What's going on?

Well, since I wrote here last I've slept and walked on this:

The Great Wall between Jinshanling and Samatai

and we're right now in the middle of this:

This is called a kitchen renovation...

Becoming a shopping monster in China?

I'm going to China in a couple of weeks. I'll start out vacationing in Beijing for a couple of days and then I'll be working in Shanghai for just over a week. I have very mixed feelings about this trip but they are mostly good. I'm positive I'll be experience something extraordinary. A country I've never been to, customs I've never experienced first hand before and challenges I'm meeting for the first time. I'll be eating well, smiling lots, and hopefully laughing as well, walking and meeting a ton of people. I'll be speaking English. What's there not to like?

Our vacation plans for Beijing are still hazy. We don't know where to stay. We don't really know what to do. I'm interested in going to the Chinese Wall and spend the night sleeping on it. Like this. I'm not fooling myself; I know it'd mean lousy sleeping and a sooooore body after walking/climbing the wall for hours and hours, but wouldn't it be unforgettable? We'll be visiting the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. And probably do some shopping.

But you know what? This is where it gets tricky for me. When I was given the chance to spend time in China my head was filled with images of buildings, people, food, trees, walls and whatever. I didn't think shopping. But as soon as I started telling people I was going to China I was drowned in tips on what to buy. And how much money to bring. And how much space I should leave empty in my suitcase going there. And to be honest, I find it kind of disturbing.

I'm not one to advocate for consumerism. I'm not extreme in my beliefs, but I try not to buy too much stuff that I don't really need. I do it for environmental and political reasons. Now, people seem to expect me to become this shopping monster just because I'm going to a country where I can buy things cheaply. I believe in copy right. I don't download songs, movies or tv show episodes that I haven't paid for. And now people expect me to buy plagiarized jackets, jeans, watches, glasses, movies and shoes. And not just a pair or two, but enough to fill a suitcase. It disturbs me a bit.

I will do some shopping while there. And I probably will buy some things that are plagiarized. But I don't see myself becoming this shopping monster that they expect me to become, leaving all my principals behind. Even though I'm going to China.

I see myself taking tons and tons of pictures. I see myself buying silk fabrics. And I see myself trying to get a dress or shirt custom made by a seamstress. I see myself looking at fake Canada Goose-jackets, Diesel jeans and Rolex watches. But I don't see myself buying them. Even though I'd have room for them in my suitcase.

Pictures from Tuscany, Italy - Part 3

A thirsty pigeon used the fountain in Piazza Del Campo in Siena.

Houses in Siena.

This is from one of the trees outside our house. I took this picture on the most windy day and I was proud of getting it as focused as it is...

This picture was taken a day when boyfriend I took the car for a ride to get some ice cream...

This is from within the Santuary of La Verna. The paintings show how the legend behind the sanctuary, of how Saint Francis of Assisi got a stigmata and built the sanctuary on the cliff where it happened.

An afternoon stroll along the river Arno in Florence resulted in this picture.

Pictures from Tuscany, Italy - Part 2

We lived among olive trees for a week when we rented a house outside San Giustino Valdarno.

On our way to Siena for a day we stopped to admire the landscape.

These pigeons are hanging out watching tourists in the famous square Piazza Del Campo in Siena.

One day we drove to the sanctuary of La Verna and enjoyed the sights. The sanctuary itself was amazing and so were the surroundings.

A picture taken from the roof terrace of our hotel in downtown Florence.

Isn't this the cutest car ever? (I've been told it's a Fiat 500. And that it might be called Topolino.)

Pictures from Tuscany, Italy - Part 1

I took this picture on our first morning in San Giustino Valdarno. This is just behind the house we lived in for the week.

We had chestnut trees growing close by our house outside San Giustino Valdarno.

This is Italy, isn't it? (Picture from Siena)

A picture taken from the window in our bathroom.

Zig zag sky over Florence.

These grapes grew next to our porch. Tasted really nice!

Cruelty

Back in the office. With heavy eyelids. And with fall winds and rain outside the windows.

Piles of unfinished business on my desk. Voice messages I haven't yet listened to. And emails I haven't yet read.

A calender I've only just peeked in. To see how many days there are 'til Christmas.

It's cruel having to go back to work after a taste of what life can be like on a Tuscan hill among olive trees.

Leaving Saturday

Not far away now!

A taxi picks us up at home early, early, early on Saturday morning. It'll take us to the train station so we can get to Copenhagen Airport. The plan is to eat breakfast together at the airport before boarding and taking off. At around 10pm we'll be on the ground again. In Pisa. In Italy.

We're renting cars for the week and we hope to be able to go see the leaning tower in Pisa before heading east, towards and past Florence. We get access to the house whenever we want to between 3pm and 7pm.

