While awake...

Purchased a new yoga mat. The Jewel Stripe. No longer will I in shame have to unroll my Carolina blue, well worn and torn mat for anyone to lay their scrutinizing eyes upon. Fortunately I received a nice discount in the store because I have already spotted much nicer ones online! The only problem I see with the patterned designs is that I'd get tired of staring at them - at least I hope I would! A doesn't like that green stripe that runs down the middle and to be honest neither do I. I quickly came up with a way to deal with it in a 'yoga way'; it's a perfect way to practice acceptance of something that is disturbing me! Yeah, yeah you say, whatever, talk to the you know what. A claims the color scheme reminds him of some kind of Navajo rug. The green stripe reminds me of baby diarrhea. Why did I buy this particular yoga mat?

... and why the heck is this font so large? Baby diarrhea indeed!

While awake...

Amazingly beautiful photos...

...and then while asleep a cat sits next to me. It begins to stretch itself upward until legs reach tall and back is more bent than ever, until the cat is transformed into a long cartoonish yet living feline creature. It sits beside me as I slowly wake up. I see it through foggy eyes and doubt is mixed with fear. It's really there, isn't it? Now I know that any movement on my behalf will result in an attack. I know what it will feel like when the claws sink into the thinnest part of my wrist. At least I can move this time. Only problem is movement itself will be needed to bring this to a conclusion. I resign myself to the fear and move.

While awake...

As we're basking in the midnight sunlight let's reminisce of darker times.

While awake...

"Kiosk literature" of the highest quality.

The Spirit
The Phantom
Blueberry
Tintin
Asterix
Valerian and Laureline

While awake...

Last day of school here is so... anticlimactic. The anticipation should be built up throughout May. That should definitely be followed up with a culminating ceremonial event in early June; a pedagogical feast if you will, a display of gratitude and reward for all that has been accomplished throughout the year. It should be made important and festive. A day when everyone dresses up (read: no f-ing T-shirts and ragged jeans in sight), when hair is combed, when families are gathered, when everyone sit, yes actually sit in one place for a loooooong time and no it's not okay to walk around or talk to a friend during the program, and take part of a ceremony called "The Celebration of the End of the School Year."
The sadness for lack of tradition and honor of an important moment stays with me as I glance at a pile of forgotten projects - but by the time I see the ocean summer swells up in me again. It's sushi night with A. Who said kids are the only ones glad it's summer?

Appropriate soundtrack for this moment:
Starry Eyed Surprise
Paul Oakenfold

While awake...

Most people here laugh at the weird names of IKEA items. Pult, Femtio, Kalkant and Ladö are all names of ceiling lamps. Or how about a cutlery set called Förnuft? To me IKEA equals Stockholm. That's where I first saw an IKEA store. I still remember how huge I thought it was, four stories filled with stuff I'd really really like to have! Mind you, I was 12 at the time.
Nowadays the highlight of the tiresome IKEA trips are those delicious jams and food items near the exit. Most people give the items a blank stare. I practically salivate at the sight of cloudberry jam, black currant jam, and lingonberry jam! And Marabou chocolate! And Abba herring!

I don't know why I came to think of harvesting. I grew up being part of that tradition. The smell of dried hay, newly opened raspberry soda and a homemade sandwich.

While awake...

Second time linking this song but it's worth it. Listen.
Anna Ternheim sings.
via It's a Trap!

While awake...

"Kiosk"-literature. My high school language arts teacher made sure we all knew what was supposed to be appropriate literature. Doubtlessly science fiction didn't fall into that category. I read more books than anyone else I knew until I reached high school. Then I became friends with people who read even more than I. And some of them even read classics. My folly and weakness were that I hated (and sadly still do) being told what to read. Books had to call me. Some books call; others don't. Some books don't even yet know how to call me, but I know and am convinced that I'll one day read them. When the time is right.

This summer I have promised A I will tackle a pile of books I really should have read a long time ago.
• Once and Future King by T.H. White
• Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert Massie
• Modern Times by Paul Johnson

Wish me luck. I'd so much rather prefer drifting off into distant galaxies and entangling myself in alien cultures.

While awake...

The first blueberries would appear sometime after midsummer. It was easy to spot them on the road through the forest. The birds also left visible spots on the forest road weeks earlier than we could enjoy the berries. Walking barefoot became a hazard around that time of the year. One summer morning I spotted a thrush nest in the forest right outside our house. Dad was washing the car. Five minutes later I had blue bird shit in my hair and was almost crying. Neither of my parents felt sorry for me. Never look into a thrush's nest during blueberry season.

Speaking of summer:
Listen to this. They sing like that in the evenings in the springtime and at nights throughout the summer. That might just be the soundtrack to Kalevala.

While awake...

I have finally, hopefully, and with much gusto taken up yoga again. Not the slow as molasses kind. The Power Yoga kind. Two hours of stretching, bending, balancing, and toning - all while calmly breating through the nose. In a room filled with 100 people. With closed windows. Sometimes people sweat so much that small lakes form on the worn wooden floor. Noone wears a watch and time disappears. Everyone invades someone else's comfort zone, but everyone is too zoned out to care. It is possible to disappear in a crowd like that and still feel part of it.

I had my pedicure for obvious reasons.
Next I am allowed to buy a new yoga mat.