Two More Awesome Themes

Titan (Aaaahhhh...)
Vigilance (Nice!)

How will I ever choose!?!?

Wordpress Themes and Annoying Up-sell Tactics

I spent the entire day yesterday looking for a good Wordpress theme (no joke!). I'm creating a new blog (more on that as the time of launch gets closer) and decided to go with a Wordpress blog hosted by GoDaddy. I've heard a lot of rave about GoDaddy's hosting services and they have good integration with Wordpress (and I know someone who works there). The one thing I didn't like about the whole process was their over-the-top up-sell methodology. It's almost impossible to check out. They bombard you with additional options and it's extremely annoying.

Anyway, back to the WP themes. I am looking for a very simple, clean, well-written, easily customizable, white, stylish theme. When people come to the site, I want them to feel relaxed and have a terrific user experience. The user should be able quickly to find relevant content, easily read desired content, and want to look for more. Here are a few templates I found that I rather like. What do you guys think?

Copyblogger (very common theme, but oh so nice)

Blueprint Theme (simple, with clean lines)

Green Grass (I would get rid of the green grass though...)

Rihanna (aren't those puppies so cute??)

Skimmed Milk (I love the simplicity of this)

Elements of SEO (SEO is good)

Plainscape (organized, airy, clean)

Love The Orange (not sure if I love the orange, but that's easily changed)

As an extra bonus, I'll also share a couple of neat sites I ran accross that would be a good asset for any blogger:

Free Webpage Headers (lots of headers in multiple categories)

stock.xchng (tons of free pix)

Color Hunter (upload a photo and it gives you the matching color palette!)

Blogging is fun.

Defying Winter

Last night, I decided to take Sophie the Bichon for a walk around the block. It takes about 25 minutes (it's a large block). Ten minutes into it, I realized just how freezing cold it was (around 10 degrees with an ungodly windchill). It would have been OK if I'd been wearing my long johns, but I got out of the habit of wearing them a couple of weeks ago when it was 60 degrees outside. Fifteen minutes into the walk, I could no longer feel the tip of one of my fingers. Sophie was dragging, so I picked her up so as to expedite the return home to the warmth of our apartment.

We finally arrived at home with all fingers intact and very chilled legs. I slipped into my fleece PJs and drank some hot milk to warm up. All in all, it was I very refreshing walk and I was pleased to have defied winter. I won't let freezing winds keep me from taking "lovely" neighborhood walks when it is supposed to be spring.

Today, I'm wearing a pair of pink long johns...

Winter vs. Spring

March in Wisconsin is a very curious experience. One day it's 60 degrees and sunny and wonderful. The next day it's 18 degrees and cloudy and miserable. One day it's raining, the next morning there is a white sheet of snow covering the limp grass, which longs for sun and rain to help it become radiantly green again.

It's like Winter and Spring are in a very even arm-wrestling match. One day Winter is stronger and pushing Spring down, saying "Wait, wait! I'm not done freezing the world yet." Another day Spring is pushing back, saying "But everybody is waiting for me! Let me return with my sun and rain and flowers and birds."

Today, winter is stronger. Cold, howling winds rattled my window all night making it fairly impossible to sleep. It's 18 degrees outside.

Come on Spring, you can do it!
You can beat that Winter.

Welcome Adam!

My cousin Rebecka and her husband Anders recently welcomed a little Adam into the world. Congratulations! Your lives will never be the same...

In a good way.

More on Notes

My cool and sweet friend Katie passed this link along from Dooce:

http://www.dooce.com/daily-style/2009/02/17/lists-or-collections-dirty-thoughts

I love notebooks. :)

Cousin Visit

My cousin Daniel is coming to visit today. I'm excited! It's not often a cousin comes to visit. This is not because my cousins hate me, but rather because I only have two cousins in the US. And when Daniel moves to Bangladesh here soon, I'll just have one left.

Cousins are cool.

Random Acts of Kindness

When I arrived at the Hertz pick-up location at the Nashville airport earlier this week, I quickly glanced at the board, found my stall number, and started walking to my car. It was a silver Chevy HHR. I opened the back door to throw my sizeable suitcase in there and found an interesting double decker space for luggage. As I was trying to figure out whether to put it on the top or the bottom rack, a friendly Hertz employee walked up and offered to put my bags in the car for me. I graciously accepted. He then proceeded to explain how to exit the parking garage. Very helpful for directionally challenged people like myself. Finally, he bid me good day and walked off.

He didn't have to do that. It's not part of his job description. But he did it anyway. He executed a random act of kindness. The coolest part about random acts of kindness is that they keep giving. When I am the recipient, I am encouraged to be the provider the next time around.

What random acts of kindness have you received or provided recently?

Checking Things Off the Someday/Maybe List

If you're one of those people who have embraced the GTD methodology for freeing up your time and your brain, you may have a Someday/Maybe list. This is the list of stuff you would like to do some day, when you get around to it.

For years, I've had the following things on my Someday/Maybe list: Record a Swedish album, learn to play the guitar (beyond D, G, and Am), and get an EMBA. And for years, I've done very little about it aside from gaze longingly at my list and turn to the "must happen now" list with a sigh.

During my last vacation, I decided that I was done sighing and ready to do something about this list. I got in touch with my dear friend Melissa in Nashville and told her I was coming down for some recording fun. One month and two sessions later, we have the guitar and vocal tracks for seven Swedish folk songs recorded and ready. Some instrumental tracks and mixing remain, but it feels like we're 80% there. Melissa, you rock!

Todd knows about my Someday/Maybe list, so he got me a Fender for my birthday. It is beautiful. I am paying for Rebecka to take lessons and then the plan is that she is going to teach me. I'm giving her piano lessons in return. I like the concept of trading services. :)

Once I can effortlessly play any number of songs on the guitar, I'll start worrying about the EMBA.

One thing at a time.

Light A Candle

When I was last in Sweden, I was re-inspired to light candles. Everywhere I went, people were lighting candles. Taper candles, tea candles, scented candles, and every other candle you can imagine. My new philosophy is that candles are not just for special occasions, but should be lit as often as possible. For example, eating by candlelight should not be reserved for your anniversary dinner.

One morning last week, I could sense that Rebecka was having a horrible, terrible, very bad, no good day. As she stomped off to take Sophie for her morning walk, I decided I would cook her a nice breakfast and light the tea candles in our Ittala candle holders on the kitchen table. When she returned from the walk and saw the prepared table, her sprits lifted and suddenly, life wasn't so bad.

Lighting a candle before bedtime creates a calm that's required to help everybody wind down after a busy day. I like to light a scented candle on our bar in the kitchen and turn out the lights after dinner to help soothe the mood and get ourselves centered for sleep.

Sometimes, I light a candle in the bathroom and take my shower in its flickering light. It's a pretty serene experience.

And the best part is that you can create insanely cozy moments with very little investment in time and money.

All you have to do is light a candle!

Royal News Flash

My dad informed me yesterday that the Swedish Crown Princess, Victoria, is engaged to be married to Daniel Westling in 2010. Click here for more info and the announcement video on YouTube (yes, Sweden is progressive...). Congratulations to the happy couple!

This may be surprising, but I definitely have a soft spot for the whole monarchy concept. Being from a country with an active and popular royal family makes life just a bit more fairytale-like.

I understand the concerns around the expense that is the royal family with their castles and gowns and expensive educations. Indeed, their lifestyle doesn't exactly gel with the voluntary simplicity philosophy to which I strive to adhere. At the same time, there is something to be said for history, tradition, and national pride. If a royal family stems from a line of respected leaders, helps us carry on rich traditions and make the people feel proud and happy, then it may just be worth the expense.

Long live the King!

A Chocolate A Day

Do you sometimes (or always) feel like eating something sweet after a meal? I do! In order to satisfy this craving, I would often eat a full-fledged desert (which I still do on occasion, btw) or head down to the snack machine for some peanut m&ms. Not healthy!

My new trick is to eat one piece of chocolate after meals - especially after lunch. And it has to be good chocolate. Godiva and Lindt are examples of good chocolate. There are also some excellent organic varieties. This little nibble of goodness takes care of the craving and doesn't add hundreds of calories to my daily intake.

