Ever have one of those days?

You know, the day where you behave like a new puppy, barking and chasing your own tail until you fall down in a heap?

That was my day.

I am glad it is over.

I am glad to be home.

Oh, and a special thanks to Tom for getting my heartrate up this morning. You scared the beejeesus out of me.

Yes, I am the former owner of a pus-filled cyst.

if that didn't gross you out entirely, I don't know what will. Perhaps this account will .... (turn away if you hate this stuff)

I've had this 'thing' on my shoulder for about ten years now. I first developed it when I didn't have health insurance, then I did, then I didn't and well, now I've had decent health insurance the past couple years and have done nothing about it. Until yesterday.

I've been seeing a dermatologist once a year these past few years because I am a pale, pale human and my mom has had skin cancer in the past. (She, however, has been out in the sun much more than I ever have. I just think about sun and I burn.) Last year I asked her about the lump on my shoulder and she replied that it was a cyst, it could go away on its own and if it didn't, she'd take it out.

Deal.

So this year I get brave. I go in for my regularly scheduled check and everything is hunky-dory. My only question was when she could remove the lump off my shoulder. She schedules it and then yesterday was the day of truth.

To be honest, several years ago I had my mom stab it with a syringe (yes, medicine at home should not be practiced, yes, yes) and try to drain it. Unfortunately it would not cooperate. This was in the 'no insurance' stage of my existence. Not recommended.

Yesterday at 10 a.m. I am in my dermatologist's office, lying on my stomach on a flattened chair/bed thing. I am first poked with three needles to numb the area by the Dr.'s assistant. In truth, they numbed me down to my fingers and all over my back. I could have had my arm amputated yesterday and would not have known it until later. After that, the Dr. comes in and tries to knick it first, to see if it is basically an overgrown zit. Some fluid comes out but it is basically solid.

Then she cuts me and cuts again. As both she and her assistant are pushing on my back to make this evil bastard erupt, all I can think of is that her job sucks. Sucks, I say. Yes, she is making money but essentially making money off popping a big ol'cyst off my back. Ewwww.

It finally pops and they press on me some more. Me, the sick bastard that I am, has to look at the 'results' of this little adventure. Now here is the really gross part: it looks like ricotta cheese. Yes. Ricotta. *blech*

Doc sent off some of my back ricotta to the lab for testing (making sure I'm not cancerous) and then stitches me up. I see her in two more weeks to get the stitches out.

My shoulder hurts today and I feel whiny.

I am okay otherwise. Nothing to report. Work, life, sleep. Repeat.

Go, go now. Stop wasting time.

Go see The Dark Knight.

You, yes, you. Get off this blog and go see it. Immediately. Work shmerk. Home shmome. Go go go go go go go go go.

And better yet, see it in IMAX.

I will not spoil any of the plot of the movie, however, I will say this: if this movie does not receive an Oscar nomination for best picture, the Academy should stop what they are doing, replace all their members and vote over.

And Heath Ledger is unbelievable, spectacular, out of control in this role. Makes Jack Nicholson's rendition of the Joker look like a kindergartener did it.

Go. Get out of here. Go see it.

Technology isn't for the weak

On my work email, I belong to a listserv for other grant professionals such as myself. Apparently the listserv moderator is out this week at a conference because everything is automated.

In fact, there is one guy on the listserv who has been on vacation all week -- and ALL of us know about it. Picture a listserv with hundreds of members, with several dozen posts per day ... then picture this guy's auto-reply pinging each and every one of them.

************************
Dear CRD Friends,
Isn't technology wonderful! I understand you have received a plethora of replies from your group mails! My apologies for filling up your mailboxes with 'warm' responses...I like Teri's idea of 10 jumping jacks!

I, like many of you, have received these messages when someone is out of the office. The good news is we know the program works. I've come up with an solution of 'unsubscribing' next time I go on vacation (and may I recommend Scottsdale and Sedona, AZ!).

Again, sorry for any inconvenience and thanks for your calls and e-mails.
Derald

-----Original Message-----
From: Derald Bulls
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 3:10 PM
To: crd@lists.crdnet.org
Subject: [crd] I appreciate your note. I'll be out of the office thru Friday, July 25. I will only have

I appreciate your note. I'll be out of the office thru Friday, July 25. I will only have intermittent access to e-mail. If you need immediate attention, please call my secretary, Gloria Richter, (903) xxx-xxxx. I will respond to your message as soon as possible.

Regards,
Derald Bulls
Director, Institutional Advancement/Alumni Affairs

*********************
The funniest part of this whole debacle is that after he sent the above 'I'm sorry' note, he neglected to turn off his auto-reply -- so we all keep getting his out of the office message.

I have gone into peals of hysterical laughter over this. Hope you enjoy.

A new site that I absolutely adore

Please welcome -- Cake Wrecks.

Courtesy of Feed Me Drink Me.

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com

I have not laughed this hard in I don't know when. Enjoy.

Depression

So I've been trying to dig myself out of the hole at work (love vacation, hate coming back from it), attempting to re-regulate my body clock (-6 hours) and have somewhat unpacked.

