And today...

...I passed the 25000-word mark in Nanowrimo. And my story suddenly shifted from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, which I hadn't expected since I am not particularly fond of LA. But then again, my experience with LA is over twenty years old...

So yes, my main character, Kyra, is now in LA, getting ready to interview the man who was once the love of her life. She is not sure how she feels about it. She wonders if seeing him again will rekindle the spark between them or if they've both changed so much they won't remember why they once loved one another.

We'll see where the story goes...

And now at the start of week two...

...I have made it to 15000 words of my 50000 word "opus". I am pretty pleased though I still don't really know where my story will go. I am just enjoying the ride--a ride that is taking me from Philly now back to Philly in the 1980s. I have to rummage through my brain for some memories of what happened back in the mid to late 1980s. I remember the MOVE siege and the destruction of an entire neighborhood, Mayor Goode...Bill Greene figures in there somewhere too. Zipperhead... Tower Records opening on South Street... Abe's...yes, that must be there too... Rock Against Racism show on Penn's Campus... Spring Fling....hmm... a lot to add. 

So if anyone else from Philly is reading this, drop a line about your memories of Philly from the 80s. Remind me of things as I take a stroll down that lane called Memory.

By the way, there are many Smiths references in this book. Who knew my main characters would be such Morrissey lovers?

Yet Another Short Update...

As of now, I have 11,500 words. If I make it to 15,000 today I will be pleased, but I can settle for 13,500 too. It all depends on if my wrists start hurting. Plus, I need to check in with my mom, part of my Sunday ritual. I am sure I will hear lots about the transit strike in Philly. I wonder if it will be like last time--Philadelphians got so used to the strike that people didn't seem to care anymore that SEPTA was no longer available. I was there for about a week of the strike. My hubby and I would walk into town from 40th Street every day (which we always do anyway when we're in Philly) and muse over how many others were out walking and seeming to enjoy it.

Time to get back to my Nanowrimo masterpiece. So to the rest of the Nanowrimers out there: yay us! Let's keep the words flowing! :)

Another short update...

As of 10PM last night, I have written 4088 words. The story is rambling, not very structured but I can see where I want to go so that's a good thing. I have to remind myself to write and not edit. Which is difficult. I usually do both at the same time. Or I try to make it perfect the first time around so that the revision process isn't so time-consuming or painful. 

This time I am just writing and I don't care what it sounds like. I don't even read it after I reach my quota. I keep telling myself I won't read it until 1 December but that sounds rather unrealistic. I will probably begin reading it already this weekend...

A short Nanowrimo update

As of last night, I've written 2500 words. I wanted to write more but my hands and eyes were tired. Going to aim for 2500 more words tonight. 

Not sure where story is headed but I like it so far.

The time is now...

...is the name of my new Nanowrimo novel. I started writing it around an hour ago. I am already at 1000 words so I am off to a good start. Yup, 1000 down, 49000 to go.

Yesterday I wrote a stellar post--I talked about writing and my Nanowrimo soundtrack and then I posted my top ten list of scary films with links to the original trailers--and then my broadband conenction went a bit insane and stopped working for a while and I lost the entire post. I am not going to try to repost it. I should have written it in Word and then cut and pasted it here...but in hindsight everything is apparent....

So now I am in the midst of Nanowrimo. As I said, the word count so far is 1000 words...

Will post another update tomorrow. :)

One week until Nanowrimo starts...

...and I am trying to decide which of the three ideas I've come up with will be the one that is my Nanowrimo novel. I've written one-page synopses for all three but I am still no closer to narrowing it down.

Should it be a screwball romance (aka chick lit with a new name), supernatural romance...or plain old ghost story? I am already working on a ghost story of sorts but it's fun writing creepy stories so maybe I will go with my ghost synopsis since I am already in that state of mind.

On the otherhand, I love writing romantic stories and they are always a good way to forget abotu the winter darkness that has settled over Stockholm. I write this as I look out my window. It's hard to believe that just a few months ago the sun was still up at 8PM. Now it's as dark as midnight. I feel like a zombie. Yeah...I need a romantic story to get me over the November blues--especially since every year it's the same thing: I walk around like I am in a fog from late October until around the second week of December. The only thing that helps me emerge from said fog is chocolate or a trip somewhere south of here (where there are more hours of sunlight).

Since I am going to the US on the 21st of November, I have to try and get as much written as possible beforehand. I can officially begin writing my Nanowrimo novel on the 1st. I will just have to make sure that every day I meet my quota. I didn't manage to do this last year. The year before I came pretty close to it. I resolve to be better this year.

