Quotes, this time

Last time we had film/tv scenes, this time I'm doing quotes.
You figure out where they're from.

"I can read women. You've got to know their wants and their needs. And that can be anything from making sure she's got enough money to buy groceries each week to making sure she's gratified sexually after intercourse."

- What do we say to him?
- We say nothing. The guy's going to hell for seven years. What are we going to do, wish him luck?

"He jests at scars that never felt a wound."

- I think it's only fair to tell you, you just paid for the funeral for the person who killed your dog.
- Yeah, I know.
- You knew?
- Yeah. I always hated that dog.

"Just don't disappear again. I like to say goodbye to the people I love even if it's only to cry my eyes out, bitch."

"Sometimes I think people don't understand how lonely it is to be a kid, like you don't matter. So, I'm eight, and I have these toys, these dolls. My favorite is this ugly girl doll who I call Clementine, and I keep yelling at her, 'You can't be ugly! Be pretty!' It's weird, like if I can transform her, I would magically change, too."

- Well, you know what happens when you assume.
- What?
- I don't know. Something about a donkey. It is a stupid American phrase.

"I may chance have some odd quirks and remnants of wit broken on me, because I have railed so long against marriage... But, does not the appetite alter? A man loves the meat in his youth that he cannot endure in his age. Shall quips and sentences and these paper bullets of the brain awe a man from the career of his humour? No! The world must be peopled!"

"And so they do die. One every three seconds. There they go... And another one."

"This famous linguist once said that of all the phrases in the English language, of all the endless combinations of words in all of history, that 'cellar door' is the most beautiful."

"Tell you what, we coulda had a good life together! Fuckin' real good life! Had us a place of our own. But you didn't want it, Ennis! So what we got now is Brokeback Mountain! Everything's built on that! That's all we got, boy, fuckin' all. So I hope you know that, even if you don't never know the rest! You count the damn few times we have been together in nearly twenty years and you measure the short fucking leash you keep me on - and then you ask me about Mexico and tell me you'll kill me for needing somethin' I don't hardly never get. You have no idea how bad it gets! I'm not you... I can't make it on a couple of high-altitude fucks once or twice a year! You are too much for me Ennis, you sonofawhoreson bitch! I wish I knew how to quit you."

"What happens if Jerry gets mad?"

- I dreamt a dream tonight.
- And so did I.
- And what was yours?
- That dreamers often lie.

- Very romantic.
- Says the man who yelled "Finally!" at the end of Love Story.

Uni venting

This Lund university lark is actually a tad more stressful than expected... I have a massive amount of pages to read, on which I'm already behind. I haven't paid my student union/corpus bill yet (well, to be perfectly honest, I havent even picked up my bill yet). I can get this feeling in class that I really have absolutely no idea what Merle is talking about, and wonder if I even belong there. But just after that, I decide that I do. I do belong there, because no matter how new, weird and hard everything is, right now I'm loving it.
With all that's going on I'm feeling like a bad /mg at the moment, though.

There is some of fun happening, too.

Samba classes started on Monday, and while I was forced to realise the sad truth that I have no capability whatsoever of coordinating arms, hips and feet and the same time, it was still awesomly fun. And an excellent workout.

Another one of my coursemates speaks sign language, which gives me an opportunity to catch up on that. She's already gotten me to practise by spelling out words to myself during the lectures. It's quite fun trying to spell labiodental as quickly as possible.

During our SI meeting today we discussed grammar, and at the end of the hour I was saying to Anna how much fun it was. I half expected the regular 'You're crazy' look, but instead got an 'I know, isn't it?' It's awesome being around people who are interested in the same things.

My coursemates got their first taste of my sometimes inappropriate sense of humour. There was a lady from the Students' Health talking to us, and when she told us that 'Vi har en grupp för barn till alkoholister, som brukar bli full varje termin' I had to stiffle a snort. I know, I'm horrible, but it was kinda funny! They thought so too when I explained it to them.

I'm going to sign up for my union tomorrow - still shilly-shallying back and forward between Lund's and Wermland's, but I'm leaning towards Wermland's at the moment - and buying my ticket for the novisch party next Friday.

Ran into Fredrik on my way home today, always nice to see one of the oldies. I do miss the Malmö crowd, even if I don't miss the school itself.

And there just might be a chance that I'm going to study Catalan. The teacher, Casanova - yes, apparently that is his real name - just emailed me and asked me to call to discuss the possibilities of starting up the course. Oh, please, please, let it happen.

I think this is going to be okay.

The unique tiger

I've just started reading Jonas Hassen Khemiri's second book, Montecore - en unik tiger, and it's sofa king awesome I can't even wait until I've finished to write about it.

Jonas is a writer who's recently gotten his first book Ett Öga Rött published, but he's not quite happy about how it's recieved despite the reviews being positive. Sound familar so far? One day he recieves an email from Kadir, an old friend of his father whom he no longer has any contact with. Kadir wants to collaborate and write an autobiography over Jonas' father and begins, despite lack of enthusiasm from the son, to tell the story of the man he decides to call Abbas ("Hur ska vi namnge din far? För att profetera hans framtida omlokalisering till Sverige proponerar jag det symboliska namnet 'Abbas'").
You soon come to realise that the story he tells has to be taken with a grain of salt, though, and especially the portrait of Abbas.

I love this book, and I've only read a few chapters into it. I'm leaving you with one of my favourite quotes so far, and you can expect more in the next couple of days.

"Skriv mig... Är din succé ekvivalent med din fars? Har ditt bokliga kontrakt transformerat dig till miljonär eller miljardär eller bara säkrat några års trygg ekonomi? Är litterära ekvilibrister som Stephen King och Dan Brown nära vänner eller bara formella författarkollegor? Hur mycket slida får man glida som snart publicerad författare? Erbjuds du dagligen parfymerade trosor i korrespondens? Respondera mig gärna när tiden är dig tillgänglig."

(As you can see, Kadir's Swedish is, well, interesting.)

Anger management

That stupid git. That completely empty-headed man of a football coach. He's created a scandal where there wasn't one.
Okay, anger out of the system.

Lars Lagerbäck has sent Zlatan, Chippen and Mellberg home from the EC qualifying rounds assembly, because they went out after 'curfew' to have a drink to celebrate Mellberg's birthday.

I can only go on what I've read, and if there's more to it than that I might have to change my mind, but if there isn't...
They left at some point between 11 pm and midnight, and were back at 1 am. They had a glass of champagne/a few drinks (depending on whom you choose to believe). They weren't drunk. They didn't misbehave. It didn't affect their participation the next day. They're not given the opportunity to explain or apologise followed by a warning, but are sent home immediately after the coach finds out.

As it seems now, all three players might refuse to come back to the team while Lagerbäck remains, and if what I've read is correct, I wouldn't blame them. It sucks for the rest of the team and for the EC, but I blame the coach, not the players. I do realise they broke the rules, but I feel that to be kicked out is too hard a punishment.

EVS.

Only the good

Steve Irwin is dead. Killed at 44 by a stingray while shooting a documentary up at Port Douglas.

I may be silly, but it's made me ridiculously sad. He was always a kind of mad, over-enthusiastic, rash, animal-loving hero to me, and I thought no animal alive could ever take him. But it finally did.
And I just think of his poor family. Children aged eight and three.

It's hard to believe that the Dr Dolittle of crocodiles is gone.

When you turn into a six year old

It's funny how some things always remain the same. First day at school is always just that, the first day at school, no matter how old you are or how many times you've been through it. Same trouble sleeping the night before, same waking up long before the alarm goes off, same butterflies in the stomach while on the bus. But, thankfully it's usually also the same relief once you've actually been to the introductory meeting.
Or to the first class. Whatever.

The introduction made me so frigging excited about starting my linguistics studies. The building is great, I've found basically all of the books we need, schedule looks good with one day off each week (I think), about 20 people in class, there's Supplemental Instruction once a week for those who wish to attend, we get to do laboratory experiments in Speech Communication, our lab is brand new and the most modern one in Scandinavia, teachers seem fun and very enthusiastic, there's going to be morphology, semantics, phonetics, syntax, pragmatics, language acquisition, socio- and psycho-linguistics...

Jag är på väg att bli språkvetare.

*giddy*

(Logan, I think I stole your font. Hope you don't mind. It's just perfect.)

...

I'm having an impulse to write a short story called 'Songs for Pamela'. I have absolutely no idea what it would be about, but the title got stuck in my head one evening and now won't leave me alone. We'll see if anything comes of it.

Is it because I watched 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'?

You know how you sometimes dream funny stuff when you're ill? I've always been like that. I don't usually remember what they're about, but I took a nap earlier and woke up with a phrase from the dream in my head:

"Ah, candymakers in heaven, we congratulate you."
And that is word for word. Really, I'd like to know what goes on in my head sometimes.

"Candymakers in heaven"...
I mean, seriously.

Changing it down

I wanted to write, but I'm still sick as a dog and completely unable to focus on anything longer, so this is all you get. Yes, you'll have to bear with my Rent love for another post. At least this is a short one for a change.

"To faggots, lezzies, dykes, cross-dressers too! To me! To me! To you, and you, and you, you, and you! To people living with, living with, living with- not dying from disease! Let he among us without sin, be the first to condemn - la vie boheme!"

"Will I lose my dignity?
Will someone care?
Will I wake tomorrow
from this nightmare?"

- Why choose fear?
- I'm a New Yorker. Fear's my life.

I want to take a moment to say that Aaron Lohr and Wayne Wilcox were absolutely perfect for their roles.

Getting to know me, part 2

Två inlägg på en dag, det har minsann aldrig hänt förr. Men, när nu Gustav hade en sån här intressant lista blev jag också sugen.

.Skulle du kunna tänka dig att delta i en dokusåpa?
Jag skulle hellre sätta mig i en ubåt.

.Vilken årstid tycker du bäst om?
Sommaren. Och våren när det inte regnar.

.Brukar du sjunga i duschen?
Det är snarare en regel än ett undantag.

