Sweden Rock Festival

The Sweden Rock Festival: a place where loads of people from all over the world (but mostly Sweden and Europe) come to a no-name place near Sölvesborg on the East coast of Sweden for an exhausting, thouroughly intoxicating, crazy rock and roll adventure for 4+ days! And I got to go and serve excellent espresso drinks to these (10s of?) thousands of people for the night before the morning after a bit and all those days in-between! (Picture on right: only Friday, before more and more people came... that red and blue tent is a a massive beer tent and I was sorta close to it as we moved the moped I was at everyday outside of the music area [top picture] to the inside past and well around the corner of the green tent in the right picture for the afternoons and nights... CRAZY!) By Sunday morning, that blue and red tent was pastel from the earth dust that was kicked up into the air!

My 3 worst bits from the festival:

1. I am experiencing the worst detoxifying experience in my entire life. The environment was so filthy and toxic that each half day that passed, I experienced a new problem. By the time Doug got me home, I just collapsed with exhaustion on the hallway floor. He helped me draw a bath and then I essentially slept. Fevered too. From early on coughs to eye irritation and battling over 80 degree heat and loads of sunblock and tons of dust in the air to becoming an outright flu like situation with congestion, sore throat, light fever and exhausted body muscles and irritated and sensitive skin. Way nasty.
2. Sheer exhaustion and a bit of confusion throughout the festival.
3. I realized I don't like festivals and am not so sure I really want to keep doing this line of work... none the less, my bosses want me back and I could use more work anyways, right?
   

My 6 largest prizes from the festival:

1. I officially have a job in Sweden. We all hit it off serendipitously. We're really happy to have found one another. Sebastian and Cristina couldn't be cooler or more motivated people.
2. I have finally mastered the technique of Latte Art. I successfully and purposefully created the BB, the heart, the leaf and a rosetta (not as many of the last 2, but still made them!!!!!)
3. I have a souvenier rock n' roll devil guitar pick.
4. I got to practice my swedish and learn loads of new words and how to say stuff.
5. I was compensated a bit more than offered for all my hard work.
6. Avoided getting hardly even a sun tan whilst most were burnt to a crisp!

More fun details later folks. I'm gonna take a break again. Still recovering ya know.

Birthday Redefinition

Before I head out tomorrow for my big event with the espresso service at the rock festival, I felt like reflecting on my new birthday conclusions.

I'm thinking that it's a birthday like this one I've had that starts to get people to not like them, rather than the age itself. I mean, hey, at least for a while, I'm embracing aging, nothing I can prevent, just live the best and healthiest that I can to enjoy the years that I have. So, aging is not my concern here with my new grand 27 completed years on this little rock of a planet hurtling through dark space only happening to be lit by our beautiful and searing sun.

No, my thoughts are within unknown expectations. It's funny how leading up, I didn't think I had any, but now realize I was full of them. Expecting some cool surprise in the mailbox, some fun thoughts from somebody I love from the US. It's funny, I did get a couple greatings and I must say they really did make me smile and enjoy that moment. But it's funny, well maybe not. Because I expected a few other folks, at least, to mention a happy day or something, ya know, nice and simple. It's funny how it didn't happen. Vague at best. Out of family, I gotta thank Mom, Aunt Martha and Sarah & Ted, and Grandma Carol for thinking of me. It meant the world to me that you mentioned it. Because now, I can officially say that I don't like birthdays anymore. I feel let down and that they really don't matter more than keeping track of how many days or years we revolve around that spectacularly toasty sun of "ours".

I don't know, I had to get that out there. It's bizarre how you don't even realize you have expectations until you've noticed them let down. Doug and I, on the other hand, celebrated a sweet birthday. We ate at a really tasty Mediterranean/Greek restaurant and he gave me a sweet and stylish little necklace. We then headed to his folks' place to have sweets and I must say that is was a nice evening with lots of jokes and light air. They were sweet and graced me with a few gifts that I didn't really expect though. Mostly, I think I was stuck on the idea of my family not doing very much to highlight the day. When I talked with my brother, I found out that if he didn't have a party for himself, then quite likely, he wouldn't have had much either? Weird. What's going on here? I don't reallly understand. I also know I'm just writing to vent and get it out of my head.

