A day in the life: Tobo edition

06:30. Alarm. Last week I was waking up before the alarm. This week, not so much… o'well.

07:10. Coffee needs to either be made or in preparation. Today Greg actually was awake at this time too because he had an early class to teach. Even though he is not a morning person, it is still good to have a bit of extra time where we are both home and both awake.

07:40. Leave home. Get on bicycle. Cycle to the train station. You know in Super Mario Kart where you could race against the ghost of your own driving from the previous game? Sometimes I wish I had that so I could compare my pace from one day to the next. Some days I feel strong and feel like I am riding fast. Some days I feel like all the wind is against me, and there are all the cars in the way never leaving a gap big enough for me to cross at that one intersection. But then I get to the train station, and I seem to end up arriving within the same couple minutes every day.

08:00. Arrive at train station. Search for bicycle parking. I have an ideal row where I would park. It is primarily the ideal so that I can actually find my bike again in the evening when I return to town. After my first day of class I got back to Uppsala and spent a solid five minutes wandering through the bikes looking for my Elegance 3, so now I try really hard to make a strong mental note of where I park every day.

This photo is over two years old, but that is me on my bike and I don't think things have changed much.

08:09. Train departs. I usually spend my time on the train reading, taking notes, or talking with others from the school who might happen to be commuting on the same train as me. This morning I read six (!) pages from a book I am reading that is written in easy Swedish.

08:38. Arrive in Tobo. From here I take my second bike (owning two bicycles is a sure sign of riches, let me tell you) to the institute. This is just a quick seven-ish minutes, including unlocking and re-locking time.

09:00. Class starts! We have two teachers, but usually only one of them is leading the course each day, and they alternate days according to a schedule. Today was an unusual day though, because we had both teachers, and also a guest who was a former student of the class who came to observe and will be teaching us tomorrow. When I moved to Sweden two years ago and took a beginners' course in Swedish folk dance, he was one of my teachers. Today I told him that it will be good to have a lesson with him where I actually understand some of what he is saying. Such a novelty!

Today we did a lot of observing of our two teachers dancing together, and taking note of different things and discussing those things. Then two pairs worked together, with one pair dancing behind the teachers and trying to mimic them exactly, and the other pair observing and giving feedback about what looked the same and what maybe didn't, or how to try to make it look the same. All in all this amounted to more sitting than a typical day, but it was a really interesting way to explore some details in the dance.

10:40. Fika! Stina baked chocolate cake!

11:00. Back to dancing/observing/discussing.

12:25. We were having some good discussions and no one realized that lunch had started ten minutes prior. We kind of have these ridiculously good meals every day, but I don't want to talk it up too much or Greg will be jealous of how good I'm actually eating every day. Today we had salad, coleslaw, and bowtie pasta with sauce.

13:10. Back to dancing/observing/discussing.

15:00. Fika! Still some cake left. Plus we've had baby oranges lately, but combining them with coffee is a little unfortunate.

15:20. Back to dancing/observing/discussing.

16:15. Class ends. I stay and dance for a little bit more. I really really like dancing after class, but so far only a couple of my classmates are enthusiastic about more dancing after a day full of dancing.

16:30. Wash my hands. Change back into civilian clothes. Take bicycle to train.

16:49. Take the train back to Uppsala. There seemed to be some issues with the trains today, so ours was on the opposite track from normal, and the northbound train was super delayed, but luckily no delay in my train:) I spend the train ride home taking notes from the day. Actually I wasn't even able to finish taking my notes, so I'll have to continue that on my train tomorrow morning.

17:25. This train always seems to get in a bit late. Depart train. Locate bicycle. Ride home. (bicycling during commuting times is madness)

17:50. Get home. Start laundry. Make a list of four items to get from the grocery store. Check email, realise that Greg is probably going to be home any minute. Greg arrives. We go to the store and buy eleven items. (Our little shop next door has had kale for the past few days! I couldn't be more excited, so we express our gratitude by buying large quantities! Which only explains one of the seven additional items, but I'm done blogging about the details of my grocery shopping for today.)

18:15. Return home. Wash dishes. Make dinner. [Have dinner made for me.] Eat dinner while watching youtube videos of Dancing with the Stars clips.

And so here is a thing that is not at all related to my day-in-the-life. Why the heck do they keep making the stars on Dancing with the Stars dance a waltz to music that is in beats of 4 and not 3?!?!? This makes me so super incredibly angry. I just cannot even! Don't try to claim that you are teaching these people about dancing. Music & dance. Dance & music. If you want the two to go together, there needs to be a connection between the two. Dancing a dance that is designed in beats of 3 to music in beats of 4 makes ZERO sense. Rant Rant Rant. You are doing a BAD job of teaching non-dancers about dance, DWTS!

Anyhow. The rest of my evening has been fairly uneventful, mostly revolving around laundry. And DWTS anger, apparently. And blogging this super narrative! My favorite part is that I included just one photo that was taken over two years ago. Better luck next time. Thanks for reading along!