It's a win-win situation!

Pace Yourself!

As I was driving the 4+ hours from Decorah, IA to Milwaukee, WI yesterday, I decided embark on a little experiment. I had brought a granola bar from Todd's snack stash for my mid-morning snack. In the spirit of enjoying everything down to its essence, I challenged myself to make the granola bar last for 20 minutes. I took a small bite, chewed until there was nothing more to chew, waited for a minute, took another small bite, carefully chewed, and so on. I have never experienced a granola bar this way before. It was as if I became intimately familiar with each little oat and nut as I slowly crushed them into swalloable fuel.

In fact, it was so much fun that I tried it a couple of hours later when Rebecka and I decided to share a banana to hold us over until we got home and could eat lunch. Yep - I made half of a banana last for 20 minutes. I wonder if a banana has ever been savored in this manner (at least in the US).

This little food experiment made me think about how the concept of "pace yourself" really is always a good idea. Think about it:

• Pace yourself at work: Nobody wins when good employees burn out.
• Pace yourself when you run: You don't want to have to quit the race before you reach the finish line.
• Pace yourself when you eat: You will enjoy your food more, you will know when you've had enough, and your stomach and intestines will thank you.
• Pace yourself in life: Take a day off every week, don't try to do everything at once, focus on one goal at a time per Leo's advice.
• Pace yourself when you brush your teeth: Three minute rule!

I spent 20 minutes eating dinner tonight - and enjoyed every bite.

Nature Gym Fun

I am in the process of enjoying the book The Simple Living Guide: A Sourcebook for Less Stressful, More Joyful Living by Janet Luhrs. One of the chapters is called Health and Exercise. The most interesting concept in this chapter is that of the Nature Gym. This is where you get a new attitude toward chores like mowing the lawn or mopping the floors by realizing the health benefits of physical activity. Or said a different way, the gym does not have monopoly on calorie-burning opportunities.

I had an opportunity to visit the Nature Gym today. Decorah, Iowa experienced a fair amount of snow fall last night (which I drove through and almost slid off the road at one point...) and we woke up to a winter wonderland (once again!). Todd took the first shoveling shift to get us out of the driveway and to the gym (pretty ironic, right...?). However, when we got back, the plow truck had dumped a bunch of snow back onto the lower part of the driveway. Inspired by the Nature Gym concept, I volunteered to take care of it. It was an awesome workout. I'm pretty sure I'll be sore tomorrow in muscles I didn't know I had. And it was fun and refreshing at the same time!

OK, I'm not giving up going to the gym (especially since it currently comes "for free" with our apartment), but it is good to keep in mind that there are other ways to stay in shape and get work done at the same time.

I work out, therefore I am.

Going Green Tips for Various Industries

When I was in Toronto a few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Toronto Hilton was definitely taking steps to "Go Green." I fact, I was so impressed, I took a couple of pictures:

Notice the recycling bin under the desk?

Anyway, it got me thinking about the fact that there is a lot that can be done right now, this very minute, immediately to conserve energy. We don't have to wait for a stimulous package (although that is very exciting), a smart grid, or general adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Here are some ideas for different industries:

Hotels: Aside from the items described pictorally above, hotels can also provide an option to guests to keep using their towels and sheets if they spend multiple days. I have also seen shampoo/soap dispensers in European hotels. Think about all the plastic that could be saved if hotels didn't carry all those little bottles...

Schools: Don't offer pre-packaged food and require students to sort their trash. I went to school in Sweden and never once ate food that was packaged. Rather, the food was served out of large pans and we poured milk into reusable cups from a milk dispenser. At Rebecka's elementary school, Granbery, the lunch room supervisor was a real tree-hugger and required complete sorting of trash. It can be done!

Retail: OK, I'll call out the obvious here... Charge for bags! And charge a lot. This will teach people to bring their own. Also, if you must continue with plastic bags, make sure they're the quickly decomposing kind.

Offices: This is the one that bugs me the most, because it's so easy. Turn off the lights at night! How often do you drive through a downtown or business park at night and see at least half the lights turned on? It's crazy! At our offices, we have motion sensors which turn the lights off and on. This way, if you're not in the room, the light knows to turn itself off. It's so easy and saves so much energy. Another fun idea is also to set the default print mode to print double-sided. Pretty easy.

You get the point...
The're so much that can be done right now.
Let's do it!

Cherish Downtime

You know about downtime, right? Those pockets of time when there isn't much going on and you may not even be in a position to do anything productive. Some examples are...

• Waiting at the doctor's office
• Using public transportation
• Saturday afternoon in Decorah, IA (my "retreat home")
• Sitting in the car pool line
• Waiting for someone to get ready for an outing

If you are like me (that would be Type A), downtime can be stressful. I remember when I was in college and happened to mistake the starting time of a class. I had to wait for about 20 minutes for the class to start without having any materials to read or study. At first, I started to freak out, because I was "wasting time" doing nothing. Then I decided to pull myself together and just closed my eyes and let my thoughts wander. It was fun and relaxing!

Every Tuesday, I take Rebecka to her theater class at a nearby cultural center. I could drop her off and attempt to run errands during this time. However, I have chosen to take this time to sit in the comfy chairs in the lobby and do some recreational reading or just sit and reflect. It is so relaxing. I think I look forward to theater class more than Rebecka does!

How can you be creative and come up with great ideas if you don't take time to sit and think? How will you know yourself? Next time you find yourself in a downtime situation, take advantage of it.

Chillax! (as Rebecka would say...)

You Want to Get Work Done? Try a Productivity Day.

One of my top productivity tips is taking one day a week to work off-site (ideally disconnected). I have been doing this for several months now on most Tuesdays (doesn't quite work when I'm traveling). There are several reasons to do this:

• Getting into the groove of writing something like a requirements document or a proposal or a presentations takes time. In general, it takes more undisturbed time than most people have. So we never get started.
• If you are lucky enough to get in the groove, you need at least 1-2 hours of good, focused time to accomplish your goal. This is not going to happen at an office with an open door policy, phones ringing, and Outlook notifications popping up on the screen.
• If you really take advantage of your off-site day, you can make a big dent in your personal "todo" list and be readily available to serve everybody else for the rest of the week.
• It's good for you to know that the world will not end if you are not in the office for one day.

This practice was reinforced at the Pragmatic Marketing seminar I attended last month. Our instructor, Steve Johnson, emphasized the importance of this habit, especially as it relates to product management professionals. He has declared Thursday as National Product Management Productivity Day. Obviously, it is a good idea for any job where you have to spend significant time focusing and your reality does not allow for this.

So how do you do it?

• First you should ask your supervisor. If he or she is hesitant, suggest a trial period followed by an evaluation. With all the awesome work you'll be getting done, it will be a no-brainer.
• Second, book the entire day in your calendar for the rest of your life so as to discourage scheduling of important meetings on this day.
• Third, say no to any invites (unless you deem the meeting a life or death matter - not likely) that still come through threatening to ruin your productivity day.
• And last but not least, find a good, quiet place where you can get some serious work done. I like to work part of the day at home and part of the day at a coffee shop. The library and book stores are other excellent options.

Happy Productivity Day!

Email Processing Habit - Week 1

One week down and a lifetime to go in my new habit of processing email only three times per day. It is awesome! You will not believe how much work you get done unless you try it for yourself. No pesky email notifications to zap your concentration, no tactical tasks spread out over the course of the day to distract you from higher priority work. Give it a try!

Follow my progress on The Power Of Less forum: click here...

Charity of the Month: The Foreman Fund

Today, I'm going to tell you the story about how I went to college for free...

I actually went to four different colleges. The first one was Birmingham-Southern College. That's where I met Todd. I had tuition covered here thanks to a scholarship from the Swedish organization "The Sweden-America Foundation." They selected 40 students each year for studies abroad. My scholarship lasted for a year, so I returned to Sweden after a year with Todd in tow. :)

The second college I went to was Linköpings Universitet in Sweden, so that was free by default (isn't socialism cool...?). After a semester studying religion, I decided to drop out so I could work and save up money for our wedding and upcoming move back to the US.