Mostly, right now, my focus is Swedish and getting siked up for the upcoming work week. Then after that, the end of my course and more wedding preparations in full gear. So, I'll see ya in a week or so after the Rock Festival to show some pics and tell some good stories, I hope.... hmm, expectations? Wonder what I've built in there and don't even know it.

Caffe Italiano - part 2

Great news! We all get along famously! I shared some stories and some photos from my little Tropic of Coffee biz and they loved them. They saw that I did what they're doing, just with a few variations really.

We hung out all afternoon. I got a mild face sunburn too, glad I wore long sleeves. But yeah, we hit it off, just chatting, getting to know one another through the world of coffee and our histories. Sure enough, they had a "gig" that late afternoon, evening. So, I helped and watched them set up their cool moped stand and we started making espressos. They only use arabica beans, which of course is the only way to go. We compared techniques and I tried to absorb as fast as I could, as many of their nuances in brewing as I could. What's really brilliant about their business is that they only offer the core espresso drinks.

• Espresso
• Macchiatto
• Americano
• Cappuccino
• Latte

They don't even have chocolate unless the party requests it, nor other flavorings, nor ICE for cold drinks! So simple. But I think that it's easier to accomplish here because Swedes are content with lattes (80+% of their business) and they actually don't give a flying hoot about sweetener flavor syrups and even sugar, most of the time. How brilliant is that?!! It makes me realize how complicated it was to please Americans, no really. They all have to have their special darn twist. Wether it's low fat milk, or sugar free syrup, or any syrup, or a blended frappuccino or something with whipped cream. They can't just enjoy the cool drinks for the simple splendor that they are!

We'll be offering 3 sizes of drinks (biggest is only about the 16 oz size). I get to sleep in a sleeping bag in a tent or the truck or something for 5 nights and I've been told the showers they have are really dirty and less than pleasant, great. Spot cleaning at its finest I suppose. I need to bring clothes for all weather because rain is always a possibility and so is sun and the nights are gonna get real cold; naturally. But I'm trhilled to be helping these young folks out and they're helping me too; so, for now, it's gonna be the start to a great relationship. We'll be expected to work solo at one of the 3 mopeds for 10-12 hours a day. Whoo!

What's cool is that they've just started a website: Caffe Italiano; you can see some pics, but sadly, it's in swedish. Sorry folks! So, yeah, I'm gonna be getting up there on Tuesday and serving Wednesday through Saturday and coming back on Sunday (June 5-10) Skål!

Caffe Italiano

I'm hoping for the best. I have an "interview" this afternoon with Caffe Italiano. The couple whom run this little coffee kiosk business are super nice. (Cristina and Sebastian)

We met in February at the wedding expo and we really hit it off after I casually invited myself to work for them. Well, they called me back only a couple of weeks ago... and well, looks like I'm in. I'm going to begin working with one of their mopeds at a rock festival in the far northeast part of Skåne (quite a train ride or drive away). The festival lasts for 4 days! Go to Sweden Rock for more info about the concert. I'm quite certain I'm in, but can't help but feel nervous. I guess I'm going to be nervous about my swedish for quite some time. But the cool thing is that Cristina is from Italy and is learning Swedish herself! So, she and Sebastian quite understand the learning process. I guess my coffee history has truly sparked their attention. Can't argue with that!

What's I think even more crazy, or ironic, is that my brazilian classmate, Eduardo, and his girlfriend are going to be at the same festival working the beer tent! I just about flipped. Here, I thought I'd be totally alone... and well, still might be, but that's rockin' I may actually see a face I already know! Way awesome.

Anywho, gotta fly, don't want to be late or anything. Hejdå!

