Sia - Snowman [Official Video]

Sweet song for the Christmas season. When I first heard it I thought it was Rihanna singing. Cute animation as well. 

A poem for Christmas--Silent Stars

I wrote this poem years ago when I was a teenager. I have always loved the spirit of Christmas, remembering back to those days when our parents, schools and churches prepared us for the birth of the savior. Life was simpler then, or at least it feels that way from the vantage point of now. I started writing poetry when I was young and have continued throughout my life. It was a focus during my teenage years when little else except my studies held my attention. Writing poetry was a way of escaping into myself, of getting away from the outside world that demanded my utmost attention. I can't even begin to imagine how much the outside world demands of teenagers now, but from what I see and read on social media, it seems that the demands are overwhelming. These were my thoughts way back when......

Silent Stars

Wander across sea and sky--
Stars nightborne in flight.
Carry on across all time--
Centuries ago began your light.
Go on and move into the night.
Your silence is heard then,
Your light has touched all men.
And once upon ago two thousand years,
You shone upon no ordinary man. 

Copyright Paula M De Angelis

All rights reserved. 

A poem for this Christmas season--The Advent Wreath by James Palmaro

My friend Jean sent me this poem about Advent wreaths. It's a lovely poem written by James Palmaro, a poet who is blind. 

The Advent Wreath

The leaves are all gone, the trees are barren and bare,

The autumn winds are chilling, yet anticipation’s everywhere. 

It is the Advent season, 

The winter nights grow near, 

We search for the warmth inside ourselves, 

Wreaths are everywhere.

Cousins to our Christmas trees that bring us joy and brilliance,

We place them in and on our homes, 

And they remind us of resilience.

Circular in shape, symbols of connection

That despite the cold and dark of night 

We’ll find light and resurrection.

The enigma that is MTG

Georgian Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene announced this past week that she will be resigning from Congress on January 5, 2026. 47 reacted by applauding her decision and saying that she 'went bad'. He questioned her loyalty to him and to the Republican party. It is true that her behavior and statements have changed radically during the past few months. It's almost as though she's had some sort of awakening--a conversion of sorts. One could only hope. This is a woman who supported 47 wholeheartedly and brashly through his first term and into his second. Her brand of loyalty bordered on cultish. She was fond of conspiracy theories and her rhetoric did nothing to stop the fanning of the flames of hatred in the USA; it rather promoted division among the American people. She was no moderate Republican as she is now being portrayed. She was positioned firmly on the extremist right and was an ardent supporter of QAnon (Legislator criticism of a candidate’s conspiracy beliefs reduces support for the conspiracy but not the candidate: Evidence from Marjorie Taylor Greene and QAnon | HKS Misinformation Review). 

Why is she resigning? Is it just that her very public rift with 47 has damaged her future political chances? Or does she see an opportunity to reinvent herself and her potential political future? Is she deeply upset over how 47 has treated her, or was she prepared for the fallout? After all, she pushed and pushed for the release of the Epstein files/emails which 47 opposed, and they are now being released with his support. One could question his motives for his sudden reversal on this issue. I think he understood that it was politically savvy to do so. After all, he could see that the tide was turning against him, that he is losing his group of core supporters, and that can't happen. He has to control the narrative. Mark my words, in a month or two everyone will think that he was instrumental in pushing for release of the files. MTG will be a footnote to that story, as is the case for most people who oppose him. 

