my day:)

:: Same Old Brand New Me ::

2009-11-04T12:24:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I have deleted some of the last posts because, well frankly, they were no good:) But in a nutshell, when I moved to Copenhagen as an exchange student I suddenly became very *busy and important* - and also started an exchange blog through the university of Copenhagen, where I blog about my experiences as foreigner in Denmark. So if you want to know what's in the now in Copenhagen, you can visit my blog by pressing HERE.

I have several other new projects that I've been working on lately, but I won't reveal anything juuust yet - writers, eh? A superstitious lot! But I can say that now that I'm accustomed to Copenhagen life, I find that I have time on my hands to continue my dear Vintage Stories, and it feels good, because I've missed them:)

Hope all of you are well and that you are enjoying the late autumn (in Norway and Denmark it has already started snowing)!

:: Jeepers creepers ::

2009-08-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

"Jeepers creepers, howd'ya get those peepers? Howd'ya get those eyes?"

The Puppini Sisters are spot on about eyes - what is it about them?
My latest crush is Jonathan Rhys Meyers, dubbed "crazy eyes" by Perez Hilton. And as good an observation as that is, there's something undoubtetly appealing about them as well! He's scary, but in a sensual way, if you get my drift:) And he's Irish, which does add to the whole attraction-thing...

I've watched a couple of episodes of "The Tudors", and I LOVE IT. I hated it at first, because I think Jonathan is all wrong for the part of Henry VIII. I still do, but he's hot so it's okay:) Would a fat, red-haired guy be as appealing and make good TV? NO. Would I prefer it to be historically correct? Yes and no; if i want the "truth", I'll read the book. Honestly - I want something nice to look at! Is that so wrong?

But anyway, historically correct or not, "The Tudors" is one good show. I like how glamorous they make the middle ages look; those clean floors, clean people and nice clothes - it makes me want to visit Henry and become his seventh wife (weeeeell, maybe not)!

Oh, and while I'm talking about eyes, I'm contemplating the idea of getting some coloured contacts! I'd like blue eyes, nothing unnatural, because nothing's scarier than those contacts that look fake - do you know what I mean? No? THIS is what I mean:
Obviously no one would want eyes like this - except for the person wearing them of course:)

I'm thinking more in lines of this (thank God for www.taaz.com - a really fun way to play with hair styles and make-up. And eye colour, obviously...):

So - what do you think? I wouldn't normally talk about style on this blog as it isn't a blog about fashion, but I'm making an exception in this case - I think it could be cool to get some lenses seeing as I'm off to a new place and will meet lots of new people. Maybe it would give me a change of character? Who knows?

:: Inspiration has finally arrived! ::

2009-08-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

I've just returned from the Channel Islands - and it was wonderful! We had a stopover in Paris, which was nice as I haven't been there since I was 14. It hadn't changed much, it's still a snobby, slightly bitchy place that's always in a hurry. Whoever called Paris romantic was sadly mistaken, I find. But it's Paris, after all - one has to like it there, hasn't one?

I've come to realise that the huge worldly cities like Paris and London aren't really my style - I much prefer the smaller communities in Wales and the like. Which is where the blessed inspiration comes in.

I went to Jersey, Guernsey and Herm, but sadly I didn't have time for Sark - which was a real shame. Sark is the worlds only feudal state - where there's a seigneur that runs everything. How delightfully elizabethan!

And although Jersey and Guernsey were absolute lovelies, Herm was my fave. It was so tiny; about 50 people and walking around the island took a matter of hours. It has one hotel, one pub, some self-catering cottages and an itty-bitty church.

SO, inspired by the small society with no police and not even a grocery shop, I devised a plot for a new story! And it's going to be a classic whodunnit - I'm VERY excited! -And I wanted to share the writing process with all of you, because some of my readers, like the two Andreas, are writers and I hope that we can give each other pointers and support along the rocky path that is ficion writing.

So, the point is that I'll be starting a second blog. It isn't up and running yet, but it will be soon, and I'll let you know on Vintage Stories whenever I update it. I hope you'll pop in on VS's little sister every know and again and comment on my story as it progresses!

As I've mentioned before, I wrote a book when I was 17 that never got published. I could continue to send it in to publishers, but I don't feel that it's all "me" anymore. Although it's a good read (hehe, of course I'd say that!), I feel it's too youthy, if you get my drift. This will be so much better.

:: Book review: "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" ::

2009-08-12T04:02:00.000-07:00

Here it is, since you begged me for it:)

The story of how the book came to be is almost as nice as the book itself. It's written by an American lady called Mary Ann Shaffer who came to Guernsey many years ago. She loved it so much, and wanted to write a book about the island. But sadly she died before she could finish the book, and her niece Annie Barrows had to complete it with her in the final stages. Mary Ann never saw the book published, which makes me quite sad, because it's gotten great reviews. Even Joanna Lumley says that it's great, and that's good enough for me!

Well, anyway, the book is set in post WWII London and Guernsey, and consists of letters. I mean, the whole book is a series of correspondence. I've never read anything written in that style before, and I found it quite refreshing, actually. I've read books formed as journals and the like, but never as letters. It's quite nice.

The story is quite long and complicated, and there's a whole bunch of characters in it, and I had trouble remembering them all and telling them apart for the first part of the book. But basically the story is like this: (DON'T READ FURTHER IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO READ THE BOOK AND DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!)

Juliet, a London-based writer, gets a letter from a Mr. Dawsey Adams of Guernsey, who informs her that he has bought a book that she previously owned. It's a book by a Mr. Charles Lamb, and being in Guernsey, Mr. Adams cannot obtain anything else by him. He therefore asks Juliet to see if there are more books by him to be obtained in London. They start to correspond regularly, and Juliet is soon told that Mr. Adams is part of the "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society". This society was started under the German occupation in Guernsey, and was used as a cover to meet on a regular basis. Those nasty Germans didn't approve of islanders socialising back then, it seems... So a bunch of islanders got toghether a couple of times a month and talked about a book they'd read.

Soon Juliet is bombarded with letters from all of the society's members; about books they've read, and life on Guernsey during the occupation. Juliet feels that she knows all about these people, and decides to go and visit them, much to the horror of her publishing tycoon of a boyfriend, but she discards him quickly enough. When she gets to Guernsey, she settles in for island life and starts to learn more about what it was like there during the war, and decides to write a book about it. She also becomes more interested in one of the islanders, a Ms. Elizabeth McKenna, who was sent to a concentration camp and has not returned. Elizabeth had a child with a German army man called Christian (who was actually one of the good ones, it's hard to believe there were any Germans like that but I do believe there were some who fought the war against their will, my grandmother has told me countless stories about that, as she was very much alive during the occupation of Norway). Elizabeth got sent away because she was discovered hiding a Todt worker (captured civilians who worked as slaved in the big factories such as Opel or Siemens, but were also used to dig bunkers and the like in the occupied areas).