Movie Rating Systems

Mood: Fantastic and bright.
Music: Jazz all morning and electronica by early evening now.
Happenings: Hosted a sweet and rockin' high tea party for a few of my new classmate girlfriends.

Tons of teas, lots of sugars, including Mickey Mouse shaped sugar cubes and brown rock sugar... 2 light tea sandwiches: 1. smoked salmon with fresh ginger, cilantro and lime cream cheese and butter spread; 2. cucumber with butter and daikon sprouts and a little S&P. Kicked up pigs in a blanket with mustard.... then there was dessert with truffles, brownies and cheese cake, as well as delicate raisin sugar cookies. FABULOUS! Only 3 of the 6 invited came, but it was a really sweet time anyways.

Perhaps picks later, since I actually have none...

But, you've got to love this here explanation of a movie rating system. It couldn't be more simple, straightforward and explanatory. Makes me wish most were like this.

5 stars: briljant = brilliant
4 stars: mycket bra = really good
3 stars: helt okey rulle = OK flick
2 stars: i brist på annat = if nothing else, then this is OK
1 star: inte ens i brist på annat = not even if there's nothing else
no stars: borde aldrig blivit gjord = should never have been made

I just think that movies get so ambiguous with a variety of stars attached to films and we don't really know what they mean anymore... but this newspaper seems to have it smart! I quite like it anyways.... particularly that last one, shouldn't have even been made. Sometimes, films really need a no star rating, or even a 1 star rating, because they can be pretty generous with the 3 stars on films that don't end... like the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie, good grief the critics liked that one. Just can't agree. Anyways, I'm off to enjoy a gorgeous afternoon from a rainy and cold earlier half of the day! Ta ta!

A Garden Walk

I am not going to sit here and apologize for not having written. April was too busy for me to care to review it here. Thus, I'm going to take you on a nature walk about Lund. We have had such a lovely spring here, all early blooming and such (typical blooming is later in May and June, not April).

When you first walk outside of our apartment complex, you are greeted with these fantastic pink tulips. They remind me of a cross of roses and peonies, but everything else screams tulips!

As you continue into our courtyard, there is such a breathtaking array of flowers. So many tulip clusters and the flowering trees! So much colour, and the fragrance. I really cannot begin to describe the awesome perfume in the air. It's all around town and Lund, these beautiful trees, we'll see some more in a bit. Purple tulips, White tulips, Red tulips, Yellow tulips surrounded by a too cute blue flower ground cover... Tiny bluish purple flower bunches, yellow flowers I don't know the name of with too beautiful dark green foliage to compliment.

Even in the cracks along and in the paved brick paths are little flowering "weeds" with too cool little bluish flowers amidst a great effort of green inviting. I guess it's all the colour they add... yes, even foliage. I tell you, even the weeds look cute and dandelions and these tiny daisy looking ones the are just as everywhere as the dandelions.

The yard is filled with these pink trees and I've got a photo here of a white one with the pink in the background. So so stunning! And to see some of these amazing flowers up close, here's a second photo. I am quite overwhelmed this spring by the gorgeous season here. I don't think I've ever seen such a colourful and fragrant spring ever in the Chicago suburbs. I don't know if these lovely trees don't grow well there or what! But I guess there, you'll have a much prettier autumn. The colours are drab an unimpressive here in that season.

As we leave this impressive sanctuary where people bring their children to play, or just sunbathe and take a stroll through it, we are graced with other unique and beautiful patches of spring bulbs. I missed taking pictures of the crocuses, but here's a cool blend of dafodils and tulips. And this red and yellow tulip? I don't know what it's called. But I've nick-named it a flame tulip. This one appears in a few random home gardens. I've even come accross a couple other striking varieties.

Ah, as we walk into town, our noses are slammed with a crazy amount of fragrance. Thanks to these 2 varieties of purple flowering trees. There's also pink ones and magnolias. My goodness, I've never seen those up close before. So so beautiful. I really like those. These white blossoms appear in almost all the parks. They've since turned a burnt pink as they've matured and are probably dying out. These trees are so huge and immense that these hover above my head around 6 ft "low" and these are at the very bottom. These trees are so high, I really cannot estimate how tall they are. So lovely.

