In an earlier post, “Where are all the Vickys”, I shared some of the challenges faced here in Sweden regarding making friends. In essence, I explained that the quiet, reserved, and okay with the status quo cultural traits of the Swede makes if quite difficult to start a friendship. Well, having been here a bit longer, things have improved and my family and I have … Continue reading The Big Rottweiler at Home: Family vs. Friends
Fuck. Yeah, I say it. I try not to, especially now with kids; but, sometimes it just comes out. It’s like a sneeze; at times you can feel it coming on and fight it off, hold it in; but at other times, it just sneaks right up on you and is out before you can blink. Fuck. It is such a powerful four-letter word. When … Continue reading Defeating the F-Bomb
The Abyss of Holiday Cheer. Continue reading The Abyss of Holiday Cheer
I would like to share with you the wonderful experience I had at the largest Christmas Fair in all of Scandinavia. I would like to describe for you the ideal Dickens holiday setting. How this 1800s manor has been perfectly preserved, with the mill houses situated on the rushing rivers powering the water wheels, how the barns and stables and smithies have all been converted … Continue reading The Abyss of Holiday Cheer
The woe being felt, due to the lack of a traditional American Halloween, was slightly alleviated by the observation of All Saints Day. Originating in the 700s CE, the Church decided that November 1st shall be the day to honor all of the saints that did not have their own day. A couple of hundred years later November 2nd was to honor all non-saintly defined … Continue reading All Saints Day
We finally made it up to Stockholm for a quick weekend getaway. We left Almhult on Friday at 10:30am, and after a very enjoyable ride across a decent sized swath of Sweden, we made it to our destination at 6pm. The navigation program said it would take just over 5 hours, but with kids we made a few additional stops and detours. Friday night we … Continue reading A quick weekend in Stockholm
WARNING: This post is not intended for a Swedish audience. On the way back from our trip to the Moose Safari, we passed through the small town of Osby. Osby is most notable as the home of BRIO, which really didn’t mean much to me but my wife perked up at that. Having worked at a toy store during High School, she is much more … Continue reading If Homesick in Osby, Try Amerika!!
Halloween is by far my favorite holiday and I was lucky enough to marry a woman who shared the same favorite holiday. Having grown up in northern Michigan, Halloween always symbolized the end of Fall and the start of Winter. Often there would be snow, or at least freezing rain, and I would have a costume that needed to fit over a thick winter jacket, … Continue reading A Halloween Perspective
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