1.30.2008

Breakfast!

The clubhouse (the apartment office), served us breakfast this morning, for whoever wanted some. I walked down there to eat a little, because breakfast is always good for you, or so I thought. This one was good, but it wasn't too good for me... It is a striking difference in what would be served as breakfast over here and in Sweden.
When I think breakfast I think youghurt (you know those small ones), any kind of bread (dark, white, loafs) with a slice of cheese or ham. A cup of orange/apple juice, and some fruits.

The fruits were there when I walked into the clubhouse this morning, but that was the only thing familiar at a breakfast table. There were mini-muffins in different flavors. Glaced doughnuts. sliced short cake, and Capri Sun juices (made from concentrate).

And we wonder why people gain weight when they come to America...

1.29.2008

below 0 (30)


This is how cold it could be in Oklahoma during the winter... this is how cold it was last week...

1.20.2008

When one take so many words in, there must also be an output


The other day I was writing here thinking that now when I have so much reading to do I will not have time to do any blogging, at all! It now seems to be the exact opposite. I have more time, and a greater need to blog. One can only do so much reading at a time before the brain is fried. I have decided to be smart about studying this semester, which includes not to pile everything up and read hundreds of pages at once, but rather in small sections.


It does not only give me more quality study time, but more motivation to actually do it. I know I only have to read hundred pages in the course of on entire day! 20 pages now, 20 later. The readings actually become quite interesting when you can grasp the essential and understand what it is all about, instead of just plowing through.


No matter how intelligently I am looking at this reading/studying I will still always sigh the minutes before I take up a book when I know I do it because I HAVE to... It is impossible for me to trick myself and pretend I am the one WANTING to read all these books.. I am just too smart for that.

No, it is not a building block competition... it is the book pile of the semester (minus three of the books)

EM på radio

Handboll, äntligen! Som jag saknat det. Tyvärr så har jag inte hittat någon web-tv som direktsänder handbolls EM, men som tur är finns ju Sveriges Radio. Lyssna på handboll är ju inet lika roligt, men i brist på annat så är det perfekt!

Igår så var jag och bowlade. Vi bowlade typ 9 serier... det var lite upp och ner, men allt som allt så gick det bra, vann igen! OCH jag lyckades med att få en kalkon, ni vet tre strikes i rad, två gånger. I olika serier tyvärr. Men båda gångerna gick jag min kalkon i tioende och sista rutan! Lite häftigt. Hade ju varit roligt att öppna upp med tre strikes i rad så man har en grund att bygga på, men jag räddade ju min poäng lite iallafall :)

1.18.2008

Dumt med kyla utan snö!

Jaså, det är så här det känns när det är kallt!
Jag som trodde att det var kallt när det var runt 5-10 grader varmt och blåste. Men det är ju ingenting mot det här. Var inte över 0 grader häromdagen. Inte en enda gång på dan. Is på vattenpölarna. Jag cyklandes- ISKALL!
Frusen. Inte bara kall, utan frusen.
Tinade när jag kom in i klassrummet. Kände hur allt blev varmare och jag sakta men säkert smälte. Blodet började forsa i ådrorna igen, nästan lite för fort. Blev jättevarm helt plötsligt. Men efter avtagande av 2 tröjor så blev det bättre.
Sen dags att stiga ut i kylan och cykla vidare, ja, jag lånar Amy's cykel. Ska skaffa en egen rätt snart, så fort jag kommer iväg till affären.

Tydligen ska det bli kallare nästa vecka. KALLARE!!?? Hur ska det gå? Jag förstår inte att jag faktiskt överlevde vintrarna i Sverige när dom var kalla. Jag kommer ihåg hur vi cyklade nerför Falu-backen i vad-hög snö och 20 minusgrader...
Oförståeligt, hur kan man så lätt anpassa sig till värme och förglömma allt som har med kyla att göra?
Men jag hoppas allefall att det snöar nu.. när det ska bli kallare. Det är ju liksom ingen mening med att vara kallt om det inte ska snöa! Onödigt!

Annars så hann jag med att åka skridskor i ishallen innan skolan började, och bowlade ett par gånger. Senaste gången gick bäst då jag hade alla tre serier över 130 poäng, bästa på 152, vilket jag faktiskt måste säga är godkänt.

