Day 284: Twice blessed

Way back in August, I got the LCD screen of my iPad (1!) replaced. Just a few short weeks later, it tumbled off the bed and on to the carpeted floor and there went the new LCD screen. The screen was not cracked either time, it simply stopped working.

Naturally, I was quite frustrated and annoyed with myself and the iPad and couldn't help feeling cheated out of a working tablet. For months now, I've been debating what to do. Should I take it back to the repair shop? Would I be willing to pay to get it repaired again? Should I upgrade to the latest generation iPad instead? Should I make do with my iPhone alone?

And so the weeks turned into months and I did nothing. Every once in a while, I would look wistfully at the iPad in its gorgeous, handmade carrying case (thank you Dodi) and debate once again what to do. Finally, fed up with my own inertia, I decided to return to the repair shop with my tale of woe. The service person had me leave the iPad there with the promise that they would call when they determined what was wrong with it. That was on Thursday.

When they still hadn't called by 1 PM yesterday, I called them to get a status report. The iPad was repaired and they were surprised no one had called to inform me. Repaired? Without consulting me first? What was this fiasco going to cost me, I wondered? What I said was, "Oh," to which the person on the phone responded, "Naturally, there is no charge since it broke only weeks after we fixed it."

And they say the Swedes aren't service-minded! I picked it up today. As an added bonus, I found the bouquet of roses at the bus stop on my way home. :-D

Day 283: Turnabout's fair play

Over the past 48 hours, I have purchased tickets to two dance performances, two musicals, a movie and an improv club. I am supporting the arts. Now it's the arts' turn ;-)

Day 282: Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Lullaby and good night...how does the rest go?

Fell asleep at a reasonable hour and slept through the night two nights in a row now.

HAPPY!

Day 281: Audio books

Happily listening to my first audio book ever...and what a treat!

A surprising number of the books we've chosen for book club (in English) are available at the public library in Stockholm. This month's book (State of Wonder by Anne Patchett) was no exception. In fact, the library stocks four copies, all of which are out on loan, no doubt to other book club members!? There was, however, an audio version available. The user reviews on Amazon give high praise to Hope Davis who recorded the book so I decided to give it a try.

The praise is well deserved. Ms. Davis brings the characters to life with just the right amount of vocal variation and reads the remaining narrative in a clear, pleasant voice at a good clip. I'm sure that has a lot to do with how much I am enjoying listening to the book. That and being able to do other things while "reading."

Guess you could call me a late adapter. As they say, better late than never!

Day 280: Synchronous movement

Three bodies on stage, moving simultaneously, identically, to music. Magical. Not easy to accomplish either but these three dancers got it just right. There is something about movement in unison, when it truly is in unison, that I find mesmerizing.

I took a nap this afternoon after getting back from a visit to the Åberg Museum in Bålsta today, and it took a great deal of willpower to propel myself out of bed and out the door for this evening's performance. I am very happy I did.

Day 279: Yemen

Monday evening means Language Exchange - Stockholm at the café. Tonight, three extra hosts showed up unexpectedly so there weren't all that many participants to go around. Half an hour into the meetup, I was ready to pack it in and go home when a latecomer walked through the door. I borrowed a participant from one group and together with the latecomer we constituted a small group and began conversing.

Turns out the latecomer, a woman in her thirties, moved to Sweden from Yemen about a year ago. When I asked her why, she replied that she was a political activist and found it confining to live in Yemen. During the course of the evening, we learned a great deal about Yemen, its political composition, the many problems it faces and the general geography of the region. It was refreshing and uplifting to meet a well-educated, intelligent and thoughtful person from the region who had deep insight into her country's problems and potential.

I learned as much current history from her as she learned Swedish from me. And I left feeling that I had gotten the better part of the bargain.

Day 278: Spontaniety

The phone rings while I'm still in bed at noon. I'm too lazy to get up and answer. Then my cell phone rings. The caller is persistent. Still, I do not answer. Finally, 30 minutes later, shame overwhelms me and I get my lazy bones out of bed and return the call.

It was from a friend I haven't seen since she saw Assassins with her son and daughter back in January. Since then, she's become a grandmother. So I'm quite delighted to have a chat and enthusiastic when she suggests a movie later this afternoon. I'm online in a jiffy and buy our tickets.

We went to see Beasts of the Southern Wild which I can highly recommend and then out for tea and a snack. Spontaneous plans on a Sunday afternoon. And a walk. :-)