Då har man tagit studenten 😀

Eventuellt följer bilder om ett par dagar…

I don’t know how many times I’ve loved Sarah, as her close friend, boyfriend, father or even as her mother. I can’t remember how many times I’ve heard the call from Sarah’s dad, with all the sadness in his voice, announcing her tragic death. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been blamed for the accident she was in, or how many times I’ve blamed myself. And I have no clue how many times she’s been mad at me, hugged me, talked to me or accepted a gift from me. I just know we’ve been through a lot together, Sarah and I.

And despite all this, she’s not real. I’ve felt her, smelled her, comforted her and done things to her I’ve later regretted. I’ve lost her several times, in several different ways. But she’s not real. She’s a part of my imagination, the source of many of my achievements.

I’ve cried for her and laughed with her. And every time, it has felt so real. Real tears have been shredded, and real life lies have been told because of my addiction to her. When inspired, she takes me over, and it’s not rare that fiction and reality gets mixed together, due to the emotional rush she’s able to provide.

She can never be as much a part of my life as a real person, yet I can’t think of anyone who has stirred up my emotions in the way she has. And she’s done it many times, over and over again.

So Sarah, this one’s for you, because I owe it to you. You’ll always have that special place inside me, and no matter what I put you through in the future, I know you’ll always be there when I need you.

Alright, yet another year, yet another Eurovision Song Contest. A magnificent show as always, but again with a mixed quality of songs. Here are some of the ups and downs from Belgrade this year:

The Ups

• 43 countries – More and more countries participate every year. More participants, more fun!
• Favorites in top – Four out of five of my personal favorites were among the top positions throughout the announcements of the results.
• The figure skater – OK, so Russia won. Greece was better, and it was a tough fight during the first halfof the results. But even though I had rather seen Russia second or third, that figure skater really did nail it! I’ve seen him before on TV (but never remember his name), but skating on such a small area, with a violin player and a singer in the same tiny spot, makes his world titles well deserved.
• Norway – Just because. Loved the song, but still thought it wouldn’t do as good as it actually did. Way to go!
• Björn Gustafsson – The guy who announced the results of the voting in Sweden. For you non-Swedish people out there: he’s not that stupid in reality (only almost). He’s a comedian, and most of his shows are like that. ”Hola Belgrade” 😛
• All of the Nordic countries in the final – This is obviously great, but as usual, we could have done without Finnish rock. Sorry 😦
• Good quality – Despite some doubt to begin with, the final turned out to contain very high quality music. Hey, even Israel made a serious contribution!
• ”We’re sorry for Riverdance” – We know you are, Ireland 😛 (But thank goodness that turkey didn’t make it all the way… then we would be the ones who were sorry!)
• The fireworks– Yay, love fireworks 😀
• Top score to Sweden – At least from one country. But who would have thought the 12 points would come from Malta (!) of all places?

The Downs

• 43 countries – In the future, the announcements of the results will take three hours :O Enough is enough, emerge with Russia instead. But despite all these new participants, where are some of the more well known countries? When will Italy and Scotland, for example, join the fun? It’s been more then 50 years guys, I think it’s time.
• The lack of seriousness – Half naked women (Estonia, anyone?), techno turkeys, singing pirates (great song, though), crazy Spaniards, Frenchmen in golf carts, … The list just goes on. Perhaps we should return to juries instead of telephone voting?
• Neighbour voting – It’s not so much the fact that neighbour countries always vote for each other that annoys me. It’s the fact that every year the debate about it goes on. It’s not like Germany will win if they had a terrible song (like this year), or Denmark would finish in the top 5 because Iceland gave a few points extra. The song that the majority of people like will ALWAYS win. Bad songs, despite getting a few bonus points every now and then, will ALWAYS lose. You can’t beat democracy.
• Sweden last – Well, not last, but not far from it. Yet again, we thought to highly of our contribution. But then again, many newspaper and other media surveys revealed Sweden in the top five. What happened? People changed their minds just like that?
• Center of the world– That Paris Hilton wannabe who was outside the arena said that today, Belgrade was the center of happiness in the world, or something like that. Yeah, sure, in Europe, maybe. But please, don’t be selfish enough not to leave the rest of the world out of it. Making such a statement is so American (OK, that statement was rather stupid too, but you get the point). ”We’re the center of the world!”
• Björn Gustafsson – The whole of Europe now thinks Swedes are insane, really bad at English, or just plain stupid. Or a mix of all of those. Björn, it’s funny when you do it in front of a Swedish audience, but this time you made a fool of yourself 😦

To finish of, here’s what one of the Swedish commentators once said: ”So, that was the best songs Europe has to offer. Let’s hope no other continents were watching.” Not entirely true for the finals – many great songs – but in years to come, is there no way the seriousness of the show can return? I guess we’ll see how it turns out next year – off to Moscow!

Another day, another adventure. And once again, it’s Geocache related.

We (Christa, one of her brothers, their dog, and I) went out to place a cache by a field in the area. On our search for a good hiding spot we made the brilliant decision of crossing a small river, a task which turned out harder than we thought.

It wasn’t the trip over the first time that caused the problem, though. We safely got across by climbing a few trees, and found the hiding spot we were looking for. But then what? The river turned out to be quite long, and we had to get back somehow. There was always that place where we crossed it at the first time, but we’d walked away from it already.

Christa found a new spot, but it consisted of branches that could easily break, so I decided to go back to the first location. Well there, I thought to myself: ”why not continue a bit further and try to find an even better place?” Can you hear a donkey shriek?

So, I walked a bit further. And a bit further. And a bit further. Until I finally found something: a log lying in the water, resting on both sides of the river. About four or five meters across and nothing to hold on to. But it was a challenge and I didn’t feel like going any further, so I gave it a try anyway.

