Dagens Namn -- 31 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Sylvester.

Dagens Namn -- 30 December 2005

Friday was your name day if your name is: Abel or Set.

Dagens Namn -- 29 December 2005

Thursday was your name day if your name is: Natalia or Natalie.

Slombhaugen

As you may recall, I am rather interested in family history research. My cousin Megan started a blog a while back to post stuff about the Haugen family (my maternal grandmother's family). Just today Megan posted a very cool picture (see below) of my great grandfather's family farm back in Norway. The farm is located in Vågåmo, in Vågå municipality, in Oppland county, in Norway. The farm is now used as a summer/weekend home by relatives (at about the 3rd cousin level) who still live in the area.

Just a few things

I had a good Christmas.

First off, I didn't have to work. Last year I worked nights (BOO!!!) This year, in fact, I had five whole days off (24th - 28th).

Second, I got to spend some time with my family. I actually stayed over at my parents' house on the 24th and 25th. We had the previously mentioned traditional Swedish smorgåsbord on Saturday night. On Sunday, my sister and I made breakfast between opening stocking presents and opening under the tree presents. The menu was from a 30 Minute Meals episode and consisted of gingerbread waffles, chicken sausage patties, mulled maple syrup, and toffee hot chocolate. As Rachel Ray would say, "“Yummo!" After presents we worked on a puzzle most of the rest of the day.

I got some great presents including many little uncomplicated but essential gadgets for my kitchen. My favorite present, however, was a book on CD. The book is a Swedish children'’s classic called "“Vi På Saltkråkan,"” which roughly translates to "“We On Seacrow Island."” It is written by Astrid Lindgren of Pippi Longstocking fame. The book is about a family that rents a summer home on an island (Saltkråkan) in the Stockholm archipelago. The book was actually first written for television and then as a novel. I would love to have the DVD of the television series, but unfortunately US and Sweden are in different DVD zones, and so far I have only been able to find the DVD for the Swedish zone.

Yesterday day night we had a "“fancy dinner."” This event was initially created for the fact that I had these two really pretty cocktail dresses and nowhere to wear them. (I need to find some friends that have or go to fancy cocktail parties.) Then it just seemed fun to plan a fun "“fancy"” menu. We ended up with salad of mixed greens, pears and parmesan cheese; parslied rack of lamb; potato and goat cheese gratin; green beans with applewood smoked bacon, brown sugar and caramelized shallots; and, chocolate mousse. Drinks included Prince of Norway cocktails before dinner, 2005 Beaujolais Nouveau with dinner, and Bonny Doon Muscat Vin de Glacier with dessert. Quite tasty! And we all felt so dignified and civilized in our "fancy"” clothes.

Today I went shopping. I got a bunch of cheap (but classic) DVDs at Target. Then I went to Pentagon City. I spent a good deal of time milling around there, not finding much that I liked. I did, however (as sort of a Christmas present to myself), buy a new cashmere wool coat. It was on sale for 50% off, plus I got an extra 20% off by paying with my Macy'’s charge. Pretty good deal if you ask me. See below for a picture of said coat.

Dagens Namn -- 28 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Benjamin.

Nerds in the Hood, Stars on the Web

Check out this New York Times article about the SNL "Lazy Sunday" video (aka Chronic of Narnia). Apparently this video has become an overnight sensation. There are even t-shirts inspired by it now. Also check out Lonely Island, which is the website of SNL performer Andy Samberg and his childhood friends Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, who helped write "Lazy Sunday." They have a bunch of other funny videos to watch.

Dagens Namn -- 27 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Johan or Johannes.

The Chronic of Narnia

This video totally cracked me up. Thanks to Anna and Trevor!

Dagens Namn -- 26 December 2005

Monday was your name day if your name is: Staffan or Stefan.

Dagens Namn -- 25 December 2005

On Sunday there was no name day because it was Juldagen (Christmas Day).

Dagens Namn -- 24 December 2005

Saturday was your name day if your name is Eva.

Dagens Namn -- 23 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Adam.

Just a few things

1) Got my grades back for the semester…two A’s and a B plus. Not too bad. Of course it would have been nice to have three A’s, but I’ll get over it.

2) I always like to read the Yahoo New! Odd News. Recently they posted a story summarizing some of the strangest stories of the year. Check it out!

3) Apparently some woman in Oklahoma just recently delivered (luckily by c-section) a 14 pound 3 ounce baby. Can you say gestational diabetes? Although from her picture the mother appears quite large herself. Some time last year at work, we delivered a 13 pound 2 ounce baby. That baby was delivered vaginally. Granted it was the woman’s fourth or fifth delivery. But still, I don’t think I’d be all too proud of something that large coming out of me without too much complication. Apparently the biggest baby ever born, was born in Brazil and weighed 17 pounds!

4) Recently the British hosted an EU summit in Brussels. Much to the shock/chagrin of the guests, English wine (Welsh white and English red) was served at the event. Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson was apparently so aghast, that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi sent him 24 bottles of Italian wine to make up for it. "Up to 24 bottles is fine. More than that is corruption," Berlusconi joked.

5) Check out this crazy fish that some guy in Nebraska caught. It has two mouths!

6) The following is the recipe for the most delicious corn pudding ever made…Mix together the following: 1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn (DO NOT DRAIN), 1 can (15 oz) cream corn, 1 box JIFFY corn muffin mix, 2 eggs, 1 stick butter (melted). Pour into a buttered 1½ quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. ENJOY!!

7) I had lunch the other day with my friend the Serpent Lord. We were discussing how Christmas Day and the first night of Hanukkah fall on the same day this year. He said he usually spends the first night of Hanukkah with his family and he would therefore be missing a very cool concert at the 9:30 Club. The artist is a Lubavitch Hasidic Jewish guy name Matisyahu. His style/genre is reggae/hip hop/rock. At the Serpent Lord’s suggestion, I check out his official website and MySpace page. The guy seems pretty awesome. Check him out!!

