Colorful signs

The Swedish speed limit signs are so colorful! I have never thought about that. And much easier to spot than the American, rectangular, black and white ones.

"Den blomstertid nu kommer"

Today I got to attend the "end of the school year"-day at my old elementary school... Oh, the memories. Since the weather was absolutely glorious it was traditionally held on the school yard, which was full of happy children, dressed up to the occasion.

Lot's of singing, AND at the end - the best summer song in the world - "Den blomstertid nu kommer" (unfortunately in a faster tempo since the school band was playing along, but still...).

It was a fantastic morning and it sure is a great way to end the school year with this type of ceremony. Afterwards I took a slow walk around my old neighborhood, ending the morning with Swedish strawberry cake at my friend's house (whose kids attend my old school), just a few houses down from my childhood house.

A morning full of memories....

Lot's of phone numbers...

I read today that the number of Swedes using VoIP phones are increasing.

I'm already ahead!

If you want to get hold of me, you can use one of seven phone numbers. I have a US cell phone. A Swedish cell phone. Our regular home phone. Our Swedish VoiP* number. Our American VoiP number. My home office number (another Swedish VoIP number). And our Swedish Skype-In number.

The days when a phone call to the US was half a fortune is long gone. When I want to talk to the Husband who remains in the US this summer, I just place a call to a local 08-phone number (the area code for Stockholm) for almost nothing and the phone is ringing in our house in the US. The quality of the sound the last couple of years have increased a lot - these days we hardly ever have any problems.

The only thing left is to teach our Swedish friends and family about the 9 hour time difference...


(*VoIP = voice over IP, voice phone calls using the Internet protocols)

28 minutes apart

Celebrating Sweden

June 6 is Sweden's National Day. And since a couple of years it's also a "red" day in the calender, meaning most people were off. But it's kind of hard to know exactly what you're supposed to do. It's not really a tradition to celebrate...

We did our best out here in the archipelago. It's been a fantastic day! Blue skies, warm sun, and just glorious! We raised the flag on our flag pole, but we hardly saw it since there was no wind today. But now and then a little wind came by and I got one quick picture.

And at 9 pm sharp, we took it down. That's the rule. No flags on the flagpoles over night in Sweden. Even flags have to go to sleep.

"Sjung om studentens lyckliga dar!"

For days the city has been full of graduating high school students. The tradition in Sweden is that the graduates are picked up at the school yard in some sort of a vehicle and driven around town and then to their reception.

This year's trend must have been "trucks". When I spent some time in Gamla Stan today dozens of these graduate-filled trucked passed by, load music playing, happy students waving. My own graduation (ages ago) felt both distant and near...

In the afternoon I took of for a student reception myself, and even in the suburbs, several trucks with students passed by on otherwise quiet streets.

The weather was absolutely glorious! The perfect day to graduate!

A place for aliens

A new amusement park is to open in New Mexico, US. An alien amusement park, Alien Apex Resort. According to the news, if you go there you will be abducted by aliens. But returned safely.

Maybe someone has finally invented the beam machine for real? I wonder if they could abduct you and then beam you to Sweden back and forth a little faster than an Airbus or a Boeing?

After all it's 2007. 6 years passed 2001 and it sure is time for a little Space Odyssey. At least between Sweden and the US.

Kontraster

Många intryck idag. Tidig svensk sommar morgon. Solen har varit uppe i flera timmar. Jag tar båten över till fastlandet. Fåglarna sjunger så där sommarvackert så det nästan gör ont. Vattnet speglar sig. Trots att jag är van vid mycket varmare sommar temperaturer är det svalt och behagligt. När jag är över på andra sidan drar jag av mig Helly Hansen stället och pular ner det i ryggsäcken och börjar promenera mot bussen. Det luktar sommar och .... grönt. Intensivt grönt. Fuktigt grönt. Underbart grönt.

Några timmar senare. Jag har tillbringat några timmar i Gamla Stan och har anledning att förflytta mig till Kungsholmen. Det är varmt i stan. Gatstenarna är varma. Det är fullt av sommarljud. Stadslukter. Lukten av Stockholm, salt vatten som möter sötvatten, dammiga trottoarer, mat från uteserveringar där lyckliga Stockholmare vänder bleka näsor mot solen. Jag tar fram system kameran för att fotografera. Jag är inte ensam - hela Gamla Stan är full med turister. Jag känner mig nästan som en själv. Fast vi är intresserade av olika saker, jag och de tyska turisterna. De tittar på statyer. Jag står och tittar en lång stund på GB-gubben. Men jag får ingen bild för det sitter en mamma med en barnvagn framför och äter glass och hon vägrar ovetandes och envist att lämna sin plats.

Jag tar 3:ans buss mot Kungsholmen. Samma sträcka jag åkt så många gånger till och från min lilla lya på Kungsholmen. Men nu är jag inte på väg från jobbet. Jag har inte näsan i en bok eller halvslumrar efter en lång dag på jobbet. Jag har blicken ut genom fönstret och stirrar inte trött ut genom fönstret utan har lyft blicken och tittar. Upptäcker nya hus som jag inser alltid har funnits där. Glömmer nästan att kliva av för jag är så upptagen av iaktta.

När solen börjar sjunka ner är jag tillbaka ute i skärgården. Vattnet är återigen spegelblankt och temperaturen har sjunkit trots att solen skiner. Jag drar på mig vindjackan innan jag kliver i båten. Det är ingen varm sommar kväll. Men det är en svensk sommarkväll, full av ljus och dofter. Och det är långt till Calfornien.

(I just felt like writing in Swedish today)

Old news in the sun

The summer house where I'm staying have broadband (and actually wi-fi). Thankfully. Imagine five weeks without internet...