The island recieves news from a French woman called Remy who was in Ravensbrück concentration camp with Elizabeth, and informs the island that Elizabeth was executed in 1945. This part is incredibly sad, because, like Juliet, the reader has also begun to feel as if we knew Elizabeth, even though we'd never met.

Remy comes to live on the island and tells more of how it was like living in German captivity. It's very moving, and difficult to grasp how icredibly macabre it must have been to be sent to one of those camps. My grandfather was, but he never lived long enought for me to ask him what it was like. But that's another story.

Juliet's book starts to take shape, Remy returns to France, and Mr. Dawsey Adams and Juliet finally realise that they love one another and marries. They also adopt Elizabeth's child Kit, as both her parents are dead.

All in all a great read, I'll wager not even the most cynical of spirits can read this and feel the same after they've finished it.

But don't take my word for it, because I've barely scratched the surface of the book in this review. The real gem is impossible to explain; all the letters from the different islanders, that convey their personality and interests, and what goes on in their lives and what effect the war had on them personally. It really is a marvel of a book. READ IT.

:: Great Danish ::

2009-08-10T04:11:00.001-07:00

Did you know that what English people call a "danish" (aka. a pastry with preserves of some sort) Norwegians a "wienerbrød" (viennise bread)? Next time I'm in Copenhagen, I'll ask what they call them:)

In other news; I'm back! And poor! Why is it that I've worked all summer and still there's nothing left when all the bills are paid? After paying my credit card bill and paying back a loan from my mother, I'm left with virtually nothing! This sucks - I worked so hard to be able to live the good life in Copenhagen:( I guess I knew it was coming, but I just didn't want to face it. I've lived on borrowed money, and when pay day comes, you have to pay up. But that doesn't make it any less suckier...

I'm leaving tomorrow for the viking city of Trondheim, to spend some time with Boy before I return back to Drammen for my vacation to the channel islands. Speaking of which, I've just read a book called "The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society" which I will recommend to everyone! It's a truly wonderful book. I'm even thinking of writing a book review on it. Would that be of interest to anyone?

I'll post some pictures of my new flat when I get it together - this week has just been crazy with traveling, Ikea, moving and general sight-seeing around Denmark. I do apologise for this terrible post, I was half thinking that I shouldn't post it at all, but I thought you all would like to know that I was alive, and not eaten by great danes.

:: Elsinore - to be or not to be Danish ::

2009-08-02T06:28:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving for Denmark tomorrow - I'm driving there with my mother and little sister to collect the keys for my new flat, as well as seeing a bit of the country. We're going to trace Hamlet's footsteps, see Skagen (a place where many Norwegian bohemians came to paint and despair over life during the late 1800's), as well as bigger cities such as Aalborg, Aarhus and Odense (the home town of H. C. Andersen). I'm really looking forward to it, as Denmark will be my home for some years to come, and I think it's really important that you get to know the country you live in. What do you think?

So anyways, I'll be back at the end of the week with pictures and loads to tell y'all:)

Have a great week everyone, and I hope you enjoyed my entry on Glasgow (below) as well!

:: Glasgow ::

2009-08-02T05:57:00.000-07:00

I returned from Glasgow on Monday. I loved it! Glasgow is a lovely city, situated in an absolutely beautiful country. We did the obligatory things; one of those hop one-hop off bus-tours, went to the Glengoyne whisky distillery, and had high tea at the Willow Tea Rooms.

Also, I thought that it was very nice how they had still remained a fairly modest city, specially since it's Scotland's largest city. On Sunday, the subways didn't run as often, and shops opened later and closed earlier. In Norway, no shops are open on Sundays, and fewer restaurants and cafés are open. I like this not because I'm a religious person and I believe Sundays are holy, but because I think it's nice to have one day a week to stay home and relax, play board games (or Wii, I just love MarioKart!), go for a walk in the woods, or read a nice book. You don't need to go shopping every day of the week. You can buy your groceries on Saturday. It's nice to have one day to wind down. At least that's what I think... What do you think?

So here are some pictures for you!
Me in Sauchiehall Street (the "Sauch" is pronounced like "Loch", as in Loch Ness), one of the main streets in Glasgow city centre.

Buying a pair of "Heathergems" earrings. They're made from stems from the heather flower! They dry, colour and press the stems toghether, then they cut out little pieces to make jewelry. Every piece is unique, and they have really bright colours, mostly reds and greens. I love my earrings, and I'm kind of upset that I didn't buy a matching necklace:(

Boy outside the Glengoyne whisky distillery - he is quite the whisky-buff:)

Boy and me in the Glengoyne distillery grounds. They even had their own waterfall!

At the Willow Tea Rooms. Delicious tea, splendid décor. Very me.

An incredibly cool statue outside Buchanan Street bus station. It just says so much, don't you think?

Another sweet statue. It reminds me of the one that Casey showed us last month!

:: Awards! ::

2009-07-29T06:43:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited! I've gotten not one - but TWO awards! I'm really giddy, as I've never recieved any before. I think the concept of blog-awards is great, it's an easy and nice way to show appreciation of what someone else writes.

So as I said, I've gotten two awards; one from Andrea of The Rainbow Notebook, and one from Iris of Fleur Délice.
Thank you both so much! I read both of your blogs daily, and it means so much to me to know that you like my blog as much as I like yours:) I was especially touched by Andrea's kind words about my blog. These things really make my day, so thank you both!

I got this from Iris:

-And this from Andrea:

The first award asks that I list 10 things about myself, so here goes:

1.
I'm a compulsive traveler. I just can't sit still. I've just returned from Glasgow, and I'm off to Copenhagen, possibly Kaliningrad, and the Channel Islands in a few weeks time.

2.
I want to live in most of the places I visit. My most recent dream places to call home are Ironbridge, Llandudno and Prince Edward Island.

3.
I'm allergic to everything nice. That means spring, cats, apples, nuts and pineapple. And marzipan. Why, god, why?

4.
I wrote a novel when I was 17. It was turned down by the publisher's because the main character was to depressing to read about. They wondered if I had anything else, but I didn't, and that was the end of my literary career - so far.

5.
One of the reasons why I chose clinical psychology is that I want my own practise so I can make lots of money. This will give me the opportunity to have a free day-clinic once a week to those who can't afford my sessions normally. I think you have to use the system the best way you can.

6.
I currently work for the Norwegian organisation "No to the EU", but I'm actually neutral to the EU. Don't tell my boss:)

7.
I have WAY too many bags. I hardly use any of them, but they're nice and special, so I don't have the heart to throw them away - I want to know that they're going somewhere where they'll be loved.

8.
I'm really quite anti-social. I like being by myself, reading a book and watching Poirot. But I also like being with friends. Just not too many, you know?

