Paris

I have visited Paris many times but it's been a couple of years... well... come to think of it... something like 12 years. I used to come here to visit one of my best, dear friends and we had tons of fun (dancing salsa, hiding out from thunderstorms at Sacre-Coeur, eating seven course dinners and taking car trips to the coast).

I only had 26 hours to spend in Paris this time around (when I flew in from Dulles, DC...) - and I used them well, ignoring the fact that I hadn't slept since Friday morning Californian time. I had a chance to spend a fantastic morning with my dear friend to try out her bridal dress, meet my dear alien friends from around Europe, walking in the Tuileries, drinking tea at a brasserie close to Les Halles, shopping in Les Marais, and eating a fantastic dinner around République - before the fact that I had been up for 36 hours straight forced me back to the hotel at Saint-Germian-des-Prés...

View from my hotel window.

View from my hotel window.

Alternatives to cars on busy, narrow streets.

Montparnasse in the background.

The Parisian Metro.

A conversation at the check-in counter

When arriving at the check-in counter at the airport I told the attendant that "I was going to Paris through Dallas". "Ok", the woman said, "Paris through Dulles". "Yes", I said, "Dallas". She looked strangely at me and I was thinking how weird it was that she had so much trouble pronouncing "Dallas". Got my boarding card and went through security and passed by the gate to Washington DC, thinking it's convenient that there is a direct flight to the east coast at that time. But strangely enough I couldn't find the gate to Dallas... and then it hit me and I picked up my boarding card....

And sure enough...

It said... tada... Dulles Airport in Washington DC...

This is what happens when you fly too often - so often that you just toss your printed e-ticket papers in your travel bag, just glancing to check departure and arrival time... Dallas - Dulles... same same...

I quickly text the Husband, informing him that I wasn't going to Dallas after all and then settled for a cross-country flight rather than a half-way flight... But then - in the end - I did arrive in Pars - just as planned. Not just exactly the way I had thought...

Conversations at the Dentist

Last week I took the Daughter to the Dentist to seal her molars - an invention that wasn't invented when I was a kid and something that seems very smart to do. While waiting for things to get ready the Dentist asked my Daughter what her favorite food was. She answered "pizza", which kind of surprised me since we don't really eat it that often and I have never heard of it being a favorite and besides she usually only eat the bread... "Aha", said the Dentist, "you love your mom's home made pizza - isn't that the best when your mom makes you pizza?".

What??

What did that come from? Did I miss a meeting - or is that something moms have to do - make home made pizza...  My Daughter looked puzzled since she has hardly seen me in the kitchen (in this house the Husband is the chef) and then looked at the Dentist and said (my faithful, loyal daughter), "Yes".

Then the Dentist was going to explain the procedures. Very child friendly - only my Daughter was busy watching Madagascar 2 on the screen in the ceiling and was thinking about the toy chest where she would pick up a toy on her way out. She didn't really care about dental procedures. "I'm going to use this infrared light to harden the sealants", the Dentist told my Daughter. "It's the same light your mom uses when she goes to the nailsaloon and gets her nails fixed".

What??

By now I started to feel really inadequate as a mom. Not only have I never made my Daughter homemade pizza, I have actually never been to a nail saloon nor have I brought my 6-year old Daughter. The Daughter looked puzzled at the Dentist and then nodded and kept watching the movie.

To the next Dentist appointment I'm sending the Husband.

Going on the road - in Timbuk2 style

This upcoming weekend I'm hitting the road. I'm off to Europe - going to Stockholm through Paris and Brussels. Paris to meet friends during a 24 hour long stop and then on to Brussels for a conference and then Stockholm for work.

It's going to be a long trip - I'm going to Paris through Dallas. Then taking the train to Brussels from Paris and then flying up to Stockholm. I'm going to pack light - travelling only with a carry-on and my laptop bag. I don't dare check luggage - I don't have time to loose it anywhere.

So now I'm going to be one of those annoying people with a big bag to squeeze in the overhead compartment.

I have lots of bags since I travel a lot - but I really didn't have a good carry-on in the right maximum dimensions. Bags is a great deal to me - they have to function and do their job during all those hours and hours when on the plane and on airports.

And so since I'm a Timbuk2 fan I got their Checkpoint bag this fall. I tried it out on my recent trip to Atlanta and it was great! I can carry an extra pair of shoes in the shoe pocket, there is an internal compression flap keeping my clothes in place, a secret pocket - and it has handles on all sides- making it so easy to get in and out of the overhead compartment. And - it rolls on skateboard wheels - so a lost wheel should be easy to swap. Love it!

