Angry and frustrated

Last comment from kids school: "Be here, come and spend a day here and see what we do". Total 100% guilt-trip. Who am I to want them to figure out how to make school work for my child? Who am I to want to be able to trust them to have education and good ideas enough to manage to make my child want to go to school, stay in school, survive in school and come out of there with enough knowledge to make it into adulthood? Who am I to want them to provide an environment for my child where it's safe and where death doesn't seem like a better place?

I will absolutely go and spend a day there.

Yeah, where IS that winter?

Scandinavians.

I really, really don't see the point in the type of winter we're having right now. Really.

If I wanted this type of winter I'd settled down somewhere even further south. Or better yet just skip the whole concept of winter all toghether and settle down somewhere nice and cozy, like Australia.

Sure, keeping the house warmed up during winter has never been cheaper, so that's something. But having to buy new rainclothes for the kids SEVERAL TIMES during the same season because they wear them out - unheard of! :-[

What?

Super glue.

"for a classic way of life"

Huh? What? "For a classic way of life"?? Is that to say that gluing broken things back together is "classic"? Opposed to... modern? Opposed to progressive?

I love it! :-D

Ignorance is NOT bliss

I know the symptoms quite well now, after thirty odd years of menstruation. I know them too well. I know all about the periodic bloating, the gathering of water in tissue making me increase one size in clothes for a few days per month. I know all about the mood swings, the illogical dip in self-esteem and the sudden lack of faith in my own abilities and sense of own value.

I know all about cramps. Pains of all kinds of different flavors from the early dull pain to the full on "kick in the midriff" type in the middle and the soreness towards the end.

I know too much about worrying about stains on my clothes from failing pads and tampons. I know quite well how much more toilet paper is spent on cleaning out veritable bloodbaths in the bathroom that time of the month.

I know enough to accept and compensate for most of these symptoms, I know they're for a good reason. All but one.

WHAT IS IT WITH THIS BLOATING THING???

Why on earth would my body repeatedly do that to itself?? I am sure if I understodd why it wouldn't annoy me so much, but now I don't and it does. Annoy me a lot.

This particular area of ignorance is certainly not one that brings me any joy.

Weird smile

This is so far the weirdest smiley I've seen:

C=

It certainly looks happy but how on earth do you come up with that one? :-D

Feet

I tell you, perhaps I have to realise this is just another phobia of mine? Definitely one of the downsides to summer - naked feet.

I love babies feet (I could eat them!).
I don't mind a pair of reasonably clean, neat feet.
I don't mind a pair of tanned feet with painted toenails.

Problem is, not all feet fall into the categories above. Far from! Blech. I really really think calloused feet furnishing long yellow toenails with brown/green edges of dirt is just too much to stomach. What's worse is that when the owner of these feet are seated on a "high seat" in the bus and you're stuck slightly below them watching over your toddler and stroller you get just a little too much time to look at them. I hate it! Blech!

Crazy crazy crazy

http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=148&a=847872

I will never ever ever understand this! :-(

Sense of clothing

At some point in time I decided that I wouldn't criticize other people's clothing, at least not to other people. Or at least not to people outside my closest family sphere. Um. Anyway, this is not exactly critique, more a tired comment from a lady growing older by the minute...
Last Saturday I watched a young woman wearing my definition of 'bad choice of clothes' and it made me hope that someone will tell me when I put on something like that. She was a little chubby. She had rather large thighs, which was highlighted by the fact that she was wearing a very short skirt with skin coloured tights and black 'overknee' boots (boots like that were called "CFM boots" in Australia, and believe me it's not a good name or look for that matter). She was also waddling along, rubbing knees together and her feet were following along in a slightly whisking motion, it did not help the look.
I can't help but wonder what she was thinking, did she feel good wearing those clothes? If that's the case - good for her! But gosh, I hope someone would stop me if I ever left the house like that.

On Tuesday I saw another "look" which made me stop in my tracks: A girl, wearing a skirt that was so short I actually saw her undies. WHAT? That's not right? Why on EARTH would you wear something like that? Why not just put on 'hotpants' instead, or why not just skip the skirt all together and go out in your underwear? Mind you I didn't have to look hard to see her undies, they were clearly visible and just there. *sigh* Humanity. The things we do.


I'm old.

