Lord help me!

Do you know what?
I am old.
It's settled.
Why?
Because I just discovered that I along with the rest of Sweden will be taking Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday off - and of course the weekend.
What am I planning to do?
I'm thinking a few drinks Wednesday, not to many though, cause it might be nice to go for a hike in Skrylle (kinda forest) and maybe then have a BBQ on Thursday.

hahahahhahahahahahaha!
I dont care.
I'm happy x

Take your medicine as ordered, and we WILL hold it against you.

How many people question what a doctor prescribes to alleviate pain? I am a nurse, so I am more likely to question the prescription than most, however if I was in serious pain and a doctor offered me a way out, I would most certainly take it!

You would as well, Right?

Wrong choice, if your 56 yr old Tim Garon. He was prescribed "medical marijuana" to relieve the pain he has been experiencing whilst awaiting a liver transplant. Prescribed by doctors, who are employed by the same hospital whose ethics committee (University of Washington Medical Center) have denied him access to a liver transplant.... wait for it... because he has used marijana!

The ethics committee have decided that Tim is inelligable for a transplant as he has a history of drug use. The committees standards state that previous drug use indicates an addictive personality, therefore the risk of drugs use post liver transplant is too great!!!

Did I mention, that unlike alcohol, Marijana has NO affect on the liver! Can anyone tell me am if I am going to be refused a liver (if needed), as I have spent years binge drinking????? Unlikely. Why? Because I wouldn't reveal to the ethics committee that I'm a binge drinker....

Unfortunately there is no hiding those pesky medical records!

Is there an actual moment when you realise that things may have changed forever?

This week was an exciting week in the lives of many. Firstly, the line up for Splendour in the Grass was announced, and secondly Australians were celebrating an ANZAC day long weekend. So what I could safely assume if I were living in Australia is, a) I would have drunk far too much at least once this week. b) I would be frantically researching the new artists I am unaware of on the SITG line up and c) I would venomously be debating my opinions of possible outstanding acts for SITG 2008 with my friends - most likely doing so over a lazy sunday lunch/brunch with a beer or two!

So what does living in Sweden mean my weekend consisted of?
Friday night = monthly grocery shopping and watched a movie.
Saturday = Getting up bright and sparky so I can go off and get the fruit and vegetables from the farmers markets, cleaning out the car while Håkan changes the tyres from winter to summer tyres, and looking for new jeans/clothes for Isle of Wight (which didn't get purchased damn it).
Sunday = (by choice) re-potting all my herbs, washing clothes and catching up with family via skype. Oh and this afternoon will probably include pilates or a bike ride and doing my Swedish homework.

WOW! There's quite a difference there! Now I know partly this is due to our location (and lack of friends with similar interests), but I cant help but wonder if part of this is just me getting old? I mean no one made me re-pot those herbs. That was something I did willingly. Also no-one has stopped me from having a drink (although I could blame the exhorbitant prices of alcohol in Sweden). So have I reached a point where my life has changed forever, that I am now officially old and boring, or can I continue to blame my location for my demise, as I tend to do for everything??

I guess I will answer this after the Isle of Wight festival in June? I am a little scared of what the answer might be. Will I come home glad to have had such a wonderful time, but thinking I need a good rest? or will I be counting down the sleeps until the next festival????

(You can at least rest assured that I am the worst gardener in the world. This is not something I ever wish to pursue. I am quite sure that my herbs will be dead before the week is out.... )

Happy ANZAC Day

Happy ANZAC Day to everyone. I hope your all enjoying the festivities, the ANZAC biscuits, the two up and rum and milk.
I smiled like a little girl eating my ANZAC bsicuits this morning.

Stop ESP yelling... I can hear your thoughts loud and clear...

Ok I can hear what your saying.
I ask for your help, i begged for your help and I have delivered... NOTHING!!!
So as life always goes, as soon as I mentioned my fear of impending insanity through boredom, life got a whole lot busier.

There was of course a few complications with regards to my "photography" skills and the little project set for me by Nat and Fo. I was attempting to take a series of photographs with my polaroid inside the house (as it was always too dark outside by the time I got around to my photo of the day), which of course didnt work at all!! So as far as they go - well I will post ???something soon.

Benji - I promise I am honing my investigative reporting skills as we speak!

Sorry for my begging and well, not delivering... but dont give up on me just yet...

From little things, big things grow....

One of the strangest things about living in a foreign country is that you often miss what you consider to be "groundbreakingly" important, and positive events which maybe going on in your home country. Subjects you would rant about with your friends over a beer, disagree on what it will mean, and if it was a waste of money or the best thing since sliced bread! (the same could be said about new bands - I dont have the j's people, tips are always accepted!) It doesnt necessarily make that emails or converstations, and you may well miss it while scanning the internet for news.

