Sometimes, the perfect day is as simple as being out in the sunshine, organizing part of the mess in your parents’ backyard… and not checking the news.

Because, when you do check the news, it’s inevitably bad. You’re reminded that there is a world out there, where things aren’t just sunshine and tulips in bloom.

Today, it was the news that 26 year old Norwegian swimmer, Alexander Dale Oen, had passed away in Flagstaff, Arizona.

I don’t follow swimming to any large degree. It is not a huge sport in Norway, but his success made the sport more visible in the media. But, I love the Olympic games and I had looked forward to following his quest for gold in London this summer.

This kind of news makes me sad for the unfilled possibilities that won’t be. It makes me sad for his family and friends who lost a loved one much too soon.

You know there might be too much money lying around in road-funding (despite the crappy quality of Norwegian roads), when there is nine roundabouts on the road from my home to where I work.

It’s only about 2.8 kilometers.

Bwhat? From February 1, a single 1-zone ticket for transportation (bus, tram, or underground)in Oslo, if purchased onboard, will be increasing to 50 kr ($8.2). The same ticket, if purchased online, will cost 30 kr ($ 4.9) .

If you’re going to Oslo for a shorter period of time, but don’t know how much you will take the tram/bus/underground, there is also the option of purchasing day-passes (which cost 75 kr (or $12.3) compared to the onboard-bought single-zone tickets and is valid in three zones) or week-passes might be cheaper than to buy single tickets.

Of course, that’s what they want you to do as well, because the reasoning behind the increase?

“Many transactions onboard means that we can’t keep the timetable.»

I think I have more respect for Stavanger’s rhetoric in that they want as many as possible to have travel-passes and the like and not buy tickets onboard – because driving around with cash makes the bus drivers a target for criminals.

If you can’t keep the timetable – adjust the timetable.

Again and again it seems like Norwegian cities are amongst the most expensive places to live in the world – based on cost of living, excluding rent.

Latest comes this from Numbeo, where four of the ten cities on the top-ten list are Norwegian.

1. Trondheim

2. Stavanger

4. Oslo

9. Bergen.

Numbeo takes its numbers from people who report them, so I suppose it also varies where people shop when it comes to groceries, but still…

Recent example of cost-reporting on their homepage. A small cappuccino costs €1.50 in Verona, Italy. It costs 49.50 NOK in Stavanger. Converted to a mutual denominator, such as dollars, a cappuccino costs just under $2 (or $1.9 to be precise) in Verona, whereas in Stavanger it costs a bit over $8 (or $8.2 to be precise).

However, to weigh up for the high cost of living, the salaries are also fairly compatible. Mostly. Which again drives up the cost… and the cycle continues.

Merry Christmas

This is Oslo Gospel Choir singing one of the newer traditional Christmas carols.

Marit Larsen, Kråkesølv and the Norwegian Broadcasting Channel’s version of Vi tenner våre lykter. The song is from the television advent calendar, Jul i Skomakergata, which was very popular in the 1980s and 1990s, and I would estimate that quite a lot of 20-30 year olds in Norway know this song. The original behind the cut.

For my work computer, I tend to use Chocolate & Zucchini’s delicious-looking monthly desktop calendars. I get tons of nice comments on them from co-workers who stop by, and they’re absolutely droolworthy. I get in a better mood just by looking at them.

When I noticed that the December wallpaper featured some pretty cookies, I immediately bookmarked the recipe – and vowed that I would be making them.

Unfortunately, they rather fell a victim to the Norwegian butter shortage, as I only had 100 g of real butter left, and the recipe calls for  280 g. I substituted with margarine. (My local stores have been empty of real butter for about a month now.)

I do think that affected the flavor of the cookie. Also, it wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be, and at one point I considered using royal icing to decorate my stars, however, the flavor as it was grew on me.

I also had some co-workers over, and served these, along with the rest of this year’s production of Christmas cookies.

I am not wrong when I say that these disappeared the quickest from the serving plate, and I had added a good pile of them.

I would definitely consider making this again, but I might halve the recipe as it yields quite a lot. Especially as I like to try out making loads of different cookies for Christmas.

Originally a Danish song, here in Norwegian and Maria Arredondo’s version

In Norwegian these have a really un-PC name, Jødekaker (directly translated it means Jew cakes), but the name comes from the alleged fact that Sephardic jews brought the cookies with them when they immigrated to Norway. Anyone of Jewish descent know anything that resembles it?

It’s fairly common in certain parts of Norway, whereas in other parts, it is relatively unknown. I’ve grown up with this. My co-workers in another part of Norway looked at me in horror last year when I listed this as one of the cookies I would be making for Christmas because of the name.

It is probably the easiest cookie I’ve made for Christmas this year.

Ingredients

People will probably recognize the melody, as it is the Norwegian adaption of Stille Nacht, performed by Sissel Kyrkjebø & Odd Nordstoga.