.Vilken sport tycker du är roligast att se på tv?
Handboll och friidrott. Och fotboll, om det rör sig om ett mästerskap.

.Tror du på kärlek vid första ögonkastet?
Mhm.

.Vad är viktigast för dig?
Att inte behöva se tillbaka på mitt liv när jag är gammal och ångra saker jag gjort/inte gjort.

.Laddar du hem musik och film från internet?
Jag tror inte att jag vågar svara på den frågan på nätet...

.Vad skulle du göra om du vann en miljon kronor?
Just idag blir svaret på den frågan 'köpa en häst'.

.Vad är det bästa med julafton?
Maten och att vara tillsammans med familjen. Jag älskar julen.

.Tänker du mycket på ditt utseende?
Mer än jag borde, antagligen.

.Vad får dig att slappna av?
Musik. Gosa med min hund.

.Är du mörkrädd?
Ibland. Särskilt om jag har sett en otäck film. Både The Ring och The Shining fick mig att krypa ihop i soffan med fötterna uppdragna och varenda lampa i lägenheten tänd.

.Vilken färg är snyggast?
Efter Barcelona måste jag nästan säga rött. La Caperucita Roja. Annars får jag erkänna att jag tycker om rosa och trivs väldigt bra i svart.

.Tycker du matte är svårt?
Ja. Be mig inte om något svårare än nians tabell.

.Tycker du det är viktigt att ha märkeskläder?
Pah. Så länge kläderna sitter bra spelar väl märket ingen roll?

.Vad skulle du helst vilja vinna i en tävling?
Pengar. Eller ett hus i Spanien.

.När går du upp ur sängen en typisk helgmorgon?
Beror helt och hållet på... Om inget särskilt har hänt kvällen innan; vid nio. Annars framåt elva, tolv.

.Tycker du rökning/snusning borde förbjudas i lagen?
Gärna för mig!

.Har du piercing?
Ja, om hål i öronen räknas.

.Bråkar du och dina syskon ofta?
Jag bråkade ibland med min osynliga syster när jag var liten, men sen insåg jag att hon inte fanns och bråken upphörde.

.Vem är den viktigaste personen i ditt liv?
Mina föräldrar.

.Läser du ofta böcker?
Det blev mindre skönlitteratur i och med att jag började plugga och fick tjocka kursböcker att plöja igenom, men Harry Potter (ja, av alla böcker) fick in mig på läsningens bana igen. Så, svar ja.

.Vad föredrar du för sorts filmer?
Drama och filmer som får dig att tänka.

.Vad slösar du mest pengar på?
Resor, teater och böcker.

.Vill du gifta dig?
Jag känner inget jättebehov av det just nu, men vi får väl se.

.Vill du ha barn?
Nja... Tveksam. Återigen, vi får se.

Vilka tvprogram som går just nu har du fastnat för?
Desperate Housewives, Lost.

.Vilka husdjur har du haft innan?
Kaniner, hamster. Hund och undulat för tillfället.

.Är du bra på att laga mat?
Om jag anstränger mig.

.Var badar du helst?
Caldes D'Estrac och Sitges. Annars får väl Bjärred duga.

.Vad dricker du för alkohol?
Drinkar.

.Vilka djur är du mest rädd för?
Getingar. Allt med gadd.

.Vad tycker du om monarkin?
Har inga starka känslor rörande den.

.Vilka språk kan du?
Svenska, engelska, spanska, lite italienska och en del teckenspråk.

.Har du någon gång skadat dig allvarligt?
Bröt armen när jag var tio. Har stukat fotlederna rejält oändligt många gånger.

.Vilken kändis är hetast?
Milo Ventimiglia. Humma humma.

.Gillar du att dansa?
Salsa, alltid. På klubb när jag druckit lite.

.Vad har du för klädstil?
Har jag en stil?

.Är du flygrädd?
Ja, och det blir värre för var gång jag flyger i takt med att mina odds blir sämre.

.Vad tycker du om rökförbudet på krogen?
Bästa förbudet nånsin.

.Vad dricker du helst när du är törstig?
Vatten.

.Vilken är din favoritglass?
Glass som i glasspinne eller smak på kulglasss? Pinne - Magnum Strawberry White; kulglass - mango.

.Tror du på ett liv efter döden?
Jag vet faktiskt inte. Jag lutar åt reinkarnation.

.Vilket kaffe sörplar du helst?
Alldeles vanlig Latte Macchiato.

.Vilket mobilmärke föredrar du?
Eftersom jag har en Siemens säger jag väl Siemens.

.Vad har du för personlighet?
Umm... Snäll?

.Har du varit deprimerad?
Ja, för länge sedan.

.Tycker du om sushi?
Har bara ätit det en gång och tyckte att det var lite läskigt, men är villig att ge det en chans till.

.Tror du på livslång kärlek?
Ja, hoppas kan man ju!

.Vad äter du helst när du ser på film?
Snacks. Popcorn, chips, nötter.

.Lever dina föräldrar tillsammans?
Japp.

.Skulle du vilja träna någon typ av kampsport?
Absolut, om jag bara hade råd. Skulle gärna lära mig aikido.

.Har du tandläkarskräck?
Skräck och skräck, jag spritter inte precis av glädje när jag får min kallelse.

.Har du någongång haft självmordstankar?
Mycket länge sedan.

.Vilken hårfärg har du naturellt?
Smutsblond.

.Biter du på naglarna?
Det är sällan, men det händer.

.Är du beroende av något?
Musik, teater, internet.

.Vilka internetsidor besöker du varje dag?
MiGCentral, Dooce, olika bloggar, TWoP.

.Höger- eller vänsterhänt?
Höger.

.Humör just nu?
Hängig, trött och irriterad.

.Favoritgodis?
Jag är inte mycket för godis, faktiskt. Men ge mig en påse ostbågar och du får mig till vän.

.Musik just nu?
Avenue Q, OBC.

.Vad sa du senast?
Ingen aning. Alltså, jag sade det. 'Ingen aning'.

.Favorit-hangout?
Vaddå hangout?

.Saft eller alkohol?
Beror på vilken saft och vilken alkohol.

.Hur många kuddar sover du med?
En.

.Spelar du nåt instrument?
Inte ett enda, tyvärr.

.Bästa film?
Just nu, Rent. Alltid, Requiem For A Dream.

.Tror på liv på andra planeter?
Ja.

.Har du några homosexuella vänner?
Ja.

.Är du kittlig?
Använder du det emot mig om jag om jag erkänner?

.Bästa bok?
Liftarens Guide Till Galaxen, A Long Way Down, The Long Walk, Ett Öga Rött, Les Misérables. Åh, förlåt. Jag tyckte att det stod 'böcker'.

.Om du fick välja en superkraft, vad skulle du välja?
Oh, oh, jag vill kunna flyga! Och resa i tiden!

.Skriver du dagbok?
Bara min blogg här.

.Är du klar nu?
Ja.

Sniff

I'm sick again. Its not fair, it was only a month since last time, and still I'm sneezing and coughing up phlegm like there's no getting rid of it ever again. Isn't there some sort of rule that says you can only have one giant cold every six months?

I got Rent. I watched it. And I bawled. My mum and dad watched it sporadically while doing other things on the computer, and I was trying very hard to keep the crying under control so as to not embarrass them or myself. I was doing alright, but then came Without You and the funeral, and I of course lost it. And that was when it happened. Towards the end of the funeral scene when everyone stand up to join Collins - the way Idina closes her eyes at that point always gets to me - my father decided that it was time to chime in.

"Oh, so this is one of those songs that everyone magically knows?"

That wasn't the worst part. In the end, when Mimi's lying on the table and singing 'I Should Tell You'... "Well, she's dying, but at least she can still do a little song." He then proceeded to laugh at me when seeing my drenched face.

He mocked it. He mocked Rent. I still haven't forgiven him.
You do not mock Rent in front of me. You just don't, not if you want to stay on good terms.

In other news, this is my very first post typed on my new laptop that arrived yesterday! It's fast, pretty, has a wide, shiny screen and large harddrive, and I still feel attached to my slow, scratched old one. I don't want to get rid of it. It was my first one, and it's cute.

Theatre mania

Home. Yep, I survived London and London survived me, and I've got my dosis of much needed theatre. Three shows in three days; Blood Brothers, Avenue Q and Rock You.

Avenue Q. Oh. My. God. It was seriously one of the best things I have ever seen in my life (and yes, I am aware that I used to say the same thing about Rock You). It was simply genious, and the changes they'd made from the the Broadway version worked so well, in most cases. For example:

'Here's a coin that says "euro" on it. But that won't buy anything!'

'Hallelujah! I haven't felt this good since I sued my parents.'

Everyone were amazing. Julie Atherton (Kate/Lucy) is my new girlcrush. She was so incredibly cute and her voice was sofa king strong I got goosebumps during 'Fine, Fine Line'. I also fell in love with Simon Lipkin (Nicky/Trekkie) whose facial expressions and line delivery made me cry with laughter. 'Me need to hurry home!' He was very different to Rick Lyon, which was just good since you appreciated his performance for what it was even more. Giles Terera rocked as Gary Coleman. I was apprehensive of a male Gary, but it worked perfectly even though they'd had to change some some songs so that he could hit the notes. 'I was the cutest little black kid on TV - I made a million dollars that my parents stole from me - my life was over when I hit puberty, but I'm here, fixing the toilets on Avenue Q!'

Best thing, I was coughing all the way through the show.
And a good cough it turned out to be, too.
Yaaaaaay!!!
Sorry. I'm still influenced by the Bad Idea Bears. They're so cute.

Spending time with the family was nice, too. Tommy's gotten married! I'm so out of the loop. Richard is studying Hebrew and is apparently almost as much of a language geek as I am. Jodie looks beautiful and so grown up. Robbie is twelve! I still remember the little six year old who was stomping as loudly as he possibly could to demonstrate his displeasure about having to go to bed. And my auntie can be so hillarious... My grandfather accidentally stepped on my grandmother's foot under the table, and I quote: "Ni får ju bestämma om hon ska vara mellan dina ben eller om du ska vara mellan hennes!" Oh, you should have seen my grandfather's face.


