Tagged: americanabroad

09
Aug
2025

THE GOOD THINGS IN LIFE

I’ve been so busy all this past week out and about, and right now, Saturday afternoon, I’m only busy with my own home-chore-based to-do list, and one of the items on it is write a blog post! I wanted to write about some of the things I did this week so I have them down for remembering and posterity, as my brain can’t be trusted to come up with details about things in the past once we get to the future. Not because I’m experiencing any sort of memory loss, just that in general, I find it’s better to write...

17
Jul
2025

IMPRESSIONS, EXHIBITIONS, AND EXPEDITIONS

I spent most of the day yesterday in Copenhagen with my friend Camilla. We met up at 9 am at the train station in Malmö and took the train over and then walked 2 blocks to the Glyptoteket. I have been there before, but it was ages ago, and all I remembered was admiring Rodin’s The Thinker and after realizing that a great deal of the museum is devoted to permanent galleries of Egyptian and Middle East, and Greek and Roman artifacts, lost interest. Not really my thing when it comes to museums. But Camilla was excited about 2 visiting...

05
Jul
2025

THINGS COULD BE DIFFERENT AROUND HERE

Yesterday was the 4th of July, but I have never felt less patriotic in my life. Not even when Trump was President the first time. Not even when George W. Bush or Reagan was President. The only thing stopping me from renouncing my citizenship right now is knowing that more than half the country didn’t vote for him and is as angry, frustrated, and overwhelming boggled as me. How have we gone down so far so fast? WHY is there such a need in so many men in power to put hatred, cruelty, and power above everything else decent? I...

21
Jun
2025

SOLSTICE RUMINATIONS

Happy summer solstice! Glad midsommar! What a difference a couple of weeks, good medical care, a definite diagnosis, and wonder drugs makes. I’m still easily tired, which isn’t surprising considering I’ve been so housebound and sedentary. I hope to start walking again soon. We’ve had a full week of the most beautiful weather: sunny, blue skies, a little breeze, perfect temperatures, cool evenings. If the whole summer was like this, I’d be perfectly happy. Yesterday was midsummer in Sweden, a day off, and one of the biggest holidays of the year. I was up early as has been the case...

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...

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...

15
Apr
2025

WHOOSH—I’M BACK!

Back from the USA, and still jetlagged. I was gone for 4 weeks and did I blog once? No. No, I did not. What a lame-o. I did think about it. At least twice. But was too busy the entire time to really be motivated to write anything here. Sarah and I spent the first two weeks working on organizing and cleaning up the rest of her home after her move of her entire family and nearly every room. Her family played musical rooms, which eventually left my mom the space of a 2-room suite, plus bathroom, plus half-loft where...

10
Mar
2025

DON’T GET ME STARTED

Why is it that every time I tell someone, almost always someone who is NOT American, that I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT, they just keep on trying to talk about it? Trying to get me to engage in a conversation in which they want me to explain, defend, or continuously agree or react in shock about the batshit crazy takeover of the American government right now. I DON’T FUCKING WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. Because you don’t want to get me started. The whole situation enrages me and fills me with despair and disgust and disbelief. I can’t...

02
Jan
2025

NOM NOM NOM

Things have been around a lot longer than you think. One of the links in the last enewsletter of the year from 1440 was to an article about food products and what year they debuted. I found it fascinating, though I’m not sure why. It starts with 1940, the year my father was born, and the year that York Peppermint Patties hit the market. The year after, when my mom was born, Cheerios came out (albeit under a different name at first), the “first ready-to-eat oat cereal made by puffing and shaping the grains”. Cheerios! We grew up with these...

10
Nov
2024

PLENTY OF UGH

I can’t write much about my reactions to the election results. I find I can’t think much about it either. I don’t want to talk about it, especially at work where everyone seems to think that a) I should defend them or b) I should explain them. Neither of which can I, nor do I feel obligated to, do. I can’t answer for the 51% of the country that voted for insanity AGAIN. I am angry, depressed, saddened, boggled, and most of all numb. I can’t watch or read the news right now, though I am still reading the newsletters...

October 2025
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