I wonder how many other people will join me in Nanowrimo madness. I already know of two people who will be giving in to the frenzy. Will have to check out the Nanowrimo forums and see how many people are already posting...

 Are you insane, Kim???

Soon it's that time again--comes around once a year--when I "torture" myself by trying to write a 50,000-word manuscript in a month. Yes, it's soon time for Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month for those not in the know) and I have signed up again. I have no clue if I will be successful. I always have good intentions. The first time I tried it I was one day late finishing my manuscript and the end result was actually not that bad. I am in the process of revising it. 

Do I have a plot yet for my new effort? Nope! Any characters? Not yet. But I am sure some will come to me soon. Last year I didn't know what I wanted to write about until a few days before the official start. Let's hope I have better luck this year. Perhaps this year I will have an idea two weeks in advance! 

I'll have a new word-count widget online soon so you can follow my progress if you want. And I will be much better this year at posting a weekly update to let you know how my madwoman's journey is going. 

That's it for now! 

Where in the world has Kim been...? redux...

I know, I know. I promised I would update more often and then I haven't updated since the end of May. All I can say is that I have been busy. I did manage to take ten days of vacation in June, which I definitely needed. We went to Italy to celebrate Tord's birthday. This time, our travels took us to Bologna-Fano-Ravenna.

We started in Bologna and stayed at the wonderful Hotel Porta San Mamola. Our room had a lovely view of the lavender-scented garden, where you could also eat breakfast. If you want a calm place to stay with lots of small restaurants nearby, within walking distance of all the sights without feeling overwhelmed by all the other tourists, then this is the hotel for you. The staff recommended a restaurant called Il Sangiovese to us and we weren't disappointed. This restaurant has a good selection of local specialties and wines. Just thinking about how nice it was there is making me drool. I think I will have to return there soon.

The next day we departed for Fano, where we stayed at Villa Giulia, a cozy and romantic place in the hills above the city center. We booked a ground-floor suite that was set up like a mini-apartment. We even had our own little garden outside of our room where we could eat lunch in the sun and enjoy the scent of honeysuckle every afternoon. Our hostess Anna was a dog lover and all of her dogs were friendly. Our personal favorite was Lola, a shy black dog with lopsided ears who loved eating breakfast with us in the mornings and lunch with us when we returned from an afternoon spent at the pool or beach. We spent five days in Fano, enjoying the local seafood, the calm (it was still low-season for them) and the fantastic weather. One of our favorite activities was sitting on the terrace in the evenings, sipping limoncello and talking about everything and nothing. We were surprised we had very few mosquito bites by the end of our stay--maybe all the cute lizards running around ate them all.

Our next stop was Ravenna. We stayed at a fantastic bed and breakfast called M Club in Ravenna's historical center. Our room was large, airy and comfortable. It was so cozy we felt like it was our new second home and we're already talking about returning to Ravenna to stay there again. While in Ravenna, we quickly found a restaurant that became our favorite: Locanda del Melarancio. The food here was divine. If you're ever in Ravenna, you must go there. But we didn't just eat while we were there. We also toured many of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Ravenna and marvelled at the beauty of the mosaics. They really have to be seen...what an incredible sense of history you get when you walk the streets of Ravenna and wander in its many beautiful churches...

So that was June... July was spent working, working, working. August has also been busy--though I did attend the Oriflame Gold Conference in Rome, which was pretty cool. Now summer feels like it's leaving Stockholm and we've already planned our next weekend trip: London (again) to see another musical ("The Lion King"). I can't wait! :)

Totally Wicked...

Last week Tord and I celebrated ten years of being married and we celebrated this week by going to London to see the musical, Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. What? You never heard of Wicked? Well, crawl from under that rock and rush to your nearest box office and find out if it's playing in a city near you. This musical was fantastic...it was totally wicked!

Based on the Gregory Maguire novel of the same name, Wicked tells the behind-the-scenes story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and how she went from being your average green-skinned girl to the most feared woman in Oz. Along the way, we find out about the Wizard and his true intentions and whether Glinda is as good as she seems.

I liked it so much, I could see it again... Tord and I have now decided that we want to go to London again and see another musical. We're veering towards The Lion King. We're not sure when will do this again but I think it will be sooner rather than later.