And since old habits are hard to break, and the news paper is delivered to the post box on the mainland and someone needs to take the boat to get it, I've done my quick "news-check" online, long before I read the paper newspaper.

And even though I really enjoy reading a Swedish newspaper, holding the actual paper, reading ads and news stories that never made the online editions, it sort of feels like I'm reading old news... News that has been printed hours before. All the things that could have happened since it ended up in the post box...

But then, who cares. I can sit in the sun and read Swedish news (not having to try to read them on the screen), old or new, for four more weeks.

A Swedish summer dinner...

Today we ate Swedish mini-pancakes, plättar, AND fresh "strömming" that my daughter go to fish earlier in the day.

Now is this Swedish summer or what!?

Almost, almost worth seven days of jetlag...

I wonder if you can get a "plätt-lagg" in the US... not really something I would want to carry in a suitcase... but it sure is yummy with plättar!

Observations from Sweden #3

I move around Stockholm using public transportation when I'm here. It's kind of fun, since I don't do it all the time like before when I lived here. Almost like a little adventure. It's pretty amazing how close to your final destination you can actually get using public transportation in Stockholm.

But why is it that people get up, ready to get off long before the bus or subway has stopped. Are people that nervous that they won't get off in time? That the doors won't open and they have to ride to the next station?

All day today people have pushed me around, preparing to get off the bus, long before we're close to a bus stop... I'm always in the way, feeling like... an alien...

Maybe next summer... ?

I'm shocked! It's 20 years ago! Twenty! My gosh. I'm getting old...

1987, the movie Dirty Dancing, premiered. I think I went to the movies to see it three times... Today I read that you can actually go to the "Kellerman's Resort" - it exists in real life, in North Carolina - called the Lake Lure Inn & Spa. You can stay in "Johnny's cabin" or "Baby's bungalow".

Maybe this will be our summer trip next year. At least the kids wouldn't be jet lagged. But I seriously doubt I would get the Husband to stay in the "Swayze Suite".

The brand Sweden

I read today that the brand Sweden is worth 464 billion dollars. On a list of 40 countries, Sweden is number 8. The brand "USA" is number one on the list and worth a bit more. 19 725 billion dollars. I really wonder how they calculate these numbers.

Sweden is "the USA of Scandinavia". What ever that means? I just wish Sweden would be closer to the US. At least in time difference. An hour or so is enough.

Jet lag living

Ok. Traveling alone alone with two kids across the world is nothing. Peanuts!

It ends after only 20something hours. Then it's over.

The jet lag however lasts forever... I'm on my fifth nigh with insomniac kids and no ease in sight. It doesn't matter that I'm a jet lag expert. My knowledge doesn't apply to kids. I've heard rumors that there are kids that are not jet lagged. Mine are not among them.

I can confirm that the sun rises at 3.49 am in Stockholm now.

I'm usually fully awake then.

Observations from Sweden #2

The Daughter is born in California and this is her third trip to Sweden (the second that she can remember). She is very excited, especially to get to play with her grandparents whom she usually only speak to on the phone.

She has made some interesting observations, being a mini-alien.

• "Grandmom, did you hear, the girl could speak Swedish", after going through check out at the grocery store.
• "Who is that talking all the time?", not used to have the radio turned on with people talking.
• "I want to watch TV later", not really understanding that the kid's program, is on at 5.30 pm and when it's over it's over, there is no non-stop PBS Sprout.
• "It's tricky to walk here", stumbling around in the un-even nature, full of tree roots and wooden sticks.

Swedish strawberries

The kids are completely jet lagged. Completely. The nine hour time difference between California and Sweden is hard to handle when you're a kid.

Good thing the mom can have small, sweet, Swedish strawberries to cheer herself up after yet another night with two insomniacs. It makes it all worth it.

And I made it in time!

I wish I could add smell to this post...

The reward...

I made it.

This was my reward. Clear, blue, summer sky. Sun. +22C. A perfect, glorious, wonderful, fantastic Swedish summer day.

The boat is on it's way to pick us up. We're staying in one of the houses on the island on the other side of the water for five weeks. Now I'm going to recover and not think about airplanes until July 1.

864 hours vs 41

I'm going to spend 864 hours in Sweden. In that perspective, the 41 hours total I will spend traveling there and back is peanuts. Don't you think? Should be easy. Quick. No problem.

At least I will have 864 hours to recover before the return...

I'm on my way to Stockholm!

Photo: Olof Holdar - Stockholm Visitors Board

How can they fly an airplane?

Sometimes, when fighting, whining, almost screaming on the phone with airlines or at the check-in counters at airports trying to get seats next to my kids when we have been seated apart, I wonder to myself: how can they managed to fly complicated aircrafts, navigate through the air with advanced systems, and not be able to assign seats to passengers in a efficient way?

Sometimes this makes me a bit scared.

I mean, how hard can it be. The service they sell to passengers are seats. Passengers traveling together want to sit next to each other. We've given up getting food or any other kind of services. But a pre-assigned seat next to our kids would be... nice (especially if you have to pay full price and an over price just because the airlines want to make a lot of money off you since it's summer and they know you want to travel).

What kind of old, weird, outdated seat assignment software do they have? And do they have the same, old, weird, outdated software for the rest of their aircraft management??

And, when reading Ing's comment on my post below, I really start to wonder - WHAT would have happened had she NOT fought and screamed to get seats next to her kids? What if she had just given up? What kid of safety is that to have minors sitting by themselves? Or are you as a passenger traveling on your own responsible to take care of other passenger's kids if they happened to be seated next to you?

Maybe next time they think the kids should be seated on their own somewhere, I should just be cool, put my kids in their seats and then call for the the flight attendants, "ok, now their your responsibility, please make sure they don't eat peanuts". Just to see what happens.

