The Final

It dumped more snow here again Sunday night. Just when you think it's finally spring, Mother Nature drops another round of snow on us. It's almost like we never left Minnesota! Reese loves the snow, so that makes it alright. And I guess I really don't mind it either. I just wish it would decide if it was Spring, or still Winter. It's easier back in Minnesota. You can usually count on one last snowstorm to hit right around the High School hockey tournament, and then everything melts, and starts to bloom. Stockholm is more like living back in Breckenridge, Colorado again. There it would warm up, and everything would melt. And then just as you were putting away the winter clothing, and taking out the summer stuff, you'd get two feet of snow. It seemed like we repeated the same cycle for about three months. 

So, anyway, things didn't turn out the way they were supposed to at the Bandy final Saturday in Uppsala. Kristy's team lost the final 2-1 to the team they beat twice during the regular season. And what made it harder to swallow was that it was kind of a fluke goal, scored in about the last minute of play. When they scored, it just gave me this sick feeling. Everyone involved with the team was very disappointed, and it really put a damper on the entire weekend. But all in all, we still managed to have a really good time on Saturday night. Also, a good friend of ours, Pelle, is a coach for Nassjo. So we are happy for him. The real bummer is that Kristy was initially supposed to play in Nassjo this year before she figured out that her work location was in Stockholm. Nassjo is about 4-5 hours south of Stockholm, so the commute would have been a little much. It's hard to say what the experience would have been like had we lived in Nassjo, but I get the feeling Stockholm was a better location for us. I think if we had lived in Nassjo, we would have felt like we missed a lot of the sights of Stockholm. And we have no complaints at all, other than a championship would have been icing on the cake, as they say. I'm sure we would have made a lot of very good friends in Nassjo, but the friendships we've made with the people involved with AIK, we would not trade for anything. We've also made some very good friends here in our apartment building, so..... Everything happens for a reason, I always say. 

On the way home from Uppsala on Sunday, I drove for the first time since the middle of December. I drove because the owner of the car still felt as though she was not quite sober from the night before, and Sweden has a zero tolerance drinking and driving policy. Meaning, if you have one of those little chocolates with the liquor in it, you can get a DUI. And the police here don't need an excuse for pulling you over, like speeding, or swerving. They can pull a car over simply to check for alcohol in the drivers system. And from what I was told, they pull over a lot of cars outside of Uppsala, because they know there were a lot of people there doing a lot of drinking on Saturday and Saturday night. I was fine to drive, because I had quit drinking early, to keep an eye on some of the girls who were making a big dent in the alcohol supply in Uppsala on Saturday. But after being at the games Saturday, and the banquet Saturday night, I can vouch for the fact that there is a lot of drinking involved with this event. Standing outside the entrances to the stands, I saw a lot of people who could barely walk they were so drunk. But, never really saw any problems. Never saw any fights, or anything like that. The police seem to have a lot less attitude than the guys you might see in the United States. I think a lot of that has to do with the amount of guns and violence they see though. Most Police that we have seen in action have been really easy going, and seem to get along really well with the public. Very friendly. They didn't mind on Saturday that there were 10 guys peeing in the woods just off the sidewalk and street next to the stadium. And there were literally officers 20 feet from where these dudes were peeing. Oh, which reminds me. If these guys had used the toilets inside the stadium, the Satellite mobile event toilets that they would have used were made in Minneapolis! So proud. Anyway, driving a car felt really weird. Actually, it just felt weird to be in a car, which had not happened since mid-December. It's going to be an adjustment going home to the car, and not having to walk or take public transportation everywhere. Convenient, yes. But I don't miss the stress of driving places, and dealing with idiot drivers. I really wish the Twin Cities had a subway/train/bus system similar to the one they have here. It's really nice. Safe, clean, frequent, and prompt. 