This morning I discovered I had missed a big project (for lack of better adjectives with my yet to be caffinated brain) that has recently occured in Australia. I had no idea that there was a remaking of this wonderful Paul Kelly song to include Kevin Rudds recent appology to the stolen generation, as well as Paul Keatings Redfern Speach, which was delivered in 1992 at the launch of The International Year of the World's Indigenous People.

Needless to say it brought a little tear to my eye, and a massive amount of pride to see that people in Australia (admittedly not all) are committed to improving the current situation. Also so so so glad to see that the clip was filmed in the Melbourne and not at bloody Bondi or Botany Bay!

enjoy if you havent seen it yet x

Lost in translation or Aprilskämt Månad!

While the rest of the world celebrates "April Fools Day" on the 1st April, in Sweden we (or they - which by default includes me, due to my location) (NOT because I am identifying as a Swede) (but that just seems really complicated so for future reference that's what I mean by we!) pay homage to this day throughout the entire month. The rational being that the weather (I know here I go again) makes a fool out of everyone for the whole month. Just when everyone is convinced that Spring has arrived, the next day will be snow, sleet, rain or all of the above! Which in turns all those spring believers turn into "April fools!" (you know I'm one of them!)

However, I am not sure that April is just making a fool of spring believers in Sweden this year! I don't think I can remember a time where so many of my nearest and dearest seemed to be a little lost in their own translations (Ok I admit it, I just wanted to use the title). Lost in their own emotions is perhaps a better description.

Is it the change of season that sends everyone thoughts, emotions and behaviours haywire? Perhaps everything becomes a little more intense as people feel a chillness setting in the autumn air, or, depending where you are, the intensity of the impending spring?

I am not sure which it is, but I certainly include myself on this list. I seem to be riding a roller coaster at the moment. So, I invite all who are feeling the same, to join myself (and Maddie who came up with the title) in writing April off as a month of "Stupid things that cool people do"

DEVASTATION!!!

I have just read my University Application in full, and...
Yes, I have until April 15th to finalise my application, but, NOOOO, I do not have until the 15th to submit my previous academic transcripts. The deadline was apparently February 15th.

Which means, I have spent hours, and hours trying to find the perfect program.
I found it. See here or here. And now I cant do it.
(I swear to god if you mention anything about being organised O'Brien.... I'll... I dont know what I'll do... but I'll do something!!!)

Honestly I cant believe this. It feels like a really bad joke.
(I applied in December, changed my preferences in March. Applications close April 15th. DAMN DAMN!!! )

So now this means, I cant start until next year, which means I don't finish when Nat comes over next Summer. It means I will have finished one semester, and I will have one semester to go....

SOMEBODY FIX THIS FOR ME.
Please. Pretty?
With sugar on top???
No? (God damn it I would know how to fix it if I was in Australia).

Fine, I'm going lay on the couch and sulk, eat lots of chocolate and not exercise all weekend!
(Man, when did I get so old I turn to chocolate before beer or wine???)

Trevlig Helg!

CHECK IT!!!!

Hello!

Just a shameless plug for my sister.
Her new website is now live. Go check it. It's fabulous, and yes I am biased, but I'm also honest!!!

http://www.fionacarsonphotography.com.au/

Now if you would all go and order thousands of dollars worth of prints, so that she can come visit me that would be fabulous!!!!

enjoy x

Hope + Cas = Delusion.

Hope. It's what gets us up in the mornings, even when it feels like things couldn't possibly get any worse (yet invariably do!).

It's also what gets most Swede's through their entire lives.

"I hope it doesn't rain today".
"I hope I get to see the sun tomorrow".
"I hope will be a little nicer weather next week".
"I hope the summer will be much better next year".

Which means right now it's now a big part of how I live my life.
Currently, my misspent energy is focused on "hoping" that the glorious spring time is here and that the evils of the "wicked winter of the west" are gone! This led me to toddle off merrily to work yesterday wearing only my jeans, boots, one pair of thin wool socks, no thermals and only one cotton singlet and a thin jumper. (Jacket for outside obviously).
Sound ok? OMG! It wasn't, it wasn't even close!

You see my hope convinces me that if yesterday was lovely spring weather, (and I can see the tulips and daffodils flowering) that today has to be spring weather also. I had convinced myself it was Spring. (stop laughing). (now). (seriously). (I was almost in tears I was so cold while walking home).

ergo....
Cas + Hope = Delusion.

Most people who know me will attest to this theory. You see, I can be a bit of a dreamer. I don't know if this stems from being a very lucky child? I won most competitions I entered (non scholastic) which perhaps means that I didn't learn the valued lesson and bitter disappointment that follows those types of losses? (My parents even benefited from $12000 worth of furniture in 1988 thanks to my luck!) (In hindsight I have no idea how winning stuff would enable my delusion???? What on earth was I thinking when I wrote that??)

Or could it just be the result of sheer stupidity? And that the stupidity is actually what causes me to believe that tomorrow will always be a better day??