***********************

This was Ing's comment:

JaCal, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that SAS keeps flying across the Atlantic.

Also, excuse my foul language, but this whole thing with not having guaranteed seats next to your kids is absolutely f-ing ridiculous!! Almost two years ago, I traveled alone to Sweden with my kids, the youngest one was 8 months, the other two were 2 and 4 years. When I booked the tickets I made sure that we had seats next to each other and I made sure that I had it in writing - it was on the itinerary.

First flight, to Chicago, was fine. But in Chicago they told me that we don't have seats next to each other. "Yes we do," I said and showed them the magic paper. "No, you don't," they persisted. "Your seats have been changed."

Then followed half an hour of discussing, pleading, begging and finally, more or less yelling. In the end I simply said something to the effect that, well, you know what, then you're going to have to take responsibility for my two older ones. If I have to sit two aisles down from them with a baby in my lap, I sure can't do it. I can't keep them entertained, I can't stop them from kicking the seats in front of them, I can't help them balance their food trays, and I can't make them stop fighting, whining, or crying or doing any of the million little things kids on a long flights tend to do. So either the flight crew are going to have to do all that, or you put me in a seat next to them.

In the end I got the seats, but if you're not guaranteed to sit next to your small children, how on earth are you supposed to be able to fly alone with them??? And are there not safety issues - who will help them with gas masks if we need them? Or putting on life jackets? Or simply keep them from running around in the aisles, making everyone's life a misery?

***********************

Waiting for Harry Potter

I admit it. I'm a Harry Potter fan, despite being long since past the target reader group age... (and yes, I was there, outside Borders at midnight two years ago when book #6 was released... me and all the pre-teens... just for the fun of it). I just love Rowling's fantasy and the whole story about a second wizard world. I read my first Harry Potter in the summer of 2000, my first summer here. I had seen it in the book store and just wondered what all the fuzz was about and decided to find out and I was hooked.

I just read that they have decided the Swedish title of the new Harry Potter book, coming this summer. I've only read Harry Potter in English. But sometimes I'm curious to see how all of Rowling's fantastic words would be translated to the, sometimes pretty narrow Swedish language... The title "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" has been translate to "Harry Potter och dödsrelikerna". I don't know, but I think some of the magic will have to get lost in the translation.

I haven't decided if I will wait outside Borders on July 21 this year, or let FedEx deliver my book (like I did with book #5). I'm going to be busy that weekend however...

And I'm not alone...

When I travel this upcoming weekend, I will not be alone. 5 million Californians (that's more than half of Sweden's population!) will hit the road. It's Memorial Weekend, one of few "long" weekends in this country. Most of them will go by car. But many by air. So I won't be alone...

They're already warning of long lines through security. Great... I wonder if you have to remove the shoes of a 10 month old??

Oh, well. SAS has now confirmed that I'm seated next to my kids. Very nice of them (although for +$4000 you would think that seats next to each other would be included in the price and not after fighting, calling, whining and working hard...).

Now we need to see if there are any SAS flights on Saturday. The SAS strike is getting closer and will start on Friday if negotiations are not effective. That means no Swedish domestic SAS flights, hardly no European SAS flights. They claim that the US and other international flights won't be effected...

I have to focus on the smell of lilacs to get me through the weekend...

A million gadgets...

I thought it was the Husband who was the gadget freak in the family. But when done packing my hand luggage I realize I'm not far behind...

Besides all the stuff you need to move two kids across the world, my bags contain; a laptop, an extra battery for the laptop, a compact camera, a SLR camera, , a SLR flash, an iPaq, an iPod with the headset, a USB stick memory, and two cell phones. (and these things comes with two sets of cords each - the charger and the connector (but they have to ride in the suitcases, thank you very much)). And this does not include the daughter's V.Smile and music/story player.

Soon I have to get an extra seat for all the stuff... or at least a seat for another grown-up who can carry half of it.

(As of today, Wednesday, I have two confirmed seats together for the kids on the SAS flight Chicago-Stockholm, however SAS can't reserve my seat next to the kids, even though it's unoccupied according to their systems (??), but they have requested that SAS in Chicago (??) should do that on Saturday... maybe I should hope for a separate seat and someone else can entertain my kids on the 9 hour flight?).

Swedes going to the US

According news in Sweden, it's really "hot" spend you're vacation in the US this summer. 16,8% more Swedes will go to the US this year compared to last year. One reason being the low dollar exchange rate (I wonder what my ticket would have cost had I flown the other way...). One other reason is said to maybe be the increased number of flights to the US from Sweden.

I wonder if there will ever be a direct flight from Stockholm to San Francisco again. I don't care about the tourists, I just want a good "bus" line!

Now the article doesn't say in numbers how many Swedes travel to the US (and since there's only 9 million of us, it can't be enormous amount of Swedish tourists we're talking about) , but if you feel like you're city has been invaded by people speaking like the Swedish Chef in the Muppet Show, it's only visiting Swedish aliens...

4th of July with Barbara...

One of my favorite voices is Barbara Streisand. Oh, how I wished I could sing like that...

I've always wanted to hear her live. She hardly does concerts (and if she does you have to pay half a fortune for the tickets).

Of course she is in Stockholm this summer. Of course three days after I leave. With my non-anything tickets and kids that will long for their dad so bad by then after five weeks in Sweden.

But wouldn't that have been a fun 4th of July. Listening to Barbara in Globen in Stockholm. I wonder if she would sing the national anthem...

One week to go...

The minor crisis has started... my C-drive on my computer is suddenly almost full. This has never happened before. But of course it's going to happen now, with less than a week until I'm leaving.