I wonder when I'll get to go to London next. It has to be before Q stops running, that is for sure. Seeing it once is not enough - god, I hope it gets extended, and that the cast stays.


(photos belong to www.avenueqthemusical.co.uk)

Favourite film/tv scenes

As you wished, Cucumber-boy. ;)

Dogma - Chris Rock's entrance scene. He rocks, if you pardon the pun. He falls naked out of the sky, and proceeds to tell them that he not only knew Jesus, but that "Niggah" - that is, Christ - ows him twelve bucks. Not to mention that he a few minutes later gives one of my favourite lines ever, when Jay complains that it's too far to walk to the town: "Back in the old days of JC we used to walk everywhere! Ever heard of a fat apostle? Nu-uh."
Number two from that film; Alan Rickman as the Metatron showing why the heroine didn't have to worry about him raping her. "I'm as anatomically correct as a Ken-doll."

Brokeback Mountain - Jake Gyllenhaal's speech. "So what we got now is Brokeback Mountain! Everything's built on that! That's all we got, boy, fuckin' all." Awesome.

Rent - the Without You scene. Mimi going through the withdrawl, Roger trying to comfort her... And when the Life Support people fade and disappear, I devolve into a sobbing mess.

As Good As It Gets - Melvin introduces Carol and Simon to each other, "Carol the waitress, Simon the fag", and has no idea he's said something that could be considered disrespectful. The list could actually be comprised of scenes from this film alone.

Romeo + Juliet - Romeo following Tybalt after Mercutio has been killed. I may not be a Leonardo fan, but the scene where he holds Tybalt's gun against his own head is intense. "Either thou, or I, or both must go with him!"

Everwood - the montage from the season 1 finale, before Colin's operation, with 'Cathedrals' playing in the background. It's one of the strongest scenes I've seen in a tv series.
I'll actually add one from the pilot as well; Ephram and Andy screaming at each other in the street. - I wish you'd died instead of her! - Well, I wish I had too, you little bastard!

Crash - Michael Pena as the dad talking to his daughter under the bed about the invisible cloak. I just found it all so touching.

The Fellowship of the Ring - when we first see Hobbiton with 'Concerning Hobbits' playing. When I first saw it, it was just like I always imagined it when reading the book, and actually seeing it on film was an incredible feeling.

American Psycho - when they all compare their buisness cards and Bateman realises that one of the other guys has a better looking card than his. You see how much that kills him and just how unstable he is, and Christian Bale does that scene so damn well.

Buffy - the season two finale, when Buffy makes the choice to sacrifice Angel for the world. Her face when she realises what she has to do is actually a bit heartbreaking.
Number two; from the episode Tabula Rasa. Everyone has lost their memory thanks to a spell going wrong, and Spike realises, after having taunted Giles about his British accent, that he sounds the same.' - Listen to Mary Poppins! He's got his crust all stiffened up with that nancy boy accent. You Englishmen are always so... Bloody hell. Sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks. Oh god. I'm English. - Welcome to the nancy tribe.'

I could go on forever, but I'll stop there.

Creativity injection?

I'm writing again. It's not much, but it's writing, and it feels so damn good.

Kvällarna kyler
Obarmhärtigt närmar sig
sommarens svansång



The feeling when seeing your own name in 'print', even if it's only on a website, is truly awesome.

I whistle a happy tune

Remember I mentioned I was thinking of getting a new laptop?
Well... I ordered one. And a new iPod, too - they had a special offer if you bought a laptop and an iPod at the same time. I couldn't resist.
Estimated delivery in two weeks. Yay!

I can now add trouble breathing to the shoulder pain. Fantastic. I knew the painkillers could cause my asthma to set in, but even though they don't seem to help much, I dread what it would be like if I stopped taking them. Grrreat.

And the bright shall suffer

I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the fact that I took my first IQ test a while ago, and that my final score came to 127. I was quite surprised - that's not too bad, is it? Better yet was that my intelligence type is apparently, according to this particular test, an 'insightful linguist', and that careers that would be suited to me had 'translator' among them (it also had 'teacher', but I chose to ignore that). It seems like I could finally be on the right path to doing something that suits me.

I've been on prescription painkillers for the past week for my shoulder. It's been hurting for almost two months now, and it's starting to drive me a little mad. When it's at its worst I can't even take my top of on my own, or lift the showerhead with my right hand. The pills haven't started working yet, but I'm not giving up on them until I've finished the treatment. I'd really rather not have to take a cortison shot.

The doctor wasn't really a favourite of mine, though. The first thing she said after I explained what my problem was, was "And what do you want me to do about it?"
How the hell should I know? You're the doctor, you tell me what to do about it, I didn't say. But, at least she did give me the pills in the end.

She also looked briefly at the knot thingy on my leg which I've been worrying about for a while and which my mum keeps telling me I should have removed, and said it was most likely nothing. Oh, good. So why do I still check it every day?

I'm growing just a tiny bit addicted to blogthings.

You Are An INFP

The Idealist You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world. Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships. It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close. But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop. You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.

What's Your Personality Type?

Fin de semana catalana

This weekend has been completely guay. First of all, the weather was nice. Importante. Second of all, Malmö was invaded by Spanish people from all of Catalunya! Even more importante! We were there all day yesterday, watching gegants and capgrossos, trying to comprehend how to bailar sardanes, and above all, speaking Spanish. With each other - for some reason it felt completely natural when being surrounded by catalanes - and with the people at the information center. Guay, as previously stated.

But I wonder... Was I really annoying when I was fourteen? Jumping around, screaming, pretend-fighting, hitting my friends with empty water bottles and pulling their hair? The girls waiting for the bus along with us made me want to slap them, shout for a bit, and then go home to enjoy a cup of tea. I felt so old. But really, is it possible for fourteen year olds to have become older and younger at the same time? They may look older, but they behave more childish than ever.

Or is it just my old age talking?

We also made a visit to Ikea, which I love for many reasons, and one of them is that you get to study men/women dynamics. It's awesome how men and women play such different roles in there. The men are very clearly there to drive the car, do the heavy lifting and possibly pay for whatever is bought. Maybe even look after the kids. They do their thing, find what they've come there to buy and then run through the house for the tills. The women on the other hand stop at every department, go 'ooh' and 'aah' over cute picture frames, pillows and lampshades, and try to convince the husband they really do need that new carpet for the living room.

It's hillarious. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I am indeed one of the women who go 'ooh' over cute picture frames.

I even bought one.

When going through my notes from the classes in Bcn I realised just how dirty our teacher Rosa was. 'Cachondo'? 'Hacerse paja' (with the definition "tener el sexo con tu mismo - los hombres lo hacen normalmente con la mano")? 'Que te folle un pez'? 'Tirarse de alguien'? You gotta love her, teaching us stuff like that.

...

eta.
If there was ever an actor ruined by a role, it's the dude playing mr Perry in Dead Poets Society - not even That 70th Show can redeem him for me. Whenever I see him, all I can think is "You bastard, you killed Neil!"

Haremos de las nubes terciopelo

I've become far too attached to these competitive reality shows. Damn you, Nigel Lythgoe. I know, it doesn't have quite the same ring to it as 'Damn you, Berlanti', but it works for me.
And Benji - call me!


G, I took a leaf out of your book and took the party test on tv4's website, although my results came out very different. Interesting, but no huge surprises except for matching the KD with 41 %. That was admittedly a bit disturbing.








Do you ever worry about the possibilities and risks of reincarnation? That next time you'll be born in a starving village somewhere in Africa, or as a pigeon, doomed to try and eat cigarettes off of the ground every day for most of your life?
Yeah, me neither.

Marital issues:

- Your grandfather has started to take milk in his coffee. Wants to be modern and all that, I suppose.
- That's not it at all. It's because you're making the coffee stronger these days.
- I make coffee the exact same way as I have for the last fifty years. You've never complained before. Milk...!

I do love my grandparents.
It's funny how nothing gets to be spontanous with them, though. We took a trip down to the West Dock yesterday, to enjoy the weather while it lasted, and then decided to call my grandparents to see if they were in for a surprise visit. They were. We went. There was coffee and three different kinds of cake. My grandmother's comment:

- It really is nice that you came, but it would've been even nicer if you'd called earlier so that we could've had something proper to offer with the coffee.

Three different kinds of cake apparently doesn't count. I swear, had we given them advance notice we would've had dinner there - the only way to avoid that is to call at the last minute.

...

I'm thinking of posting a bit of audio. Just have to get used to the thought of my rusty English being out on the web.

...

The SuperNots took away my eyecandy. Not cool. DirtyPhil, you will be sorely missed.

Ain't she the picture of a real life star...

Nose like Rudolph, sneezing, sniffling, red eyes continually running... Oh, I'm such a beauty right now. I went out to get some sun today - can't be losing all my tan and be looking all pasty white when they parental units come home from Crete - and as soon as a ray of sunlight hit me I started sneezing like I'd never be able to stop. I didn't stay out very long.

I finally found my schedule on the linguistic institution's webspace today. It's not looking too bad at all, I have to say.

Monday, 13-15 Structure and function of language
Tuesday, 9-12 Speech communication
Wednesday, 10-12 Structure...
Thursday, 9-12 Speech...
For the first ten weeks. Then we move on to:

Monday, 13-15 Language acquisition
Tuesday, 15-17 Languages of the world
Thursday, 13-15 Language acquisition
Friday, 9-11 Languages of...

I can hardly believe that I'm actually going to get to study this properly. It's not just two months of making sure we know the basis of linguistics so that we can fully take in what we are really there to focus on. This is really it. This is the focus. It's almost too good to be true.

I'm still missing Barcelona, and it took every effort not to order in Spanish at the restaurant the other day.

