Saturday Night At The Pfitz

I went to see a Potomac Nationals game last night in Woodbridge. They lost to the Winston-Salem Warthogs, 9 – 4. The same was still great however, for the following reasons.

1) The Almost “Rumble” -- During the top of the fourth inning, Nationals pitchers Jason Stevenson narrowly missed hitting Warthogs second baseman Michael Myers. Mike didn’t take too kindly to this and began to charge at the pitchers mound. He was restrained by one of his teammates, but of course then everyone came running out of both dugouts. No blows were actually thrown, but there were quite a few minutes of “tense discussion” between the umpires and the coaches before play could resume. Myers was loudly booed by the crowd at his following three at-bats.

2) The Freak Out – During the bottom of the fifth inning, National’s left fielder Chad Chop was called out at first base. The call was a bad one, the crowd booed, Chad returned to the dugout. Seconds later, however, Chad comes storming out of the dugout towards the umpire. He is restrained by one of the coaches and returns to the dugout. Seconds later he storms out of the dugout again and throws a few bats onto the field. Then he returns to the dugout and gets the Gatorade cooler. He throws that on the field as well. Needless to say, Chad was ejected from the game.

3) The Kid Sitting Behind Us – There was this hilarious 8 year old kid sitting behind us. He was very vocal about the game and made some very choice comments. It was almost like he should have been a 40 year old man who had had a few too many Bud Lights. His choicest comment (made after a particularly bad call by the umpire) was, “You got a reservation somewhere blue?!?!?!”

Dagens Namn -- 31 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Elin or Helena.

Logic puzzles

After the initial rush, last night was a little slow at work. My coworker Teri and I like to do crossword puzzles when we have the time. Usually we just pick up whatever Washington Post is lying around and do the puzzle in that one. Tonight the Post had something new to offer. It is a logic puzzle with numbers called Sudoku. There is a 9 box by 9 box grid. There are a few boxes filled in to begin with and then you have to fill in the grid so that every row,every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. It is way more challenging than a regular crossword puzzle. I didn't finish mine, but your brain gets kind of fried at 3 am. I'll attack it again after I wake up.

Dagens Namn -- 30 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Algot.

"Customer Service"

So, I had my yearly OB/GYN visit the other day. My mom and I have the same doctor, so I knew beforehand that she had decided to stop taking insurance. Meaning you have to pay up front and then submit a claim to your insurance company. I was fine with this because I really like my doctor and insurance should cover a “well woman exam.” After my exam the secretary gave me all the billing paperwork that I would need to submit with my claim form. She told me I could get the claim form on my insurance company’s website. I figured this would be no problem, as I am comfortable using the internet and my insurance company (BCBS) is a big company and should have a good website.

When I got home I got on the internet and went to the BCBS website. I quickly found the list of forms, but was somewhat overwhelmed by the number of choices. Which plan did I have? My card only said CareFirst BlueChoice POSitive Choice. The options on the list included: BlueChoice (HMO), BlueChoice Opt-Out Open Access, BlueChoice Opt-Out Plus, and BluePreferred. I did a little searching on the website, but couldn’t find anything useful. So, I decided to follow the advice on the page and call member services. After being on hold for a while, someone finally answered. After listing all my information, I was able to explain why I had called. She promptly and very curtly tells me that I have BlueChoice (HMO). I am surprised, because if anything I didn’t think this would have been the answer. No, she rudely informs me, that’s the plan you have. Do you need anything else today?, she wonders brusquely. No I guess that’s it, I say. Thank you for calling BCBS…click.

I was still unsure that she was actually correct, so I do a little more looking around on the website. I find out that you can sign up and be able to look at your account online. So I do this, hoping that I would be able to find some more information. Once I get all registered, I am finally able to see all my account information. Low and behold, the website tells me I have BLUECHOICE OPT-OUT PLUS. So, not only was this woman rude to me, but she told me the wrong information! I looked at the two forms for BlueChoice (HMO) and BlueChoice Opt-Out Plus. They are different. If I had followed her information and used the wrong form, they probably wouldn’t have accepted my claim. So, to the woman at BCBS whose name I never got but should have, I am so sorry that I inconvenienced you with my stupid question. I am also sorry that you clearly hate your job. But you work in customer service. You can’t be rude and you can’t tell people the wrong information. Especially at the same time! I wish I had got her name, because I probably would have complained.