So now I'm in a bit of a funk again. I think I'm bummed that the bandy season is officially over, and that we'll be going home in a couple of weeks. I became so used to the routine of going to training 3-4 nights a week, and a game every weekend. It's a strange feeling when it's done. During our last practice at Bergshamra, I was out on the ice about an hour before the girls came out, and it gave me a chance to just sit there and take it all in. The sun had set, but it wasn't quite dark yet. The little bit of light in the sky to the west made a nice backdrop to the towering pines that surround the field. The lights had not been turned on yet, and the team was still in the locker room "snacking", which means talking in english. It was so quiet. Then, after practice, Kristy and I were the last one's off the ice. She just sat there taking shots at me. I think both of us knew without having to mention it that we were trying to squeeze every last second in before we had to leave. After practice, a shower, and then cleaning out my locker to take everything back to the apartment with me. But between now and the time we leave, Kristy and I will be busy, which will be nice. She still has to work this week before leaving this Thursday for a weekend ski trip with her teammates and coaches. It's kind of a last fling for the team to get together to close out the season. I wish I was going, but I'll stay here with Reese, which isn't such a bad gig. I've also got plans to get together with our friend Robert, and maybe a couple of other guys from the AIK Men's team. Kind of one last get together with those guys before we leave too. As I've probably mentioned a number of times, everyone involved with the AIK organization has been so good to Kristy, Reese, and me. We'll never be able to thank them enough. 

And now that I look outside, I see it's once again snowing. It was sunny and warm most of the day, but then you saw this heavy line of gray moving across the sky. I said something to Kristy to the effect of "I wonder if it's going to snow". I looked up two minutes later, and it was almost a white out. Now, five minutes later, it has stopped, and the sun is shining again. I see blue skies are starting to dominate again. Weird. I set Reese on top of her kennel in the kitchen, which allows her to look out the window, and she's still sitting there taking in the sights below. I think she'll be happy to be home again. That makes one of us! ;)

Beer, Bandy, and Beds

I've been in a funk the last few days, and I think it's because I'm finally getting a little stir crazy in this apartment. It's really bare bones here, and we have one couch where we spend all of our working and relaxing time. It's a nice apartment, in a nice building, in a nice area, with a nice view, and very nice neighbors. Our apartment is just a little too bare bones. There's nothing on the walls except holes where someone had once hung pictures or shelves. There is also no carpeting or rugs in the place, except the little mat rugs in the bathroom, kitchen, and by the front door. The flooring everywhere in the place, except for the bathroom, is this weird tan colored flooring that makes it feel more like a cafeteria at an elementary school than living space. And the furniture, very kindly loaned to us by friends, is adequate, but nothing special. A couch being thrown out by someone's grandma, and some other furniture from someone else' summer home. Long story short, the place lacks warmth....and a doggy door that Reese can let herself in and out of to do her "business"! And we're not going to invest money in fixing up a place that we'll only live in for a couple of months. So we've made do. At least we have the TV, although there is not a lot on to watch normally. We look forward to the occasional Bandy game on TV, but that is about the only sport on TV that we've seen, other than skiing. Every once in a while I'll find a good documentary on, but usually they are either in Swedish, or in some other foreign language with Swedish subtitles. On the other hand, I guess we have also been pleasantly surprised at some of the other shows they have on weekly. Entourage is on every Wednesday night, followed by the Sarah Silverman Show. Kristy and I like to come home from Bandy training on Wednesday night, have dinner, a beer, and watch those shows. 

And speaking of beer, I love the selection we get here. They have so many different kinds of beer from all over Sweden and Europe, and when you go to the System Bologet (liquor store) they have the beer displayed with little signs that tell you how much they are for a can, what country they're made in, and what the alcohol content is. The more alcohol content, the more they cost. But it's cool, because you don't have to buy them by the 6 pack, 12 pack, or case. You can buy them individually, and they come in the 16 ounce cans. So Kristy and I usually go and pick out 5 or 6 cans each, and we're good for a while. And the cans all have really cool designs, although one of our favorites is generic silver with black lettering. But all the other designs make me want to start a beer can collection. 

And while we have variety in our beer selection, we don't have much when it comes to our food choices. Now I think I know how Reese feels, eating the same flippin thing twice a day, every day. Part of the problem is that we don't exactly have the utensils, ingredients, and cooking facilities that invite a lot of creativity in our cooking. And when we go grocery shopping, it's by walking to the grocery store, and carrying it back. So we don't exactly go big when we go shopping. Some things are easy to figure out at the grocery store, and other things are very difficult. Rice and Baking Soda are hard to figure out. You wouldn't think they would be, but there are many varieties of rice. We go with our standards, and that's about it. Again, we're only here for a few months, so it doesn't make a lot of sense to stock up on things we'll never use up, and won't take with us. 