Films I plan to watch this week to pass the time with my handkerchief:
Child's Play. I haven't seen Chucky in ages.
Abre Los Ojos. Love this film. And Eduardo Noriega is hot.
The Basketball Diaries
Dead Poets' Society. Have to take the opportunity to blame the tears on the cold!
Good Will Hunting
Jurassic Park 3. Because I can't remember it.
Dogma. Chris Rock and Alan Rickman, it doesn't get any better.
Much Ado About Nothing.

Crash and A Clockwork Orange were also on the list, but have now been watched. I'm very efficent.

Lastly, Phil Ritchie is a sexy bastard and the SuperNots should keep him on the show for a while longer simply for my viewing/listening pleasure. If they don't at least I've discovered a new band through the show, and once again, it's not the band that the show is actually about.

A pack of memories

Yes, yes, the photos are done. It's amazing what an impatient bunch of people have been waiting for them...

http://flickr.com/photos/29551290@N00/

I still haven't figured out how to create a link properly without getting that dot in front of it, so, copy and paste please.

And I still miss Barcelona and the people there. Christ, Lund is boring during the summer, and it costs 50 sek back and forth to Bjärred if you want the beach! That's more than back and forth on the train to Sitges and Caldetas, both of which took 35 and 50 minutes. Do you want to know how long it takes to Bjärred? 20 minutes on the bloody bus.
Last night was Shóko night. That was hard. I was looking at my invitation flyer thinking it ought to be used instead of just sitting on my desk. I want the cava and the chocolate fountain, dammit!

Rock Star: Supernova isn't quite doing it for me. Or rather, the contestants aren't. Sure, there are some people I like rather a lot, but none of them is giving me the vibe I already felt from both Marty and Suzie (and of course MiG) by this time last year.
On the other hand I'm so hooked on So You Think You Can Dance? Loving Benji and Donyelle. Don't anyone dare spoil me!

Oh, and I've responded and accepted my acceptance to Lund University, so I suppose I am now officially in. Hooray! Only thing left is to let Malmö University know that I'm giving up my studies there, and I don't expect a riot to stop me seeing as I'm not allowed to continue there anyway, having not completed the work experience. I did get a VG on the theory part of the literary course, though. *gloats*

Therapy.

Okay, so, I'm home. Which quite frankly sucks.

To start off, I apologise for the lack of blogging and kindly ask you to blame the American Invasion that came upon us one Monday and took up all the computers. Christ, they were everywhere, all 'yeah', and 'chips', 'coke' and 'sure'. And they were tiny. I don't know why, but the majority of the students seemed younger this year - we were among the oldest by far with 21 and 22. There was also a distinct lack of creme-coloured catalans, which was disappointing. The train journeys weren't half as fun this year with no proper view.

El Guapo was no longer working at BCN Café, which caused Calle Casanova to lose its charm somewhat.

School was absolutely awesome. Before we left we'd planned to take quite a few days off, because you know, who really wants to be stuck in a classroom four hours a day for four weeks straight when the sun is shining outside and the beach is calling you?
Well, as it turned out, we did. Seriously, classes were so much fun we contemplated a lot before our last week which day we were going to skip before we came to the conclusion we just didn't want to miss out on anything. Because when you have teachers like Rosa and David, you never know what will happen. Funny thing - I had David last year as well and adored him, so when I saw his name on my transfer note I was one happy girl. The dude is too cool to even describe. Have you ever had a teacher who openly admits to loving Olivia Newton John and Xanadu, who suddenly starts singing 'You're The One That I Want', or who pretends to be Superman in front of a fan? Well, I have. And what more is, I have photographical evidence.

The teachers at Enforex are a very special kind. That, or I've just been very lucky both years. Our teachers during the first week were just as good as these - Moisés was one of a kind, and Aina, well, she was so cute and tiny I just wanted to put her in my pocket and bring her with me to Sweden. Rosa, just as cute in a totally different way with her love for chupachups, her calling me 'Kati' and her 'Vaya!'

I miss my class already. Best group ever, I've never laughed in school the way I have during these weeks... Our Polacio, he's not speaking Hispanski any longer. He's all about Polski now, with the penguins and his fishes. What in the world will Arthuro and Dante do without him? (Admit it, boys, you miss him like crazy! Well, we all do.) We're all going to Polacia next year, aren't we?
I'm still surprised at having a classmate with such awesome music taste. (Thanks for the tips, I'm on them!)

Damn not going to Pamplona. But the sound effects the boys made when describing the bulls rushing past were very, very entertaining.

I miss the beaches. Where am I supposed to go now? Lomma beach? Bjärred? They're nothing compared to Caldetas, Sitges and Montgat! And, as much as it pains me to admit it after having defended Sweden to a bunch of stubborn Brasilians for weeks, it was bloody cold when we got home last night. Yes, yes, it was cold. Moving on. It's warm now.

We're planning on going back in the beginning of October, somewhere around that time (Ricardo, you better get a job so that you'll still be there by then!)... I need paella. I need the paella parellada from El Cangrejo Loco (with a name like that, how can you not love the restaurant?). How am I going to be able to wait until October before I get to eat it again?

A few quotes which no one will find funny except for me, but I need to type them down to remember them.

Quelli, while playing pictionary: 'Japonés? Japonés? Japonés?' (and repeat)
David: 'Sabéis porque no funcionaban las persiennas? Porque una palomita habia hecho caca en el sensor.'
*'Porque las mujeres no saben conducir? Porque los hombres siempre les dicen que esto (tiny distance) es 20 centímetros.'
Ricardo: 'Polacio, no te mates, por favor!'
Polacio: 'Era mi hermana. Tengo dos pesces.'
* 'En Polonia no tenemos solo las palabras, tenemos grandes frases.'
* '... Pero!...'
* 'En mi país...' (Polacio, you know we love you, right?)
* 'Mejor con los pinguinos que los monos' (score!)
Moisés: 'Hace frío como en el polar norte! Ay, que me caye el moco!'

After the game between Brasil and France.
Me: I hope we didn't bring bad luck.
Arthur: No, no, it was Polacio.
Polacio: Es posible...

Photos? Coming soon.

---Eta---
Omigod! I got the letter from the university, and I'm in! I'm gonna be a linguistics geek!

Life in Spain

Okay, to begin with, there are a few things I've learned this past week.

- Spanish people hurt their arms and hands very easily. Not a day goes by that we don't spot at the least two people with casts or bandages.

- They also seem to prefer Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Hskies over most other dogs, which is unfortunate. For the poor snow dogs, that is.

- The sea is a lot warmer and easier to bathe in at midnight than in the afternoon. Although, alcohol might have something to do with that. I'm not completely sure.

- Coca, traditional Spanish cake to eat at San Juan, tastes really good. Especially with some sand on it.

Things are going well here. Despite getting afternoon classes last week we had a great time and ended up with two of the most awesome teachers ever. I may blog about them in particular eventually.
The house is full of germs, with our flatmates, the two of them that are left, coughing and sneezing all over the place. Wouldn't prise me in the least if I caught something.
The apartment itself isn't nearly as fun as last year, but we met some really cool people through one of our awesome classmates and celebrated San Juan with them. Very international - we had Sweden, Brasil, the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, UK and the US represented. Drinking games, champagne, swimming in the dark... So much fun. Best midsummer's eve ever.

Sweden sucked against Germany. That was embarrassing. Although there's no way Lucic should have gotten that red card, and the ref's face when he gave it to him? That was pure malice! He enjoyed it!

Shóko is still on. Free entry, champagne, fruit and a choicolate fountain? We are so there. Granted, the fruit and chocolate fountain is only on Wednesdays, but still. It's a good place to go.

I'm sure I've forgotten loads, and I would love to blog more about San Juan especially, but there is no time. I'll be back, hasta la vista, baby, and all that.

xxx

Off we go!

So, I'm leaving in a couple of hours now - just thought I'd leave a little goodbye note in here for anyone who might stumble by. Barcelona for a month, and it's going to be really good to get away. The bag is packed and I'm sure I've forgotten something, but what the hell - we're going to a big city. They have shops there.
Although I'm nervous as hell about the flight and the test we have to take tomorrow morning when we arrive at school.

Take care, you guys. I'll miss you. I can't promise I'll get online that much, but I'll try and pop in here to update at least a few times. No pictures guaranteed though, that'll have to wait until I get back home. ;)

Should the plane crash, I want Cathedrals played at my funeral. Remember that.

Evil, I tell you

You Are 28% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well. In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

How Evil Are You?

Well, there you go. Apparently, I'm more than a quarter evil. Interesting.

I should pack. I hate packing to go away. The only thing I hate more is packing to go home.

When television turns into audiovision

How ironic is it that I rediscover my love for Everwood all over again when the show was about to have its series finale in the US? Screw you, CW and Dawn Ostroff. And a special 'eff you' to Brenda Hampton's train wreck 7th Heaven (or 7th Hell, if you prefer that) that is responsible for Everwood being killed. No more Bright, Ephram, Amy, Andy or Edna. And no more Colin, but perhaps that doesn't count seeing as he's been gone for the past three years. Still. I miss him.
I'm so getting the s1 DVDs when I get home (Colin! Did I mention I miss him?). And excuse me for a second while I yell at Amazon - who really have no responsibility whatsoever but are easy to blame when I don't know who else to yell at - for not having seasons 2-3 available.

Like I mentioned on here a long time ago I never listen to the radio. Subsequently, I 'find' my music in other ways, mainly by listening hard when I hear something I like on the TV. And thanks to Everwood (and TWoP) I discovered one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, which has been playing non-stop on my iTunes ever since I found it. Jump, Little Children - Cathedrals. Seriously, I can't stop playing it. You, go buy it on iTunes, or buy the CD (Magazine) or something - I don't care how you get it, just get it.

In the cathedrals of New York and Rome
There is a feeling that you should just go home
And spend a lifetime finding out just where that is

I love falling in love with songs. This one is going to stay with me for a very long time.
Thinking of the scene it was used in just adds to the whole feeling of it.

It's too warm to be outside. I'm just going to sit here by the computer until I'm heading into town for the graduation.
Maybe I'll listen to Cathedrals again while waiting.
I think I probably will.

