Day 164: Simple pleasures

Today's happy: spelt pasta with homemade meat sauce topped with Parmesan cheese, a glass of elderberry soda and the season premier of Downtown Abbey. Poifect. 

Day 163: Nourished and nurtured

It's been a great meal day. Started out by lunching with one of my cuties and her dad (seen here in a splendid hug moment...the cutie, not the dad ;-)). Several hours and one long nap later, off I went to shabbat dinner at the rabbi's. It's so nice to have friends to visit within walking distance. And shabbat dinner always meaning interesting people and Mina's fabulous cooking.

Tonight was no exception with lively conversation that covered topics such as home schooling, table setting and the Swedish infrastructure. We still sang in an incredibly uncomfortable key for my taste but sing we did. And then there's the amazing opportunity to speak in a variety of languages including Hebrew and French. Oh, there was a baby to squeeze too.

Now I'm gonna roll into bed, content and no doubt weighing a bit more than I did this morning :-))

Day 162: Honored guest

My piano and I are happy. My piano because it rarely gets played. Me because today's guest artist is none other than one of my Sweeties. "I like being at your house, Auntie Bella." Now that's music to my ears. Plus clothes hung up, "may I please" at every turn, "thank you very much." A real little gentleman.

It does not get better than this!

Excuse me now...it's time for Snakes and Ladders...my Sweetie awaits.

Day 161: Whimsy

Whatwith Sandy wreaking havoc on family and friends in the USA, I hardly had time to notice that it's Halloween. Until I was on my way down to the laundry room and was confronted by creepy crawlies dangling from the ceiling and climbing the walls.


Love it that someone in the building felt moved to decorate :-) Certainly brightened up my day! Hope it brightens yours too...

Day 160: The flowers that bloom...

You gotta love a plant that flowers in winter! This morning I noticed small buds popping out all over my Christmas cactus (a much more apt name than its official Schlumbergera.) This against the background of gray and wind and rain, plus news that my family and friends seem to have weathered Sandy OK, puts a smile on my face today.

Day 159: Sympathy winds

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It's been blowing like crazy here in Stockholm all day today. The rain began late in the afternoon, just in time for my outing. Feels like sympathy weather for all the friends and family on the east coast of the USA. At times like this, I am so very happy for all the electronic media that enables us to keep in touch. And even happier that the news so far seems to be positive.

Keep those posts coming people...

Day 158: Brrrr....

It was quite chilly at my place today. So much so that I fled back to bed at around noon with ice cold feet and hands...and I was wearing fleece!

On days such as these, I think about how lucky I am to have a bed to flee to, a home to live in, food in the fridge and access to unending entertainment at my fingertips (long live my iPad ;-)).

That's plenty of happy wouldn't you say? (Oh, and after I warmed up I even completed an organizing project...my cup runneth over with joy!)

Day 157: Fallback

Filled with energy after my friend's house warming party this evening. What a transformation! She moved from a larger to a smaller space in the same neighborhood. Since I was last there, just a couple of short weeks ago to lend a helping hand, the place has been painted, all the cartons unpacked, furniture put in place and pictures hung on walls.

Which proves a point I've always made: nothing motivates you to get a move on than planning a party! I've enjoyed the pleasure of a clean and tidy home more times than I can remember by planning a party for the not-to-distant future. Just the thought of celebrating is inspiring. And as a bonus, once all the guest are gone, I get to enjoy the beauty I've created.

I leave you with this thought: remember to turn your clocks back one hour before you go to sleep tonight...if you live in Sweden, that is.

And be happy for an extra hour's sleep tonight...

Day 156: Musicians

I have endless respect (and a modicum of envy) for musicians. Today, I got to hang with five excellent ones as they rehearsed the music for Assassins. As an added treat, I got to sing along since our conductor was quite hoarse. Utter luxury. The base player actually said, "It really helps having you sing along." Trust me, it was a huge kick since I know that I only approximated the beautiful-but-difficult melodies.

I lead a blessed life.