And since I'm going to travel with a carry-on I'm carrying my laptop, phone, books and magazines in my Commute Slim laptop bag, United allows you a carry-on and a "computer case". If I didn't travel with the carry - on I would travel with a larger laptop bag.

Now if only the flights were shorter, the security easier, the airport nicer - then it would be a breeze to head off to Europe...

iPhone

For the past years we've had Blackberrys in this house. Both our phones have after extensive use slowly been dying and the last couple of weeks my phone stopped doing basic stuff. It was time to put it to rest or I would just carry around a useless piece of metal.

Since I do a lot of social networking and is a curious person - I really wanted to switch to an Android phone. But our cell phone operator, the sad AT&T, do not have any Android phones yet, and no indication that anyone is upcoming. We can't switch to Verizon, which has way better 3G, since their phones don't work internationally and I have to leave the country a couple of times a year. And since I'm going to be travel next week I really need a reliable phone, right now, - it's my lifeline when on the road.

Alas - the only thing left to do was to get an iPhone...

So now I've had my iPhone 3Gs 32GB for a couple of days and is slowly getting used to it. One day I might even be able to type on it...

Oh, how I miss so many functions of the Blackberry and oh, how many cool features the iPhone has.

The notification and lack of real push is driving me nuts! I have to do so many clicks to check my four mailboxes... and then mess comes in another place... And I really really miss the customizable home screen - where I could quickly glance on my latest incoming e-mails, calendar posts - or just take a quick look at the phone to check the blinking light to show I even had to turn it on to check a new mess. And I loved how the Blackberry connected Facebook with address book so I only got notifications in my Facebook app (and not in my inbox too) and it picked up photos of friends in my address book.  The lack of a smart IM push function almost made me return it. For years me and the Husband has been talking on the Blackberry Chat, then lately on Google Talk on our smartphones, something that needs extra apps and settings to work on the iPhone.

Oh, well.

I love the screen and the access to some very nice apps on the iPhone and the general feel. And the browser is great and the TweetDeck great, the TED and CNN apps are fantastic, I love having access to my Google Reader Feeds in the Newsstand app. And my BlackBerry wasn't 3G and this is - what a difference. And - I don't have to bring my iPod Classic 5th Generation iPod when travelling. And maybe an O3 3.3 will solve some of the things that now seems basic in comparison to Android, Pre and Blackberry. We're going to become good friends.

And most of all - I now have a working phone again.

Online shopping in Sweden

Ok - after very nice comments on my post on finding good reading books below, I decided to focus a couple of hours and update our bookshelves with books in Swedish for the Daughter to read. So I sat down with my laptop, a cup of tea and lots of patience and started cross referencing different Swedish book websites and making a list of books. I decided to make a pretty big order - to last us through the year - and in the end I ordered 21 books. I choose Adlibris - not sure why - it was just one of the sites I had open and they had pretty long and detailed descriptions of the books that I liked.

As usual at checkout, there were a lot of issues with using two addresses - since most of the Swedish websites don't ship internationally (and if they would the shipping cost would be a joke) I have to use two different addresses. If you shop online in the US - you always have the choice of two addresses - the billing address and the shipping address. In Sweden - not so... When trying to get the check out to work - the order page lost my choice of using a credit card to pay and placed the order as "postförskott" - a Swedish way of paying when you pick up the package at the postoffice.

Since I'm sending these books to my brother - I don't want him to have to cash them or mess with money in any way - I want the books to be paid for (it's enough that I'm having him collecting them and carrying them home). But there was no way to go back - the order had been placed. And when I contacted adlibris.se to find a way to solve the problem - there was none... They woulnd't allow me to prepay the order as a bill and they couldn't accept card payments after the order had been placed. Their solution was for me to transfer money to the one who was picking up the order or cancel the order and redo it... So to spend my money on their business - I still had a lot more work to do....

No thank you.

So I cancelled the order and redid the order on Bokus instead.

Clothes for little Swedish Aliens

Ok - this is no fashion blog whatsoever - but I just have to blog about these adorable sweaters from Polarn O. Pyret. They've taken the traditional Swedish "dalahäst" and redesigned into an elephant, a crocodile and a piggie.  They are named "Swedish Folklore Top". So cool!

I love to get "Swedish" clothes for my kids to wear... Bamse, Pippi, Spöket Laban - not only to reinforce these Swedish book characters for my kids. But this is a whole new way to reinforce Swedish traditions. Not sure the kids would get the embedded message I see in these sweaters... but at least I would. And they are so cute!

