Author: lizardek

10
Jul
2005

TAKE AWAY

I always feel slightly guilty about referring to The Netherlands as “Holland” but on this trip I realized that all the postcards I saw said Holland so now I don’t care. It’s the same American-centric weirdness that made me wince as I was answering my daughter’s question about why people from Holland speak something called DUTCH when everyone else’s languages match the names of their countries, or nearly. Holland appeals to my sense of order. It makes the Virgo blood in me sing quietly. The trees in rows, the shining strips of the canals neatly dissecting the country in every...

02
Jul
2005

GRAB BAG

Martin and I were sitting out on the deck this morning, enjoying the beautiful weather. I had a book, but Martin kept talking to me, so I wasn’t reading much. Suddenly, he asked me if I wanted a foot massage and informed me that he was pretty good at them. “Do you want me to give you one?” he asked. We were sitting at either end of the deck couch, so my feet were right up next to him. “I never say no to a foot rub,” I said, “but were did YOU learn to give foot rubs?” He cocked...

01
Jul
2005

THWACK THWACK THWACK!

Anders climbed up the ladder to take the central vacuum cleaner on the laundry room wall apart and find out what the matter was only to discover that the bag, apparently too heavy with ick, had split and dropped away from the hose output, filling the canister around and under the bag with filth and disgustingness, including PINE NEEDLES, our major indication that it’s been this way since at least Christmas. He managed to heave all the crap out, re-bag it, and use our old portable vacuum to clean up the resulting mess. When I got home I vacuumed the...

30
Jun
2005

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE SNAPS

okay, what the freaking hell is wrong with IE?? Fonts are showing in all kinds of wonky sizes and encoding won’t stick when I set them back. WTF? HATE. HATE! Stupid Microsoft. Is anyone else having this problem? or is it *suspiciously* just ME?? Work is going to be insane right up until the last second what with the waiting on people who wait until the last minute despite having had plenty of notice and reminders and pleading phone calls and the making of last-minute changes to everything I already had done. ARGH I’ve had a to-do list of stuff...

29
Jun
2005

LABELING LIZARDEK

left-handed, democrat, artist, wife, writer, military brat, agnostic, club member, geek, alto, blogger, expat, american, mother, moderate, big sister, daughter, ex-girlfriend, leo, anal-retentive, singer, forty-something, pro-choice, overweight, movie snob, reader, speed reader, babyboomer, eldest child, aunt, bossy, sillybutt, english major, girlfriend, friend, editor, college graduate, caucasian, volunteer, short, night owl, designer, earlybird, poet, bilingual, introvert, amerikanska, sister-in-law, intuitive, yankee, diplomat, good cop, INTJ, listener, cousin, female, bachelor of arts, teetotaler, non-smoker, skeptic, generalist, feminist, granddaughter, white, smartass, employee, white-collar professional, busy bee, gameplayer, mail-responsive, literate, taxpayer, daughter-in-law, homo sapiens, caffeine addict, niece, marketing services coordinator, author, packrat, straight arrow, list-maker....

27
Jun
2005

NECKING

Would you THUNDER AND LIGHTNING already and have your big old rainstorm so that the barometric pressure that is pushing my head down, causing all the little spinal connections in my neck to collapse and crunch into each other, crunch crunch crunch, would RELEASE before I’m compressed into pygmyhood!? *grumble* I like the cool breeze, though, keep that coming. Cracking Me Up: Sitonthat Placeforbutt

26
Jun
2005

TURN YOUR FACE TO THE SUN AND THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU*

On a summer evening, when the sky is clear and pure, like glass, like an endless ocean of blue, and the sun is lowering, shining fierce, shining hard, stretching long shadows, sharp shadows, what I want to do is capture the light. I want to share it, show and tell the sun. I want to tell you how driving through these rolling hills, this green big-sky country, this summer, makes me feel. I look hard at everything, I note things down in my mental notepad, I try to polaroid through my eyes. Snap! Snap! The air is crisp, magnifying everything....

25
Jun
2005

MIDSUMMER MADNESS

The weather cooperated and for one of the very few times in the 8 midsummers I’ve celebrated in Sweden, everything went off just right under a warm summer sun. Everywhere you looked, blue and yellow flags and pennants were snapping gaily in the breeze. We met up with a group of Anders’ old friends in Älmhult, a little village 2 hours north of us, and celebrated a compleat midsummer, rife with the smell of strawberries, wildflowers and sunshine. We joined the village celebration and were treated to accordion music, the sight of ladies young and old sporting flower wreaths in...

24
Jun
2005

SMÃ… GRODARNA

Bathing suits, sunscreen, mosquito spray are packed. 4 different kinds of herring are pickled and layered in goodness in their mason jars. I’m drooling for strawberries and cream. Off to dance around the midsummer pole! It’s hot! I’m melting! Yay Sweden, for finally coming through on summer! Wonderful, Wild and Wooly Birthday Wishes to verian!