The SAS staff is going on strike on Friday, but claiming it won't affect the US flights. We'll see about that... My travel agency keep ignoring my e-mails on my seating problems (of course we're not seated together...).

And today is Monday. Anything can happen...

At least my bags are already packed.

A long way from Donkey Kong

I got a Donkey Kong game when I was in middle school. I was so cool! (probably the only cool thing I had) I still have it. In it's original box.

Today we decided to give the 3,5 year old a V smile pocket (after all it is 4,5+9 hours of flying o Sweden, and a five our stop over on in Chicago on our way back... and mom is getting nervous about entertainment).

Things have progressed a bit since the Donkey Kong time...

Rumor has it that we will be able to find Swedish preschool games for the V smile in Sweden, thus an additional reason for the purchase. You have to take all chances to push Swedish these days.

A Swedish chatt night

While the Husband took off for a weekend in Lake Tahoe with some friends, I had a Swedish friend as a house guest (married to one of the friends also in Lake Tahoe).

Gosh, it's so nice sometimes to spend an evening chatting in your own language, letting down your guard. Just talking without thinking (the Husbands might still think it was mostly mumbo jumbo, but then who cares about them). To just "float" around in Swedish.

Even though we must admit, we blend English words into the conversation a lot... since both our daily activities takes place in an English speaking world, and sometimes it's just faster to use the English word than finding the Swedish word.

A great Saturday evening!

Long distances

My grandmother passed away last fall. She had just celebrated her 80th birthday, a very happy day. She had been surrounded by her four daughters, grandchildren, brother, and other family members.

I wasn't there.

I had just had my son, and traveling was decided against.

Two weeks later her heart decided it was time to stop beating. Nothing would have changed had I been closer to where she lived, but it was painful to be so far away.

I traveled across the world with my infant son, to the village in the northern part of Sweden where she was born, to attend the funeral and say good bye.

Today was the interment. And once again, I was far away, only participating through phone calls and seeing the pictures afterwards. I know she knows I was "there". But still.

Sometimes it's hard being an alien.

Packing bags...

It is more than a week until I'll get on that long trip to Sweden. But I know exactly what's going to happen next week - there will be at least on major crisis at work, at least one kid will get sick, some government institution needs some paper work right away, the car will break down, and so on.

After my last horrible flight, then with only one kid, this time with two, I know that the trick for success is "pre-sleeping". So that's what I plan to do next week. Sleep. Not pack bags.

Packing bags for five weeks in Sweden in June, staying in the summer house on an island in the the archipelago, is not easy. Besides hanging out in the island, I'm going to work downtown and having meetings in the office a couple of days a week , we're going to visit friends all over the city, we'll go to Gröna Lund, check out the moose at Skansen and take the bus to other places.

So I need proper clothes for work, and really casual things for the island living, and semi-casual for visits.

The weather might be +11C or +30C. It might be cold and windy or just plain warm and sunny. It might rain and be freezing (for someone that come from California) in the morning and be sunshine in the afternoon.

You need shorts, rain boots, swimsuits and a warm jacket.

So far I've packed 3 suitcases. And I'm still planning on doing washes every week.

It sure is easier to pack for five weeks in California in June. It will be sun, warm, sun and hot.

No, nothing in the morning papers

Mr Reinfeldt's visit to California left no marks in the Californian news media. At least the ones I've been covering.

Not even the Governor's own website mentions him. A search for "Reinfeldt" gives 0 hits.

Oh, well. According to the Swedish newspapers the Governor has been invited to Sweden to stay at the Icehotel by the Swedish Prime Minister... Too bad we had the delta breeze yesterday and it was pretty nice around here, he should have offered the Governor the invitation on a 110F day...

Picture proof... Reinfeldt was here!

If this picture in one of the major Swedish newspapers is not made in PhotoShop it seems that Mr Reinfeldt really was here today. It's the first picture I have seen.

(I thought Mr Reinfeldt was tall. But it seems he is the same height as The Governor. Or is Arnold standing on a foot stool?)

And look! They have found a Swedish flag! Maybe they borrowed it from IKEA in West Sac?

A Swedish - Californian meeting...?

According to Swedish news, the Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt actually met Governor Schwarzenegger today. According to Californian media, so far, they haven't mentioned Mr Reinfeldt even once. None of the evening news mentioned this important visit.

The major news around here is the two whales who took the wrong turn somewhere around the Golden Gate Bridge and ended up in the delta outside of Sacramento, the capitol of California and where the Governor works.

The whales' visit was a bigger news story than a Swedish Prime Minister. Hundreds of people gathered to see the whales. So far I haven't even seen a picture of Mr Reinfeldt and Mr Schwarzenegger together...

Non offense taken. After all Sweden is tiny. Not in terms of size (it's actually has pretty much the same area as California and the same shape), but in terms in population. And influence (even though I think that Swedes would like to think (hope?) we have a significant effect on the surrounding world...). And it's far away (I wonder if Mr Reinfeldt has to take the SAS flight SK945 from Chicago back to Stockholm... sitting waiting at gate 15... or if he has his own plane??).

But there are pretty many Swedish aliens in California and it would have been fun for us if the Prime Minister's visit would have been more visible. Not even the Swedish consulates in Los Angeles or San Francisco mentions his visit on their web pages (... but the SF consulate mentions that the Collegium Cantorum Chamber Choir is on tour in the San Francisco Bay Area right now....).

Oh, well, maybe the morning paper will mention it...

A Prime Minster and a Governor

Today, according to Swedish newspapers, the Swedish Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, will visit the capitol of California, Sacramento, and say hello to the Californian governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger (whose name I still, despite a couple of years as a governor and as an actor before that, have to check the spelling of...).