9.
I hate tight clothes, so I often wear Boy's clothes. He has mixed feelings about this, I'm afraid.

10.
It makes my day when people leave me comments! I mean, who doesn't like this?

Now that that's done with, I'm going to pass the awards on to other blogs I like! But since I have two (and honestly, who needs two awards from the same person given at the same time?) I'm going to give both awards to a whole bunch of daily reads that I love, and they can choose if they want one of them - or both! There you go - freedom of choice. Lovely:) The bloggers I hereby give these awards to are:

-Casey of Elegant Musings
-Sally of Already Pretty
-Andrea of A Cat of Impossible Colour
-Becky of I'll Go Eat Worms
-Danielle of The Portrait Of A Lady
-The Freelancer's Fashionblog
-Heather of The Duchess of Devonshire's Gossip Guide to the 18th century
-Iris of Fleur Délice
-Andrea of The Rainbow Notebook
-And my mother, even though she always nags me, but she works a lot with her blog and I find it an interesting read:)

There! All done. I have more posts just waiting to see the world, so to speak, so expect lots of blogging this week!

Have a nice day everyone!

:: Fun Etsy Finds ::

2009-07-15T01:38:00.000-07:00

I love Etsy, I think it's such a great idea. The things you're buying are so unique, and I love the fact that many of them promote eco-friendly items! And as well as finding hand made treasures, the vintage Laura Ashley, Cath Kidston and Tommy Bahama items drive me crazy:) Also, there is a lot of inspired work there, I like it when you search for f.ex "anne of green gables" and the search results show that a lot of people make earrings and the like which reminds them of her. It doesn't have that corny mass produced feeling to it, like you get in the stores. I don't know if you get my drift, but I guess I'm trying to say that I love knowing that someone sat there, making, say, a necklace, and it reminded that person of a book, an artist or whatever, and named it after that, you know? It just makes it so personal, and I think that's something we're missing in our daily lives. We're so busy and sceptical of other people, so these personal objects remind us of something long forgotten.

Well, anyway, these are the things I'm coveting from Etsy at the moment.

"Large Tommy Bahama screenprint tote bag" by Chocolady1.

"In My Garden" tote by Softjaz.

"Vanity Case" by Vanity Case.

"Madame du Barry scented powder" by Plumes and Pearls.

"Anne's chapeau sterling silver 3D straw hat" by Found On the Beach.

"Goldfish Bowl Pet Gold Fish On The Go Necklace" by CuteAbility.

What do you think of them? Any personal Etsy favorites you'd like to share?
-Alli.

PS. I just wanted to say that I'm not advertising for these shops, I have no hidden agenda, I just wanted to share these little treasures with you:)

:: Please Don't Take A Picture ::

2009-07-15T00:38:00.000-07:00

Today is one of those days. I rarely have any of those, but today I think I do. I woke up, incredibly tired, so I decided to go to work an hour late and get some more sleep. But I didn't go back to sleep. I just lay there for a bit too long, so that when I decided that hey, I'm already awake, I might as well go to work, I didn't have time for a shower. Why is the shower so important, you ask? Because my hair looks like it's been coated with olive oil. I hate that. Well, who doesn't, really? Anyhow, I didn't have any dry shampoo, so I resorted to drastic measures. I am wearing... a bandana. Yes. It's nn my head. You know, folded to a triangle and then tied in the back. Very 1990's. It's NOT very becoming, but it's better than the unwashed look anyway. Thank God I'm alone at work today, but I tell ya, I got some strange looks on the train coming here!

But the trouble is, you can't really wear a bandana on your head and a nice summer dress or something like that. Not that you'd wear a summer dress in Oslo today anyway, because it's raining like crazy, which doesn't really help my mood either. Well, I thought I'd try and make an outfit that would go with the bandana. The result is one really old beige, stretchy jeans, Henry Choice-style, a white tank top and a big blue denim-ish shirt. I look like I'm about to enter an episode of "Key West". -Then again, that might not be so bad. I loved that show when I was a kid:)

Well, just to add to this whole day's suckiness, my coffee was luke warm. Have you ever had luke warm latte? I bet you've had some. I bet the corners of your mouth are poiting downwards right now. Your nose i twitching. Luke warm coffee really is terrible. Terrible terrible.

I guess I just need a break. A holiday. And I need to stop complaining. My biggest problem is my bandana, so yes, I know, I should get a grip:)

:: Ida, Snobbery, Ricotta, Riviera ::

2009-07-14T01:27:00.000-07:00

The week-end was one of the best this summer. On Saturday, my mother, my little sister, Boy and yours truly went to the museum of natural history in Oslo to see Ida, the famous fossil. My sister even got a stuffed Ida. They had reconstructed her so she looked real, and she looked like a brown lemur-ish type of monkey. Very cute. And very interesting, of course.

I think it's incredibly cool that we own Ida. Norway never gets much attention worldwide, so they're marketing this little lemur like crazy. Of course, Jørn Hurum (the guy who bought Ida for the University of Oslo and is in charge of the research regarding her); the Indiana Jones of paleonthology, is frowned upon by the academic society at the University of Oslo because he's so "out there", if you get my drift. I think that's a real shame. We have some other scientists too, who appear on TV-shows and the like, to try and make difficult subjects understandable to the masses. But, the academics are snobs, and feel that not everyone should be entiteled to all the knowledge that the universities have. -Which is ludicrous, because the Norwegian universities never even make the Times ranking list of the best universities in the world. Come to think of it, I acutally went to Cambridge for an interview, but (surprisingly) I didn't get accepted. But hey, I think Copehangen Univerity is at the top 50 in the world, so I'm not complaining:)

Jørn Hurum is so damned cool! Man! Just look at him! By the way, he's also they guy who discovered that gigantic sea dinosaur in Spitzbergen, you know, that huge carnivore who had a head the size of a T-Rex?

But I digress. Post Ida, Boy and I met his friend whom I mentioned was taking us out to dinner. Sadly, we didn't get a table at the place we had hoped, but the restaurant we did go to was also really nice. I had toasted chévre, filet of calf, and peppered strawberries with ricotta. Mmmmmm...

Also, a friend of mine called and wanted to know if I would come with her to the Riviera! I'm talking Monaco, Saint Tropez, Cannes, Nice, the works! I was on the verge of saying yes, but the timing was terrible; it's the same week as school begins, so I had to turn her down. But, she said she was taking another trip in the autumn, so I promised I'd come with her then. I've wanted to go there for ages, so I hope we'll make it happen!

What are you doing these days?

:: You have to see this! ::

2009-07-09T01:38:00.000-07:00

Wow, I just stumbled across this entry on Sally's lovely blog, and you have got to see it. I always thought I was the only one with a BMI problem, but as you can plainly see, I'm not the only one! The entry is by Kate Harding, who will be a daily read for me from now on!

I admit I'm not skinny, but does this body look morbidly obese to you?