How my folk dance life looks

Lately I can't even grasp (or put words to) how good my everyday life is. All of it is just so so good. Even on the days when I am frustrated because I can't understand how I'm doing some step incorrectly. Or even when I understand it is incorrect, but can't figure out how to fix it. Or when I can't sleep because my mind won't let go of wrapping itself around a dance.

Even the negatives start to sound like positives.

I can't imagine many other things that could be as beautiful. To me, this is complete luxury.



A foggy morning at the train station in Tobo. Have I mentioned my school is in a very small town?



Paparazzi(:



My favorite is the two matching dance legs in the foreground.



Not Swedish, but still lovely to watch.



That's more like it(:



And a parting shot of the Tobo train station by night.

Folk Festival, Round 2

I had the opportunity to go to Ransäterstämman for the second year in a row. I really embrace that time, being outside of the normal, living in a tent in the wilderness, and dancing until dawn. This year was just as wonderful as last, which I had written a bit about here, but I wanted to write down a few details specific to this year that I know I'll enjoy re-reading in the future.

I think my favorite moment of Friday night, and possibly (probably) of the whole festival was that at some point, I think even before the 1am break, one of the musicians said something (in swedish, so just consider this a loose translation, which might be totally wrong) that we are here in this place dancing and our roots go back to the hambo, so we should dance a hambo! In the big hall the hambo is Never danced, so that was a really special treat. I expected a lot of people to leave the floor due to a lack of interest, but the majority stayed. And the most amazing part was that it just worked so perfectly, despite how crowded the floor was. Or maybe because of how crowded the floor was. It was just a really lovely moment of togetherness, and it made me glad to see that the people in the big hall can enjoy a hambo too.

That night I managed to stay dancing until 4:30am (aka sunrise). When I got to my tent I made sure to use some facial cleansing wipes in lieu of a shower. Greg predicted that one cloth could basically clean an entire body, and he was right. I was still pretty warm from dancing, and also since it had gotten to be so late/early, I missed the super cold part of the night, and slept comfortably without freezing or overheating.

During the day on Saturday, there isn't any dancing so I just stayed in my tent, having an introvert's dream day of seeing no people for 8 hours. I spent my time reading and sleeping, and it was just so lovely. It also worked out perfectly that at just the time when I started to get really warm and think I needed to get out of my tent, a gentle rain started and cooled the air to a perfect temperature. Oh it was just such a nice sleepy, dreamy day. 

I had a slow start to dancing on Saturday evening. Maybe I was slow to warm up to dancing, or maybe just slow to warm up to people again. Plus I don't always have the courage to ask people to dance. Most of the time I don't actually. I would feel bad if someone felt obligated to say yes and then ended up hating dancing with me. There are some obvious things a person can do in order to get invited to dance, and I usually take that approach. Unfortunately, it wasn't working super well. I think this was largely due to other dynamics (aka usually older men will just never ask younger women to dance, despite the fact that I wouldn't be hanging out in the dance hall with all the old people if I didn't want to dance with them).

Eventually I had to give up and head to the overcrowded dance hall, and on my way I ran into a friend who said he would dance with me. We agreed to go to the big hall and dance together a bit. That was good and helped get me out of my funk. And then somehow I just was in a mood to ask people to dance. And I just asked anyone I happened to see, the only criteria being that they were wearing dance shoes. I actually got consistently good results and was starting to have a better and better time.

Now for a twist in the story!

I went to the back of the hall to get some water, and as I was enjoying my water and thinking about who would be the next person I'd ask to dance, the guy next to me said something to me. I thought he was asking to dance, but then he was with a friend and he was trying to get the friend to dance with another girl who was standing on the other side of them, but the friend wouldn't. So this was a sort of funny and interesting situation, and I definitely had to switch to English to figure out what was going on. 

It turns out that these two guys lived in the area and just stopped in to check it out and see what the stämman was all about. They were completely unaware of all things relevant to folkdancing in the present day world. It was really entertaining for me. I think they were both sort of shocked because it was just such a new and strange world to them.

The three of us ended up standing in the back talking for a long time, while they asked questions and tried to wrap their minds around what was happening. It was SO interesting to me to see an outsider's reaction. I did eventually get each of them to dance a tiny bit with me, despite the fact that they insisted it was 'not their thing!'

All in all, the weekend was just so lovely and enjoyable. I hope there will be many more in my future!

How can I be an introvert who gets energized from going to a folk dance with a large group of people, many of whom I don't know?

I love reading about and thinking about introversion and extroversion. I've always known that I am a pretty extreme introvert. I definitely do not get energy from being in a large group of people. However, I've recently noticed that there is one huge counter-example to this generalization. When I go to an evening of folk dance, I leave with so much energy - far more than any other typical introvert activity (jag älskar hemmakväll) would give me.

How can this be?

I've been pondering this quite a bit lately. Maybe this is a sign that I'm sliding more toward the middle of the introvert/extrovert scale? But by any other measure, I'm still an extreme introvert. So, really, how can this be?

My initial thoughts are that folk dances are different from most activities involving a large group of people. Of course, they are different in so many ways, but specifically, I think that the important factor is that there is sort of a prescribed way of interacting with people.