So we were in London and we stayed at the Rockwell in Kensington, which was a very nice neighborhood to be in. Our room faced busy Cromwell Road but with triple-plated windows we didn't hear any traffic at all. Perfect! My only complaint about the hotel is that I wish there'd been a thick mattress pad on the bed since the mattress itself was a bit too firm. Our hotel was a short walk from the Hummingbird Bakery (such yummy cakes there!) and Harrods. Yes, we were touristy and went to Harrods--but only to buy tea for my father-in-law and Bendicks Bittermints. And we had a great pub, the King's Head, just around the corner. They had great burgers there...and the London Pride I drank was perfect...

We were supposed to cap off our belated anniversary festivities with dinner at Quaglino's. It's been ten years since the last time we were there and we thought it would be nice to go there and eat their infamous saddle of lamb--sans the annoying people who were with us the last time we were there. Unfortunately, Fate (or maybe someone famous, who knows?) stepped in and--when we arrived at the restaurant, there was a sign on the door stating the restaurant was closed "due to unforeseen maintenance issues". Sounds cryptic, right? Now, we started wondering...why such a cryptic sign? Why didn't the restaurant call us since they had Tord's cell phone number to let us know they wouldn't be open? Interestingly enough, on the same day, the Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Martin, announced his retirement following the big MP greed scandal. We started wondering if this had something to do with it...then we wondered if some Royal was having a "do" there... then again, maybe there was a maintenance issue--but we could see the staff in the restaurant and they were putting up what appeared to be decorations...hmmm...

In the end, we went back to our hotel. We ate at the restaurant there and the lamb rack and minty potatoes I had were fantastic. Tord had fish and chips that were also yummy. So the day was saved by the Rockwell's restaurant and yummy food, and we went back to our hotel room feeling sated and happy.

And if you're on the King's Road in Chelsea and you like ballerina flats and beer, then here are two places you should visit: for the ballerina flats go to French Sole and for the beer go to the Cadogan Arms and have a pint of Broadside.

And now when it's cloudy in Stockholm...man, I wish I were back in London...

Where in the world is Kim...?

I know, I know...it's been a while. And what have I been up to since I last posted? Well, I went to Madrid for a long weekend. Madrid was great--I have fallen in love with Valencian paella and jamón ibérico de bellota...I still dream of it...ooooh it was so good...:9 I think I will have to make another trip to Madrid soon...

I also moved from Vasastan to Frösunda. A lot of people thought I would not like living in Frösunda since it's not "in town". Apparently there is this assumption about me that I will melt or self-destruct if I don't live in a downtown area. I guess it's because almost everything I like is in town or because--until recently--all of my friends lived in town. Or maybe it's because they know that when I lived in the US I lived within walking distance of Center City in Philly and I lived in downtown Richmond.

What most people forget is that the majority of the time I've spent in Sweden has been spent living outside of Stockholm's downtown area. When I moved here in 1995, I lived in Norsborg. After a year, Tord and I moved to a sublet in Bagarmossen, and we loved it there. It was close enough to town (within 15 minutes you were at T-Centralen) and we had Nacka Nature Reserve just around the corner from our apartment. Our apartment in Bagarmossen was well-planned and was in a quiet area that was just a five-minute walk from the subway. We had three great years there and then the lease on our sublet was terminated. From 1999 to 2002 we lived in Storvreten in Tumba. In fact, we moved into our apartment a month before we got married. [By the way, my 10th wedding anniversary is on the 12th so feel free to send presents...;)] We didn't love Storvreten but it was nice until we started having problems with insane neighbors and crime. We were also tired of dealing with commuter train delays, falling on icy hills that were never sanded during the winter and having to spend oodles of money on taxis when we missed the last train home.

So it wasn't until May 2002 that we moved to Vasastan. We loved Vasastan--it had (and still does) everything we liked. The only thing Vasastan didn't have was a two-bedroom apartment we could afford. We settled for a one-bedroom that was fine initially. It was in a good location on Västmannagatan, had lovely crab apple trees in the garden and was in close proximity to my favorite cafés, my job and my friends. What it didn't have was closet space or a room where I could write. Eventually we decided we needed to move but we couldn't afford anything in Vasastan since the prices had skyrocketed to the point of insanity.

We decided to check out Frösunda, and we both fell in love with the area. We have a nice-sized 2-bedroom apartment with a large balcony and it's just a 5-minute walk from Hagaparken, which is quickly becoming my favorite place in Stockholm. And we have found a café called Sjöstugan (Thanks, Marti, for introducing me to this place when you had all of us writers at your house for a retreat!) where we love sitting outdoors in the shade of a lovely old tree while Brunnsviken's lapping waves lull us. They make yummy cinnamon buns...

