Category: general

18
Jun
2025

DIAGNOSIS

I don’t know if you have ever had a medical procedure in which a camera is inserted into your body when you are awake and aware, but it is a VERY weird thing to see. I had another colonoscopy today. The last one was in October, and even though there was a screen where I could see the camera movement then as well, it was awkwardly placed and would have required me twisting my neck weirdly and because a colonoscopy is both uncomfortable and slightly painful, I mostly didn’t try to look last time, but kept my eyes closed and...

16
Jun
2025

HOME SWEET HOME

I was discharged from the hospital yesterday at lunch time. Since I’ve been responding very well to the cortisone treatment, they felt I could continue with tablets now from home. Anders picked me up at lunchtime and we went to Espresso House so I could get a toastie before we headed home. They sent me with a medicine list, info on the colonoscopy, a different easier laxative for the colonoscopy prep, and assurances about my sick leave and the followup in 2 weeks. All of the doctors and nurses I had dealings with were awesome, though my first doctor was...

13
Jun
2025

WAY WAY TMI

Well, I guess it’s time to write the story of what’s been happening to me (for posterity) and make some explanation for the long radio silence. WORD OF WARNING: grossness and ugly bodily functions ahead. Read at your own risk. I was sick on April 30th with stomach issues (not throwing up), gassy/bubbly pains and loose bowels. It basically continued from there for weeks, getting worse and worse until I was basically only shitting blood, and terrible diarrhea. No warning, multiple times day and night. Got more and more tired over the weeks and more and more dehydrated. On May...

25
May
2025

THE SOUNDTRACK OF (AT LEAST PART OF) MY LIFE

During the 90s, in Chicago, I went to concerts and plays, and dance recitals, and festivals, and musicals ALL THE TIME. I have the ticket stubs to prove it. I went to a lot of sporting events as well, which surprised me as I don’t have any real interest in sports, but I have the ticket stubs from numerous baseball, football, and hockey games as well. I’ve been doing a major clean out in the millions of photo albums I have, most of which sit and gather dust over the years, as no one ever looks at them. I figured...

18
May
2025

SHOWING OFF SWEDEN

So much for my good intentions of posting more in May. I managed 3 posts, then real life intervened. But in a mostly good way! My best friend from college, Julie, and her family: husband Todd (Benny), daughter Erin and son Drew, finally made it to Sweden to visit! I picked them up at the airport on Saturday, May 10, at 4:30 and we crammed all their bags into the Tesla and came over to Sweden. We managed to keep them up and got them on schedule right away, which I think was helpful for them. Anders cooked a delicious...

06
May
2025

PICTURE PERFECT

We’ve had such a lovely stretch of lovely weather here that I’m getting completely spoiled. Apart from one day of part rain, it’s been beautiful sunny, blue skies, but still COOL breezy temperatures. Even when it’s down to 9C I am still not wearing a jacket because the sun is warm enough for me. We have onion sprouts already coming up in one row, so it’s enough for them as well! Hoping to see more sprouts soon, though the potatoes always take forever to start. I need to go buy cucumber and tomato plants, but Anders said there’s no rush...

02
May
2025

FOR POSTERITY — LITTLE LIZ

When I was going through papers from my mom’s house, I found a bunch of letters she wrote to her parents a few months after I was born. She wrote to her parents every couple of weeks, and most of them are full of daily chitchat and talk about what was going on with her, my dad, and their lives. I’m copying here some of the things she wrote about me for posterity. NOTE: I was called Lisa after I was born (named Elizabeth for my dad’s mother’s middle name, or more likely, just because my mom liked the name!)....

01
May
2025

RABBITS! RABBITS!

Well, I’m writing a blog post on the first of May, which is a holiday here in Sweden, and even though I didn’t say “Rabbits! Rabbits!” first thing when I woke up, I am writing it now, and that ought to count for something. It’s been an absolute stunner of a day, quite perfectly perfect: sunny, warm but not too warm, a cool breeze, blue skies, butterflies and bees and birds singing. The neighbor’s cat came around twice but is super shy, which is a bummer. I slept in and then played games and read before doing anything of import....

27
Apr
2025

FAIRLY TALL

by Galen Fott (who I just discovered is a real person) (I have had this typed out on two pieces of (now) very old, faded, ragged, stained, and ripped pieces of typing paper since I was in junior high, but I don’t remember where I got it from. It’s possibly from a play of skits that my best friends were in. It always makes me laugh.) Lunga, lunga ego, when you were late yards old, or even flea, you gloved to glisten to fairly talls, didn’t you? Quell, here’s an udder one—bud this one is SNIFFERENT! Once a puddle time,...

26
Apr
2025

TRIP TO OREGON, JULY 1992

(When reading this, remember this is long before cell phones, Apple Pay, and baggage weight restrictions) I’m back from my first real vacation in years, 10 whole days. I had a wonderful time in Oregon visiting my best friend Becky and her husband Doug, and squashing my maternal urges with their two beautiful children: Christopher (3) and Sara (2). Lots of hanging out with kids, shopping, movies, the Oregon County Fair (quite a treat), and going to hear great live music. But the best story is about my arrival and departure from hell! I swear that everything you are about...

November 2025
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