News From Nowhere

A Virtual Move

2008-08-10T23:38:00.004Z

As from now I am continuing my blogging activities at marielinder.net

Hope to see you there ;)

/Marie

PS. There is also a bit of tumbling going on at tumble.marielinder.net

A Lot of Nice Happenings

2008-07-29T12:55:00.005Z

There has been a lot of nice happenings lately; birthday parties, sushi evenings, more birthday parties. The last great happening was a Johnny Cash tribute night at Magasinet in Falun. Magasinet is an old warehouse building by the Falun Central Railway Station and it is a great place for concerts. Kalli took a load of great photos that night, 548 to be exact, and the chosen ones can be seen here. The evening included many great acts and was ended by the most spellbounding performance by a guy calling himself “The Tallest Man on Earth”. If this guy was not particularily tall, he was totally, awesomely, darn good. Apparently he is set for a small US tour and he has had great reviews by Pitchfork Media. He has released a five song EP and a full length album titled Shallow Grave. Extracts can be heard here. Likening this guy to a young Bob Dylan quality wise, does in no way feel unseemly.

The Tallest Man on Earth at Magasinet, Falun, 27 July 2008

Ulf's Green Present or "Vad är det här?"

2008-07-29T11:14:00.002Z

The theme of my brothers Ulf's birthday party was green. At the party Ulf was given a green present by his friends; a big green box filled with green things. The present seemed to have a similar effect on the children as that of the flute tunes of the Pied Piper of Hamlin.

Hair!

2008-07-21T23:24:00.002Z

It has now come to a point where everyone in this household needs a hair cut. Last time one of the boys had his hair cut it cost 450skr. Five people times 450skr means an expense of 2250skr. Too much! To save on the expense I am determined to talk them all into using crowd-sourced hairstyling. As demonstrated in the video below it works in a way that one sits down at a busy intersection down town, equipped with scissors (tied around ones neck), a comb and eye protection. Well there one just needs to prompt passersby to have a go at cutting.

I am not sure if we should go all five of us at the same time and sit together, or if we should spread out around town. Maybe we should go at different days. I am thinking that the square near the big outdoor café in the very centre would be a good place. This is probably the busiest place and there is no traffic.

Importing an Icelander

2008-07-14T20:36:00.021Z

Yet again I have happened to neglect my blog. I don’t like that. I want my blog to be alive and I want to add to it big and small things regularly. I have something big to add now; I will do so and this with the intent of getting better at posting.

The big thing that shall be blogged is the supposed reason for me being too busy to post. I have become a cohabiter. After two and a half years of friendship, and one year of courtship, my Kalli has moved in with me here in Falun, and he has come all the way from Iceland to do so. It is brave and I am very lucky. Regarding the heading of this post, it refers to something young Fraser’s football trainer said to me on the phone “I hear you’re importing an Icelander”. I have now done just that.

At work the spring term this year ended with some disconcerting happenings; both my bosses left and that with a lot of commotion. I am doubtful about the way in which the situation has been resolved, but I intend to try and not think about it during my seven week holiday with intent to face reality when it hits me in August. I shall then also have to face the fact that the shelves above my work desk has fallen down. (I realized this when I went in to use the printer the other day).

Anyway, term ended and on the first day of my holiday I traveled to Reykjavik. The plan was for me to be there for two weeks after which me and Kalli would travel back to Falun together. We had two weeks of work and play; packing and sightseeing alternatively. Among other things we went to see the lovely house of Halldór Laxness. Unfortunately one was not allowed to photograph inside the house, but the interior was very interesting and it made one realize what fascinating people him and his wife had been. Outside was parked his white Jaguar 340 (née MkII) and in the garden there was a swimming pool. His house would come across as an oasis of intellectuality amid the rough terrain and simple farms of the surrounding area.

On my second night in Reykjavik Kalli held a goodbye party. It was staged at a place called Rex in central Reykjavik. It was a great evening and I got to meet many of Kalli’s friends and relatives that I had not yet met. Considering the outrageous drink prices we were very lucky that the place served two drinks for the price of one that particular night. It was a great night and one to be treasured.

The car had to be sold and Kalli went to great lengths to do it photographic justice.

It needed new hubcaps and getting them turned in to a bit of an adventure. Outside Reykjavík there lives a man who has dedicated his life to collecting hubcaps. Apparently he is a well known character, and there are plenty of stories circulating about his hub-cap adventures. We went to his house and there in his big barn, full to the brim with caps, he fished out four suitable ones for the car. Cheap they were, but did a great deal for the appearance.

Even though people would phone and show their interest in buying the car, it was not sold until our last day in Iceland. This was of course very handy as it gave us the opportunity to use it until the end.

(Here on our way past Þingvallavatn)

A great day was when we went to see the hot springs at Haukadalur. Here the famous Geysir is located. It was dormant but another spring, Stokkur, kept erupting every five or so minutes. Quite spectacular! (Thought we and around five busloads of tourists)

(Me next to Geysir)

After Haukadalur we went to se Gullfoss waterfalls. Incredibly beautiful it was and the power of the moving water was breathtaking.

We took a southern route on our way home and I was amazed at seeing clouds of steam emerge from the ground wherever I looked. We went passed an area where the resent earth quake had made itself known and one could see plenty of evidence of it through blocks of stone that had tumbled down the hillsides.

Another one of our outings took us to Hellisheiði geothermal powerplant area. Here steam is collected through drilled holes and turned into hot water and electricity. The bubble houses covering the drilled holes and their release valves, gave the place a very surreal appearance.

We also made a lot of trips to the rubbish tip. When all was sorted Kalli’s belongins were narrowed down to a pallet 152cm tall and the two suitcases we would bring on the plane. The furniture went to some Portuguese guest workers four days before our departure. Left to us was a small bedside table and two bar stools with which we managed just fine.

(Our simple abode)

(The pallet setting out on its three week journey to Sweden)

Our last meal was eaten at the Sægreifinn seafood restaurant. Quainter place would be hard to find. I can not think about that lobster soup without my mouth watering like mad. Following the soup we had skewers of lobster and whale. The previous night we had visited another fish restaurant, namely Icelandic Fish & Chips, together with Kalli’s mum. This meal was however a disappointment and I would not go there again. The chips were to be likened to small burnt matches, the portions of sauce were tiny and the service was poor.

(Delicious skewers of lobster and whale)

On the morning of Friday the 4th of July we flew to Sweden. It was so wonderful to not have to say goodbye at the end of a holiday, and to instead get on the plane together. We had over 15kg of surplus weight, but the charming girl at the check in let it pass. (Just one of the many things that has gone our way during this move.)

At arrival in Stockholm we went to see my dad and his wife and Kalli was introduced. We had a very nice afternoon there and when we left we went to friends Monica and Stefan’s place to drive with them to their summer house in Botkyrka where we were to spend our first night in Sweden. We had a fantastic evening there and as always those guys served the most fantastic meal; grilled lamb fillets this time with asparagus and a warm potato salad. The weather was lovely and we sat outside all evening. Thanks to the breeze we were not bothered by the otherwise in Sweden so troublesome mosquitoes.

(Monica and Stefan)

On the Saturday we sat out on our journey to Falun. It was nice to get home and we had a couple of hours to shower and get ready for the evenings party antics. It was time for Malin’s 30th birthday party and the party was held in the Gopa bystuga. It was a great party and one of the evening’s highlights was a Bellman recital performed by Malin’s flute teacher.