"Dreams do come true"

I took the Daughter to Disney on Ice over the weekend. I have never been and was curious to see one of those shows and I've always liked ice skating. My Daughter likes princesses - but she has only seen a few of the Disney Princess movies (Ariel and Cinderella) - she is not totally hooked. It was a good ice skating show - nice to see a little dancing on the ice and the Daughter liked it.

But I really have issues with their "theme"... They kept announcing that "see, dreams really do true", after each of the princess story was played out on the ice.

What dreams?

Getting poisoned /spellbound and saved by a handsome prince you can marry off at the end? Really - what have these princesses actually done that makes them good role models for "making your dreams come true"? Can't they just leave them at being nice fairy tales? Or otherwise invent one that actually do some dream work and fulfill their dreams? It's 2009 after all...

I wish there was a Disney princess like Per Gustavsson's princess. She wakes up, gets dressed in one of her hundreds of dresses, puts on her tiara, looks fabulous and pretty, eats cake for breakfast - and then goes off to fight dragons, play ice-hockey - and SHE saves the handsome prince.  Now we're talking!

I love these books - the princess is still dressed in pretty pink dresses - but she is doing the action, not letting the action happen to her. I've written about these books before (and a new one is just out, the fourth one) but it seems they still only in Swedish... I actually sent off a question to the author - it would be so great if these books came in English too. Cross your fingers!

All the Disney princesses dancing on the ice in the big finale.

Halloween is over, long live Christmas

Halloween is over, the big trick or treat crescendo is done, and I'm happy. Halloween is one of those American holidays I really have trouble relate to. I feel kind of lost. And I never liked fall, don't like orange and yellow leaves on the trees - prefer them green all year around. I just don't want orange stuff in my house.

Every year I say to myself- next year I really ought to get some more Halloween decorations - at least for the kids. And here we are again - with five small mini pumpkins the kids picked up at Pumpkin Patch field trips...

But next year..

I grew up next to the largest cemetery in Northern Europe and for me the "All Saints Day" weekend is one where you head out in the dark and walk through the silence through thousands and thousands of lights, lit to celebrate the lives of those lost. It doesn't mix well with dressed-up monsters and skeletons.

Don't misunderstand me - I think it's pretty amazing to walk down the street on the night of October 31, meet all these happy people and kids on the street. It's like a neighborhood party where all the neighbors meet (well, they might not recognize each other - but they meet...) and hang out outside, in the darkness. But I'm not too sad when it's over. And now I can start thinking about Christmas - a holiday I love! Bring it on!

The Spöket Labolina dress I made for the Daughter - she was very set
that this was what she wanted to be dressed up as...

Cold mornings and warm days

"Winter" season is tricky here. We might wake up to pretty cool temperatures in the early morning hours, but as soon as the sun has been up for a bit, it heats up the temperature and we have Swedish summer temperatures all through the day. This year it feels as if the cold nights came earlier than usual (or then, my memory is really becoming more foggy so who knows... maybe we're just on target).

When you are heading out from the house in the morning you have to take into consideration that you might be sweltering hot in those socks, long pants and warm sweater that felt so cozy at 7 am. Dressing in smart layers is the key. Like not wearing a long sleeved sweater, but rather a top with a hoodie that you can unzip and eventually take off. Or not having a quilted jacket, but a layering wind jacket with a hoodie underneath.

I'm so glad Polarn O. Pyret, the Swedish clothings store has opened up their online store in the US. Their stuff is the best - love it! This morning I realized my Daughter's PoP jacket suddenly was too small (she hasn't been wearing it since this summer in Sweden - we haven't exactly had jacket weather here since then and she must have grown two inches since then). I went online and found one and hep - a fig colored, stretch jacket, perfect for layering is on it's way.

School food

Never again will I ever say one harsh words on the Swedish school cafeteria food (skolmaten). I didn't know what I was talking about. Now with my own kid in school I suddenly miss that school cafeteria food a lot... (and being an alien I find myself missing the weird stuff - like "lapskojs"...).

In most American schools, kids bring their own lunch. If you're bringing you own lunch with no cooling or heating opportunities - it's pretty tricky to pack a nutritious, healthy lunch. And I think we have a harder time since we always have had a "cooked" lunch and it's hard to go from a fully cooked lunch to something that will work in a food box that a 6-year old must be able to handle. Every time I pack a cheese sandwich in my Daughters lunch box, I shudder a bit... (but then, if I was Norweigan - I would be doing fine right?).