And this last photo is something I saw alongside a shop's planter of flowers. I've never seen it before either and found it beyond stunning. The sort of geometric nature to it. Bright white on top and a deep purple on the underside. Way too cool.

Now you see what I'm in awe by this spring. It's really been beautiful and I'm really glad and I think, lucky to have seen it and been a part of its enjoyment and beauty. When I'm walking and riding from place to place, I just take it a bit more calm these recent days to enjoy and smell the flowers. Really enchanting, I tell you.

Could it be spring?

Mood: Mild and good
Music: National Public Radio podcast

I cannot believe how beautiful the last 2 days have been. Spring flowers have truly reached out into the new warmth; like crocuses and other ground flowers. Folks' natural hedge fencing are all gettin' green too. Doug and I (and the rest of Swedes) took advantage and went to parks and took their bikes out for fun rides to enjoy the "warm" and cloud free days. It makes studying all the more difficult!!

I'm so studying my brains out for this exam. Tweaking what I know and trying to learn from my mistakes. It's weird and tough. It makes me remember how tough I found English throughout life! But I keep on studying my text book and I'm trying to fit in a grammar workbook on the side to keep fresh on grammar rules and well, learn more details about how stuff works, like all the extra pronouns in this language. I'm optimistic though... and I think I'm doing pretty damn well.

I send kudos and awe to all my vegetarian friends out there. We've taken the Lent season to diligently try vegetarianism with allowance for dairy, eggs, and fish. We've been so hungry! We have to eat all the time! IT'S SO BIZARRE! In the last 3 weeks and today, I've baked a cheese herb bread, a sunflower seed whole wheat bread, 3 huge pizzas (big cookie sheet sized pizzas) [and plans to make 2 more tomorrow], 3 banana walnut breads (2 with blueberries and 1 with dark chocolate chunks), an apple granola bar thing and just now an apple bread and a banana walnut chocolate chip bar... like a cookie/brownie thing. The very surprising thing about our extra intake of carbs and even sweet things is.... here's the punch.... We've both lost weight!

That's not cool for Doug, he's such a thin guy! But no worries, we're taking extra precautions to eat more pasta and rice when those are in the meals, more bread yet.. like carrot bread or garlic bread toasted up. So, we're sure it'll be OK, but boy was it a little of a surprise.

I'm not sure how you guys don't just eat all the time. Do you, vegetarians, have any special tips? Is it just a period of body adjustment? How often do you find yourselves dining or snacking on something? I don't want to fill my diet with more pastry-like options, but it seems that is what is happening. Fortunately, they're all homemade! We buy organic sugar, eggs, milk, and flour is whole grain and/or organic too! So, they're good things and contents!

I'm gonna go back to my schoolwork, but vegetarians, I'd love your input!

Snabbt Februari

Title: Snabbt Februari = Fast February
Mood: Fair, Determined, Busy

Music: iTunes Random, lots of Thievery Corporation and random jazz I haven't heard in forever, and a surprising amount of Blur.

Weather: Stunningly snowy! It snowed a crazy lot yesterday and last night... and more projected tonight! So blustery and I absolutely couldn't ride my bike to school because they only just started plowing all the stuff around 8am... boy am I used to Chicago/Illinois effeciency! So, I locked my bike on the way, only a couple blocks out and just walked. I don't think I'll be going to school tomorrow. Took me an hour of trudging through other peoples' deep foot prints to get there. In a surreal way, it was fun for me, I guess snow really does make winter and colder temps worth it for me.

I was really determined this afternoon though. I made a nice cornbread and a vegetarian chili. I think I make a little macaroni to go with that... and so I dressed up and went out to our courtyard to make some sort of Calvin and Hobbes snow sculpture. It was aweful. So much snow and no ability to "clump." The stuff just dusted away from my hands. Oh man, I was defeated in less than 2 minutes. It's so windy though, I just didn't realize how dry the snow is... especially since it seemed so wet this morning! Oh well.