So have I gone insane because I no longer live in town? Nope. On the contrary, I think I have become much calmer. And both Tord and I agree that we can see ourselves living here for a long time. We've even said that--should we ever decide that we need a new apartment--we want to find one here in Frösunda. So I think it's safe to say that we found our happy place.

But there is one thing that I will miss and that is New York Stories. Sadly, my favorite bookstore (owned by my friend Margaret) is closing. Today the shop is closing its doors for good. This saddens me because I know how much of Margaret's heart and soul went into the store. I know that those of us who were regulars mourn the closing of NYS but we wish Margaret well. And I have the feeling that sooner or later she'll have something new planned for us...at least, I hope she will. But I will miss sitting outside NYS during the summer and eating icecream, and I will miss taking care of the shop when Margaret had to go out of town or had something else planned. And I'll miss gossiping with Margaret across the counter. But I think we'll just move the gossiping to Caffé Como.

Where have you been, Kim?

Well, the answer to that question is very simple: I've been preparing to move.
In two weeks, Tord and I will be leaving Vasastan for Frösunda. A few weeks ago, we sold our two-room apartment for a good price. Preparing for the openh ouse was insane. Our real estate agent told us to remove as much clutter and personal items as possible--which sounds simple enough until you're actually in the midst of it and you feel like you're having a nervous breakdown.

It started off with getting rid of lots of old magazines and books I hadn't read in ages. That part was not so difficult. It didn't take longer than an hour and it was cathartic to send them to the recycling bin.

Then came step two: going through old clothing and letting go of things you know you'll never wear again but just can't seem to get rid of...somehow in the midst of this I lost one of my favorite ballerina flats--yes, I have one shoe left. I don't know where the other one is. This veered me off track for over an hour as I went through all the bags looking for the missing shoe. Did I find it? No. Do I think I'll find it once I've given up and thrown away the other shoe? Yes. Most likely.

While I was making a huge mess that eventually had to be cleaned up, Tord was trudging up and down the stairs to our storage unit in the attic. I don't know how many trips he made, but at one point he said,"I am NOT going back up there again..." I knew from the stern expression on his face not to press my luck.

Now while all of this was going on, I was also attempting to paint the hall white. When it was done, I wanted to cry. It's such a boring color--can you even really call white a color when it is so god-awful bland? Even now, a month later, I still walk into the hall and think, "Usch...white."

But even with all the sneezing from dust and sore muscles from lifting heavy boxes and grumbling about how all of this was the world's biggest pain in the ass, it's amazing how different our apartment looks. I would take a picture and post it if I knew where my digital camera was. It feels like a completely different place and I think the new owners will be very happy here.

And the great thing was that we didn't even have an open house--the couple who bought our apartment requested a private viewing and the deal was done within a matter of hours! This pleased me immensely. I wasn't looking forward to the open house and the usual crowd who turn up. I've been to enough open houses in Stockholm to know how little regard most people show for your furniture, etc when they're there. They cock their feet up on your coffee table, sit on the arm of your sofa, lounge around like they own your place and it annoys me. Granted, I am easily annoyed but bad behavior is not something I can stomach.

I will miss living in Vasastan--it's a fantastic place to be, but the real estate prices were just too high when we decided we wanted a larger apartment. But every time I go to my soon-to-be-home of Frösunda I get a good vibe from it. I think we'll be happy there and I can't wait to finally have a room where I can write...

And, by the way, I was too busy in November to even come close to finishing Nanowrimo. Maybe next time...

Time to Nanowrimo

Every year it sneaks up on us--the first day of Nanowrimo (or National Novel Writing Month to the uninitiated). I signed up for it weeks ago and then got so busy at work and getting my submission packages ready for agents that I forgot all about sitting down and thinking up a plot. Pretty smart, right?

Well, this morning I woke up at six and was unable to return to dreamland. Suddenly I realized I'd dreamed the plot of my novel--my Nanowrimo bonanza! I got up, pulled out a notebook and began scribbling down a synopsis of the first three chapters. Then I turned on my moody computer (it's been moody since I went to Matera with it--I forgot lock my hard drive and it keeps beeping at me now when I turn it on or it takes forever to get going) and wrote 1500 words. Yay me!

So now I shall keep chugging along with my Nanowrimo novel, which will be called Be Mine. I've got my iPod playlist ready for when I am writing and it features Robyn, Kate Nash, Maria Mena, the Whitest Boy Alive and Moloko, just to name a few. :)

Now the question is will I be able to write 50,000 words by November 30? I don't know but I will damn sure try.