I miss Sweden.

Clean, friendly, bike-lane/pedestrian friendly, no/low murder rate Sweden.

This week has been hard at work. A coworker was killed in a freak accident Saturday night. He was a great guy and always had a smile for me. 50 years old, two kids going to/in college and just trying to make his way in the world.

Then on Tuesday, a former student (whom I had met) was shot to death by her ex-husband in front of her 13 year old daughter and then the ex- kills himself in front of the daughter too. Oh yeah, and before that, the ex- had killed the former student's boyfriend. A hell of a way to start a Tuesday morning I tell you.

I want more than just a slogan ('Peace in the Streets' my ass) from my elected officials. I want the Mayor to show a little leadership in the police department he wanted control of so terribly. I want a clean and friendly city. I want bike lanes.

Most of all I want to stop reading of the latest murder each day on the front page of my newspaper. I want my fellow citizens to live in a safe city.

I know, I'm an optimist, I think we can achieve these things.

But probably not under this administration. Get out from under your desk, Mayor Ballard. Time to show up and do some heavy lifting. You wanted this job. Time to step up and do it.
This is no longer the campaign season where you can promise lollypops and carmel apples to all the people and they buy into it. You actually have to *do* something.

Welcome to your job, Mayor Ballard. You wanted it. Now go to it -- please.

That 'out of body' experience.

Woke up at 4:30 a.m. today. Lying in bed until 6:00 when the alarm goes off.

Feel out of sorts today ... I'm sure it is because my body is consistently thinking it is +6 hours ahead. As a result I feel a little lightheaded and downright weird.

Work is, well, work.

See you all soon.

Observations from an international trip

You all know how I felt about Sweden and how, given a half-second and some extra wealth, I'd relocate. What you don't know is the rest of the story.

From the moment I woke up on Saturday morning (7 a.m. Stockholm/1:00 a.m. Indy), we were on the go. We all got showered and headed back out to 'our' Cafe in Gamla Stan for a final breakfast and to pick up some loaves of bread we ordered. (Yes, we brought back bread among a million other things)

We walked back through the Riksdag courtyard back onto our hotel's street and said our mental goodbyes to a place we'd loved so much.

We went upstairs, collected our (much heavier) bags, and headed out to the Arlanda Express train station, about 4 blocks away. Each of us had bag mishaps on the way there (turned over bags, undone straps, etc) and when we get to the station, the next train is leaving in 4 minutes. I rush in, get the train tickets just as someone starts to ask the clerk questions. Now 2 minutes until the train leaves, we grab our bags and rush for the train. The first car we bypass, as it is full full full. We leap onto the train with a minute yet to go and get outselves settled. No more than we had sat down than the train takes off.

We get to the airport and need to get our 'tax free' money back from our purchases. This is pretty low key but the Delta line is not. We are first interviewed by a Delta employee/INS screener. She scans our passports and reconfirms that we are US citizens and headed out to the US. After a few questions about bags, packing, where we were, etc., we are on our way to security. Security is run differently in Sweden, as it is a one at a time affair that takes a great deal of time, as there is only one screening line in service. After getting through security, we head out to the International terminal area and must pass through 'passport kontrol.' Passport kontrol was not currently manned, so we waited for someone to show up so we could actually go to our gate. After getting through there, we went to our gate, where we went through ANOTHER security screening before being allowed into the gate area. Suffice to say, if you took out 9/10 of the security in the preceding paragraph, you'd have a pretty good idea of the U.S. system versus what the Swedes do to travel internationally.

We get on our plane and it takes off. 9 hours and 33 minutes from Stockholm to Atlanta.

On our flight, Sister, Mom and I are seated together, in the middle aisle. In front of Mom and I are a couple, possibly American, who spend the flight either fighting or fucking. Yes, you read that right: fighting or fucking. If they weren't 'going to the bathroom' together for 30 minutes at a stretch (twice), they were fighting. About God only knows what. Pouting, fighting, kissing, then fucking, then repeat. Both Mom and I noticed it, as I'm sure the rest of the plane did too. For the record, as much as joining the mile high club seems like a nice way to spend a trip, an airplane lavatory is not my idea of the cleanest nor the most pleasant way to have sex. I'm thinking when I get fabulously wealthy and have my own jet, I'll make that dream come true. But I digress.

So we get to Atlanta. This is where the fun begins.

After a 1/2 mile (or more) walk from the plane to Customs, we are shuttled through a series of lines where our declaration forms are checked. I must say that it is an apparently job requirement that Customs agents be: a) rude and b) bored out of their minds with their jobs. Sister and I get through easily, but Mom's declaration form says "Dala Horses" which sets off alarms that she is trying to import livestock. In reality, a Dala Horse is a small wooden horse that is a traditional symbol of Sweden. She nearly causes a ruckus in Customs. Then we are off to get our bags, then through customs again, then through security, then off to our gate for our flight to Indy. We arrived at the gate at 5:35 and our flight leaves for Indy at 9:56. Plenty of time, right?