Modern alchemy

Aqua
Paraffinum liquidum
Glycerin
Petrolatum
Bentonite
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 dimethicone
Ethylhexyl pelargonate
Neopentyl glycol diethylhexanoate
C12-15 alkyl benzoate
Myristyl myristate
PPG-26-buteth-26
Sorbitol
Sucrose distearate
PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil
Oleyl oleate
Camellia sinensis
Anthemis nobilis
Cucumis sativus
Camellia oleifera
Hibiscus rosasinensis
Malva sylvestris
Echinacea purpurea
Solanum lycopersicum
Triethanolamine
Sucrose stearate
Propylene glycol
Butylene glycol
Carbomer
Disodium EDTA
Magnesium aluminum silicate
Myristyl laurate
Diazolidinyl urea
Tocopherol
Copernicia cerifera
Mannitol
Methylparaben
Cellulose
Propylparaben
C9-15 alkyl phosphate
Lauramine oxide
Phenoxyethanol
Thermus thermophillus ferment
Ethyl linoleate
Ethyl linolenate
Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose
Tertradibutyl pentaerithrityl hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Talc
CI 17200
CI 73360
CI 77007
CI 77891
CI 15850
CI 14700

With a possible misspelling or two, that's the contents of the "all natural ingredients" Mary Kay TimeWise 3-in-1 Cleanser.

Doesn't this seem like a concoction you'd like to have on your face? :-D

Complicated communication issues

Maybe it's a blessing in disguise that I haven't had a voice in four days now? Because last night I was in a totally foul mood but as I had absolutely no way to express my feelings I fell asleep instead.

I was cross because I felt that S had left me all on my own with baby and a raging cold (and I mean a RAGING cold). He had so many important things to do at work. It's not fair to be cross with S, I know. But I spent two entire days just barely staying on my feet, crying and doing nothing else but feed our son and change his diaper when it needed changing. Tobias and I was sitting in front of the TV as zombies (he was a very restless little zombie I was a more near-death zombie). It was a horrible feeling, blech! I felt very lonely as all I wanted to do was curl up and die, but that's not really an option when you have a babe to care for.

So last night I really wanted to have a go at S for EVERYTHING. Naturally that wouldn't have been particularly creative, no. I mean, it's not his fault I'm having a cold. It's not his fault I am so lousy at expressing my needs either. Right.

So I think the conclusion is that for now, it's a blessing that I actually can't speak when I first feel the urge to say something. Wonder if I can bring this knowledge with me past the point of recovery?

Never trust a Norwegian with a sandwich

I left S in the lounge for approximately 30 seconds while preparing a cup of tea and bringing it back with me. Look what happened! Norwegians are infamous for their sandwich eating habits - anytime is a good time for a sandwich in that country - which makes it dangerous to leave an innocent sandwich alone with one of them... X-D

Fy för provade parfymer!

Jag provade Naomi Campbells "Cat DeLuxe at night" idag när jag var på centrum. Den luktade trevligt ur flaskan, men HERREGUD så det stinker från min handled nu såhär en par timmar senare. Jag klarar bara inte av sådana här lukter, det luktar rent sötläbbigt tantigt! Usch!

Måste tvätta av mig.

Tur ändå, att man får prova parfymer innan man köper! :-D

Going to town

Tie man - shoe off, tie tie too long, absent minded reading, twirl hair. Teenagers - girls/boys, open versus facade. Carl Bildt. Kim at Gate One. "Kaxiga" lingonberry-policemen. Nice lady on the bus. This is how my notepad looked after spending a day in the city. :-) It does make me feel good to get out of the house and watch people. It's even better when there's a healthy mix of interaction involved too.

So what was all that then?
Well, Tobias and I took the train to town and we were sitting indirectly opposite this neatly dressed man who I suddenly noted had his left shoe off and a tie wrapped around his thigh. He was trying to make a tie-knot. His motions were slow, as if he wasn't at all certain how to make one. After several attempts he was satisfied and took it off his leg, only to discover the noose was too small to pass over his glasses. He didn't widen it but instead he forced it down across his face so his glasses came off. Hm... Anyway, he got the tie in place, straightened the collar and ended up looking rather respectable apart from the fact that the tie was so long it reached down far below his crotch (even when standing up). X-) Once he was done with the tie, he put his left shoe on again. I'm impressed he thought of that, I can easily imagine men forgetting the part where they have to take the tied tie off their leg.
He continued his journey towards town with reading a notepad (handwritten stuff, not a laptop) in a very absent minded looking way, every other second he was looking out through the window instead and every so often he started twirling his hair between his fingers (much like my friend Å used to do in school). I kind of recognised this behavior and imagined he was going to some more or less important meeting where he was going to speak about whatever his notes were about.
I like creating these "imagined life stories" about other people. I also have to shamefully admit I like watching people. I try to be discrete though! X-)

This is what I like about people, they make me think and reflect on the nature of things and in the best case they make me think of my own life and all that's involved. Although, to write something on here about all the things I noted during my city-visit would take too much space and time (who'd have the energy to read all the way through it anyway?).

But to cover it all quickly:
Teenagers - girls/boys, open versus facade = Again I watched groups of teenagers doing teenagey stuff. How stereotypical everything is, I think it's sad but I guess it's how we make it.

Carl Bildt = I actually met the man in person when walking from Gamla Stan to Drottninggatan, just as he walked across the bridge towards the government building.

Kim at Gate One = A very nice and understanding pregnant lady who promised S and I could return the pair of jeans I purchased there even though it's several months ago.