And then awaits a week of vacation. Nice company. Good food. Slendid views. Walks among olive trees. A lot of knitting, reading, painting and drawing. And playing board games. And wineries. And restaurants. Fresh veggies at the market and bread from the bakery. Swims in the pool. Yoga in the garden. Relaxation.

And then two nights and days in Florence. In a hotel. With a pool on the roof terrace.

I so deserve and need this vacation after having worked most of the spring and summer (6 days off since mid-March) and having changed colleagues and work routines.

Think I can see the light

This could've been my give away post as I had my 2nd blog anniversary yesterday. But it isn't. I haven't been able to set things up the way I had planned and need a couple of more days.

Hang in there. :)

~~~~~

I think I can see the light at the end of the overworked-at-work-tunnel. I'll get on a train in a couple of hours to go out of town. I'm going to attend a seminar tomorrow and in order for me to avoid flying and still be able to get there when they start, I have to take the train today and spend the night in a hotel. I'll be back home at about kl23/11pm tomorrow night. And at 9/9am on Wednesday, I'm expected to present my major project for our management group. (Or at least, the scope of it now. We're far from finished.) The presentation will take place about 1½ hour drive from my house which means I have to get up early. Boyfriend has taken the day off work and will drive me up there. After my 2-hour-presentation-and-workshop (now, does that sound posh or what?) I'm taking the rest of the day off too. Boyfriend and I have planned to eat lunch in a restaurant and then spend the afternoon outdoors. Just the two of us. On an ordinary Wednesday.

I need it. 'Cause this girl is tired. And slightly overworked.

~~~~~

My plan was to spend the train ride knitting on my German Stockings but I won't have much time for that. Unless someone sprinkle me with Energizer and Inspirational Sparks. I must work on my Power Point-presentation for Wednesday...

I'm more than halfway on my presentation but I think it still needs another couple of hours. And finishing it today means I won't have to work on it on the train coming back tomorrow after having spent an entire day listening to different speeches. And finishing it on the train means I can spend time in the hotel bath tub reading my book (Ken Follett's Svärdet och Spiran/Pillars of the Earth) without any stress...

And I'm looking forward to that.


(By the way, I have turned the heel on my first German Stocking - after having reworked the heel three times - and am working on the gusset.)

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

Friday. I so need this Friday and weekend.

This week has been rough. I seem to go from one frustration to the next. My boss came back Monday from his 4-week-vacation and I was disappointed as to how he acted in this new working situation of ours. I snapped at him and asked him to leave my room as I wasn't capable of playing along...

Wednesday I had a meeting with "the big bosses" about this big project I'm managing. The meeting was frustrating to say the least. The short version: I've made this project a priority. They haven't. I need for them to sit down and talk about the big picture and decide what direction I'm supposed to head in. They talk details.

Yesterday I sent off a proposal for our board to deal with on a board meeting next week and one of "the big bosses" decides to change things in the writing and add an appendix to it. This resulted in me having to do more work as I had to correct the things he had messed up in his changes and also make the appendix.

Checking my calender for the next two weeks, I just want to find the button that stops time.

~~~~~

On a happier note...

I'm meeting my sister for an ice cream tomorrow. Three of my favourite things at the same time; my sister, ice cream and the town I grew up in. I miss living in a town with loads of cobblestone in the streets.

~~~~~

And just to make myself smile... A picture parade.

Tulip in Visby, May 2008

Tulip in Visby, 2008

Tulips in Visby, May 2008

Thoughts at work the last couple of days

- "Tell me again why I'm doing this?"

- "It's raining outside. And it's dark. If I didn't know better, I'd think it was November. It makes me grumpy."

- "It's so bright and sunny outside. Perfect summer weather. And I'm indoors. It makes me grumpy."

- "Should I make up my own pattern for the cardigan I want to knit? Or should I make it simple and use something that already exists? But then again, I'd have to change it a lot anyways to make it fit so I might as well make all the calculations from scratch. Right? But then, what do I want it to look like? Stripes. Definitely stripes. All over or just the body? I wonder how much of a cardigan I can get out of the yarn I have. 3 hanks of blue and 2 brown ones. Well, that makes for 2300meters or so. That's a cardigan. But should I knit it from the top anyways, to make sure I'll get something decent out of the amount? Maybe I could do some kind of interpretation of Cobblestone and make the yoke in garter stitch and the rest in plain stockinette? But then I'd like the garter yoke to cover my boobs, as I'm not very fond of changing patterns right there. Seems awkward too me. Maybe I could make it A-line and have some schwung to it. GAther it around a yoke. Somehow. What about the stripes? Horizontal or vertical? Vertical is supposed to make you look thinner. But vertical means knitting intarsia or stranded... Or knit it flat with horizontal stripes and then sew it on sideways to make the stripes vertical. But can I sew that on nicely?Or should I just go simple and let the colours do their magic? Just plain stockinette. Horizontal stripes. And then do something fun with the sleeves. Maybe bell sleeves? But then again, that might look out of place if nbothing else is "frilly" and pretty. After all, I'm using kind of rough and thin wool. Nothing silky or shiny or girly. Maybe I should just find a pattern that someone else put thought into? And not come up with something myself from scratch. But then again, I have to recalculate every number anyways... I don't know. I'm lost."