Initially, 5 or 6 bags come off the carousel which belong to our fellow passengers. Then the screen shows that we'll be sharing a carousel with passengers from Mexico City. Soon the carousel area is packed with both Stockholm passengers (pale) and Mexico City passengers (tanned). It is obvious who is getting bags and who is not. It is about 5:55 or so.

Soon, all the Mexico City passengers have their bags and leave. The carousel continues to go round and round, all the while, no more bags are coming out. It is now 6:30 p.m.

At 6:55 p.m., the carousel shuts off. I guesstimate at this point that 90% of the Stockholm passengers have not received their bags.

At this point, Sister has 'a moment' with the Delta personnel. Blah, blah, blah, you haven't been here an hour ... blah blah blah from the personnel. Mom also tracks someone down and is given the usual litany of excuses until the rest of the plane (pretty much) surrounds the Delta employee and she calls for help.

At 7:10 p.m., the carousel starts again. We get our bags at 7:15. 1 hour 45 minutes after deplaning.

We then head for the customs line where some stupid idiot from the Mexico City flight attempts to bring in a banana. Hey dumbass, what part about 'no fruit' did you not understand? WTF.
This brings the line to a screeching halt until she removes it from her bag and gives it up.

We pass through this area and head to the baggage drop off area, which by now, thanks to the fuckup with the Stockholm passengers' bags, is a three ring circus of clusterfucks. Yes, three simultaneous clusterfucks all at once. A sight to behold. We are instructed to dump our luggage in a certain area where they claim they will scan it and get it to the right plane. At this point, I am sure my dirty clothes and some souvenirs will end up in Singapore.

We are corralled into security lines and rechecked for half-full water bottles. Mom is guilty so we wait a while for her to be chastised.

After this, we head to the trams to go to our terminal. It is now 7:50 p.m.

I have vowed that I will not, under any circumstance, fly into Atlanta again. I have never seen anything so fucked up in all my days and I have worked for local and state government.

We head into TGI Friday's where we practically shout at the waitress to bring us beer. Thank God she complies. We get food. It is now 2 a.m. for our bodies and we are whipped.

We finish up, head down to our gate. It isn't going to board for another 45 minutes and we contemplate paying a fellow passenger to wake us up in time for boarding. We manage to survive by getting up and walking around in an attempt to not pass out.

We get on the plane and settle in. I put on my neck pillow and eye mask. I am sleeping before wheels are up and only wake up when the wheels touch back down in Indy.

At 12:30 a.m., Mom and I enter my house, say our goodnights, I take an Ambien, and it is sleepytime for Athena until 8:30 this morning. I've been awake since. Am hoping to make it until 8 p.m. tonight to keep a semblance of a real bedtime.

All in all, loved loved loved Sweden, Hate Hate Hate Atlanta Int'l, and am so very thankful to be back home. The kittens haven't let me out of their sight all day.

Leaving today.

*sigh*

Goodbye Svens, I will miss you. Goodbye Sheraton Stockholm, you've been a nice home away from home. Goodbye Cafe, I will miss your delicious quiche each morning. Goodbye bike lanes and alternative modes of transportation, you aren't overrated, I promise you. Wish I could see you in Indy. Goodbye merchants of Stockholm, I'm sure you won't have the profit margins you've had after I leave. Goodbye Oscar, you cute little 19 year old bartender you.

See you soon .... Next summer?

My final day in Stockholm (for now)

I must admit right away that I am a dirty old woman. 'Dirty old woman?', you say. Yes, that's me, a dirty old woman.

The bartender in the hotel is named Oscar. He is all of 19 years old. Hot Hot Hot.

Dirty old woman, me.

Anyhoo, today was the last full day in Stockholm. We take off on a plane at 1:00 tomorrow (approximately 7 a.m. for you folks in Indy), and return to Indy at about midnight tomorrow night. Yes, I will be dragging like none other.

I will say I have purchased a ridiculous amount of stuff here in Sweden but have enjoyed each and every minute.

Today was supposed to be a palace tour and tour of city hall, but instead we toured Sodermalm, the southern part of Stockholm where many immigrants to the U.S. came from and likely our relatives. It was known as a poorer, working-class area and my family was just that. We did get to see some pretty interesting sights and really hiked our way through the city. It was a good day. I purchased a few more things, as I am not sure that Sweden has fully taken advantage of my dollars yet ;) (kidding, kidding, I have spent plenty here, but enjoyed every last moment)

Anyhoo, I head back tomorrow and will spend Sunday in bed and doing laundry. I'll be back to my (semi-) normal self on Monday.

See you all next week or shortly thereafter. Sister and I are headed north to La Porte in the beginning of August for a visit. Jay: perhaps we can see you, Jen and Sharkboy while we are there? Scully, you are welcome to stay at my house anytime girlfriend. Mean Girls, I am sure each one of you want me to send you a Sven. The problem is choosing. How about I import all the men here to there? ;)

What a city ...