"Kaxiga" lingonberry-policemen = Three security guards handling a group of teenagers who probably had done something silly. The guards were definitely "in the personal space" of one of the teenagers.

Nice lady on the bus = She sat next to Tobias and I and was very talkative (four almost grown up children, lived in our neighborhood since the early eighties, husband from Umeå...).

I like going out like yesterday and yet I'm SO fond of just staying in in my jammies all day...

Colourful jacket

I do say, he scored a few points tonight. Despite being a politician of the "wrong" fraction - Mr Carl Bildt scored a few points by daring to wear the craziest suit jacket I have seen since the eighties! :-D

It looks like some silvery velvety material with yellow/golden animal looking things with green outlines printed on it. Amazing! :-D
You could also describe it as disgusting, distasteful and silly. But hey, what's he wearing it for - 'the Grammis', the award show for and by the Swedish music industry. In my opinion it's not at all a bad choice of jacket for that purpose.


More about the Grammis: www.grammis.se (in Swedish)

"The market"

...and the price of pants.
I read some time ago about why the share value of Lindex went down a few years ago - they had purchased too many of the wrong kind of pants. The share value went down, ten executives had to go. Heh.

I know my company is controlled by a board of directors bringing various relevant areas of competence to work for our best. But there's also "the market" factor. The market, that's um, us? Us, as in the share buying money earning people?
How much does the marked decide that what we are doing is the right thing. Who says we haven't stocked up with all the wrong types of pants? Are we planning to release what the market needs in a year or two? What about in ten years?

I always find it's difficult to understand some of these things. And I certainly admire those who dare to venture out there, stick their necks out and dare to go forth with their ideas of what the market wants.

More: Lindex in one minute.
About Lindex and the pants:
DN - Byxorna drog ned Lindex (in Swedish)
Aftonbladet - Byxberg knäckte Lindex (also in Swedish)

Then again...

This site www.middagsfrid.se offers something more. They charge 725 kr (795 kr 1/1 2008) per week for a grocery bag filled with what you need for a weeks worth of dinners for four people, including detailed recipes. They aim to plan the menu so that you won't spend more than 30 minutes cooking, apart from any time in the oven (when you don't have to actively do any cooking).

We have a 4000 kr/month food budget at the moment (not just used for food though), buying bags from Middagsfrid is less than that. And we'd have our menus planned out. And we'd be eating healthy and ecological meals.

Hm.

Pyroclastic

I feel like a pyroclastic flow sometimes. I can't help it.

Wiki: "A pyroclastic flow (also known as a pyroclastic density current) is a common and devastating result of some volcanic eruptions. The flows are fast-moving currents of hot gas, and rock (collectively known as tefra), which can travel away from the volcano at up to 700 km/h. The gas can reach temperatures of up to 1000 degrees Celsius. The flows normally hug the ground and travel downhill, or spread laterally under gravity. Their speed depends upon the density of the current, the rate volcanic output, and the gradient of the slope."

I get mad to the point where I no longer can control my actions, or primarily - words. *sigh* Mostly I keep it inside though. So if I seem a bitt stiff at times, consider that I might be dealing with that internal volcano...

On the other hand, there are few other things that can soothe that volcano as efficiently as something completely silly and funny slipping out of my better half's mouth, like the other night: "please would you mind changing the nappy on Tobias so I can fasten the last stitches on the embroidery".
That was not something I'd ever in my wildest imagination expect to face as a reason (excuse?) to not do the nappy-changing thang... :-D

Then again, never in my wildest imagination would I have imagined being here, in a house of my own, with a wonderful baby and a loving fantastic man by my side, had someone told me so in 2004... :-)

They're still there

I didn't imagine them, they're still there, the miniature road signs. :-) I spotted them again when I dropped off dad at the airport yesterday. They're really tiny but there. On the side of the motorway, not far from where we live. I didn't have the camera with me. I will have to remember to bring it next time I head that way... :-)

Miniature road signs

I was driving back from the airport after dropping off mum who's been visiting for the week when I noticed small, miniature road signs on the side of the road.
On poles, round, exact copies of the regular ones, only much smaller and a little bit closer together than usual. First a small round one saying "110", then one saying "Roadwork" with a small warning light on top, then one saying "30" then lastly another one saying "110".

Rather cute.

But what do they mean?

Is it just somebody practicing to place the regular sign posts out? Or is it signs for really small roadworks? Or signs for really small road workers? Or, signs for really small traffic on the side of the road? :-)
I have no clue. They were cute none the less. Had I had a camera on standby when passing them I would've captured some form of picture proof for fun. :-)

Crazy recruitment site

My god, I thought I had seen it all... :-D
I received an emailed job ad, from a recruitment agency I regularly receive emailed job ads from - "Child loving house maid". I say WAT!?? :-D Have they gone mad???

I'm pretty sure my profile says "IT Manager" in various different ways.
X-)