Dagens Namn -- 29 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Olof.

Dagens Namn -- 28 Juli 2005

Today is your name if your name is : Botvid or Seved.

Withdrawal

Well, I just finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I’m not sure that it was my favorite of the series so far, I think that still belongs to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. That’s the fourth book in the series for you crazy non-Harry-Potter-people (you and the Pope). As far as the sixth book was concerned, some things surprised me and others did not. I can certainly see plenty of loose ends to be dealt with in the seventh (and supposedly final) book. I won't go into specific details because I don't want to ruin the book for anyone who hasn't finished it yet. I will certainly experience some withdrawal now that the book is finished, however I plan to delve into other books to keep me busy. Since the book came out I've been thinking about other books I'd like to read and saying, "Well, I'll read that after I finish Harry Potter." Possibilities of books to read next include:

1) A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby -- I started this before I started Harry Potter, but I didn't finish it.

2) the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich -- This series now has eleven books. I think I read possibly the first two a few years back, but I don't remember them too well. That gives me eleven whole books to get through. Although as I recall they weren't exactly tough reads.

3) the Martin Beck series by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö -- This series has ten books. Depending on whether I read the books in Swedish or English, it could take me a while.

4) All the books that I will have to buy for classes, which start in September. Boy oh boy am I looking forward to that.

That is plenty of books to keep me busy until the next Harry Potter movie comes out in November.

Harry's Tap Room

I had a great lunch today at Harry’s Tap Room in Clarendon. I hadn’t ever been there before, but I had heard a lot about it. My coworker Lynn once told me it was a good place to meet men. Of course, she’s been married for like 5 years and just adopted twins a couple of months ago. Washingtonian Magazine rated its burgers some of the best burgers in Washington DC. This is why my friend and I went there for lunch today. I actually ended up having the crab cake sandwich (which was pretty damn good), but my friend had the Kobe beef burger and he said it was fantastic. I was a little surprised at how upscale the place seemed. The décor was pretty nicely done, although I found the faux snake skin covered benches a little funny. They had many other tasty sounding dishes on the menu, as well as an impressive wine list. For dessert, I had the seasonal fruit crisp. The fruit was peaches (which I love!), and while it was quite good, it wasn’t really what I would call a crisp. As far as I’m concerned a crisp is fruit on the bottom and flour/brown sugar/spices on the top. The authors of the quintessential American cookbook, “The Joy of Cooking,” tend to agree with me:

This simple and popular dessert consists of sweetened fruit—usually lightly thickened to produce syrupy juices—baked with crumbly toppings of flour, butter, and sugar and sometimes oats, cookie, or cake crumbs, nuts and spices.

This was peaches inside puff pastry. Good, but not a crisp. I would probably call it a dumpling or a turnover. Details, details. I’d probably still eat it again.

Martin Beck

I watched a great Swedish mystery, "Roseanna," on Mhz last night. It was based on the first book in the ten book Martin Beck series by the husband and wife team of Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö. The series was originally published between 1965 and 1975. Each book had a different title, but each one had the same subtitle, “En roman on ett brott.” For those of you who don’t know Swedish, that means, “A novel about a crime.” The series received attention both in Sweden and internationally for its deep social dimensions and its sharp social criticism, which were unusual for the detective genre at that time. Last night’s movie and a number of others were made in 1993 and 1994, staring legendary Swedish actor Gösta Ekman as Martin Beck. A few years later, they also made a TV series with original storylines and a new cast.

I really enjoyed watching the movie because it was in Swedish with English subtitles. I abhor the idea of dubbing movies over. In this case, however, I actually almost wish that I could have taken away the subtitles. I found them distracting. I didn’t need them to understand the movie, but I kept reading them anyway because they were there. I was surprised that I would have translated a number of things differently than they had and there were some sentences that they just kind of skipped over. They are going to show another Martin Beck movie, “The Stockholm Marathon,” on July 31st, which I will probably also watch. I take any chance I can get to practice my Swedish.