(Malin receiving some raspberry bushes from Ingemar)

On the Sunday we unpacked and on the Monday we went to do all the practical stuff an immigrant has to get on with; tax office, jobcentre etc. Kalli’s Swedish personal number should arrive any day now, and he will slowly get drawn in to the system.

All this to me is just like a wonderful fairy story. When I think back on how it all has happened; our long letters and IM conversations before we met for real and how we have formed the most rewarding friendship. I am so happy to finally have him near me at all times and the future is in my mind wrapped in a happy haze.

And I Always Wondered What Agnetha Saw in Him....

2008-06-17T22:46:00.001Z

Roots of Breakdance (Run DMC - It's Like That)

2008-05-21T17:07:00.001Z

Makes me wanna dig my old jodpurs out!

What Really Turns Women On?

2008-05-17T07:46:00.012Z

The people at the Cambridge Women's Phornography Cooperative has dedicated their careers to answering this question. Their findings has resultet in the book "Porn For Women". The results presented in this material is claimed to be all scientifically compiled. "We had actual women of all ages, shapes, sizes, and political bents come to our laboratories and view images. We had sensors, heart rate monitors, and all kinds of bio feedback devices." I am in no doubt what concerns the credibility of those findings; who doesn’t get excited about the thought of a partner taking equal responsibilities around the house?

(Click on picture for larger image)

I have just consulted the Swedish bureau of statistics and found that women still, in Sweden the country of equal opportunities, does double the amount of household work compared to men. What is most unequally divided apparently is the laundrywork.

(green represents cooking, light yellow represents setting, clearing and cleaning dishes, orange represents cleaning and purple represents laundry.)

Having free time is definately a turn on.

;)

The Kings Wallet

2008-05-12T12:11:00.005Z

This note was sitting on our front door when I came home from work today. Apparently it is a note from my eldest to his dad telling him that the wallet that he thought was in the dads house, and that the dad was supposed to bring, actually was at my house. Never mind the story behind it; I am just thinking is that a very wise thing to write on ones front door?!

Waiting for the Messiah

2008-05-11T02:20:00.006Z

"Weeeeee!"

2008-05-04T08:51:00.000Z

Bring on the confetti! An unusually festive approach to potty training.

Not a lot of People Know This

2008-05-01T21:57:00.003Z

Shortly before Vladimir Lenin made his way back to Petrograd for the October Revolution, he stopped of at a Stockholm department store (PUB) and bought an overcoat at 17skr.

This was my 1st of May blog.

Back to Blogging or I need to Spend More Time on the Internet or simply A Tribute to the Internet

2008-05-01T16:56:00.013Z

I have not blogged for a month and a half. Seems I have spent almost all my time on work related things. All what I have done in this field is worthwhile though, as it is preparations and planning that will save me time later. Among other things I have prepared a project on the Middle Ages, with which my students are now busy. Each students is building up a story around a made up individual living in those days. It will end up a story of fiction with intertwined facts on organisation of society, clothes, food, customs etc. They have chosen from a list of positions people would have in those days such as: pheasant, outlaw, jester, squire, noble man/woman, courtier, monk, nun, minstrel, castle worker, philosopher, knight, king, queen, hunter, archer. A main aim of this project is for the students to get a feeling for the feudal system and the life situations of the people within it. I am very much looking forward to reading their works, which they incidentally have taken to with great entusiasm. They write in English, and this project aims at curriculum goals for both English and History.

However much I love my job, I love the internet even more; and from now on I need to get back to be my usual internet active self, i.e.:

- discover new music through Aquarium Drunkard, Geez Back Ma Heid!, Pitchfork, Oceans Never Listens, Runout Groove

- blog more often and read other peoples blogs such as boingboing,
Cynical-C Blog, Indexed, kung fu grippe, rands in repose, Why That’s Delightful!

- discover new words at wordsmith and worldwidewords , and add words on Wordie

- read more lists (Merlin’s Lists of Five Things, Skippy’s List)

- keep track of all the fails

- send more Cards

- watch more videos like this and this

- read more comics (Wondermark, Questionable Content, Over-Compensating, The Perry Bible and more)

- ask more questions

- look at more bird pictures

- look at clever design

- keep track of links with del.icio.us

- meddle with my muxtape

- get lost in Wikipedia

and lots, lots more…

Finally! This is my time travel device for going back in time with my students. It doesn't take too many generations and we are back in The Middle Ages.

Archie and the Common People

2008-03-15T22:14:00.005Z

Capitalism Explained

2008-02-27T23:50:00.004Z

I came across above video while searching for a picture of a pair of long johns. While searching I also learned there is/was a Swedish band called The Long Johns.

I found this picture here. Some more really great promotional pictures are to be found in the same place!

The Lord's Prayer

2008-02-13T18:19:00.005Z

Is it even worth trying?

2008-02-09T20:30:00.000Z

Makes you wanna throw ... can

2008-02-01T20:15:00.000Z

On a shrimp’s tail and on a Manchester kitchen cabinet ...

2008-01-16T19:21:00.000Z

... on a dog’s bum, a dental x-ray, an Ohio pancake, a Milwaukee tree trunk and on an eastern Ontario fish finger.

Jesus is everywhere!

Wikipedia on selective perception.

Seems the vinyl heads are catching on!

2008-01-10T22:12:00.000Z

Now there is a Flickr group for 'em!

From there:

Vinyl Sleeve Heads

2008-01-05T10:49:00.000Z

Now I know what I will be doing next time I visit someone with a large collection of vinyls!

More pictures here!

веселого Рождества

2007-12-26T16:34:00.000Z

Fabulous collection of Soviet Christmas cards.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T11:46:00.001Z

"A Hard Day's Night"

2007-12-23T06:26:00.000Z

Peter Sellers doing his version of Laurence Olivier's version of "Now is the Winter of our Discontent" through The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" version.

"How to Hold Up a Bank"

2007-12-23T05:56:00.000Z

On the issue of "Unfortunate book titles": On World Wide Words some Henry Willis contributes a recollection: “Thirty years ago, when I was a desk clerk at the library of the US Department of the Interior in Washington DC, I was given the job of organising all the check-out slips for the previous three years in Dewey decimal order. (This, by the way, was punishment for being caught reading the books that were being returned; I was told that doing so was ‘inappropriate’ for someone in my job.) One of the slips was for ‘How To Hold Up A Bank’. That intrigued me enough to get me to descend a few floors into the stacks on my lunch break to find it. Unfortunately the book wasn’t there, but I was able to get an idea what it was about from the other books on that shelf, all of which concerned soil engineering.”

To All You Swedish People Out there...

2007-12-20T21:33:00.000Z

Från Aftonbladetartikel med anledning av "Bonde söker fru".

Billy Goat Blue

2007-12-13T21:33:00.000Z

These Guys Couldn't Turn on a Radio

2007-12-11T01:10:00.000Z

The year is drawing to a close, and it is time to look at the “100 Unsexiest Men 2007”. I am very pleased to see Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Ronaldinho and Karl Lagerfeld on the list, plus of course the Pope. The presence of Bob Dylan, Devendra Banhart and Colin Meloy makes me doubt it’s credibility though.

My pretty, pretty car!

2007-12-10T23:27:00.000Z

My very own V-Dub, styled and ready! Make your own at: dubmodder.com

Presenting Wordie.org

2007-12-04T22:29:00.002Z

The connection between Flickr and Wordie might seem far-fetched, but there are some relevant likenesses. Wordie must be the no 1 social site for word geeks, in the same way as Flickr must be considered the equivalent when it comes to photo sites. Both sites rely on members adding their choice of selected, in one case photos, in the other case words. On both sites you are able to comment on added pictures/words, your own as well as others. On both sites you are able to introduce yourself through a profile. No avatar on Wordie, but then what could better represent you than an onomatopoeia, alongside your favourite and your least favourite words. On both sites you are able to post a written presentation of yourself and add links to other sites.