I can't wait to have Chipotle and sleep in my own bed on the evening of April 13th!

Dreams & Nightmares

I went hunting with four friends in the woods. I've never been a hunter, except for when I did a little bird hunting with friends back in my college days. I had a rifle, as did two others. The guy I was hunting next to, Eric, had a crossbow. It was a very hilly area we were hunting in, and we came into a valley area that was sparsely wooded. We were up the hill on one side of the valley when we saw a big deer across the way, and so did our two others in our hunting party 100 yards down the hill to our left. Everyone was encouraging Eric to shoot his crossbow at the deer. He took aim and fired, but missed. This got the attention of the deer, who at first took off in the other direction, but then turned and came toward us. It was charging right at us, and I could see out of the corner of my eye that Eric was aiming his crossbow at the deer. I pointed my gun at it anyway, just in case. I was telling Eric to hurry up and shoot, but he didn't. It finally got close enough that I didn't wait anymore, and I pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, the safety was on. But fortunately for us, the deer ran right by us on our left. It stopped, turned around, and ran past us and back in the direction it came from. Then it turned, and charged again. Same thing happened. Eric didn't shoot, and I squeezed the trigger, but the safety was still on. This happened two more times where the deer ran by us without either of us getting off a shot, turned around, went back up the other way, and then turned and charged us again. The fifth time was the charm, as I was finally able to shoot and took the deer down. Almost immediately, I could see half a dozen other angry deer charging through the woods at us and our friends below. There was even a grizzly bear going after our friends. All of us were trying to figure out a way to get back to our truck now, as we dodged animals coming after us. It was quite a sight, and really nerve racking. As we were making our way down towards where our friends were, I noticed a large mountain man wearing furs down below us. 

Anyway, that was my dream last night. I didn't really have anything else to write about except the damn Melodiefestival songs stuck in my head. I heard another one of the songs when I went to the mall yesterday, and now I can't get it out of my head. The song is an attempt at pop music, but sung by an Opera singer, as best as I can figure. If you go to Google video, and look up "Melodiefestival" and "La Voie" (spelling??), I'm sure you'll find the video. The woman who sings it has white hair. Give that a listen to. You can also look up Star Pilots "Higher" while you're there, and also BWO, if you want to see what I'm talking about. I just realized that, unknowingly, I have written here about my dreams and also about the music that I had referred to previously as " a nightmare". Interesting, and at the same time boring as hell I'm sure, sorry. But nobody is forcing you to read this....are they??