When we moved to Waco, TX (post baby), I decided to go back to school. There was a community college called McLennan Community College (MCC) that seemed like a good starting point. It was cheap, but we had no money. That is when our fabulous church, First Presbyterian Church of Waco, TX, came to the rescue. I applied to The Foreman Fund (run by the church) and received a scholarship that covered the MCC tuition. I went to school two days a week while Rebecka was at Mother's Day Out and attended an evening class or two. MCC was awesome. The teachers loved me because I studied. I learned a lot, especially in History, Social Studies, and English.

However, I couldn't go to school forever at MCC. The only four-year college in town was Baylor University. It was expensive. Really expensive. We were not that hopeful that we could make it work financially, but I applied anyway. One day in the spring of my last semester at MCC, I received an unforgettable phone call. It was the US Ambassador to Sweden, Lyndon Olson Jr. I had met the ambassador on a few occasions since we had common friends (he was from Waco). However, I never imagined that he would call my house. He explained that he had just given a talk at Baylor (he's an alumnus) and that he wanted to give his stipend (around $3,000) toward my education. He continued to say that he would talk to his friend in the development department and see what else he could do. I was speechless and had to fight to hold back my tears. We were not ready to leave Waco and this would hopefully allow us to stay for at least two more years.

When I received my financial aid package from Baylor, I had to do a retake. Full tuition! No, that can't be right. But it was. I was going to Baylor! I ended up with a degree in Computer Science with a 4.0 GPA. I received a comp sci scholarship after my first year at Baylor, which helped with miscellaneous expenses.

The Foreman Fund continued to support me through the Baylor years allowing me to pay for fees and books. I even had enough money to eat lunch at school one day a week! (This was a treat.) It is such an honor to be able to give back to the fund that really changed my life and the life of our entire family.

Thank you First Pres and Ambassador Olson!

Jesus and the Beatles

Today, my parents sent me a very lovely Valentine's eCard which read:

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.

The context is John's Gospel and Jesus is giving his disciples final instructions before his death. This is shortly after Jesus washed the feet of the disciples as an example of how they should serve one another.

I think this is a fantastic reminder that we are called to love and to serve. In fact, if everybody in the world took this approach, imagine the possibilities. No wars, no extreme poverty, no gunfights, no domestic violence.... the list goes on.

Like the Beatles sing: "All you need is love."

Think of one way that you can show love toward your neighbor or serve someone today. It will have a beautiful ripple effect that hopefully, one day, will make this world a better place.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Essential Notebook

I love notebooks. I go to Barnes & Noble and Borders to browse the notebook section and discover what new models are available. (Way cheaper than going to car dealerships, btw...) Whenever I'm in a new city and walk past a store that looks like it might have cool notebooks, I have to stop in. I love to open up a brand-new notebook and think about all the notes that will one day fill the pages. Will it be idea notes, reminder notes, hate notes, love notes, journal notes...?

I love the act of writing notes in my notebooks. The feel of a smooth pen against the paper. Words forming under my touch. Page after page filled with notes that I have composed. Combinations of words that have never before been written. Just for me.

I have an ecojot notebook for work. Here I note down summaries of conversations, reminders, ideas, outlines and drafts for documents, agendas, etc. I also have a smaller notebook that fits in my purse. This is for personal reminders, on-the-go ideas, songs to download, and everything else.

Recently, I added a third notebook to my arsenal. I realized that I have so many great ideas while I run. However, if I want to remember them, I then have to repeat them over and over in my head until I'm back home and can write them down. This clutters up my brain and prevents further exploration for the rest of the workout. Most of the time, I just forget half the ideas by the time I have a chance to write them down. So, I decided to bring a little notebook to the gym. It fits in the cupholder on the treadmill for easy access. When a fabulous idea enters my head, I simply take a quick walking break and jot it down.

Notebooks are essential if you want to use your brain at its full capacity. The reason is that your capability to think creatively is drastically hampered when there's a lot of stuff to remember cluttering your brain. If you force your brain to remember to get the dry cleaning, write the rent check, make an appointment with the CPA, schedule a grooming appointment for your dog, etc, there is not much room left for strategic thinking, creative composition, focused research or whatever brings you closer to your overall life goals.

Fashion experts talk about the essential little black dress...
I'm all about my essential little black notebook.

Above All, Exercise

I know that exercise doesn't technically fit into the "essentials" of life like water, sleep, food, and air. However, I firmly believe that if you or someone you care about is depressed, sick, unhealthily overweight, or otherwise not enjoying life, the first habit to change is to start exercising on a regular basis.

Think about it... Numerous studies show that exercise is good for the phyche. A 30 minute walk each day can be the salvation for someone suffering from depression. Personally, I know my mood is affected after a few days of not working out. People around me know when I haven't been running. I even read a story once about a psychologist who takes his clients for runs. And it works!

Everybody knows that exercising is good for physical health, but many people still do not exercise because of various reasons. But there is no good reason not to exercise. It's OK start small with just 10 minutes of walking. The beauty of exercise is that it will lead into better sleeping and eating habits, which also contribute to better health. When you exercise, you feel like eating food that is good fuel for your body. When you exercise, you have an easier time sleeping and you crave sleep.

If I encounter anybody with problems or who has a loved one with problems, the first thing I ask is: "Are they exercising?" If not, that is the place to start.

Everything else will follow...

Smart Grid 101

Click here for the PDF...

Listen To Your Body

I have a secret...

My body talks to me. It really does. Not with human words, per se, but it definitely has very effective means of communication. Let me give you some examples:

I have a specific amount of food (and types of food) that I should eat each day to feel good. When I don't eat enough, my body tells me with a very growly sound. When I eat too much or the wrong kind of food, my intestines say: "Please stop!" Just last night, I could tell I had eaten just a tad too much by how my body was communicating with me. It was no surprise when I stepped on the scale this morning and weighed 2 two pounds more than the weight I generally maintain. So I evaluated what I ate the previous day and determined that I probably shouldn't have had that hot cocoa at Caribou Coffee. Next time, I'll go for the hot tea (except I always forget!).

When I'm in a bad mood (or Rebecka greets me with a "Is somebody having a bad day?"), I stop and try to determine the cause. Is it that time of the month? No... Did something frustrating happen at work? No... Then I'm probably overtraining. Time to take a day off or modify the training plan a bit. My knees will also let me know when it's time to take a break or get new shoes.

My head is hurting. Hmmm... It normally doesn't hurt. Oh, I probably haven't been getting enough sleep. Think back... Yep, 7 hours here, 6 1/2 hours there. That's not enough. Time to be more diligent about getting to bed on time.

Lack of sleep is also not good for running... This morning, my body was telling me: "I'm feeling pretty tired. Could we take some walking breaks during the run today?" So I modified my workout to include a 1/20 mile walk break every half mile. It helped me do all five miles.

Last week, my body was telling me that something was not quite right. "I'm feeling a little hot and tired. I may be coming down with something. You should take a day off and nip it in the bud." I stayed home for a day and felt much better.

You may already be an expert listener to your body. That's awesome. However, if you tend to ignore the communications from your body, make a habit of listening and you'll be able to live in harmony with yourself and the rest of the world.

"I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen."
-Ernest Hemingway

Doing the Unknown

You may find this hard to believe, but I actually dread doing the unknown. This coming from the person who permanently moved to a different country at the tender age of 21 and decided to major in computer science without knowing anything about computers other than Juno email and Microsoft Word. But when it comes to everyday life, I generally shy away from new activities if I think there is a chance that I will mess up.

Back in college, It took me months to work up the courage to step on a treadmill when I first started going to the gym. It looked fun and all the really fit girls were on the treadmills, but there were just too many possibilities for me to mess up. After too many workouts on the elliptical machine, I finally decided to try this unknown contraption. I didn't fall off. In fact, I never have.

