Tagged: beinglizardek

02
Apr
2024

APRIL?! APRIL SHOWERS AND APRIL HOURS

Holy rabbits, Batman, how can it be April already? Yesterday was a holiday here in Sweden since it was Easter Monday, which was a shame, because it meant we couldn’t pull April Fool’s pranks on our colleagues in the office. One of the big Swedish newspapers had an excellent joke article on their main page, mentioning that Ven, the island off the coast of southern Sweden, was going to have to lose 500 meters worth of land in order to accommodate NATO warships. I saw some funny ones after the fact today. One worth mentioning was Dulux Paints Instagram post...

18
Mar
2024

PINING FOR SPRING

I’ve just not been in the mood to write any posts, even though I seem to be thinking about it all the time. Blogger’s guilt. I think it’s only my brother who ever reads this anyway, and he’s busy too, so I’m not disappointing anyone but myself, haha. Martin and I went and saw Dune 2 last weekend, after rewatching Dune 1 a few days before. He’s now re-listening to the audio books and did a Dune-themed crossword. My colleague Emelie saw it the week before we did and raved about it (Dune 2, that is) and said she thought...

10
Mar
2024

POTTERY, PINK, AND PIE

Last week was really busy, so I’m kind of looking forward to this coming week, which isn’t busy at all (at the moment). Anders leaves for a week in Italy tomorrow morning, which also means I’ll be alone every evening entertaining myself with my book, iPad, TV, crossword puzzles, and a new jigsaw puzzle. Last Thursday I organized another pottery painting evening for the AIC, but it turned out to be just Lisel, Kirstin, and I, with Lisel’s 2 daughters, Martin and Theo, and Martin’s friend Thea. I painted the outside of a bowl (cereal-bowl sized) with a bird and...

02
Mar
2024

IT’S A LOT RIGHT NOW

I just hung up the artwork that John and his kids made for me, for Christmas. It’s two flowers made of sliced up, painted pinecones, mounted on a wooden board. I’ve been debating where to put it, and originally thought of putting it out on the porch, but the walls out there are stucco, so not only does Anders not want to put a nail in them, but there’s no good way to mount anything at all on them. I couldn’t even use a CommandStrip, which is what I’ve now used to hang them on the tile wall in the...

12
Feb
2024

WHERE TO GO, WHAT TO DO

I’m recreating Karin’s resume so that she can apply for university in Copenhagen. I already recreated Martin’s a few months ago before he started job-hunting in earnest. I lost all the original source files when I upgraded to a new work computer a year or so ago and wasn’t thinking about where those particular files were saved. Karin’s been pretty much working steadily since she started as a referee for the soccer leagues in the village where she played, when she was a teenager. I’m not sure why she needs her resume for a university application, but it’s just as...

14
Jan
2024

BETTER AND BRIGHTER

When I say that tidying up my house and cleaning things makes me super happy, I sound like the most boring person in the world, but I don’t care. It does. I like nothing better* than looking around or walking through my home and admiring how nice it looks and all the things in it that make me happy. I LIKE having a neat and tidy place to live. I like a harmonious feeling to the colors and fabrics and patterns that surround me. And I like having things clean. It’s so OCD, but that’s just how it is. Having...

31
Dec
2023

RETROSPECTIVE

he best thing about 2023 was the fact that the world was opened up for travel again. Anders and I made the most of it, though much of his was for work, of course. I went to the US for the first time since 2018 and got to see both my mom’s and my sister’s new places. We had our epic tip-to-tip trip in the Tesla during the summer from the very southernmost point of Sweden, to the very top. I’m already looking forward to some travel next year as well: back to the US in the spring, and somewhere...

25
Nov
2023

ADVENTALICIOUS

When is it officially the holiday season? Is it Halloween that really kicks things off at the end of October, sliding through All Saints and All Soul’s Days, to Thanksgiving (if you’re American)? Here in Sweden, it’s often First Advent which starts the holiday season and all the Swedes are sure to have their advent lights up in the windows and white lights twined around trees and house edges. But First Advent this year is next weekend, which puts Fourth Advent right on Christmas Eve. Do you even know what Advent IS? For many people it’s the start of a...

20
Nov
2023

REALLY RANDOM

Lately, I keep evaluating songs I’m listening to on whether I’d like to have them played at my funeral or not. Would they send the appropriate message to my grieving friends and family? Are they “pretty” or “mellow” or “thoughtful” enough? Appropriate: Make it Good by Ruut Inappropriate: Gone Baby Gone by Boz Scaggs Appropriate: When You Come Back Down by Nickel Creek Inappropriate: There She Goes by The La’s Appropriate: As I Lay Me Down by Sophie B. Hawkins Inappropriate: Fortunately Gone by The Breeders This morning, I woke up with a disturbing dream still very fresh in my...

06
Nov
2023

BUILDING CLUES

I spent the past couple of days working on another crossword after I got the idea for a really good theme. And then halfway through working on it, I thought of an even better theme-related connection and was able to adapt it. I worked really hard on it, and am really proud of it. Even though I messed up by once again not checking for duplicates until it was too late, I was able to make them work within the theme anyway, so it worked out. I was even able to add an alternate solution to one of the clues,...