I admit it, I don't want to leave. I am ready to take up bartending, serving ice cream or just bussing tables to live here. It is spectacular. So clean, so nice, so pleasant. Bikes everywhere and walking is more than common, it is a way of life. Most people here have beautiful complexions, gorgeous bodies (lots of exercise) and seem happy with their way of life.

I know in Indy, bike lanes are infrequent at best. Here, the cars have fewer places to go than bikes and pedestrians. Most streets are a max of two lanes in each direction with a full lane on each side, divided in two, for bikes and pedestrians. It seems to work well here, with apparently 1/3 of Stockholm residents owning a bike. I can tell you by looking at the calves of people who live here, they are in shape. It is amazing. I only wish that Indy would develop a healthy understanding of what it takes to make it a happier, healthier city rather than embracing the sprawl that is so overwhelming.

The focus here, aside from general health, appears to be the home. After witnessing all the beauty that is here, I can fully appreciate the need to thin the herd of stuff at home for a more sparse lifestyle. For example, at IKEA here in Stockholm, I saw a kitchen in a cabinet ... literally an armoire with a sink, two burner stove and space above and below for dishes. Everything here has a purpose and function, while decorative pieces are essential to their living as well. I saw a great deal of armoires at Skansen which were decorative on the outside, while fully functional on the inside. Lovely, really. I'm sure I've purchased more than my fair share of goodies, but holy hell, some things are just ridiculously cheap here.

Shopped the morning away then back to the hotel for a quick nap. Bought jewelry, postcards for framing and other nonsense. So far have shopped my ass off and then some. Sister and Mom took off to shop and wander, then I woke up about an hour later and took off for Gamla Stan again. Managed to find a lovely little jewelry shop that was more than happy to relieve me of some krona (the Swedish dollar). My My what fun!!!

After the jewelry shop I went to an Irish pub, O'Connells, where I took in some Swedish beer. Very tasty. The bartender was English and very tasty himself ... apparently moved here for a Swedish girl and has lived here 5.5 years. He said the tax rate is between 39-55%. Doesn't seem that different to me after the spanking I took from the IRS earlier this year.

Now soon off to dinner with Sister. Mom is done. She had a hot dog at a local hotdog stand (they are EVERYWHERE) and is ready to get in her jammies for the night. Tomorrow is our last full day here. I am so depressed about that I can hardly speak. Again, bartending in Stockholm. Doesn't sound like such a bad gig, really.

Walked all over and then some

Good morning!

We started our day at a lovely cafe in Gamla Stan -- with fresh quiche, salad and bread for me and Mom and Sister had pastries. I should mention here that the Swedes are very fond of their pastries and nearly every cafe has a heaping display of gorgeous pastries and goodies. I've not taken part in them too much as I've always been more hungry than a pastry can fill, but the bites I've had of Mom and Sister's have been spectacular.

Yesterday's quiche for me was salmon and spinach -- spectacular:) The bread served with it was a hearty whole grain variety and very dark in color. I fell in love with it and will beg the cafe to give me the recipe as it was unbelievably good.

We've eaten well here each day, with plenty of fresh vegetables and ingredients. Nothing here is really fried and most everything we get is served with a salad. I ate salad at all three meals yesterday.

After breakfast we went to the ferry boat for a hop-on, hop-off excursion to Djurgarten, an island that is part of Stockholm which used to be the King's official hunting grounds. It was opened to the public in the late 1800s and since that time, it has served as both a garden/park area and home to a number of museums. We went to two yesterday.

The first was the museum of the warship Vasa. It was built between 1683-1686 and on its maiden voyage it sank about 3000 meters from where it was built into the cold waters of the Baltic. The king at the time was so humiliated he ordered everyone to forget about it and it became the stuff of legend. In 1961, an explorer was determined to find it and did, then followed a slow hauling of the ship up from the depths. Yes, about 85% of the original ship was there and it was slowly hauled to shore where it was then put into a dry dock and restored.

It is immense and would have housed about 300 navy men when it was fully staffed. The museum is wonderful with lots of artifacts and other things that they dredged up when it was hauled up from the sea floor. Fabulous.

Next was Skansen, an open air museum with buildings from all around Sweden. The buildings were representative of all of Sweden, with post offices, lodges, farmhouses and churches. For those of you that have been to Amish Acres in your younger days, it is kind of like that but with less kitche. It was quite beautiful and lovely and even had a zoo of sorts. There were bears (with cubs!), reindeer, elk, seals ... all the animals one would find in Sweden.

After we were finished, we walked back to the ferry and relaxed as it took on stops at several islands in Stockholm. By this time we were absolutely beat and took a short nap back at the hotel for an hour before returning back out for dinner. We went back to the English pub, Pickwick's, and I had the herring/onion/potato dish again and throughly enjoyed it.

Today is an open top bus tour, tour of city hall and getting information on our day tomorrow. I believe we will take a ferry out to Birka, the oldest Viking settlement in Lake Malaren.

Don't want to come back, it is far too lovely here. Weather in the 70s with 50s at night, 20% humidity and glorious, wonderful people. I cannot imagine a lovelier vacation.