The other week, Todd and I went to Whole Foods in Milwaukee. It's a fantastic store with an underground parking garage (which is especially awesome in the dead of winter!). When we were done shopping, we needed a way to get our cart down to the lower level. I started walking toward the elevator (I know how to operate an elevator), but Todd suggested we put our cart on the newfangled cart escalator and ride down next to it. My first instinct was not to do it. What if I did it wrong and the cart tipped over?? What if somebody saw me doing it wrong??? Todd convinced me to try it and the cart made it down safe and sound (as did we).

Yesterday, I had a breakthrough in the "doing the unknown" department. I had just reached the workout room and was about to fill up my Klean Kanteen bottle at the water cooler when trickle, trickle, trickle, gone! Here's the kicker: I have never replaced the water jug in a water cooler. I have encountered many empty water coolers at work, hotels, gyms, etc. But I have never replaced one, because I don't know how they work and I might spill water all over the place. This time (since there were no witnesses), I decided I would give it a try. I removed the empty jug. No problem. I removed the cover on one of the jugs sitting on the floor. Aha, I was starting to get it now… when I placed the jug onto the water cooler, the tip on the water cooler would punch a hole in the top of the jug and water would start to flow. Ingenious. Five gallons of water is pretty heavy, but I managed to hoist it up there and soon I had fresh water from Mountain, WI pouring into my water bottle. What a success!

Fortunately, my struggle with doing with the unknown seems to apply mostly to small, everyday activities rather than big, life-impacting endeavors. However, imagine if this applied to all aspects of your life. How limiting it would be. It may tie you to the same job forever or to a city that you hate. An interesting "take-charge-of-your-life" book that I just read, Career Renegade, speaks to this topic and indicates that fear of the unknown is often a factor that prevents people from realizing their dreams and doing what they love. Leo at zenhabits wrote a similar post today talking about facing your fears. It's so liberating.

Now that I am aware of this limitation, however small, I am going to be a lot more cognizant of my attitude toward doing the unknown. It will be an interesting journey with some "mess-ups" along the way.

Wonder what I'll try tomorrow…

New Habit: Email Processing

Today, I started my first 30 Day Power of Less Challenge via zenhabits. My goal is to check work email only three times per day. This is to improve focus and concentration as well as save time by processing email in batch. I don't have a limit as to how many emails I read/respond to/etc. I think getting it down to just three times a day is a big enough challenge to start with. My schedule is as follows:

9:00 AM
1:00 PM
4:30 PM

I have blocked my calendar during these times so I can make sure to stick with the regular schedule. In between these times, I keep Outlook on the "Offline" setting. I can already tell that I am being more productive and using alternate (and better) means of communication such as picking up the phone or walking down the hall to resolve simple issues or ask a question.

More time for me...

Pajama Day (aka Remember the Sabbath)

Yesterday, I read a chapter in The Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs called "Time." The main theme of this chapter was "reclaiming your time," discussing everything from "Do One Thing at a Time" to "Leave Your Job at Work." It was a lot of information I already knew, but you know how you learn things and then stuff it into a few cells somewhere in the back of the brain and then forget? Reading these types of books and articles are good reminders.

The most important reminder for me was "Religious or Not, Rest One Day a Week." God wasn't kidding when God gave this commandment to Moses way back when. It is a really good idea. In fact, humans need the break. I'm not a fan of the Little House in the Big Woods style "sabbath," where you have to sit on a chair all day and read the Bible. I am, however, a believer in the "go with the flow and do only relaxing activities" style sabbath. But I had forgotten.

I used to think my parents were crazy for not wanting to go shopping on Sundays. I mean, wouldn't that be the perfect after-church activity? Now, I totally get it. I have a friend who refuses to cook on Sundays. Instead, she takes her family out for Sunday lunch every week. Others may go for a walk around the lake or make sure they don't mow the lawn on their day of rest.

I decided to remember the Sabbath today. Rebecka and I had a "stay in your pajamas" day and did exactly what we felt like doing. I worked out, enjoyed a leisurly breakfast with Becka, read, took a nap, cooked salmon, and watched the coolest movie of 2008 - Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. I do have to admit that I also did two loads of laundry, but only because I felt like it and I knew it would prevent stress in the days to come. It was a good Sabbath.

Coincidentally, while I was still composing this post in my head, Rebecka created a new blog and wrote her first post. Guess what it was called...

Pajama Day
I think she enjoyed it too...

A Great Saturday Morning

As soon as I woke up, I knew something was different. As I gained consciousness, I realized what it was. First, I wasn't exhausted and second, I wasn't freezing. I literally jumped out of bed, got dressed in my workout clothes and went to release Sophie from her captivity in the bathroom.

I decided a walk with the dog was in order. I bundled up as usual and stepped outside. It was amazing. For the first time in months, I didn't feel cold outside. In fact, it felt just right. Sophie and I jogged merrily down streets wet from the melting snow. I took some deep breaths and marveled about being able to inhale without coughing from the cold.

Next, it was time for the pre-workout snack of bumpers, banana, and milk. I enjoyed reading a few chapters of Power of Less by Leo Babauta, the author of the zenhabits blog. Once the food was at least somewhat digested, I headed over to the workout room. It was empty (that's the way (aha aha), I like it (aha aha)). I enjoyed a leisurely workout accompanied by VH1 (love the song Lucky - Rebecka is downloading it for me):

• 10 minute warm-up on treadmill
• abs
• 10 minute run on treadmill
• preventive physical therapy for my finicky knees
• 10 minute cool-down on treadmill
• 2 x upper body weight circuit
• stretch

Aaaahhhhhh...

When I got back to the apartment, I fixed breakfast and ate it while finishing a chapter called "Time" in The Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs. More on that tomorrow. By this time, Rebecka had crawled out of bed and it seemed like a good time for a "15 minute tidy." It's amazing how much you can get done very quickly if you give yourself a time limit. I ended going over the time by a few minutes, but within 30 minutes our entire apartment was decluttered and clean. I love living in a small space more than I can express.

The shower was waiting for me, so I lit a candle, turned off the overhead light and took a soothing shower. Aaaaaahhhhh... (again) At this point, it was time for more food, so I made smoothies for me and Rebecka. Smoothies are such a good power food, because they fill you up, taste great, and are good for you. How's that for a great Saturday morning?

If only Todd were here, this would be a perfect morning.

Charity of the Month: Fair Trade

OK, so this is really January's charity, but I'm a big believer in the "better late than never" methodology.

When we lived in Nashville, one of my favorite stores was the Ten Thousand Villages in Green Hills. Their vision is as follows:

One day all artisans in the developing countries will earn a fair wage, be treated with dignity and respect and be able to live a life of quality.

The way it works is that Ten Thousand Villages markets products made by artisans in developing countries in North America and pays these manufacturers a fair wage in return. It's such an awesome idea.

When we moved up north, I was thrilled to learn that there was a similar store nearby called Plowshare Center. For our January charity, we joined this non-profit with a family membership. In addition, I have a goal this year to buy as many gifts as possible at this store. They have something for everybody! Here is my favorite personal purchase:

Of course, the RFPD (Rebecka Fashion Police Department) will not be seen in public with me wearing this hat, but I enjoy it. I also very much enjoy fair trade chocolate.

For more information on fair trade go to the Fair Trade Federation's website.

Shopping never felt so good...

The Smart Grid Dream

Our current "grid" is not smart. At least, that's what GE indicated during their recent Super Bowl ad. Others agree. The organization, Repower America, indicates that our grid is "...old, balkanized and too limited in its reach." They are right. It doesn't encourage use of renewable energy sources and doesn't know how to store energy for use at peak energy consumption times.

The good news is that there are a lot of smart people out there working on fixing this problem. The solution is a modern network that can efficiently and quickly transport electricity all over the country. It is a smart grid that can store energy when there is an abundance and use it elsewhere. It is a smart grid where consumers can control their usage levels and sell energy back to the electricity company. Sounds like a win-win situation.

It is excititng to see big and well-established companies like GE taking large steps toward solving this problem. They have an excellent and fun website where you can learn more about what they are doing to help create the smart grid: Eco Imagination

Another cool company working on the consumer and utility company side of things is GridPoint. Their mission is "to make the Smart Grid a reality by aligning the interests of electric utilities, consumers and the environment." Pretty awesome.

