what are the odds?!?!

As most of you know, I am in charge of US orders for my brother, Namur. This means that when you select to place a US order on his website, I get the email with the order. (All of you should drop everything and order something right now!)

Anyway, the other day I got an email that said something like: "Hi, I want to order both CDs, but I don't have paypal, so can I send you an international check (thinking that I was in Sweden...)?" The buyer also included his shipping address. Something about the address caught my eye... Aha- it was a Brentwood address - I live in Brentwood! So I decided to look it up on Google maps to see just where it was...



That's right... The dude works 2 blocks from my office!! I emailed him back and said: "How about we just meet?" And we did. Today. At 5 pm in the lobby of my office building.

He got his CDs and t-shirt, I got the cash, and it was all good.

famliy day

In our normal life, one person is always working (except when we're eating, sleeping, or watching our weekend movie). Yesterday, we decided that we would both take the entire day off and spend some time as a family(!) It was a gorgeous day, so we decided to go to the Nashville Zoo.

It was awesome! Being there - just the three of us - together - for hours - eating overpriced snacks and basking in the sun... Heavenly.


On the bamboo trail...


Our favorite animal was the red panda... So cute!

naturalization pics...

Here are the promised pics... It was a good time (except for the 1 1/2 hour wait for the thing to start...). Got some yummy desserts and flowers from my friends who LOVE me (i.e. live in Nashville and do not work full-time) . Also, the whole department went out for ice cream when I got back to work - Pralines & Cream... Yum!

Well - now there's at least one more Democratic vote in Tennessee!

Waiting...


An all-American family!!


Friends Joanne and Emi (and Becka, of course).

three cheers!!!

...for my good friend Rohan who donated a "generous amount" to the American Red Cross in honor of my 31st birthday (I got the card yesterday...).

That makes me really happy. :)

naturalization info

Friday, February 25, 2005 at 1 pm (need to be seated by 12:45!)

US District Court Middle District of TN
801 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37203
8th Floor, Estes Kefauver Fed Bldg

This info is for my friends who REALLY love me and are going to be there to see me become an American... ;)

I get to vote in 2008!!! Yay!!!

bush in europe

This morning, I got to hear the President say *nuclear* twice. It made my day...

It was also fun to hear the reporter talk about that Europe is moving into a realism phase where they realize that the have to "deal with" Bush for another four years... heh.

I love CNN...

And on the ticker: Phones were out in central Sweden for 20 hours because mice had gnawed through the phone wires... There's always a good story coming out of Sweden... ;)

katie

My friend Katie is in town. It's really exciting. She is one of the sweetest (and funniest) people you will ever meet. And this week I can just walk across the office to her temporary desk and there she is. In the flesh. We can take walking breaks around the building - like in the good old days... (I'm so glad you're here!! :)

Tomorrow we're going to Calypso Cafe. It's going to be another great day. Now I need to sleep. It's been an exceptionally long day. Long, but very productive. I like productive days.

PS. Rebecka took the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire AR (Accelerated Reading) test today. She got 28 points!! Congratulations Sweetie!!!

running is healing...

Got up at 3:45 am. Had my favorite oatmeal breakfast. Worked for an hour. At 5:00 am I went for a run for the first time is way too long. Yes, it was short and slow - and I resorted to walking up the last hill. But it was, nevertheless, a run. And better yet - my run. Just me and my shoes in the dark, perfect cold - with an occasional car passing by. It was fantastic.

Today is going to be a good day.

baking fun...

So I made this cake for my colleague's birthday... There's not much else to say, except that everybody thought it was the best cake they'd ever had!! Yeah - I've still got it. :)

Also made a mini-cake for the family... You can check it out on Becka's Blog.

Maybe I should just open a Swedish bakery.

PS. Isn't it ironic that Blogger's spell check does not recognize the word "Blog"...?

how does one slow down...

...and still perform at work, hang out with family and friends, stay fit, and have a *lovely* home...?

help, please?

a saturday...

This morning, I went to the grocery store in my green Baylor pyjama pants. Birkenstocks with white socks and a grey, hooded sweatshirt completed the lovely picture. It was great. Felt like a college student - except for the whole studying part...

Today was cleaning day - big time. I hate cleaning with a passion. Every now and then I request that we get someone to come clean our house... Within minutes Todd is cleaning - anything and everything. :)

However, the feeling of sitting in a spotless house, relaxing after a long day of cleaning, is priceless. Todd cleaned the whole upstairs (except Rebecka's room - she took care of that) AND dusted everywhere (even the ceiling fan in the bedroom!) even though he was supposed to be studying for his qualifying exams. I have the best husband in the world (sorry rest of the world's females)!! I mean, is there anything sexier than a man dusting the frame of a mahogany sleigh bed?!? ;)

weirdness

Just finished watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Whew! I feel like I should be in rehab or something right now... Whoever wrote that movie was high on something. It was awesome!

Makes you think about life and relationships and life some more. Not a bad thing.