If I get invited to a big party where I will not know too many people, I have to spend a lot of time mentally preparing myself to have lots of small talk with new people. I have to try super hard to not be incredibly awkward. Honestly, I am happiest sitting and primarily listening to conversations, while contributing minimally. Or perhaps I'll get into a more involved conversation with one or two people, and not really talk to anyone else the entire night. Maybe I make this sound harmless, but most people can get uncomfortable with this, thinking my silence means I am having an awful time.

Now, if I am being entirely honest (and Greg would confirm this), most of the time before I head to a dance, I actually get a bit anxious and have second thoughts about going. My heart is just shouting, "Are you crazy, don't voluntarily go to an event with a bunch of strangers, especially if no one is expecting you to be there!" Most of the time, I have to rely on my brain to be the voice of reason, to remind myself that afterwards I'll thank myself for going.

My heart is so quick to judge all large gatherings of people equally. I so easily forget that folk dances have this prescribed way of interacting with others, compared to any other generic gathering of many people. You go there, you ask a person if they want to dance, and you dance. It is simple. There is usually not a lot of time for conversation. There is no expectation to continue conversation while dancing, since most people become worse dancers while trying to talk and dance. And while you may be in a large crowd of people, you are primarily only interacting with this one person, who you don't even have to talk to. To me, it feels like such a healthy reminder that there are ways of connecting with people other than through conversation alone.

Thinking about a lot of my friends who are also folk dance enthusiasts, I'd say most of them are more introverted than extroverted. Perhaps folk dances are events more suited to the introvert - a gathering of people who are all just interacting with only one other person at a time? Perhaps.

As I said, these are just my initial thoughts. I'm curious to hear what others might think. Is there agreement? Disagreement? I've also been trying to think of other examples of situations that we would typically expect an extrovert to thrive in, but secretly the introverts are thriving. I'd love to hear any thoughts you might have!

7 Quick Takes: bicycles, beer, and dancing with Bill Nye version

- 1 -

I saw a game of Segway Polo in action the other day. That's right. Who needs a horse when you've got a segway. And if you were thinking, 'What other crazy things do people do with segways?' here is a short list.

- 2 -

Did you know there was such a thing as dining in the dark? I was just told about a restaurant in Paris where all of the waiters are blind, and the dining room is completely dark. Apparently one of these restaurants exists in San Francisco also, and I laughed so hard reading about a review that said a person lost a piece of food on the table and had to spend a really long time finding it.

- 3 -

Our bicycles are in working order as of writing this! Last weekend Greg and I decided it was time to fix those bicycles right up. We each worked on our own, and we managed to fully change a tire each in about one hour. (I am really happy about that time, plus it was the first time I fully changed a tire on my own with no help.) My tire wasn't technically flat, but it had this hole where the tube was bubbling up and sort of pushing through. So I decided preventative action was necessary, and I changed the tire so that I would be able to save the tube.

- 4 -

I love it so much that Bill Nye is on Dancing with the Stars. So much! It bothers me that there doesn't seem to be a clear explanation of what percentage of the final standings is due to the judges and what is due to the peoples' votes, but I just had to vote anyway.

What a great person though. I think at one point he says something like, "Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn sometimes." That it does, Bill.

- 5 -

The evening after writing number 3 up there I had my handlebars come loose while rounding a turn on my bicycle. I've always had issues with my handlebars being a bit wobbly or turned crooked, so I am often tightening and adjusting. Well I didn't do a very good job I guess. Somehow I managed to get enough control of my front wheel to not slam right into the curb at a speed at which one would not want to be slamming into a curb. Kind of terrifying.

- 6 -

Maybe I've written about Humans of New York before. I really like it a lot. Maybe I've even linked to this exact post before, but I just like it so much. Such incredibly practical advice.

- 7 -

Greg has been in Belgium this past week. He returns home this evening, and I'm pretty sure the first taste test of our beer is going to happen. Hopefully it is delicious. When we were bottling it, I thought it had a very strong banana flavor and considering I do not really like bananas, I did not consider this to be a good thing. So here's to hoping that flavor mellowed out.

- The End and The Linkup -

Midsummer and the Swedish language

The Swedish midsummer celebration was fun. I think most Swedes are not actually dancing around the Maypole to celebrate (why a Maypole in June is not something I understand (Update since I wrote this long before I got the pictures added in: In Swedish it is called a majstång, maja (sounds like maya) meaning "dressed" so it is like a pole dressed in greenery... so I am told)). Either way, I was happy to go see the maypole dancing happen. I didn't actually participate in this dance and chose to take photos instead for once.

After the group circle dance there was a folk dance display. The group that did it is different from my group, and they seemed more focused on the display-type dances. Most of the dances were more choreographed than I am used to, so that was fun to watch. It was also fun to see the different folk costumes.

And here is a thing about understanding Swedish. Most of the time I feel like I don't understand any of it. But sometimes I do. So I just need to remember that I have made good progress since I first moved here a year ago. When the circle dances were happening, the leader was talking in Swedish the whole time, and I felt like I understood a large portion of his instructions. Maybe I am only good at figuring out what to do in dance situations? If you had asked me, I probably couldn't have translated too much, but I really felt like I knew what he was talking about. So that was interesting.