I dont know what you think? I'd say the words delusion and stupid are both springing to mind??
But, do you know what, I don't care!
I quite like my delusional state. I'm keeping it.
Without it I would hide from the world even more than i do now :D

(and i know this is kinda about the weather which I said i wouldn't talk about any more, but it's not about the weather, it's about hope!!!!)

Would google lie??

Do you think... Is it possible, really?? I mean I know they stalk, but lie.
Noooo, that would be too much?
Maybe??

I say yes.
It's the only explanation.
Googleanalytics.com say I have had no visitors to my site for 4days, even though people have left me comments.
Oh wait. Do my friends have super trooper ESP internet posting powers?

Maybe? Yes! that has to be it!
Google would never lie.
Phew.
Go back to work people.
x

So it goes a little something like this....

Big thanks to Lib, Ben, Fo and Nat who seem to be the only people who care for my sanity :D

Over the next 3weeks, my projects include:

A photo/word of the day for 2 weeks.

A combination of Fo and Nat's suggestions. I only have 7 polaroids left, so the photos will be both digital and polariod. Day one was friday (4th), so I will post the first week next friday/saturday....

A trip to the Ale Stones. Apparently I have ALMOST been to them... The story goes that we didnt go the extra 500m because I couldnt be bothered.

(Sidebar people: when there is room for communication error, the non local ALWAYS gets blamed for not wanting to do things, its so easy to say, "Well we told you but you didnt really feel like it". Didnt really feel like what???? I had no any idea they even existed!!!!!)

A trip to Dalby, Sverige, with photos and exploration and everything... and I will compare it to Dalby, Qld, 'Stralia!

An indepth review of why Swede's are obsessed with Salmiak aka Ammonium Chloride - Just for Benji!

So there you go... keep thinking of ideas for me... i'm enjoying it. Will start with the Dalby trip tomorrow if there is even a glimmer of sunshine.

VOTE FOR MADDIE!!!

Can everyone reading this head over to
http://vfestbeta.com/author/mads
and read/comment on mads blog??? She is blogging for VFestival and is in the running for a trip to all the V Festivals next year....
SO DO IT FOR ME!!! (cause then she will take me to the UK ones.....)

Challenge mania.... Insane in the membrania!

Yeah I read that title, get over it, I got bigger fish!

Last week I was asked to be an interviewee for a friend who is writing about the social phenomenon that is blogging. Many of the questions were in regards to, why do I blog?

..... Well obviously because i'm hilarious and everyone wants to read what i have to say!

No??? Ok well how about... I dont really know why. (Not the answer I gave by the way!) I think my original thought process was because I am crap at keeping a travel diary, so I decided to keep a public one? Makes sense huh? I also wanted somewhere to keep copies of my lonely planet blogs, so it seemed natural I start my own blog.

But.... and there is always a but.. now i'm thinking I should put a little more effort to it. I want to use this blog to talk about the new and amazing things I should be out there experiencing. not to complain about the cold. I mean, come on, I live in Sweden, what did I think the temperature would be like????

Unfortunately, 12months of living in Sweden has left me pretty uninspired to be honest. But, do you know what? I am my own worst enemy. I often hide from my life in Sweden, mostly because I am embarrassed that I am not fluent in Swedish, or even close to it. Especially now as we are the point where people are starting to ask why I don't speak Swedish. Thats when I get all, howabouts we stay at home, and then no one will ask me, and i'll offend no one! Can we huh???? huh huh???

I'm pretty ashamed that I this is who I have become. I really and truely need hand holding in this country. Somehow I have gone from being a hand holder (of anyone who would come along for the ride) to needing some constant gentle persuasion READ: someone to bloody push me - but, obviously in a way I will respond to well i.e. don't TELL me to do it you moron, suggest it in a round about way and let me think I thought of the idea!!!

Ahhhh man. Look i've gone and done it again. What i really wanted to say was. I think it is time I used this blog more effectively. I look at all the photographic groups Fo belongs to and I really wish I had something like that. They are constantly being set challenges which not only get their creative juices flowing, but it pushes them to keep their craft evolving, experience new things, and to look at everyday aspects with a new perspective! So that's what I want to do.....

So, I want EVERYONES help!!!!
And, I know who you are, googleanalytics.com tells me.

I want you all to think about one, (or two or five if you like) things, ideas, perspectives, whatever, that I can write about.
It is best if it is Sweden relevant (wikipedia is the name of the game for you) and off i will go adventuring and exploring new things.
Honestly I dont care if it is a spring flower that you want to know about, OR you could set me a WHOLE challenge!!! Like I want you to go out for the day pretending.... and then tell us about it!!
Please please please help me stop myself from going insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So just do it, leave a comment at the end of this please please please! I dont think anything is too crazy??? Although I am a little worried about what O'Brien might suggest?????

(and just to clarify, I was NOT earlier comparing my blogging with Fo's talent!!)