I haven't seen anything about this meeting on the news here. Or in the papers. Or on the Governor's website. And actually the press release on the Swedish government's website doesn't mention the visit either (it was some sort of a last minute visit). According to that the Prime Minister is in Colorado today.

But since the newspaper usually have it right (I hope) I guess this meeting will take place today. Sweden meets California. Officially.

I wonder if I should take a trip to the Capitol with a Swedish flag? One single person celebrating this big meeting... ?

(the pictures above are the "official" pictures - don't you think that the Governor picture look a tiny bit more... hm... "governing-like").

(Picture of Fredrik Reinfelt by Pawel Flato)

Mumbo jumbo...

Or something like it. That was what came out of my mouth at my meeting with my CPA* today. She is really nice and great at explaining complicated tax rules and retirement plans and in plain English. But when English is your second language it still gets hard... My tounge felt huge and my brain was over heating when finding the words for "pensionsavsättningar" (retirement payments?) and "fyllnadsinbetalningar" (estimated taxes?).

Today was one of those days I wanted to hit ctrl+alt+del on myself and just start over. Gosh, I sounded like an... alien... You should see my notes, they're a complete mishmash of Swedish and English that I'm not sure even I can understand...

And we didn't even get to talk about spools of threads.

A new word in English... #4

My daughter is bilingual. Swedish is still her dominant language, but English is coming strong. She loves to do English speaking "sessions" with me, practicing sort of. "Let's speak English for a while, mom" she says (we always speak Swedish with her).

She loves to take her little brother's baby books with lots of pictures , point and say the word in English, very proud when she knows them. If she doesn't know or can't remember, she'll look at me, expectingly. And I've started to realize that her little brain will be a much better storage place for new, specific English words than mine....

Today she didn't know the English word for "trådrulle". It was there, in the book, in the color red. She looked at me and I was lost. I didn't know the word either. And to tell your daughter to "wait, mom just have to get the dictionary or go online" is too slow for a 3,5 year old. I suggested we should turn the page and check out some other words...

Now I know.

Trådrulle = cotton reel or reel of cotton, according to my dictionary.

New postal rates... I think.

Tomorrow the postal rates will change in the US. I have missed this completely. I just happened to stumble on the news when checking cnn.com, my way to find out if something has happened in this country after a day without radio or TV or friends stopping by.

Now I've spent more than 10 minutes on the United States Postal Services website to figure out if and how this effects the few letters I'm sending out into the world. And I still have no clue. If it takes more than 10 minutes it's TOO COMPLICATED.

I normally really like the USPS (or actually our local post office, the clerks are so cute and so seriously into this postal thing). But maybe it's just Sunday...

It seems to have something about the size of the letter/package you're sending. And then I will get problems. I just absolutely can not get this inch thing. Oh, well. Good thing they have these very educational pictures to guide you through how to calculate the postage.

In Sweden the postal rate is the same, no matter the size. The only thing they care about is the destination and the weight. That's why all my square shaped invitations to a birthday party two years ago was returned to sender. I had no idea you needed different stamps for a letter-sized and a square-sized envelope...

Too much ice?

I've written about ice before, about the Americans love for ice. And I normally don't mind ice, even though I sure could live with out it.

It's kind of nice to order a cold Italian Raspberry Soda at Border's Cafe after a walk in the +30C heat (my limit is +33C, if the temperature is above that, then I stay in the cool AC air...).

But sometimes you quietly wonder... is there something as too much ice...?

I always order a large. But I'm almost done after 4-5 sips (with the mandatory straw...). It seems a large Italian Raspberry Soda is probably 10% soda and 90% ice.

Next time I'll ask for one without ice. I wonder if I have to pay more...

2 x Mother's Day

By definition I can now be celebrated on Mother's Day. I am a mother. And as I'm an alien mother I can be celebrated twice. Today, on the American Mother's Day and on the Swedish Mother's Day in two weeks. Actually the day I will arrive to Sweden.

Not that I really know what you are suppoused to do on Mother's Day. None in the family hasn't gotten really used to it yet (including me, who sometimes still have to remind myself that I am a fact a mother to someone).

But I got a self made card this morning with my 3-year old's cute letters, stating "Min bästa mamma" ("my best mom"). And the Husband made scones for breakfast. Very, very nice!

Crisp bread and berries?

Today when I picked up some more crisp bread at Safeway, they had changed the design of the box.

Check it out below - that are berries on the light rye!

Now here is something an experienced crisp bread eater like me have never, ever thought about. Eggs, yes. Cold potatoes, yes. Cheese, well of course! But berries on your crisp bread?

Now I'm really curious... I have to try this. Feels a bit... hm... weird with berries - but it sure looks kind of yummy on the picture.

I wonder if they have the same picture of the light rye box in Sweden? I have to check that out in two weeks.

My evaluation of online web albums...

Ok, now I've tested to share pictures using Google's Picasa and Yahoo's Flickr. I really would like to have a web album feature to share more pictures (than to have to upload pictures to Blogger which is slow if you share more than a few pictures).

And the winner is... ?

Well, it really depends on how you want to share pictures and what you want to do with your albums.

Flickr has a lot of features and things you can do (like add tags, make sets, make multi captions). Flickr is it's own community, a real, huge photo community and very advanced. It really is The Photo place.

Picasa is simpler, not as many features and you have to add captions picture by picture. If you use Blogger, you only have to log in once with your Google account and it's all there. Picasa will also organize the pictures you've already added to your blog (if you use Blogger).

To create a web album for the first time with a few pictures, add captions, change the order, and publish them on the blog (like my Californian Road-trip album or my Lake Tahoe in Winter-album) took with Picasa just a few minutes. Easy, simple, never had to wonder how to do it. With Flickr I had to work harder, check the help section a few times, had to update the html-code a couple of times until I got it the way I wanted. It took maybe 20 minutes.