8) On Saturday night my family will be having a big traditional Swedish Christmas Eve smorgasbord. My dad started the preparations the other night by beginning the gravlax. For those of you who don’t know, gravalx is raw salmon, cured in a salt-sugar-dill mixture. It's sliced paper thin and served on dark bread as an appetizer, often accompanied by dill-mustard sauce. Other things on the smorgasbord will include: Swedish meatballs, various kinds of sill (herring), Sillsallad (“salad” made with herring and beets), ham , Janssons Frestelse (Jansson’s temptation, a gratin with potatoes, onions, cream, and anchovies), and various breads and cheeses. Dessert will be ostkaka with strawberry or lingonberry preserves. YUMMY!!

Dagens Namn -- 22 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Jonatan or Natanael.

Dagens Namn -- 21 December 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is Tomas.

Dagens Namn -- 20 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Israel or Moses.

Dagens Namn -- 19 December 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is Isak.

Dagens Namn -- 18 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Abbe or Abraham.

Dagens Namn -- 17 December 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is Stig.

Master Bedroom

Inspired by my friend Molly, I have been looking around online at condos for sale in the area. I would rather have a 2 bedroom place, but I thought I would look at 1 bedroom places too just in case there was something spectacular. I find it amusing that listings list a place as having a master bedroom and master bathroom when it is only a one bedroom place. As far as I am concerned, you must have 2 or more bedrooms to have a "master" bedroom. More to come about my search later.

Dagens Namn -- 16 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Assar.

Dagens Namn -- 15 December 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is Gottfrid.

Bound for Glory

There is an exhibition at the Library of Congress right now called "Bound For Glory." It features color pictures taken by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information between 1939 and 1943. The description of the exhibit says, "These vivid scenes and portraits capture the effects of the Depression on America's rural and small town populations, the nation's subsequent economic recovery and industrial growth, and the country's great mobilization for World War II." We are so used to seeing photographs from this era in black and white, so it is very different and very cool to see these pictures in color. The exhibition will be at the LOC until January 21st and will then go on tour.

Dagens Namn -- 14 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Sten or Sixten.

Congratulations

1) To my friend and coworker Kathleen and her husband Chris on the birth of their son William. He was born at 7:01 am on December 5th, weighing in at 6 lbs 12 oz. Of course the baby of a labor and delivery nurse would be born at change of shift!!

2) To my friend and coworker Gemma who got engaged to her boyfriend Paul on December 5th in the snow at the monuments. Ah young love!

3) To my friend and coworker Molly who was finally able to buy her own condo. Can't wait for that wine and cheese housewarming party!

Dagens Namn -- 13 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Lucia.

In Scandinavia, December 13th is always celebrated as St. Lucia day. See this Wikipedia article for more info. See below for a picture of me as St. Lucia.

The Dash

The Dash

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between the years.

For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth...
And now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars..the house...the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...
are there things you want to change?
For you never know how much time is left.
(You could be at "dash mid-range")

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what's the true and real,
and try to understand
the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
and more often wear a smile...
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read
with your life's actions to rehash...
will you be proud of the things they say
about how you spent your dash?

Unknown

Dagens Namn -- 12 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Alexander or Alexis.

Dagens Namn -- 11 December 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is: Daniel or Daniela.

Quote for the way I feel today

Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.

Aldous Huxley
English critic & novelist
(1894 - 1963)

Dagens Namn -- 10 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Malin or Malena.

The Ninth Beatitude

Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.

Alexander Pope, Letter to Gay, October 6, 1727
English poet & satirist (1688 - 1744)

Make A Flake

I love this website. On it, you can make your own snowflake. You can preview the flake as you are working on it and if you screw a part up you can undo it. If you make an extra cool one, you can even save it so other people can see it. Try it out!!

Dagens Namn -- 9 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Anna.

My little sister's name is Anna. We actually celebrate her middle name, Karin, which is on August 2nd. All the same, here is an old picture of her as I don't think she appreciate me posting any of her more recent pictures.

Dagens Namn -- 8 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Virginia.

Dagens Namn -- 7 December 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is: Angela or Angelika.

Below, my good friend Angela with an armadillo.

Dagens Namn -- 6 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Niklas or Nikolaus.

The Dutch are big on celebrating the feast of Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas. This is one of the very popular children's songs sung on the day, that my sister and I always like to sing.

Sinterklaas kaopoentje,
gooi wat in minj schoenthe,
gooi wat in mij laarsje,
dank u, Sinterklaasje

See this website for a little history of the holiday as celebrated by the Dutch. Sinterklaas is actually the basis for our American Santa Claus, so all the Santa lover/haters can thank/blame the Dutch I guess.

Dagens Namn -- 5 December 2005

Today is your name if your name is Sven.

I don't have any pictures of my uncle Sven to post, so instead I post a picture of Sven the fish who was named after my uncle. If you look really hard, you can see him in the background.

Favorite new snack

Ok, so my patient today introduced me to my new favorite snack. Greek yoghurt with honey! Yummy yummy yummy! I have seen it at Fresh Fields before, but I only tried it for the first time today. It is made by a Greek company called Fage. Check out their website!

Dagens Namn -- 4 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Barbro or Barbara.

Pride and Prejudice

Maria, Karin, and Gretta came over yesterday and we had a little Pride and Prejudice marathon. This was mostly brought on by my displeasure with the newest remake out in theaters. We watched all six tapes (about 5 hours) of the Colin Firth version. Good stuff. When I have time I'll have to watch the old 1980 version again too. I'm also still working on rereading the book, but what with all the other stuff I have to do before the semester is over I haven't had time to finish it yet. Anyway, there are tons of great quotes from the book, but the following is one my favorites:

"And your defect is a propensity to hate every body."
"And yours," he replied with a smile, "is wilfully to misunderstand them."