Nu när skolan har börjat är jag upptagen! Har allt som allt ungefär 16 noveller att läsa den här terminen. Den kortaste är ungefär 200 sidor, den längsta 800... och så ungefär 6 faktaböcker, alltså mer eller mindre läroböcker. Och alla dom ska jag hinna läsa, ta till mej, och analysera den här terminen... där får man för att man väljer rysk literature, amerikans historia, antropologi (människor och kultur) och autobiographical writing...

Så på grund av all läsning som jag måste göra, känns det smått hopplöst att uppdatera en blogg... men i pauserna då och då ska jag nog hinna plita ner några ord. Måste ju rensa huvudet på något sätt!

1.05.2008

fainting and hologram band-aids

Yesterday felt like a long day. Not only that I had to sign my life away on 500 different pieces of paper (Ok, slight exaggeration, but it took 1 hour to finish the package I got. I am pretty good at signing my name by now.), but I also had to take my physical. Has never been a big deal before. I go in there they check my eyes, blood pressure, and if my body seems normal. Over here its a different story, it was quite serious. It started out with the normal procedure- no problems.
The nurse was impressed my eyes were so good she asked me a couple of times if I really didn't have contacts in.

The bad part started when it came to them removing blood from my body. I sat down held my arm up and said to myself that I was going to do ok by breathing and not looking at either the needle or the blood. So I didn't. He pricked my right arm and it hardly hurt or made me feel sick. I had time to think wow, I did good this time, before he pricked me again. This time it hurt a wee bit more and I started to feel sick to my stomach. Well, I thought, at least I'm still sitting up and it wasn't really that bad.
The doctor unwraps my right arm,- you have good veins but I can't get any blood so let's try the left arm. Third time is a charm ey.
Sorry doc, but I couldn't really appreciate the comment at that time...
He pricks my left arm and now it hurts real bad. I'm guessing he taps me on blood because my ears start ringing, my blood pressure is sinking and I start rambling words in Swedish.. I realize it and tell the doc I'm about to faint.
He helps me stand up... then it's dark.
I wake up when blood rushes back to my head while laying on a chair. I open my eyes but still the ringing in my ear and the blurr so I close them again and go back to the black quiet resting space I've been occupying to get away from the unconfortable experience. After a cup of water and sitting up I wake up and continue my way to chest x-ray.

After that the nurse comes to get me:
- Do you want the meningitis vaccination today or another day?
-I might as well take it today. Already fainted once why not twice?
-Poor you, I promise I will do it quick and without any faintings.

2 sec. later

-oh, and have you been vaccinated for the flu this year?
-no....
-we might as well go ahead and do that at the same time...

[yay. I am so excited and can't wait to go with this nurse to have 2 needles stuck into me!]

When she comes back she has a gatorade for me to drink and some crackers I can snack on. I snack while she forces the shots way into my muscles... it wasn't that bad, but the flu shot hurt. I kept on drinking, snacking and breathing. She was doing her job really good, just like my dentist back home. I felt like a kid again... 23 year old kid. Even more so when she gave me silvery hologram band-aids with stars on...
-Not everyone gets these!

Didn't I feel special?!


New Years Eve



New Years Eve was a nice, but cold, night. I spent it in San Antonio, TX. It sucked being far away from both my Louisianan crew and family, and my Swedish, but it was nice to be together with some of the buddies from CAC I don't get to see that often.

San Antonio treated me great as always. We stayed at Rob's brother's house, and since I was the lady I got to sleep in a bed while the guys crashed on the floor...


While being there we didn't do too much. Just chilling and relaxing. Me and Rob did go to the driving range to hit some golfballs. First time ever for me! It was fun, but required some patience. I completely missed the ball the first 10 min, but after that I got the hang of it and it actually went pretty far out there... or 160 yards. I thought it was great until the kid right next to me hit his ball 250 yards... I need more practice!!

At midnight on New Years Eve we were all right by the Alamo stadium watching the fireworks downtown. It was a freezing night but we still enjoyed it. My winter jacket came in handy.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008!!!