Obviously, this will also require some help from Washington D.C. We need regulations that encourage investors to pour money into renewable energy and the smart grid. This is where you can help. Go to this site to learn more and raise your voice for clean energy.

Additional resources:
Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman
http://www.gridwise.org/
http://www.smartgridnews.com/

Dream, be smart, and save the planet.

Product Management Habits

Leo over at zenhabits wrote a good post yesterday about "Groundhog Day Resolutions." His point is that New Year's Day does not have monopoly on being the day to start new habits and generally engage in life-improving activities.

Along these lines, I have laid out a plan for my team to make a monthly resolution to embrace a new Product Management habit. Some of these "tasks" we already do, but perhaps not on a regular basis or not as well as we could if we tried really hard.

Here are some of the habits on our list for 2009:

• Weekly customer/potential interviews
• Surveys to quantify feedback obtained in interviews
• Win/Loss analysis
• Validation process (ties in with surveys)
• Create a positioning document for each product/persona/industry
• Competitive Analysis (do it and store it all in one easy-to-reference location)
• Work offsite one day per week

The trick with habits is that you can't create a bunch of habits at once. Leo would say that you should do one at a time. It is so true. The good news is that once you've got a habit down, it becomes second nature and you can start focusing on the next habit without losing the habits you gained previously.

One step at a time...

Practical Product Management

Product Management is an interesting field. It is a profession that people generally end up in by accident and then figure it out on the job (or not...). I don't know many children who say: "I want to be a product manager when I grow up."

I definitely belong to the category of accidental product managers. I was introduced to product management almost five years ago when I went to our then SVP of Engineering to ask for a software engineering job. He talked to me for a little while and then said: "What I really need right now is a product analyst. You seem to have people skills. I think you would be great at it!" I didn't know at all what a product analyst was or did, but I decided to go for it. I learned a lot along the way (and even taught some people about product management along the way), but I also felt that there was still more to learn (isn't there always?).

In order to make sure that I immersed myself into the most current thought-leadership as it relates to product management (and didn't miss anything), I decided to attend a Pragmatic Marketing(R) seminar called "Practical Product Management." I was lucky enough to have as my instructor Steve Johnson, a "recognized thought-leader on the strategic role of product management." He was extremely funny in a very sarcastic way and definitely understood the plights of your average product manager.

Steve introduced the group to the "Pragmatic Marketing Framework" which systematically walks through 37 aspects of product management from the strategic, to the "geeky," to the "fluffy." I won't get into the details here, because if you're interested, you should attend the seminar. However, I will give you the highlights of my experience:

• Determine and focus on distinctive competence.
• Make sure to ask the question: "Who are we not?"
• Product managers should be experts on the market, not the product.
• You have to understand the "day in the life" of your customers and potential buyers/users.
• Nothing Interesting Happens In The Office (NIHITO).

As a fanatic of productivity tips and practice, I also appreciated that Steve provided some techniques around email management and my favorite tip: "Thursday is National Product Management Productivity Day." For me it's Tuesday, but the important point is that product managers need time away from the office to get their product management work done every week. More than any role, we get pulled in a million directions every minute of the day and need the block of focused time to work on white papers, market research, or any number of other activities which require space and time for thought.

I highly recommend this seminar to anyone who is in product management or product marketing. There are other seminars available on the Pragmatic Marketing website as well.

"Your opinion, although interesting, is irrelevant..."
Pragmatic Marketing

Six Red Roses

When I arrived home late last night after a week of travel, the first thing I saw when I walked in the door was this beautiful bouquet of red roses saying "I love you!" and "Welcome home!" It made me happy.

What I didn't know at the time, is that the arrangement and the vase with its red bow was not a packaged deal. My beloved husband actually arranged it himself and tied the ribbon around the vase. He is sooooooo sweet!

I love you, babe!

Peeled Snacks

I'm in the Nashville airport. It's 7 PM. I haven't eaten dinner, but I'm not super hungry, because I had a big lunch, ate the leftovers for my "afternoon snack," and subsequently had a Starbucks hot chocolate around 5 PM. I don't want anything sugary. All the bags of nuts contain at least four servings. (And I will eat all of it once I start...)

What to do??

Then I see it, hanging innocently on the rack with the rest of the "health food": A bright, happy, red bag of goodness. I have discovered peeled snacks. Two modest servings of fruit and nuts. No more. No less. No added sugar. No added fat. Just the following ingredients: Dried fruit (peaches, apples, Bing cherries) and dry roasted nuts. 300 healthy calories. Just what I need - andit tastes heavenly!

If I could just get all airports to carry this fantastic product, one of my travel stresses would go away.

This product rocks!

Taking care of stuff

Reading the book Three Cups of Tea, which includes description of extreme simplicity and inherent sustainability, has reminded me of something I've been thinking about for a while. Something that is at the core of sustainable living, voluntary simplicity, etc:

We don't know how to take care of stuff.

At least, I don't. In the past, I have often joked about my lack of "practical intelligence." However, the more I learn about sustainable living and read about people in remote/poor areas who use a 100th of the resources I do, I realize that this is a real problem and something I should try to do something about.

Think about it... If you knew you wouldn't be able to get another [favorite jeans, TV, car, etc] once your current one wore out, how would that change the way you took care of it? Also, how much effort would you put into trying to repair it when it broke rather than giving in to "Oh, I can just buy another one..."

Here is my plan to fix this constant turnaround of stuff:

• Buy high-quality items to begin with.
• Learn (and employ) basic fixing skills like reattaching buttons, patching a hole, screwing things back together.
• Take maintenance seriously (e.g. get the oil change done on time).
• For things that I can't fix, see if there is someone who can fix it or at least can use the parts.
• Use things until they wear out. (I'm pretty good at this, but there is always room for improvement...)

I'd like to propose a fourth 'R' to the existing three 'Rs': Reduce, Reuse, Recycle:

Repair!

A Book That Made Me Break My amazon.com Rule

OK, I broke my rule about "not buying new books from amazon.com until I read the ones I have" (still three to go). This is because I found out that the wonderfully inspiring book I just finished today, Three Cups of Tea, is now available in a new version adapted for young readers.

A few days ago, I had tried to get Rebecka started on the original version, but there were "too many big words." I was kind of bummed about it, because I really feel that every child in the developed world should know this story in order to better appreciate the privilege of free quality education. Then today, I joined the Central Asia Institute Facebook group and followed a link to an MSNBC interview with Greg Mortenson and his daughter, Amira. I checked it out and realized it was a promo for this new book. Two minutes later, I purchased it on amazon.com (along with a few more books to get the order up to $25.00 for the FREE Super Saver Shipping) for Rebecka.

If you haven't read the book yet, please do. It will change your life and how you look at the world, priorities, and the ability for individuals to make a difference.

Peace to you...

A Subzero Workout

Last night, as I was getting ready for bed, I promised myself that no matter what, I would make the frigid trek over to the apartment complex workout room in the morning. I hadn't worked out for the past two days (I did have "surgery" after all... and it's been freakin' freezing!) and knew it would soon start affecting my mood if I didn't get my blood pumping a bit. In order to ensure success, I even followed the time-proven approach of sleeping in my workout clothes. I reminded myself of how cool it would be to tell people that I worked out on the coldest day of the year (it better be!).

I woke up at 4:30 AM (on my own, which is cool) and thought, "perhaps I should check the temperature. These are after all 'dangerously cold' temperatures. Heck, the schools are even closed due to the 'bitter cold'."

-15 F (with a wind chill of about -30 F or -34 C)

"That's cold. In fact, I think that definitely qualifies as dangerously cold. I might freeze to death. It is worth it for a workout?" I determined it was not.