Dagens Namn -- 3 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Lydia.

Vegetarian Chili

I made some fantastic vegetarian chili last night and just thought I should share the recipe. It is originally from Cooking Light magazine. Aside from a little prep work it was relatively quick and easy to make.

Chunky Vegetarian Chili
Makes 8 servings (serving size 1 cup)

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 (16 oz) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add sugar and remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

Stand To The Right

Anyone who has ridden the Metro here in Washington knows that it can at times be very frustrating. People (especially tourists) have no concept of escalator etiquette. When you try to get off the train at your stop, you are bombarded by all the other impatient riders trying to get on the train at the same time. According to a Washington Post article I read this morning, "After pondering the problems for five years, the Metro board of directors approved several pilot projects that will start in February, aiming to move people on and off trains and escalators with speed, grace and, maybe, civility." The proposed changes will include platform markers, large stickers on the escalators reading "Stand to the right," and a new male intercom voice telling people when the train doors are closing.

Dagens Namn -- 2 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Beata or Beatrice.

Dagens Namn -- 1 December 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Oskar or Ossian.

Dagens Namn -- 30 November 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is: Anders or Andreas.

What I Did Today At School

Today, for part of our clinical experience, my classmates and I went with our professor to a charter school in DC to do physicals for some of the students there. We saw a big age range, from first to ninth graders. The little ones were super cute and even the older ones were pretty fun. All of them were well behaved and cooperative. It gave us a great opportunity to get practical experience and gave the students a chance to get a physical they might not have otherwise gotten. This semester I am doing my clinical rotation in a long-term care setting and have gotten a lot of experience with the elderly. I really like peds though and I'm hoping that I'll get to do a peds rotation next semester. Although I've realized this semester that you still encounter some of the same problems with both age groups. When I was an undergrad I worked in a pediatric clinic and we often had to deal with obnoxious parents of children. This semester, in my clinical, my preceptor and I have gotten to see the other end of the spectrum, the obnoxious children of elderly patients.

Dagens Namn -- 29 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Sune.

Is it wise...

...to be talking on your cell phone and smoking a cigarette at the same time as you are driving a motor vehicle? This is what I saw some idiot doing yesterday. And mind you this wasn't some little sedan, this was a big delivery truck/van thing. At least it wasn't on the highway, although I'm sure that wouldn't have stopped him.

Dagens Namn -- 28 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Malte.

Dagens Namn -- 27 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Asta or Astrid.

Dagens Namn -- 26 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Linus.

Dagens Namn -- 25 November 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is: Katarina or Katja.

Just a few things

1) Just more evidence that Tom Cruise is certifiably crazy...he has bought Katie Holmes a sonogram machine. Apparently the couple will do sonograms of their baby to watch its growth and development. Now of course since good old Tom is an expert on the history of psychiatry, he is probably also an expert sonographer. I'm sure he knows how to do a femur length, a biparietal diameter, and an abdominal circumference to ensure that his baby is growing appropriately.

2) In other celebrity news, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson have finally announced their separation. Oh come on now, you knew it was coming. No need to cry!

3) The first official pictures of baby Sean Preston Spears are being published in the newest issue of People Magazine. I haven't seen all the pictures, but I have to say that at least in the one of the cover he looks pretty darn cute. I'll have to check out the rest to solidify my opinion.

4) I had to work last night and I have to work again tonight. This was kind of depressing to me, because I love Thanksgiving food. So, I got all domestic and made a feast for myself and all the people I worked with last night. The menu included: roasted turkey breast, country mashed potatoes, sausage and apple stuffing, glazed carrots, potato rolls, and gravy. I also made two pies (not from scratch), but someone else also brought a pie, so we are saving my pies for tonight. Yummy! Apparently we are also supposed to get dinner from the hospital tonight, so we'll see how that turns out. I think it will be from the conference center over in the student center, so hopefully it will actually be halfway decent. Better than hospital food or Lean Cuisine anyway.

5) It was slow enough last night that we got to play a game. We chose to play Hello Kitty Uno. This version is better that regular old Uno because it has fun Hello Kitty cards and the ultra special "Love Me Love Me Not" card. You should try playing it some time!

Dagens Namn -- 24 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Gudrun or Rune.

Dagens Namn -- 23 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Klemens.

Dagens Namn -- 22 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Cecilia or Sissela.

You Just Have To Laugh

I know it isn't nice to laugh at another person's "misfortune," but I couldn't help myself after reading this story about our beloved president at a press conference in China.

Georgia Aquarium

I've been watching the Today Show this morning and they've been featuring the new Georgia Aquarium. It opens on November 23rd and will be the world's largest aquarium. Check out the stats of the main tank:

1) Holds 6.2 million gallons of water
2) Measures 263’ long x 126’ wide x 33’ deep, at its largest points
3) Main viewing window is 61' wide x 23' high x 2' thick
4) Holds 100,000 animals representing 500 species from around the globe

I've never been to Atlanta, but it looks like it might be time to make trip!

Dagens Namn -- 21 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Helga or Olga.

Off the Beat at DCAF

I went to the DC A Capella Festival at Georgetown on Friday night. It was pretty good, although there was one group that was far and away the best group...UPenn Off The Beat. I had seen them before and knew that this would probably be the case. The following are the reasons why UPenn Off The Beat was the best group:

1) Their arrangements were creative and complex without being busy.

2) Their harmonies were clean and tight.

3) Their soloists consistently had strong voices and sang on pitch without screaming (unless called for).