Complement

As I promised, Logan. ;)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The man who could well save us in the World Cup if he just gets himself together. I know he has it in him, I know it. And so does he, I'm sure, but there's something not quite right at the moment.
"Described as 'half ballerina, half gangster', Sweden's Juventus striker could be England's undoing in Germany 2006." That was how the Sunday Times (UK) described him and god, I hope they were right.

Australia beat Japan! How cool was that? Three goals in the last ten minutes... The poor Japanese team had no idea what hit them.



As for the handball team, I think they deserve a picture as well. From left to right - Marcus Ahlm, line player; Pelle Linders, didn't play last night but is a great defence player; and team captain Stefan Lövgren.

I really miss the good old days of EC 2002. That was an amazing team, and it's not the same without the oldies. At this point, Lövgren and Vranjes are the only players left from the 'Golden Team'. I wonder if we'll ever get up to the standard we had back then.... I mean, really, we were unbeatable. Other teams feared us, the dangerous Bengan Boys. Handball players all over the world whimpered at the mention of names such as Wislander, Lindgren, Vranjes, Pettersson, Lövgren, Svensson and Gentzel. Now, well, it is what it is. We're not bad, but we're far from feared and far from the form we need if we're going to become a leading nation again. Will the new kids be able to hack it?


I ran into Tereze at H&M today! She's home this week to see her sister graduate and goes back to Italy on Sunday, I think. Really good to see her, I haven't seen her in ages. I think she found her home in Italy. Will be good to see her on Thursday again, before she goes home and we leave for Spain.

Yikes. Barcelona is less than a week away.

New look and sports

I kinda like this one. Pink is never wrong.

The football World Cup... Well, the game last night was a bit of an embarrassment. In your face, everyone who were saying we'd win by two or three goals. Zlatan needs to focus. Ljungberg needs some help on his side, he can't be expected to do everything on his own. Henke needs to move his feet. Mellberg needs to judge distance better and adjust his passes to it. Svensson just needs to get better. And Lagerbäck needs to put Kim Källström in the game earlier.

So, to advance, at the very least we need to beat Paraguy and Paraguay need to beat Trinidad-Tobago. If we beat England, well, that will just be a bonus. Before yesterday I was sure we would, but after seeing them play... Not so sure anymore.

And the handball team lost the first World Cup qualifying match against Iceland. It didn't look that good, but not too bad either. Kim Andersson made a great game for three quarters of it, but can't handle the pressure of being a few goals behind and took some bad shots during the last minutes. Several players seem to have that problem. If Kim gets past it, he's going to be unstoppable, though. Lövgren doesn't quite have the same wicked arm as he used to and almost seemed a bit hesitant to shoot at times. Worrying. Ahlm looked alright, though missed a few golden opportunities. Lindahl, well, he's no Pettersson, but did good. I want to see more of Larholm, and Franzén. Vranjes is still the largest littlest handball player there is - takes his responsibility when needed and isn't afraid to try and break through a wall of defence players 12 inches taller than him. Awesome, but one out of six having that drive isn't enough. Gentzel had a fantastic first half, had more saves than I could count and didn't let Iceland score until 8 minutes into the game, but couldn't keep up the same standard for the whole game. And can't be expected to. I would've liked to see Per Sandström in the squad - that boy has potential. I think he could have been a asset between the goalposts.

We've got one more chance next Saturday and need to win by at least five goals, so I hope the boys are World Cup-hungry enough to kick some ass. I know I am.

Oh, look at me being the sports girl.

Intrigued

I have to say I am a bit curious about this...

Nostalgia

It's that time of the year again... Boys and girls in tuxes and gowns heading to Grand Hotel for the student ball. Kids dressed in white, wearing the student hats, walking the streets screaming and blowing in their whistles. Fancy cars with flowers and decorations riding around town. People, all dressed up, hurrying along with huge bouqets of flowers in arms while also trying to hold on to a placard with a picture of a little boy or girl doing some typical child's activity.

Graduation time.
It's a huge deal in Lund. Let's face it - this town is famous for one thing, and that is the University and the snobbery that surrounds all things academic.

It's a great time though, if you don't mind you hearing deteriorating from all the car horns, whistles and general screaming. Everyone's so happy. It brings me back to when I was the one getting ready for the ball. Hair, make-up, pre-drinks... Fancy dinner at Grand, waving from the balcony, waltzing, party at Mejeriet and then at school, the aching feet and the people looking at us walking - limping - home the next morning.

It brings me back to when I was the one wearing white, walking around town singing with my friends 'För vi har tagit studenten- fy fan vad vi är bra'. I remember every minute of the day, despite all the champagne I had. Champagne and strawberries (and cigars, if you were that way inclined) for breakfast in the Botanical Park, the busride to our mentor's house during which everyone signed everyone else's hats (or at least as many as you had the time to), food and more champagne in the garden, dancing, signing more hats, riding back to school to be photographed, dancing and singing so much the photographer had to wait until we'd all calmed down, sitting in the aula hearing our class being called out, running down the stairs out to all of our families waiting, being the only class who defied tradition and sang 'The Bird Dance' on the stairs in front of everyone instead of the classic student song, and then riding around town with Ricky Martin on the radio (not my choice!) shouting and waving at everyone else in their cars. Family and friends waiting at home with food, cake, presents and congratulations. Going to Tegnér's to party with all the others all night.

Crying my eyes out to the pricipal's speech and the choir's goodbye song in the aula the next day, the same aula where we were shouting and laughing the day before. Large group hug in the classroom before leaving. Sitting in the park all afternoon with my closest friends, not wanting to say goodbye.

I can't believe it's three years ago, they've flown by so fast. That week was one of the best weeks I can remember. The whole atmosphere in Lund during these days is something special, especially if you're from here, have grown up with it and know what it all means.
Three years. Damn.

Summer time

So, I'm done. Finished my final, final exam and emailed it to my mentor. And it feels so. Damn. Good. Hopefully, if things go right, I never have to set my foot at Malmö Högskola again. Well, I'm going to miss some things... The incredible library on the fifth floor with the most fantastic view... The cafeteria... The large, ugly sculpture in the middle of the foyer... Oh, fond times. I'm really going to miss my classmates. I stood talking talking with Joel and Frida last Friday and we were saying how we wouldn't see each other this week since we weren't in the same group, and wishing each other a good summer. Suddenly it struck me wouldn't see each other after summer either. I'm going to be glad to be rid of my future as a bitter, unhappy teacher, but I'm going to miss the stuff around it.

Looking at some statistics from last year at Lund University my hopes actually went up about the fall, though - it said that all applicants with the course as their first choice had been accepted, and there were no 'lowest admission points'. Fingers crossed!

With that in the back of my mind and Barcelona only a week and a half away, the future is looking quite bright at the moment. It's summer!

I'm also waiting for post which will make me very happy... I doubt it'll have time to get here before I leave, but it'll be a nice present for when I get home.

Ramblings before time is out

You know how much I love Les Misérables, right? And that I can start bawling just listening to it? Well, normally that would be the case when I watch it, too, but apparently it's not the best idea to watch a just as (if not more) emotional matinee show like Blood Brothers before rushing to Queen's to do Les Mis in the evening. I was completely empty. I'd cried and cried at the Phoenix before - thank god I had no one on either side of me - and could barely squeeze out a few tears when the barricade fell. That is saying a lot about the effect of BB.

Not much left now. Our last day at uni is on Monday, when we present our final exam analysis, and then I've completed this year of wasted time and money and can hopefully move on to doing what I want to. But I'm going to miss my coursemates. We've had a lot of fun during this year, but no matter how much you want to keep in touch it usually ebbs out after a while. Sad but true. Hopefully there'll be some new friendships during the fall, if only I get in. I'm really dreading getting the letter telling me my marks weren't high enough - I want this so bad. I've finally figured out what I want, and the possibility of not being able to do it frightens me.

It's awesome to know that there are some people you don't lose touch with no matter how much time passes without seeing. Lovely cake drop-in at E's yesterday with making plans to go out for lunch on Wednesday. Babe's 21! I miss her, but seeing as she's going to work in Copenhaguen she's actually going to be closer to here than she's been in ages. Before she heads off to Umeå, that is. *pouts*

I really should get some work done on the analysis.
Although perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to let my teammate be responsible for the last bits... I felt like I was taking over a lot yesterday, without being able to help it. But I like writing. I've always written a lot. I might even go as far as saying I've gotten quite good at it and I've always found it difficult writing together with someone else, someone who doesn't necessarily use the same language as I do. It's hard compromising your style and it's very easy being set on using your own wording, especially when you're the one doing the typing. It's not something I'm doing intentionally, but I can't seem to let it go. Written sentences in Swedish need to be perfectly worded, adequately complicated and just the right length.

Born for the stage

Carneval video clips, mostly from the fantastic revue.

'Det undervedmetna'

- a lecture. Not only does he sing like hell, he can do comedy, too. Swedish.

'Reading ... Or is that just a code for something else? Go figure. Makes me laugh every time, I love these guys. Swedish.

Living On A Prayer

- with the miniature Bon Jovis.

Gangsta'-waltz.

I told you - the guy's a legend. Swedish.

Tennis i Båstad.

Damn, that man can sing. Swedish, but if you like The Who listen anyway.

Go Home!

Pet Shop Boys in Swedish, sort of. The cabaret grand finale. Loved it.

Karneval, vi är i Lundagård och glädjen är total...

It was, it was total. There is oh so much I want to say about the weekend... It's been insane, running around every single minute to see and do everything, but it's been fantastic. The 2006 carneval was a good one, it really was. I'm just sad it's over already. And I am a bit sad I've had to jump around on crutches and take painkillers - it prevented me from taking part in the festivities to the extent I would've wanted to. I mean, attending The Dance on crutches? That was embarrassment.

