Luxury of the Unemployed

Here I am in my favorite aisle of the grocery store.  Why am I so thrilled?  Because coffee is one of the great joys of my life.  I love it.  I appreciate it.  I can't wait until morning when I can drink some more.  And also because we splurged on the fluffy toilet paper.   

Where Kermit Lives

It was downright chilly today, folks, so I basically had to force myself to get outside.  I'm so glad I did because look at these lilly pads!  They're not some fantasy flora concocted by Jim Henson to titillate my youthful imagination.  They're no joke.  But the way the early autumn sun was shining on them today, they may as well have been the building blocks of some floating utopia where perhaps it's not easy being green, but where dreams come true.

I'm Working My Way Up With a Basil Plant

Listen, I'm not trying to jinx myself here, I'm just stating the facts.  Everyone in America made such a big deal about, oh, how are you going to survive the winter in Sweden?  Don't you know the latitude is dangerously close to Santa's Workshop?  And what about the polar bears just roaming the streets of Stockholm?  As legitimate as these concerns are, I must say that I've found Sweden to be rather a tropical paradise.  I have never seen so many fruit trees!  And I'm not talking about sad, sour, tiny apples.  I mean full-size apples, pears and plums.  Practically every home with a yard in our neighborhood has them.  Indeed, you're not cool if you don't have a fruit tree.  So if the threat of the glacial winter ahead is motivating Mother Nature thusly, I'll learn to tolerate the polar bears. 

Reunion

We have waited for this night for so, so long.  It was a tedious summer of boating, zoos, road trips, amusement parks and parties, but now the fun is truly beginning.  Our favorite series' Dexter, Californication and How I Met Your Mother, among others, have premiered in the states and are now available to view at our leisure on the internet.  Dinner from the Thai wagon and all of our old friends; life is good. 

Candy Coated

For years my Grandma Joyce had a poster of a row of tall houses painted in pastels hanging in her kitchen.  I'm not certain, but I think it was a painting of Charlotte, North Carolina, and I always loved it because it looked too fresh and exotic to be in America, which stirred up my awareness of how much there is to see there.  I'm reminded of that painting every time I walk down this street.  And I'm grateful to be seeing this.

Crime in Sweden

On Saturday The Swede and I had a date that concluded with a romantic bubble bath.  That is, some hooligan added dish soap to one of the area's many naked-couple-embracing themed fountains.  Obviously, it was dark and I'm still rocking the Kodak Easy Share, but I hope you can appreciate the scandalousness behind us.

The Fabulous Destiny of Damara

This little dam is in a park nearby our home.  Ducks and swans float on the still surface all day waiting for bread from their human neighbors, which must come often because those clowns can be pretty cheeky.  Whenever I stand on it (and don't worry, Mom, it's quite low and I'm fully aware that you can drown in a tablespoon of water) I feel like Amelie skipping stones in Paris.

Wake Up, It's the First of the Month

Everyone in Sweden gets paid on the same day, the 25th, which fell on a Friday this month, meaning that folks with fat pockets all over the country swarm to the nearest Ikea to do their part to stimulate the economy.  It can be overwhelming, even for those with nerves of Swagelok-grade stainless steel like The Swede.  Thankfully, the place is replete with refueling stations such as this stylish chaise.  Now all this man needs is a 5 kronor hot dog and we can move on to kitchenwares.

Hot Mama

My friend Petra brought her son Dylan over for the afternoon.  He's at that age when the most entertaining thing in the world is to pull everything off of the bookshelves and poke the keys on Uncle Swede's Mac.  I'm at the age when the most entertaining thing in the world is to cuddle, dance with and sing to a baby, so we didn't really see eye-to-eye on how the visit should go.  Petra was a doll, though, and let me sing to her instead. 

Red Bat Gives You Sonar

They have Red Bull over here, so it's not like nobody was going to notice this obvious thievery.  You do have to give the marketing department props for their chutzpah, though.  Fingers crossed that these folks don't fold under a major lawsuit as this product happens to be 33% cheaper than the real deal.

All the Way Over Here

I'm no botanist, but these at least look like buckeyes, right?  So here I am, all the way on the other side of the ocean, kicking it with the Arctic Circle, and in late September it's still just like home. 

Oasis

Swedes north and south, east and west are walking around this country like it's okay that there isn't any authentic Mexican food.  Let me be direct:  it is not.  It is highly displeasing.  There is, however, Taco Bar, which is delightful fast food and can be found in at least two locations in greater Stockholm, one of which is in reasonable walking distance of my home.  But this is it.  I did extensive research on the matter and there is not even one authentic Mexican restaurant in the entire nation.  Even more unacceptable, I'm sure, is how much I talk about this subject.  Surely The Swede will poke out his eyes when he sees that I'm bringing it up again, and on the internet no less.  Alright, now that it's out there I'll lay this case to rest.  Now we can all concentrate on my other favorite topic:  my hair.     

Obsession

Oh, boy, one marvel that I did not fully anticipate before coming here was NEW MAKEUP!!!  I figured there might be a couple of brands that I'd never run across before, but not an entire cosmetics line by Nivea!  Not the magnificently compact displays that make even my sisters Maybelline and Cover Girl look exotic! Not testers for drugstore brands!  Granted they all cost approximately three times what they would at Target so I haven't succumbed to actually making a purchase yet, but browse around a bit?  Test that new matte nail polish?  Twist up a lipstick or two for closer inspection?  Don't mind if I do. 

Signs of Fall

Sundbybergs kyrka is perched atop a grassy hill on the next block.  The church bells ring loudy on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings and you can hear the choir rehearsing inside if you walk by on Monday night.  They don't need another soprano, incidentally.  The vines climbing up the wall get brighter red by the day;  this photo was taken early last week and today it looked like the building was bleeding. 

Pride

This home is a few blocks from our apartment and apparently houses some famous artist.  Not famous enough for The Swede to remember his name, but famous enough to be able to afford a pretty swank home and the Swedish-flag-colored paint to beautify it. 

Without a Song or Dance What Are We?

After a long day of garage-building we headed to the club, baby!  There are some choice photos from Saturday night, but this one of The Swede and Sarianne, master of the free drink, is one of the more grandparent-friendly selections.  Yes, some of us fell.  Yes, some of us bled.  Yes, some of us wanted to die the next day.  But, good heavens it was grand! 

The Winner Will be Announced at Dinner

These guys.  No matter how diligently I painted or pounded nails or how many minor injuries I sustained, The Swede and his father remained ahead of me in Hardest Worker points.  Frankly, if I hadn't been so mindful about not emasculating anyone and displayed my circular saw skills things would have turned out differently.  No worries, though, as I'm pretty sure I still have a shot at the prize based on my foreignness.

Best Hamburger in Sweden

Now it's on the internet and that makes it true.  The Swede's sister Sarianne hosted their parents and us for dinner last night and served the best hamburger I've had in quite some time.  And I'm not just saying that as some lame attempt at a bid at the Best Worker of the Weekend Award.  Not entirely, anyway; there's a rumor that the prize is a pony.     

Viking Bench

And Sweden is supposed to be so inclusive and accepting of others!  Proving otherwise, however, is this bench that is clearly designed for only most towering, hairy natives. 

At First Sight

Today The Swede had a big meeting with some important customers - so glamorous - and decided to snazz things up a bit.  The day I met him he was wearing this same ensemble.  Is it any wonder I was so instantly smitten?