Oh, the weather outside is frightful! And I’m at work which isn’t quite delightful, but since I need to learn to be careful what I wish for, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
The fog has clumped in with big wet feet, smothering the wind, following the rain, a snow wannabe. We had a right blizzard this morning, and it took me forever to get to work since we got a late start and then I had to drop Anders off at work before heading through the traffic jam that was Lund this morning. Does snow lower the IQ of drivers? It seems at least the first big one does. Not mine, of course, just everyone ELSE on the road. Funny how that works.
My weekend cleaning frenzy ended on a note of triumph. In addition to everything else I accomplished, late in the day on Sunday, I emptied the closet of all of Anders’ clothes, folded them neatly in piles on the bed and asked him when he got home that evening if we could sort through them quickly. And he DID! 4 more bags for the Swedish Goodwill, plus my SEVEN, plus 4 bags of children’s clothing. If there was a medal for cleaning out closets, we would SO be sporting the Gold!
Anders leaves this afternoon for 2 days in Germany, followed by the rest of the week in Italy, assuming his plane can get out with the weather conditions. He assures me that this is the last trip he is taking this year, which, since it is nearly the end of November, isn’t all that comforting. We’ve been fighting a lot lately, or rather, not exactly fighting, but sort of taking offense with each other and not communicating very well. I seem to be awfully prickly right now, and so does he. This happens periodically and it always makes me sad and paranoid when it happens, even though we usually manage to get back on track fairly quickly. We both have so much going on that it causes a lot of stress and it naturally comes out at home, since we can’t express it at work or at any of our other extracurricular activities where we have to behave responsibly.
I am SO looking forward to the end of this week! My brother and Simone arrive on Thursday, and Simone and I are going to a Christmas wreath-making workshop Thursday evening with the AWC. I already know how to make a wreath since I’ve been attending the workshop for 3 years, but it’s always a lot of fun, and it will be cool to take Simone with me, as we don’t get much of a chance to talk, just the two of us. She and John have asked me to sing at their wedding, and I plan to give them some suggestions this weekend. I’ve already mentioned a couple of songs that I’ve sung in the past, that they might like. The other day she was in the car and heard a song on the radio, and called John to tell him that she had just heard the most beautiful love song and then she belted out “You fill up my senses…” and John went, “OH NO, GOD PLEASE NOT ANNIE’S SONG!” ahahaha! I’ve sung that at least twice at weddings, so it would be an easy one to do. 🙂
On Friday, Anders comes home and ozswede and tallefjant arrive! I can’t wait to see them again! They were so wonderful when we went up to Nynäshamn in May and mooched off visited them for a long weekend. Anders thought it was so weird to go stay with people that we had never met, but even he changed his mind after meeting Marie and L-G. I think now he has more trust that the online friendships I’m making are with real, nice people, and not internet psychos.* Our 4 houseguests are joining us for our annual Thanksgiving Bash, and they are in for a treat!
Every year, since we’ve been in Sweden, Anders and I have hosted a big dinner party on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We invite our closest Swedish-American couples friends and usually throw a few others into the mix. This year it’s a relatively small gathering with only 14 adults and 4 children. Anders and I provide the turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy (and the stuffing that is IN the turkeys), and we ask each couple to bring one of the other dishes. Someone usually provides a video of the actual Thanksgiving football game, too. It’s the most American I feel all year, and I mean that in a good way.
Really Good Writing Out There Right Now: Because I Complain Too Much
Really Good Writing Out There That You Can Read in Bed: The World According to Chuck I’m serious! Go buy this book! It’s so good, a wonderful collection of essays, and I’m not just saying that because I’m mentioned in the acknowledgements, even though that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. After all, it’s not the first time I’ve been mentioned in the acknowledgements of a book. Me so cool. Although, since I haven’t written a book myself, me nowhere near as cool as Chuck.
*Please don’t burst his bubble. You know who you are. 😛