A Trip to the World's Largest IKEA

Holy crap, batman, this place was big. For those of you that have visited an IKEA before, it is 2.5 times the size of the Schaumberg location and easily 5 times the size of the Cincy location. It was immense, it was tiring, it was AMAZING.

If you know me, you probably know I have a long-standing love affair with IKEA. Going to the 'home' store of IKEA was as much a part of this trip as the history trips we've taken so far.

IKEA offers a free shuttle service from downtown Stockholm to its location in the 'burbs. This bus, probably a 45-50 seater, was full on the way there and on the way back. I did buy a few things for a gift for my cousin (who also loves IKEA) but mostly window shopped. Somehow it isn't quite the same without the knowledge you can haul home most anything your little heart desires. Although, interestingly enough, with our lunch order you could have water, pop or beer, yes beer, as your beverage. Have I mentioned I love this country?

After IKEA, we came back to the hotel and napped (or at least I did, Sister did but Mom did not). After the nap we went on our nightly sojourn to shop and find dinner. We ended up in a little outside cafe in Kungstragarten (the King's Garden), a big park in Stockholm. Originally the park served as the King's vegetable garden (and what a garden it must have been!!!), then it was turned into a park for all to enjoy. At the Huset we had baked sandwiches, Mom and Sister had tomato, cheese and pesto, while I had shrimp, cheese and some cream sauce. I had hoped to order a salmon sandwich they had here but unfortunately, they were sold out. We had beers to drink, of course. Following dinner we wandered around the garden then out on the street towards Skepsholmen, the site of the Stockholm Jazz Festival which starts tomorrow. On our way we had to stop for ice cream (known as 'glass' or 'glace' here) so we would fit in with the natives. I am certain that the per capita consumption of ice cream must be extraordinary here as everywhere I look there are ice cream cones and people enjoying them.

Okay, off to Skansen, the outdoor history museum. More tomorrow.

Oh yes ... and groupies hang out at my hotel.

Forgot to mention this morning ...

Iron Maiden is staying at my hotel. Apparently they have a show tomorrow night here in Stockholm and the past two days I have sighted several members (their picture was in a tourist guidebook or I would not know them by sight) and the groupies (mostly teenage/early 20s young men) have been hanging outside the hotel, awaiting autographs. It has been quite a sight to behold.

When Mom asked me how I knew it was Iron Maiden staying at our hotel, my reply was: Because all the groupies (Every One) have an Iron Maiden t-shirt on.

Tomorrow also starts the Stockholm Jazz Festival and one of the headliners is Mary J. Blige. I would totally be her groupie. Mary J Rocks.

Out to the archipelago

Yesterday we started our day with a ferry ride out into the archipelago of Stockholm. I believe I mentioned that there are approximately 24,000 islands off of Stockholm. We visited one. 23,999 to go.

The ferry ride was part of a tour package called "Good morning Stockholm." The idea of the tour was to give an overview of Stockholm and to allow us to visit one of the islands that is open for visitors in the archipelago. Many, if not most, are owned by the State and this particular island we visited is owned by the King. It wasn't all that big, but had craftsmen on the island selling their wares (glass, wood, textiles, ceramics, wool). I purchased some pottery and after a satisfying lunch, we headed back aboard a different ferry. When we left, the island was beginning to fill with tourists, so we were glad to have had a few minutes of quiet there.

After our return, we walked around the city, visiting NK (a department store not unlike Nordstrom) and trying valiantly to catch the bus to IKEA. Unfortunately, we missed it, so we headed back to the hotel for a nap. Much needed.

After the nap, we wandered out for dinner, then a little bit more shopping. We went to an English pub (Piccadillys) and I had a traditional Swedish meal of herring, potatoes and onions in a cream sauce with Wasa bread and cheese. Man oh man, it was good. The food on this trip has been very satisfying and delicious. The pub was nice because the waitstaff was English and thus it made ordering food easy and pleasant.

I must say, although I speak precious little Swedish, it has been easy to get around and easy to order/buy/get things, as most Swedes speak at least a little English if not fully bilingual.

Other interesting observations: so much of the music played here is American in origin. The latest top 40 or hip/hop is played in nearly every shop and without remembering that you are actually in a foreign country, it could feel like you are in the U.S.

Mom and I are still mistaken for Swedes, while Sister remains the one that most Swedes look at and assume 'American.' It has gotten almost comical at times and yesterday I told Sister that perhaps we could visit her 'people' in Tennesee (some of Dad's family is from there) and she could then look like she belonged. Needless to say, Mom laughed until she cried. It was quite a moment.

Okay, off to shop and eat. More tomorrow.

Day 2: Stockholm

First, I must say that the most beautiful people in the world live here. Literally, the streets are teeming with gorgeous men, all of whom I've named 'Sven.' :)

Yesterday was a walking tour day, mostly of Gamla Stan (old town). We walked to the Sweden House, a tourist information center, on one of the main shopping districts just a few blocks from our hotel. It was there I purchased a map of Stockholm (we had two before, but both were 'general' maps, not nearly as comprehensive as we needed them) and we stopped at a public art display of 'Signspotting.' Signspotting is a collection of humorous signs from around the world all on display for your amusement. I laughed and laughed. I've taken plenty of pictures so you'll see them here when I return.