Hence, I decided I would devise my own workout routine at the apartment. I started with five minutes of marching with high knees and swinging arms. I felt like I was back in my daycare teacher days: "Let's march, march, march, march!" As this didn't get my blood flowing as much as I had hoped, I switched to jumping jacks. Oh yes, jumping jacks always do the trick. Five minutes later, I figured I had enough of a warm-up and decided to move on. Squats, lunges, other physical therapy leg exercises for my knee... Then on to abs including a couple of planks and finally some stretching. I looked at the time and realized I had actually managed to work out for 30 minutes! It felt good.

Now, I'm eating my post-workout meal consisting of an english muffin with sliced boiled eggs, fresh dill, and a touch of Swedish caviar along with a bowl of Kefir with organic granola and raisins. If there's one thing I learned from my mom, it is this: Eat well and eat food you like. Life is too short to eat boring or distasteful food. And after a good workout, it tastes even better!

Stay warm...

Dental Fun...

When I went to my new dentist for a routine checkup a few weeks ago, he determined that I had some decay under my one and only (and very problematic) crown. Sweet! In order to be able to eat all the Christmas goodies (including some very sticky and chewy stuff), I decided to hold off until after the holidays. Until today, in fact.

Yes indeed, starting at 9 AM, I had massive amounts of shots in my mouth (I prefer that to any risk of real pain), my current crown (which was not good enough) popped out of my mouth, and an hour of laying back with a plastic shield stuck in my mouth while Dr. Tang removed the decay and rebuilt my tooth ($200). They then did all the "putty" stuff for my new porcelain crown ($1,200 - thank God for dental insurance!), which I messed up on the first try by opening my month (I was mildly scolded for this incident) and finally stuck a temporary crown on my stump of a tooth.

Post-op (didn't know this was considered surgery, but anyway...) instructions: 400 mg of Motrin every 4-6 hours for 3 days and peroxide and water mix two times a day until the next visit (yay - there's a next visit!). Sounds manageable. Last time, I think I just suffered in silence after the same procedure.

Now I'm just waiting for the numbness to go away, because I'm starving!

I think some ice cream is in order...

Saturdays are Cool!

Woke up early, wrote my list of things to do this weekend, and started executing. Empty trash, work out, laundry, trip to Milwaukee Public Market for lunch (cool place!), continue to Whole Foods for grocery shopping (yay!), return home, put up purchases, continue laundry, file the big paper stack on the filing cabinet, clean out Rebecka's drawers and closet, key the Goodwill items into It's Deductible, load iTunes gift card in for Rebecka, more laundry...

Yep - good times.

Next, we're off to Caribou Coffee for some fun-filled family time.

:)

Giving is a Gift

When Todd and I started our marriage over 13 years ago, we were the recipients of many gifts. There were times during seminary when we didn't know if we were going to be able to make it to the next paycheck. And every time, a check magically appeared from a generous relative, church, or other source. When we moved to Waco and it was my turn to go to school, we continued to receive gifts beyond our wildest imagination. For example, due to the generosity of the then US Ambassador to Sweden and others, I received a bachelor's degree from Baylor University. We also received free pediatrician care, eye care, babysitting, and more from generous members of the 1st Pres congregation. We would not be where we are now without the gifts from dozens of friends and family members.

Now, it is our turn to give back. For the past several years, we have dutifully given to the church and randomly responded to requests for funds from educational institutions, hospitals, and other charitable organizations. However, when we got to the end of the year, we always realized that we didn't quite give as much as we would like to and our giving didn't necessarily reflect our values.

For this coming year, we decided to change that. We determined up front how much we wanted to give based on our current income levels and which organizations we wanted to support. Based on that, I simply worked our charitable donations into the budget with specific target recipients each month.

If you are interested, here are the organizations we ended up with and the reasons why:

• Baylor University: Without this school and what it offered me, there would be no money to give.


• Birmingham-Southern College: Todd's alma mater and the place where we met.


• Columbia Theological Seminary: The Presbyterian Seminary where Todd received his M.Div.


• Vanderbilt University: Another one of Todd's alma maters (he has four degrees...) where he received his Ph.D.


• Luther College: The school where Todd is currently teaching and loving every minute of it.


• First Presbyterian Church, Waco, Texas: This church embraced us with open arms, helped raise our daughter, and provided friends for life.
• VH1 Save the Music Foundation: Music was always (and still is) a big part of my life. It scares me when I hear of schools cutting music, art, and other creative classes.

We're big fans of higher education and hope that our gifts will give other students a chance to live out their dreams. The above organizations very much illustrate our desire to give back.

• Carbon Fund: We give to this organization to offset our cars and other travel.


• Conservation International: This organization works to preserve our planet and makes a big impact everyday around the world.


• NRDC: Another organization which works for the environment from every angle including politics.


• Slow Food USA: The vision of this organization is a world where everybody has food to eat which is good for them and which is produced in a manner which is good for the planet.


• Heifer International: Great organization which helps people all around the world make a sustainable living in an earth-friendly manner.


• Plowshare Center: Part of the Ten Thousand Villages organization, this cozy store offers fairly traded products from around the world (more to come on fair trade...).

What the above organizations all have in common is a vision of a healthy planet with healthy people who have the means to support themselves in a manner which in turn promotes the health of Mother Earth. That is my definition of the "Circle of Life."

I truly believe the statement in the title of this post. The ability to give is a gift. Not only does a gift benefit the recipients of the gift, but it also benefits the giver in innumerable ways.

No one has ever become poor by giving.
- Anne Frank

Love to Read...

Yesterday, my 11-year-old used the phrase "recreational reading." I don't think I've ever used the phrase "recreational reading." In general, her vocabulary is pretty spectacular for her age. She uses words I didn't learn until I moved to the US in my 20s. Her extensive reading may have something to do with this. She can finish a 500+ page novel over a weekend (as long as it is about wizards or vampires).

On googling "Recreational Reading," I found a USA Today article, called Americans close the book on recreational reading. The article essentially states that the amount of reading for pleasure is going down and with that social and civic engagement. Sad.

However, I can totally understand how this happens. I grew up reading everything in sight. I spent recess in the school library (I know, it's surprising...) and weekends in the city library. I won all the reading contests at school and even got to have lunch at McDonald's with the principal once. (That's a big deal when you're seven.)

Anyway, I got busy with school and work and before I knew it, I was no longer reading for pleasure, or even reading at all! I woke up about a year ago and realized I hadn't read for years (except for the mandatory Harry Potter books). And I missed it! I missed being so lost in another world that I lost track of time and forgot to eat (OK, that last part didn't happen often...). I missed learning new things like how to exercise while on the road or how to write awesome use cases.

So, I made a promise to myself to start reading again. Not every now and then, but every day. This may sound impossible, but it actually isn't. It's like anything else like exercising or practicing a musical instrument... You just have to schedule the time. This is how I do it:

4:30 AM - Wake up and eat a small snack and READ for 15 minutes before going to the gym.
6:45 AM - Eat a post workout meal and READ for 15 minutes before leaving for work.
12:00 PM - Take a break from work, have some lunch and READ for 30 minutes.
8:00 PM - Snuggle up in bed, turn on the reading lamp, and READ for 30 minutes until it is time to snooze.

OK, so most days I end up skipping one of these sessions, but regardless, I get at least an hour per day. That's not bad. Reading keeps me alive and engaged. In fact, it even helps me get out of bed in the morning knowing that I'll have some reading time before the day's craziness begins.

Are you pumped about reading now? If yes, then here are some tips from my fall collection:

Personal
Simple Prosperity
Radical Simplicity
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
Hot, Flat, and Crowded
Twilight

Professional
Don't Make Me Think
Designing The Obvious
Sketching User Experiences
Tuned In

Warning: Once you get hooked on reading and amazon.com, you may end up buying more books than you can afford (or have time to read). I have curbed this addiction with a simple rule: I can't buy a new book until I have finished reading the ones I have. It works. I currently have 40 books saved in my amazon shopping cart waiting to be purchased, read, and loved.

Enjoy your recreational reading!

Take Action!

A few weeks ago, I struck up a conversation with a lady at our gym. We talked about this and that and eventually slid into the topic of the environment (imagine that!) and what can be done, etc. She mentioned that she is a member of Sierra Club, but liked the publications of the NRDC better.

