About
I am Norwegian. I live in London. I work in HR, which is the profession most committed to taking itself seriously, and I have spent eighteen years watching it do exactly that.
The blog is called The Parenthetical because every piece contains one. It is the moment where the truest or funniest thing gets said almost as an aside, in brackets, where it is slightly less accountable. This is also how I prefer to operate in general.
I write about expat life and how it changes your sense of self over time. About London, which I love, and which is objectively preposterous. About getting older, which nobody warned me would involve standing in Lidl reading yoghurt labels with genuine concentration. About organisations and the gap between how they say they behave and how they actually do, which is, if you look at it right, very funny.
(I am aware that "HR professional writes personal essays" is not an obvious pitch. It made more sense when I started. I am committed now.)
The posts are short. They do not end neatly. They do not contain advice, a framework, or three things you can action before Monday. If you are looking for that, there are many excellent newsletters that will disappoint you in a more structured way.
My mum would like me to move back to Norway. I have explained the blog to her twice. She remains unconvinced these are related.
Everything here is my own. The opinions, the observations, the slightly embarrassing honesty. None of it represents my employer, my profession, or anyone unfortunate enough to know me personally.