The rest of you can follow my progress if you like. I am going to put a widget on my blog with a word count update. I'll fix it either today or tomorrow.

Of course, you could always sign up now and try Nanowrimo yourself....

Catching up...

I haven't posted in ages--partly because I have been very busy but als0 because I just wasn't in the mood.

Since I last posted, I have started a new job, attended the Women's Fiction Festival in Matera where I met a lot of new people like Brenda, Aleka, Cassy, Lori, Sarah Jane, Cynthia and Regina--just to name a few. I've also started outlining what may be my Nanowrimo 2008 novel. I need to tweak the outline a bit, but it has a good feel to it.

So where do I work now? I work for a cosmetics firm called Oriflame as the copywriter for the fragrances section. I started in September so now I've been working there for a little over a month. It's a great place to work and I really like my colleagues. Annika Shelly, a former member of SWG, told me about the position and really rallied on my behalf. I think I owe her loads of Belgian beer for that. :) Now Karin, who is also an SWG member and my writing buddy, has joined the team as the copywriter for the accessories line.

Now while I was in Matera I met Lori Avocato, who writes romance and mysteries, and her cousin Alice. We had dinner together the first night I was in Matera. She's such a nice person so I urge anyone who reads my blog to check out her website and blog! One of the other writers I met while in Matera was Aleka Nakis, who is just too funny. :) We enjoyed many meals, glasses of wine and loads of coffee at Bar Sedile (aka Franco's) together. Visit her website and get to know her!

Finally, I pitched my novels to agents and editors while I was in Matera. Several requested partials from me, which I will be sending out this week. One agent, Sarah Jane Freymann didn't request my work but we had a great time chatting and I hope we can meet when I am in the US in December for coffee-talk.

That's it for now. I need to get back to writing.

P.S.
Maria Mena has a new album out. You should buy it.

Rain, rain go away...

It's been raining almost non-stop since Sunday evening, and I am so tired of it. It feels like my brain is waterlogged it's been raining so much. So today's post isn't going to be particularly scintillating. I figured I'd keep you up-to-date on what I've been reading all summer...
So here it is--Kim's Summer 2008 Reading List (in no particular order):

• The Witches by Roald Dahl (read this with a ten-year old I was teaching)
• Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl (torn, don't know if I really liked this book)
• Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger (purely escapist reading that was sometimes fun, sometimes annoying)
• The Anonymous Venetian by Donna Leon (I love all of her books)
• Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs (lots of fun to read but you'll be very, very hungry...)
• How to Walk in High Heels by Camilla Morton (fun book on everything we chicas need to know)
• The Mission Song by John le Carre (fantastic, disturbing, highly recommended)
• Angels Fall by Nora Roberts (a little romantic suspense to get me through this rainy period in Stockholm)

I've probably read more books but I can't remember. I know I read two books while we were in Italy but I've forgotten what they were called and I left them at the hotel once I finished reading them.

Hmm...not much today. Well, maybe I'll feel more creative next time. But while I am writing, I can tell you I'll be in Italy again in late September for the Women's Fiction Festival. I'm really looking forward to it. Some of the chicas in my writers' group went to it last year and found it insightful. Now I'm sold--I'm going on September 24.

Happy Anniversary!

No, it's not my wedding anniversary--that was back in May. As of today, it's exactly thirteen years since I first moved to Sweden. Heja Kim! :) I can still remember how nervous I felt in the weeks leading to my leaving Richmond, Virginia and moving here. Part of the time I walked around in a daze. It helped that I was working at the time for a department at VCU that did tele-research for the various state authorities. Between 3 and 6 hours a day I called people, who found all of us who were calling them and asking them to answer health questions on behalf of Virginia's health department exceeding annoying or just too nosy.

In between phone calls, I fretted over if I had enough money saved up (I didn't), would I like my new job in Sweden (well, the first one fell through before I even arrived but another one eventually came along), would Tord and I be able to stick it out when we were finally together on a full-time basis or was it a case of absence making the heart grow fonder (didn't need to worry about that). In short, I was terrified but I think I did an okay job of pretending I had no doubts at all because sometimes I even fooled myself.

On the day I was supposed to leave the US, Andrew, Inge, Paula and Mona took me to Dulles and they kept me from sinking too often into my own thoughts. When we arrived, the KLM check-in personnel informed me my flight had been canceled and that everyone booked on the Sunday flight to Amsterdam was being put up in rooms at the airport hotel. This hiccup was enough to rattle me. I hadn't planned for this, didn't have any phonecards or credit cards (I'd gotten rid of all my American cards by that point) but Inge gave me her phonecard so I could call Tord and let him know I would be a day late arriving in Stockholm.