See it!

We are walking in the light of love...

Those were the words of the song that Mrs. Hughes' second grade class sang for the school performance tonight... It was awesome. I love school plays... They bring back good memories. Rebecka described the feeling quite well as we were driving to school: "I'm both nervous and excited at once." What an awesome feeling. She delivered her speaking part with great grace and professionalism...

Additional highlight of the day: Walking around my favorite lake with my good friend Mark. It was absolutely superb. The weather, the colors, the trails, the company. Yep - it was all good.

maps and such

The other day, my good friend Pete showed me the coolest thing ever (OK, perhaps not ever, but it's been a while since I saw something this cool)... Yes, all of my *geeky* friends will already know about this, but for you not-so-geeky readers out there:

Google Maps

Go there - type in your address in one of the fields on the right (comma-separated) - and let the magical fun begin! Once you get to your destination, don't forget to left-click and move the map around...

Oh - Pete also showed me a new way home from work that even beats the one he showed me a few months ago... It shaves many minutes off my 1.8 mile commute. I love it! And don't even try to get me to tell you what it is, because it's top secret. I would have to kill you. ;)

costume fun...

I'm not the worst mom in the world!! Tonight, I made a South African costume for Rebecka's upcoming play and it works! Yes - there was cussing and sighing and other expressions of frustration in the process... But nevertheless - I did it!

Pictures to come. It's not an easy task to transform a little 1/2 Swede to a South African - but I did my best. Beads in hair and all. :)

concert notes

Ben Folds is my hero - he wore green socks like I do. I'm wearing my green socks today in his honor.

There was too much bass - it annoyed me to no end. I was ready to shove the "engineer" out of the way to make things right - Todd wouldn't let me...

Did I mention that I love Ben Folds - he sang My Sweet Lord - it was swell. Better than the original apparently (seems like I need to listen to more pre-80s music). Unfortunately the four (4!) guitars and horrific bass drowned out most of his piano playing... Why would you need four guitars? Why?

Mark's friend Phil Keaggy was wonderful as well. That guy can play the guitar. And with such ease and elegance. Wow! I hope I get to meet him sometime. He seems cool.

Oh - and Ben Folds was awesome! I have this feeling I'll be listening to him all day - and maybe stick a little Björk in there - for a change of musical scenery.

PS. I got to teach Rebecka the "how-to-multiply-any-number-by-11" trick this morning. I love that she's at that age now!!

happy *all hearts day*

Wishing all of my beloved friends and family a mighty
joyful Valentine's Day! I'm so thrilled that we're going
to this concert tonight - can't imagine a better time...

whew!

Long day. Much accomplished. Excellent day in fact!

PS. Had tiramisu for the first time ever last night. It was swell. You guys were right! :)

it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

Yes! I walked out the door this morning around 7 am and had to smile. I had no choice. The day was just too beautiful! And what made it even more beautiful was that I got to spend 2 solid hours at the gym... :)

My knee is acting up and preventing me from running, so the elliptical machine is substituting for the treadmill. I'm thinking it's time to go see a doctor who specializes in sports medicine. One week of no running should've cured a normal overtraining injury (from past experience)... Hmmm.

Got some fun-filled plans today: Drop off Becka at a party and go shopping at Ann Taylor Loft (I love that store!), go to the Nashville Children's Theatre to see Jack's Tale, and later on date with Todd at Olive Garden. Whew - I'd better jump in the shower and get on with my day. I have a feeling it is going to be a good one.

PS. Saw Walking Tall at the gym. New favorite hunk: The Rock. Even though he is an ex-wrestler (my least favorite sport)...

can't sleep...

the thoughts are swirling and whirling in my head...

need to relax.

imagine myself in a black, emtpy room full of nothingness.

it's going to be ok.

what i hate...

...how the phonies at Fox and Friends ridicule everyone who are not just like them - i.e. white, rich, Republican Americans... (oh - except the people that they can't mock, because it wouldn't be PC.)

Today's target - transgendered persons... Due to the story on how some women's golf tournament is going to allow transgendered players. Good for them.

PS. This morning, my friend Emi sent me a personality test that evaluates you based on your favorite dessert...

Carrot cake: "You are a very fun loving person, who likes to laugh. You are fun to be with. People like to hang out with you. You are a very warm hearted person and a little quirky at times. You have many loyal friends."

Not bad, not bad... ;)

carrot cake

I went to Calypso Cafe today with my good friend JC. It had been a really long time since I'd been there and I was really impressed by their rapid and non-intrusive service.

I got there a bit before JC, because there was some slight confusion on the time (we now have each other's cell phone numbers - why we didn't already is a mystery...), so I had some time to leisurely browse the menu while I chatted with my friend Melissa on the phone (get better soon!!!!!).