For those of you that have the interest, I looked the books up in the Arlington County Library catalog. They have six of the ten Martin Beck books translated into English. I might just check them out after I finish Harry Potter, although I really probably should read them in Swedish. I’ll have to check with my mom and see if she has any of them.

Dagens Namn -- 27 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Marta.

Dagens Namn -- 26 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Jesper.

I have a cousin in Sweden named Jesper. He is about a month younger than me. So, Happy Belated Birthday and Happy Name Day to him!!!

Dinner and a Movie

I went to dinner and a movie tonight with my sister Anna and my friend Maria. For dinner we went to one of my favorite places in Arlington, the Lost Dog Café. They have great sandwiches, pastas, and pizzas, as well as an endless selection of both imported and domestic beers and ales. We ate in, but you can also get carryout or delivery. Sadly, I live outside their delivery area. I might just have to move. It is pretty close to Virginia Hospital Center (aka Arlington Hospital) and apparently our residents who do rotations over there order from the Lost Dog all the time. Tonight I had the Healthy Dog, Anna had the Eagle, and Maria had the Phoenix. Other favorites include the Billy’s Philly, the San Diego, the California Dreaming, and the Bureaucrat. They also have excellent fries and milk shakes.

After dinner we went to see “Ladies in Lavender” at the Shirlington Loews Cineplex Odeon. We were by far the youngest people there, but we didn’t really care. The movie takes place in 1936 and is about a pair of Cornish spinsters who discover a charismatic young Polish violin virtuoso castaway on the beach below their home. You’ll have to see the movie if you want to know what happens. Maggie Smith and Judi Dench play the two sisters and of course they are fantastic as always. I suppose there is a reason why they were both made Dame Commanders of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. The movie would certainly be too dull for many people, but I really enjoyed it. I guess I’m kind of a dork. One of the things that made the movie really great was the music, as the premise is that the Polish young man is a violin virtuoso. The soundtrack includes original pieces as well as pieces by Massenet, Sarasate, Debussy, and Paganini. The violin solos are played by Joshua Bell who is basically a classical music superstar. He has performed with nearly every leading symphony orchestra and conductor and recorded 27 albums.

After the movie, we went back to my parent’s house to drop off my sister, but also to have some of my mother’s excellent peach blackberry cobbler. It was good even without ice cream. I have to say, my mom really knows how to cook and bake. Now I’m just at home relaxing. After I’m done writing this, I think I’ll watch my favorite new show, “The Closer” with Kyra Sedgwick.

Dagens Namn -- 25 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Jakob.

Dagens Namn -- 24 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Kerstin or Kristina.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

I went to a Washington Nationals game today with a group of people from work. I worked last night and unfortunately I overslept, so I missed the tailgating before the game. No hamburgers and bourbon slushies for me. I took the metro down to RFK. It only took me a half hour, which made me happy, although the train was pretty crowded. Some people really just have no concept of personal space. I am so glad that I don’t have to commute on the Metro to work every day. We had a good turnout, with 20 people in attendance. Our seats were in the nosebleed section (Section 512, Row 18, Seats 1 – 20), but RFK is raked pretty steeply, so we still had a good view from where were sitting. The game was pretty good, as was the people watching. The Nationals ended up beating the Astros four to two. The best part of the game was probably in the eighth inning, when Houston Astros manager Phil Garner argued with the umpires and got ejected from the game. When the game was over, the droves started heading towards the metro. It didn’t look like we were going to even get into the station any time in the next millennium, so we cut up the side to the front of the line. I got back to my car at the Clarendon metro in about 45 minutes. Pretty good, considering my friend told me it once took him almost two hours. Next Saturday, I am going with my family to a Potomac Nationals game in Woodbridge. They are a minor league (single A) affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The level of play probably won’t be as good, but our seats will be much better and significantly cheaper than at a major league game.

Dagens Namn -- 23 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Emma.

ICE!!!!

A friend forwarded this to me today and I think it is a great idea. The idea apparently originally came from the East Anglian Ambulance service. Paramedics will turn to a victim's cell phone for clues to that person's identity. You can make their job much easier with a simple idea that they are trying to get everyone to adopt: ICE.

ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. If you add an entry in the contacts list in your cell phone under ICE, with the name and phone number of the person that the emergency services should call on your behalf (e.g., ICE – Mom), you can save them a lot of time and have your loved ones contacted quickly. It only takes a few moments of your time to do, so do it right now!!!

Dagens Namn -- 22 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Madeleine or Magdalena.

National Building Museum

I went to the National Building Museum today with my friend Susie. It was very easy to get to, literally right across the street from the Judiciary Square Metro stop. The building is impressive from the outside and when you come inside you get an even bigger treat. The Great Hall is filled with light and has a beautiful fountain in the middle. It is about the size of a football field and is 15 stories high at its tallest point. It would be a fantastic place for a party or ball, which is why it is no surprise that the space is available for evening rentals.

We visited two of the exhibits. First, "Washington: Symbol and City," which tells about the birth and evolution of Washington as a city. For someone who enjoys history, like me, it is a very interesting exhibit. Second, "Liquid Stone: New Architecture in Concrete," which was like a dream for Susie who is a civil engineer. The exhibit shows you the strength, versatility, and potential of the seemingly boring and dreary material. Last, we visited the gift shop, which has tons of interesting design and architecture books. It also has a wide assortment of gifts, from cards, books and puzzles to bricks, blocks and designer teapots.

I would like to go back some time to see the rest of the exhibits, as we didn't have time to see them all. Also, every Wednesday from July 13th through August 24th, they will be screening American films that reflect themes such as sustainability, transportation and transit and office design in America. Upcoming movies include: "Who Framed Roger Rabit," "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," "Do the Right Thing," "Touch of Evil," and "Summer Stock." Admission is free. There is live music before the screening and you can bring a picnic with you if you want.

Bangkok 54

I had lunch yesterday at Bangkok 54, a great Thai place right down the street from my house. My sister had seen a review of it in the Washington Post a while back and we were quite please to find out that it was so close. Tom Sietsema gave it 3 out of 4 stars. It was also mentioned in the Washingtonian's "Best Bites" back in September of last year. I really liked the stylish elegant decor and the prices aren't bad either. Their lunch specials (dish and iced tea) are only $5.95 and adding a spring roll or green salad only costs an extra $0.99. I got the Pad Thai, which I thoroughly enjoyed even though Tom Sietsema didn't like it. They also have happy hour every weekday from 5 pm to 7 pm, where you get appetizers for $1.95. There is however a two drink minimum, and while they don't list the prices for those, the drinks do sound very yummy and intriguing. It is located right down the block from the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse, so it would be a great place to go before you catch a movie. I highly recommend it if you are in the area.

Dagens Namn -- 21 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Johanna.

Dagens Namn -- 20 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Greta or Margareta.

(P.S. My middle name is Margareta and this is the day my family celebrates. Feel free to send flowers or presents. Money would be fine too.)

Harry Potter and Willy Wonka

My weekend wasn't really all that exciting. I got to be on call Friday night from work, but my sleep schedule was still screwed up. Because I was intending on going to work, I had slept until about 4 pm and thus couldn't fall asleep again until about 4:30 am. I woke up at about 9 am on Saturday to get ready to have lunch with my old piano teacher. She just had hip replacement surgery, so my mom, sister and I decided to take her out. We've known her for 19 years and she remains a good friend even though neither my sister nor I take lessons anymore. I miss playing the piano on a regular basis. I have my sister's keyboard right now, but it isn't exactly the same. The touch of the keys is different and I can't find the pedal.

All the same, we stopped on our way home at Foxes Music in Falls Church and I got a few new things to play. First, "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts (originally Marcus Hummon). I realize that this is a country song, but it is a really beautiful piece written for piano, which makes it so nice to play. So much popular stuff these days is written for guitar and it just doesn’t translate well to piano. I also got an anthology of 1980s hits. This purchase was inspired by my favorite local cover band, The Legwarmers. And I mean really, who doesn’t love 80s music? Some of the arrangements in the book are actually pretty good, such as: “Call Me,” “Centerfold,” “Jessie’s Girl,” “Missing You,” “Manic Monday,” “Material Girl,” “Sister Christian,” “Tempted,” and “Time After Time.” My sister also got a book with music from the “Garden State” soundtrack. I haven’t gotten my hands on that yet, but I look forward to it as I really enjoyed the music in “Garden State.” The CD is actually in my car stereo right now.