Just like one on Flickr creates sets of pictures, one creates lists of words on Wordie. There are all sorts of lists to be come across: Fantasy Words; Sports Page Headline Words; Bureaucratic Words; Geek Words; Irritatingly Misused Words; Words About Words; Words That Are Funny To Say etc. Personally I have had great fun remembering and listing words I can remember from my days in the rag trade. Making a list of Decemberist (the band) words have been an eye opener to the genius of Kevin Meloy. I am sure there are plenty of other artists and bands it would be interesting to scrutinize in the same way. My list of Nature Words That I Find Particularly Awesome includes words like tundra, creek, talon etc. This is a list that existed in my head long before my Wordie days.

There are no pictures on Wordie, and thereby zilch stealing the attention from the characteristics of the words themselves. The only advertisments are pictureless Google AdSense. I find the site pleasurably attractive in it’s simplicity, and it is furthermore easy to navigate and understand.

Each word posted has hyperlinks pointing to related entries from eight different sources. These include Google, Merriam-Webster, Wikipedia, Urban Dictionary and Ninja Words. Thus a word that cannot be found in one dictionary is most likely to be found in another, thanks to the diverse styles of lexicons. It is furthermore possible to see how many times a particular word has been posted; this fact is supplied with links to whomever has previously posted it.

I am a sucker for social sites and Wordie is definitely one of my favourite such. The interacting bit is enhanced by, for example, ones ability to see the profiles of all users who has put the same words as oneself on their site, including the profile question of favourite and least favourite word.

I am also a logophile and Wordie enables me to share the love of words with other word-loving people. To submit a word I like or just find interesting or fascinating, and then know that other logophiles will see it and assess it feels very cool.

Klick here to see my latest words. And if you decide to join, please let me know!

Packing "Solstorm"

2007-11-26T12:20:00.000Z

Leaving for Iceland the other week, and while adding the last touches to my luggage, I realised I had nothing fictional to read during travel. Without much ado I grabbed a paperback out of the bookcase; one of those free-with-a-magazine paperbacks which I had never really considered reading. It was added to my other reading stuff consisting of Hylland Eriksen's “Ethnicity and Nationalism” and a bunch of student essays.

The train schedule had given me ample time at Arlanda to browse the shops, and I decided on spending some time in the paperback shop, selecting a book for the flight. After about half an hour of agonising decision making I ended up with Åsa Larsson’s “Solstorm”. A movie based on the book was just about to be realised, and through the trailer I had come to like the idea of the story, which was all about murder in an independent church congregation in northern Sweden.

What I did not realise though, but would find out while unpacking, was that this book I had so carefully selected was the same book which was already in my luggage, and which I had so nonchalantly grabbed on departure.

Relations in Size

2007-11-20T08:29:00.000Z

I Am Going to (n)Iceland on Friday

2007-11-06T23:40:00.000Z

Sitting down to do my packing list for traveling to Iceland, I remembered this packing list-generator I had come across on the net a while back. I found it through my del.icio.us and so ventured to try it out.

The generator will, according to ones criteria, generate a comprehensive packing list with anything from, what you have to think about before you leave to what documents you should bring.

I feel really pleased now that I have had my list generated. What I did was I deleted anything non applicable from the list, and then I added things that the "The Universal Packing List"-site did not know me well enough to add.

My criteria specified:

Another great site for traveling tips is "The Power-Traveler's Checklist" on "Travel Day" Here one gets loads of good advice for the airport and the flight.

I am so excited!!

Some homeworks are nicer than others

2007-10-31T20:13:00.000Z

Cameron's Home Economics assignment provided us with the most fabulous Italian dinner this evening.

LASAGNA
All the ingredients needed (apart from the flour to thicken the sauce)

The bolognaise sauce

The cheese sauce

Layer the two sauces
with the pasta plates

Sprinkle grated
cheese on top

Bake in the oven for
about 25 minutes

Dinner table all set

And voalá!

And this week’s winners are …

2007-10-30T23:05:00.000Z

1. THE DECEMBERISTS
No band manages to conjure up vivid images to ones mind like The Decemberists. There are stories of historical romance; sailors at sea; runaway teenage hustlers; embittered social scenes and what have you. Meloy’s ingenuity was emphasized to me as I started collecting words from his lyrics onto my Wordie site. There are words of such loveliness and mystery; one just cannot imagine where he gets them from. Have a look at my list here.

2. OKKERVIL RIVER
I think it was the name that first made me notice the band. Okkervil River is both a book by Tatiana Tolstaja and a river outside Saint Petersburg. Some free songs to be got here.

3. IRON & WINE
Some interesting trivia: The name Iron & Wine was taken from a dietary supplement named "Beef, Iron & Wine" that Sam Beam found in a general store while shooting a film. He liked the name, but decided to drop the "beef".And here is another one: I just learnt that Sarah Beam, Sam Beams sister, has contributed backing vocals on many of the studio recordings.

4. ELVIS PRESLEY
The kids again…

5. LOW
Cool slowcore. Apparently not to keen on the term themselves. It quite intrigues me how such cool music can be implicated with the mormon fate. Did I miss something…?

6. KATE & ANNA McGARRIGLE
Two sisters from Montréal who’s musical career began with the 1960s folk music movement. I love their singing, it is both beautiful and humorous; and of course very sixties! It is their first record I have listened to. It is called by their names and came out 1974. Favourite songs on there would be “Swimming Song” and “Complainte Pour Ste. Catherine”.

The sisters provided backing vocals on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds's 2001 album “No More Shall We Part” and they also appear in the 2006 Leonard Cohen tribute film “Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man”. They have also, among so much else, recorded with Irish group The Chieftains, with Emmylou Harris and with Joan Baez.

Have a listen here

7. ANNA TERNHEIM
Anna Ternheim provided me with one of the most memorable performances at this summers Love & Peace festival in Borlänge. She is so cool and she is so good! She also had the coolest outfit at the festival (well after Alice Cooper that is), with black puffed sleeve blouse, black braces, tight black trousers and black riding shoes. She’s cute!

8. CROSBY, STILLS & NASH
At the site of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum is to be read that Crosby, Stills & Nash are: “…America’s longest-running experiment in vocal harmony and social relevance.” I’d like to hear a bit more of David Crosby’s solo projects.

9. WOODPIGEON
Here most weeks. And in last weeks chart blog.

10. COWBOY JUNKIES
Does a brilliant version of “Sweet Jane”

11. CARISSA'S WIERD
Slow, rueful country-tinged indie rock. Could possibly join Low in the slow core genre, even though the sound is pretty different.

12. DAVID THOMAS BROUGHTON
Now, this is an interesting musician! Something that also becomes apparent in reading the Wikipedia presentation of him: “Generally playing solo with an acoustic guitar, he creates the sound of a large ensemble by sampling himself singing, playing, tapping and making an assortment of other sounds through a Digitech digital loop/delay pedal. He also uses various non-musical instruments to augment his songs, including long-wave radio and a portable television, and has recently begun incorporating seemingly self-conscious and/or ironic dance moves, as well as off-mic (often off-stage), singing into his set.”

The album I have been listening to, "The Complete Guide to Insufficiency", was recorded in Wrangthorn Church, Leeds, England. Review to be read here.

13. MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO
Everything Jason Molina does turns out gold.

14. GIANT SKYFLOWER BAND
This is real psych hippy stuff and/but very good! Proof is in some of the titles from the album to which I have been listening “Blood of the Sunworm”: “Rainbows and Dreams (With Worms Singing)”, “Bitter Wild Rabbit/Builds the Bone”, “The Arcangel (Hurray for the Beast)”, “Meditations on Christ and the Magi”.

Justin F. Farrar writes in a review of the album “…the dude sounds not only like a psychic hobo from Bolinas, but also a weary toker strung out on twee pop, British folk-rock, and David Crosby's burnout classic If Only I Could Remember My Name. There's not a single composition among Sunworm's 10 tracks -- just the barest of sketches and the acute feeling that Donaldson and partner Shayde Sartin did nothing more than record a stoned jam session, where the two Californians messed around with a room full of exotic instruments.”

The artist himself, Glenn Donaldson, describes the album as: “an exotic, flowery and crumbling new recording project with nods to fruity new age, psych, prog, folk, and pop songwriting.”

15. THE BUTTERFLIES OF LOVE
This is, contrary to what the band name would suggest, not hippy stuff; apparently though the tallest, skinniest band in America. New to me is that the band was doing Peel sessions as far back as 1998. If I had been listening to them for these last nearly ten years, I’d probably be well fed up with them, as I assume they have had this similar classic indie rock style all this time. But as it is they are new to me, and I really, really like them.

16. THE ACORN
Boring!!

17. THE COURT & SPARK
“…soundtracks for driving down a long dusty highway in late June.” Read a very well written review here.

18. BEGUSHKIN
See last weeks chart blog.

19. 16 HORSEPOWER
Can’t really remember listening… Must have been put on by mistake.

20. LEE HAZLEWOOD
See last weeks chart blog.

I wonder if ...

2007-10-29T19:44:00.000Z

...that is one single piece of foil ...

Swedish Midsummer

2007-10-24T21:58:00.000Z

I you guys only knew how true to life this is.

An Eclectic Array

2007-10-22T15:05:00.000Z

My choice of music is very much ruled by my immediate frame of mind. Music that might be unthinkable one day, might be what I crave the next. As I scroll my selection, the choices I make involve very little contemplation; all I do is listen to my heart.

Come Sunday it is time for the week’s listenings to be compounded into a chart at Lastfm. I find this exciting for different reasons. For example do I like the element of surprise, as I have very often forgotten many of my listenings. I also think it is interesting to see the actual list compiled, with the different artists in relation to each other.

Last week's top 20:

1. WOODPIGEON
Woodpigeons’ “Songbook” has been my favorite album for some time. Their music has been appropriately described as: “[…] jingly, ramshackle chamber-folk concoctions driven by banjo, glockenspiel, a sprawling choir and quivering male vocals.” (Now Magazine ) Lyrics like “I went to ninja school, to learn how to murder you” and titles like “The Alison Yip School For Girls, If Only I Were A Painter I'd Paint For You The Moon” or “Home as a romanticized concept where everyone loves you always and forever” are proof of their brilliance.

Free Woodpigeon EP

2. THE MOUNTAIN GOATS
Number 3 in my over all chart, with over a thousand plays. It is the entertaining, story telling, clever and highly literary lyrics that does it for me.

3. MOMUS
Another great one for lyrics is Momus. Wikipedia says: “In his lyrics and his other writing he makes seemingly random use of decontextualized pieces of continental (mostly French) philosophy, and has built up a personal world he says is ‘dominated by values like diversity, orientalism, and a respect for otherness.’[…] He is fascinated by identity, Japan, the avant-garde, time travel and sex.” Momus is moreover Scottish and he has been in the music business since early eighties.

4. LEONARD COHEN
Not much more than the perfect background music.

5. ELVIS PRESLEY
It wasn’t me; it was my children.

6. DEVENDRA BANHART
If nothing else, he’s pretty.

7. MUGISON
Mugison is an Icelandic artist to whom I was introduced (albeit not personally) this spring. He performs on his own, with guitar and computer. The Independent Newspaper wrote in a review “he played wild, crashing guitar while mixing vocals and distorted breathing through a laptop - was a meld of the recklessly shambolic (his computer crashed twice), endearing love songs and epic, disturbing soundscapes out of the Barents sea.”

I love the song title “Sad as a truck”.

8. BEGUSHKIN Nightly Things (2006)
One of my many folky finds this year, and another one-man-band, constituted by Dan Smith. Begushkin's music is dark and haunting, late-night and mystical while still kind of cute. Some of the lyrics are very lovely.

From “At Night With Me”:

And you will be my monkey girl
I will be the dude
You and your monkey cars
and me
and my ox-blood shoes...

9. TOM WAITS

10. JOHNNY CASH
My favorite Johnny Cash album at the moment is Amerian III and my favorite songs on there are “Solitary Man” and (as much as I hate to admit it) Bono’s “One”. “I won’t back Down” is also very wonderful.

11. THE BAND
I did a blog on the band, and their “Last Walz”-album some time ago. It can be found here.

12. CALEXICO
My favorite band, topping my over all chart, with over 2000 plays. I love the sound of Calexico and I love the way it is so obvious that those guys are in it for the love of what they do.

13. JENS LEKMAN
Jens Lekman seems a genuinely nice, humble and undoubtedly very intelligent guy. Lyrics and video productions are cleverly brilliant. I really do wish I could fall for his music, but I can’t. It is that orchestra sound… I tried very hard, and that’s how he made my chart.

14. NEIL YOUNG

15. JOSÉ GONSÁLES
Same goes for him as for Devendra Banhart

16. LEE HAZLEWOOD
I will always love a baritone voice, and especially in combination with country music. And, I love a lot of Lee Hazelwoods songs. Not all of them though. I was very irritated to have fallen asleep while listening to him the other night, and so woken up by his “Strangers, Lovers, Friends” – can’t stand that song. “Dolly Parton’s Guitar” is another irritating track. In all I find his music very entertaining though, as there is such a great variety of songs and styles.

I had no idea Lee Hazelwood had just passed away (August 4). Neither did I know he lived in Sweden during the 1970’s. Here he wrote and produced the one hour television show Cowboy in Sweden.

17. RED HEART THE TICKER For the Wicked (2005)
“Very Marie” someone pointed out. I am sure it is too, which of course means that it, apart from being folky, according to me is very good. The album was recoded in a barn, and in one song there are crickets to be heard.

Tasters to be had here

18. WE ARE WOLVES
Someone sent me a taster. French Canadian post-punk and pretty good.

19. JOANNA NEWSOME
A true artist she is Joanna Newsome; and a multi-talented such, as a harpist, pianist, harpsichordist, singer and songwriter. Wikipedia says: “Although her harp playing is not completely divorced from conventional harp techniques, she considers her style distinct from that of classically-focused harpists. She has been strongly influenced by the polymetric style of playing used by West African kora players.” Further it reads: “Her songwriting incorporates elements of Appalachian music, avant-garde modernism, and African kora rhythms”.

Decemberists has made a fabulous cover of her song “Bridges and Ballons”. This is probably the reason for me giving time to Joanna Newsome, as I have a bit of a hard time getting her music to do anything for me.

20. KRAFTWERK
For sentimental reason, and for going to sleep.

My Lasfm profile

Making Murder Adorable

2007-10-20T13:50:00.000Z

Having got rid of my main defence weapon, the cast iron frying pan, I am looking for a replacement. Quite its contrast but ever so effective would be the Hello Kitty AK-47 assault rifle with its hand-crocheted shoulder-stock muffler and its anodized titanium plating. I am also thinking along the lines of one of Antonio Rielli’s jewelled grenades.

