The shock of returning home.....

I'm back in Norway.

When I said that Norway and Thailand are diametric opposites, I do not lie. It's WIERD being back here.

But also kind of nice.

It's cool and clean and quiet. Our bed is big and soft. (Asian beds are very VERY firm and so are the pillows. No squashy down there. Oy my neck!) The water is yummylicious. The people are all tall and so very fashionable. Of course, no one talks to me here. In Thailand if they weren't talking to me they were staring at me. It's kind of nice to just be one of the masses again. I'm wearing boots and jeans again instead of sandals and skirts. I prefer sandals. Luckily, the snow is melting very quickly and is almost gone, which is a very nice surprise. I can start my walks again! Yeay! I love walking and hiking in Norway.

On the other hand, I just spent the equivalent of a Cambodian's statistical yearly income on groceries today. And I had to go to THREE different stores to find frozen chicken breasts. Seriously, what the fuck is up with that? In Thailand there are chickens running around everywhere under your feet, and here I can't find frozen chicken? (Fresh is easily available, but I like frozen so I can just pull it out of the freezer as needed.)

I called my boss about my job and it looks like the new contract with the company we were working for is being negotiated. It ended March 31 with possibility for renewal depending on the next phase of work needed. This means as of now i am out of a job but he told me to sit tight for a month or so until it gets worked out and they determine the new work load and processes. I am, apparently, his trump card employee, cuz, hey, let's face it, I am smart AND charming and a good planner. (The fortune teller at Wat Po told me so, so it's got to be true, right? Even though he also told me I need to learn when to shut up. Like, um, now maybe?)

I have tons of very beautiful Hill Tribe silver and beads I got in Chiang Mai to work with so I hope to be on a creative jewelry frenzy in the next month or two. AND I am going to pick back up at the gym. Me in my swim suit was a sad sad sight. And i need to get rid of some flab. More on that later. (Though why is it that everyone I've ever talked to got some sort of nasty tummy bug and lost tons of weight when they went to Asia, and I get the opposite? Like, I was actually forced to use Correctol once? And I've gained weight? What is wrong with me? Why do I have this iron stomach?) And no I am not posting picks of me in my swimsuit, at least, not full body shots. So just forget it.

I've also been catching up on my favorite blogs again. I am sadly behind. I probably could have gone my whole life not seeing this particular post on Badger's site, and am actually considering either a lawsuit, for the mental anguish she has caused me, or going back to Thailand and getting restung by the jellyfish so that I can get the picture burned out of my mind. Why Badger, why do you do this to me? Sure you win the battle, but why do I have to lose my mental stability by seeing this?

Anyhow, I am determined to redress this pictorial imbalance by posting pictures from my trip. Starting now. Must share beauty to balance the evil that dwells.