- "I'm real hungry. I wonder if the salad I brought will be enough for me today?"

- "I love my little boxes with index cards. I love having themon my desk. Knowing that I'm organized."

- "There's a 6km-race organized at the end of October. Hmmmm.... I could sign up for it. Use it as an inspiration to get me moving. It wouldn't kill me. Unless it was real cold and I got lost in the woods. 'Cause I'm not much of a Skogsmulle and wouldn't survive being left there on my own. I wonder what Skogsmulle would be in English? Well, anyways. Maybe I should wait 'til spring. Find another race. Or not. Maybe I should just do it in October. Hope for me being able to train without messing up my back and hips. It's more than 10 weeks 'til then. I can do it. I think."

- "This Tracy Chapman-CD is really good. Maybe I should place an order for the two albums I don't have?"

- "I feel like getting a massage. And a facial. I deserve it, don't I?"

- "Italy. Just 7 weeks and some odd days 'til we're going. I truly need a vacation. This summer has been tough with just three "long weekends" off from work. Next year, I'll make sure to get 4 weeks in a row. But I'm going to Italy before then!"

- "Why do at least two of my new (and female) colleagues leave the toilet seat up in our restroom?"

- "Work. Oh. That. I guess I have things to do. Things I get paid to think about."

EFIT - August 1st, 2009

Saturday was an EFIT-day (Ett Foto I Timmen/A Photo Every Hour) and I participated as part of a challenge in my 101in1001-project. The idea of EFIT is to take a picture an hour as sort of a diary.

9.00/9am - A tiny cricket on our dining table

10.00/10am - Me knitting out in our garden

11.00/11am - The blue sky with an airplane cloud

12.00/noon - Watering plants in our garden

13.00/1pm - Fixing a mistake in my knitting

14.00/2pm - Ironing one of my favourite shirts (bought at Eddie Bauer in Chicago when I was there earlier this year)

15.06/3.06pm - A church in a small village in the south of Sweden that we passed while out driving

15.57/3.57pm - A black hollyhock at the friends' we visited for an afternoon "fika"

18.01/6.01pm - An amazing "äggakaga" (sort of a creamy and dense omelette with many eggs in it) - a specialty for southern Sweden. Boyfriend and I had dinner att Skivarps Gästis.

18.58/6.58pm - Up one of the trees in the garden outside Skivarps Gästis where we had dinner

20.00/8pm - Taking in laundry that's been hanging out to dry all day. Bed sets from IKEA.

20.58/8.58pm - I released Skorpan from his cone so he'd be able to wash himself and relax some. After five minutes of very intense licking, he settled down and fell asleep.

21.59/9.59pm - Watched TV. This is the end of a show about Norwegian scientist Thor Heyerdahl's second attempt to cross the Atlantic on a boat made out of reed.

22.51/10.51pm - Time to go to bed. Bed sets from IKEA. The blue side is mine!

Report from half time

I started my 101in1001-project in February last year. I have now passed more than halfway when it comes to time. 533 days are behind me and 468 ahead.

In the passed 533 days, I have finished 51 tasks and have 14 in progress. I've failed 4 of my attempts to finish a task and have had or will have to give these tasks another shot.


The tasks I'm most proud of having finished so far are:

001. Take care of my nails and cuticles every night for two weeks
033. No ice cream for a month
039. Visit my gym at least twice a week for twelve weeks straight (24/24)
093. Take out a book from the library and return it on time
098. Wear a skirt to work five days in a row


The ones I've had the most fun finishing are:

006. Read 30 books (33/30)
008. Make out outdoors
010. Try three (to me) new flavours of Ben&Jerry’s
022. Meet someone in real life that I’ve made friends with on the Internet
058. Sew five things for others (5/5)
059. Sew five things for myself (5/5)
064. Knit with others at least ten times (10/10)
082. Meet friends and family in the US and/or Canada


There are some tasks I doubt I'll finish. Some because I can't and some because I won't make them a priority. They are:

029. Buy myself a bathing suit and a bikini - This task is in progress as I've bought the bikini. I doubt I'll ever get a bathing suit.
041. Jog/Run five km at least five times (0/5) - With my back and hip issues as they have been all spring , I don't know if I'll be up for this...
042. Run an organized run with others - See comment to 041.
045. Go on five different roller coasters (0/5) - I just don't see us spending time where I'll find a roller coaster... I'd love to cross this one off though!
052. Go fishing - Takes a lot of planning... Am I up for that?
060. Paint my own painting and hang it up for display somewhere in the house - I don't own any paint or colours. Or brushes. This task might involve too much spending (time and money) to get crossed off.
063. Sell something I’ve made myself - That takes courage. Putting myself out there. And I don't know if I'd do that. To be honest.
070. Organize recipes - Booooring...
072. Choose three things from six rooms in the house and give away (0/6) - Do I really have that many things I want to get rid of?
074. Work through all the chapters in my ”Teach yourself Swahili”-book (0/6) - When? And with what energy?
080. Go to three capitals (2/3) - It might get to be a bit too expensive and time consuming to get to the third capital...
092. Ride a horse - Horses are a bit scary and it takes planning to make this work...
095. Swim in a lake - Lakes are scary to swim in. And cold. And slimey. And filled with nasty fish and monsters.
097. Win when playing TP (or other knowledge game) with boyfriend - He's smart. Or at least knows a lot of things.
101. Post in my “proper” blog every day for a month - Do I really have that much to say? And can I organize myself enough?

Wow! That list turned out to be way longer than I had expected it to... What a bummer. Time for something to make me more inspired?

I would like to...

I would like to:

• get back to writing on a regular basis
• sew myself a dress
• sign up for a race and start jogging
• bake bread every weekend
• design my own shawl pattern
• learn how to take great shots with my boyfriend's camera
• get my Swahili books out from the shelf and get back into studying on a regular basis
• work through 4 old tasks and projects at work that weigh on my conscience
• be better at keeping in touch with my friends
• feel completely comfortable with saying "no"
• own more exciting clothes and know what fits me and what doesn't
• kick some of my colleagues on the shins
• knit my boyfriend the sweater he wants
• read as much as I used to
• make myself Amy Butler's Weekender Travel Bag and Sophia Carry-all
• enjoy vacuuming the house
• make myself a shirt or two
• be able to speak Swahili fluently
• stop worrying about the new work situation I'm in
• get structured and brave enough to deal with the idea I have for a novel
• get back into shape after way too many months of back ache and no regular exercise
• finish some of the knitting projects I have lying around
• go to the cinema more often
• invite friends to a super duper dinner
• be more interested in the practicalities of our house and garden
• travel to Africa again
• start a crafting business
• bring my lunch to work every day
• have great looking nails and cuticles
• moisturize every day
• sew quilt after quilt after quilt

So, why don't I?

The most expensive cake I've ever bought

Just as last year, my boyfriend and I spent Sweden's National Day (June 6th) in Copenhagen, Denmark, with some of our friends. Last year there were five of us going. This year 11... Wonder how many we'll be next year.

We had a great day even though the weather was very unpredictable. We visited a market/fair/whatever focused on the home environment. There are many plants for sale and a ton of knickknacks for your home and yourself; homemade salt scrubs, jewelry, bags made out of willow, outdoor furniture, pottery, kitchenware, homemade kid's clothing, and so on.

My boyfriend and I made some very gender-bound purchases. He bought two Cuban cigars and four bottles of locally brewed Danish beer. I bought a jar of salt scrub with citrus scent, two packages of fun paper bake cups for muffins or cupcakes and 16 small tins for "mandelmusslor". And...

I saw these lovely pastries and cakes and decided to get one with pears, dark chocolate, ginger and lemon in it. It was beautifully wrapped in paper with a string around it. There were no price tags to be seen and I realized why, when the girl behind the counter asked for 65DKK = 100SEK = US$13... Had I known, I wouldn't have bought it.

Looks tasty, doesn't it?

I've had two thirds of the cake and it's good. But not that good.

February 19th - March 13th, 2009

This is Canada in February...



A typical Canadian street in a residential area.



Why care about the neighbour's house when you pick your house paint?



This sea gull posed forever for me and my sister. See the snow ball?



I had longed for a Cinnabon for 7 years. Just a sweet as I remembered it to be!



Canadian squirrel in a tree. Cute, eh?



Icicles on a stone wall in a fancy part of the town my sister lives in.



Clams in coconut milk with lemon grass. Sooooo delicious!



The Atlantic!



One of the best burgers I've ever had, I had in the US. Go figure. Think the restaurant was called Red Robin's.



A King's Crab at Shedd's Aquarium in Chicago.



Nasty looking thing at Shedd's Aquarium in Chicago.



The foot and claws of a big turtle living at Shedd's Aquarium in Chicago.



A funny looking fish swimming in a tank at Shedd's Aquarium in Chicago.



Reflection of a part of Chicago. This picture is taken in a metal sphere down in Millenium Park. Can you see me taking the picture?



This beautiful cat belongs to psychic Giovanna. Her psychic studio is on Yonge Street in Toronto, Canada.