More glamorous weaponry are to be viewed at glamguns.com where the shopping cart checkout link takes you to Amazone.com and A Theory of Parody: The Teachings of Twentieth-Century Art Forms. More of Antonio Rielli’s art work is to be viewed here.

In Six Days God Made the Perfect Creation

2007-09-06T16:56:00.000Z

Eve in The Garden of Eden with pet velociraptor:

By courtesy of The Museum of Creation, Kentucky

Someone has suggested Eve is wearing an iPod in this picture. Although more probably a Zune, there's a gap of only 6000 years between Eve and the Zune, compared to 65,000,000 years between velociraptors and humans. Accordingly, Eve with an Zune is obviously more realistic than Eve with a pet raptor. Conclusion: She might very well be wearing one.

Notes:
1) Velociraptor seems to have moved down the food chain one step
2) Is that Victorian dress really appropriate for the plains?

Me at Work

2007-09-01T14:16:00.000Z

By courtesy of Simpsonize Me

101

2007-09-01T13:24:00.000Z

I just noticed my last post was my hundredth. Ah, well; should be noted I suppose.

Family-oriented five-seater

2007-08-18T22:20:00.000Z

This is just such a cool advertisement! I wonder if she is photo shopped...

Big Bear at Skansen

2007-08-18T22:00:00.000Z

Came across this picture while sorting holidays snaps. I think it's lovely the way they all hold their hands up as if to pat the bear.

EEE

2007-08-13T21:34:00.001Z

This is when I admit defeat:

Gather XP, collect treasures and fend monsters, while seeing to your daily chores!

2007-08-05T10:26:00.000Z

Not a dull moment in this house since chorewars.com came into our lives. The tedious household work is now turned into an interactive RPG, which makes us willingly do things we previously detested.

It works like this: Household chores are listed and made into adventures. When a chore is done, one is able to claim it and gather the XP attached to it. Sometimes claiming XP will result in a battle, but there is also the chance of gaining treasure. Our house is gleaming!

Cool thing is that the boys other household (their dads) also has joined in, and thus both houses are gleaming, while the boys are able to gather XP every day of the week.

New chores/adventures are continuously added as we discover them. Cleaning out wardrobes is next to be added to the list. There is bound to really horrid monsters to encounter doing that one though…

The statistics provided by the site furthermore provides an excellent valuation tool. It enables us to analyze our housework, in terms of who does what, and when, etc. 'How long ago since the plants were watered?'; 'Is everyone getting a chance to cook dinner?' and so on...

The Party “The Highland Fellowship” and it’s members:
From left to right: Dungeon Master ‘Skye of Ghaidhealtachd’ (Druid), Fraser 'The Master of Hell' (Barbarian), Worf the Klingon (Shaman), King Stuart 'Master of Light' (Paladin), malin (Barbarian), The gammla räv (Paladin)

An array of our adventures with scores and events (click on picture to enlarge):

On completing an adventure one is able to add a comment…

This is not the first time we involve the internet in getting our housework done. We have had an earlier experiment with mychores.co.uk ; blogged in an earlier posting. This system was far to complicated though, and it never really caught on with us. Aren’t we web2.0, so say!?

The "Master of Hell" in action:

"Hi! I come from Whiskey Dick Mountain"

2007-08-03T13:00:00.000Z

A listing of The Worst City Names in the World.

I am not going to...

2007-08-03T11:53:00.000Z

... get beef tenderloin flavored water for my pet. Neither am I going to get him a Star Wars costume.

This would probably work better

2007-07-14T11:04:00.000Z

See previous post

To Deter a Thief (or not)

2007-07-14T10:16:00.000Z

In the pet shop we saw this sign saying: "Break in! Make my day!", and where one could add a picture of ones own dog. Our Bosco is that kind though, that the following would probably be more appropriate...

I wonder how Courtney Love feels about this ...

2007-07-07T11:12:00.000Z

view
My own Dead Pool picks arn't doing to well (or maybe I should say they are!)

view
Tasteless in the extreme - and highly amusing (as my friend Robin puts it)
Rotten Dead Pool

Delicious!

2007-07-03T00:27:00.000Z

I had the idea I was going to display my del.icio.us tags on here. When I had published I decided it looked horrid the way I had done it, as it took up far too much space. I therefor decided to see what I could do, and so sat the display option size thingy to "minimum". I just thought it really funny that all I was left with was this:

This should give a good indication as to what kind of links I am most likely to save. I like the idea of that.

Lovely Artworks

2007-07-01T14:58:00.000Z

Today I have discovered Marc Johns

The Simpson/Linder Family

2007-06-30T09:48:00.000Z

Mummy Simpson/Linder

Biggest brother Simpson/Linder

Middle brother Simpson/Linder

Littlest brother Simpson/Linder

Bosco the Dog Simpson/Linder

“An Educational Disgrace”

2007-06-24T22:35:00.000Z

From Richard Dawkins Tour Journal:

“I was beautifully looked after in Montreal, and was sad that I had to leave so soon. After a night stop in Philadelphia I flew on to Lynchburg, Virginia, where I now am. The drive from Charlottesville airport to Lynchburg was beautiful, the autumn colours glowing against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The host institution here is the Randolph Macon Woman’s College -- a proper university, unlike the ill-named and ill-favoured “Liberty University”, founded by the infamous Jerry Falwell, which shares the same town. It seems that some official body, somewhere, has seen fit to grant accreditation to “Liberty University” -- a “University” which, in all seriousness, teaches its unfortunate students that the world is less than ten thousand years old. I briefly visited “Liberty University” this morning. Knowing how many tax-free dollars had been donated or tithed to this “University” I thought at least that it might have nice buildings. Remarkably, they are spectacularly ugly, an architectural disgrace on the outside to match the educational disgrace of what is taught inside.”

Liberty university is a Christian university situated in Lynchburg, Virginia, US. This university (!?) claims that dinosaur bones at their campus are 3000 years old. They also lay claims that the Universe is a mere 6000 years old. Dawkins: "They're off by a factor of a million. That's not a small error. It's equivalent to saying that the distance between New York and San Francisco is 28 feet”.

Although creationism deserves to be laughed at, it is not funny; at least not when it reaches the university world.

Richard Dawkins on Dinosaurs & Creationism:

And here's for an amazing/funny/scary read: Index to Creationist claims

Lewis Black on Neo Conservatives

2007-06-24T21:00:00.001Z

"I know what a neocon is. Someone who watches 'The Matrix' and believes it's real."

I Made My Balcony Nice Today

2007-06-19T17:42:00.000Z

I so wish I had taken some before photos. It was a dump! Now I will be able to actually entertain on there. I feel so grown up…

This will soon be a big bush with tiny blue flowers

The Art of Simplicity

2007-06-18T09:01:00.000Z

Just read a very interesting article comparing the presentation visuals of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, further compared to the aesthetic concepts of Zen.

Aesthetic concepts which would be:
• Simplicity
• Subtlety
• Elegance
• Suggestive rather than the descriptive or obvious
• Naturalness (i.e., nothing artificial or forced),
• Empty space (or negative space)
• Stillness, Tranquility
• Eliminating the non-essential

How come I did I not think Zen when I choose my puter?

Awesome Amnesty Ads

2007-06-17T04:24:00.000Z

More non-profit and guerilla ads are to be found here

Caption reads: "This is not happening here, but this is happening now."