The shows? Were absolutely fabulous, with the revue in the lead. We snuck in an extra performance tonight - it was too good not to. Johan Stenfeldt and Pär Thored... I know I've said it before and I'll say it again; absolute fucking legends. Although it has to be said, I don't think I'll ever look at Pär the same way again after having seen him as a miniature Bon Jovi singing 'Living On A Prayer', or after his lecture on the 'undervedmetna'.
I recorded a lot during the show, might post a few video clips someday for you Swedish speakers to enjoy...

'Ost och pattar, ost och bröst! Ost och pattar - fan, va' gött!' Best. Song. Evah.

The cabaret wasn't quite as good, but the finale still rocked - a rewrite of Pet Shop Boys' 'Go West'... 'Go home! The cabaret is done, go home!' I've been singing it ever since we saw it. With a bit of 'Cheese and Tits' thrown in for good measure.

The spex - Awesome. HoYay! What else needs to be said? Well, of course that wasn't the only reason why it was so good. Singing, acting, line delivery was spot on from everyone. I'm still amazed we have such talent in tiny Lund.

I wish the carneval lasted a full week, I don't want it to be done yet. Though I'm sure the carnevalists are quite happy they can go back to actually sleeping and eating again. Thank you guys for sacrificing yourselves so that we could have such a fantastic time! You all did an awesome job.

All mix and no match

Very much enjoyed reading the Dooce debate on dialects and the correct way of pronouncing crayon. As a Swede, I've always pronounced it 'cray-on', but then again, I had no idea there were people with English as their native language who actually pronounce the 'L':s in walk and talk. Funny how it is sometimes.

Mark Schwahn, the creator of One Tree Hill, is an asshat of massive proportions. That was one incredibly sucky season- and possibly series finale. He even admitted to ending the season with the hideous cliffhanger with the manipulative thought that the audience would rage against the series ending that way and subsequently getting him another season. I actually want the show to end now, just so that he learns that it doesn't work like that. And to get to read his blog about it. Seriously, that would be storytelling gold, much unlike the crap he's spouted this season.
But still, way to screw over the (few) fans you have left, Schwahny.

Gilmore Girls, not quite as bad, but still extremely depressing. What in God's name have the SherPas done to Luke? And why? Alexis Bledel managed to cry convincingly and impressed me greatly - I didn't think I'd live to see that. There must be some sinners freezing their asses of down in hell just about now.
I hope Rosenthal can dig the show out of the hole it's buried itself in next season... As long as there is some more Colin/Finn HoYay! (because HoYay should always be followed by an exclamation mark), and a JavaJunkie wedding I'll be happy. And if Chris were killed in a painful accident I wouldn't exactly mourn the loss.

And speaking of hell, 7th Heaven was renewed. They've gone on and on for months about this being the last season, making everyone see the light at the end of the tunnel, and then it gets renewed. That if something proves that there is indeed no God, which I guess would explain the Luke situation. Why won't this show just lie down and die? It's like a friggin' cockroach.

I'm watching the football Youth Festival between France and Mexico, and there are two French players that are called Kavaj and Idioti. It's hillarious. 'Och fransmännen tar bollen... Idioti!' Heh.

So, the RENT cast is set... Linda Bengtzing as Mimi. I could cry. And is it wrong that Collins/Benny being white annoys me?

My whole body hurts so much from jumping around on the crutches it's overtaking the pain in my foot. My arms and hands (and my stomach, for some reason) feel like I've been working for seven days straight at the gym. But the foot rests, and if aching arms is the price I have to pay to be able to dance on Saturday, I'll pay it gladly. Well, alright, complaining and whining, but I'll pay it.

I just realised that One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest with Christian Slater as Mac is playing while I'm in London. Damn, how much would I love to see that....

Crutch-lady

Yep, I'm on crutches. An inflammated ligament. Joy.

Children are very honest in their observations of people who look or behave different. I knew that, so when a little boy on the bus said to his mum, in a very audible voice, "Mum, look at the lady with the funny sticks!" it wasn't all that surprising (although I admit I was a bit hurt by the "lady"). But "sticks"? Oh no. Where are the future generations headed, language- and general knowledgewise? No, it's not stick-lady. It's crutch-lady, if you please!

Sorry about the lack of updating. You haven't missed all that much, though. Most exciting thing this week was the fact that I woke up one morning to a very loud buzzing, a buzzing that was caused by a huge fucking wasp. In my room! Over my bed! Oh the horror! I jumped out of bed, ran out of my room across the kitchen - very much unclothed, if you wanted the visual - to find something to kill it with.
To cut a long story short, I smashed the little bitch against the window before he could even think of stinging me.

My mum and I decided to try out the wet-vest workout down at our local public bath. We were there first and being somewhat experienced when it comes to wet-vest (that is to say, I tried it once) I was all pepped, psyching my mum a bit about how tough it was going to be. Then, the others started to arrive. And they were old. And I mean really old. "Are they really able to do this?" I wondered. Apparently they were of the opinion that they were indeed so.

Then, the trainer came in. "Okay, you can all get in now!"
"Funny", I thought. "Are we going to put the vests on in the water? Isn't that a bit complicated?"
But there were no vests. "Alright, let's start! We start marching on the spot, up and down, up and down..."
Water gymnastics. The pensioners, my mum, and I. I caught her eye once and then tried very hard not to do so again, because the expression on her face almost made me burst out laughing.
When we asked afterwards it turned out that they didn't do wet-vest at the moment, hadn't done for several months, and that they'd changed the time slot to water gymnastics. Great. Couldn't have told us that before?

Finally, Crash is the best film I've seen in a very, very long time, and y'all need to see it, like, NOW.

Tickets here, money there

Yesterday's carneval-queueing turned out successful - we now have tickets for the cabaret on Friday night, The Dance on Saturday, and the farce on Sunday. Woo! And it only took us two hours in the line.
I'm all excited. Two weeks left. I'll even be able to go to the inauguration, I don't have anything on the day.
This Saturday there's a sort of pre-carneval party. I hope the weather stays like this, it'd be an awesome day out.

And, not only do I have my carneval tickets, but I've also booked my Avenue Q tickets for August! Row D, centre, Friday night. Could it get any better?

Well, I could be rich. That'd be better. All this ticket-buying has exhausted my poor credit card.

Student life in Lund... What am I getting myself into?

Valborg. Quite an overrated event, in my opinion, but still an awesome night. Went to Lundaspexarna's farce - which I will from now on refer to in Swedish, as 'spex', because, well, it sounds better - called 'Djingis Khan'. One of the most traditional ones along with the Uarda-spex, only performed every fifth year.

I love spexes. I laughed so hard my belly hurt, and it was made all the better by my two all-time favourite spexers being in it. Johan Stenfeldt and Pär Thored - two legends in the student's farce society. The fact that Pär was playing the Empress, dressed in a glittery bra and skirt only added to the hilarity of it all... And Johan, well, he only needs to come on stage for everyone to laugh. He sang 45 seconds of complete nonsense (literally), and was called back on stage by the applause about ten times to do it all over again.

'Ja, ni har då inte bråttom hem i alla fall.'

'Vad vill ni höra nu?'

'Ding-a-ding-a-ding... Äh, ni fattar.'

Imagine that in a Hasse-Alfredsson accent, and you've got a performer everyone loves.

The weather even cleared up on our way up to AF, but damn, it was cold when we came out. You'd never think it was May. And all the students in their fancy dresses and tuxes... Christ, all that - the dresses, tuxes, the spexes and parties... That's going to be my life for the next five years if I get accepted to the linguistics studies, and it's so not me. But what the hell, you gotta sell out a little, right?
...

I finally finished my essay on Lisbeth Adrian. I think this course has made me a tad too critical towards teachers' methods... I do love picking them apart, though.
So, now we've only got the horrible oral presentation tomorrow, not to mention the long awaited for confrontation with the mentor. Exciting. Then, just about nothing for three weeks, and then it's time for the Lund carnival! Yay! Please, please, be sunny. It's only every fourth year, we deserve a nice carnival.
Oh - we're gonna try getting tickets for the shows again tomorrow. Cross your fingers we'll succeed this time, would you?

Sometimes I do rock.

We've all decided that we're not going to accept the poor feedback, or rather total lack of such, on the psychology part of the examination. I for one was happy just to have passed, but considering that eleven people didn't and now have absolutely no idea what they need to improve not to fail again, I'm all with them. On Tuesday when we see our former mentor for the first and last time since the evaluation, which appropriately enough took place before the examination results were given out, we're confronting her. That is going to be one interesting morning. I think a lot of people (among them me) are really nervous but also up for a fight - she can be scary when she's annoyed, and we haven't even seen her properly angry yet.

But fact remains; she was incompetent being responsible for that module, and doesn't even seem to want to help us. Something has to be done, it needs to be pointed out. We've got the student union behind us.

Then, there's our current mentor - you know, Santa. He is the complete opposite. Today, we recieved the analysis we did on Aidan Chambers a couple of weeks back, and attached there was half a page of feedback written on the computer.
There's a book we have to read to prepare for one of his lectures, and knowing it might be diffiult to find, he brought us all copies to borrow.
To help us prepare for one of our examination tasks, he's set aside time for a tutorial.
This is the kind of university mentor I'd like to be.

And I know this will look incredibly concieted, but I worked really, really hard on my analysis and was so happy about the feedback I recieved I'm actually going to cite you some.
"Slutligen vill jag framhålla att din avslutande analys är knivskarp. Bättre kan det knappast sägas! Jag delar den tolkning du kommer fram till och jag menar att du underbygger dina slutsatser på ett trovärdigt, utförligt och mycket elegant sätt."
Fine, I'm proud and I want to show off. So sue me!

Lugi lost. They got as close as 23-26, but lost by 25-31. That's it for this season, and then hopefully they (ah, who am I kidding? I mean 'we'!) will manage that last effort to make it to the finale next year with a new coach.
Still. It sucks. My boys lost.