As it turned out, I was two days late arriving in Stockholm. The flight I was scheduled to take the next day was several hours late leaving Dulles so I missed my connecting flight from Amsterdam to Stockholm. I ended up having to spend the night in Amsterdam, which should have been fun but I was so focused on getting to Stockholm and to Tord that I had no real interest in anything else. Besides, by the time my flight landed in Amsterdam, it was nearly one in the morning and the only thing I wanted to do was take a shower and go to bed. So much for excitement and adventure!

I tried to sleep but I spent more time tossing and turning, reviewing the three years I'd spent in Richmond, my life PT (pre-Tord) and how I was embarking on seriously major change. I was twenty-five and I was taking this huge step--moving to another country and leaving everything behind--and I suddenly understood why my mother was so worried about me and what I was doing. I didn't know anyone else in Sweden other than Tord and his family. I didn't have a support network in case things went horribly wrong. If I fell, there was nobody to catch me. And it was both thrilling and frightening.

But thirteen years later, I can say I have survived a hell of a lot of ups and downs in Sweden. Tord and I are still together and I can honestly say that--if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't change a thing.

Late Afternoon Thoughts Regarding Vi i Vasastan

Yesterday I was reading Vi i Vasastan, which is the local weekly paper for the section of Stockholm where I live, and came across an article called "Vasastaners Best at Complaining" or something like that--I don't have the article in front of me since I already recycled my copy of the paper. The article focused on things we Vasastaners complain about the most.

Many of the people they interviewed made some valid points. One of the complaints I agreed with was the rat problem in Vasaparken. At one point a few year ago, Vasaparken was so overrun with rats that I didn't want to sit in the grass for fear that one would jump in my bag and come home with me. Yuck! This year it doesn't seem to be as bad as it was last year and the year before, but--then again--I haven't been hanging around so much in the park since I'm not on vacation yet.

I think the rat problem wouldn't be so bad though if people who have picnics and barbecues in the park were better at cleaning up after themselves instead of assuming the Park Authority will have time to clean up for them. Too often (when I've been in the park) I've seen people who show up with takeaway lattes and food, revel in the great weather and then (instead of taking their containers to the nearest trash cans or taking their refuse with them) leave their leftover food on the grass--didn't their parents ever tell them to pick up after themselves? So to paraphrase an old anti-littering campaign from the US, "Give a hoot, don't pollute! Never be a dirty bird! In the city or in the woods, help keep Vasaparken looking good!"

Another problem someone mentioned was the lack of food halls here. The closest we have to one is PrisExtra, which is not really my idea of a food hall like Reading Terminal in Philly or Östermalmshallen in Stockholm's Östermalm district. There's Vi Vasahallen but it's more like a supermarket that has a few luxury items. Of course, on the plus side we have some nice specialty shops like Vasastan Ost, A Tavola, Delicatessen Chez Jean Yves, Fiesta Deli, just to name a few. Plus a couple of good fishmongers (I've forgotten their names but one is on the upper part of Dalagatan and the other is on Karlbergsvägen in Birkastan). But anyway, they're not all under the same roof but we can always look at it from the bright side that we're getting exercise as we stroll along Upplandsgatan in search of good French cheese or Odengatan to collect some yummy smoked mozzarella.

One other problem was that people don't like parents of small children or parents pushing prams around the town. Well, I don't have a problem said parents (so long as they don't do disgusting things like change their kids' smelly diapers at the table beside me--that's why they have customer bathrooms, or allow their kids to run wild in places where people go for peace and quiet). I do have a problem with people who push prams and take up the entire pavement by walking beside their prams instead of behind them. I also don't like it when people with huge prams ignore the signs café owners put up asking them to leave their prams outside since there is limited space inside. Too often, I have been hemmed in by people with baby sedans blocking already crowded aisles in small cafés. The owners of these baby sedans then get annoyed if you so much as nudge their gigantoprams out of the way or ask them to move them aside.

Someone once accused me of only feeling this way because I was envious of people who have children since I don't have any (and probably never will have any). I don't think this is the case. I just think that often parents with prams don't think when they are in public space. Why do they need to walk beside their prams on crowded pavements when a pram is designed so that the person pushing it should be behind it? Why can't they understand that restaurants and cafés need to keep aisles clear so that their patrons and staff can move freely? Why do they suddenly decide to change a dirty diaper at their table instead of going into the restroom? No one wants to smell baby poop, let alone see it, when they are eating.