4) Their song choices were current and not boring or slow.

5) They had a powerful and full sound because they are coed and have coverage of every single part (bass to soprano).

I bought their new cd Float and have listened to it a couple times already. Very good! I highly recommend seeing this group if you ever have the chance. Check out their website for more info (including sound clips).

Dagens Namn -- 20 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Marina or Pontus.

Dagens Namn -- 19 November 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is: Lisbet or Elisabet.

Just a few things

1) I was supposed to work last night, but I got to be on call all night. Thanks to my excellent charge nurse Molly for her consideration in this matter. I’ve been running myself ragged with school and work lately and I needed a “day” off.

2) Because I was on call last night, I had time to watch a lot of TV. I watched CSI, Without a Trace and ER. All of which were good, but for it being sweeps time, none of them overly impressed me. I also watched the end of Human Trafficking. This was a Lifetime miniseries about unfortunate women and girls that are lured into an international sex-trafficking ring run by ruthless criminals and the American FBI agents who are trying to break the ring up. While the movie wasn’t great (acting, etc.), it really was pretty disturbing and eye-opening. The people that enslave these women are disgusting, but the men who, with their patronage, allow this practice to continue are even more repulsive. According to the UN, an estimated 2 to 4 million people are trafficked worldwide every year. The US State Department estimates that 80% of victims trafficked across international borders are female and 70% of those women and girls are trafficked for sexual exploitation. The revolting individuals who are responsible for this despicable practice make an estimated $7 to $13 billion every year. Interested in finding out more? Check out the following links:

HumanTrafficking.org
MTV Exit Campaign
UN Office on Drugs and Crime

3) Because I got to have a lazy morning today, I had time to watch the Today show. I caught the tail end of some guy skating out on the Rockefeller Center skating rink. It then occurred to me that the Winter Olympics in Torino are actually coming up in February. I really haven’t seen much advertising for the games yet, but maybe that will start in December or January. Or maybe I’ve just been watching the wrong shows/channels. Check out the official websites of the 2006 Winter Games and the US Olympic Team.

4) I went to see the new Pride and Prejudice over the weekend. It has gotten very good reviews from fans and critics alike. Those people either have not read the book or are mentally deficient in some capacity. All I have to say about the movie is boooooo! Jane Austen is probably turning over in her grave in England somewhere. The characters were not well developed. Some characters vitally important to plot and character development were practically cut out (e.g., Wickham). Certain important relationships were not portrayed well (e.g., Jane and Lizzie). Way too much time was spent on pointless scenes (e.g., Lizzie spinning around on a swing), when the time could have been spent on plot and/or character development. I mean you only have two hours here, think about what’s really important! Dialogue that was beautifully written by Jane Austen, was unnecessarily changed (for the worse):

Movie:
Mrs. Bennet: But don't you wish to know who it has been let to?
Mr. Bennet: What I wish is immaterial, my dear, as you so obviously wish to tell me.

Original:
“Do not you want to know who has taken it?” cried his wife impatiently.
"You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.”

Some people have complained about the casting, but I have to say the casting didn’t bother me too much. Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen were pretty good, although nothing can really compare to Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth from the 1995 BBC version. The most absurd of all, however, was the last scene in the movie. It was completely out of character for Jane Austen and should NOT have been put in. Apparently Joe Wright (the director) and Deborah Moggach (the writer) had a meeting with John Hughes of Sixteen Candles fame or something. I mean I’m all for happy endings and everything, but that scene was just stupid and their weak weak weak attempt at giving the movie a Hollywood ending. I have decided that I must reread the novel for my own edification, to make sure that I am not being unfair to this movie, but I have a feeling I will find I am not. If you really want to do this wonderful story justice, please buy/rent/borrow the 1980 BBC version and/or the 1995 BBC/A&E version. Or even better, READ THE BOOK!!!

5) Clementines are back in the stores!! I love these sweet juicy little treats which are cross between an orange and a mandarin orange. If you haven’t tried one before, you should!!

Dagens Namn -- 18 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Lillemor or Moa.

Dagens Namn -- 17 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Naemi or Naima.

Dagens Namn -- 16 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Vibeke or Viveka.

Dagens Namn -- 15 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Leopold.

Dagens Namn -- 14 November 2005

Today is your name if your name is: Emil or Emilia.

Emil is one of Astrid Lindgren's most famous characters after Pipi Longstocking. Well in Sweden anyway. Here's a picture of him.

Dagens Namn -- 13 November 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is: Kristian or Krister.

Ben and the BSO

My sister and I drove to Baltimore tonight to see Ben Folds in concert with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. I have to say that it was pretty freakin' awesome. I love Ben Folds already, but it was just extra cool to see him backed by a full orchestra. Many of his songs lend themselves very well to orchestration. Our seats were right over the stage left. We were very close to the musicians, but unfortunately we were looking at Ben's back instead of his face or from the side. It was cool all the same. The people sitting behind us were a little obnoxious. They were screamers and liked to scream stuff like, "Ben we love you!" It was funny the first few times, but after that it got annoying. Some of the members of the orchestra even started looking our way with looks of disdain on their faces. The crowd was certainly younger and most were big Ben fans, as evidenced by much singing along. There was even one guy in the first few rows of the orchestra who totally flipped out when Ben came on stage. Think teenage girl at a Beatles concert in the mid 60s. I think the most amusing part of the whole thing, however, was watching one of the percussion guys play the crap out of a cowbell during One Angry Dwarf. This was Ben's first symphonic concert in the US. His first symphonic concert ever, was back in March of this year when he played with the West Australian Symphony in Perth, Australia. That concert comes out on DVD in December. The DVD will certainly make it onto my Christmas wish list. Hopefully he'll do more concerts like this in the future, because while the DVD may be cool, it would be much cooler to see it again live.