Kaknästornet

So as Kristy and I are getting down to our last few weeks in Stockholm, we're struggling a little bit to figure out new places to go, and interesting things to see. Personally, I just like being here. I like riding the bus and the tube, and just walking around. It's interesting for me just to people watch, and there is so much to look at as far as buildings, and monuments, and statues, etc. But, Kristy told me to do some research, and figure out some things I wanted to do. So, I did a little research, and found the Kaknästornet TV & Radio tower. It's the tallest building in Stockholm, although it's not really a building. It's a cement pillar with a gift shop at the base, and a restaurant, cafe/bar, and observation deck at the top. So Friday afternoon we set out for this place, not exactly sure where to find it. We (OK, Kristy) knew the general area that it was in, but we were playing it by ear in finding it. We got off at the tube stop we suspected it would be near, and just started walking. We found the Swedish Television and Swedish Radio buildings, so we knew we were close. But the buildings around there were just tall enough that you couldn't see the tower. We finally came around a corner and saw it in the distance. We decided we would just walk it, and started across this vast open park which separated us from the tower. The park was covered with ice and little ponds created by melting snow, which made the walk kind of treacherous. More of a pain in the arss than anything else. We got close to the tower, and had to cut through the woods to get there. We finally arrived, and there was almost no cars in the parking lot. We entered by walking down a corridor and into the gift shop where you pay to take the elevator to the top. We got to the top, and the view was great, even though the sky was overcast. It was evening, and the sun hadn't set. So I told Kristy that if we went and got a drink and/or something to eat, it would probably allow the sun enough time to set, giving us a nice view of the lights of Stockholm in every direction. So we continued around the interior viewing area taking pictures, and made our way out onto the outdoor observation deck for a few more pictures. It was a great view, and I was surprised at how many cruise ships we could see coming and going from up there. We had seen the cruise ship that docks in the area they call Slussen on a couple of occasions, including New Years. But we must have seen 5 or 6 other ships coming and going from other ports. So after that, Kristy and I walked down a couple of floors and found the restaurant. We were seated at a table next to the window, and were immediately happy we decided to have dinner. We got a beer, and each ordered the Swedish Steak, which is a steak with an egg on top. I had thought about going with the ever safe meatballs, because I've been burned before by taking a chance on something unfamiliar. But I decided to take a chance, and I was glad I did. Everything was great. The company was great, which goes without saying, and on top of that, the beer was ice cold, and the food was awesome. And, in a crazy twist, the people at the table next to us had just gotten engaged either moments before we got there, or moments after we arrived. After dinner, we climbed back up to the observation deck for more pictures. When we decided that we had had enough, we caught the bus into downtown Stockholm to catch the tube. Even the bus ride from the tower to the tube was cool. It was one of those rides that really helped us make a connection as far as where we were in Stockholm. We came to a spot I recognized, and it helped to complete a part of the mental map in my head. All in all, Kristy and I both agreed that this was a great adventure. We experienced a lot of very different things, without venturing very far. It was fun exploring a new area with my new watch on. My other watch stayed home. 

Buh bye.

Bleeding Ears

I have a complaint. They have a music competition on TV here called Melodiefestivalen, which is sort of an American Idol type competition. But it's different, and they already have Swedish Idol here. I don't know how long this thing goes on, and I still don't quite understand how it works, but here's the general idea. They televise the competition every Sunday, which is a really big deal with the people around here, and especially the girls on Kristy's team. You see the performers being interviewed on news shows, see them featured in newspaper and magazine articles, and and see pictures around town in various places. The competition is open to everyone from bands, vocal groups, solo artists, etc, and the performers range from teenagers to people who look like they're in their 50's, and every kind of genre. And from what I have learned, a lot of these performers are already music stars in Sweden with music contracts and CD's. Each week there are 8 or so different artists/groups that perform. After everyone performs, they put numbers on the screen, and the viewers call in to vote. They have brackets, and narrow it down to the top 2 every week. But, just because an artist gets eliminated doesn't mean they're done. I don't really get it. But they somehow narrow it down week by week until they determine the winner. The winner then competes in a similar Europe-wide competition. 

Now, I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion when it comes to music. But it doesn't mean I can't complain about it. THIS SHOW IS PISSING ME OFF. There are a few things about it that piss me off. First of all, there are some talented people on the show, with very good voices, and decent songs. The problem is, the one's I think are really good always lose to what I would consider some very bad artists, singing some very bad songs. It's usually the bands/groups that are terrible, in my opinion. The one's that, when you see them take the stage, you have to ask yourself if they're really serious. The song lyrics are horrible, and their outfits are worse. The people I like NEVER win. It baffles me. I don't know what people are thinking when they vote for some of these clowns. There's a band called BWO that features a lead singer, and two people on keyboards. They are all wearing matching outfits that look like these silky futuristic silver jumpsuits. The one dude on keyboards resembles a 50 year old Devo reject who wears horse riding gear with his outfit, including the helmet, boots, and riding crop. The other keyboardist is a 50 something woman, and the lead singer is this young pretty boy. A really weird combination, even before they started into their cheesy ballad. Then there are the Star Pilots, who sing a song called "Higher". It's four guys who look like 90's boy band rejects. One guy that sings, and three backup singers/dancers. They all dress like they're going as Tom Cruise from Top Gun for Halloween. And one of the guys is kind of dumpy, and has a receding hairline, which makes it even more comical to see him dance and sing like he's in the Backstreet Boys. And if their look wasn't annoying enough, there are the song lyrics. The lyrics for the Star Pilots song sound like they took familiar lines from a half dozen old songs, and threw them together. It sounds familiar, but you can't quite place where you've heard them before. And then when you put them together, it's a nightmare. Here are a few of the lyrics that I was able to make out....