So to the young woman who said that people in Vasastan don't like parents of small children, said children or people pushing prams--those are some of the reasons why people don't like prams (and the people pushing them) in Vasastan.

Anyway, one of the main points in the article was that people who live in Vasastan are good at writing letters of complaint to the local authorities. And that these letters of complaint have often worked in improving things in the area. Good to know venting can lead to progress! ;)

Arrivederci Gli Azzurri, Ciao...

Well, Spain beat the Boys in Blue...for the first time in--did they say 88 years??? Ah well, it was fun while it last. So now Spain will meet Russia on Thursday in Vienna, and the winner of that match will meet the winner of the Germany/Turkey match. Still, there will always be a soft spot in my heart for Gli Azzurri, and I will always cheer for them.

On to other things--I am reading a very spooky book called Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill, who just happens to be the sun of Stephen King. Just the first few chapters were eerie enough to give me the willies. Well, let's just say it gave me nightmares last night...so it must be good!

Other books I've read in the last few weeks include:
--The Host by Stephenie Meyers (really liked it)
--Whiskey Road: A Love Story by Karen Siplin (loved it)
--Frenemies by Megan Crane (liked it)
-- Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner (liked it)

Once I finish Heart-Shaped Box, I will concentrate on my own writing. I have a deadline to meet with my writing coach. I also need to decide if I am actually going to the US in August or if I'll wait until the end of November. So difficult to make up my mind sometimes.

BTW, I saw Sex and the City tonight with some girlfriends and it was a lot of fun. I was never really very addicted to the show but I did watch the final season and found myself missing the show. I knew the movie didn't receive rave reviews, but it was exactly what I was in the mood for: something light, fluffy and completely escapist. I've got two free movie tickets burning a hole in my bag so I need to find another movie to use them on. Maybe I'll see another movie tomorrow. Should check SF's schedule.

I also need to start doing yoga at home again since this is the last week for Friskis och Svettis yoga until sometime in August. It's soon July and practically everything in Sweden comes to a standstill as everyone disappears for four to five weeks of summer vacation. It's the perfect time of year to ride my bike in town--everyone's away and I have the streets to myself. But I was hoping to get back into the swing of my yoga classes since my work schedule interfered with the afternoon Ki-Yoga and Ki-Balans classes I was taking at F&S. My brain must have been on vacation when I assumed I'd be able to do so in July--after nearly thirteen years of living here, I know everything stops for a month. Good thing I have a yoga DVD I can do. I just prefer doing my yoga class with other people. I am not very good at doing these things on my own.

Forza Italia Redux!

Italy beat France and are moving onwards! On the 22nd at 20:45 they meet Spain in the quarter-finals. This is getting exciting--has Gli Azzurri recaptured their fighting spirit? I sure hope so! Unfortunately, I missed most of the France-Italy match but I am still pleased as punch that they're in the quarter-finals and I hope they win against Spain.

Last night, the Swedes lost to the Russians. I have no clue what is wrong with Lagerback and the Swedish football team. The only player who even shows real inspiration is Zlatan. I still remember that gorgeous goal he made against Greece...now that was sheer poetry. If only the rest of the team could have gotten it together enough to push Sweden forward. Remember back in 1994 when the World Cup tournament was held in the US for the first time and Sweden won the bronze medal? The team played so well together and instead of just passing, passing, passing and trying to be democratic all the time, they took risks--they shot even when they weren't sure if it would secure a goal. Maybe they need to review footage from back then and try to remember how good they were.

Maybe Sweden needs a new coach. Can't we lure Marco van Basten to Sweden? Look what he's done with the Dutch team? They are so fast, so superior--it's...well, Sweden's just not even in the same category.

But now...if Italy meets Holland again in the finals... shiver... now that would make for a nail biter of a game...

Forza Italia!

I was certain I'd have time to update before I went on vacation but work (and other things) got in the way. Now it's nearly the end of June--here in Sweden we'll soon be celebrating Midsommar (that's "Midsummer" to the English-speaking world though I am sure you could figure that out) and everyone will be drinking far too much aquavit and singing about "small frogs" as they dance around the maypole (though it is June)--and here I am updating after close to a month of nothing, nothing, nothing.