Click here to read an article in the Baltimore Sun about Ben's collaboration with the BSO.

Dagens Namn -- 12 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Konrad or Kurt.

Dagens Namn -- 11 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Mårten.

Dagens Namn -- 10 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Martin or Martina.

Dagens Namn -- 9 November 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is: Teodora or Teodor.

Just a few things

1) My neck is killing me. I really think I need to get new pillows. Good thing I planned to go to Target today. I was thinking about getting one of the memory foam pillows, but I’m not sure yet what I’ll actually get.

2) My dad is supposed to go on a business trip to Jordan next week. Now with the bombings I’m not really sure that is such a good idea.

3) I just had to write up an incident I overheard at clinical which involved a nursing assistant yelling at one of the patients. Now granted most of these patient are old and don’t hear well, but that’s not why this person was yelling. It is really pretty sad the quality of nursing care that some of these place provide. Especially since I’ve heard that the facility I’m at is one of the better facilities.

4) I had my last clinical ethics class discussion group this week. The discussions really turned out a lot better than I expected. I actually had a lot more to say than I expected. I was pleased because the discussions that we had were spirited without getting hostile. Many of my friends who were in other groups said that their group leaders were horrible and no one in their group talked. So I think I really lucked out. Thanks to my group for being so good!

5) I still haven’t gotten my flu shot at work. I was supposed to get it last week sometime, but they cancelled the clinic due to short supply of the vaccine. I really have absolutely no desire to get the flu this year. They better come up with some supply soon. They really can’t afford to have nurses calling out sick with the flu.

6) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire comes out next week. Will I be at the midnight premier? No, no I will not. I will be WORKING. But not to worry, I’m sure I’ll get over it. I’m not sure I really want to deal with all the crazy midnight crowds anyways.

7) In other movie news, Pride and Prejudice with Kiera Knightley comes out tomorrow. Now, I have read the book and seen the two older mini-series versions numerous times and I’m not sure how this new one will compare. I will be interested to see what parts they cut out or change to make it fit into the two hour feature film, instead of the six hour miniseries. Also, from the previews it doesn’t really seem like the dialogue is true to the book. I’ll hold final judgment, however, until I actually see the movie.

8) Tonight my sister and I are going to see Much Ado About Nothing at the Folger Theater. I’m excited because Much Ado is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. I haven’t been to the Folger since fourth grade when my class performed Romeo and Juliet for the Children's Shakespeare Festival. Our teacher, Ms. Zolbe, made use ride the Metro in our costumes. It was pretty funny.

9) Next Friday my sister and I are going to the DC A Capella Festival at Georgetown. It is hosted by two Georgetown groups: the Phantoms and the Grace Notes. The other groups will be G.U. Superfood, U.Penn Off the Beat, and the Johns Hopkins Octopodes. U Penn Off the Beat is one of the best college a capella groups I’ve ever heard, so it should be good!!

Dagens Namn -- 8 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Vendela.

Dagens Namn -- 7 November 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is: Ingegerd or Ingela.

Dagens Namn --6 November 2005

Sunday there is no nameday.

Dagens Namn -- 5 November 2005

Saturday was your name day if your name is: Eugenia or Eugene.

Triplets

My sister and I went to visit my little triplet friends today. They are more adorable than ever. They now all walk and kind of babble. Very cute! I took some pictures, all of which I uploaded to my Yahoo Photos website. Check them out! Below are two of my favorites.

Ben Folds

Recently my friend Angela convinced me to join MySpace.com. Primarily this was just because she wanted to have more friends listed on her page. Now of course she hasn't signed on for like a week. Whatever. Anyway, I was looking around for a fun song to add to my page today. I came across the page for Ben Folds, whom I love, and added his song Landed to my page. My sister and I saw him a year or two ago when he played at GW. My sister also saw him in Australia this spring (lucky duck!). I wondered whether he would be playing around here anytime soon. Went to his official website and found that he is actually playing three days next week with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Wasn't sure if I would be able to go, because it looked like the performance I could go to was sold out. Luckily I called and they did have some seats left, allbeit expensive ones. So, my sister and I will be going to Baltimore on Saturday for the concert!! Hooray!!! Should be a great show. I think his music would lend itself quite well to orchestration. If you have never listened to Ben Folds before, you should!

Dagens Namn -- 4 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Sverker.

Dagens Namn -- 3 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Hubert or Hugo.

Random Stuff

1) My morbror (uncle) Sven and moster (aunt) Lena are in town from Sweden. They came on Monday and got to witness the American holiday that is Halloween. They were so enthralled by the whole thing. It was pretty cute. They wanted to take pictures of the kids that came to the door at my parents house.

2) I hate commuting. When I go to work, I usually miss rush hour traffic because I am going to work before it starts or going home after it is over. Now that I have class one day a week and clinical one or two days a week, I have to experience it with the rest of creation. I don't know how people do it on a regular basis. It would drive me crazy. I think I'm kind of an angry driver though, so that probably doesn't help. Of course there really just are a lot of stupid people and things out there. Why can't people use their turn signals? Why do people think that common traffic signs and laws don't apply to them? I have to go through 25 traffic lights on my to clinical. Why do at least a half to a third of them have to be red? Why can't progressive stoplights be more coordinated in an effort to reduce backups? Why do people insist on driving like IDIOTS and causing accidents during rush hour, leading to major backups? Just because you decided to switch lanes at the last second without looking in your rearview mirror, it takes me almost an hour to drive the 5 miles to school. SUVs should be banned. Not only are they gas guzzlers and entirely to large for most people's needs, but they ride higher, so when they are behind me their ridiculously bright headlights almost blind me in my rearview mirror.