Take a chance on the edge of life, Keep trading passion for glory (Eye Of The Tiger??)

You're coming on like a hurricane, with no surrender in sight.

Play the game moving straight ahead, it'll cut you like a knife.

Just take my hand, run away with me, we can dance the night away 

I would give you the sky, baby it's now or never.

(Chorus) Tonight I'm gonna take you higher, can you feel the heat is on. Yeah tonight I'm gonna take you higher, till the end of time. 

And if you get a chill up and down your spine when you hear a song, you're in luck, because it seems like they play each song a half dozen times during the show. That's what made it so easy to remember the lyrics. When they pound this crap into your head over and over, it's bound to stick. And if that's not enough, this artist who makes you cringe will be back next week so you can hear the song repeated numerous times once again. And, if that still wasn't enough, you hear the songs everywhere you go, including one in the grocery store today. But I haven't even reached the best part. I heard one of the girls on Kristy's team singing one of the songs that I can't stand at Bandy practice. I told her I detested that song. Big mistake. I think she might be the male version of me, so naturally, she sings it every time she's around me because she knows I hate it. Then she went and recruited the other girls on the team to do the same thing. And before I could talk the coach into being on my side by punishing anyone caught singing the song with laps, I hear him singing it in their little team huddle as the girls are all looking over at me and laughing. They got to him first!  >:(  She had half a dozen of the girls in on her evil little plan, and they each kept singing the song as they skated past. And of course, she made a CD, brought it in, and cranked it up at top volume in the locker room. I am in the locker room next door, fortunately, but it was loud enough where I could hear it loud and clear from where I was. In the end though, I can't really complain. This is a classic case of what comes around goes around. They are doing to me, what I usually do to others. When I was in Vasteras with the U.S. men's bandy team, I would walk by people or groups of people singing Pump Up The Jam by Technotronic, in an attempt to get a somewhat annoying song stuck in people's heads.

And I know what you're thinking, why doesn't he just watch something else? There really is nothing else. And it's the old car wreck scenario, you can't look away. Well, if there is a silver lining to this whole thing, I'll save a lot of money on music here in Sweden.

I Miss Super Target

OK, as much as I love Sweden, I must finally admit that I am starting to miss some of the conveniences of home. There are many advantages to living in this country, and many things I will miss very much when we leave. But Kristy has been sick the last week or so, and it's really made me realize how much I miss the conveniences of home. Now, if we had lived here all of our lives, we probably wouldn't know any better, and it wouldn't be a convenience. But we have lived in the U.S. our entire life, so we get spoiled with the convenience. 

I miss Super Target. There is nothing like it here. Not even close. Here, you go to the grocery store for groceries, and that's it. If you need medicine of any kind, even something as simple as aspirin, you have to go to the Apoteket (Pharmacy), which are always in a separate location. And along the same lines, I miss stores that are open later than 6:00. Most places close around 5:00 or 6:00, which is great for the employees here, but suck if you are a consumer and you need anything desperately. And I'm not talking about a frozen pizza. I'm talking medicine, food, and needs that might arise at any moment, like adult diapers. I don't think anything in this country is open 24 hours. 

The System Bologet (Liquor Store) is another source of frustration. It's open from about 10:00 AM until 5 or 6:00 PM most days. But on Saturday, it's open from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM. SATURDAY! And of course, it's closed on Sunday, which we're used to. But, say for instance you get invited to a party, and want to bring a bottle of wine for the host, and maybe some wine or beer for yourself. If the System Bologet is closed, you're screwed. 

The other thing we've noticed is that, just because you plan ahead and look online to make sure that your destination will be open, doesn't make it so. Kristy verified online that the Post Office all the way across town would be open when we went to pick up a package that was waiting for us, only to get there and see that they were closed. The hours on the door said they should be open, but the locked door and lights turned out said something else. Again, must be nice if you're an employee, but if you're a consumer? We've had that happen to us on a couple of occasions. 