:: Getting a grip ::

2009-07-09T01:06:00.000-07:00

Well, now that I've started working full-time, I never make time for blogging. I really don't understand how poeple can keep up their blogging skills when they work so much during the week! But today I really wanted to blog, really wanted to, so I thought I'd start the day with a post. Because I miss blogging, I miss reading the blogs that I love (Casey, Iris, A cat of impossible colour, etc...) so as of today, I'm getting the grips on blogging. There'll be no half hearted attempts here! Also, I expect I'll be better when I start school again, so have patience!

Last week I drove to the viking city of Trondheim to collect my stuff from my flat and bring it back down to the town I'm currently residing in (Drammen, it's close to Oslo). 16 hours in two days is about as much as I can handle in 30C with no air condition! So now I'm currently without a home, which is not really a pleasant feeling. I think I'm really going to miss living with Boy, but I don't have a choice. So, Copenhagen, here I come! You better be ready!

Work is good, and as I get up early to go there, I splurge ever so often on a large latté at a great coffee shop called "Bit" (meaning bite, as in a bite to eat, duh!) You see, before 10 in the morning, you get a free croissant if you buy a coffee, and every fourth coffee is free! It's such a good deal, how can I resist? :)

On Saturday I'm going to this incredibly cool restaurant in Oslo, actually I think it's one of the best ones in the country, rank-wise, so I'm really looking forward to that. It's Boy's birthday present from his friend with means, so I'm allowed to come too, yay! I'll let y'all know how it turned out. But what about you, readers? What have you been doing? I'm starved for information because at work, everyone has gone on holiday and I have the entire floor to myself. That does make we want to dance around naked, but I try to control myself. What it does is make me a bit lonely, so it would be nice hearing from my friends on the www, so to speak:)

Have a great day everyone!

:: I've been tagged ::

2009-06-25T00:30:00.000-07:00

Good golly, miss Molly, my very first tag! Thank you Iris, of Fleur Délice.

The rules (if you're keen on such things): 1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own. 2. Tag eight other people.

What is your current obsession?
SMOOTHIES. I KNOW, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A BORING OBSESSION, BUT THEY'RE JUST SO DAMNED TASTY. MY CURRENT FAVE IS PEACH WITH ORANGE JUICE AND PINEAPPLE.

What are you wearing today?
BLACK TOP FROM OASIS, CHINOS, SANDALS. PRETTY BORING, BUT IT'S HOT OUTSIDE.

What’s for dinner?
DINNER?

What’s the last thing you bought?
:) A SMOOTHIE THIS MORNING...

What are you listening to right now?
THE NOISE FROMT HE BUSY STREETS OF OSLO IN THE MORNING. LOT'S OF TRAFFIC. WOULD RATHER BE LISTENING TO BIRDS SINGING OR BOY TALKING:)

What are you reading at the moment?
MY FAVOURITE BLOGS, OF COURSE! ALSO, "BLACKBERRY WINE" BY JOANNE HARRIS.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
I'D GO TO NEW ZEALAND WHERE I LIVED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, TO THE STONE OVEN CAFÉ IN DEVONPORT AND HAVE A BAGEL WITH CREAM CHEESE AND AVOS. AND THEN I'D GET A WHITE CHOC MOCHA FROM STARBUCKS AND HAVE A LOOK AROUND TAKAPUNA.

Which language do you want to learn?
I WISH I SPOKE BETTER FRENCH, BUT RIGHT NOW I'D LOVE TO LEARN OCCITAINE.

What do you love most about where you currently live?
I'M CURRENTLY NOT LIVING ANYWHERE AS I'M MOVING AND HAVEN'T OT A NEW PLACE TO STAY, BUT AS A WHOLE I LIVE IN NORWAY. I'M NOT PARTICULARLY FOND OF NORWAY TO BE HONEST, WE HAVE GOOD HEALTH CARE AND SUCH, BUT AS A COUNTRY, I'M NOT THAT IMPRESSED. I'D RATHER BE LIVING IN WALES, IRELAND OR EASTERN CANADA.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
IT CHANGES SO FREQUENTLY SO IT'S HARD TO SAY. I DID OWN A PAIR OF RED BOOTS THAT I'M STILL IN LOVE WITH, BUT THEY WERE BROKEN SOME YEARS AGO, AND I DON'T THINK I EVER REALLY GOT OVER THEM:)

Describe your personal style?
CASUAL BUT FEMININE?

If you had $300 now, what would you spend it on?
I'D GO ON HOLIDAY, OR, AS I AM GOING ON HOLIDAY, I'D UPGRADE OUR HOTEL ROOM OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

What are you going to do after this?
GO TO WORK.

What are your favorite films?
"FRENCH KISS" (I KNOW!), "GIRL, INTERRUPTED", THE INDIANA JONES MOVIES. BUT GENERALLY I'M MORE OF A TV-GAL. I LOVE POIROT, MARPLE, MIDSOMER MURDERS AND BRIDESHEAD, REVISITED.

Do you collect anything?
PINS FROM HARD ROCK CAFÉ NAD STARBUCKS MUGS. I USED TO COLLECT COINS BUT IT'S NO FUN NOW HAT EVERYONE USES POUNDS, DOLLARS OR EUROS:(

What makes you follow a blog?
GOOD WRITING, INTERESTING PEOPLE, PRETTY THINGS:)

Do you like to comment on blogs or just lurk?
I AGREE WITH IRIS, I'M SO HAPPY WHEN PEOPLE COMMENT ON MY BLOG, SO I TRY TO COMMENT ON OTHERS WHEN I READ THEM.

What’s one thing you dream of doing?
TRAVEL ANYWHERE I FEEL LIKE, WITHOUT HAVING TO THINK ABOUT RESPONSIBILITIES. I'D LOVE TO JUST TAKE OFF TO ARGENTINA AND WRITE A BOOK WITHOUT HAVING TO THINK ABOUT MONEY OR MY JOB ETC.

What is your biggest regret?
NON, JE NE REGRETTE RIEN!

What's the one place you'd like to visit before you die?
THE ONE PLACE? I'VE ALWAYS HAD A VERY SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH ZERMATT (IN THE SWISS ALPS) AND THE MATTERHORN, SO I'D GO THERE.

And now for MY question:
What is the meaning of life?
I'M THINKING IT'S WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT. TRY AND BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE, HAVE THE RIGHT PRIORITIES, BE HAPPY, AND ALL THAT JAZZ.

I'm going to tag:

A Cat of Impossible Colour
Already Pretty
Elegant Musings
I'll go eat worms
Saint Moxie
The Duchess of Devonshire's gossip giode to the 18th century
The Portrait of a Lady
The Rainbow Notebook

:: She worked hard for the money ::

2009-06-23T01:01:00.000-07:00

... Well, not really. I'm just writing a short post today, to try and keep up. I've gotten he job I mentioned in the last entry, the one with the organisation working against the EU. It's a fantastic job; it's so flexible, the money's great, and I get to practice my phone-speaking skills. Couldn't ask for more!