When we got home, the new Harry Potter books had arrived. The sixth Harry Potter book, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” isn't as long as the fifth one, only about 650 pages as opposed to nearly 900. Reviews have said that it is the darkest book, although I don’t think that surprises anyone who has read the other five books. If Voldemort is back, wouldn’t things naturally be a little bit on the gloomy and sinister side? I have only made it through Chapter 14 so far, although my mother and Trevor (my sister’s boyfriend) have already finished the entire book. Now they are going through withdrawal, because lord only knows when the next (and last) book will be published. It has been about two years since the fifth book came out. Of course, the fourth movie comes out in November, which should help. I’m especially excited, since “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” has been my favorite Harry Potter book so far. Incidentally, I saw one of those “Republicans for Voldemort” bumper stickers while driving home from work the other day. Those things crack me up.

On Saturday night, I went to see the new “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” I was excited to see it, but I was also a little wary. I figured that the old version would be pretty hard to live up to. Overall I liked the new version. There some things they kept the same, some things that were different, some things that were cut out, and some things that were completely new. I won’t really go into detail, because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie yet. I will say however that I enjoyed Johnny Depp. He seems to have gotten progressively weirder over the years, but that suited him in this part. Visually the film was also very nice and I would love to see it on an IMAX screen. The closest IMAX theater showing the movie, however, is in Virginia Beach. I believe that I still enjoyed the older version better, but I will have to watch it again to be entirely sure.

Dagens Namn -- 19 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Sara.

Dagens Namn -- 18 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Fredrik or Fritz.

More photos

Ok, so I've gone a little crazy with these pictures, but I just have so many negatives to scan. I've added 7 pictures to the "Photography Class" album, 5 pictures to the "Prague" album, and 8 pictures to the "Slovakia" album. There are some black lines through some of the pictures. Not really sure why. Probably happened when I developed them, but that was over 10 years ago so I don't really remember. All the same, enjoy! More to come when I get back to my Dad's scanner.

Dagens Namn -- 17 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Bruno.

Dagens Namn -- 16 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Reine or Reinhold.

More photos

I was supposed to work nights tonight, but right now I am on call. I went over to my parents' house earlier and used my Dad's scanner which has a negative holder. I still have quite a few more negatives to scan, but I did post some of the ones I did tonight on my Yahoo Photos webpage. I added 8 more pictures to the "Photography Class" album and I also added a "Prague" album. Both of these will be expanded later when I can get to my Dad's scanner again.

Dagens Namn -- 15 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Ragnhild or Ragnvald.

My photos

Since I'm working nights tonight, I stayed up kind of late last night. I spent many hours scanning in many many photos. They are all now posted on my Yahoo Photos webpage. There are two albums that have pictures taken by other people. The first one is the "Horseback Riding" album. There are two pictures in that one taken by one of my parents. I really enjoyed the riding lessons that I took while living in the Hague. I may look into taking lessons again around here somewhere. The second one is the "Little Lena" album. I just had those pictures sitting around and thought they were cute. I liked the way I photographed back then so much better. These days I prefer to be on the other side of the camera. There is also an album called "Photography Class." The pictures there are from photography classes I took in middle and high school. I have more pictures to put in that album, but I think they are all at my parents' house. Have to go find them this weekend. All the other albums are pictures from trips that I have taken. I have two more pictures for the Ireland album, but for some reason they just don't seem to want to load. It is beyond me why. Anyway, I hope you enjoy looking at them.

Dagens Namn -- 14 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Folke.

Dagens Namn -- 13 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Joel or Judit.

Dagens Namn -- 12 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Herman or Hermine.

I am in PAIN!