My first lolcat!

2007-06-13T20:09:00.000Z

I Don't Quite Get the Point

2007-06-06T09:14:00.000Z

I was supposed to have celebrated the Swedish national day today. But, as it goes ... no ... I don't think so ...

Celebrating nationalism seems to me a somewhat suspect pass time, considering its dubious record. Surely we can agree on the fact that the phenomena of nationalism has had a tendency to create conflicts here and there during the last century; having on false pretence, started people of thinking in terms of us and them. That the Swedish government suddenly in this day and age, decides to make the national day into a public holiday; well what can I say other than: It sure puzzles me!

So, what am I expected to do on a day like this. Walk around feeling grate about our social welfare system? Or maybe think about how beautiful it is in the Stockholm archipelago. I do both things quite often as it goes. Should there be a special day for this, so that we can all do it at the same time …? I don’t see the point.

National days seem to me like something hopelessly obsolete. I even envisage something a bit nastily unpleasant about it; something reminiscent of past days, when values told people to worship the sovereignty, while looking with suspicious eyes at the rest of the world.

So, why this sudden need to wave the yellow and blue again? Is there for some reason once again a need for using abstract symbols in the identification process? Seems to me very reactionary indeed ...

(This was a rerun of last years national day blog)

Awsum!!

2007-06-03T12:52:00.000Z

Cutest ever Beatle parked outside my house!

Books, Books, Books...

2007-06-01T21:00:00.000Z

Spending a week with the students at the library has been quite an eye opener. One thing that is apparent is that the library service is trying very hard to keep up with things changing, but not quite making it. It seems my students sort of shrug their shoulders at this, thinking: Well it is a nice quite place for reading and writing anyways...

Besides dealing with people that are paid to make the most of a public services is always nice. Service minded people apreciating you asking for things... What could be better...

I love the library and I always have. I have always utilised it's services and appreciated them. Libraries are special. They are like tranquil safe havens.

Kamikaze Zombies?

2007-05-30T21:46:00.000Z

I saw this book at the library today and found the title quite hillarious. Translated it reads "Kamikazie; Japanese Suicide Pilots Tells Their Stories"

This Years Graduation Class

2007-05-30T21:21:00.000Z

After nine years of pruning they are now ready to face the world.

Christianity - Putting Things Into Perspective

2007-05-28T22:24:00.000Z

"The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree..."

(Adding no source - No idea where it derives from as it is all over the web)

The Joys of Motherhood

2007-05-26T17:13:00.000Z

This desktop greeted me after having been away for a couple of days. Love it!

Not Actual Size

2007-05-19T06:26:00.000Z

IKEA in the US; insult or necessary clarification?

Voilá!

2007-05-13T13:49:00.000Z

I am quite proud of today’s DIY-efforts. Say, what about this storage unit for hard wear equipment masked as a wash stand. Pretty nifty, eh!

Little did I know what the day had in store...

2007-05-12T15:24:00.000Z

Something very lovely happened today. Yet again my friend Anna’s and mine paths have crossed. It is quite amazing the way we keep bumping in to each other throughout our lives, seeing a lot of each other for a period, and then there is nothing for years, and then it happens again – our paths unintentionally merges. We first got to know each other as young teenagers when we both competed in swimming. We were in rival clubs but still good friends. I moved to London and lived there for a few years when I bumped into Anna at the ladies loo on the trendy Moscow Arms pub in Bayswater. This time her swimsuit was changed for a very stylish gothic look. We were thereafter friends for a long time while living in London. She also worked in my company for a while. I am not sure how and when we lost contact but rumours told me Anna had moved to Italy. Then the day came when I moved back to Sweden and I started my teacher training. During a summer course who do I bump into if not Anna once again. It is now years since we last met! She is at this time living in Italy, working as a translator, and now doing an English course at the Dalarna University to aid her work. I am on the same course and we have a lot of fun studying together. I remember in particular when we went to her summer house studying for an exam in American culture. She drove the car Italian maniac style on the way there, and we almost run over this poor badger. Incidentally we had an extremely handsome and charming teacher on that American culture course. I also had the pleasure of meeting Anna’s two meter tall Italian husband and her then five year old daughter, that summer. Then we lost touch again and last thing I heard of Anna was that she was yet again pregnant.

Today I went shopping in the nearby town’s shopping mall. I am in the cue to the changing room and who comes out of one of the cubicels if not Anna! She has her two daughters with her and she tells me she has now moved back to Sweden with her family. Her Italian husband has started a restaurant in town and Anna’s got a job with the council as head of development and business. Anna told me she had not bothered to try to get in touch with me, as she was sure I had left small town Falun long ago. So here we are, yet again in close proximity. We’ll probably see a bit of each other for a while until our paths part yet again.

Anna as I met her during todays shopping trip

While cleaning the other night I came across this picture...

2007-05-08T20:21:00.000Z

The Brave knight with his equally brave princess. Cousins Cameron and Hanna on their way down the Falun Copper Mine.

It seemed like such a good idea at the time…

2007-04-28T17:33:00.000Z

Feed up with doing the main part of the household duties I saw mychores.co.uk as a potential solution. It was also, as I had expected, received with positive excitement by the boys. Well at least the youngest one… (teenagers need a lot more than that to reach excitement state). Still nobody opposed it and we decided to get going. It works in a way that there is a list of what needs to be done and the chores are divided on a rolling schedule. One gets messages on the mail of ones due tasks.

Thing is I didn’t realise there was that much to be done! Now that I realise the amount, I also realise the necessity of having a dirty house in order to have a life. I will now end my subscription. My house will be a mess, but I will be all the happier for it. A messy house means one’s got better and more useful things to do than cleaning.

I might just do that...

To Be True To Ones Heritage

2007-04-12T19:47:00.000Z

Not only does the boy blog; he also makes fabulous fish & chips. This very evening his kitchen wizardry has been documented and below you are able to follow the procedure step by step:

1.The fillet is turned in flour

2. then dipped in beaten egg

3. next to be turned in bread crumbs

4. and finally it is fried

Yummy!!

Next Generation Bloggers Are Here

2007-04-10T22:15:00.000Z

Apparently I have been acting a good role model, and young Fraser has today at the tender age of ten, set up a blog of his own. Starting his blogging career with a puke Family Guy session, he then moved on to sport journalism reporting on the spectacular Manchester United game against Roma. No doubt tomorrows blog will contain reports from the big tournament between the three rival fottball clubs in Falun: Korsnäs IF, Falu BS and Slätta SK. We are awaiting reports with great anticipation.

From Cold War Kitsch to Microsoft Nuclear Threats

2007-04-10T12:37:00.000Z

Through del.icio.us I came upon this blog with a collection of nuclear explosion photographs. (Amacing Filtered Things: Nuclear Explosions Photo Collection) Shame they are not natural occurrences. Would have been nice to be able to wallow in their beauty.

In US popular culture the matter of nuclear weapons has of course been trivialised; like in this 1957 photograph of Miss Atomic bomb. Is that bad taste or what!?

Now trivialisation and irony are two different matters.

I found this blog from 2001 on Microsoft testing of nuclear devices. I thought very amusing. It begins:

“World leaders reacted with stunned silence as Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) conducted an underground nuclear test at a secret facility in Washington state. The device, exploded at 10:55 am PDT (1:55 pm EDT) today, was timedto coincide with talks between Microsoft and the US Department of Justice over
possible antitrust action.”

In it Bill Gates supposedly claims the rights of Microsoft to market it’s products by ”any and all necessary means”.