Lately I've been trying to be more honest with myself about how I feel about learning Swedish. To clarify, I am only talking about the learning process, not the actual language, because I think Swedish is a lovely language. The learning process is a different story, and it is a story I do not like. I just don't like it. I don't like sitting at my computer to do lessons with Rosetta Stone, even though I do feel like it is a very good and helpful program. Now that I can openly admit to strongly disliking learning the language, I also feel better about giving myself good rewards for actually taking the time to learn. So far I am using desserts and screen time (of the non-Rosetta Stone variety, obviously). I am open to any other suggestions you may have for me, because despite hating the learning, I do want to be able to know some more Swedish. So, rewards and motivators! Suggest away!

Lovely summer evenings

On Wednesday evenings in the summer there is folk dancing in "Old" Uppsala. The past two Wednesdays have provided us with perfect weather for an evening of music and dance. Also, there are waffles. This week I did even better than last because I brought my picnic blanket, so I could claim a sunny spot on the grass. I didn't expect to know anyone this week, since many from my group are at a special dance thing further north. But there were still a handful of people, so I got to do some nice dances without stepping into the world of asking strangers to dance. A perfect way to spend a summer evening, if you ask me:)

Fantastic Folk Festival Fun

Over the weekend I went with the folk dance group to Ransäterstämman. One of the others told me he was surprised to see me there since usually the foreigners don't invest in a full weekend of dancing. I'm all dedication. And gladly so! The weekend was filled with amazing dancing, and spectacular music, and beautiful weather, and lovely camping, and a freezing river. I borrowed such a great green ridge tent. It did rain a bit on Saturday, and the tent held up wonderfully. Also, across the river there was a pasture with cows and apparently it is mating season, so those cows were making a lot of loud calls to each other at really early times of the day.

The dance was held at the Ransäter Homestead, and such a great little homestead it was! There were always plenty of little packs of musicians playing in every spot you could find. I never took any photos during the busier times, because I was plenty occupied with dancing or watching concerts. I just had to take a photo of that one sweet couple who was playing though. I danced to their music at least three different times throughout the weekend, and I was told that they show up every year. The last two dance photos show the inside dancers and the outside dancers who were listening to the music and trying to teach/learn the basic dance steps. 

Each evening the dancing started at about 6pm, and then it continued until past the sunrise. It was really nice to be dancing and having it get darker and darker and then start to get lighter and lighter. I've never experienced a summer at such a high latitude. The full night of twilight is quite surreal. 

On one of the evenings at 2am, one of the most popular Swedish folk bands started playing. Often in the dance halls the music was done by a playlist where anyone could sign up. I had been told that sometimes the big musicians will sign up using pseudonyms just to surprise the dancers. I was never checking any lists since I don't know any of the bands yet, so if it was a surprise that MP3 was playing, the word sure spread fast. The musicians were so super amazing, and the dance floor was completely packed. 

Lastly, because I'm really good at the internet, I'll include some items that I found on the web.

(My fame and glory starts at about 00:28 (looks like just walking, but I promise, it is dancing).)

I found some really great photos on this blog, and I am 99% convinced that I am in this photo (dancing with the tall guy in the white t-shirt who is a fellow philochoros dancer).

7QT - the joy of no screens on my windows edition

- 1 -

Earlier this week I was awoken by the sound of a rapid fluttering inside my bedroom. I quickly realized that a bird in my bedroom was not ideal. Probably I said out loud, "Nooo." And I sprang out of bed and ran out and shut the door to keep the bird from moving any further into the house. Luckily it left in no time, because my plan didn't really extend beyond the action I had already taken.

- 2 -

Then a bee/wasp/buzzing creature decided to come on in. I repeated the successful move of running out of the bedroom and shutting the door. The bee wasn't so quick to leave, but luckily he eventually did.

- 3 -

I can't imagine I'm the only person in this country with animals letting themselves in through my open windows. Maybe the people of Sweden should reconsider the concept of putting screens on windows.

(I nonchalantly slipped this story into a conversation at the office, and based on the complete lack of responses of the --OMG! A bird! Inside your apartment?!?-- variety, I am guessing this is just standard procedure, no big deal.)

- 4 -

My grocery store added an American section! This week I got a creme soda and peppered beef jerky! Next up: vanilla coke, jumbo marshmallows ($8 for a normal-sized bag), and reese's peanut butter cups. If only they would bring in graham crackers, then my stereotypical delights would be so much more complete.

- 5 -

On Tuesday I saw a man riding a bicycle whilst wearing a suit. And then. I saw a second man in a suit on a bicycle. Same day, same trip, two suit-clad bicycle riders.

- 6 -

My cousin sent me a scarf with little cute bicycles on it!

I was just grabbing my scarf to model for a blog photo, and I was thinking to myself, "Oh I need to go do this in front of the mirror because every time I put a scarf on the ends always look silly somehow."

And then.

I realized that it is one of those fancy loop scarf things with no ends! I could not be any more lucky!

- 7 -

I went to Ransäterstämman this past weekend (major folk dance festival, it will get its own post soon, with a couple photos even). And I intended to post this the morning before leaving, but there was no time, hence the super huge delay in my Friday Quick Takes.

