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A website was soon set up: "HarMannenFalt.no"[2] (Has the Man fallen?), displaying no more than the word "NEI" (No). The sentiment of the joke was felt by all, as many had grown tired of all this attention being directed at what was essentially, on its surface, just a mountain, standing there, doing nothing.

I was a student at the time, and remember many idle screens around campus set to this page, reeking of that sarcastic mock-worry only a student body could put on. But I suspect a lot of us were secretly waiting for the moment when the text would change into "JA".

And soon enough, something did in fact happen. A neighbouring mountain, Veslemannen (The Little Man), saw a considerable increase in daily movement in 2018, before finally there was a minor landslide in 2019. But this was not the landslide we had been promised and waited for, as The Man himself was still standing tall as ever. A "JA" was not really in order, but then perhaps neither was really a "NEI".

Instead, the website was updated to show "TJA", a Norwegian word somewhere between yes and no, with meaning closer to "Well, perhaps".

As an aside: A second website with identical design was also created: "HarDovreFalt.no"[3]. A play on the concept with allusion to the vow of our founding fathers: "Enige og tro inntil Dovre faller" (Agreeing and true until Dovre falls)[4]. The "NO" on this second site, I think, is far less likely to change any time soon.

One of the silliest battles I have found myself fighting against society has been my search for comfortable yet attractive men's pants. I deeply dislike the restricting fit of modern pants, especially tighter fitting jeans, but also the semi-current fashion in suits and pants in general.

It may be that a catalyst for this conflict has been my anatomy. My thighs and butt are huge, compared to other guys of similar proportions, and so apparently they cannot be contained by modern fashions. Every time I try to put on a pair, they're either too loose in the waist, or too tight in the thighs, and always sit too low for my liking, digging into my groin if I force the belt to sit at my waist. And should i find a pair that feels acceptable at first, my optimism only lasts until I have to sit down and feel the edge of these clothes digging uncomfortably into my flesh, rekindling my hatred for these trends and their designers.

The current resolution to my woes has been Darcy Clothing's line of suspender pants[1], which I have had tailored after purchase to taper and fit my height. However, this look is quite jarring in a modern environment, so I tend to wear a sweater over the suspenders. Still, I sometimes need to take it off, and wearing something like this day in and out puts quite a label on you.

Still to this day I keep my eyes open, hoping that the pants of my desires will appear in a shop somewhere, or that trends will change, and we get style in service of comfort, instead of discomfort in service of style.