My crazy friend Erin convinced me to go to some classes at the gym with her yesterday. Usually, I am a solitary exerciser. I do some time on the crosstrainer or treadmill, then I lift weights and do floor exercises (sit-ups, push-up, leg lifts, etc). Yesterday, however, Erin and I went to both step class and Zumba. I’m sure you all know what step is, but Zumba may be new to you as it was to me. It is kind like an aerobic Latin dance class basically. I had a great time in both classes, although I was rather tired at the end. Today, however, I am in PAIN. My calves hurt so much that I am walking like an arthritic old woman. My back also hurts and now all of a sudden my neck is really starting to hurt. Luckily for me, I have to work tonight. Hopefully I will not be helping lift any huge patients. I think I will have to go to CVS before work and get some Icy Hot or a ThermaCare heat wrap. Wish me luck and hope that I don't injure myself even further.

Dagens Namn -- 11 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Ellinor or Eleonora.

Dagens Namn -- 10 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Andrea or Andre.

African Safari, Part II

I borrowed my dad's old portable scanner and scanned in the best of my Kenya pictures. I only ended up with about 30 pictures, even though I originally said I had over 100 pictures. Many of them were just multiples of the same thing. Like when we saw an elephant for the first time, I easily took 10 pictures. You don't need to see all of them. A few of the pictures are still those grainy versions from my dad. Unfortunately those are also some of the best ones. I couldn't rescan them because they sealed inside a picture frame hanging on my wall. I think my dad's new scanner has a negative scanning function, so I may try that. Anway, I hope you enjoy looking at them as they are. Now that I have the scanner up and running, I am going to try to scan in more pictures, such as the ones from my trips to France, Italy, Minnesota, Sweden, Ireland, Austria, Slovakia, and Finland.

Dagens Namn -- 9 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Jörgen or Örjan.

Dagens Namn -- 8 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Kjell.

My sister is lucky...

...that I never did this to her. At least, not that I recall. I'll have to ask my mom. My friend Beth sent me this picture. I think it is absolutely hilarious, but I probably wouldn't be quite so amused if they were actually my own children.

African Safari

I was over at my parents' house for dinner tonight and my mom hands me this CD-ROM. She says, "Your father made this CD with some of your pictures from Kenya trip on it." I was surprised, because I didn't know how they got onto his computer. He's gone on a business trip right now, so I couldn't ask. I was also happy, because I've been wanting to post the pictures from my "safari" in Kenya for you all to see. Unfortunately the pictures are kind of grainy. This must have had something to do with the scanning, because I have the originals and they look just fine. I will put them up for now and hopefully later I can get some better versions posted. Currently I only have eight pictures for you to see, but I have over a hundred that I could put up. I've included one picture here on the blog, but the rest you can see at my Yahoo Photos webpage. Just follow the link and then click on the Kenya album. Feel free, of course, to look at the other albums as well.

Dagens Namn -- 7 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is Klas.

Dagens Namn -- 6 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Jessika or Esaias.

Greetings From Fred

When I was little, I used to get these postcards from some unknown person name Fred. They would come from places in the US, but also from different places all over the world. Sometimes the handwriting looked suspiciously like my dad’s, but sometimes it didn’t and the cards came from places I knew my dad hadn’t been too. It is always fun to get postcards and the mystery sender of these postcards made them even more fun. I can’t remember exactly, but I think the cards probably stopped coming around the time we moved to the Hague. I was therefore very shocked two weeks ago, when I received a postcard from England. The sender was Fred! It had a picture of Hadrian’s Wall on the front and read as follows:

“Sorry you couldn’t make it to the north of England – next time? You’d get to walk on this 120 AD Roman wall built along (roughly) the border with Scotland. Also to walk for 4 hours, starting by climbing up a waterfall! Then only sheep for 2 hours. Best, Fred.”

Then, low and behold, I get another postcard in the mail today. Seems as though Fred is making a tour of England and Ireland. This postcard had a cartoon on the front of Irish whiskey being made and read as follows:

“Greetings from Ireland! Seems every town has more than its share of pubs, as this picture suggests. The high tax on whiskey, makes homebrew a good idea. You would have closed your eyes on some of poor roads! Best, Fred.”

So, who the hell is this Fred person?!?! I really want to know. Although perhaps I would be better off not knowing. Maybe knowing would ruin the fun of it all. Anyway, I’ll let you guys know if I receive any more postcards in the future. I wonder where Fred will travel to next.