I'll have to think about which one I'll continue to use. I'm leaning towards Picasa... Or maybe both, but for different purposes...

Trying out Flickr...

Ok, yesterday I tried out Picasa, sharing some Californian pictures. Today I decided to try out Flickr, and keep sharing some Californian pictures, today from Lake Tahoe. They're taken pre-SLR camera, from a gondola and a plane, but they give you a little idea what is is like to go to the top of the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe in winter.

And I've learned to use Flickr. Sort of... hm.

www.flickr.com

Trying out Picasa...

I decided I should learn how Google's web album Picasa works and how you can use it when blogging. It actually wasn't too hard, and you can upload five pictures at once and writing captions wasn't too time consuming either. I had hoped you would see all the pictures here in this post, but Blogger just links the to the actual Picasa album... You have to click on it to get to the pictures in the album.

Oh, well, now I know how it works and you will see some California pictures!

A California Roadtrip

Got to win the lottery...

You would think that $4000+ would get you something when it comes to flying. But I'm still going to be in the very back of the plane with limited leg room and non-reclinging seats when I fly to Sweden with the kids in two weeks.

Maybe I should have left the kids at home and bought a ticket with BAs new Club World... Not only would I be able to lie down, I would have my own 10 inch digital screen, and an in-seat power socket.

And I would get a pair of slippers.

But then, how lonely I would be without the company of the kids...

A jingle that brings back memories...

This jingle* sure brings back memories... sitting in one of the old, beautiful movie theaters in downtown Stockholm (where you get your seating when buying the ticket, no free seating in a Swedish movie salon!). Actually, until just a few years, there were hardly any movie theaters outside the downtown area - unlike here - where the cinema complexes are where people live, usually where there is a shopping mall...

You had been there long before the movie started. Not to get a good seat (you already had your assigned seat printed on your ticket), but to watch the commercials... (since until the late 80s/early 90s there were no TV channels with commercials in Sweden).

I never thought I say that, but I can actually miss the movie commercials here - where they mostly have silly, extremely boring, still picture slide shows from local venues with really bad background music before the movie starts... And sometimes you have to sit through it, not by choice, but in order to secure a good seat, since there are no preassigned seats, only "free seating".

I haven't been to the movies in several years in Sweden, so I don't know if they still show commercials before the movie... But I think that SF, Svensk Filmindustri, still has the same jingle for their movies...

(* This is the "sound" of the Svensk Filmindsutri, is Sweden's the major company for film producation and the distribution of cinema in Sweden... this sound can be heard before the movie starts...)

My favorite podcast right now

If you see a blond, tall woman, walking irrationally and giggling in a store or on a sidewalk somewhere in Northern California, that is probably me. You might not see the white iPod headset under my long hair, but it's there and my head is filled with the silly thoughts from the "Spanarna".

Spanarna is a weekly Swedish radio show, going on 20 years, and it's talk radio when it's as funny as it can get. Not political and serious like most talk radio over here. Just interesting and funny.

Right now it's my favorite podcast on my iPod (all those years without Swedish radio!) and I take every chance to turn it on when outside the house and I'm on my own and don't have to behave as a responsible mother. Though I'm getting worried about my reputation... maybe I should limit listening to Spanarna when behind the typical American high wooden fences surrounding our house... or people might think I'm an.... hm... alien?

(Picture of the "spanare" from www.sr.se)

Visual DNA

Annika had an interesting thing on her blog today, I just had to test it myself! Don't now how accurate the analysis is, but, I loved the photos you had to choose from!

So this is my visual DNA....

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Taking a cruise to Stockholm?

Imagine how cool it would be to return home to Stockholm by ship! For once not having to arrive at Arlanda's terminal F, wait forever for your bags, and then fight with the "non-serious" taxidrivers to catch a "real" taxi to downtown Stockholm (since you always have way too many bags to even consider taking the very quick train). Not having to spend 45 minutes (or more depending on traffic) on the highway before arriving downtown, but to actually arrive in the middle of the action!

Almost like a "reverse emigrant" (even though few "emigrant ships" to America left from downtown Stockholm...).

I wonder what kind of cruise ticket you'll get for $4327...

Anyway... according to a Swedish news article today about this summer's "invasion of cruise ships" , the little ship "The Navigator of the Seas" will stop by in Stockholm this summer (as will 259 other cruise ships, bringing an estimated 290 000 passengers).

And I will arrive at Arlanda, terminal F...

(Picture of the Navigator of the Seas from www.voyager-class.com)

Jury duty!

I got a jury summons today. Flashes from movies came flying by... and mystery books... What would it be like to actually be a jury member in real life? What trial would I end up in? Murder? Or parking violations?

Well, I will never find out, since I'm not an American citizen, I'm instantly disqualified.

I'm not too sad.

There will still be movies and books about jury duty. And I would have had to report to the court in early June. Which is when I've paid half a fortune to fly to Sweden. I would not have been happy to have to cancel that (and still pay half a fortune since the tickets are non-anything)...

I just read a wonderful book.

I found it Friday night. And I just finished it. And I just had to write about it here.

I saw the book in the corner of my eye, when quickly passing by the bookshelves at Target of all places (I was there for Lego not books...). The title was "Astrid and Veronika". Now here is a title that sure sounded Swedish somehow. The author's name is Linda Olsson, and sure enough, she is Swedish (but now an alien in New Zealand). I put the book on top of the Lego boxes, drove home, and started reading that night.

