Lizardek

20
Jul
2015

HEATING UP: CROATIA (PART 1)

We had plans to do a lot more while we were in Croatia, but the heat flattened us. Okay, okay, it flattened ME. I knew it was going to be warm down there…intellectually, but I wasn’t really prepared for just how hot and humid it actually was. The day we arrived it was 38 degrees Celsius (damn hot). Barky promptly curled up and died. The other thing that flattened us was my brother’s ambulance ride to the hospital during the night of our arrival. I don’t think our heart was in Croatia. I know mine wasn’t. Maybe someday I’ll go...

19
Jul
2015

PALACES, PARKS AND POMP: VIENNA

We didn’t give Vienna a chance, really. I don’t know if we just weren’t in the mood or what. We spent three nights there which equaled 2 full days and we barely scratched the surface. No one wanted to pay the money to go see a concert (and frankly, it was only me that was really interested), and the Spanish Riding School is closed for July (drrr) so no dancing Lippizaner horses for us. After Prague’s lovely candy-colored and Old Europe impression, Vienna struck us as too big, too modern, too OVERDONE, somehow. People there were rude to us for...

18
Jul
2015

REST IN PIECES

I imagine it must be pretty peaceful at night when the doors are closed and the lights are off and the line of tourists has ebbed and gone but it doesn’t strike me as much of a RESTING place, despite the fact that it’s estimated that the remains of more than 40,000 people are interred here. We left Prague on Wednesday morning and headed toward Vienna with a little detour in mind: the suburb of Sedlec in the town of Kutná Hora. The Ossuary Chapel attracts over 200,000 visitors annually. The bones date all the way back to the 14th...

17
Jul
2015

COBBLESTONES, BRIDGES & SPIRES: PRAGUE

We tried to plan a trip to Prague several years ago. I’ve always wanted to go, though I’m not sure why. Prague doesn’t have the same call for my heart the way Edinburgh does, but I’d heard so much about it, all good, that it was high on my list of destinations. The kids were much younger then and the more research I did, the more I realized that the Prague I wanted to visit wasn’t necessarily one that my children would want to go to…and we ended up changing our plans that year. But, it’s always been in the...

13
Jul
2015

NOT EXACTLY WHAT WE HAD IN MIND

We left on June 27th and got back yesterday. It was 2 weeks away but it feels like more. It feels like we were gone FOREVER. I love our bed. I love our shower. I love our laundry room. I love our towels. I love our TEMPERATURE (everyone else who complains about Sweden can suck it). I love our wifi. (hahahahaha) AND I love our medical system. I was a little skeptical about the whole road trip idea, to be quite frank. I went on a gazillion road trips, mostly with camping involved, when I was a kid, and UGH....

23
Jun
2015

A GOOD WEEK

This is SUCH a relaxing week! I mean, apart from the stuff on my (numerous) to-do lists, I’m doing NEARLY NOTHING. Like today, for example! NEARLY NOTHING. Only one load of laundry. And wrapping presents. And ironing 2 shirts (I hate ironing, so this was a pat on the back for me). And researching places to go and things to do and see in Prague and Vienna. But that’s like it! Apart from reading. I read a lot. And watching 3 episodes of Orphan Black with Martin. And driving to Malmö with Anders to get his car (we’re getting another...

20
Jun
2015

HALF TIME

Yesterday was midsummer. The longest day of the year, and in Sweden at least, the official start of summer. The temperature? 12 degrees Celcius. The weather? Buckets. Clouds. Umbrellas. Gusting. We spent the entire day with the friends that we usually spend Midsummer with, starting at noon (!). We haven’t always spent midsummer with them but of the past 19 midsummers we’ve probably spent at least half. They are a group of old Scout friends of Anders’ and their wives and children. Nowadays, some of the children are disappearing from the get-togethers. My kids would have been some of them...

14
Jun
2015

ING*

Reading: Re-reading golden oldies…Diana Wynne Jones’ YA fantasies. She was amazing. Listening: The last artists I found and added to my Spotify list are Jess Penner and Natalie Prass. Melodic and delightful! Thinking: About writing to-do lists, haha! Smelling: Nothing. I can never smell anything because I am apparently permanently stuffed up. *sigh* Wishing: The pansies would last even longer but I’m guessing it’s about time to start re-potting. Planning: The things that still need to be taken care of before our trip. Wearing: Capri pants and no-sleeve shirts (even though it was really too cold for them today). Loving:...

10
Jun
2015

WHIRRRRRRR

Martin: (from the other room) What’s a “more”? Liz: How do you spell it? Martin: M-O-R-E Liz: Oh. It’s the values or ethical standards of society. Martin: Like a norm? Liz: More or less. Liz: *giggles madly* Liz: See what I did there? Martin: *sigh* It’s the last week of school. Both Martin and Karin are done on Friday and summer vacation begins. Remember that feeling? The whole sunny summer stretching out in front of you? Days at the pool, evenings playing blindman’s bluff and statues on the lawn, visits to grandparents, freezers full of Fla-Vor-Ice popsicles. Mmmmmm yummy grape...

07
Jun
2015

A PERSUASIVE ESSAY CONCERNING THE FEASIBILITY OF STRIKING THE LETTER M OUT OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Originally written for English 213 class, early spring, 1984 First of all, I wish to be clear that I will not be objective about this paper. I want you to agree with this idea. I want to wring you for all you’re worth, using any technique I have to, in order to achieve this end. I want to squeeze tears out of your eyes and yeses out of your lips and I will stop at nothing to do this. Forget Logical, goodbye Rationality; there is no place for these paltry ideas. We are talking Persuasion here, and we want (and...

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