I'd like to believe that she underwent a true change of heart. She did apologize for fanning the flames of hatred and for her hateful rhetoric. God does work in strange ways. Perhaps we are witnessing a real conversion in action. But being the doubting Thomas that I am (and I am), I want more proof that she is a changed person. Time will tell. She is an enigma, and she is not likely to be pinned down or figured out any time soon. Perhaps she wants it that way. Or perhaps she really did get tired of the political games in Washington DC. Perhaps she found out that she was not really welcome at the party, or that she was welcome at the party as long as she continued to spout the party line. I find it interesting that she said that she had no desire to be a 'battered wife', accepting the bad behavior and remaining in her appointed place. I applaud her for following her conscience if in fact it is her conscience that is guiding her. But as I said, I want more proof that she is a changed individual. From a spiritual context, it's always possible that one can seek forgiveness and find it if one is willing to change one's ways. Anything is possible with God. Good for her if that's the case. She grew up, woke up, and did something about her past behavior. That's what God asks. Perhaps it will inspire others to do the same, and perhaps that's what 47 is most afraid of. 

Coldplay - Speed Of Sound (Official Video)

I listened to this song today and was transported to a place inside myself that I guard fiercely--that place that treasures music and lyrics. It's not just my heart but my mind and soul as well. How wonderful it is that we can fill our worlds with music, especially in times like these, where absolutely nothing is certain or sacred. Music and lyrics live on eternally. One hundred years from now, the world can listen to this song and wonder about the lives of the men who wrote and sang it, and about the conditions that created it. Creativity never ceases to intrigue me--how it happens, where ideas come from. I like to think that the collective unconscious is always floating above us and that we can reach up and pluck an idea or two from it. And do something with it that makes it uniquely our own. I love that idea. That has definitely been the case for me and my writing. I recognize poetry when I hear it in music and I am grateful that others write it too. It's not dead if it lives on in music. Here are the lyrics to Speed of Sound by Coldplay: 

How long before I get in?

Before it starts, before I begin

How long before you decide?

Before I know what it feels like

Where to, where do I go?

If you never try, then you'll never know

How long do I have to climb

Up on the side of this mountain of mine?

Look up, I look up at night

Planets are moving at the speed of light

Climb up, up in the trees

Every chance that you get is a chance you seize

How long am I gonna stand

With my head stuck under the sand?

I'll start before I can stop

Or before I see things the right way up

All that noise, and all that sound

All those places I got found

And birds go flying at the speed of sound

To show you how it all began

Birds came flying from the underground

If you could see it then you'd understand

Ideas that you'll never find

All the inventors could never design

The buildings that you put up

Japan and China, all lit up

The sign that I couldn't read

Or a light that I couldn't see

Some things you have to believe

But others are puzzles, puzzling me

All that noise, and all that sound

All those places I got found

And birds go flying at the speed of sound

To show you how it all began

Birds came flying from the underground

If you could see it then you'd understand

Oh, when you see it then you'll understand

All those signs, I knew what they meant

Some things you can't invent

Some get made, and some get sent

Ooh-ooh

Birds go flying at the speed of sound

To show you how it all began

Birds came flying from the underground

If you could see it then you'd understand

Oh, when you see it then you'll understand

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Christopher Anthony John Martin / Guy Rupert Berryman / William Champion / Jonathan Mark Buckland

Speed of Sound lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Mgb Ltd.

Who woulda thunk it?

The news that 47 has dumped MTG as an ally was of little surprise to me. Loyalty runs only one way in the current administration. The fact that she has lasted this long is the real surprise. If you question the leader, you're out. If you question powerful rich white men, you're out. You don't even get three strikes. 

What a farce politics has become. American and international politics--it doesn't really matter. It amazes me that things run as they should for the most part. But that's solely due to honest, ordinary, good people in politics who have morals and balls, and who stay out of the limelight, who aren't 'PR-kåte' (PR-horny) as the Norwegians would say. They do the jobs they were elected to do, or at least they try. The government shutdown in the USA shows that this is not always the case. But average ordinary people are not in charge when it comes to making the decision to shut down a government. I'm sure there were many underlings who cautioned their bosses about making the wrong decision for the good of America. But lately, it seems that very few decisions have to do with what's good overall for America. 