The fangirl

So, I finally did it. I called the nursery, spoke to my mentor and explained that I'm leaving. I was shaking while doing it. She asked me if it was to do with them, and I felt so guilty because they've been really nice to me. It isn't do with them. Even though I know I've been whining a lot about the work, it's not their fault. I'm just not cut out for it. Next week I'm going out there and explain a bit more, and say goodbye to the children. I'm actually going to miss them, in a way, but I sure am not going to miss working with them.

I wonder what it is with me and phone calls, though... I really am a phone-o-phobic. It doesn't even have to be a difficult call to make for me to get nervous, and when it is, boy do I freak out before doing it.

[fangirl]Haydn is home today! Squee![/fangirl]
Haz, it really does suck that I'm over just when you guys are away. Yes, I'm sure I can find it in me to fangirl on my own if there's an occasion for it - ;) - but it'd be so much more fun if you were there too. Can't control grandmothers' birthday dates.

Adam Garcia is Fiyero in Wicked!!1oneone1! Awesome, awesome. I was hoping for him before I even knew he workshopped the part. Although Stephen Gately as Boq... Meh. And christ, the stage door will be a nightmare with all these names. That's one place I'm not going to go.

A plea

Lugi, my beloved team, get a friggin' grip. The game last night was an embarrassment to nature, or, well, at least to Lund. Seriously, 19-32?! It was like we didn't have a goalkeeper! Mommi scored one goal, Dreyer two? What the hell was going on? And where were the turnarounds? Two goals from Kristian Meijer? That sucks.
The one good thing is that it seems my loyalty issues have been solved - fine, Sävehof is a great team and they have Tommy Atterhäll, Jonas Larholm and Per Sandström, but I don't care! They're going down!

And you, Lars Friis-Hansen. Don't you dare put Mathias on the bench again that early in the game. He saved your ass from being completely humiliated - well, no, actually you were humiliated, but he did all he could to prevent it, and you thank him by benching him. Not cool.
And let Jesper play some more! Dude's got a wicked arm.


Larholm, responsible for eight of the goals that killed us last night. I don't care how awesome this guy is (because he is awesome and would totally get it), if Henrik Dreyer or Mommi had given him a nosebleed I would've applauded them.

So, please, boys, shape up. I beg you, don't deprive me of seeing my team in the finale. I'll be there to cheer you on, I promise, if you just please win the next two games.

Thank god Kim's gone, at least, or or we wouldn't stand a whelk's chance in a supernova on Thursday.

Author's Day

-- Warning, massive entry ahead--

Today, tickets for the events during the Lund carnival were released at ten am. We were there at a quarter to ten, planning on getting tickets for the farce, the cabaret and the variety show, and then go and get some breakfast before heading off to City Hall to listen to Jonas Khemiri at half past twelve.

Around eleven we figured we probably wouldn't have time to eat in between, so I made a run to Espresso House to pick up scones and coffee to have while we waited. At half eleven we started getting nervous about the long, winding queue which was still ahead of us. At noon, we realised we'd have to leave before we'd actually gotten tickets, and five minutes after that we left the queue, cursing our own stupidity being such time optimists and not realising we should have been there earlier. So, in short, we didn't get the tickets we were after.

But the lecture was worth having to leave. No question about it. I have a new hero, and his name is Jonas Hassen Khemiri. He was nothing like you'd imagine a celebrated writer - so humble, self-deprecating, humorous, relaxed. He seemed like the kind of guy you'd love to hang around with. The anecdotes, how we laughed... I could see everything happening as if I were there - like the lady on the tube gushing after hearing him talk on his mobile and leaning in to commend him on how much his Swedish had improved, because it was obvious that he still had some trouble with it when writing his first book.
Oh my. Who wouldn't be overwhelmed by such lovely, condescending praise?
And what a writer he is, his way with words, the way he plays with the language... He read a bit out of 'Montecore', his new book, and I'm not joking, I could've sat there with my mouth open had I not contained myself.

But for all the amusing anecdotes he shared, he also talked about something very interesting that had to do with how 'A Red Eye' was recieved by the critics. The main character in the book is fifteen year old Halim who has Arabic roots, and who sort of revolts against everything Swedish. And the thing was a lot of people read it as a biography. In his first interview all the reporter wanted to know was 'Is this true? Is that true?' and refused to accept that is was fictional novel, this despite the fact that Jonas actually let himself make a guest appearance in the book as Halim's neighbour to separate the two of them (a move I loved).

Why is it that we often seem to enjoy a book more if we know, or think it's a true story? Because we do, there's no denying it. I'd love to say that it's not the case for me, and at least it wasn't with 'A Red Eye', but I do have my own experience of it with 'Sleepers'. I. Love. That. Book. Always have, ever since I first read it when I was fifteen. But the main reason I read it with such, well, devotion, was that I knew all the horrible things had actually happened. These characters I knew and cared for really existed, and that made the book ever so much more heartbreaking.

Then, I read somewhere that Lorenzo Carcaterra had made the whole 'true story' up to boost sales, and I felt cheated. I felt cheated on my love for the book and the people in it, which makes absolutely no sense at all! The book was as amazing now as it was when I first read it, the characters were still as well written and alive, and yet it didn't feel the same. It's silly, but true. Some of its greatness lay in its origin.

As it is now, I don't know whether the book was made up, or whether it was made up that it was made up (I can play with words, too...), and I've decided that I don't care. But at the time I did, and JHK made me remember that as well as wonder why that was. I mean, Oprah Winfrey actually apologised on national TV for recommending a book she loved after it turned out the author had lied when he claimed it was all his own experiences, and the publishing house offered compensation to people who felt cheated.
Does it really matter all that much?

This debate on fiction vs truth is one of the reasons I'm looking forward to reading 'Montecore' - this time, the main character in the book is actually himself. Or, at least they have the same name. I don't think it will ever be clear how much comes from his imagination and how much is 'true'. We'll see after I've read it.

To end this and just to give you an idea of JHK's sense of humour, this is how he lets his main character describe him in 'A Red Eye'. And sorry to those of you who don't speak Swedish, but I could never translate this properly without losing its charm.
... från hissen det kom en galet lång shunne. Kanske han var två meter lång med för liten kavaj och ansikte som liknade en tjejs.

I love this guy. If he'd been a girl he'd have been such a gussilago.
Perhaps it should be shunnilago in his case, but then it wouldn't have the same ring to it.
The only bad part about the whole thing is that my copy of 'A Red Eye' was sitting on my bedroom shelf the entire time. I'd planned on bringing it and hopefully get it signed - oh, you can laugh at me all you want, but there is something special about having a signed copy of a book that you love and by a writer you admire!

The days when things go right

Well, it's finally started to sink in. I'm not going to be spending a week writing my exam all over again, and that why I couldn't be happier, no, I couldn't be happier...

Which leads me to Wicked - yes, it's official. Idina Menzel is coming to London to play Elphaba. And I'm not that happy, really. I love her; she's passionate, a wonderful actress, beautiful and looks great green, and has a very distinct voice. But I didn't want a Broadway transfer as London's original Elphie. Still, it sure is something... Getting to see Idina Menzel live doing the part she created.

Yesterday was a good day, a genuinely good day. I haven't had one of those in ages. The exam played a big part, of course. Although, I'm not pleased with my father who refused to take the money he rightfully had won on the bet. I told him that wasn't fair since I would have made sure he paid me had I won, to which he laughed and said he wouldn't have. Hmph. A bet is a bet.

To make the day even better, we got tickets to go and listen to Jonas Hassen Khemiri talking about his new book tomorrow! Right on! My fellow Swedish-speaking language geeks (and Logan, that includes you) would do well to read his first book 'Ett Öga Rött'. Fantastic, once you get used to the style of it - it's written in "rinkebysvenska". It's going to be interesting to hear what he has to say about 'Montecore' tomorrow.

To continue on yesterday, I then had an amazing evening lecture, the speaker being a man who came to talk about living with hiv (V, his name was Micke - that sound familiar?). Very gripping, and very inspiring. He embodied 'living with, not dying from disease', and I left there thinking of Rent. I'm really happy I ended up choosing that lecture, wouldn't have wanted to be without it.
When I was walking home from the train the sun was still shining (a pale sort of evening sun which I love) the park was full with flowers and I was feeling all happy.

I don't know whether it is so, but I've heard that it always has to even up, the happiness. If that's true then there was probably someone else out there yesterday having a very, very shitty day to make up for mine, and I sincerely apologise for screwing up the scales. Perhaps next time it'll be the other way 'round.

And the impossible happened...

I passed. I still can't believe it. I passed, on both parts. G on the social psychology/culture sociology/didactics part, and VG on the linguistics part (in which the margins were full of comments such as 'very good', 'excellent' and 'precisely'). I think there were six or seven of us (out of twenty) who passed on both.
I'm in shock.

Although I've actually lost some respect for our mentor, because I have absolutely no idea how she could consider my rambling on the psychology part passable.

Daring to hope

Apparently, our exam has been marked now, and we were told that those of us who didn't pass would get an email today telling us so. One of my friends got hers early this morning.
I haven't gotten one. Yet. And while I know there is no way I might have passed, the longer the inbox stays empty, the more hope wants to creep up on me. I can't stop it. And then I bet you, that later tonight or perhaps tomorrow an email will materialise, having been delayed and whatnot, and the little hope that has awoken will be crushed.

There is no chance, not a chance in hell.

Is there?

If there is, I'm 500 sek poorer. And I wouldn't care.
*starts praying*

The issue of multitasking

You know how people often say that one of the differences between men and women is that women are capable of multitasking, and men aren't?
I don't think that's fair. I absolutely suck at multitasking when it comes to certain things. Take msn. I want to use it, I really, really do, but I can't seem to do it. The fear of having to have too many conversations at once hits me as soon as I even consider pressing 'Log on', and that's crap, because it's a good way of keeping in touch with people.
I remember, vaguely, one of the few times I decided to try to get used to it... Five people at once, saying 'Hey, what's up?', and 'Hallå, läget?'. I panicked, and I don't remember how it ended up.

On the other hand, I can draw, listen to music, sing, and watch TV all at once. You'd think I'd be capable of speaking to more than one person at the same time as well, but no, of course not.
It's not fair.