Hope you like the pics. They're just a few things we took pictures of from a Wedding Expo nearby in Malmö. I really enjoy the relative simplicity to all the flower and the cakes. Feel free to give any info/opinions about them. No pink though, but I like the style of the delicate flowers, they're not roses, just delicate and pretty and even many colours. Really pretty though. I really enjoy the photos down the right side of this blog post.

Crazy busy making paper, studying swedish for my exam at the end of March, and wedding planning! Check in soon for more hectic updates.

Oh, and you must check my brother's new blog. It's wonderful. And I don't even drink beer! But it's really fun to read about his adventures in homebrewing! Heidi and Joe, I really think you'll enjoy it. I think he'd even be game to let you try some of them sometimes!

Mood: Surprisingly "chipper"
Music: Bara bra musik: a Swedish Euro-dance music radio station

I'm fighting the urge to want winter back. But I must admit I'm already looking forward to the spring... did I just say that outloud? Oh boy. Will I ever snowboard again? That too depends on more than just the greenhouse effect. I mean, I'd need to be reunited with my board, which happens to be in Lake in the Hills anyways. We'll see what happens there, but I still have a goal to reach the Chilean mountains someday! It could be that I'm simply more excited to be touring on the bike again instead of freezing in the moutain thin air.

This little view is out our west-view window out into our fantastic courtyard, in the very few days we had snow (snö). We've also been getting a few more sunny days here. I can't tell you how welcome they are!

We've been busy here in Lund. We've been heading out into town and nearby towns to check out the wedding dress selections. To my surprise, a lighter simpler dress is much easier to find here, and some.... are get this.... a little cheaper than in the States! So, I may just end up with something here in the next coupla weeks. I've been crazy studying Swedish and taking mock exams while beginning and designing all of our fun wedding stationary. I think you folks are gonna like what you see. We've come up with some really fantastic and creatively beautiful and handsom ideas. Ha Ha! No peaks! You'll just have to wait and see if you get one, or access to one!

I've actually been active making my own handmade paper as well. I've done one with 100% newspaper (tidning) and another with 100% recycled computer pages from old school days. I even made a batch of cardstock for my classmate, Rebecca, to make thank-you notes, out of the recycled white computer paper with gold flecks, and even flower petals. It turned out really lovely.

And for a little thoughts to chew on, visit this next link. This site has a music video that has a really cool message. Yeah, it's political, but moving and powerful as well. Go Esther!

Peace out for now.

Winter? Wuz that?

Mood: Thrilled
Music: My favorites list in iTunes
Weather: Cold, crisp and well, white!

I cannot believe that winter has arrived. I understand it may very well end before the week is up. That will be a tragedy; however, in the mean time, we must enjoy the beauty that we have, right? Funny how that can be applied to so very many things. Well, I couldn't help myself and just went out and took lots of pics and here's a few of the very lovely day (yesterday) that began a nice big smile of childhood giddiness on my face. Where's that cute little Cadence? I need a snow-angel buddy!

This was truly my first biking experience in a winter situation. I must say, it went really well. Going to class was fine, but then, while there for the 3 hours, it must have snowed at least an inch. So, it was a slushy fun cold mess on the way home! Not too cool if you were in a car though. Today was just icy and a little more difficult to ride on, but very manageable. I mean, they salt and put down a TON of gravel mix out on all the bike paths, so, by the end of today, they're all real passable. Here left is a photo of the biking pathway that's just outside our place.

I also promised Mom that I'd post a pic of our fantastic lasagne creation made of a totally delicious and savory and tasty meat sauce (custom made by us/Doug) and a delightfully light creamy spinach layer with a swedish cheese and then mozzarella and Parmesan on top too. Oh yum! I'm just sorry it's already gone! Eat your hearts out!