A little bit of Arby's and a whole lotta love
I'm really struggling these days, folks.  Being pregnant in the early days is no picnic, and I am frankly being a bit of an arse about it all.  Knowing this and stopping the behavior are two separate things though.  I'm ashamed to say I've snipped or sniped or tutted or (gulp!) shouted at many of those nearest and dearest to me over the last few weeks. It all culminated last Friday when I barked some mean-isms at someone who most certainly did not deserve it.  And, even worse, I barked at that someone in front of another someone that also did not deserve to have to witness it.  (Man, anonymity is awkward sometimes.)  After my little tirade, we

The S-word
All good little children are warned against using the S-word. In my lectures about cultural diversity and understanding, I like to discuss the other S-word*.Stereotypes.You would think as a purveyor of all thinks tolerance-oriented that I would eschew stereotypes. But I actually think they’re pretty useful devices to help us reflect on our own culture and the different cultures around us. And, if we’re being really honest, stereotypes are almost always born from some (at least small) grain of truth. But admitting that can be uncomfortable as it requires us to acknowledge the less-than-perfect in ourselves an

Coco and Chanel
As of today I am 8 weeks pregnant. And about 32 years crazy.  I am concerned about the intersection of these two items.Even though Husband and I admitted it to very few people, we have been trying to have a sprog for almost a year with no success.  We flat out denied we were tying more often than not. And every time someone announced a pregnancy, sure, I was happy for them, but I always felt a little niggle.  It was becoming such an issue that I was starting to get a little touchy about it, so one of my Stavanger besties decided that it wasn't a fertility issue - it was a snobbery issue. 

Stopped
This has been 72 hours fraught with nerves. On Monday morning, Husband and I stopped smoking. And it hurts. A lot.The craziest thing is that we have both been here before. I smoked all through university, then quit when I moved to Scotland in 2002. I remained smoke-free for 3 years, until a bad breakup with the reason I moved to Scotland sent me scuttling for

We're number one! ...or are we?
All my Norway Facebook friends are posting, reposting and cross-posting. Big news in these parts, the UN has announced Norway is the best country in which to live.Husband originally called to tell me this. What I thought he said was "Hey