Boy had his birthday yesterday, and we had a big ol' celebration at his house. First he met me in Oslo after work, and we went to one of my favourite cafes; "Bare Jazz" (translated: "Just Jazz") It's a combo of a cafe and a record store, and has amazing mocha and carrot cake. And there's always tons of people there with quirky style and a lot of poets and brooding musicians and the like. Great place:)

Apart from getting Boy some glasses for his ever-increasing whisky collection, I also got him a surprise trip to GLASGOW! So if any of you have been there, I'd really appreciate some hints about what's in the now over there. Some great vintage stores, historic sights and the like.

Well, I'd best get back to work, obviously the members of this organisation need a little push to pay the member's fee (they've already gotten 4 letters wanting to know if they've payed, but still they can't be bothered!)...

What are you doing today?

:: Moipdate ::

2009-06-17T05:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts and general inactivity on the blogosphere for the last weeks. I've just returned to my home town for the summer, and I'm already bored out of my wits. I've been looking after my little sister (nearly 8) and she's great fun, but apart from that life here is pretty boring. It's strange not living with Boy anymore, and it was definately weird to move out of the apartment. That reminds me that I have to go back to Viking City and collect my stuff before July 1st... Blah, it's an 8-hour drive...

I've also been trying to get a job, which is not easy! I applied to a mental institution and thought it was a pretty done deal seeing as I have a BA in psychology, but apparently they don't need folks like me. SO i signed up at a temp. agency, and will probably get something there, but I have no idea what. I've also applied as a "nagging bitch ringing you down every two minutes to get you to join "no to the EU" ". That would suit me very well, actually;)

Oh, and if all this kerfuffle of jobs and moving to and fro isn't enough, I also have to find somewhere to live in Copenhagen, which is hard! Most apartments are way too expensive, I really don't see how most students can afford it, but I may have found somewhere suitable. If I sign there, I'll give y'all all the details:) It will be great fun to move to Copenhagen, it's such a nice city so I'm really looking forward to it. Also, my university gave me a scholarship of 10.000 nok (£1000), which will come in handy:)

What are you doing this summer? Or winter, depending on where you are in the world?

:: Exams, Copenhagen, and the Labyrinth ::

2009-06-03T04:28:00.000-07:00

I have been a little absent on the blog scene lately - it's just been crazy with exams and things like that. But finally, I see the light at the end of the tunnel:) I have to deliver my bachelor's thesis tomorrow, but it's already finished, it just need some tweaking. I had my last school exam yesterday. It feels strange to know that I'll never again sit in that big room and have my exams at NTNU. And boy, does it feel good! I'm so sick of that place, it feels great to know that I'm not coming back this autumn!

And in other news; I got accepted to Copenhagen University as an exchange student! Yay! As one of a total of five Norwegians, I feel quite proud of myself actually. I must not be as hopeless as I think I am:) So when I go back to my home town on Monday, I'll start looking for digs in Copenhagen. I already know where I want to live, I just need to find something that's available there! I can't wait to move there, they have so much that we don't have in Norway. They even have Starbucks at the airport! Also, it's so much closer to the rest of Europe, so it's much easier to travel. I imagine I'll be flying off to all kinds of places I'd been wanting to see properly or haven't been to in a looong while. I'm thinking Geneva, Brussels, Paris, London, Edinburgh - for a start:)

It is summer, but the weather is horrible, lots of rain and wind, but that doesn't dampen my spirits! I'm just in such a good mood, it's ridiculous:) I also receieved my Labyrinth pendant, and it was beautiful! Also, it's not for sale anymore, so I'm glad I bought it when I did!

What are you up to on a summer's day? Finished with your exams? Bought something nice? Tell me all about it:)

:: The House at Riverton - Book Review ::

2009-05-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

"The House at Riverton" by Kate Morton is by all means a good, albeit long, read. The ending is very good, but it's quite drole at the start (and actually all the way through to the middle). It might be the back of the book's fault, though, as it advertises that "in 1924, a young poet shoots himself at Riverton, and two sisters, Hannah and Emmeline, are the only witnesses. They never speak to each other again".

Now, the reader is lead to believe that this therefore happens quite early on in the book, but it doesn't happen until the end. And the poet himself doesn't really turn up in the book until the end either.

The book's narrator is Grace, a housekeeper at Riverton. She is now an old lady of 99, and she is telling the story to her grandson via a tape recorder. So the book partly takes place in 1924 and the years before and after WWII, as well as in 1999.

The setting is very "Gosford Park", only there are no juicy murders, and no cheeky butlers. But there is a great secret, many in fact, and they are all revealed in the end of the book. I don't want to spoil the read for anyone, so if you are (or are planning to) reading it, DON'T READ ANY FURTHER:)

Grace is a big admirer of Hannah, one of the sisters. They once meet in the village where Hannah is taking lessons in shorthand, and Grace promises not to tell anyone. Hannah wants to get a job, but she knows better than to tell her father that. It also turns out that Grace is Hannah and Emmeline's half sister (their father, Mr. Frederick, had an affair with Grace's mother who was a housekeeper at Riverton at the start of the century). Of course Grace doesn't tell anyone, but just delights in the fact that she's related to Hannah.

Hannah is very bored at Riverton and desperatly wants to feel free, so when Teddy Luxton turns up and asks to marry her, she sees it as an opportunity to be free and see the world. This doesn't happen, of course, because Teddy, although he means well, isn't exaclty the life of the party. Along comes Robbie, the poet, and Hannah starts an affair with him. They plan to run away, and she writes a note to Grace in shorthand. The trouble is, Grace can't read shorthand! She only told Hannah that she could because it would raise Hannah's opinions of her. Hannah also leaves a letter for her sister Emmeline, and Grace opens it because she thinks the two notes contain the same information. They don't. In Emmeline's note, it says that Hannah is going to kill herself by the lake at Riverton that night. So, in panic, Grace finds Emmeline and they run down to the lake. They see Hannah, who is very surprised to find them there. Robbie is also there, of course, as they're planning to run away that night. Emmeline is horrified, because she's in love with Robbie, and so she feels depsperately betrayed by Hannah, who knew this. She threatens to tell everyone at Riverton about the affair, and Robbie panics and says that Hannah (who has a gun) has to shoot Emmeline so they can run away. Hannah refuses, and when Robbie reaches for the gun, Hannah shoots him in the head in panic.

Afterwads, the sisters say he committed suicide, and Emmeline goes to London to cope with her gried by partying hard and becoming addicted to drugs. She is killed in a car accident shortly after. Hannah realises she's pregnant, which delights her husband Teddy. But she is depressed because of Robbie, and dies in childbirth. Teddy realises that the child isn't his (shocker!) and sends her (she's called Florence) to America to live with Hannah's aunt.

