Here in H*ll fuel prices are at least 3 times what you see anywhere Stateside! Luckily we're having a warm Fall so far. When it starts freezing over here, staying warm is gonna get expensive!

Now let's go back on topic. One of the reasons I stayed here in Norway after my year as an exchange student was that, while murders do occur, they are not considered par for the course here. And it IS considered normal for women and kids to be outdoors, on their own or in groups not guarded by adult males, at pretty much any hour of the day and day of the year (well, aside from kids after their bedtime). I think over the years I've lived here, there have been about a handful of random murders of women outdoors, and each time the dominant response is that it must not be tolerated, that women must have the right to enjoy the world freely and safely. That doesn't mean that we are entirely safe. Obviously. These murders did happen. But it does help me feel safer knowing that the bulk of my fellow citizens acknowledges my right to be out there. The murderers, whether caught or still hunted, have at least been given the message that the public does not offer them any excuse. It was their fault and theirs alone, not the women's fault for being "available".