I found two tree branches to stick in the water and lean on while walking. But the problem was that the further I went the deeper the river got (duh!). Half way there, the left stick was useless, and the right stick was so short I must have looked like an old man with back problems.

But did I fall? No. I actually made it! Perhaps those balance sessions on the Wii Fit board really helps 😛 One thing is certain, though: I’m never crossing that river again! A word of advice to Geocachers attempting this cache: park your car on the correct side of the river. Double the terrain rating if you don’t.

Although I haven’t been Geocaching for exceedingly long, I have experienced quite a bit already as a part of and because of Geocaching. Here’s my top 10 countdown of my best Geocaching experiences:

Läs mer →

I always close the bathroom door, evenwhen I’m home alone. Although on such occasions, I rarely lock it – who’s going to try to open it anyway?

But this morning I caught myself locking it anyway, even if everyone else was out of the house already. Why? Because I, for a split second before closing the door, spotted Mikki – the rabbit – on the floor.

What’s he going to do? Jump at the door, hang desperately in the handle ’til it opens, and then sit there laughing at me, as I’m doing my business? I doubt it.

But then again, you never know… better not take the chance!

Gäster. Släktingar. Roligt. Det hela började när ”afro-svensken” faster Helena såg ett recept för ”negerbollar” på vår köksvägg igår kväll.

”Men, så kan man ju inte säga!” Debatten var ett faktum.

”Men det heter ju negerbollar,” insisterade faster Margareta. ”Det är ju en bakelse.”

De flesta höll med – negro betyder svart, att det sedan, i vissa sammanhang, blivit en rasistisk term är en annan sak, ansåg de.

Helena stod fast. När diskussionen senare lagt sig började allt skämtandet. Plötsligt blev allt rasistiskt på ett anti-rasistiskt sätt. Här är några utdrag:

• ”Skicka negerpajen, tack.”
• ”Åh, får vi judesvinspaj?” (som en jämförelse och exempel på att neger faktiskt är rasistiskt)
• ”Svennepaprika” (självrasism)
• ”Finnjävel” (förslag på hur vi kan roa oss på stan)
• ”Jag har en neger i magen!” (Helena, som är gravid, pappan är mörkhyad)
• ”Flytta på dig negerjävel!” (Farmor, som i sin tur citerade Dagmar, som sa detta i Harlem, New York, förra året)

Rasistiskt? Bara om någon som hör tar illa upp. Ingen av oss är ju rasistiska på riktigt, allt detta var bara på skämt. Och oj vad roligt vi hade!

Today I went on a treasure hunt. And yes, the treasure was found! Where? Underneath a bridge, which required some acrobatic skills, and a second one under some stairs by a nearby railway station.

You’re probably wondering what I’m talking about. It’s Geocaching.com, obviously! This is a worldwide phenomenon – almost a sport, really – in which you track down hidden ”geocaches” (containers) using a GPS and given coordinates. Yes, it’s that simple.

Or is it? While many of the containers are easy to find, even without a GPS (instead, you use the hints and clues left at the web page for a given cache), many require some serious searching. You can search for caches in your area using Google Maps and from there click your way to the individual pages of each cache. Here you’ll find general information, clues (encrypted unless you click the decipher button), comments from people who have already found the cache, and even images in some cases. Using these will make your search easier.

However, to fully experience the game, you should simply only view the general description and use the given coordinates to find the location. Once there – you might have to walk far, climb, swim, etc. – you’ll need to search for the actual container. The difficulty of a cache is presented at its web page.

So what does the caches contain? In its standard form, a cache would be a simple container with a logbook and a pen in it. You, as the finder of a cache, should simply jot down your name and the date on which you find the cache. There might be more, though. Personally I’ve found nothing major (although I’ve only found two caches total), but one of the caches contained small stuff such as a marble, a funny plastic thingy, etc. You may take something from a cache, but you’re expected to leave something equally valued in return.

Of course, you can also create and place your own cache. I surely will sooner or later. There seem to be many rules, though. ”Check with the land owner first”, ”Not on a location where people must purchase a product or service in order to reach the cache”, etc. But by using common sense, I think you’ll overcome these obstacles.

So, why not spend your next weekend going cache hunting? I’m surprised at how many caches there are out there, and odds are there are several caches in your area too! Happy hunting 😀

Yesterday, we – both the Dahlberg and the Johansson family – went to Svenska teatern to see La Cage aux Folles (to be pronounced La Cach au Foll). I had no idea what it was about, except that it would be colorful and include lots of music. What it really was was a mediocre play with a decent story, but with great sets and a strong message: gay is okay! (Aka. we are as we are, and we shouldn’t have to be ashamed of it). A fight for a good cause, in other words, one that many could learn from (if you don’t think homosexuals should have the same rights as the rest of us, go see this play – or, have a little chat with me, and I’ll make you change your mind!)

But let’s talk about today:

What? A trip. Where? Borgbacken/Linnanmäki. Why? For fun. Who?Christa, Cohen, Bea (who is here for a few days with the fam), Caroline and I. The result? Tired, and a poor voice.

Today we went to Borgbacken, the amusement park in Helsinki. By far the smallest one I’ve been to, but what does size matter, really? Good company and a goofy mind is all you need. And I/we had both. So a great day, in other words, despite some troubles getting to and away from the place (even such a small capital city like Helsinki can be dreadful when driving).

Caroline won both a bag of chips and 1.4 kg of chocolate. Some of it was lost during a movie we just finished watching, but I expect most will last for quite some time.

A great day, but luckily still one among many. And why not continue your day by leaving a little comment on your view of homosexuals and their rights?