Blog

Correspondence with my son

Otherwise entitled “My son does not appreciate my humor.” My oldest son has been away at summer camp this week. We will be picking him up today so I sent him this: He now requests that I wait in the car.    

I need some air, take out an organ

Always take a shower in the morning! You never know what the day will bring. Example, a lazy day last week turned into an overnight stay at the hospital and one son without an appendix! I have to say that everything went smoothly and everyone was very nice. My only complaint was that there was … Read more

It’s Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

I planned to bring both of my sons to the beach yesterday. I packed two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, because they’re cheap to make and I already had everything. Plus, they like them, which always helps. Just before leaving, my oldest son got an invitation to go somewhere else, so my youngest invited a … Read more

Please refrain from discussing my underwear

Strangers are generally much more talkative in the U.S. than in Sweden. At times it can be nice to chat with someone. I might learn something new or come away with a funny story. At other times strangers’ interactions with me can become a little too intrusive. For example, I was in Texas buying underwear. … Read more

Sweden – your new beach destination!

It’s HOT! Really hot! And you know it must be bad coming from someone who grew up in Texas and just got back from a vacation there. We’ve had a bit of a heatwave here in Sweden over the past 2 weeks. Of course, I’m all for it so I can wear my sandals and … Read more

Apple pie burger

We were told to visit a popular burger place in East Texas that serves an Apple Pie Burger. I pictured a burger with an actual apple pie between the buns (honestly, it’s not that much of a stretch with some of the other crazy foods around there), but it was a burger with apple pie … Read more

Pickle juice craze

I’m back from 3 weeks in the states with a confused stomach and many new food observations. Today is all about pickles. So pickle juice flavor is a thing in the U.S. now. Or at least in the south. I am a huge fan of pickles, but that’s as far as it goes. I have … Read more

Happy Swedish mother’s day

Today is Swedish mother’s day and I got one present from my youngest son a day early when I picked him up yesterday afternoon. Mamma, I got you a present. (digs in pocket) Here! It’s mascara! I found it just sitting on a wall by the street. It’s still got some in it! I thought … Read more

Coca-Cola Revives and Sustains

I’m spending my morning looking for a list of Coke slogans on Wikipedia. No reason really, other than I got an old ad stuck in my head and started wondering if there could be any worse slogans. No big surprise. There are! Let me share a few: 1906 – The great national temperance beverage. I … Read more

We’ve got to grow it on her brow

My son, who has his bedroom adjacent to the kitchen where the radio plays, stomped out of his room very confused this morning. “What kind of song is this? Why do they keep singing ‘we’ve got to grow it on her brow?’ I don’t get it! Grow what?!” “Um, the lyrics are actually ‘we’ve got … Read more

Fake freckles

My kid does this once a month to his face and all he needs is an old Sharpie marker. I’m not paying for a special “freckle marker.” This is going too far.  

Old tech, so complicated

We had a bunch of 10 and 11-year olds over for a birthday party last weekend. My husband collects old game systems, so we hooked up the original NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). Unfortunately, with today’s modern televisions, the Duck Hunt gun no longer works accurately. The rest of the games could be played with no … Read more

Are job ads getting dumber?

Am I too cynical or is it just impossible to take certain companies seriously when going through job application ads? Today’s example: We’re on a mission to take over the world, and we believe that the only way to succeed with that is by having the Hungriest Digital Tigers and Toughest Tech Lions available. (Well, … Read more

Can I Photoshop us into summer?

I thought maybe if I used Photoshop, I could make winter go away and feel better. I tried this picture with my son, but I still don’t feel very summery…

Nordic gardens

There is an event taking place in March, here in Sweden, called “Nordic Gardens.” This is what I picture:

-9c

It’s -9c this morning (16f) and that’s just wrong. I’m hitting my winter breaking point. It usually happens sometime in February. You can only take so much darkness and cold. I spend my days right now wondering why people would ever settle here. Sure, maybe they showed up in the summer, and maybe they thought … Read more

Pay toilets

Someone today brought up how strange it is that many European countries have pay public toilets. This is something that’s always bothered me here in Sweden. I’ve been here 18 years and still think it should be a basic human right to use a toilet when you need it. I get the reasons behind it… … Read more