COLD

It's cold.

Most of the snow melted and then it got cold again, so now we're stuck with the ugly brown edges and patches of crusty, rotten snow. So much for the winter wonderland of a week ago!

-7°C , 19°F is really not so bad but here it FEELS so much colder, it seems. I complain about the heat in the summer, but for some odd reason, I seem to complain more about the cold in the winter than I ever did growoing up in Norway. It's like the cold just bothers me more here. It's mental for the most part - you just don't EXPECT it to get very cold here, so psychologically, you're not prepared for it. And you don't dress for it, either. Plus, this cold is like a humid cold that pierces to the bone, unlike the dry cold that you can stand in much lower temperatures. And then you add the wind chill factor...

So, here is a tribute to the Norwegian spirit I received from David:

+15°C / 59°F
This is as warm as it gets in Norway, so we'll start here.
People in Spain wear winter-coats and gloves.
The Norwegians are out in the sun, getting a tan.

+10°C / 50°F
The French are trying in vain to start their central heating.
The Norwegians plant flowers in their gardens.

+5°C / 41°F
Italian cars won't start.
The Norwegians are cruising in cabriolets.

0°C / 32°F
Distilled water freezes.
The water in Oslo Fjord gets a little thicker.

-5°C / 23°F
People in California almost freeze to death.
The Norwegians have their final barbeque before winter.

-10°C / 14°F
The Brits start the heat in their houses.
The Norwegians start using long sleeves.

-20°C / -4°F
The Aussies flee from Mallorca.
The Norwegians end their Midsummer celebrations. Autumn is here.

-30°C / -22°F
People in Greece die from the cold and disappear from the face of the earth.
The Norwegians start drying their laundry indoors.

-40°C / -40°F
Paris start cracking in the cold.
The Norwegians stand in line at the hotdog stands.

-50°C / -58°F
Polar bears start evacuating the North Pole.
The Norwegian army postpones their winter survival training awaiting real winter weather.

-70°C / -94°F
The false Santa moves south.
The Norwegian army goes out on winter survival training.

-183°C / -297.4°F
Microbes in food don't survive.
The Norwegian cows complain that the farmers' hands are cold.

-273°C / -459.4°F
ALL atom-based movement halts.
The Norwegians start saying 'Faen, it's cold outside today.'

-300°C / -508°F
Hell freezes over.
Norway wins the Eurovision Song Contest.