"NRDC?" I asked (slightly embarrassed - seems like something I should know).
"Yes, the Natural Resource Defense Council."
"Right..." (Still no idea... Made mental note to google.)

Anyway, today, after reading about this organization several times in Hot, Flat, and Crowded, I went to the website to check it out. It's a cool site. And guess what you can do there?

You can send a letter to our President-elect, Barack Obama.

No joke.

So I did... I asked him to please establish some laws that would provide some incentive to VCs to invest in clean energy. I asked him to make some laws against ridiculously large vehicles. And I told him I'm available to help. Click here to send your letter (there's a form letter if you don't feel like writing your own).

Enthused by this new-found direct access to the President-elect, I went to his site change.gov to check out the latest on the Energy/Environment front. And guess what you can do there?

You can submit your ideas for changing the country (and in effect, the world).

How cool is that?

I haven't actually done that yet, because it requires a bit more thought and I really wanted to share all this with you as soon as possible.

Anyway, the point is that it is time to take some action. It's all well and good to talk to people in the gym about the environment and how you can help by walking to the grocery instead of driving, but it's not enough. Our leaders need to hear from us, the people, that we care. We care that animals are going extinct and that people are dying from lousy air. They need to hear that we are willing to drive less, take more public transportation, and invest in clean air, if given the opportunity. And they will listen, if enough people give them the same message.

Speak up or forever hold your peace.
Time's up.

Christmas in Sweden

Well, I guess I really took a real vacation this time. Even from blogging! Here is the synopsis of our fabulous Christmas:

12/22: I was sick as a dog and stayed in bed all day. Rebecka, Katie, Todd, Ester, and Scilla went to Stockholm and visited Junibacken and Gamla Stan. From what I can tell, they had a swell time.

12/23: I mustered up enough energy to make a day trip into Stockholm with Todd and Katie. We shopped, visited Gamla Stan (a must!), and had "fika" with my brother David and his familiy. Levi (just turned three) entertained everybody by singing in the streets.

12/24: Christmas Eve is the big day in Sweden. We spent most of the morning preparing for the traditional "julbord" (Christmas table). It includes meatballs and potato casserole, ribs, sausage, bread, cheese, and of course the Christmas ham. We ate together (all twelve of us!) and enjoyed. 3 PM is Disney time. This is the most sacred Christmas tradition in Sweden. We watch a one-hour special that has been on for decades. Later on, we delivered and received presents in a slightly chaotic manner. It was all good fun. The day ended with Christmas porridge ("risgrynsgröt") and some singing.

12/25: Relax... + Tour of Järna with my dad. We saw the areas which are inhabited mostly by "antroposofer." This is a group of people who are followers of Rudolf Steiner's teachings. He is the founder of the Waldorf method of teaching, for example. The have their Swedish headquarters in Järna and run a very successful mill called Saltåkvarn. They have very interesting architecture as well with smooth, round shapes.

12/26: Drop Katie at the airport (sad...) and then mostly relaxing. I've made quite a dent in Hot, Flat, and Crowded during vacation. I hope to finish it on the plane tomorrow.

12/27: Cleaning Day! After a week of lots and lots of people at the house, it was time for some thorough scrubbing. Todd and I went to down downstairs, while my parents took care of upstairs. We also had the insentive that we had lots of relatives coming the following day. I also went for a slightly chilly run outside. It was super refreshing. I can't remember the last time I didn't work out for more than a week. I guess that's what my body needed.

12/28: Sang in church in the morning. In the afternoon, relatives slowly trickled in until we reached 20+ people. It was nice to see aunts, uncles, cousins, and others. We ate good food and chatted into the evening.

12/29: All-day date with Todd in Stockholm. We took the commuter train into town and then the subway for our first errand. We dropped some used books at Proklama, which is a bookstore run by my aunt Margareta. I also found a book I had been looking for, so I bought it from her. We then proceeded to try to return a pair of boots I had bought the previous week. Unfortunately, there were no returns on sale items, so I had to pick out a different pair. Fortunately, I found a really awesome pair of sheepskin boots. (Yes!) Throughout our date, we fervently searched each store we passed for a special nut and chocolate snack mix we had discovered two years ago. Either nobody else realizes the beauty of this treat or it is so popular it is always out of stock. We also spent a good bit of time in a large bookstore, Akademibokhandeln. I found lots of interesting titles such as Complex Theory for a Sustainable Future, The ISIS Agreement, and The Final Energy Crisis. Todd found some Swedish books as well. We didn't buy any. Books are expensive in Sweden. We also enjoyed a very, very cozy fika at Kaffekoppen in Gamla Stan. This coffee shop is located on the edge of the main square of Gamla Stan and has the best atmosphere ever. We finished with some mandatory shopping at Åhléns before heading back on the train. Good day.

12/30: Rebecka and I took one of my parents' cars and drove west to Örebro to visit my sister Priscilla and her husband Fredrik. After getting a little lost, we finally reached their home. We enjoyed delicious soup a la Fredrik, downtown Örebro, fika, bowling, and picture sharing time with them. It was nice to get a glimpse into their life.

12/31: New Years Eve included an even colder (and longer) run - this time with Todd. He was dressed in only shorts and a sweatshirt. People looked at him kind of funny. It was an energizing run! The rest of the day was spent in preparation for the New Years Eve feast. We had an interesting mix of Mexican and Medeterranean. Something for everybody, to be sure. We enjoyed a new game called "När & Fjärran," which really exposed my lack of general knowledge, for example, aparently I don't know which president is on the one dollar bill :P (I'm OK with that). Todd and I won (thanks to Todd). We ended with a vigil led by sister Miriam and rocket watching from the balcony (documented by Rebecka on YouTube).

1/1: Wow, it's a new year! For some reason, this year I was really ready for the old year to be over and to get started on a fresh, new year. I think it has to do with all of the new ideas and thooughts I have been reading about and practicing, as well. Here are a few of my hopes/goals for 2009 and beyond:

• I am not going to eat meat until the majority of US meat is produced in a ethical and sustainable manner.


• I will focus on using what we already have and buy new things only when absolutely necessary.


• We have established a giving goal and decided where most of the money is going to go month by month. (More on that in a separate post...)


• Go for a daily walk with Rebecka and Sophie when I get home from work.


• Learn more about sustainable business and especially the energy/efficiency business.


• Continue to practice productivity techniques to free up time for music, reading, writing, and socializing.

There's much more, but that is a good sample. We spent most of the first day of 2009 with my brother David & fam in Bagarmossen. I recorded several tracks for the last song of my upcoming Swedish album with David on guitar and Miriam, Rebecka, and Todd on vocals. It's going to be great! It was nice to get to spend some quality time with them. We enjoyed spinage soup, reading, singing, washing dishes, and acting crazy.

1/2: Hey, that's today! And my entire family is waiting for me to finish this post so we can play one last game of När & Fjärran. We leave for the US tomorrow morning. See you then...

Happy New 2009!

We Made It!

This is the good news of the week. Despite all imaginable hurdles, we made it all the way to Sweden. We miraculously made our connection in Chicago (our luggage didn't, but that's OK) and almost missed our connection in Frankfurt due to sheer stupidity (or lack of knowledge, as Todd put it). For your reference, it takes an hour to get from one gate to another in Frankfurt.

What we learned (and already knew) is that we should never do another trip with two connections. Bad idea. Next time, we'll drive down to Chicago and catch a direct flight to Stockholm. I don't care if it is a bit more expensive.

Anyway, now I am down with a bad cold (typical vacation fare) and will be in bed for most of the day, while the rest of the gang take the commuter train into Stockholm for a day on the town. My goal is to recover fully today and be ready to go tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a new day.

What Are The Odds?

We're supposed to leave for Sweden today. Our county has gotten 10 inches of snow - and counting. It was fun walking through the snow to the club house gym this morning though...

The good news is we're going by Hummer to the airport. The bad news is I have to drop Sophie off for her sleepover first (in my Echo). The really bad news is that my dear friend Katie may have to spend a day alone with my family... Well, I guess that's not too bad.

Guh - this sux...