The book is about the friendship that grows between Veronika, a young Swedish writer, arriving to Sweden from New Zealand who never had had a real home, and her elderly, reclusive neighbor Astrid who never have left the village. They start to share their stories and secrets... It's a about life, love, decisions, loss and friendship.

It's a wonderful and strange feeling to read a book so Swedish, but written in English (it was translated to Swedish when published in Sweden as "Nu vill jag sjunga dig milda sånger"). Linda Olsson writes in the "Conversation with the author" in the back of the Penguin paperback that "the reviews in New Zealand often mentioned that my language sounded 'Scandinavian' " and that she perhaps "write in Swedish even when I write in English".

I had never heard about it, but it was very well received in Sweden last fall and it was released in the US in February.

Linda Olsson was a "sommarpratare" 2006 - talking about chronically longing for "home" and living abroad, far from family and friends and have your heart on lot's of different places. Download the podcast to your player and take a walk and listen, or pour some coffee , lean back and listen by your computer. I just love her voice, stories and she talks about things so familiar... If you're a Swedish alien - you just have to listen!

I hope you enjoy the book and the radio program as much as I did!

Walk fast in Stockholm!

According to a new study, you have to walk pretty fast in Stockholm to fit in. People in Stockholm come in at 17th place when the walking speed was measured. New Yorkers are faster (8th place), but the people in Singapore are the fastest!

In my Californian city the would probably not be able to measure the walking speed. Not to many people walking around here.

$4327

That's the amount of money it takes to take me, an infant and a child with me from California to Stockholm at the end of May (return in July is included...) (but the tickets are non-refundable, non-changeable, non-anything and we should say thank you if they actually include a little food in the price).

On top of the hole in my wallet, United has decided to cancel the 3 pm flight we usually connect to in Chicago during the summer months (they only charge twice as much more for flying but have less connections... great strategy... for the airline).

So I'm now looking forward (not) to a 5 hour stop over at O'Hare on our return. This is after our 9 hour flight from Stockholm. Probably arriving at our house at 9 pm PT, which will be something like exactly 24 hours after we began.

Ok.

Need to work on that plan to move Sweden closer to California.

And foucs on the "syréner".

SF or LA?

Ok... hm... should we take the left lanes and go to San Francisco or the right lane and go to Los Angeles. These hard questions...

TGF! Time for "mys"!

I know it was just a few days since last "Sveriges Näringsliv", but it IS Friday and it IS time for "mys"!

(Thanks "Farmom" for the tip!)

"Cooler" weather

We're having a couple of days with "cooler" weather right now. The "" because it really depends on what you compare with... +22C would probably be considered as pretty nice back in Stockholm. Here I made sure the kids had socks and long sleeves today (I almost brought out the hats, but decided that they would survive the cold without them).

In July, when the heat is really bad here, I will be cold when the temperature in the house is below +27C. I will bring a sweater when I'm shopping (especially if I have to pass by the dairy section... brr).

But you do sort of get used to the heat.

I remember my first summer here. I went to the mall one day. +41C outside. I was sitting in my air condtitioned car, looking astonished at people walking from the car to the mall as things were absolutely normal. I wasn't sure I dared open the car door. +41C. It's like a cooler sauna!! Without the cold lake to jump in (naked of course)!!

I can't say that I jump around with joy during those crazy 100F-weeks, but they're part of everyday life now.

It's just a bit "different". I don't have to heat up the car before getting in. I have to cool it down.

What people are wearing in Stockholm...

This is no fashion blog (heck, I have written about crocs!). I'm no frequent visitor on fashion blogs. But when I read the major Swedish newspaper online today, and saw that even they had a feature on what people are wearing in downtown Stockholm, I realized that maybe I have to keep better track of these blogs.

In three weeks I'm going to be there, and WHAT if I meet someone from StockholmStreetStyle when downtown?? Completely out of tune on what you should be wearing in Stockholm...

JaCal: Wearing crocs, capri jeans and a white Gap top... (with added sweet potato stains)??

Oh, my.

A walk to WorldMarket

World Market is a store that is a little heaven for aliens. They have all sorts of stuff - kitchen utensils, home decoration stuff, toys, a large selection of wine and beer from around the world - as well as food and candy!

I'm lucky to have a World Market within walking distance. So when I'm in need I can take a quick walk up there to get...

Swedish Fish (even though $6.99 is a rip off!)

Knäckebröd (even though the actually have this at Safeway...)

My favorite "cookie" HobNobs (actually originally British)

And when I'm too lazy to drive to IKEA - my second chocolate favorite
- the Dutch Droste chocolate!

Happy birthday!

Sweden is a monarchy. Meaning we have a king. Carl XVI Gustaf. The Kingdom of Sweden. Doesn't that sound like something!

Actually I think the formal term is "constitutional monarchy". The King has no real power any longer. But he (and his kids: Crown princess Victoria, Princess Madeleine and Prince Carl Philip and his wife, Queen Silvia) feeds the Swedish tabloids with content.

I think he is kind of cute and has become a pretty good king with age. Not easy being king these days - what kind of job is that really (part from the tabloid-content-feeding aspect). Not really a job I would like to have.

Anyway, today, on Valborgsmässoafton/Walpurgis Night, April 30, is his birthday (he turned 61). He always celebrate it in the castle in downtown Stockholm (where he doesn't live any longer), waving to the people, and so he did today.

Happy Birthday Kungen!

Walpurgis Night

Tomorrow, April 30, is Walpurgis Night in Sweden. Or as most Swedes know it, Valborgsmässoafton (I didn't even know there was a specific translation until I moved here).

It's a day (or actually an evening, because most action takes place at night) of celebrating the arrival of spring. And the Swedish King who happens to have his birthday tomorrow. And students will put on their white "student caps" and party like crazy for days in university cities like Uppsala and Lund.