Bush supposedly retaliates; but to no avail:

“In Washington, President Bush announced the US Government would boycott all Microsoft products indefinitely. Minutes later, the President reversed his decision. "We've tried sanctions since lunchtime, and they don't work," said the President. Instead, the administration will initiate a policy of "constructive engagement"
with Microsoft.”

And what about this supposed quote from the then Microsoft Chief Technology Officer Nathan Myrhvold, where he warns users to replace Microsoft NT products with rival
operating systems:

"I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator inside of every Pentium III microprocessor," said Myrhvold, "but anyone who installs an OS written by a bunch of long-hairs on the Internet is going to get what they deserve."

Read article in full here: Microsoft Tests Nuclear Device

And finally to round off with some more nuclear irony. Kallis comment on picture below: “Nice to see the great military powers treating their soldiers like human beings“

The Happy Scrabble People

2007-04-09T21:00:00.000Z

So, I have played a bit of scrabble over the internet lately. Using scrabulous.com, with thousands of registered members, I have been intrigued by the look of serenity and happiness on people’s faces. Might scrabble be the secret to a happy life?

Get Outta Here!

2007-04-08T22:25:00.000Z

A very clean-cut and educational video on how to speak body language. Apart from a lot of sweaty armpits it also includes some very useful tips on how to best get your message through. Who wouldn’t, for example, want to be able to declare the following just by using ones bodily traits?:

“My genitals are unavailable”

“You are free to imagine what it would be like to be horizontal with me.”

“I have power in my pelvis”

The Garish Easter

2007-04-07T18:36:00.000Z

Christian morbidity mixed with vulgar 20th century adaptations of ancient Norse Hedonism. It is ugly.

Aw, Bless!

2007-04-07T07:58:00.000Z

Bart: Oh dad! You're the best father a boy could ever have.
Homer: Thanks son. Now you've got little hands.. could you reach under the mower and pull out that skate?

Ehrrmm... Did Anyone Say Swedes Are Gullable?

2007-04-01T21:32:00.000Z

From Top 100 April Fools

Kjell Stensson, a TV and a nylon stocking

Instant Color TV
"In 1962 there was only one tv channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station's technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, all viewers could now quickly and easily convert their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their tv screen, and they would begin to see their favorite shows in color. Stensson then proceeded to demonstrate the process. Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of people, out of the population of seven million, were taken in."

Louis A. Starr, Springville, N.Y comments: "The scary thing is getting the nylon stocking off the woman who is big enough that her nylon stocking fits around a television screen."

Cut Throat Razor Shaving

2007-03-24T18:50:00.000Z

Once in a while we get a visit from Gene. He comes and talks to the youngsters and they sit spellbound. He tells them about all sorts of things ranging from his Native American roots to revisionism. He tells them about how his parents were servants to the rich. How his father, although a servant, was such a good cook he was quite in demand, which in turn made for Gene moving about a lot, seeing a lot of things and a lot of places. He tells the kids about how the rich are fleeing the US for the Caribbean, at the moment, evading the US economic collapse to come. As the only English teacher, nobody questions whom I invite and why. We love listening to Gene.

Gene started his talk today, which was going to be on the subject of propaganda and critical thinking, by showing the kids his way of shaving. He uses the old fashioned straight razor due to, according to him, numerous advantages. It gives a smooth shave he recons and it is environmentally friendly, in that it is not a disposable. He calls it a straight razor but tells us that in the UK it is called a “cut throat razor”. He is very set on claiming its safety, but says he doesn’t recommend using it when one’s in a hurry. He refers to the Polanski-fim Repulsion where a murder was committed using the straight razor, and he adamantly claims it would make a useless murder weapon. At it’s outmost it might be good for a Chelsea grin.

Most of the boys are just about to set of on their shaving venture, and I know that for at least for a couple of them the straight razor is the only option. Cool! Gene has offered to teach them the technique, and also if any of the girls are tempted to use it on their legs he is willing to help.

Will Bad Case Hypochondriacs Worry About Fictional Disease?

2007-03-18T20:47:00.000Z

There sure are some very weird mental disorders about. There is the Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy where a carer brings about an illness to his/her protégé in order to attract sympathy and so fulfil emotional needs. There is the Alien Hand Syndrome where sufferers feel they have no control of their “alien” hand which so acts totally independently. There is the very creepy Body Integrity Identity Disorder where people feel the need to amputate perfectly healthy limbs. Anyway, that is just too horrible to think about, so let me get to the point. I was thinking about Hypochondria, which is a pretty mild disorder compared to the ones I have just mentioned. I was wondering if anyone could have such a bad case of hypochondria that they would imagine they were inflicted by fictional illnesses, such as the ones below:

- Foaming Sheep Sickness. A Disc World disease caused by eating green mutton.

- Petrifold Regression from Dr Who. Sufferer slowly turns into a stone block, similar to fossilization.

- Space Mumps from Red Dwarf. A disease which causes the sufferer's head to swell to the size and shape of a cantaloupe. When the disease "breaks", the swelling explodes.

- E. Henry Thripshaw's Disease. Monty Python. Sufferers say words in the wrong order, and sometimes the wrong word completely. And the thing about saying the wrong word is a) they don't notice it, and b) sometimes orange water given bucket of plaster.

- Boneis Eruptus from The Simpsons. A disease "where the skeleton tries to leap out of the mouth and escape the body".

- Electro-Gonorrhea from Futurama. Also known as "The Noisy Killer". Supposedly contracted during sexual intercourse between humans and robots.

- Gingervitis from South Park. The offspring of two people with a specific recessive gene who inherit it from each parent will be "ginger", meaning that they will have pale skin, red hair, and many freckles. In a class presentation on "gingers" Eric Cartman refers to this condition as Gingervitis and additionally claims that these children "have no souls" and cannot be exposed to sunlight.

- Jigsaw disease from Judge Dread. Terminal disease that causes random parts of the body to spontaneously vanish.

- Tumorsyphilisitisosis from Family Guy. A fake fictional disease which causes extra nipples, which look remarkably like pepperoni, to grow and then fall off.

- Vaginitus from South Park. A disease where if you don't eat meat, you get little sores all over your face, which are actually tiny vaginas, and if you don't get it taken care of, you turn into one big vagina.

Omg! The pure thought of that last one would turn anyone carnivorous.

This compilation of fictional diseases was made possible by yet another great list from Wikipedia: List of Fictional Diseases

To be Contrafactual on the Fictional

2007-03-01T12:45:00.000Z

During my first lecture of History at Dalarna University, our lecturer Lars Berge warned us, as historians, never to indulge in contrafactual history. This would be something designated for the Science-fiction Department, rather than the History such. Of course he was exaggerating slightly; this was his style though, and I’d allow him to exaggerate as much as he ever wanted, as nobody gave such dynamic and interesting lectures as he did. Incidentally his doctoral thesis would be on “The Bambatha Watershed: Swedish missionaries, African Christians and an evolving Zulu church in rural Natal and Zululand 1902-1910”.

What I am about to do right here could not be classed as contrafactual history, as the story I am about to put a “what-if” perspective to, is a made up story in the first place …

My thesis is: Lord of the Flies - “Might this be what had happened, had the aircraft filled with young choir boys never crashed”

Fortunate Mistakes

2007-02-23T19:10:00.000Z

Making mistakes while writing is something I totally loath. Sometimes I am glad to have made them though...