Stream of Consciousness...

It is 5 degrees here... That is freakin' cold! Good thing I haven't had to leave the house yet... But, I will have to soon. I have to hit nine different stores today in order to complete my final pre-Sweden shopping circuit. Highlights to look forward to: World Market (for glögg), Joanne (to pick up some thinner string for Christmas present jewelry making), and Barnes & Noble (I could spend a whole day there...).

I fell asleep at 2 AM this morning. Sophie started barking ferociously around 4 AM (probably at those pesky bunnies in the back yard). I'm glad she attempts to protect us. The point is, I got two solid hours of sleep. Awesome. Today is going to be fun.

I learned how to clean UGGs today. (Yep, earlier this fall, I broke down and got my child ridiculously expensive sheepskin boots.) What I learned: Buying UGG cleaning stuff is expensive, but works well (I'm not really into the whole do-it-yourself concoction thing...), a little cleaning solution goes a looooong way, and the process requires a butt load of paper towels (sorry trees!). What I don't know yet is how long it will take for them to dry and is it going to be in time for our trip tomorrow (if not, I will be in serious trouble)?

I am a laundry machine! Well, not literally. What I mean is, I can do an awful lot of laundry in one day. It's 8:23 AM right now, and I'm already on the second load. Laundry is one of my more favorite household chores. It's way better than dusting and vacuuming (that's a really hard word to spell...). However, not as fun as washing the dishes. I haven't used our dishwasher here in months. It left these suspect white traces of something on everything. Not cool. Dish washing is pretty therapeutic, if you ask me.

Speaking of therapeutic, deep breathing totally works. I felt some severe nausea attacking me a few minutes ago and I started breathing deeply and deliberately and soon I was back to normal. It also works when you feel like yelling at your tween or when things get stressful at work.

Btw, the whole eating less sugar thing combined with regular exercise is working out. Today, I hit my "what I need to weigh before I go to Sweden" weight. Pretty exciting. This is preemptive weight loss to offset the very probably weight gain caused by my mom's fantastic cooking. We'll see how it goes.

Seems the weather in Sweden will be mild enough for running outside. It's 37 degrees there today. Nice. This will be the first time I go to Sweden for warmer weather. Weird.

Well, my guess is Target is open by now, so I should probably start my shopping round, since Sophie needs to be at her grooming appointment at noon and I need to be at mine shortly thereafter.

Later...

Grattis Pappa!

My dad turns 69 today. He is one of the coolest people I know. He can do anything from fix a car to bake a wedding cake to deliver a sermon. When we were little, he was generally just as excited as we were (or more) about building lego castles or going cross-country skiing. In fact, he even participated in the worlds larges cross-country skiing race, Vasa Loppet, once.

However, the thing that I like most about my dad is his generosity. He loves giving. It doesn't matter if it is time, money, or knowledge. If he had more, he would give more. He gives freely.

I got a lot of traits from my dad (taking care of the family finances, making lists, a love of running, etc, etc). However, the trait I most wish to foster is that of generosity. I have received so much and my desire is to give back and make the world a better place. I believe I can make a difference.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Junk Mail and Beyond

I am actively continuing my quest to receive zero (or close to it) junk mail. Since last time, I have gotten rid of the following:

• LL Bean
• Bed, Bath & Beyond
• Kay Jewelers
• JCPenney
• Eddie Bauer
• Victoria's Secret

I've had a few mailings with no instructions on how to get off the junk mail list. For these, I just go on the website and email customer service. So far, it seems to be working as I'm getting email replies indicating I have been taken off the list. (Yes!)

On a separate, but related note, we had our dear Apple David and Care Bear visiting us for the weekend. We spent most of the weekend celebrating the season with good food and drink including glögg and pepparkakor. On Saturday evening, we exchanged gifts. Apple D and CB must have been reading my blog (hi guys!), because they decided to go shopping at Ten Thousand Villages for a lot of our "familiy presents." We received several cookie mixes and the like from an organization called Women's Bean Project. This organization is focused on helping women out of poverty by teaching job readiness and life skills. Very cool!

However, my favorite present was a necklace from Junk Mail Gems made out of recycled junk mail! Their motto is "Starve a landfill...Buy Junk Mail Gems!" It makes me so happy when people find a way to use at least some of the waste that we create every day. The necklace itself is fun and versatile. In fact, I'm wearing it today!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Woe Is Me...

This is going to be a complainy post (mostly)...

• I have a headache... I don't get headaches, so getting one goes against my very being. It is so bad in fact, that I had to take medicine. And it's not getting any better.
• I'm so tired, I can't really function. I have been lying on the couch since I got home from work. The upside of this is that I'm getting good practice at doing nothing (which I am generally really bad at).
• Because of the aforementioned complaints, I didn't have the strength to go Christmas shopping for David and Caroline tonight. Todd is going to have to pick up the slack while I'm at work tomorrow.

Actually, those are really the only complaints I have... In fact, I think I have more happy points than bad ones:

• Rebecka is sitting next to me doing her math homework and every now and then, I get to help.
• Todd surprised us by coming home early this week.
• Sophie is very snugly.
• I'm leaving for Sweden in a week.
• Todd just brought me some hot chocolate.
• David and Caroline are coming into town tomorrow.
• I'm watching the movie "The Holiday" tonight.
• I'm going to bed early.
• I get to work out in the morning.

Life is good.

Christmas at Luther

This weekend, Rebecka, Sophie, and I drove to Decorah, IA to see Todd. In fact, in one day, I flew from Nashville to Milwaukee and turned around and drove to Iowa. This was not planned, but cancelled flights happen.

Anyway, the reason we decided to come this weekend was so that we could attend the acclaimed Christmas at Luther concert. As PBS describes it:

"Celebrate the joy, faith and traditions of Christmas as the renowned music ensembles of Luther College bring you Christmas at Luther, marking 27 years of sharing the seasonal gift of music with an annual concert. More than 600 musicians, including six choirs, Christmas Brass and Percussion, Symphony Orchestra, and Luther's handbell choir, present traditional holiday carols and sacred Christmas anthems."

It was a well choreographed production with choirs moving around between songs and alternation of instrumental pieces, choral pieces, and sing-along Christmas carols. I was expecting at least one "Nordic" song and was not disappointed when close to the end, one of the choirs did the song Wonderful Peace (Jul, Jul, Strålande Jul). You can hear the Swedish version of it here (although it's much better with harmony).

After the event, we exited the concert hall and stepped into a small blizzard. I felt like I was in one of the Little House on the Prairie books. The Ingalls familiy actually lived in this part of the country. I can now understand why the cattle froze to death... Thankfully, we made it home OK.

Today, we spent a significant part of the day trying to fix a broken lint filter (yes, I broke it...) for the Decorah dryer. I now have super glue on five fingers. But that's a different story...

Stay warm!

Getting Rid of Junk Mail - Part 2

I discovered something cool today... Most direct mail actually has (in very fine print) a telephone number or (better yet!) a website for getting oneself removed from their mailing list!

Tonight, I took care of the following:

• Money Mailer
• ValPak
• Dell
• Guitar Center
• Pier1 Imports
• REI

This is fun!

Getting Rid of Junk Mail

The contents of my mailbox today: Six pieces of direct mail. Guh!

Just yesterday, I found a good article on About.com regarding slowing down the steady stream of junk mail that magically finds you whether you want it or not. It pointed out two sites which help you take the first steps toward junk mail freedom:

DMA Choice: This site allows you to take care of several categories of junk mail such as catalogs and magazine subscriptions.

OptOutPreScreen.com: This site helps you get off the lists used by credit card and insurance companies (yes!).

It really didn't take much time at all to register for these services. Now, I will probably have to notify some companies specifically to get off their lists (think companies from which I've bought stuff). This will start tomorrow with the six that were in my mailbox today.

Btw, I love the label on the "Valpak Savings" mailing: "TO THE CONSUMER AT..." I am now "The Consumer." Lovely.

The good news is that I received the following communication from our apartment association: "Go Green with Our Email Option!" I can now get all their communications via email. I'm signing up...

Now!