Also at the tourist center, I found out how to get to the world's largest IKEA. Happiness and joy are mine.

From the Signspotting exhibit, we wandered down a street towards the Royal Castle. Yes, Sweden still has royalty but much like the British royalty, they are ceremonial. Walked around the castle to the changing of the guard ceremony. Only about 10,000,000 tourists, as to be expected, were there but we did get a good view. Lots of pictures of the pagentry were taken.

From the castle we wandered out to find lunch at a local cafe. Meal prices here vary from middle to expensive, depending on time of day. Lunch seems to be the most economical, with salad, bread, drink and entree for about $12. Dinner last night, for example, was about $100 for the three of us, and each had an entree with one beer.

After lunch we wandered further into Gamla Stan to the waterfront, where we found some of the ferry tours that we may take today. Gamla Stan is large, with many streets, all of which are interesting in their own right. Many buildings have foundations from the 13th or 14th century and we went into a German Lutheran church in the heart of Gamla Stan yesterday that was built in 1771. To say it was ornate is to insult the place, as every single wall, ceiling panel, pew and railing was hand carved or painted with elaborate decorations. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed in there, so I have no record of the place except in my memory.

Today is an early morning ferry tour of Stockholm then perhaps shopping this afternoon. It has been absolutely lovely to be here, the weather is perfect, in the 70s during the day and 50s at night. Very low humidity, although the cobblestone streets in Gamla Stan make for a very hearty hike.

Other observations: the national dessert here appears to be ice cream. Everywhere, every afternoon, we see nearly everyone eating an ice cream cone. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, IMHO, but I can see that this hiking will go for naught as I have enjoyed my share of ice cream as well.

Saturday night, as we walked looking for the restaurant out of the guidebook, the streets were fairly silent, with only the laughter and clinking of glasses from the apartments above penetrating the quiet. To say there are few cars here is almost unfair, there are cars, but mainly there are people in trains, on bikes or on foot. There are designated bike lanes that are protected from the cars and the walking areas are for walking only. It's not at all like Indy where walkers, bikers and cars compete for the same space.

Okay, off to the ferry ...

Where everybody thinks I'm Swedish

Hello from Stockholm!! It is about 8:45 a.m. here on Sunday, approximately 2:45 a.m. for you back in Indy.

After taking a high-speed train from the airport to Stockholm City, we walked a few blocks to our hotel, luggage in tow. It was fairly commonplace to see people hauling their stuff the few blocks and unlike dear Maestro, there were no parades, limited bus service or hauling baggage 5+ miles to get to our destination.

We checked in but our room wasn't available so we stowed our luggage and headed to Gamala Stan (Old Town) in Stockholm. It was right across the bridge from our hotel and is known as a shopping place for locals and tourists alike, although I truly felt it to be more 'touristy' than local. One lane streets, built in the 1300s-1400s, with tall buildings on each side. I am unable to upload photos here but trust that there will be a photo upload when I get home.

On our way to Gamala Stan, we walked through the courtyard of the Rikstag (Sweden's parliament) and a rather large gathering of Hare Krishnas, all of whom seemed to be protesting the treatment of the Chinese people.

Following our tour through Gamala Stan, we returned to the hotel, checked in and immediately began a rotation of showers/naps. We got up around 8 p.m. and headed back out, in search of food.

The hotel obviously has a restaurant, but the idea was we'd use our guidebook to find a local establishment and eat there. Great idea in theory, in practice, a hike to nowhere.

We walked probably a couple miles to the site of this restaurant only to find that it had apparently closed down some time before. So we meandered back down the street next to the water and walked 3/4 the way back to the site of the restaurant we had spotted earlier. We ended up at the restaurant across the street, a Greek place, that is similar to Santorini's in style, price and overall deliciousness :) We were given menus in Swedish initially and after explaining that we needed English menus, our waitress was quite floored.

That is to say ... apparently I look Swedish. Looking around here, it is like looking in a mirror with the light eyes and pale skin ... the difference being there aren't a whole lot of Swedish brunettes I've seen so far, but thanks to Evolution, I have lighter hair than I might otherwise. Thus, I fit in perfectly. Same for Mom. Sister, however, looks like the anomaly. They (the natives) all assume she is the foreigner and perhaps Mom and I are her guides.

Oh yes, and Mom and I have been mistaken for sisters here too. I do resemble my Mom a great deal and I can see that but I'd like to think the 20 years difference in our ages would eliminate the feeling that we are sisters, but so be it.

The Greek place was lovely and some pretty interesting customs to be noted. You cannot drink outside on a patio past 10 p.m. Yes, we had to gather our beers (a 'dark' beer the waitress told us, although it was far more lager than anything) and head inside at 10 p.m.

We walked back and there were many, many people on the streets. Far more bicycles and people than cars. There are many bicycle rental places in the city and we may take advantage of that for a day.

