It’s been five months since my last newsletter, which means, yes, it’s time to finally try writing one again. My husband is currently on sabbatical, which is why we’re currently settling into an apartment in the middle of Oslo. I would love to have more to say about Oslo right now, but we’ve spent most of the first week finding grocery stores and sorting out logistical stuff. But the weather is beautiful right now, which Norwegian TikTok tells me—when it’s not teaching me about how different Scandinavian countries talk shit about each other—is something I’m going to want to absorb every minute of because it won’t last.
My main context for what life in Oslo might be like comes from way back in 2009, when I studied abroad in Copenhagen. And while it’s hard to compare the one week I’ve had of Oslo to what I can remember of Copenhagen, the one big difference I’ve noticed so far is the bikes. Oslo has bikes, and it even has bike lanes painted into some of the roads. But Copenhagen was full of them, with huge protected lanes that made even a shitty biker like me feel safe. However, I have seen one person using cross country roller skis here, which is more than I’ve seen everywhere else.
Also, I’m on the hunt for a Norwegian forest cat. Will I find one? Probably not. Will I take a picture of every cat I see anyway? Of course.
A thing I’ve made
When we decided to make a video about crystals for Journey to the Microcosmos, I immediately asked my dad for help. Which means I spent our weekly Sunday zoom call going through his lecture notes with him so he could explain all about why the shape of crystals are so important. When I was done writing this script, I sent it to him to check, and I’ll always treasure his feedback and the way he immediately “got” why I write the show the way I do.
Anyway, you don’t have to watch the video because of my backstory. You have to watch it because the crystals are gorgeous.
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