Day 150: Starry starry night...and the Big Apple

Magical first night at the Gäddede International Lindy Hop Festival. It got off to a rocky start with a long delay in the opening show due to a blown main circuit breaker that had to be replaced. To appease the extremely patient audience who spent the time mingling in the lobby, the band and a few of the performers came out and did some impromptu entertaining. When the doors finally opened and the show went on, all was forgotten as a couple of dozen of some of the best Lindy hoppers dancing today took the stage and wowed us with their moves.


Particularly poignant for me was their rendition of the Big Apple, a circle dance that reached the height of popularity in the late 1930s. Our hero and mentor, Frankie Manning, often taught and choreographed the dance and his legacy lives on in performances such as these. Frankie was also a close personal friend and as I stood there watching, I was flooded with memories of our many chats, dances and meals together. I thought about how happy and proud he would be with the dancing, and this event in general; about how many lives he touched; about how much I miss him; about how lucky I am to have known him at all. Bittersweet...mostly sweet though.

On my way back to my room in the wee hours of the morning, enveloped in the amazing night sky, I was reminded of how rarely these days we city dwellers get to experience the magnificent display of dazzling star light that you can only see out in the country. Looking forward to more fun today!

Take a look at this video clip to get a sense of the Big Apple in action.

Day 149: Sounds of silence

These are the views I woke up to in Gäddede today. And to the sounds of silence...no cars, no background noise, no talking, no music...except the music of nature. So peaceful. So beautiful. Makes me happy just to be here...and the fun has yet to start!

Day 148: Stunned by nature

Spent the day traveling. Began at 07:28 in Stockholm Central Station. Ten hours, one train and two buses later, I arrived in Gäddede, a tiny town in northwestern Sweden quite close to the Norwegian border.

The landscape around here, and especially the final hour of the second bus trip, is just magnificent. One two occasions during the bus ride, my mouth literally dropped open as we rounded a curve and I was confronted by water, sky, trees and lovely red houses in configurations that were simply postcard perfect. The one disadvantage of traveling by bus is that you are moving all the time and cannot ask the driver to make a stop for photo opportunities. A shame really because I would love to have been able to share some of the sights with you. As it is, you'll have to make do with just one.

Day 147: At long last!

Our ticket site is up and running...YAY! You can now advance purchase tickets to Assassins before we open sales to the general public on Monday via this presale link: http://www.sodrateatern.com/aspresale

Think what a great holiday gift a couple of tickets to a great musical would make. And if you really want to splurge, why not treat yourself and a loved one to the VIP package? :-))

Am I sounding like a marketing person? Is it working?

Oh, and if you want to meet up with me at the theater, be sure to buy tickets for one of the performances before January 12 because I leave town shortly thereafter.

Spread the word!

Day 146: Long gone loves

"Everybody's got someone that they never forget
A turn in the road with no regrets
A long gone love that never lost its shine..."

After lunch, coffee and Helen's delicious cake at my place. 

So go the lyrics to Calaisa's You Are Mine. Well, one of mine invited me out to lunch today and we had a fine time catching up on what's been happening in our respective lives. It's odd to sit across the table from someone with whom you've had a relationship that went south, especially when the end was traumatic or painful, and feel no animosity or regret...simply curiosity and warmth.

I remember when a previous relationship ended (not the one with my lunch "date" today) how devastated I felt and how it seemed the pain would never diminish. Months later I could still work myself up into a frenzy or down into a black hole. And maintaining perspective was wholly impossible. Now, years later, I very rarely even think about him...he who occupied my thoughts ceaselessly then. It's like when you finally get rid of that awful cold and are so happy simply to feel normal again.

I'm happy in my singlehood these days. And happy to maintain contact with the men who were part of my life...and still are.

Day 145: Frozen chocolate

I have a new addiction, and I'm lovin' it. Milk chocolate with hazelnuts. I store several bars in the freezer and get a certain satisfaction in banging the frozen bar against the kitchen counter to crack the chocolate into bits and pieces. Then I rip open the package and bite into that amazing flavor and texture of frozen solid chocolate with the hazelnuts crunching away.

My saving grace is that the chocolate warms up quite quickly and I have to return it to the freezer to get it back to its ideal state. Otherwise, several bars would not last very long. YUM!

Day 144: Chilly day hang

Chilly day hang today. Lingering in bed. Playing Scrabble and Rummikub. A fresh hot cup of coffee (ooo, I can make decaf now...thank you L) and Rummikub...my morning ritual.

Eating some delicious cake left over from yesterday's fika and reflecting over the comings and goings in life. Having diplomat friends means facing that quite squarely. The thing you most fear really in relationships: that it will be over. And raises the age old question is really better to have loved and lost?

I don't pretend to have an answer for that one. Although I will say that I am working hard at accepting and moving forward. In any event, at least for this evening, I am filled with gratitude for the life I've been given, the friends that I've met. The path that I'm on is the one path for me. My job is to stray just enough to keep hitting adventure.

And now, that decaf! Namaste.