I eventually got to the dessert section - and lo and behold - they had carrot cake. I'm a big fan of the carrot cake. We don't have this delicacy in Sweden... Big loss!! I think I like it because it has the name of a vegetable in it and that makes me think that it's slightly healthier than, say, chocolate cake. I also like the cream cheese frosting the often accompanies the cake... Anyway, later on, when the very efficient waiter came to get our check, I asked him to add a piece of carrot cake to go...

After my 1 o'clock (which lasted 2 friggin hours!!!!), I opened the bag, unwrapped the cake, and partook of the best piece of carrot cake I have ever tasted (ok - maybe not as great as the rum carrot cake, but who can compare?). It was fabulous. And there wasn't even any cream cheese frosting! Rather, there were white chocolate chips all inside of it... Mmmm. It was amazing...

"Better than sex?" you may ask.

Not quite... ;)

oh happy day

I'm on my way to the gym. I'm happy. I will never take it for granted again.

Every day with health should be treasured and lived fully...

It's going to be a great day!

stuff about today

Crap day at work... No one to talk to... But there was an email from my best friend waiting for me when I got back from crying in the bathroom. It made me smile - as always. :)

Family was quite sympathetic... especially Fluffy (not!). Rebecka gave me lots of hugs and Todd offered to run out and get a dessert... I decided just to have some oatmeal. Oatmeal always makes me feel better. And I'm getting fat. I haven't been to the gym in a week - feel awful. I'm going tomorrow no matter what...

Happy thing today: I am now the proud owner of the most comfortable running shoe ever... The Glycerin 3 (yeh - the Glycerin 2 didn't work out - long story). And I am now also a fan of shoebuy.com... Not quite as fast as zappos, but had what I needed for a great price. I'm wearing them right now. Can't wait to try them out tomorrow.

I must run. Running is life. Happiness is running.

lunch

Mmm. Lunch was good. Surprisingly. You just never know how those frozen, "cooks in less than 10 minutes" stir-frys are going to turn out. Rebecka ate about 1/18th of her serving - every piece of chicken, one of each kind of vegetable, and one forkfull of rice. I ate all of mine + extra rice.

Rice is such a comfort food. I love eating just rice. Ok - it has to be prepared with some butter... Still... No wonder it's the staple fare of half of the world's population (or maybe more than that...). I prefer medium grain rice myself. It's nice and plump and moist.

Anyway, now we're on to movie #2 for the day: Harry Potter 3. Tolerable, I suppose... ;)

Ok - gotta work. Need to send stuff to client by 8 am tomorrow. Joy!

movie stamina

I'm in the process of watching "A Cinderella Story" with Hilary Duff for the 4th time in 3 days... Yes, I'm working at the same time, but still... I may die.

Yesterday, I watched movies for 8 1/2 straight hours from 1:00 pm to 9:30 pm. And I didn't really fall asleep during any of it. It's like I have more movie stamina when I'm sick. Weird. I was even able to tell which scenes in The Return of the King (extended version) were new (at least over 50% of the time). Todd was impressed.

Todd is sick. Rebecka is sick. We're one sick family.

Now I have to make lunch. I need a cooked meal. It's been a while. Need protein.

what sucks...

When your child gets invited to a sleepover and you feel too crummy to take full advantage of it...

Although... Going with the hubby to B&N for a soy steamer and carrot cake and later falling asleep (that is the predicted outcome) to The Return of the King isn't the worst way to spend a Friday night...

God Natt!

still mourning?

This is a pretty fun site...

Now I'm actually looking forward to getting a dog!

Apparently these flags have made it all the way to Germany - imagine that.

random *sick* thoughts

When I let my hair air dry, I look like a sheep.

Hot Chocolate rocks.

Hot Chocolate with marshmallows, whip cream, and caramel on top rocks even more.

My best friend Steve can make me laugh even when I'm in the depths of despair.

Best friends rock.

I would give up a week of running to be able to breathe through my nose.

Ok - maybe three days... or two.

hmmm...

The ice cream flavor that Todd brought home is slang for a certain prominent male body part (wonder if the marketing folks at Purity are aware?)... I guess it makes sense, since eating ice cream is up there in the "favorite activities" category along with having sex, running, singing, and going to Panera Bread.

Can anybody guess what the flavor is??

PS. I'm looking increasingly more like Rudolph with each hour that passes. Fluffy is having a field day.

the healing powers of ice cream

So, apparently, when you have the common cold you should "get adequate rest, drink plenty of water, and eat good nutritious meals". What if I don't feel like eating "good nutritious meals"? What if I just feel like eating ice cream?

I personally think that ice cream is the best medicine for any illness be it physical or psychological (ok - except perhaps for stomach flu)... That's why I just had a big bowl. Thanks honey! :)

I do find wikipedia's suggestion of "Hot Beer" intriguing...

More sleep. Now.

i'm sick... again!!!

This is not right. I never get sick. I don't have time to get sick. I hate being sick!!!

You think my body is trying to tell me something?

PS. I love wireless. I love sitting in bed with my laptop. My head is swirling with medication. I'm going to sleep now.