47 is now abandoning tariffs on beef, coffee, bananas and orange juice, among other foodstuffs (Trump cuts tariffs on beef, coffee and other foods as inflation concerns mount | Reuters ). Again, who woulda thunk it? Who did people think were going to pay for the tariff increases on groceries? The oligarchs that run the US economy? Not a chance. Anyone who thinks that oligarchy doesn't exist in the USA should think again. If you're a billionaire, baby, you've got it made. And you have an open door into the Oval Office as far as I can judge. 

We have young people now whose career choices veer toward being influencers or posting videos on Only Fans. Why? Money money money. Models, singers, and actors/actresses can make a fortune from selling their own lines of clothing and perfumes/colognes. Do you need a college education or a graduate school education for such things? No, all you need are fancy accountants and lawyers who take care of the whole shebang for you. But young people should take a long hard look at the statistics--there are very few who make it in these businesses, and you're shortsighted if you think you will. 

Everything is out of whack these days. Salaries for sports stars, actors/actresses, top-level leaders (don't get me started), businessmen, etc. I've been saying the same thing for ten or more years--when you pay superfluous department leaders at a hospital extremely high salaries, the money has to come from somewhere. You're extremely naive if you think that extra money is appropriated (from somewhere) to pay for these salaries. No, the money comes from the budgets that departments need in order to run their day-to-day functions. So the departmental budgets are cut, and ordinary employees are told that 'now we're going to work smarter and more effectively' in order to deal with the cuts. When you translate this bullshit, it amounts to that 'you're going to do the job of three people for the same salary as you have now, and you're going to work more hours in order to get the job done'. I've seen it so many times and it always ends up the same way. People quit when they figure out that they're being taken advantage of. And so it goes. Departments end up chronically understaffed. I view all of this from afar now that I no longer belong to the work world. Do I miss it? God, no. I know what hard work is, and I knew when what I did was appreciated and when it wasn't. You learn. Eventually you learn. It took me a while though. Am I a cynic? No. But I am a skeptical optimist. I have hope because I have faith, but that doesn't mean that I don't see the 'man behind the curtain' (think Wizard of Oz). There's a lot of bluster and arrogant talk and such, but it's covering up a lack of strategy and common sense. We need to get back to a world that values ethics and common sense. 

Random thoughts on a Friday morning

I train now three days a week--group training on Mondays and Wednesdays, and individual training on Fridays. The center where I train is four tram stops from my home, so it's convenient to get there. This morning's reflections--

• People on their way to work, stopping to buy their espressos and cappuccinos at Kaffebrenneriet (literally the coffee burner). I used to do that in Manhattan on my way to work each morning. 
• Stores opening for the day. 
• A gray autumn day, but a mild one. Kind of nice, actually. For once, the grayness doesn't bother me. I have no idea why. Maybe because I'm listening to my music and it energizes me. 
• Training has gotten me back into listening to music. I realize just how much I love dance music. I love training to dance music. I feel uplifted and happy. Carefree is the best way to describe it. Just about how I felt years ago on the dance floor. I used to love going to clubs on the weekends to dance. 
• People on the tram are preoccupied with their own things, listening to music on their phones or reading the news on their phones. Most people's faces are buried in their phones. 
• When I'm on the treadmill at the training center, I look out the window onto the roof below. A large number of pigeons sit there as well as on the electric wire above the roof. Looking down and out over the city. They sit there rain or shine. A bird's eye view--that must be kind of cool. I've always wished that I could fly. 
• I look out at the traffic pouring into the city. People on their way to work. The daily routine. I'm so glad I no longer have that routine. I appreciate my freedom, but it's been hard-earned. Over forty years in the workforce; that was long enough. I thought about myself as an employee. I probably wasn't the best employee in terms of listening slavishly to workplace leaders, but I have no regrets. Thankfully I chose research science, which imparts a fair amount of autonomy in terms of what one chooses to do each day. Meaning that I was quite free to pursue the research projects I wanted and luckily for many years, they were funded. 
• I talk to some of the people I train with. Many are interested in American politics and enjoy discussing them with me. I don't deter them. It's interesting to hear what non-Americans think about my country and the political chaos in which we find ourselves at present. We talk about what's going on in Europe too, because Europe is not immune to some of the polarizing ideologies that plague the USA at present. 
• I'm grateful for life. My prayer each morning is one of thanks--for life, for another day, for the people in my life who love me and whom I love. 