3) We had a work happy hour at Whitlow's On Wilson tonight. Not a huge turnout (Dr. Moxley, Kathy Born, Linda, and Molly). We had a great time all the same. The $2.50 drafts and 1/2 price wine bottles were a nice added bonus.

4) I got an email from my clinical faculty member today. Every week I have to turn in my clinical journal to her. The journal is basically like a 10 to 15 page paper on what I did/learned in clinical the previous week, plus an indepth analysis of one patient's case. Anyway, she sent me email saying that the one I turned in yesterday was "exceptionally well done" and wanted to know if she could use it as an example for other students. How cool is that!

Dagens Namn -- 2 November 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Tobias.

Dagens Namn -- 1 November 2005

There is no name for today, but it is Allhelgonadagen or All Saints Day.

Dagens Namn -- 31 Oktober 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is: Edit or Edgar.

Dagens Namn -- 30 Oktober 2005

Sunday was your name day if your name is: Elsa or Isabella.

Dagens Namn -- 29 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Viola.

Dagens Namn -- 28 Oktober 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is: Simon or Simone.

Sex offender

With Halloween coming up, there has been a lot of talk about knowing who the registered sex offenders are in your neighborhood. Since I'm procrastinating writing my bioethics paper, I though I would do a little web searching. Kind of creepy the whole thing. Didn't come across any faces I recognized, but I did find one picture that struck me. Most of the pictures showed sullen, menacing men (plus one woman!). One guy, however, decided to smile in his picture. What is the world is going on in his head? Does he think just because he smiles people will disregard the fact that he was convicted of child molestation? Is he happy about or does he think it is funny that it is public knowledge that he is a convicted sex offender? Maybe he is happy to be a convicted sex offender. Who knows. I sure don't.

Rain Amsterdam

So, as you may or may not know, I lived in the Netherlands for 3 years during high school. We were living there because my dad had a one time foreign service type assignment. While living in the Hague I attended the American School of the Hague (ASH). I was checking out their alumni message board today and found a link to this restaurant/bar/club which is run by a former ASHer. The guy, Robin Chadha, was two years ahead of me and I didn't really know him, other than knowing who he was. All the same, kind of cool. Anyway, the place is called Rain. It looks like a place where the very cool and very hip would go. Don't think I would fit in so well. If you are cool and hip, however, and are ever in Amsterdam, check it out and let me know what it is like!

Fake flu shots

I was supposed to get my flu shot this past week, but didn't because the hospital hasn't received sufficient supply yet or something like that. They said maybe next week or the week after that. I was a little pissed, but not as pissed as some Exxon Mobil employees in Baytown, Texas. Apparently at a recent health fair they all were lead to believe they were getting flu shots. Turns out the injections didn't actually contain any flu vaccine. The article I read didn't say what they actually received, probably because they don't know either. The whole matter is under investigation by the FBI naturally.

Chapstick

In my humble opinion, Blistex Silk and Shine is the best damn chapstick around. It gives such a smooth finish and even tastes good too. Give it a try!

Dagens Namn -- 27 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Sabina.

Dagens Namn -- 26 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Amanda or Rasmus.

One of my good friends from childhood is named Amanda. Below are two pictures of her. The first is of the both of us. I would guess we are about 4 years old. The second picture is one that I took of her in 8th grade for photography class.

Chinese BSB

Ok, I found this through waiterrant.net and it is hilarious!! Two Chinese guys lip syncing to the Backstreet Boys song "I Want It That Way." On the same bent as the Numa Numa video. And as Waiter apty point out, what in the world is the guy in the background doing?

Rome bans goldfish bowls seen as cruel

According to a report I just read on Yahoo News, "The city of Rome has banned goldfish bowls, which animal rights activists say are cruel..." The new law also bans fish or other animals being given away as fairground prizes. I will admit that I once got a goldfish at a local fair. My uncle Sven actually won a goldfish each for me, my friend Susie and my neighbor Molly. Yes, I have an uncle named Sven, I mean I am Swedish after all. My fish was of course aptly also named Sven and lived for a good long time in his fishbowl in the kitchen. I was five when all this happened, however, so "a good long time" in five year old time could have been a month or two. If you look very hard at the picture below, you can see Sven in the fishbowl in the background. My friend Susie's fish was eaten by her cat KK as I recall. My neighbor Molly's fish promptly died when she decided it would be more fun for it to swim in apple juice than water. A friend of mine works at a place called Wally's Aquarium, where they know pretty much everything there is to know about keeping fish as pets. Had Molly consulted him I'm sure they could have worked out a much better setup.

Monira Silk

So, I'm all about the photographers today. I randomly came across a blog featuring pictures from the Athens Banner Herald by a photographer named Monira Silk. That led me to her official website where you can see wedding photos, portraits, and more photojournalism work. Check it out!!

Carl de Keyzer

Photograph by Carl de Keyzer

Through Matt Shifley's blog, Confessions of a dumb white guy, I came upon Dorna's blog, The Guabancex Blog. Dorna had a post about Belgian photographer Carl de Keyzer. The picture she posted as a link to his website (see above) really caught my eye and I checked the site out. Amazing photographs! Check it out for yourself! And don't forget to check out Matt and Dorna's blogs while you are at it.

Dagens Namn -- 25 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Inga or Ingalill.

Dagens Namn -- 24 Oktober 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is: Eilert or Evert.

Dagens Namn -- 23 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Severin or Sören.

Operation Eden

Came across a very cool website today. Operation Eden is the blog of photographer Clayton James Cubitt. He grew up in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. According to Cubitt, the blog "a personal chronicle of what hurricane Katrina has done to my poor proud people." His photographs are amazing. Check it out!

Dagens Namn -- 22 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Marika or Marita.

Dagens Namn -- 21 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Yrsa or Ursula.

