Category: general

17
Jul
2008

STUPID HUMAN TRICKS

I’ve talked about my freaky kids before. They’ve got quite a bag of stupid human tricks between them. Karin can splay her toes abnormally wide and pinch with them. They can both roll their tongues, and Karin can turn hers over to the left or right or from the front down under. Martin can vibrate his eyes (I used to be able to do that, too, but found it started hurting to do it as I got older). Karin recently discovered she can also do the tongue flower! I shudder to think what effect she’ll have on the boys when...

15
Jul
2008

REMINDING MYSELF THAT ATTITUDE IS ALL IN WHAT YOU FOCUS ON

Things I am loving right now: ♥ A thought-provoking and challenging book by a favorite author ♥ Being able to find things when I want them ♥ The sound of crickets in the evening ♥ The way the air cools down at night and breezes gently through the house ♥ Nearing the climax, chapter by chapter, in a gripping story that I’m reading aloud to the kids at bedtime ♥ The way they both groan and say “Keep reading, mommy!” when I reach the end of the chapter and put the book down ♥ Open-faced mini pavés with ham &...

14
Jul
2008

CRABSTICK & GRUMPBUCKET

Perilously close to being a complete snark monster. Have so far managed to restrain myself but HONESTLY. Some people just beg for it. *** Anders is on vacation this week, while I am working. It’s my last week of work before a month-long vacation. I had thought I wouldn’t have enough to do this week, as so many people are already on vacation (Sweden basically shuts down in July) that no new projects are coming in, but I was busy all day today and expect I will be the rest of the week, which is nice. It’s nice to have...

13
Jul
2008

NINE BY THE NUMBERS

25 invitations printed, address, delivered and mailed 19 phone calls and messages responding in the affirmative 2 weeks of anticipation 2 trips to the grocery store 2 cakes baked, frosted and decorated 1 early morning birthday wake-up with presents and hugs and bed-head 19 bags filled with candy 1 sick kid calling with regrets 18 children swirling around the house and yard 17 presents opened and exclaimed over 28 hamburgers grilled and eaten 1 role-playing game involving 6 teams, over-sized dice, strength & wisdom cards, 2 manned stations, 4 unmanned stations, a final battle and prizes for the winners 1...

10
Jul
2008

SOMETHING SINISTER

For the past I-don’t-know-how-long, I have left the office every day with a sharp pain in my right shoulder/neck, caused, most likely, by my habit of sitting with my left leg tucked under me. Despite the fact that I use a Mousetrapper at work to keep my hands in front of me, this is still throwing me lopsidedly to the left just enough to cause strain on my right side. It isn’t helped by the fact that I invariably sit at the computer a lot while at home as well (frequently with the same leg tucked). In general, I lean...

06
Jul
2008

WATER BABIES

3-day weekend: hot summer days and cool summer evenings, blazing sunshine and electric blue skies with fat, white puffclouds. A green grasshopper clinging to the side of the house. Wilting roses, sun-struck geraniums, though no one here calls them geraniums any longer. Giant slices of watermelon, potato salad, rice krispie treats with red, white & blue sprinkles, steak on the grill. Hours in the pool, towel-wrapped kids with blue lips and red shoulders. Clover in the grass, butterflies on the wing. Photos by Anders Ek Super Summer Belated Birthday Wishes to idahoswede!

04
Jul
2008

SUMMER TURNS ME UPSIDE DOWN

How much more perfect can a summer evening be? Sun slowly sinking, tiny non-biting midges dancing in sparkling clouds. Children splashing and screeching in the pool. A hose in hand, spraying water over every pot and flower and sun-saturated growing thing. A rainbow-striped hot-air balloon slowly cruising right above our heads. A day spent finalizing preparations for the annual AWC Independence Day bash which we’re hosting tomorrow (because today was a regular work day, though I took it off regardless). Singing American patriotic songs in the car to the kids: Yankee Doodle, My Country Tis of Thee, God Bless America,...

01
Jul
2008

BONUS!

Haven’t paid* U.S. taxes in 11.5 years, but today I got FREE MONEY from the U.S. government anyway! Woo hoo! Thanks, George! Of course, since I’m depositing my Economic Stimulus Check in a Swedish bank (O! the irony!), it won’t be as much as it might have been, since the dollar is still in the toilet, and I’ll lose a big chunk thanks to international check-cashing fees but still, FREE MONEY! Can’t beat that with a stick! *But have kept up my end of the bargain as a U.S. citizen and faithfully filed my return every year

28
Jun
2008

WRITING, WHEN PROPERLY MANAGED, IS BUT A DIFFERENT NAME FOR CONVERSATION*

I envy people who have an instinctive ease with conversations…who can start them, keep them going, make them interesting. Even though I can hold my own, I don’t consider myself skilled at getting conversations rolling or keeping them afloat. My instincts are always to be the listener in any group, and not to be the one out there stating opinions or sharing anecdotes or telling secrets or even my side of things. Far too often, my conversation contributions are MENTAL: taking place in my head where only I can hear them. What I think is interesting about this, is that...

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