---- The End ----

And linking up, of course.

belated quick takes

- 1 -

This week I didn't write any quick takes ahead of time. I also just spent 24 hours not opening my computer. Super crazy, but awfully nice.

- 2 -

Now I am in Colorado. We arrived in time for a tasty breakfast yesterday from this hipster place.

- 3 -

Contra dancing 'at altitude' is super intense. Doing a hambo when you haven't acclimated to this altitude is sort of insane. Greg and I had probably one of our best hambos ever, but it totally wiped me out.



I stole this photo from Malory. I'm in there. Where's Waldo? Can you see me?

- 4 -

Malory is a super great host and made us a delicious dinner. Her two dogs are not super great hosts though. Apparently they just don't like it when two strangers come into their home and expect to be friends? Wallace was easy enough to win over. Play with him for two seconds, and he is convinced you are on his side.

Argyle is a different story. I just woke up, but he hasn't seen me yet. I'm pretty sure he will bark at me for five minutes because he's forgotten that there were other people in his house.

In all fairness, Greg managed to make friends with Argyle. But I'm sure he will get barked at when he is first spotted this morning as well.

- 5 -

Today is cake baking day! Malory is making Alli's wedding cakes and they are going to be amazing!

- 6 -

Sodium lauryl sulfate strikes again!



Seriously, I need to get this stuff out of my life. Ruining my orange juice!

- 7 -

I haven't been doing a lot of reading lately (aside from work-related reading, that is). I've slowly but surely gotten myself into Walden, and I'm convinced there is no better book to read while trying to make decisions about what 'stuff' that has been sitting in your apartment, unused for nine months, is really worth keeping. I've donated tons of clothing to the thrift store, and I don't think I'm finished yet.

We do have plenty of things that we will need to put in storage, but I'm doing the best I can to minimize it. Not bad, not bad.

----- The End -----

And Jen has more!

Seven (really) quick takes

- 1 -

Just having an afternoon siesta, so I thought I'd do some quick takes. Today is the last day of the conference, so I went to the morning sessions, but took the afternoon off to walk around Vienna and my feet are SO happy for a rest.

- 2 -

Twelve weeks ago, I learned about Gustav Klimt, as evidenced by this pin I pinned twelve weeks ago. And he is Austrian, so I managed to just see that very painting I pinned, along with many others. I wouldn't say I'm really an art-person, and I really know very little about art, but sometimes there are just things that I like. I'm kind of the same way with wine.

- 3 -

And now I just learned about wikiPaintings! How fun! I saw this one as well, but I feel like this photo makes it look kind of not-as-good. When I was at the museum I'm pretty sure I liked it even more than that painting I pinned (see previous take).

- 4 -

I ate weiner schnitzel and sachertorte, so I think I can check off 'try quintessential vienna-foods' from the list. For some reason, in my mind I thought schnitzel was like this:

But it definitely is not a sausage coil, so good thing I came to Vienna so I could clear that up. In case you too are confused, it looks like this:

And it tasted like some sort of delicious chicken-fried-steak?

- 5 -

Food here has been cheap compared to Sweden (but not cheap like Prague). I've been getting pretty tasty sandwiches for lunch for under two euros from the little grocery store near the conference center.

- 6 -

I keep looking at that schnitzel photo, and I'm pretty sure I know what I'm going to order for dinner tonight.

- 7 -

OH I went contra dancing with the locals last night.


I guess they are technically city-folk, but still. Quite a fun time!

_________________________

Onward to Jen Grace with the other quick takers.

quick takes!

- 1 -

I got a Swedish dentist. It was a little confusing, but I managed to get an appointment for later this month. I actually called three different places. The first one answered a lot of my stupid questions about 'how dentists in Sweden work' and then they told me there was a six-month wait for an appointment. No thank you. The second one was the clinic closest to my house, but it is very small, and I had a very hard time understanding the woman, so eventually I just said something about how I would 'have to think about it' so that I could hang up. Third time's the charm.

- 2 -

Next week I go to Austria for a conference. This is the 'big' conference of the year in Europe, similar to the big conference I used to go to in San Francisco every December. It will be interesting to see what kind of overlap exists between the two communities. I'm also excited to play tourister in Vienna. Anyone got any good tips for me?

- 3 -

OH MY GOSH THERE IS A CONTRA DANCE IN VIENNA WHILE I AM THERE FJAILENALEINKNZK.EKSIBNAEIL.NELIGNIALGN;AEI!!!!!

- 4 -

I also get back in time the following Saturday for a folk dance in Uppsala :)

- 5 -

The snow and ice are nearly entirely melted, certainly enough for me to safely ride my bicycle. There are maybe three ice patches on my commute though, so I've been holding off (mainly for fear of unforeseen ice patches while riding). I figure, I've managed to not ride my bicycle for this long, so I may as well wait until the risk of falling on ice is completely gone. Once I return from Austria though... then it is back on my bicycle!

- 6 -

I found this pin on pinterest which talked about choosing words to describe yourself (it also describes the process of how the author narrowed down the choices). I'm considering tweaking my 'about' page to incorporate the words I chose.