Halloween event at Frøyas Have in Oslo

Halloween has become a big deal here in Norway. According to recent sources, the Norwegians who celebrate Halloween use about 1.2 billion Norwegian kroner, which translates to about 118 million US dollars. That's a lot of money. This link describes how the popularity of Halloween has increased over the years (Halloween spending soars in Norway - Norway's News in English — www.newsinenglish.no), especially among young people and families with young children. 

When I first moved here, Halloween was not celebrated, and the idea of it was not popular. But that changed in the early 2000s, in part due to the availability of American films, including horror films, that depicted the fun and creepy Halloween goings-on. In 1997, I threw a Halloween party for my stepdaughter who was fourteen at the time. She wanted one and I thought it would be fun to do it. And it was. I remember that the costumes of the teenage girls and boys were pretty inventive--witches, vampires, zombies. One of the guys dressed up as a woman, and trust me, he did a great job. 

My husband and I attended a Halloween event at Frøyas Have in Oslo this past weekend. It was impressive. This was the first time such a Halloween-related event had taken place in Oslo, and it seemed to be well-attended. The Halloween park was set up as a collaboration between the companies Pilote Beauty and Gemino Art. It was billed as Europe's largest Halloween 'park'. I'd like to see more of these kinds of events--they're fun and creative and a little creepy (Halloween, Bydel Frogner | Halloween-park på Frogner utsatt for hærverk dagen før åpning: – Måtte være litt kreative)

Here are some photos of Halloween at Frøyas Have. Enjoy!

Travels in northern Norway this past July

My postoperative goal was to be well enough to do the trip that my husband and I had talked about and more or less planned before I became ill. As luck and the divine would have it, we embarked on our north Norway trip exactly three months to the day of my operation. Our plans were to drive to Trondheim, stay overnight, and then board the Hurtigruten (coastal boat) for a three-day (two-night) boat trip to Tromsø. I have visited Trondheim twice in previous years, but neither of those visits were particularly positive or memorable. This time was quite different, thankfully, and gave me the desire to return at some point to explore the city further. 

We boarded our boat--Midnight Sun--before noon. We were extremely lucky with the weather--sunny and warm, with temperatures in the upper 70s/low 80s. The absence of wind meant that there were no waves, which made me happy since that stretch of the coastal trip (from Bodø and through the Lofoten archipelago) is often subject to wind and waves. To be honest, I had some misgivings about doing the boat trip at all because of what I had heard about the rough waters, but my fears were laid to rest when we boarded the boat amid sunny skies and placid waters. The coastal route is among the most beautiful in the world from what I've read, and I'd simply have to agree after taking the trip. We enjoyed some excellent dinners on board, and otherwise relaxed on the deck, enjoying the sun and warmth. We were lucky to be able to visit Trollfjord (Trollfjord - Wikipedia), which apparently is a weather-dependent trip; the boat captain informed us that the nice weather allowed for this trip. It was incredible to see the mountain tops at midnight, which turn reddish in the midnight sun. As we drove out of Trollfjord, we were blanketed in a thick fog that seemed to roll in from nowhere. Rather mystical and fairytale-like; one almost expected to meet some mythical creatures like trolls in the dense fog. 

This is the coastal route of the Hurtigruten from Trondheim to Tromsø, courtesy of the Hurtigruten website:

Once we reached Tromsø, we stayed two nights at a hotel near the harbor, which gave us enough time to explore the city. We managed trips to the Arctic-Alpine Botanical garden and to the Polaria Aquarium during our short stay, and also visited the spectacular Arctic Cathedral. We also enjoyed a really great dinner at a restaurant called Skarven Kro; it serves a tomato-based fish soup that is to die for--stockfish (boknafisk) soup. 