Now, here's the real tragedy:
In the note Hannah wrote to Grace, she writes of the escape with Robbie, and explain that the suicide note to Emmeline is false and is a means to make them not search for her. Right before Hannah dies, she says "you can't read shorthand, can you, Grace?" Grace says that she can't. Oh, the tragedy of it all! If only, if only.

Also, the backdrop of the 1999-part is that a woman called Ursula is making a biopic about the "suicide" at Riverton. As it turns out, she's the niece of Florence, Hannah's daughter. But of course no one knows this apart from Grace, because Florence was raised in the belief that she was Hannah's aunt's daughter. Oh, the drama! In the end, all of Grace's secrets are revealed to her grandson (after Grace dies at the end of the book, finally rid of all her guilt), so we don't know if he chooses to reveal them to anyone else, but one can hope:)

The only negative thing about this book is that I'm left wondering about Grace's later life. We are told briefly of what happens later (after Hannah's death): She has an affair with some guy and becomes pregnant. She marries him, but they divorce later on. She becomes an archaeologist and gets a p.hd. She finally ensues a relationship with Alfred, who used to work at Riverton and who's always fancied her. -But I'd like to know more, she had a very interesting life after that war, but we are told so little. But after all, the book is called "the house at Riverton", not "Grace's life after Riverton"...

Read it if you like the British aristocracy (or the downfall of it), Greek tragedies, love stories and have ebough time on your hands (the book is ca. 600 pages).

I'd reccomend it, but I'm not throwing myself at Morton's next book, so to speak.

:: Etsy and Past Times ::

2009-05-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

I got my jewelry from CuteAbility a couple of days ago, and I love them! The earrings are a little bigger than I thought they would be, but they work really well all the same. But the brooch was glued a little too poorly, and it loosened from the pin it was attached to. But its easy enough to glue it back on I guess:)

I also ordered the Labyrinth Quote Locket from Past Times that I've been coveting for the last week or so. I didn't order it before because the shipping cost a blinding £15, and I thought I should order more things to get my money's worth on the shipping costs. But the problem is that if the merchandise costs over £20, they charge you a 25% customs charge when you pick it up because Norway's not in the EU. So I figured that since the locket costs under £20, and would therefore not be charged extra at customs, I could bear the expensive shipping. After all, the locket was half off (marked down from £35 to £17.50), so in reality I got the shipping free:)

I love labyrinths, and I love lockets, so this is me to a T! I don't know what it is that I like so much about labyrinths, but they're so mysterious, and they seem so ancient. The labyrinth on the locket I ordered is a copy of the labyrinth found on the floor of the Chartres Cathedral, and on the back of the locket it says "the truth shall make you free" (from the gospel of John). Now, how mysterious is that? Obviously the manufacturers have read Kate Mosse's novel Labyrinth! I love her books, and Labyrinth is probably my favourite, so this locket is perfect because it's something Alaïs could have given me:)

Don't you just love finding objects that fit with your favourite books, movies, music, etc?

:: Let them eat cake ::

2009-05-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

The 17th of May was Norway's national day. It's a big deal in Norway; there are children's parades, big bands, bunadwearing (the "bunad" being our national costume, most people only wear them once a year and the dress alone costs about 25000nok/$4000/£2500, and that's not including all the silver that you have to have with it. And it's friggin' hot, as it's made entirely of wool. And it makes you look like an old maid. I don't have one, as you can imagine.), ice cream and patriotism galore. I've never been one for patriotism, I don't understand why people wish me a happy birthday when it's the national day. Sure, I'm chuffed that stupid Denmark took their union and stuffed it up their you-know-what but that's such a long time ago, you know? I have never met anyone who lived at the time of the union-break, it was in 1905 after all. But, it's a day to be festive and eat lots of things that I normally don't, so I try to rise to the occasion.

We normally eat waffles of the 17th of May, but they're thinner than the Belgian kind. And not covered in sugar or chocolate. You normally put jam and sour cream on them, or the special "brown goat's cheese" that we make in Norway, which is divine. But I was unsatisfied. I wanted cake.

So yesterday Boy and I went to the store and they sold their 17th of May cakes at half price because it was - oh no! the 18th of May. So I fixed the decorations a little and Bob's your uncle; an 18th of May cake. Ta-da!

I'll throw in a picture of the bunad (copyright "the bunadcentre") as well, so you get the idea;)

:: Past times ::

2009-05-18T15:43:00.000-07:00

This is perhaps my favourite store ever! They have gorgeous things from lots of different times, hence the name: Past Times. They have everything from clothes to stationary to gifts and gardening thingd to home decorations and jewelry. You can also shop by "theme" as they call it; deco, art nouveau, celtic Britain, Medieval times, Victorian times, basically all past times;)

I want everything in the store, and fortunately they ship internationally! My favourite is this necklace with a magnifying glass, very Ms. Marple. I'm definetely getting one when I turn 70.

:: NORWAY WON THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST! ::

2009-05-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

Norway, aka. Alexander Rybak, just won the Eurovision song contest!!! This is the first time we've won since 1995, so we're SO happy! Such a great song too, and such a cute guy singing it;) -AND it's our national day tomorrow, so the victory couldn't have come at a better time!

Congrats to all Norwegians - and btw, Alexander Rybak will be arriving at Gardermoen airport tomorrow at 23.00 and wants all his fans to show up (I would if I didn't live on the other side of the country...)!

Here's the video from Youtube - WATCH IT! I know you'll love it:)

:: Hair ::

2009-05-15T00:28:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone (even though it may not be morning everywhere, but you know what they say; the sun never sets on the British empire)!

Boy has gone to have his first exam, and in a couple of hours I'm venturing out to the hairdresser. I'm quite apprehensive, actually, because I never get it cut the way I want. I always end up with a big ol' curtain of a bang and lots of layers all over the place. I hate layers. They don't work on me, they make it look like I've been sitting too close to the TV or been rubbing my head against a balloon. Ugh. But today I will be firm. No layering! I will say. Just cut off the split ends and fix my bangs. Is that too much to ask?

Also, I have always coloured my hair at home, and never had any problems with that. But in October, I coloured it with Casting creme gloss, which was supposed to last for six weeks, but it still hasen't come out! And the gruesome thing is, the colour came out way too dark for me, so as you can imagine I was pretty irritated when after six weeks the colour hadn't even faded A BIT:( Come xmas, and I resultet to drastic measures. I tried to bleach it (also at home, not a good idea, DON'T try it!). The result was patches of yellow (not blonde) hair where my original colour had grown out since October. SO, I had to colour something in between my original colour and the stupid Casting colour on top of everything. But even so, you can still see the miscolourings if I wear a ponytail...

After having a good laugh and basically calling me stupid, the hairdresser said I have to colour my hair again so that the miscolourings won't be so visible. But I'm apprehensive, as I said. What if that colour doesn't fade either? I'm done with colour! Argh, I just want my normal hair back:(

What about you? What are you doing today? Anyone going to the hairdresser's?