- 7 -

Just now, when I opened blogger, I saw that my total number of page views of all time was a palindrome. That made me happy.

______________________

THE END

Jen and others have got more!

7 quick takes, 1 track mind

- 1 - 

Last night there was a most amazing folk dance. There was a concert first, with the band Bjäran. They were tons of fun and very high energy. Then there was a small break and then dancing. And after they played the spelmanslag (large group of folk musicians) from the student nation where the dance was held played more dance tunes.

- 2 - 

The Swedish word for tune is låten.

sista låten = sad time of night

- 3 - 

And if you are a person who hates bananas, you can eat an avocado and get so much potassium! Potassium is a great post-workout thing. So there is that.

- 4 - 

I also asked my dance teacher to dance! I usually get pretty nervous dancing with people who I know are much better dancers (because if something doesn't go quite right, it is far more likely that I am the cause). In the class usually the two instructors dance with each other to demonstrate, or if they dance with us, it is with the people who need the most help. I am glad to not be the person needing the most help (especially since all the instruction is in Swedish, so then I'd feel really bad for slowing down the progress of the class) but at the same time, I'd also like the privilege of dancing with the pros (they don't actually get paid, and also, I have danced with the other instructor). Anyhow. I really enjoyed dancing with him. He knew a lot of good tricks:)

- 5 - 

There is one really big difference (to me) between contra dancing and Swedish folk dancing. In contra dancing, generally you change partners for every dance, and often you try to dance with a new person for each dance. In Swedish folk dance, this is not the case, and I can't quite figure out what the case actually is. Someone once told me that usually you dance two dances with a person before changing. And some bands will play two of the same type of tune (aka two waltzes in a row or whatever) to facilitate this. Whatever the case may be, I always feel a little awkward to be the one to decide that I'm not going to dance another one with the person I was just dancing with. So usually this means I dance many dances with only a few people throughout the night. Oh I wonder if the person who asks is supposed to be the person to call it quits?! Maybe this is where I am going wrong!

- 6 - 

In dancing I usually prefer to follow rather than lead, but lately I've been trying to not avoid leading. In our class on Monday I led a waltz for the first time, and it started out shaky, but it was a really valuable lesson for me.

- 7 -

I've been telling a friend of a friend who is interested in dance about these events. At the dance in January we were talking about the dancing that we each have done. And he asked me if I've ever thought about organizing a contra dance here. The answer is: Yes. I'm just a little hesitant because there is a lot that would need to go into that. Most importantly I'd have to do a lot of practice with calling. Because I'd hate for someone to get a negative opinion of contra dancing due to bad calling. I must admit, it would be pretty interesting to program an evening of dancing for a group of people who know folk dance, but not contra dance in particular.

____________________

And if you feel like reading quick takes from others who might talk about a wider variety of topics, head over here.

7QT - my heart will go on

- 1 -

Last weekend my doorbell rang, which has only happened once before. So I went downstairs and there was no one there. Fifteen minutes later it rang again. I didn't bother to go down, but instead ran to the window to see if I could see anyone (I don't actually have a view of my door, but I can see a bit of the surrounding area). Mainly I was checking to see if I could see any neighbor kids sprinting away or something. This happened maybe four or five times.

THEN.

One morning I hear some sort of elevator version of My Heart Will Go On? I didn't know where it was coming from, but the second time it happened I realized that it was the doorbell! So strange (in a fantastical way). I am guessing this is the doorbell's way of letting me know it's batteries are dying?

- 2 -

On Wednesday I got to go to the regular folk dance session (not just the newbie course I usually go to) because they were learning a kadrilj (quadrille) that no one knew. This is the most Pride and Prejudice-like dance that I have ever done and it was Awesome!

- 3 -

I've been making hummus a lot lately. Most people eat it as a 'dip' but for me it is dinner. One batch of hummus, plus some pita, and a few small tomatoes, maybe an avocado if I really want to live it up. And in all this hummus making, I somehow always fail to remember that the immersion blender never further chops the coursely chopped garlic. Makes for some pretty potent bites.

- 4 -

I usually start my 'quick takes' early in the week and add a take as it comes to mind. I'm just going to go ahead and say that I wrote all of take #2 on Tuesday. Before I ever even went to the dance. But I really had no reason to believe there would be any bit of un-truth in it.

- 5 -

- 6 -

I heard it, and kind of saw it, and gathered the evidence! What's all this about?

I have this plant that I am plant-sitting. And I really love it. The best part is that it populates by firing seeds off. I've been waiting around to see this happen. The other day I thought I got one. I picked up some paper and some sort of seed-shaped thing fell out. So I gathered it up, intending to put it in dirt at some point to see if it grew. This is not the first time I've collected small things that could potentially be the seeds of this plant. But just now, I heard the seed 'pop!' and then across the room I heard a small 'tink' and looked over to see a seed sitting on a chair that is at least 5 feet from the plant. The good news is that it looks identical to the one from the other day.

So hopefully by April when my plant-sitting duties are over, I'll have my own little baby plant (or two) growing happily!

