Category: general

09
Sep
2024

DOWN AND OUT

We had a fire drill at the office this morning. We’ve been in the new building since 2022, even though it was ready before that. Since we were 100% at home, we didn’t get back into the office for awhile, and then only gradually. I can’t remember that we have actually had a fire drill before since we’ve been back. I know that there have been drills, but not ones where we had to evacuate. We’re on the 7th floor, so it’s a long way down when you can’t take the elevator. It’s longer when you have a bad knee...

03
Sep
2024

NOTHING MUCH TO SAY BUT I’M SAYING IT ANYWAY

It’s September, the weather is fantastic, though the nights are getting longer and darker. We’ve had gorgeous summer weather all week. In fact, it’s supposed to get up to 30C tomorrow! That’s 86F! In September! Unheard of. That’s climate change for you. I’m perfectly fine with it, as I’m back at work and not sweltering anywhere and it cools down drastically in the evenings and the house stays cool during the day as long as we have the blinds pulled in the living room. Clear blue skies, too. Perfect! I don’t really have anything much to write about. Crazy busy...

26
Aug
2024

GOOD STUFF

I just picked another big handful of snap peas and found 2 decent-sized cucumbers, a week after I thought we were done with both for sure. Today was a nice easy, stress-free start to work after 3 weeks of a very relaxing vacation. I’m very glad that it was so, and that a bad day didn’t wreck all the recharging I did. Almost everyone is back from vacation, though one of my team members is sick. Hugs all around this morning! I had plenty to do, and a fun layout to work on, plus a new project to begin (the...

22
Aug
2024

SUMMER SOLILOQUY

Tomorrow is my last full vacation day, if you don’t count the weekend. It’s been lovely having 3 weeks nearly completely free from shoulder pain and stress and office politic aggravation. I’ve done my absolute best to actually rest, relax, and recharge, and I really, really hope that one day back at work won’t undo it all. This week has been marvelously sluggy: I’ve slept in nearly every day, or at least woken at my own pace, and stayed abed with my book or iPad until I felt like getting motivated. I had a to-do list for the week (because...

19
Aug
2024

ERIN GO BRAGH – GoT AND THE END

A long afternoon of traveling by bus and train from Belfast landed us in Dublin again. We had a new AirBnB, but it was also up 5 flights of stairs (ugh), but had a magnificent view of the River Canal right outside our window. One room to share, but only for one night. We rested for a bit and then went out for surf and turf for dinner at a place called Beef & Lobster, which was excellent, with a very engaging waiter. Afterwards, we walked back into the Temple Bar neighborhood and had dessert and drinks first at Little...

18
Aug
2024

ERIN GO BRAGH (NORTH) – BELFAST

We arrived quite late in Belfast, after spending most of the day traveling both by train and bus, and then walking about 15 minutes to our AirBnB, the only one that was ground floor with NO stairs. The next morning, we got up early, found a café for breakfast and then met our bus for the day’s excursion. Ériu (today more commonly known as Éire) is the Irish name for Ireland – named after this powerful female goddess. Skinny building along the canal in Belfast Waiting for the bus Our guide was named Harry and despite his magnificent mustache, he...

17
Aug
2024

ERIN GO BRAGH – GALWAY

Waking up in Galway on your birthday is a good way to do it. Or rather, being awakened, as per the usual Swedish style. We had to get up early to catch our daytrip bus, so of course the kids and Anders woke me up even earlier with singing, hugs, and a new iPad (yay!). The next morning we walked through Eyre Square on our way to the hotel where we were meeting the bus. And Karin ran into someone she knows! Because of course she did! She knows everyone! Someone she went to school with, who had actually been...

16
Aug
2024

ERIN GO BRAGH – DUBLIN

We were only in Ireland for a week, but we did a LOT of things and saw a lot, and ate a lot, and I took a bajillion photos. If you are going to turn 60, Ireland’s a fun place to do it in. It’s as green as promised, and the people are lovely. We stayed in AirBnBs, all of which but one had a million stairs, which was a bummer, since I am still in a knee brace, but I managed. We flew to Dublin on Wednesday, August 7 and stayed right down in the city center near to...

02
Aug
2024

AGING IS JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR LIVING*

Ermahgerd, it’s August! Yesterday, Debbie and Camilla took me out for the afternoon for an early birthday celebration because I’ll be gone over the weekend of my actual birthday. I left work at 12 and picked up Camilla, and then we drove out to Slättarps Gård, which was a lovely location out in the middle of absolute nowhere. There was a café/restaurant, outdoor seating in a garden bower, an art gallery, a florist, and a little boutique. We had a delicious lunch, sitting in the shade of the trees, with beautiful weather, blue skies, warm and breezy summer weather. They...

24
Jul
2024

I UNDERSTAND THE ASSIGNMENT

Just 23 days ago, I wrote a post about how deeply ashamed I was of so many people in America. I was at the point of despair, which I haven’t felt since 2016. During the 4 LONGER THAN NORMAL years of Frump’s presidency, I stopped reading the news, I stopped watching it, I stopped watching late night shows, I barely kept up with the headlines, because everything about the US and the pandemic sucked so bad. It was a relentless horror show of awful, and I could not keep my chin up. I wasn’t thrilled about Biden but he was...

November 2025
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