And back to the Apoteket, you can't just go in and buy Nyquil, slug some down, and wake up 22 hours later wondering what happened. You can't buy anything that will treat multiple symptoms. So if you have the flu, and are suffering from body aches, fever, sore throat, headache, and congestion, you have to buy a different medicine for each symptom. There is no Tylenol Cold & Flu on the shelves here. You have to buy Ibuprofen for the aches, you have to buy a nasal spray if your head is congested, you have to buy cough medicine if you have a cough. And when you go in the store, everything is generic, and nothing seems to be in English on the boxes. This is by no means the fault of the Swedish. I could have put more of an effort into learning the language before I came, but, I'm a lazy American! It's also not there fault that they don't understand the word "congestion", it's just frustrating. In an "if I knew then what I know now" scenario, I would have brought more meds. I want chewable Tums, not some crap that I have to dissolve in water!!

And not that I've done a lot of shopping for clothes here, but one thing I have noticed is that the sizes (S, M, L, XL) are smaller here....HEY! WHO JUST SAID "lose some weight"??!!  A lot of the dudes here are as big or bigger than me, so I'm not sure where they shop. I bought an XXL hooded sweatshirt here, and it fits like a Large would back home. I've tried on shirts when we've been out that are an XL or XXL, and they fit me like a Large. You know, super tight through the chest, shoulders, and biceps, but really really loose around the waist. 

We love Sweden, and love the people here. But at the same time, Kristy and I have both talked about how nice it will be to get back to the states, see our family and friends, and enjoy some of the comforts of home again. We've lived pretty simply here, and neither of us has a problem with that. We've also had no problem using public transportation, and walking more places. Unfortunately, it's just not the same back home. But we really miss things like the doggie door for Reese (so we don't have to get up 2-3 times a night), a real bed to sleep in (and not three thin cushions pushed together, and held in place by bed sheets wrapped around them that get separated every night so that I'm half on the bed, half on the hard floor), Chipotle of course, and the aforementioned Super Target. 

The Watch Watch Continues

So, Kristy has been really sick the last week or so, and we've been spending a lot of time at home. So that means more time in front of the TV, writing, and surfing the net when available. I'd have to go back and check my notes, but I believe we had a new record yesterday. 6 channels, 3 were televising skiing events. Today it's the Vasaloppet, the huge cross country ski race here in Sweden. It's on 2 different channels this morning, and people get so excited about it round these here parts. It is quite a spectacle, as they get thousands and thousands of participants (they were interviewing contestant number 18310 just a second ago) and spectators at this thing. And did I mention it's televised on 2 different channels?? I just watched someone running alongside the skiers bite it hard in the snowbank on the side of the course as they were trying to hand them water as they go by. Good stuff. I'd compare the whole thing to a Boston or NYC Marathon. 

So in between watching skiing on TV yesterday and today, Kristy, Reese, and I went for a nice long walk down around Haga park, to find what is supposedly the oldest wooden building in Stockholm. We saw where it was on the map, and looked like it would be pretty easy to find. And since it was billed as a pretty big tourist attraction, we figured it wouldn't be a problem. It was. We finally found it during our walk, but didn't even realize it at the time, because it was not well marked, or even well kept. It was actually the residence of one of the Queens at one point too, or a summer home, or a getaway cabin, or something like that. The other unusual part about it was that, for a supposedly big tourist attraction, we could find little to no information about it on the internet.

So I guess there's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it....I have a new watch. The old new watch was hanging by a thread, and when I looked at it most of the time, it was about 8 hours off. So when Kristy and I were out wandering around the other day, we stopped into Stadium, a local sporting goods store. Actually, it's a chain store along the lines of The Sports Authority. Anyway, I'm hanging with Kristy in the Women's Running section, and I see these watches. I took a closer look, and they were on sale for 110 Kroner (about $10). But they were Women's. So I asked the guy if they had any Men's. He said no. But as I'm looking around, I see that the same watch is marked 74 Kroner (about $10). I decided that since the watch was white with gray, and was full size, I could pass that off as a unisex watch. Done deal. Now I have to decide what to do with the old new watch. I can't just get rid of it. 

Bandy is on TV, Hammarby vs. Sandviken...what a country!! 

Gotta go.