Today should be all about tours. I believe we'll take a bus tour and a water taxi tour. For those that don't know, Stockholm is a city of islands and the easiest way to see quite a few of them is by water taxi. Apparently there are over 25,000 islands surrounding Stockholm. Yes, 25,000, not all inhabited, not all big enough to be so.

Oh, and as a very interesting note, the 'hello' here is 'hej' pronounced 'hey.' It feels rather informal to my ears to say 'hey' to people. I am beginning to pick up various words, much easier than any of the tapes I'd listened to before arriving. Language in action is key for me.

Be well, be safe. All is good here. Having a ridiculous amount of fun:)

And she's outta here ...

I'm finally packed, nearly have all my tasks done and I have four hours before Sister arrives here with Boy Wonder to pick Mom and I up for the trip to the airport.

I'll be in Sweden from basically tomorrow, early morning Indy-time, through next Saturday the 19th. I'm not taking the laptop but I may have access to a computer. If so, you'll get blog updates. If not, I'm sure I'll be keeping a journal of all the madness that goes with travel, travel with family and international travel with family.

We'll be staying at the Sheraton in Stockholm as our home-base for the week. We'll be taking two different guided tours and then pretty much on our own the rest of the week. There are many things to see (obviously) and many SD cards to fill with pictures.

I've packed rather lightly and thus have quite a bit of room in the luggage for goodies. I'm hoping to buy some crystal while I'm there -- apparently there are some pretty spectacular crystal artists there. Of course, I won't haul that back via the airlines. I think UPS or some such will be doing the honors there.

Hope you all have a fabulous week and I'll see you when I return.

41 hours until I get on a plane

Okay, so the freak out fairy will shortly be visiting my world.

Why?

Although I leave for Sweden in something like 41 hours, I've yet to think about what I'm packing, figure out what suitcase I am packing and haven't updated my prescriptions yet. Yes, yes, Athena is well behind the 8 ball at this time.

Tomorrow is work (okay, so just basically cleaning my desk and getting stuff out the door), then dinner with D9, then hair appt. with Evolution, then Mom is in town, then I need to pack. I'm sure I'll pack and repack at least 1/2 dozen times before we actually leave anyway, as I am apt to rethink the wardrobe, shoes, underwear, you name it at least 10 times before I actually commit to any one thing. Angela, is this what it is like to have ADD? I already have some low-level OCD which is showing up in every possible way BUT packing right now.

I am thinking a hearty Bombay Sapphire and Tonic while packing will ease any concerns I may have.

The good news is, though, we don't actually leave for Atlanta (then nonstop to Stockholm) until Friday afternoon. This leaves me with some time for general piddly-farting around on Friday morning. God knows I'll probably need every damn minute.

You should see posts on here from Sweden if I can get access to a computer. I imagine I will be able to do that ... if not, you'll get sufficiently overwhelmed when I return.

Samwise Gamgee as Parade Marshal

Yes, dear readers, it was one hell of a weekend. To recap:

* Yes, Samwise Gamgee (aka Sean Astin) was the Parade Marshal in La Porte's 4th of July parade. Yes, I saw him. (Sean Astin is married to a woman that graduated from my rural high school ... and thus, spends some time (poor bastard) in La Porte on occasion). Typically the parade marshal is a local political figure so I must commend the La Porte Jaycees for thinking beyond the Mayor, the Dog Catcher and the Fire Chief as potential parade marshals.

* Mom's party on the 3rd was a splendid affair with family and friends gathered 'round not one but TWO campfires telling stories and laughing. I was able to visit with friends from elementary school and beyond and kiss a lot of sweet babies. It was a wonderful time. Wrapped up the party at nearly 1:30 a.m.

* The Indianapolis fireworks display from Sister's balcony was spectacular. Gin and tonics close at hand while fireworks shoot over the beautiful city skyline -- a night in paradise, I say. Sister made a wonderful dinner and we (Boy Wonder, Sister, Mom, Aunt J and I) had a lovely evening.

* Worked my ass off at Boy Wonder's house on Saturday with Boy Wonder, Mom and Sister. Weed pulling, dirt shoveling, planting, powerwashing and trimming shrubbery were just some of the tasks accomplished. My hamstrings still ache today. Luckily though, Boy Wonder was kind enough to provide us with pizza at the end of the day, which eased our suffering.

* Sunday was spent in recovery mode. I slept quite a bit and did some general household stuff. Went downtown to take care of FitnessNerd's cat, Madonna, and was treated to the sight of his *extremely hot* Olympic-hopeful diver neighbor. Lord Have Mercy, I needed a drink after seeing him. Whew!! After that I meandered up to Sakura and treated myself to a delicious sushi dinner. Following sushi I meandered through Target, picking up some last minute nonsense for the Sweden trip.

A few shout outs:

* Peteski: thanks for the pictures of the Saddle Tramps and their overgrown Easter Bunnies. Give my love to Babs.

* To CCM and PM: on vacation this week -- may you find much relaxation and joy. Also, may your respective children not drive you too insane.