Day 155: A good math day

Some people have good hair days. Today, I had a good math day. This means that I was able to help more students than not. And I got one of the other volunteers to explain the concept I could not help with to me, so I even learned something new.

There is something so incredibly satisfying when the light finally goes on and I just see the route to the solution. It makes me even happier when that light is in the eyes of one of the students. Math 2B classes are having an exam tomorrow so the Math Lab was packed tonight. I didn't count but I'd estimate approximately 32 students of which two(!) were guys. What percent is that? How do you figure out what percent that is? This was actually quite similar to a question one of the guys needed help with. Had to physically stop a student from reaching for her calculator to solve 36 minus 27. I just could not stand it. "Use your fingers," I told her. "Activates the brain." :-)

As an aside, let me tell you, they're not teaching math they way they used to back in the day. Either that or I've totally forgotten things like i squared = –1. Another of today's challenges was solving inequalities by graphing them. Sheesh. But what fun.

Day 154: Submerged in Stockholm

People, people...Hör upp. Någonting spännande händer.

Våga vara annorlunda. Stöd musikaler i Sverige. Var med om en spännande upplevelse...sant att det inte är West Side Story (som Sondheim förresten skrev texterna till)... Det är Sondheim på sin topp. Udda. Annorlunda. Och med den mest fantastiska musiken. 

OBS! Dock. Kan bli beroendeframkallande. Se upp. Du kommer vilja se den flera gånger, jag lovar. 

Sondheim to the people!

Day 153: Art isn't easy

Attended a fascinating lecture on international trends in contemporary arts this evening. So happy that I accepted this invitation despite having only a vague interest in the topic. The speaker, Karolina Bertorp, founded and runs Moderna Samlare (Modern Collectors) and is extremely knowledgeable about how the art world works.

By way of thanks, I told her all about Sunday in the Park with George and recommended she watch "Putting It Together." Here is a link for your viewing pleasure too! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJFz-ucuTvs

Day 152: Inväntar

Two buses and two train rides later, I am at home (after a detour to Gamla Stan for this evening's Swedish language exchange). I find it really interesting (and fun) to talk language and especially to try to explain the meaning of words in Swedish to foreigners who are trying to learn Swedish.

Today, though, I was tickled by my own use of the Swedish language. The train from Östersund to Sundsvall was slightly delayed and as there were only 10 minutes between its originally scheduled arrival and the departure of the train from Sundsvall to Stockholm, there was not much room for delays. The conductor stopped at each car to let passengers know at which platform we would be arriving and which platform the Stockholm train would be leaving from. My question to him was, "Inväntar de oss?" which translates into "Will they wait for us?"

"Väntar" in Swedish means "wait" so naturally my "students" wanted to know why "inväntar" and what the difference is between the two. We spent a good 15 minutes on the subject (in Swedish) during which I kind of explained it and they kind of got it. What tickled me is that I used the word altogether. It was one of those moments when I surprise myself with my grasp of this language which I began learning quite late in life.

And now for some much needed catch-up-sleep...sweet dreams everyone!

Day 151: Hugs make me happy

The hotel in Gäddede invited all the organizers and instructors who were still here tonight after the Lindy Hop  Festival was over to dinner. The meal was prepared by their kitchen staff, a group of four young women from the Middle East (Lebanon and Sudan I believe). The food was exquisitely delicious and a reminder of how truly small our world has become. You would hardly have expected to feast on homemade Middle Eastern food in a small village in northern Sweden just a few short years ago.

There were many toasts and many accolades at dinner, many people to thank and recognize for the amazing work and spirit of this dance weekend. And lots of laughs. And many, many hugs. Hugs of hello and hugs of farewell. Hugs of appreciation and thanks. Hugs simply for the pleasure of giving a hug. I felt transported in time to 1992 and my first visit to Herräng Dance Camp (during my second visit to Sweden). Then, as now, there was an intimate, close-knit spirit to the event. And many hugs.

I leave here tired...and happy...and looking forward to the next time in hopes that it stays this small and perfect.

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!