The laugh button

I'm not a big fan of sit coms on TV. I just get annoyed with the laughter they add after every punch line (if it's not recorded infront of a live audience). It so structured, like: Now you're suppose to laugh. But I love stand up comedy. Because it's real. Real people laugh because they think it's funny.

Last night a couple of friends and I went on a stand-up-comedy-show at a bar in the city. Both professional comedians and total amateurs were on stage. The known professionals were really funny. People were cheering, laughing and clapping their hands. Then it was time for the amateurs, who were up on stage for the first time in their lives. I could see how nervous they were and even I felt nervous. And here is the worst part. Some of them were just not funny. People didn't laugh. I felt so bad and I really tried to laugh, but nothing came out. It's very uncomfortable, this silence that follows a punch line.

The whole thing reminded me of the old times when kings and queens were amused by jesters . People were just sitting there in the audience like lazy couch potatoes. Come on then. Make me laugh. Be funny. At those silent moments on the live show, I really wished someone could have just pressed the laugh button, like in the sit coms.

One of those days

Today I worked at my internship from 9-4.30. Left half an hour early to get in time to uni before the library closed. Needed some books for my evening class. Got there, found the books but wasn't allowed to borrow them. My library card had expired since I've been abroad and I needed to pay the union fee to be able to reopen the account. So I said I wanted to pay the fee but the librarian woman (who looked like she was bored to death) said I had to pay it at the union. Went there, they were closed.

So I thought, nevermind. I'm tired and hungry, so I'll just go home. Went to the bus stop but to my surprise the bus stop wasn't there anymore. Construction work. I was too tired to walk all the way to the other side of campus so I took another bus to the city to the stop where my bus to home departs.

But no, the bus took another route, so I had to walk a while to get to my stop, trudging my way through the snow. Too late... the last bus had left. Called my friend P, who lives close by, and she gave me a ride home.

I know I should have paid the fee earlier and I could have walked to another bus and walked rest of the way home. But it's just one of those days when you feel so tired and hungry that you don't even bother to lift your feet properly.

Fun in the Snow

Me and Juni (My brother's Beagle pup) February 20, 2007

Fat Tuesday

Yesterday was Fettisdagen (fat Tuesday!). A Swedish holiday where we eat a particular pastry called Semla, made of:

- a sweet bread roll

- almond paste

- a ton of cream

I was visiting my brother in Uppsala yesterday and we first went for lunch at my favourite burger place, followed by a Semla at a cosy café. I'm actually not crazy for this pastry. When I was a kid I said to my mum on Fettisdagen: "Could I have a Semla without the bread?" which is pretty funny because without that, all that's left is almond paste and cream... But that would be my ideal Semla :)

After being abroad for a year, I realise how weird the Swedish holidays are. Fat Tuesday is just one of them. Who else dances around the christmas tree at christmas, pretending to be frogs? Or builds a gigant pole made of leaves and flowers in the summer, dancing around it, pretending to be frogs again...

Lucky

Sometimes you feel lucky. Or maybe it's coincidence. Or fate.

December 13th 2006 I did a skydive over Lake Taupo in New Zealand. I had looked forward to this day for a long time. The skydive was amazing. 15,000 ft (5000 m) and I could see over both islands. We were 4 people jumping from that height and I was the last one to jump. The freefall lasted for 1 whole minute and was awesome. After that the parachute popped up and I was sailing like a bird in the air. It was dead quiet and I could see everywhere. I looked down and saw the other two skydivers heading towards the highway and asked the guy behind my back (it was a tandem jump): "Are we gonna land by the highway too?" He said: "No, just them". Then he turned the parachute so I couldn't see them anymore.

When I landed my friend E was standing on the ground. Shaking and in tears. She told me one of the camera guys had just crashed! She actually thought it was me. The atmosphere at the skydiving centre was calm but you could see the staff just tried to keep us calm when infact one of the guys might be dead.

Now, 2 months later, it's on the Swedish TV news.

http://www.tv4.se/nyheter/526602.html

Felt weird to see the video clip today knowing I was just above him... Anyway, he survived, miraculously. And I just feel lucky, or whatever it was that did that I didn't get the broken parachute.

Evermore - Running

Awesome New Zealand band...

Body Cakes

Three days ago I visited my grandparents, who also live outside Stockholm (in "Salt Lake Baths"). We had decided to make "kroppkakor" (translated: body cakes). This is an old Swedish food dish kind of like dumplings, filled with pork, onions and spices. It's one of my favourites and I decided I wanted to learn how my granny makes them!

It was a lot of work but they turned out delicious! It was so nice to hang out at their house with them. With my grandparents I always feel like a kid again. And it's such a cosy and calm feeling about their house.

It's funny how you feel like you're different ages depending who you're with.

With mum and dad: I don't age at all. It's like one constant age. I always lose things at their house and still look for lollies in the fridge when I visit...
With my grandparents: I feel like I'm around 8 maybe. I want to bake, draw and be childish.
Actually, I rarely feel mature and old. Maybe sometimes when I have to fill out my income tax or when I notice a tiny wrinkle under my eye. But that's pretty rarely...or...more like...never.

My tip of today: Visit your grandparents and/or other relatives more often!

Lupines

Lake Tekapo, New Zealand, December 2006

Blogging Time!

I've landed in Sweden. Actually I landed two weeks ago.

I spent 2006 in Australia and it's weird, cold and exciting to be back.

Since I've been so used to write in my travel diary, I thought I'll just continue the habit and at the same time be part of the blog era...

This time I'll write in English, so my non-Swedish friends can understand too (even though most of them have an excellent limited Swedish vocab!) However, I have to admit, I might squeeze in a few Swedish entries here and there. I'll see how I go.