:: Dress Giveaway! ::

2009-05-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

I found this competition via Casey's blog : Loose Teeth Vintage Inspired Sundress with Petticoat GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I don't normally win these sort of things, but I thought I'd give it a try. I'm feeling lucky;) And I wanted to share this competition wit y'all!

Are you feeling lucky?

:: Ignore this, please ::

2009-05-14T06:14:00.000-07:00

Unless you want to add me, in which case I would be absolutely chuffed;)

Follow my blog with bloglovin´

:: Refashion, anyone? ::

2009-05-14T06:01:00.000-07:00

Normally I wouldn't start banging on about diets, it's not what I want this blog to be about, but I just had to share the sleep diet with y'all;)

Anyways, exams are just around the corner, I've actually handed one in before it's due - a paper on art nouveau in Europe. I like art nouveau, but I think I like art deco even more. I don't know, I didn't really pay that much attention in class - it's one of those mandatory subjects that have nothing to do with what I'm studying (which is psychology).

Still haven't gotten my etsy puchases yet, but it should come any day now - so excited!

And I was hoping for some ideas from you all! I have a black skirt which I bought many years ago but have never really worn. I'll post a picture of it later, but I can say that it's floor-length, and layered with a split in the top layer at the front. It has sort of a shabby look to it, sort of a peasant from the 1800's is what I always think about:) I wear it with a long top in dark purple or teal, and a big colourful scarf so it doesn't look as gothic but more bohemian, but it does need a little pizazz. Any ideas? I was thinking about sewing on some coloured ribbons all the way around, or maybe affix the top layer in some creative way, but I don't really have any redesign experience so any ideas would be welcome!

SO, I'll post a picture of the skirt afterwards, but now I really have to write some more on my BA.Thesis! It's about Charles and Sebastian in "Brideshead Revisited". Wonderful story:)

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

:: Fancy losing weight just by sleeping more? ::

2009-05-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

Then check THIS out:)

I know it sounds too good to be true, but there's no harm in trying! I need more sleep anyways - and in theory you don't have to change your eating or exercise habits. Win-win? Basically, all you do is sleep at least 7 1/2 hr every night, but you should work out how much sleep you need individually. Some women need 9 hrs, some need inly 7 1/2. And no fizzy drinks or caffeine after 14.30, and turn off the computer, mobile, TV, basically all electronics 60 minutes before you go to sleep. You should work out a routine in the hour before you close your eyes; you could take a shower, read a book, do yoga - whatever you want that's relaxing. And theoretically, you should lose weight just by getting all the sleep you need. I don't knwo about you, but I'll give it a go!

About the scientific part: Apparently, the average woman gets about 5 1/2 hrs of sleep every night. This lack of sleep deprives you of much-needed energy, and makes your body crave fast carbs (which we all know is bad for you). I think the guys who discovered this found out that women who slept 5 1/2 hrs ate about 200 cal. more than the women who slept 7 1/2 hrs. That equals about a pound of fat a week, which I know I could do without:) So, I'll say goodnight to my trusty laptop at 23.00, and be asleep at 24.00. I should rise and shine by 8.00, and if you go to bed and wake up at approx. the same time every day you should lose at least 5 pounds in 10 weeks. This might not be a lot, time-wise, but think about it: you don't have to change anything except that you go to bed earlier. Worth giving it go, I say! What do you think?

:: More Etsy and creative spirit-musings ::

2009-05-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I felt that the Philosophy Gym wasn't exercising my brain they way I thought. I'm just not in the philosophical mood these days. Although I'm reading a great book about the philosphy of Dr. House (you know - the show)! It's great so far, I'll give you all a proper review when I finish it. Anyways, I've been so inspired by all the nice blogs I've read recently that I've started to yearn for a more creative streak in me. I want to make things. With my bare hands. Not just buy and forget. I'ts fun to have things that are one of a kind, isn't it? And when you make it yourself, it's a lot cheaper than cotoure too! So I changed the name of the blog (as well as the address), and Boy even made a header for me. I'm thinking this can be a place to share creative ideas; from stories to clothes, to politics - anything that cathces my fancy. I'm actually quite the writer (a childhood dream, you might say), so I might be sharing some "vintage stories" with y'all as well:)

Well, I just HAD to have some of the things I listed in the last entry. I did want the fish bowl-necklace really badly - but I just couldn't afford it right now with all the other things I wanted (and the studs were only 4$!), so I had to be chosey (if that's even a word). But I did buy both the teacup-studs (only in red - they had already sold the pink ones *sigh*) and the lilac rose-studs: they're both nickel free! *dances* My skin and I have never been the best of friends, and I'm allergic to just about everything, and of course nickel is one of those things. That's why it's so great to find whimsical earrings that don't contain nickel. It makes me happy for some reason:)

Oh, and I also bought the teapot- and cup-pin. I'm thinking about refashioning a woolen jumper I have, and it would be just the pin I need for it. I'm thinking of embroidering something in the same blue colour as the pin - the jumper itself is a sort of mauve colour, so I think it would work really well. Actually, I've totally stolen the idea (as well as the picture underneath) from the gorgeous Casey, and this is what I'm thinking:

Anyways - I browsed a bit on the rest of Etsy as well, and I found some really cute Anne of Green Gables stuff. As many of you may know, I'm a huge fan of Anne. So I ended up buying two pieces of cotton fabric (yeah, so not me, right?! But it was only 11$, so it's not the end of the world) from some nice woman in Japan. Apparently AoGG is quite the sensation over there. The fabric is 50x110cm, but the trouble is that I have no idea what to do with it! But I just HAD to have it - seeing as I'm going to become such a creative spirit. But I've hardly sewn anything before. The odd bag, sewn on a button here and there - you know, that sort of thing. So what to make? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Have a nice weekend everyone!

:: Etsy?! ::

2009-05-08T02:40:00.001-07:00

I have recently discovered Etsy (yes, I know I'm slow), but I'm in need of guidance. It's just so big! I need a map of some sort. So if anyone has a favourite store there I would be thrilled if you would tell me all about it! So far, this is my favourite store (thanks, Hjartesmil!):

It's called CuteAbility and has the most AMAZING jewelry! I'm in love with it all *dances*

- And I want ALL OF THESE:

:: The Cheshire Cat ::

2009-05-08T02:38:00.002-07:00

A Norwegian blog I love is currently having a competition. I know I'm a little late, it ends tonight, but if there's a will there's a way, as I always say:) Anyway, I just wanted to print a picture of my cat. Many of you know that I love cats, and I especially love this one. Here he is writing a comment on a Norwegian blog called Hjartesmil:

Isn't he the cutest! I like pink cats. They just have so much pzazz!