Farfar

I found these pictures of me and my farfar this week when I was looking for pictures from the Haugen Family Blog. Farfar is Swedish for father's father (aka grandfather). My farfar died when I was only 6, so I don't remember him all that well, but the way he is in these pictures is how I do remember him.

Family History

As you may have noticed in my blogger profile, one of my interests is genealogy. My cousin Megan has started a blog with this interest in mind. The blog is dedicated to my farmor's (dad's mom's) family, the Haugens. On the Haugen Family blog we will be able to share stories, photos, and any new information we find out. A few old pictures are already posted there. Check it out! Maybe you can start a blog about your own family.

Dagens Namn -- 20 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Sibylla.

Dagens Namn -- 19 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Tor or Tore.

Dagens Namn -- 18 Oktober 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is Lukas.

Blog Color

I originally picked the color of my blog because on my computer it looked like the blue color of the scrubs we wear at work. Then one day I looked at my blog on a computer at work. I was shocked to see that it looked more green. Today on my computer the background looks somewhat gray. What color does my blog look on your computer?

Dagens Namn -- 17 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Antonia or Toini.

Dagens Namn -- 16 Oktober 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is Finn.

Daysleeper

Just got home from another glorious night shift. Work again tonight. REM knows how I feel.

My bed is pulling me,
Gravity
Daysleeper. Daysleeper.
Daysleeper. Daysleeper. Daysleeper.

Dagens Namn -- 15 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Siri or Sigrid.

Dagens Namn -- 14 Oktober 2005

October 14th was your name day if your name is Stellan.

I apologize to the all the Stellans of the world for posting their name day late and not giving them proper recognition!

Dagens Namn -- 13 Oktober 2005

October 13th was your name day if your name is: Berit or Birgit.

I apologize to all the the Berits and Birgits of the world for posting their name day late and not giving them proper recognition.

Just a few things

1) Benjamin Ladner is an idiot. But American University is even more stupid for letting him get away with it and then still offering him a severance package.

2) I have rediscovered the musical duo Storyhill (formerly Chris and Johnny). I used to listen to them back in the day, but kind of forgot about them for a while. They describe themselves as acoustic folk-pop. I describe them as good.

3) Apparently there is a woman in Arkasas who just gave birth to her 16th child. She is 39 now and had her first one when she was 21. The gaggle of kids includes 2 sets of twins. Apparently she and her husband say they want more. They must be crazy.

4) I finally made it to freaking level 7 of Tumblebugs. Apparently this is not a big deal because my sister and her boyfriend have already surpassed me.

5) My favorite travel nurses ever, Jeff and Kelly, are starting back with us on November 7th. They are hard workers and hilarious as all get out. Bring on the Hello Kitty Uno!

6) Last week my application for Clinical Nurse III status at work got approved. The benefits of this? First, it looks good on my resume. Second, I get to have a new ID badge. Third, I get a $1500 bonus.

7) Had a work "happy hour" (aka dinner) last night at Caribbean Breeze in Ballston. The food was very very good. The menu said that they were voted the best happy hour in DC. Not quite exactly sure who voted that, but I imagine it could be true. If you are around Ballston sometime, check the place out.

Dagens Namn -- 12 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Manfred or Valfrid.

Dagens Namn -- 11 Oktober 2005

Today is your name if your name is: Erling or Jarl.

Dagens Namn -- 10 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Harry or Harriet.

Dagens Namn -- 9 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Inger or Ingrid.

Dagens Namn -- 8 Oktober 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is Nils.

Dagens Namn -- 7 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Birgitta or Britta.

Clinicals

Since I passed the written and practical exams for my Health Assessment class, I can now start doing my clinical rotations. I have been paired with a family nurse practitioner who is on a team that manages the medical care for about 70 patients at a subacute and long-term care facility in Northwest Washington. This type of facility would not have been my first choice, but after meeting my preceptor yesterday I can tell I will learn a lot from her this semester. Most of the patients are elderly and have multiple comorbidities. Most commonly coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hyptertension, peripheral vascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. We got a couple of people ready for discharge, plus did wound rounds on a number of patients. One guy has this unbelievable wound on his foot. He is only 51 years old and has type 2 diabetes and as a result has developed diabetic neuropathy. This led to a condition called Charcot's foot in which the joints and soft tissue in the foot are destroyed. Click here if you want to see a picture, but I warn you it is not for the faint of heart!

Tumblebugs

My coworked Karin introduced me to this game called Tumblebugs and now I am obsessed. I could probably play it for hours at a time if it didn't overheat my computer so much. My laptop seriously just shuts off in the middle of the game sometimes. Very frustrating. I've almost beaten level 6, but can't quite get past the last part. If you too would like to become obsessed check out the Tumblebugs website at Yahoo Games.

Dagens Namn -- 6 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Jennifer or Jenny.

Dagens Namn -- 5 Oktober 2005

Yesterday was your name day if your name is Bror.

Panda Cub at the National Zoo

The still nameless panda cub at the National Zoo had his 12 week check up yesterday. I haven't actually been to the National Zoo in a few years, but I might just have to go down there when they put the panda cub on display in November. Until then I'll just have to be satisfied by looking at the photos they publish. Apparently October 17th is when they will reveal the panda cub's name.


In this picture, the panda cub seems to be saying, "I better get a freakin' lollipop after this!"

You can go here if you want to see live video of the panda cub at the National Zoo.

Kanelbullens Dag

In Sweden, today is Kanelbullens Dag (Cinnamon Bun Day). Apparently this is the seventh year it has been celebrated. Swedish cinnamon buns are very good, a little less sticky than your average American cinnamon bun. Not that I am complaining about American ones, they are just different. Sometimes the Swedes even add a little cardamom. My grandmother makes bullar all the time. We generally have them when we fika. Fika is a Swedish verb that roughly means "coffee break". The exact meaning, however, is generally hard to translate to any other language. One of my favortie places to fika is at Vete-Katten in Stockholm. We always go there every time we are in Stockholm. Anyway, if you live near a bakery or a Cinabon, go get yourself a cinnamon bun and celebrate!