There is a "cafeteria" in school, and if you buy lunch cupons in advance, the kids can get the food of the cafeteria. We just got the "menu" for November. And it's a constant reminder that the lunch box my daughter bring to school is pretty nutritious and healthy after all. It's just a matter of what you compare with....

Why isn't there a Amazon.se...

My Daughter cracked the reading code at 4,5 years, she now at 6 reads fluently (for her level) in both Swedish and English. Since it is so much easier (and cheaper...) to find "Beginning reader" books in English and we have fewer Swedish books - she has tended to read much more English than Swedish lately - a trend we don't like (a 50-50 ratio would be great). But with the start of the weekly Swedish school this September she has gone back to read Swedish much more. Swedish is actually easier to read and she can read longer without getting tired.

So suddenly she has gone through almost all of the "easy to read" Swedish books and I've been desperately trying to go online to see what I can order from Sweden. Books that are made for beginning readers that not necessarily are about football or horse riding. We have a whole box with "beginning reader" books in English - you can find them at your local bookstore - divided by reading level and they usually cost about $3-5. Not hardback books - but hey - they will soon move to a new level - so we don't mind.

I'm used to browse books using online stores such as Amazon.com where you can search and get review, good descriptions and recommendations - and are at total loss at some of the Swedish book sites that seem to lack any decent search function at all. Some books at Bokus.se only have a small picture of the book, it's name and author and price - and that's about it. For the price of buying it and having it shipped over here - that can be pretty bad purchase if you haven't done your research... Seems you have to know what you're looking for - before you go online on Swedish websites.

I'm assuming Swedish children who are beginning readers do read books? Or is the beginning reader an English phenomena? Maybe you just read any regular book that you happen to have in Sweden? Here you do have to learn "sight words" - words that you can never sound out and you just have to learn them. So beginning reader books are focused on different levels of sight words - thus divided into different reading levels. Makes it easier and don't discourage early readers to have a go at reading.

So maybe I'm looking for something that just isn't there in any major extent... But if there was an Amazon.se - I would know for sure...

Example from Bokus.se - the only info about a book... A picture and the
 title and the price... but you can share the info on Facebook and Twitter! ;-)

Exampel from BonnierCarlsen.se... You get 55 pages (!) to click through when you click
their link Books for 6-9 year olds... not even a "Next" or "Previous" function...

Today it happened...

I was going to write a date - in a Swedish text - and suddenly had to stop and think hard... Is today 102009 or 091020... It took me a couple of seconds to get it right (the right way in Swedish (and like most European countries and according to standard...) is 091020 as in year-month-date). I'm I loosing my European heritage! "Ve och fasa"! Why can't the whole world just keep to the standard... 

Found a long discussion on the topic on a Yahoo Answer site - doesn't make the thing more clear - but it was kind of fun to read.

And my Daughter, the little American, is very firm with me "The week starts with Sunday"....

The Fun Theory - from Stockholm

I love this video - testing the theory if making things fun will get people to change their behavior. One thing for sure - I would love to have stairs like that at home - if you could turn them off now and then...

Fun thing is - the experiments are done in downtowns Stockholm! The escalator pictured in the movie is one at Odenplan, not far from where I lived. I've gone up and down this entrance to the subway over and over again when I lived in Stockholm.

They have three more movies at the site "TheFunTheory.com" - all from Stockholm.

Gone with the Wind

When I was in 6th Grade in Sweden, I found a book at the library that hadn't been checked out for about 10 years (those were the times when you got a stamp in your book with the date you checked it out).  I was an early and avid reader, way ahead my class mates in types of books I was reading. I checked out the book and started reading. It was called Borta med vinden - Gone with the Wind and I was hooked... I was so hooked that I decided that I would not return it... Obviously it wasn't a very frequently checked out book so maybe they wouldn't really miss it.. It's the only thing I've stolen... *blushing*...

I guess the librarian would be sort of happy - because I  read that book so many times I can't even count them. So at least it came to good use. It was one of the books that I actually brought with me all the way here to California. It's actually right next to me, in the bookshelf.

So during my visit to Atlanta - I just HAD to go to the Margaret Mitchell House. The house where she wrote the book between 1925 and 1930.  It's not very big (the tour takes 15 minutes - including a visit to the gift shop). and not much is authentic (actually the whole house burned down right before the Olympic Games and have been rebuilt.

But it was still very nice to visit - I really like these "on site" museums (like the 6th Floor Museum in Dallas, the Ellis Island Museum in New York, the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam etc).

And I picked up a replica of the original version of the book. And paid for it...