:: A Bend in the Road ::

2009-05-08T02:38:00.001-07:00

It's such a turn of events - like a bend in the road. We all get these. Even Anne of Green Gables, who "invented" the expression. In Anne of the Island Anne is about to go to Redmond College, she has even won a scholarhip - which is vital because Marilla and Matthew can't afford to send her to school because their bank has gone bankrupt because of some shady affair... Anyway, she's due to leave soon when Matthew suffers a heart attack and dies, which is all too sad. So she says she has met a bend in the road. You know, when something unexpected has turned up, forcing you to alter your plans. You think you see the road ahead of you, maybe many years into the future, but suddely the road turns and you're left with a new road alltogether.

Nothing as dramatic har happened to me as of late, but I did get some rather disturbing news the other day, which is why I haven't been blogging. It seems that my Copenhagen life may not happen at all! There are so many Norwegians who apply for exchange to Copenhagen because they want to take their masters in clinical psychology over there (like me), so now Copenhagen has decided to only accept FIVE Norwegians in total. I think about ten people have aplied from my university alone, so needless to say, my chances are pretty slim.

SO what have I done about it, you ask? I've applied for exchange to Aalborg, and as a guest student to Aalborg and Aarhus. Hopefully this will help, all I need is to get accepted to one of these - you see; to get accepted to a masters in clinical psychology in Denmark you need only a Danish approved BA, which I don't currently have, as I'm missing some subjects that they don't offer in Norway. So I need to exchange for six months so I can attend these courses, and sail right into the MA in January. Nice plan, eh? Not when there's a bloody bend in the road! What happens if I can't go? I won't get an MA, that's what happens. Which is not good, because I won't be a licensed psychologist, which is what I want to be. You see my problem? So - if all else fails, I'll stay in terrible Trondheim for another year and do a years study of sociology, and after christmas I'll do an exchange to Berkeley. That sounds like great fun too. Berkeley is probably so different from NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)...

Well, this is enough venting for now. The whole world doesn't revolve around me, and I DO know that. Anne staued home from school for a year to help Marilla look after the farm because she was about to go blind, and in the end she has enough money to go to shcool, and Mrs. Lynde moves in with Marilla to keep her company so everything works out well enough in the end. I suppose it will for me too.

:: Culture and Stupidity ::

2009-05-08T02:37:00.001-07:00

I met my professor at the grocery store today, and I didn't say hello to him. I felt incredibly stupid, I'll tell you that. It's not that I don't like him, on the contrary, I think he's absolutely wonderful - but I still didn't acknowledge his presence. Why, you ask? Because I'm Norwegian. Norwegians don't want to be any trouble, so in case I said hello and he would be bothered by it I would rather refrain from doing it, thus causing only myself humiliation. But why would he be bothered by it, you ask? Well, frankly because I don't know what lines are to be drawn when it comes to teacher-student relations. I don't know if it's accepted to start a conversation with the man who is in charge of my entire education. Besides, I don't really know him that well, I've only talked to him a handful of times. And he didn't seem to recognise me.

Said professor is an American, God knows why he's here - I certainly wouldn't if I weren't a Norwegian, but anyway - Americans are thought of as very open and friendly people, and as I stood in the check-out line, I thought that if I were to say hello to ANY professor I know, it would have to be him! He'd probably be very happy, and ask how my bachelor thesis was coming along. Then I'd reply that I found it hard to get properly started, and that I lack the necessary inspiration, and that I'm writing another assignment now, which is taking all my time for the moment and blah blah blah.

Norwegian professors wouldn't normally ask questions like these. They wouldn't like it if they were approached by students outside working hours. So I guess that's why I didn't approach professor Alapack this time. I will next time, though, now that I've had a long hard think about it. Academics - people of words rather than actions, eh?

Here's his book by the way. It's rather a good read!

:: Argentinian Steak ::

2009-05-08T02:36:00.000-07:00

Is what I had for dinner last night. I say night because, as you all know (?) Argentinians are famous for eating dinner late in the evening. And they usually eat steak. So when I ate steak at 9 p.m, I believe I was a little like the Argentinans. I am very busy and important, you see, so I simply hadn't the time to ask my boyfriend to make it for me until then. But it was excellent anyway. Perfetly cooked, which is more than I can do with a steak. And then we watched "Jeeves and Wooster", which I would recommend everyone to see, if they've got half a brain.

The weather is so lovely in Trondheim now, it's a shame to be sitting inside blogging. So I think this will be a short post.

Please share your thoughts, it would make my day:)

:: Welcome to my new blog ::

2009-05-08T02:32:00.000-07:00

I'm incredibly excited to start a new blog. As I've changed platforms (as well as lingo) I'm still a novice here, but be patient - I will do my best to change the blog so it looks more like me and less like something bought off the rack.

A little something abou me and my blog:

My name is Alli and I'm 21 years old. I study psychology in the Norwegian town of Trondheim, but in september I will move south to Copenhagen where I will undertake a Masters degree in clinical psychology (yikes!). I currently live with my amazing boyfriend in a "student village", a sort of cluster of high rises where a lot of students live, which is really a comfortable life. Really, my biggest concern at the moment is that I can't seem to connect my phone to twitter and I really have to start writing my bachelor thesis and read my statistics book because exams are coming up.

I used to have a blog at the Norwegian blog platform http://www.blogg.no/, but I simply couldn't take it anymore. I hate the way its organised, I hate the "celebrity bloggers" who are 16 year old girls who blog about what kind of clothes they like. http://www.blogg.no/ operates with a list of the most viewed blogs, and of the 20 blogs listed, most of them are girls in re the example I illustrated above. So naturally, as I am not a peroxide blonde with heaps of money to spend on new jeans and mascaras every other day, nor am I interested in posting pictures of "todays outfit" if it really is nothing to boast about (in some cases, this can be cool, I read some blogs which focus on fashion but this is not the case with these Norwegian blogs). Blah! This was a lot of venting. I promise that this is the first and last I say about http://www.blogg.no/ (and no, I'm NOT jealous of the big shots...)

What will I blog about, you ask? And why is my blog in English if I'm a Norwegian?

Firstly, I want to blog about things that makes you think, and be inspired by. That's not to say that I won't blog about other things, like if I've seen a great play or been on a cool journey or bougt a cd that everyone should listen to or things like that. But really, who cares if I've bought a new jumper? Who cares that I overslept this morning? It's wholly allright to be personal, and I also intent to be, but I feel that many bloggers are terrible at editing themselves. If I write about something, it's because I hope it's intereesting to others than myself, it's not because I want attention. I just don't want it to be about my shopping because frankly, my style is not much to write home about, so to speak...

Secondly, my blog is in English because this is not a Norwegian platform and I'm hoping to attract some international readers. And because I'm moving, as said, to Denmark this autumn and I'll probably make some non-norwegian friends there (I hope!).

Oh, and I greatly appreciate comments. I guess I crave confirmation that someone out there is reading my idle musings.