Dagens Namn -- 5 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Laila or Ritva.

Dagens Namn -- 4 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Ulla or Ulrika.

Dagens Namn -- 3 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if you name is Aurora.

Triplets

Today, my coworker/friend Yvonne and I went to visit a patient/friend of ours who had triplets back in September. They are now 9 months old and ever so cute. Each one has their own different little personality. We spent the day in the nursery, watching them play, eat and just be generally adorable. In the afternoon, we went for a walk around the upscale Belle Haven neighborhood. When we got back we played some more and then the kids got to have baths. I took some pictures of that for posterity. Some day their parents will surely want to show them to the first boy/girlfriends. While they were winding down for bedtime, we sat in the nursery and drank some wine. Nice way to end the day. The wine was a Malbec from Argentina. It came recommended by a friend of mine and everyone agreed that it was very good.

Rhonda, the triplets’ mom, works very hard at her job and does have both a nanny and an au pair to help take care of the kids. Today both were gone and we got to see Rhonda in action as a mom. She is a great one! Triplets are certainly a handful and she did a wonderful job. You can tell how much she adores them and that she really enjoys being a mom. Her kids are very lucky. I've included a recent picture of the trio, so you can see how cute they are. Also, if you click on my Yahoo Photos webpage in the links section, you can see a whole album of pictures that I took today. Pictures from my trip to Australia are also on that webpage.

Afterwards, Yvonne and I went to dinner at Carlyle Grand in Shirlington. I had the roasted pork tenderloin with citrus chipotle glaze and parmesan potatoes. The tenderloin was very nicely cooked and the glaze was very tasty. The parmesan potatoes were kind of like potatoes au gratin and tasted heavenly. Anyone who knows me, knows that potatoes are probably one of my favorite foods anyway they are prepared. For dessert I had a “berry” shortcake, although really just strawberry shortcake with a few blueberries added. This was also very very good. The shortcake itself was so light and almost melted in your mouth. Often I find that shortcake gets to be too biscuity, but this one was perfect. Our waiter was not the most attentive, but the food made up for it. When I got home I uploaded all the pictures to the web and started on this post. After I’m done, I’ll probably cuddle up on the couch and read the end of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.” I can’t wait for the next book to come out. When it does and I have read it, I will certainly post my opinions for all to read.

Dagens Namn -- 2 Juli 2005

Today is your name day is your name is: Rosa or Rosita

Driving/Traffic Rant #1

I am amazed on a daily basis by people’s inability to properly park their cars. I see this at the gym, the grocery store, and even at work. Mind you, I am not talking about parallel parking, which admittedly even I have problems with sometimes. I am talking about standard run of the mill pull in/pull out parking lot parking. If you pull into a spot crooked, the right thing to do is to back out and straighten your car as you pull back in. Maybe I am so picky about this because I am a neat freak and I like things to be orderly.

I have noticed that all the annoying people who drive their obnoxiously large SUVs and minivans seem to be especially challenged in the parking area. Honestly, I do not think that having a large car is an acceptable excuse for bad parking. I personally do not think there is any acceptable excuse for bad parking. My friend Yvonne pointed out that often people who drive “nice” cars park askew. She thinks, and I agree, that they do this on purpose so that no one will park next to them and damage their precious car. Either that or they are just so uppity that they do not really care whether they affect other people’s ability to park their own less worthy cars. Just because your drive a Jaguar/BMW/Mercedes/Lexus and I drive a Toyota Corolla, does not mean you are better than me.

I have actually contemplated making little fliers that I could put on people’s windshield. These fliers could be used when I find a person’s parking particularly offensive. The flier could say something to the effect of “Learn how to park you idiot!” or “Just because you have a big car, doesn’t mean you can park like an idiot!” I suppose this might be seen as somewhat childish, but it would suppress my urge to key their car or run into it by “accident.” If they do not feel the need to have consideration others, why should I?

Next installment of Driving/Traffic Rant will discuss the turn signal. Stay tuned.

Dagens Namn -- 1 Juli 2005

Today is your name day if your name is: Aron or Mirjam