- 7 -

I just found out about this experiment in which bugs were sent to space.

Dancing - my favorite kind of athletics

This is me. I took this photo last night (technically early this morning) after I got home from a night of folk dancing. Folk dancing may sound tame, but it is an athletic venture. Those electrolytes are crucial if you want to wake up in the morning without a headache due to dehydration. (I like to refer to this as a dance hangover, despite no alcohol being involved.)

Last night was a wonderful time. I had many good dances and several really really good dances. I think my favorite of the night was the Finnskogpols, which I danced twice, which was twice as much as I have ever danced it in the past. It is a really fun and spritely kind of dance. Here is a video I found:



Also, the band last night was spectacular. There were almost more musicians than could fit on the stage. They were a spelmanslag, which translates to something like "large group of folk musicians," which means about 20 violins, plus some other fun extras.

7QT

Another round of quick takes.

- 1 -

I don't know how long this has been going on, but on my boss's door, just under where it says his name, it says "Jedi Master."

- 2 -

Earlier this week I realized that it was not totally dark at 3:30 pm. Hooray! The days really are getting longer!

- 3 -

I did some recruiting for the concert and dance on Saturday. I feel so true to myself! Also, it is like a tree of recruitment. I invite one person, who then invites two more people. Big things are happening here.

- 4 -

I watched Downton Abbey. Obviously it was good. The reason it is worth writing about is that I managed to spoil it for myself. I wasn't actually too worried about spoiling it, and guess what, the wikipedia page contains spoilers. Who knew?! It also doesn't help that I accidentally watched an episode from season three first, which was really confusing. It was like the time I accidentally read book two of the Dragon Tattoo Girl series first. I kept thinking about how much I had to focus to figure out who all the characters were and whatnot. At least with Downton Abbey I went back and watched all the episodes. With the Dragon Tattoo books the first one was never available at the library so I figured since I had already read the second I could just go for the third. And the first never ever became available, so I'll just never know how they started. Probably that influenced my rating on goodreads, but whatever.

- 5 -

If you need to work on the muscle tone of your teres major and teres minor, learn to dance the Bakmes.

- 6 -

You were hoping I included a little hockey clip, weren't you?



How crazy is that?

- 7 -

If a recipe name contains the word "skinny" I immediately lose respect for it. Can't we all just agree to stop that now? No one eats a chocolate chip cookie because they are looking for a healthy snack. I think in general I am just not a fan of adjectives in recipe titles.

I am not this kind of doctor (I really need to incorporate this phrase into more of my life), but I do have strong opinions on this topic which I'll share here. Recipes that replace items with all sorts of magical zero-calorie "foods" just sort of freak me out. The only item I am comfortable with consuming that contains zero calories is water. If we put other things in our body that are zero-calorie, it is because our body does not recognize these items as 'food'.

Ups and Downs

Normally I like to stick to the 'ups' because they seem more significant in the long-run, but sometimes I can't help but write about the 'downs' too.

So here you go, the ups and downs of my week so far.

U: On Sunday there were fireworks that were choreographed with (comically terrible) music!
D: It was bitterly cold. Too cold to be standing still outside, for sure.

U: There has been tons of snow which looks beautiful and makes everything a bit brighter during these dark days.
D: I haven't yet equipped my bicycle for winter, and walking or bussing everywhere is taking a lot more time than riding my bike ever took.

D: At dance class on Monday I danced with a Very rude girl. I know a good dancer when I encounter a good dancer, and I also know a dancer who believes themselves to be the world's greatest dancer when I encounter such a dancer. Unfortunately she was in the latter category and was actually quite mean about it. I know it isn't worth dwelling on, but it was actually quite hurtful, and that is quite real to me. It also sucks all of the fun out of dancing.
U: Luckily we change partners a lot, and I got to dance with a lot of other really wonderful people. One of the dancers I would classify as 'exceptionally good', like the kind of dancer who makes me look super good too. Another I would classify as 'quite good'. And a third I would classify as 'a surprising pleasure'. The third is a guy who has been in the beginner course from the start, and he always looks like he is struggling a bit. From the outside he doesn't look graceful, and the rhythm doesn't seem to come naturally to him. BUT I had a really fun time dancing with him, because he was trying really hard, and he was getting it (and it was one of the more complicated dances). It was also a good reminder to me about the types of things I need to do in order to adjust my style to match/compliment the styles of others.

U: I made a new friend! Similar to last week, when I was leaving dance class, I had a little conversation with a girl I had been talking with earlier. This time the conversation was in Swedish, and she asked me where I lived and if I was walking there, and I understood what she said! (super proud svenska moment)

D: In Svenska class, we were working in small groups and I had absolutely zero idea what the others in my group were saying. Ever. For at least 15 minutes. And vocalizing that didn't change anything. Up until then, Swedish class had always been a really fun activity that I happily looked forward to.

U: Tonight is my first "night off" in awhile (excluding a small task that I must accomplish that I definitely will photo-blog about (cliffhanger...)). I have been on-the-go quite a bit lately. Mainly in my attempts to force myself to be social and outgoing, because I need to find some friends. So tonight I will study some Swedish, and hopefully the next class will be a bit better.