--Update--
Torturing my doggie a'la Dooce on

this

and

this

video clip. Please ignore me as much as you possibly can, but admit it, he is cute.

Cravings and such

I feel strange. Restless. I want to do something, I don't know what.
Oh, screw that, I want to go to London. Not having been there since January is making me itch, and knowing I won't go until August makes me itch even more. And that reminds me, I still haven't booked my tickets or checked the room availability at the church. Must do so.

I really should have the Saturday night open to have dinner with the family, but doing so means I will only be able to see one show. Which should logically be Avenue Q - I have to see it, have to, if only to see the puppet sex in real life and actually hear The Internet Is For Porn live. But I'm really, really craving a Blood Brothers fix as well, not to mention getting a cough (a *proper* cough, and not just a sporadic one). Not craving a We WIll Rock You fix in the least, though, even though it'd be nice to see Peter again. So, will it be Avenue Q or Blood Brothers? Or do I blow my family off to see both?
I can't do that, not when they're the reason I'm going.

(Problem solved: Ryan Air had changed their prices so that I could go from Thursday to Sunday! That means I'll have two nights free to spend on theatre, and still be able to spend Saturday night with the family. And the Seamen's Church had available beds - everything works out quite nicely. )

My Gilmore girls are really annoying me at the moment. What happened to their spines? Why did ASP turn Luke into Pod!Luke? And why won't Logan go away?
On the bright side, tonight is Jess night! Woo! I expect my fellow passengers on the Jess train will bring me news and daisies tomorrow... Looking forward to that; it's been another one of my cravings for a while.

9 weeks until Barcelona. The countdown continues.

-- Update --

Why won't they stop this nerve-wrecking drilling?! Don't they realise some people are trying to study?! It woke me up at half seven this morning and has countinued more or less constantly for hours. It's driving me crazy, I can't focus on anything. If my analysis turns out like crap I'm blaming them.
Seriously, it's making me want to chew my fingers off just to distract myself.

Details

The requested details of last night's show. ;)

Well, it was interesting. It wasn't Rent quite the way I was hoping for - they'd interpreted it and changed it to suit 'today' (I can only assume that was the idea). It was set in Malmo (most of them even sang in 'Malmoitian'), Angel was a girl, a D-celebrity from Big Brother, there was no HIV at all (which made for a different death for Angel - intervening in a brawl between Roger and The Man and getting stabbed - and a sort of strange finale, in my opinion), and Life Support had turned into a job-seeking course at the employment agency.
Mark was called Max, Joanne became Susanne, and Maureen turned into Pauline, who was involved in Reclaim The Streets. Santa Fe became Stockholm - the line 'We'll open up a restaurant in Santa Fe' went 'Så ska vi dra till Stockholm för att bli nånting' (heh). Collins (whose name was explained by his father being from the US) had been teaching at LTH in Lund, but was now returning to teach the 'schmucks' at Malmö Högskola. That particular bit was quite amusing, really. But seeing that Rent isn't actually about being amusing, I sometimes felt they played on the fun parts a bit much.
Also, they'd given the adults larger parts, and put in a few scenes were the kids went to see their parents. For all the changes, though, they used the actual original version of the finale and not the original Swedish version. I was curious as to whether Mimi would wake up or not, but she did.
Angel was the bit I couldn't really accept. I don't understand why they had to do that to such a wonderful character.

It was a bit odd in places, and like I said it wasn't really Rent, but they were really, really good. Seeing it from a non Rent-head's point of view and remembering that they were college kids, it was a great performance. The guy who played Roger? Sofa king awesome voice, his One Song Glory was totally one of the highlights of the night. And he was a surprsingly good actor as well, totally had me in a few scenes. Mark (well, Max) also convinced me with a really good Halloween, and the two guys worked so well together. I've always loved the Mark/Roger friendship. Other than that, the ensemble numbers worked best - Rent, Will I?, La Vie Boheme, Seasons Of Love were all fab.
It was definitely worth the money, but I'm still looking forward to seeing the real Rent in the fall. Göta Lejon, here I come! This, I decided, was a show based on the musical Rent by Jonathan Larson.


Other things... The Bedford Diaries. A bit disappointing. I want to like Milo's character, I really do, but it's hard to do so when he's playing Jess only without the charm and visible vulnerability, and added Logan's money and smugness. Although he did have the best line of the pilot:
"Drunk? At the time, yeah. Rich? Not my fault. Brat? Yeah, okay."
But there were no characters to make me care about them. They all just managed to annoy me. Natalie, okay, a little, but mainly because I'm a bit intrigued by her relationship with Richard. Penn's character? Cute, but also annoying and a bit creepy - he's turned on by the fact that a girl is mentally unstable? Twisted, twisted boy. And the girl playing his sister reminded me too much of Anna from s2 of OTH. Bad, bad thing.
The concept of the show is interesting, but poorly executed. I'm hoping it gets better, pilots aren't really to judge from.

I'm longing to re-read Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down. There are lots of reasons why I love this book, and this quote is one of them:
"When someone uses the phrase 'the prick one', and you know immediately that this is a synonym for the word 'metaphorically', you are entitled to wonder whether you know the speaker to well. You are even entitled to wonder whether you should know her at all."

I really am good at rambling, aren't I?

Four hours and counting

Less than four hours left until I'm seeing Rent live for the first time.
I'm so afraid they're going to screw up my vision of the show. Please, boys and girls, don't let Rent down. Please. My gut tells me that a bad performance of Rent would hurt more than a bad performance of Les Mis, and that is saying something.
I'm also worried I'll make a fool out of myself by crying the way I'm known for. Generally, us Swedes aren't very emotional when going to the theatre - I think we're a bit reserved, not letting ourselves get into it too much. And of course, I have to be one of the exceptions to the rule.

Rent girls, you'll be with me in spirit tonight!

So tired. So much fun.

Field day with my work experience class today... Seeing as I'm quitting I suppose I didn't really have to go, but after the email saying to bring our bathing suits? I was so there.
The whole day was basically about health care, for students and teachers both, and in the afternoon we'd been assigned to an hour of working out at the public bath - I believe it was called 'wet vest'. You strap these large blue vests on to keep you afloat, and do all these different movements; running, sit-ups, cycling, etc, all in the water. Ever done two minutes of high pace sit-ups in water? I'm not sure if I've ever tried anything as tough, but it was awesome. I have to check whether they have this where I swim.

So, the discussion over at the Rock You-boards about what TV shows we watched when we were kids got me all nostalgic. Ninja Turtles, Saved By The Bell, Boy Meets World, California Dreams... That was good TV. Or well, no, it wasn't, but at the time was still nothing that could stop me from watching Saved By The Bell to see what Zach and the crew was up to this time.
What did you watch?

And speaking of, what is your earliest memory of a film? My first film-memory is still extremely vivid after all these years. I was four, we were still living at Norra Fäladen, and my parents had rented a video (and a video recorder - yes, it was that long ago). They had rented this nice, cute animated film about bunnies.
Yep, they'd rented Watership Down, and to this day their daughter still cannot watch that film without fast-forwarding through the horrible parts where the rabbits suffocate in their holes. As a four year old I was crying hysterically, first when Bigwig was caught in the snare, and then when Hazel was shot. I was terrified of the lendri, general Woundwort, and above all, the Black Rabbit. God, he was scary, with those big, red eyes, and just flying through the air like that... I was actually scared of my own tiny black rabbit afterwards - if a rabbit were able look confused, she would have done so when I started crying as soon as I saw her. I had nightmares for several nights after that.

So, yeah. Anyone had a similar, though hopefully less traumatic first memory of a film?

Total relief

I've been doing some research - first, I emailed the student guidance counsellor about the theory- and the work experience credits. The theory consists of 15, and the work experience of five. What I've been told is that if you don't pass the work experience, you don't get the theory credits either. The email I got in response was able to tell me this isn't correct, which means that if I just pass the theory I still get the 15 credits for that.

Then, I called CSN (who handle study allowances and all that buisness). Apparently, getting 15 credits in one semester is enough to qualify for study allowances for the next one.

Do you realise what this means?

I'll tell you what it means. It means I can leave the work experience. This means I can stop dreaming about it, stop worrying and stop caring altogether about it! I won't have to do the two weeks of terror I've been dreading ever since I finished the ones I did in February.
You have no idea how happy and relieved I am right at this moment.

Lucky again or not?

This is odd. I went to pay my fine at the library, yes, I did, knowing it was going to add up to a lot. Two books, over a month delayed. I give the books to the guy at the desk and after checking them he tells me I owe 150 sek, which is about eleven pounds. I was like, 'That can't be right' (in my head, of course - in reality I just gave him the money and wished him a pleasant weekend). I got home and checked the letters I'd gotten, which told me that I really should have paid 700 sek. I went back today and asked them to check the debts on my account to make sure there hadn't been a mistake, and they said there was nothing.

I'm not sure whether to feel lucky or worried. Since I'd actually gotten proper bills, perhaps the debts are now registered somewhere else? In which case I still have to pay the rest of the money, or I'm going to end up getting 'dotted'. On the other hand, they should be able to see those debts at the library, and if they say I don't owe anything... It ought to be right.
Odd.

My hair is still the source of some discomfort. Normally I get used to a cut I'm not happy with even though it might take a few days, but this one I still haven't gotten round to accept. It's the fringe... And being this short it sort of curls itself - both the fringe and the rest of the hair - which makes me look like I have lady hair unless I straighten it, and that's too hard on hair as thin as mine to do it every day.
I miss my long hair. Incredible how fast you forget how tired you were of it once it's gone.

I found a pair of black linen trousers today - yay! I've been looking for ages.

April Fools day... Anyone get to you yet? I'm unfooled, so far.

--Update--
I only just realised... Checking my blog on the PC I found that the whole thing looks completely different than on my precious Mac, fonts and colours all messed up. This is what it's supposed to look like:


Doesn't look that way to you, does it? Wonder why it looks different on different computers?