* Jay -- love the post about Sharkboy and 'nobody wants to see that.' I laughed until I cried. Out of the mouths of babes, indeed.

* Mean Girls -- hope Vegas has not run out of bacon or liquor yet. I trust you will make sure they do.

* Sister -- Take note: Boy Wonder actually gives me real food for working at his house, not a 1/2 can of soup. He's a keeper.

* FitnessNerd -- I know you had nothing to do with it, but thank you for having a hot neighbor. My my, that made my Sunday.

* MM and MD -- great to see you and Madison on the 3rd. I am so looking forward to Nathaniel's arrival ... hang in there, MM. Not long now.

* Scully -- what is going on, sister? No blog updates in decades ... what's happening at the Mineral House? What's the latest at work? Still training idiots?

* Evolution -- hope all is well with you babe!

Things that have irritated me this week.

1. I'm not on vacation yet.
2. Everyone else seems to be.
3. I don't really want to drive to La Porte tonight, only to return tomorrow mid-day.
4. I haven't slept near enough.
5. I forgot to give the Mean Girls some gamblin' money for me.
6. Work hasn't slowed down one iota with the boss gone.
7. There isn't any Nutty Bars in the vending machine downstairs.
8. I continue to medicate my cat. Daily. Twice a day.
9. I have a feeling I won't get any rest this weekend.
10. My roof still leaks.
11. The fucking condo association bastard has not called me back.
12. I have called him 3 times.
13. I have only received one of my reimbursement checks from my travels.
14. My client has not paid me yet.
15. The antibiotics the cat is on make him have diarreah. Yes, it is as fun as it sounds.
16. It rained today. (see #10)
17. Apparently, a work order had NOT been filed on my roof. (see #10)

That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure there will be more.

From the 'let's hope this doesn't happen to me' dept.

courtesy of Yahoo news:

Drunken Swede tries to row home from Denmark

Mon Jun 30, 1:02 PM ET

A drunken 78-year-old Swede stole a dinghy after a night out in the Danish town of Helsingor and tried to row back to Sweden, but fell asleep halfway, Danish police said on Monday.
When the man discovered he lacked the necessary funds to pay for the ferry from Helsingor to Helsingborg in Sweden on Saturday, he decided to row the five km (three miles) across the strait of Oresund that separates the two.

He quickly grew tired and, trusting fortune and the currents to see him safely home, took a snooze at the bottom of the boat, where Danish police later found him out at sea, still asleep.
The strait is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Police said the owner of the dinghy had decided not to press charges.

(Reporting by Kim McLaughlin)

Mean Girls head to Vegas, I am here.

So the Mean Girls are now on a plane somewhere over the middle of the country, probably already forcing the flight attendants/pilots to stop midway to reup the alcohol supply on the plane. Gurls, I want full reports from all of you. Blanche, you are excused as you will likely never update your blog again, as 'nothing of interest' has caught your attention in 3 months+.

I'm here, thinking that in one week, two days, I'll be on a plane to Atlanta first, then nonstop to Stockholm from there. It has finally started to sink in that my passport acquisition of 2006 will not be for naught. Mom has started to get excited and I think Sister and I are just marking off all the crap we need to get done before leaving. BTW, it is a lot of crap. *sigh*

Went to a splash park in Carmel last night with D9 and his son, Nicholas. Nicholas is two and very vocal about his world -- he can identify letters and loves to make commentary about his surroundings. Last night at the splash park he announced: "I like wet" which was good, considering our location :) Then D9 asked him in the car if he was chilly and he said no. Then D9 asked him if he was moist. Nicholas responded with "I'm just Nick." The D9 asked if he was damp. Nicholas said again, more firmly this time, "I'm just Nick, Daddy." We were howling. Nothing like a two year old's indignation that points out you are obviously a complete idiot. Good times.

Today is a day without meetings at work. I am delighted beyond words.

Monday was weird.

Not that all Mondays aren't weird in their own way, but ...

1. I didn't feel well, stayed home from work.
2. Ceiling leak reported to condo association.
3. Caesar had a urinary tract infection, $208 later he is back home on meds. A much happier kitty.
4. Family (aunt and cousin) were in town, had dinner with them and Sister at my house.
5. My Stepbrother M crashed a plane yesterday and walked away.

Number five might need a bit of an explanation but suffice to say I have five stepbrothers and the youngest is a Purdue aviation student. He has his pilot's license and was giving a lesson yesterday when a wind shear toppled over the plane he was in (a student pilot was at the helm) while it was landing. Apparently the airport authorities told him that they had never seen anyone walk away from a crash that bad. Apparently I will see pictures of the (totalled) plane over the 4th of July weekend.

The weirdest part about this is that the night before I had a dream about Colleen, a friend of mine from elementary school and beyond. She was killed piloting a plane over Lake Michigan eleven years ago this month. I was talking to her in the dream and I woke up in a panic, not knowing whether I was really talking to her or just dreaming, it was that real. I felt completely out of sorts when I woke up. I sat up in bed, shaking my head, wondering where I was.

Then today my Sister and I receive a call from our Mom about M.

Weird day.