K säger: Now I need to get up and find something to eat
M säger: Maybe you can shoot a dear or something...
K säger: I hope you mean a deer

M säger: I have been dragged into another very interesting discussion here by my son...
M säger: It is about tying stones to your feet and walking at the bottom of a lake and having a big hose to breed through...
K säger: I don't want to be pedantic, having made fun of the dear thing, but I just can't not make fun of breeding through a hose

Something to think about while the cards are accumulating...

2007-02-14T22:21:00.000Z

“According to Freud, to care for someone is to convert ego-libido into object-libido by giving some self-love to another person, which leaves less ego-libido available for primary narcissism and protecting and nurturing the self. When that affection is returned so is the libido, thus restoring primary narcissism and self worth. Any failure to achieve, or disruption of, this balance causes psychological disturbances ...” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissism_%28psychology%29)

This would mean that with each Valentine card not replied to, you might have driven someone insane.

Pure Cool

2007-02-08T21:50:00.000Z

"She was an funny person, and the world is a little less entertaining without her."
http://filthylies.net

All this time spent in front of ...

2007-02-06T23:29:00.000Z

To my great horror I have today discovered that the fabric covering the chair in front of my computer is totally worn out! A sign not to be taken lightly I conclude, as we are here talking best quality Colefax & Fowler.

The Long Horse

2007-01-28T18:31:00.000Z

Long horses had very long backs and were so able to carry up to four men at the same time. Due to overwork they tended to die young and have now become extinct.

This is Bosco!

2007-01-21T01:52:00.000Z

He'll be staying with us from now on.

My Secret Passions

2007-01-16T23:41:00.000Z

I just love the way her innocent moves clashes so totally with the rest of her look!

REBEL REBEL

2007-01-08T22:40:00.000Z

You've got your mother in a whirl
She's not sure if you're a boy or a girl

Hey babe, your hair's alright
Hey babe, let's go out tonight
You like me, and I like it all
We like dancing and we look divine
You love bands when they're playing hard
You want more and you want it fast
They put you down, they say I'm wrong
You tacky thing, you put them on

Rebel Rebel, you've torn your dress
Rebel Rebel, your face is a mess
Rebel Rebel, how could they know?
Hot tramp, I love you so!

Don't ya?

You've torn your dress, your face is a mess
You can't get enough, but enough ain't the test
You've got your transmission and your live wire
You got your cue line and a handful of ludes
You wanna be there when they count up the dudes
And I love your dress
You're a juvenile success
Because your face is a mess
So how could they know?
I said, how could they know?

So what you wanna know Calamity's child,
Where'd you wanna go?
What can I do for you? Looks like you've been there too
'Cause you've torn your dress
And your face is a mess
Ooo, your face is a mess
Ooo, ooo, so how could they know?
Eh, eh, how could they know?

Some Cheerful Reading to End the Year

2006-12-31T17:20:00.000Z

The question of the death penalty has a wider extent than just the use of it as a way of penalisation. It has at its largest extent to do with the ground stones of democracy, and the views on human value, that comes with democracy.

People become violent or wicked as a result of circumstance. Democratic values would, as far as I can interpret, say that all people should be viewed as having the potential to change. The death penalty is not consistent with that line of thought. A death penalty is final. Whoever is killed has forever lost the chance to change and the chance to better him-/herself. He/she has also forever lost the chance to somehow compensate or justify his or her deed.

I would further like to question whether the general juridical awareness of a people is to be considered in the matter of decisions regarding the use of death penalty. Should for example a people of which 9 percent wants to allow corporal punishment of children, while 33 percent thinks the death penalty can be allowed, be allowed to decide in questions concerning the matter? I don’t think so. It is very much a matter of awareness and education I think. This is why, in my view, the legislative body has a superior task in this as to actually educate, or maybe even tame, the consciousness of the public what concerns the use of the death penalty.

The balance between the people and the state is of course a delicate matter when it comes to questions of democracy; and declaring the majority incompetent would be against democratic principles. It is obvious to me though, what concerns the death penalty, that the principle of majority might not be one to safeguard democratic principles. I think the principals of democracy always must outweigh the principal of majority. The latter is really just a technical question of administration, and not as many people seem to think the fundamental principle of democracy.

History has shown that leniency towards matters of life and death can have horrendous consequences. If a principle concerning the sanctity of life can do anything, if only in the least, to counteract such circumstances, it will be worth maintaining; a view that would subsequently very much depreciate the utilitarian view of the death penalty working as a deterrent.

Here follows an extract from George Orwells essay A Hanging, Adelphi 1931

It is curious, but till that moment I had never realized what it means to destroy a healthy, conscious man. When I saw the prisoner step aside to avoid the puddle, I saw the mystery, the unspeakable wrongness, of cutting a life short when it is in full tide. This man was not dying, he was alive just as we were alive. All the organs of his body were working – bowels digesting food, skin renewing itself, nails growing, tissues forming – all toiling away in solemn foolery. His nails would still be growing when he stood on the drop, when he was falling through the air with a tenth of a second to live. His eyes saw the yellow gravel and the grey walls, and his brain still remembered, foresaw, reasoned – reasoned even about puddles. He and we were a party of men walking together, seeing, hearing, feeling, understanding the same world; and in two minutes, with a sudden snap, one of us would be gone – one mind less, one world less.

Merry Cristmas All!

2006-12-24T08:23:00.000Z

The market forces of capitalism sure hit their peak at Christmas ...

2006-12-22T22:22:00.000Z

The guy in front of me today in the queue at “The Technique Magazine” asked for a nostril hair trimmer and two carnivorous plants.

Gingerbread Man Demands He Shall Be Hanged Not Eaten

2006-12-20T20:29:00.000Z

A gingerbread strongman was sentenced to death on Sunday, for crimes against his own people.

The trial itself was beset by chaos from its earliest days. Judges were intimidated, lawyers shot and witnesses forced into hiding. The Gingerbread man himself repeatedly disrupted the trial and refused to recognize the court’s legitimacy.

Later he spoke of his preference for facing the gallows rather than a squad of greedy biscuit lovers. Hanging was the appropriate means of execution for a gingerbread man like himself, he said.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen!

2006-12-18T05:03:00.000Z

Looking for Christmas tunes for class, I came across Roy Clark singing 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen!' A real gem!

Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray

Comforting words indeed!

Signore Perelli and the Story of the Nativity

2006-12-17T23:54:00.000Z

I once read a story about this Italian man travelling to Bali. He travelled alone and for adventure. At Christmas he decided he wanted to read to the natives The Story of the Nativity. He began telling the story, but when it got as far as Mary and Josef not being able to find a room for the night, his listeners wouldn’t have it anymore. “How much space can a pregnant woman take!?”, “Of course there must be room for one more!!”, “Surely somebody must have been able to put her up!?” The Italian tried to continue the story, so as to get to the point, but to no avail; it just stopped blank there, at the stable door, and at the discussion on how on earth anyone could refuse a pregnant woman room for the night. Anyway, time passed and it was time for him to go back to Italy. Everyone came to say goodbye. When everybody had said their goodbyes, and he was just about to get on the bus, this small boy came up to him and said: “I still can’t understand: Why didn’t you let her in?”

2006-12-15T21:28:00.000Z

"I'm Bing!"
"Pleased to meat you!"

To a Swedish person that just sounds sooo funny ...

Love ‘em!

2006-12-06T19:39:00.000Z

Today one of my students, in all earnestness, gave me the greatest compliment she could think of:”Marie, you know something …? I think you must have been a cheerleader in an earlier life!” Yay!

"Why Don't You Burn in Hell!"

2006-12-02T08:27:00.000Z

When there is noone else to talk to ...