Monthly Archive: August 2004

31
Aug
2004

WILL WORK FOR SUSHI

Okay, I’ve stewed enough in my own juices. It was the headache brought on by squinting at the fill-in forms on the job-search websites and the fact that I keep having to admit that I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. When you live in a place for 7.5 years, and you walk the walk and talk the talk, you might be quite naturally forgiven for thinking that you are 100% assimilated and that you blend in like the blendiest of blenders. I was practically BORN here, if you know what I mean. But then shock, caped and masked,...

31
Aug
2004

CRAB

Everything is shitty this morning. My resume sucks. My Swedish writing skills suck. I will never find another job. I’m totally unmotivated. I’m tired. There are not enough hours in the day. I’m cold and wet and hungry and broke and I swallowed my gum. grump Bonus points to those who know what movie I paraphrased that last sentence from.

30
Aug
2004

5 STAGES, ALSO STONE AGES

I need to translate my resume and cover letter into Swedish. I could swear that I’d already done this not so long ago, but since I can’t find the damn things anywhere, I guess not. argh. Yes, I’m fluent in Swedish, but that mostly means reading and speaking. I can write Swedish, but it’s embarrassing, all my grammar faults and literal translations right there in black and white for people to snicker at, so I’ve managed to avoid it as much as possible since leaving Swedish For Immigrants. Time to suck it up and do the necessary here. Argh argh...

29
Aug
2004

DAM IT, THAT WAS TOO EASY

My kids are entering the activity stage of their lives, the one that lasts forever or until the parents go insane and buy them mopeds. Luckily, Flyinge is so small that after this first year or so, they’ll be able to walk to their various appointments. Karin has soccer starting tomorrow and will be doing ice-skating school with Anders this fall. Martin has Mini-Gang which is a music-play afternoon and has officially started Scouts. Anders was a long-time Scout and a leader, and many of his/our friends are people that he grew up with, was in Scouts with, and was...

27
Aug
2004

AND DON’T PICK UP HITCHHIKERS

I’ve written and erased this post 3x already this morning. *rolls eyes* People at work are treating me like a fragile flower…I think they’re afraid I’ll burst into tears or something. I confess I was near tears a couple of times yesterday, but more because of shock and because of feeling that 4 years of working for something and building it up and making it good is about to disappear *poof* into thin air. People kept asking me how I was, and when I said okay, they would ASK ME AGAIN with an even more concerned look. Which just made...

26
Aug
2004

SUCK

We were just informed in a mandatory all-employee meeting that our company is dissolving and we need to find new jobs no later than December 31st.

25
Aug
2004

I DID IT MY SEGUE

I haven’t mentioned the Olympics much here, because as you may or may not know, I don’t watch TV hardly ever, except for West Wing which disappeared from Swedish television like 8 months ago and apparently likes vacation so much it is never coming back, and Little House on the Prairie re-runs which I would totally sit slowly down on the sofa for, relaxing into a slack-jawed state because Michael Landon OH HOW WE MISS YOU! I’m secretly hoping that Swedish TV will start sending showing Little House re-runs on Fridays so that Karin can be properly introduced to the...

24
Aug
2004

FREAKY FRIDAYS

Starting on Friday, September 3rd, Liz is taking Fridays off with Karin (paid! muahahaha!) for 49 WEEKS in a row…Now, the dilemma…what to do, what to do?

23
Aug
2004

IN WHICH LIZ FAILS TO FIND A NARRATIVE THREAD

It’s a beauty of a day today. The sky is piercingly blue with fluffinated, fluffoid, fluffanuffalous floating clouds. It’s warm in the sun and there’s a cool breeze. Yesterday was so windy that the tarp-n-tent that we had erected over the deck for Saturday’s party blew over, causing me to leap out of bed in the early a.m. to help Anders who was already outside wrestling with the beast. Today, the wind’s mom has obviously told it firmly to settle down and it’s amusing itself with little soft almost-autumn leaf rustles. This weekend coming, we are going to plant the...

22
Aug
2004

INSANITY RESUMES

Monday: massage, regional planning meeting Tuesday: finish AWC website and do AWC newsletter Wednesday: choir starts Thursday: book group Friday: evening at Emily & Martin’s cabin Saturday: Stone Age dinner and then crayfish party AT OUR HOUSE (yes, I’m certifiable) Sunday: Finish all AWC stuff before meeting Monday: John leaves, Karin dentist appointment, first AWC board and monthly meetings I had a 3-hour nap today. And I power-walked for half an hour with my brother. I’m tired. That’s all. Oh, and also…Reese’s Fast Break candy bars are better than sex. Why didn’t you send a box home for ME, Sarah?!