The main event (for non-students) is the lightning of huge bonfires and the singing of spring songs. Since I love spring, I love Valborgsmässoafton. Tomorrow I will humming hits like "Vintern rasat" and "Sköna maj" all day. No bonfire however. They're not really appreciated in dry California.

Bummer.

(this picture was taken April 30, 2001 at Riddarholmen (Stadshus-tornet to the left, huge bonfire in the middle, lots of people in the foreground), with a small, 3-something megapixel camera...)

Minivans in the park

Lots of minivans in the park today... Around here, most families with younger kids have minivans. I guess the same picture from a Swedish park would show rows of Volvos (or no cars at all because you probably can walk to the park... hm).

We don't have a minivan. Yet. I've admitted it before. I want one too. I need a better car door solution for 3 year old who does not want to get back into the car (those of you who have ever had 3-year olds know what I'm taking about - when they turn into a heavy but quick and loud octopus). Even the husband has admitted that it might be a good solution (and has let go of the feeling that it's the end of the world as a man to drive a minivan).

How to become Swedish...

(at least according to Hipp Hipp) (and sorry... only in Swedish...)

A Swedish keyboard

Even though I write this blog in English, I work in Swedish, and of course communicate with family and friends back "home" in Swedish.

The Swedish alphabet has three bonus letters, å, ä and ö. They're vowels and pretty essential to write Swedish. So if you are not using pen and paper, you need to make special arrangements to produce these letters on the screen.

There are several ways to do it. I've heard.

But since the Husband is a (very cute) geek and we have more computers in this house than 10 normal families, we've adopted another strategy: Bring Swedish keyboard(s) from Sweden when your're home visiting. Quick and easy and hepp! Å, ä and ö comes right up!

Since we need three more "letter keys", the "sign keys" on a Swedish key board are in different places compared to an American (or any other for that matter). Making it very confusing when I encounter an American keyboard. The ? / < > ( ) " ; : among others are all in new, unfamiliar places. Not only are the åäö missing, the get replaced with signs, making my writing look like I'm using bad words...

So for the sake of others, I'll continue to confuse the customs controllers in Chicago by bringing key boards in my suitcases.

The sound of ice cream

When reading the comments on the ice cream post below it brought back memories of the "ice cream truck" (Hemglass-bilen) that came driving around your neighborhood selling icecream once a week, playing an annoying little tune. A tune that was part of your childhood (I think they have changed since then...?).

The ice cream sound you grew up with in Sweden - click here to listen!

Ice cream evening

I usually work at night when the house is quiet. I like working from home most of the time, but sometimes it gets lonely. I miss company. No one to take a break with and chat.

Tonight I took a little break on my own and gave myself some Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream. Is this yummy or what!

I'm actually not really an ice cream person. Maybe it was too cold in Sweden (and I hate being cold...)? Or the traditional plain "Big Pack" wasn't tempting enough? One thing is for sure - here you can find some great ice cream...

A cute little amusement park

On Saturday, April 28, one of the major attractions in downtown Stockholm opens for the season. The little amusement park Gröna Lund! Oh, child hood memories! We usually got to go once a year - a BIG day! And we thought it was HUGE! You could get lost!

In reality it's a pretty small park, tiny actually if you compare it to the amusement parks you can find here. But - no park can beat the location of Gröna Lund! In the middle of the beautiful city of Stockholm, surrounded by water and islands! Now I wouldn't visit for the attractions (if you have taken a ride in The TopGun or The Medusa every Scandinavian roller coaster is too short and too low) (if you're a roller coaster fan like I am) but for the view, the history (it opened in 1883!) and the memories.

It sure is worth a visit! And even though you get a "fear of death" feeling in the "Free Fall Tower" (I really, really prefer roller coasters), the view sure is the greatest before you fall.

(Picture from Gröna Lund's website)

My favorite flower...

It's only a few weeks left until my next flight to Sweden. Phew. After my return last Sunday, I would need a couple of months before next flight...

BUT - today I realized something very important. I will be in Sweden in time for the lilacs!

Lilacs (syréner) are my favorite flowers! The scent makes me go weak and they are just beautiful! They are a big part of my childhood, we had two hedges in our garden, one with white and one with purple lilacs. I remember going outside in the early morning hours to pick lilacs for my mom on her birthday in early June. And I was always so jealous that I, being a January-girl, could never have lilacs for my birthday.

So instead of thinking about how long the flight will be with two kids in late May, I'm going to focus on the blossoming of lilacs....

I have never seen lilacs here. But a quick google search shows that you should be able to find them here (even they seem to be native European) and "Purple lilac" (Syringa vulgaris) is the state flower of New Hampshire.

(Picture from Wikipedia)

A recycled post...

I've written about this before... and today I have write about it again. And since it's Monday, I'm lazy. I'm just going to recycle this post from November 20, last year...

Noise polution

Monday morning. The first day of the week (or the second, depending on what calender you use...). Monday mornings have to start smooth, or the whole week will be bad. Or so it seems.

Therefor I think there should be a total ban on grass blowers to be used before... hm... let's say Tuesday afternoons (or NEVER).

I had never seen (or heard!!) a grass blower before I moved here. Old fashioned rakes are obviously out... When we lived in an apartment complex, the gardeners came blowing every second day. These blowers make the most annoying noise that gives you an instant headache. I couldn't wait to get out of that place to get some peace and quiet in our own house (where grass blowers were to be forbidden).

Only to realize the first week that we hadn't thought about when we got the house... On the other side of the fence of our garden... an apartment complex.... and they have gardeners that come with... the darn GRASS BLOWERS every second day.

Starting Monday mornings.

They've been blowing for almost an hour.

Where are my earplugs??