Monthly Archives: November 2008

First Advent

November 29, 2008 – 3:03 pm

Tomorrow is the First Advent and I dutifully dragged out my Advent lights (the electric kind) only to find out they don’t work. Sometime between last December and today they decided to go to the Advent light heaven, or wherever it is that broken ornaments go. So my first Advent Sunday will be lightless. That’s [...]

By Anna | Posted in Culture | Comments (3)

Thanksgiving and Word Order

November 27, 2008 – 1:32 pm

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it!
I don’t. I did it twice in the past, because my dearly beloved demanded turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes. Turkeys are easy to come by here, our local Ica MAXI carries them. And during November you can even spot frozen cranberries, so if you’re really dedicated you can [...]

By Anna | Posted in Grammar | Comments (2)

Stockholms 19:e internationella filmfestival

November 25, 2008 – 6:28 pm

I was going to talk about grammar today, because we haven’t done it in a long while. But how can I talk about something as mundane as grammar if something as exciting as the 19th Stockholm Film Festival is going on?
True, it’s going on a long way from here, but still. It’s exciting. And it’s [...]

By Anna | Posted in Culture | Comments (2)

Hög tid för vinterdäck

November 23, 2008 – 12:45 pm

On Friday I took my car in to get winter tires put on. And it was about time. Driving on snow and ice covered roads was becoming rather hazardous. Driving with spiky tires is a little bit better.

Most manly men I know change their tires themselves, but lacking a handy wrench monkey, I go to [...]

By Anna | Posted in Culture, Vocabulary | Comments (0)

Plastproblemet är löst

November 20, 2008 – 11:14 am

As I’m sure you know, Sweden is big on recycling and being environmentally friendly. And I happen to like that. We recycle our plastic bottles and aluminum cans and get money back (pant) at the store. Those plastic bottles and cans that can’t be returned for pant go into normal recycling bins.
And we have recycling [...]

By Anna | Posted in Culture | Comments (2)

Hearing Swedish Abroad

November 16, 2008 – 3:17 pm

It’s always interesting to see how many people abroad can utter at least some words of Swedish. I say “utter,” because I’m not even surprised anymore at how many people actually can speak Swedish. Their degrees of proficiency vary wildly, that’s for sure, but Swedish is no longer a secret language in which you can [...]

By Anna | Posted in Culture | Comments (10)

Swedish Foodstuffs Abroad

November 14, 2008 – 5:03 pm

I am abroad again and this time, I’m proud to say that Dearly Beloved is managing quite well. He went shopping all by himself today and bought what he needed. But he did respond with a sigh of relief when he heard I’m coming back on Monday.
This time it was me who needed his help. [...]

By Anna | Posted in Culture | Comments (8)

Fars dag - Father’s Day

November 9, 2008 – 6:13 pm

David from Oregon very astutely pointed out that it was Father’s Day (Fars dag) today in Sweden. He wanted to know how it’s normally celebrated. But because I’m the worst daughter ever (in fact, next week I will visit my dad for the first time in about 17 years, yes shame on me, I know, [...]

By Anna | Posted in Culture | Comments (6)

Adventures in Healthcare, part 1

November 6, 2008 – 2:38 pm

A few years ago my friend discovered a black spot on her skin. She went to the clinic (vårdcentralen) and showed it to the doctor there. The doctor told her to wait and see if it would disappear on its own. A couple of weeks later, the spot was still there and she asked me [...]

By Anna | Posted in Culture, Vocabulary | Comments (9)

Quantum of Solace of Assigned Seating

November 2, 2008 – 6:02 pm

I just went to see the new Bond movie, and it’s as explosive as everyone says. That’s true. “Quantum of Solace” opened in some European countries this past Friday, and for once, Sweden was on the lucky list, along with the UK and France. How’s that for speshul, huh? Normally, we get big movies looong [...]

By Anna | Posted in Culture | Comments (6)