Dagens Namn -- 4 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Frans or Frank.

Dagens Namn -- 3 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Evald or Osvald.

Seven Continents Club

So, today my crazy cousin Nissa has become the youngest person to run a marathon on all seven continents. She has run marathons in New Zealand, Antartica, Sweden, Kenya, the Easter Islands, Nepal and St. Paul. She is the 148th and youngest member of the Seven Continents Club. I think that is pretty damn cool!! Both the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Minneapolis/St. Paul City Pages had articles about Nissa and her accomplishment. Check them out. WAY TO GO NISSA!!!

Dagens Namn -- 2 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Love or Ludvig.

Triplets!

After a stress filled morning (took and passed my health assessment final), I spent a fun filled afternoon with my friend Rhonda and her triplets (Katie, Rett, and Mary Phillips). They are now just over one year old and it is amazing how they've changed. Some of you may recall that I posted some pictures of them back in July. They are now "walking" and babbling. I took my camera with this time too, but it was much more difficult to photograph them. They move and move and move. Just when you think you have a great picture and press the button, they move. Thus I didn't even post half the pictures I took and even some of the ones I did post are a little blurry. Oh well, you get they idea of cute they are all the same. Just follow the My Yahoo Photos website link in the sidebar. The album is called "Triplets #2." They old album from July is called "Kenum Triplets."

Dagens Namn -- 1 Oktober 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Ragna or Ragnar.

Dagens Namn -- 30 September 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Helge.

"Where the hell is that patient's nurse?!?!"

While I generally enjoy the TV show House, I feel like must complain about it a little bit. Apparently the hospital in the show does not employ nurses. My sister must be getting really tired of me yelling at the TV, “Where the hell is that patient’s nurse?!?!” All this blood drawing and medication administration that the main characters do would never happen in real life. The only doctors on my floor that administer meds are the anesthesiologists (during surgery and for epidurals). The obstetricians don’t even have access codes for the med pyxis. In this week’s episode the doctor is shocked to find out that the patient hasn’t urinated since the previous afternoon. If the patient had a nurse, they sure as hell would have known that his kidneys were failing much much earlier. Especially since he was on a drug known to cause nephrotoxicity. Despite my complaints, however, I do enjoy the diagnostic reasoning part of the show, as we have been learning a lot about it in my health assessment class. It is fun to see them do their medical detective work. The other medical shows I watch (ER and Grey's Anatomy) aren't much better in their portayal of nurses. I really just wish that there was some show on TV that depicted nurses in a positive and realistic manner.

Dagens Namn -- 29 September 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Mikael or Mikaela.

Dagens Namn -- 28 September 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Lennart or Leonard.

Good and Bad Things

Good things that happened at work yesterday:

1) We all got $175 Visa gift cards. This was presumably to thank everyone for helping the hospital pass JCAHO inspection last week.

2) My manager actually gave me a compliment. I had given her my Clinical Nurse III application to review and sign before I submitted it. One portion of the application was an essay about a patient care situation that was particularly meaningful to us and that demonstrated the advanced nursing skills engendered by a prospective Clin III. She said that I "write very well." That's probably the nicest thing she's ever said to me.

Bad things that happened at work yesterday:

1) The lady who was scheduled for c-section on Wednesday came in early. She was at her doctor's office and they weren't able to find a heartbeat. Of course all perinatal losses are sad, but this one particularly so since she was already at term and had planned to have a normal delivery two days later.

2) We have a patient who is just a total mess. Her list of problems includes: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema (2 packs a day since age 13), schizophrenia, seizure disorder, syphillis, cor pulmonale (heart disease generally as a result of lung disease), cocaine and alcohol abuse (most recent cocaine abuse just a week ago). Oh, plus she's 35 weeks pregnant! She actually bummed a cigarette off another patient's family member the other day in the waiting room. What kind of STUPID IDIOT gives a pregnant woman a cigarette?

Dagens Namn -- 27 September 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Dagmar or Rigmor.

Dagens Namn -- 26 September 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Einar or Enar.

Dagens Namn -- 25 September 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Tryggve.

Letters to the Editor

In the most recent issue of the Economist, there were a number of letters to the editor in response to their September 10th article, "The shaming of America." Some supported the government response to Hurricane Katrina, but many didn't. One comment from a Norwegian man struck me as particularly funny, but also astute and sadly true:

SIR – New Orleans's mayor should have called the hawks in Washington before Katrina struck and told them that 30 al-Qaeda-looking types were at the levees. Help would then surely have arrived in time.

Stein Glorvigen

Skjetten, Norway

I tried to put in a link for the original story, but you have to have premium access for that. Check it out at the library if you are really interested.

Dagens Namn -- 24 September 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Gert or Gerhard.

Anna Nalick

My new favorite CD is "Wreck of the Day" by Anna Nalick. I bought it a couple of weeks ago and I've had it in my car stereo ever since. Regarding her influences, her website says this:

Citing a wide range of influences running from Fiona Apple and Tori Amos, with whom she shares a complex feminine poignancy, to Blind Melon and John Mayer, whose adroit poetic paradoxes reverberate in her songs, to Stevie Ray Vaughan, whom she calls, simply, "The guy that I'm going to marry when I get to heaven," Anna generates a sound and sensibility distinctly her own

She's going to be at the 9:30 Club on October 11th, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to go. Have to see what school and work are like. Anyway, check out the album on Amazon or Anna's official website.