The hubster and I went to Italy for nine days to celebrate his birthday and to throw ourselves completely at the mercy of la cucina italiana. And, boy oh boy, did we enjoy! Early on, we decided we wanted a Slowfood trip and planned our itinerary around cities renowned for Slowfood, namely Milano, Cremona, Parma and Bologna. Milano and Cremona are part of the region in Italy known as Lombardia (or Lombardy in English), while Parma and Bologna belong to Emilia-Romagna. Parma and Bologna are often referred to as the food meccas of Italy, and both cities live up to their culinary reputations.

We only spent one day in Milano. We spent several days there a few summers ago, and neither Tord nor I were very interested in shopping or spending too much time in a large city. Instead, we spent the night at the Jolly Hotel Milano Machiavelli, which was quite nice and very conviently located--just a ten-minute walk from Milano Centrale train station, and left the following morning for Cremona. While in Milano, we didn't really partake of any Slowfood there. We were too tired and still rather full from the pizza we ate for lunch. We made up for it in the remaining cities.

Cremona, which is a little over an hour's train ride from Milano, is a fantastic place to visit in early June. While we were there, the city was in the midst of its Poesia Festival. Every evening there were free concerts in the city's piazzas. We enjoyed an al fresco concert by Misia, a Portuguese fado singer with a fantastic voice. It was the perfect way to cap our evening, which started with dinner at La Sosta, a renowned Slowfood restaurant on Via Vescovo Sicardo 9. By the way, the food was stellar there. You will not be disappointed if you go there. Speaking of food, the Cremonese salami is so delicious that you will want to eat it every day...preferably with some really good bread, a hunk of cheese and a good bottle of wine (all purchased at Formaggi d'Italia, a charcuterie just around the corner from Cremona's duomo). In case you're interested, we stayed at the Hotel Delle Arti, which is around a twenty-minute walk from the train station, and we really enjoyed our stay there. Our only complaint about the hotel is that check-out is at 10 AM, but then again it meant we could take an early train to Parma and the train wasn't crowded, so maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

Next, we continued on to Parma, another short train ride via Fidenza. We spent four days there and loved it. We stayed at the wonderful Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati, in the Ermione suite. What we really liked about this hotel was its great location (right on Via al Dumo), the coziness of our suite/apartment, and the first-class service we received from the friendly staff there. We tried out several restaurants but our favorite was La Forchetta, which was just around the corner from the palazzo. The duck (my choice) and black bass (and Tord's choice) were so delicious we still dream about it. We also tried Trattoria del Tribunale, and enjoyed their local specialities! Thank God Parma is a very pedestrian-friendly town--we needed to do a lot of walking considering how well we ate there. Since we had a kitchenette in our room, we made our own breakfast every morning and ate lunch there every afternoon. We got in the habit of walking along Via Cavour, crossing Piazza Garibaldi and traipsing along Via Farini until we came to what became our favorite enoteca. We bought all of our provisions there and the lovely ladies who run the place were always so friendly and patient with us (especially considering our poor Italian skills). I hope we'll return to Parma--it was a great place to visit.

Our final stop was Bologna. The last time we visited Bologna was in January 1999--we were poor and couldn't really afford to enjoy everything the city had to offer. This time, we had enough money to eat more than lackluster tourist food. We indulged in everything the Bolognese cucina had to offer at restaurants like Trattoria da Gianni (on Via Clavature 18, recommended in our Slowfood guide and well worth it) and Marco Fadiga Bistrot (on Via Rialto 23/C--not in our Slowfood guide but it ought to be). We stayed at Il Convento dei Fiori di Seta, an intimate boutique hotel in a converted convent on Via Orfeo 34. The beds are incredibly comfortable at this hotel, and the location is in a residential neighborhood in the southern corner of the historical district.

By the way, while you're in Bologna, you should definitely see Santo Stefano, a fantastic church made up of seven religious edifices. According to legend, it was built by Saint Petronius over the remains of an Isis temple. Don't miss it!

Returning to Stockholm after such a gratifying trip was difficult. I was in a bit of a funk last night and this morning at being back. Now I am happy to be home again (though if someone were to offer me a free ticket back to Italy I'd take it in a heartbeat). I will have to live on the memories until we have the time and the money to sneak away again...

By the way, if anyone has any theories as to why Gli Azzurri is doing so poorly in the Euro Cup, I'd love to hear them. I remember when they won the World Cup, defeating then-champions France. We were in Rome the same day Gli Azzurri arrived home with the Cup and remember the anticipation, the heat and the all-night celebrations. I don't think there will be such celebrations this year... I just wonder what happened between then and now since the team doesn't seem to be playing as well together as usual.