Welcome new employee
They moved a new employee into the office next to mine. There’s no heater and apparently the ants have taken over the entire room. Welcome!
Blog
Garbage
“Take a right and when you get to the blue building across from the hospital…. you know, the one with the wall of trash?…. that’s my place.” A terrible thing happened this holiday season. The garbage company decided not to pick up our trash. We have 36 apartments in our building. Each apartment has between … Read more
Bubblegum
I’ve noticed something. I can’t believe I haven’t thought about this before, but Sweden is seriously lacking in the bubblegum market. Most of the gum here is just for breath freshening. Have the Swedes not realized the fun behind blowing bubbles? Is this an American thing? Hmm… could be I guess. Playing with food instead … Read more
Zombies
Am I correct in thinking that they have never made a zombie movie in the snow? I wonder why that is. Anyway, good to know I’m safe from the invasion up here.
Meeting
Am I the only one taking my vitamin D up here in Sweden? Everyone seems quite depressed lately. Today was the first day back at work from the holidays. They called a meeting at work and tried to start with the usual, “How was your vacation?” to break the ice. This reminds me of the … Read more
A look back at the year 2012
A family review of our year. Concussions – 2 Broken nose – 2 new scars – 1 food poisoning by figs – 1 teeth lost – at least 5 Dr. Who episodes watched – 45 chocolate eaten – 2400 hedgehog encounters – 1 falling on ice – 12 mustaches worn – 7 nude beaches visited … Read more
The in-between days
The days between Christmas and New Year are what we call the “in-between” days. “Are you working the in-between days?” “Yes, because I don’t want to take vacation days.” The good thing about working the days between Christmas is that NO ONE is around! The subways are empty, the work building is empty. In a … Read more
We just want our food
Every foreigner I talk to in Sweden all say the same thing, “The thing I miss most is food.” It never varies. I’ve never heard anyone say they miss their friends and family. It’s always the food. Number one item. Reasons for this: 1. You can’t email food. 2. You can’t talk to food on … Read more
The office Christmas tree
They asked me to decorate the tree at work. This is how you do things when you never want to be asked again:
Swimming lessons in Sweden
Just a quick complaint. Anytime I tell someone outside of Sweden that my kid had swimming lessons today (in December), I always get a horrified look until I say, “It’s indoors.” Really people? What do you think of this country? We’re not animals! (if we were, we’d hibernate)
Bo Diddley
Sitting at work and listening to “The Best of Bo Diddley.” Seven songs on this album are ABOUT Bo Diddley. There just aren’t enough artists singing songs about how great they are anymore. My favorite – “Bo and the Monster.”
Fashion
I’ve started wearing leg-warmers again. First time since the 80s. I noticed they came back into fashion a couple of years ago but I’ve been resisting them until now. I have a job with a dress code that requires me to occasionally wear skirts. Quite ridiculous in a country that can sometimes be -15 c. … Read more
Which one is the real snow?
My work sprayed fake snow on the windows. Take a look outside the window. Was this really necessary?
Lucia day
Today is the celebration of St. Lucia in Sweden. We celebrate by lighting candles on our children’s’ heads while demanding they sing and bring us breakfast. Or a nicer way to put it is – It’s a celebration of light in the darkness. Many children dress in white robes with a ring of candles around … Read more
Randomness
I was walking down the hall at my work and noticed this sitting in a potted plant. I don’t know this person. I don’t know why it’s there. I just like the randomness of it.
Nobel day
Today is Nobel day in Sweden. This is when the Nobel awards are given out in Stockholm (except the peace prize which is given out in Oslo). It’s an exciting day as long as you don’t have to be anywhere near the concert hall where the awards are given out. Major traffic jam when all … Read more
Starbucks in Sweden
A few weeks back, our family took a trip to Gothenburg, which is a town in southern Sweden. Besides the airport in Stockholm (behind security), Gothenburg has the only Starbucks in Sweden as far as I know. Why is this? The rest of Europe has Starbucks. Even Istanbul has Starbucks! Get with the program, Sweden! … Read more
The staff toilet
After months of asking the male workers at my job to make the staff bathroom look nicer, the women took over. Yes, that’s a bottle of hairspray in the basket. I originally only asked for a lock on the door, but after the others did this, I think I’ll request a speaker with soothing ocean … Read more
Subway delays
I was stuck for 15 minutes at a station in the subway the other day. It reminds me that winter is here and we will have even ore delays. The worst winter, I was delayed an hour three days in a row. I was lucky. Most others were two hours late. It’s interesting to watch … Read more
Finding the right winter hat
It’s getting colder every day and I need to find the right winter hat. I need something that says “professional career woman.” I can’t decide between these two: or