Feed my dancing spirit

Leaving work, I feel the nervous excitement of a new adventure. I ride my bicycle to a new location. I've walked by here before, but at the time was not in need of bicycle parking. I've allowed too much extra time for such a simple task, and of course, I am early. It has started to become colder, and as I wait outside, I regret not having worn a heavier coat.

Standing outside. Looking for some people I might recognize. Is that one? I think I recognize her. She also looks like she is hoping to meet some people here. I mention something about folk dance and am glad to find she is here for the same purpose. One becomes two, and two become a dozen. We notice a group has formed nearby, so we join them to become many.

A very old bus drives up and in we go.

We drive out of the city and deep into the woods. The windows of the bus are fogged up, so it is impossible for me to know where we are. I am made to realise we are on a narrow road when our headlights come face to face with those of a smaller car, who must back up to find a wider part of the road.

We arrive. A path is lit by candles, which we walk along until we reach the cabin. The candles do not provide much light, and I make a mental note to locate my headlamp for the return trip. Inside the cabin, candles are burning everywhere, and at least two fireplaces and a wood stove are keeping the inside toasty. Coats are removed, shoes are changed. The main room is filled with long tables, where we find seats. The organizers of the group welcome us and share the history of the cabin with us. They speak in Swedish of course, but I've been lucky enough to sit next to someone who readily volunteers to translate.

And we are given coffee or tea and sandwiches. Simple and delicious.

After our meal, the tables and chairs are cleared away. Fiddles have been brought out, and dancing begins. It is tradition to bring the beginner's course to the cabin for a dance party. Mostly we do dances we've learned, but we also add in a bit of variety.

There is a break for fika upstairs, but the fiddlers keep playing, drawing out the more experienced dancers to the open floor. I skip fika in favor of watching the dancing. And I get a little extra dancing in as well. The floor fills up again. I'm mightily impressed with the progress our group has made since that first bumper-car lesson. The final dance is the långdans från Sollerön. Many sing along with the fiddles, and still the "dum da dee da dee dum" repeats in my head.

TGIF - a listing

1. On Thursday we got the keys to our apartment. We like it a lot. In the bathroom there is a heated towel rack and a heated floor. I might have mentioned that once before, but it is worth repeating.

2. Somebody gets to spend his birthday moving. Unless of course we finish today. And in that case, somebody gets to spend his birthday shopping for things we might want in our apartment that are not already there.

3. I have ridden my new bicycle over 300 miles.

4. Our new commute is much shorter (maybe half the distance?) so my total mileage will be increasing more slowly now.

5. Greg and I are going to take Swedish courses. We've learned some of the language. Mainly, we can recognize food words (out of necessity at the grocery store). Pronunciation of words is tough though. I've been doing the Rosetta Stone course, which is helpful, but so far I've only been finding time to do that about once a week.

6. On Monday I get to go to a folk dance party! The student folkdance group at UU is quite good. You can read about the history of Philochoros here. The link is in Swedish, but google translate works wonders. So I've been taking their beginner course, which is open to more than just students. And on Monday, instead of our usual class, we are going to this cabin that is owned by the group. It is just outside the city, and it is quite rustic. There we will have a dance party! And sandwiches!

Dancing in Sweden, pt. 2

 The other type of dancing I've done since arriving here is Swedish folk dancing. There is a student group called Philochoros, which has a really good reputation and has been around since 1884 (and a bit earlier, under a different name). They are offering beginner classes in Swedish folk dance, and after looking at the list of dances (Schottis, Hambo, and Polska, oh my!), I knew I had to go. Luckily the classes are available to everyone, not just students.

I was surprised (really really surprised) to see how many people showed up. There were easily 50-100 people, in a hall that was ideally sized for maybe 30. I was also a bit surprised that the class was a true beginner class; most people who came seemingly never danced any type of dance before.

I love seeing that there are people interested in dancing, and especially interested in a type of dancing that I highly esteem. I also love that it is young people who are interested in folk dancing, which I wouldn't typically expect. What I don't love, is that a group of people new to dancing, who are in a small hall, don't have a sense of the idea of steering a path in such a way as to avoid major collisions with other dancers. Oddly enough, this bumper-car style was not necessarily restricted to the newbies. I may have once been dancing with a good dancer, who may or may not have been one of the instructors, and one of my legs got so far left behind because we rammed into another couple. Hypothetical situation.

Needless to say, the dancing I've experienced has been leaving me feeling somewhat unfulfilled. To be fair, I think the majority of the time during the class I was really enjoying myself. It just doesn't take many negative parts to leave a sour impression of the whole.

Next week we are in a different location, so here's to hoping it is larger. I'm also hoping that maybe the class size will start to dwindle as the term goes on. I don't like being selfish, because I'd prefer to always want to expand dancing as much as possible, but if the environment isn't ideal for it, we just have to do the best we can.

I also really want to stick it out until the eleventh class for the Salta Hunden. How will it be compared to Dartmouth's version of the Salty Dog Rag? We just won't know for ten weeks!

For reference,
Dancing in Sweden, pt. 1