Yearly Archive: 2014

07
Dec
2014

HOME SWEDE HOME

I bet you thought I’d NEVER get back! It actually felt like longer than 2 weeks away. Weird how time distorts. I had a lovely week of vacation at my sister’s new (temporary) place in Connecticut, just hanging out and enjoying the American bounty of Thanksgiving and family. Sarah and Mom and I binge-watched the entire first half of Season 1 of Outlander while it snowed outside. We avoided the malls on Black Friday but ventured out Saturday and things were just as crowded. Eek! Mom and I left Sunday for Boston and I had a good week working and...

27
Nov
2014

WHAT I’M THANKFUL FOR

husband, children, mom, siblings, relatives, friends, home, job, health Internet, airplanes, electricity, clean water, refrigeration, antibiotics authors, publishers, books, magazines, paper, ink, alphabets, teachers humor, sanity, reason, patience, talent, organization, foresight, love unpredictable endings, unsolicited compliments, comforting routines, witty repartee, conversation starters turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, green beans, black olives, pumpkin pie

26
Nov
2014

NOTES FROM CRUISING ALTITUDE

I’ve been chasing the sun across the Atlantic. It’s been a 4.5 hour long sunset, the sky stippled orange, layered with yellow and topped with deep evening blue above a bubbled deceptive surface of clouds. Clouds all the way across the sea…i am glad to be above them in the clear sky. How dark it must be below this endless expanse. We’ve had only a little turbulence and I’ve had only a little sleep. According to my phone it is only a little after 9, long after the sun would have slid beneath the planet’s curve back home. Flying is...

23
Nov
2014

DREAM ABOUT THE DAYS TO COME

I’ve spent the day relaxing and packing, for the most part. Even after talking to my mom and sister a couple of days ago as well as a colleague in the States, I still have no idea exactly what to pack for the weather. The forecast for the Boston area as well as Hartford, CT, where my sister is, jumps around all over the place temperature-wise. From 11-12 Celsius to 19 (!) to 3-4 at the end of the week. ´ I don’t want to fill up my suitcase with winter clothes, so I really hope that it doesn’t snow...

22
Nov
2014

READY TO PARTY

It’s 3 o’clock and we’re nearly ready. One turkey is done and the other two are being basted as I write this. The kids have done their share of picking up and cleaning. I need to go wipe down the bathrooms one more time, and when Karin’s boyfriend arrives in an hour, she will put him to work with her setting the tables. It’s been a sunny day, for the most part, but it’s going overcast now. We went to the store twice…once for more potatoes and tinfoil and once for candles, which I had thought I already had. We...

21
Nov
2014

GUEST BLOGGER

Since I didn’t want to just toss out another throwaway post, I asked Martin if I could post his latest article for his school IB newspaper. This is the third article he’s written, though this one was a collaboration with a friend. The first article was about indie music and the second about Halloween costumes for those who want to avoid store-bought witches, vampires and sexy cats. So, here you go, an extremely well-written article (if I do say so myself) by MY SON (and a friend) which will be PUBLISHED in a (school) NEWSPAPER. American Horror Story—Terrifying tales specific...

20
Nov
2014

OVER AND OUT

I hate typing on little keyboard screens on iPads and iPhones and Kindles. ARGH. It makes me crazy. I have to re-type everything a gazillion times because my stupid finger hit the wrong keys EVERY SINGLE TIME. With touch-typing on a regular keyboard, I can backspace and retype without thinking about it, and nearly as fast. But on a stupid STUPID little tiny electronic virtual keyboard, it’s just SO FREAKING ANNOYING. I am really late getting to bed, so this is all the post I can manage today. Anders gets home tonight, but I don’t know what time…I hope it’s...

19
Nov
2014

BAD START, BETTER END

Had a bad start to the morning. Got totally stressed out, yelled at the kids, was late to work. Have had a borderline headache for several days. Advil holds it at bay, neck massager helps but only temporarily, then it comes crawling back up my spine to rest at the base of my skull. Karin was home sick with a sore throat (again!) for 2 days, but she went to school today. However, she’s been complaining that her throat is even worse now…nothing seems to help. Martin came up on the bus to my office after school to ride home...

18
Nov
2014

NOTED

I have done nothing of note since yesterday’s post, unless you count the projects I finalized at work, the 15 minutes I walked after lunch, the huge grocery shop I did this evening, the fun conversation I held with Martin and Karin at dinner or the online chat I just had with Skånetrafiken wherein I asked them if it was true they were taking away the buses between Flyinge and S. Sandby and how the hell did they expect my kids to get to school? They answered in the affirmative and then told me about the planned alternate routes. So,...

17
Nov
2014

GAH

We just got the results of the book group vote on the next year’s worth of books and I WON MY BET WITH MYSELF, dammit: The Fault in Our Stars got voted in. AND of the ONLY two books that I had already read, guess what? One of them got voted in. And it’s the stupid Satanic Verses, which WHY would anyone want to read now?? Why? GAH. Sadly, only one of my recommendations made the list, though 3 others were one vote short. I don’t care, I’ll read them anyway. Here’s what got voted in, in no particular order:...

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