We then drove on to Alta from Tromsø, driving over the Finnmark plateau (Finnmarksvidda), which is the largest plateau in Norway. Once in Alta, we visited the Tirpitz Museum, a WWII museum that details the story of the German battleship Tirpitz, which was sunk in the Tromsø fjord. We also visited the Alta Museum--a World Heritage center for rock carvings--which was fascinating. Before we left, I visited the Cathedral of the Northern Lights, which was lovely and very unique. The sunny and warm weather continued, which of course added to the positive experience of visiting these places. I'm not sure it would have been as pleasant in the cold and rain. 

From Alta, we drove further on to the east coast of Sweden, passing briefly through parts of Finland that we didn't particularly care for, until we arrived in Luleå (Luleå: History meets modernity in Swedish Lapland | Visit Sweden), where we stayed one night, and the following day, in Sundsvall, where we stayed one night, before driving westward back toward Norway. Both Luleå and Sundsvall were lovely cities on the water, and it was nice to be there in the warm weather, walking along the harbor areas and watching people enjoy themselves. 

I would like to return to Trondheim during the wintertime to see the northern lights; we can drive there or take the train. I would not want to take the Hurtigruten during the winter months, although my friends who have done it say it is also a lovely trip. But I wouldn't want to do the trip in the darkness and cold. I'm glad we did our northern Norway trip during the summer months; it was fun to experience the midnight sun and to experience this area of Norway during a period of wonderful weather. I'll publish another post soon with photos from the trip. 

Here is a map of the entire trip, but bear in mind that the Trondheim to Tromsø route is depicted on land, because Google Maps does not allow for boat routes: 

Autumn in Oslo and in my garden--October 2025

I usually publish a post about autumn in Oslo and in my garden each year, and this year is no exception. It's been a mild but rainy autumn this year, and the foliage colors are lovely. I still take a fair amount of photos, but less than I used to. The advantage is that I don't have to wade through so many lesser quality photos. So the ones I'm sharing in this post are the ones that made the cut. Enjoy......

Gamle Aker church

'Karl Johan' main path in our allotment garden

my Japanese maple tree, growing happily

my allotment garden, facing Telthusbakken

some plants are still growing and blooming

Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out

If there was ever a song that brings me right back to NYC during the 1980s, this is it. I remember the anticipation and the wonder attached to each venture out into the world of Manhattan on the weekends. Finding a place to dance was foremost in our minds, and the Limelight was the place to go to dance during the 1980s. We tried other dance clubs and discos as well, but always came back to the Limelight. I remember one evening when I was dressed to the nines and out on a date with a colleague who was also dressed to the nines. We were picked out of the crowd waiting to get into the Limelight, to visit their VIP room. I hardly remember what was so special about that room, just that I thought it was so much fun to have been chosen. I remember that I was wearing a Betsey Johnson dress that I loved and bright pink high-heeled shoes that were originally part of a bridesmaid ensemble. My date didn't like my shoes, but I didn't care, I wore them anyway. Those days were fun and adventurous, and to my mind, part of everything that makes those years in Manhattan special to me. I suppose one might call it nostalgia, but I just prefer to call them fun memories. No going back to those days, but when I think about how much I loved to go out dancing, those memories immediately come to mind. 

No comments needed

 Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis 

One of my two favorite comic strips these days; the other one is Peanuts. The latter was first published in 1950 and continued until Charles Schulz's death in 2000; it is amazingly relevant even though it's over seventy years old. 

Makes sense to me

Four by the Edgar Winter group

If you've never heard The Edgar Winter Group before, here's your chance. A great rock group from the 1970s......Their album, Shock Treatment from 1974, contains the following four songs that I personally love. Enjoy......

Easy Street - Edgar Winter group