My plan was to work all day today at K's office, but I just really felt like getting out a bit, so S and I went downtown to see the new Disney movie, "Meet the Robinson's". The film wasn't that great, I had expected a bit more from Disney. Iam a SciFi lover, so I figured it would be cool with the time traveling and all, but it fell short, and it also seemed to have a lot of plot holes. On the other hand, small kids don't care about that. Sarah thought the dinosaur was really cool!
After the movie S and I went by this really nice Vietnamese restaurant called Pho Cali, and picked up some yummy and healthy food. We haven't eaten yet, I am waiting for one of K's client to leave and then YUM! It smells so great!
After that I better get my stuff together and buckle down.
I also heard from L today, she came home last night after a long trip (she is a flight attendant). We made plans to go out and have lunch on Monday and maybe do some shopping as well. Sarah loves her so much, and she has become a bit of a substitute grandmother. L is such a young person, but she is actually born 1950, the same year my mom was born, so they would have been the same age if she had lived. L has taken on a lot of grandmother duties over the years (and privileges), and she and her family feels like family. She doesn't have any grand kids of her own yet, but there might be some in the next few years. Her daughter is 3 years younger than me and have been trying for a few years, but she has some medical issues that are keeping her and her husband from starting a family just yet. She really enjoys S and looks at her as a great opportunity to get some "inside information" on child rearing.
For me L is not like a mom, but a very good friend. We feel very close in age, oddly enough!
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Halloween Costumes
S and I have been talking a lot about Halloween. In fact, she has already decided what she is going to be this year. And mom. And dad...
Apparently she loved the idea of being Snow White so much last year, she wants to be it again this year. Ans she has informed me she wants me to be Ariel, The Little Mermaid (well, I do have reddish hair...), but get this, this is the best, she wants daddy to be Pocahontas. I can't quite picture it. Or, wait, yeah! Oh yeah!!!
Here are some video clips and a photo of S's past Halloweens. Click on the links and enjoy!
Halloween 2003 - Tiger
Halloween 2004 - Lady Bug
Halloween 2005 - Fairy
Halloween 2006 - Snow White
Apparently she loved the idea of being Snow White so much last year, she wants to be it again this year. Ans she has informed me she wants me to be Ariel, The Little Mermaid (well, I do have reddish hair...), but get this, this is the best, she wants daddy to be Pocahontas. I can't quite picture it. Or, wait, yeah! Oh yeah!!!
Here are some video clips and a photo of S's past Halloweens. Click on the links and enjoy!
Halloween 2003 - Tiger
Halloween 2004 - Lady Bug
Halloween 2005 - Fairy
Halloween 2006 - Snow White
Friday, March 30, 2007
Poor dogs!
I was just looking at some old video clips of the dogs. Do we always "torture" them and film them? It seems like every clip they are doing something they are not entirely happy about... But the are good sports! Click on the links and see what you think!
Stan as a very good looking skunk for Halloween 2006
Bob and Stan enjoy Peanut Butter
Cool stuff!
Wow, what a nice day S and I had! First we did a few errands for Ken, and then we headed over to Target. I found all kinds of cool stuff for her Easter basket, as well as a few extra things for my Australian friend's boy. His birthday is about 3 weeks before S's, and I got all the stuff ready to be packed up and shipped.
Then we headed over to Longhorn Steakhouse and had a lovely lunch. Grilled shrimp on rice and a house salad for me, and a hot dog, fries and grapes for S. None of us ate that much, but it was good!
K is like my old departed step-grandfather/dad, the kind of person who thinks it is a sin to leave food on the plate. I argue with him about it all the time, since I pretty much never eat all my food. First of all, there is no law against leaving your food! Take a doggy bag home! Second of all, the portions are often HUGE beyond what a normal person should eat anyway. It just is not healthy! I often have to stop him from eating my leftovers. He just can't help himself getting uncomfortable seeing all that food going to waste. Well, I don't think it needs to go to his waist, either. So I stop him. With love.
Then we headed over to Longhorn Steakhouse and had a lovely lunch. Grilled shrimp on rice and a house salad for me, and a hot dog, fries and grapes for S. None of us ate that much, but it was good!
K is like my old departed step-grandfather/dad, the kind of person who thinks it is a sin to leave food on the plate. I argue with him about it all the time, since I pretty much never eat all my food. First of all, there is no law against leaving your food! Take a doggy bag home! Second of all, the portions are often HUGE beyond what a normal person should eat anyway. It just is not healthy! I often have to stop him from eating my leftovers. He just can't help himself getting uncomfortable seeing all that food going to waste. Well, I don't think it needs to go to his waist, either. So I stop him. With love.
Murder mystery???
I was just taking the dogs out, and on my way back in I noticed something strange outside our front door. Like 1 foot from the door... At closer inspection it confirmed what I suspected. It was the tip of a snake's tail! All bloody and fresh. And there was blood smeared on the cement. So a snake must have met his grizzly end there sometime during the night. Wonder where the rest of him is?
The dogs never sniffed once, they didn't notice anything! And they sniff ALL the time... It looked like it came from a corn snake judging by the color. We seem to have a lot of these beautiful snakes around here. I don't think this tail could have come from the one that died a few weeks ago, because the blood was so fresh. Weird! But we do have quite a large family of sharp shinned hawks living nearby, maybe they had an early meal a la snake...
The dogs never sniffed once, they didn't notice anything! And they sniff ALL the time... It looked like it came from a corn snake judging by the color. We seem to have a lot of these beautiful snakes around here. I don't think this tail could have come from the one that died a few weeks ago, because the blood was so fresh. Weird! But we do have quite a large family of sharp shinned hawks living nearby, maybe they had an early meal a la snake...
Busy day
Today we have to do a bunch of errands for K. He is doing consulting in north Tampa on most Fridays, and we need to drop of some payroll for one of his clients, make a few deposits, and oh: he gave me his credit card and told me to get the stuff for S's Easter basket. And treat us to a nice lunch on him. So we will do just that. Maybe a visit to the Olive Garden? That is a great mother-daughter place. But we are going to be in between our two local restaurants... too far. I know, I haven't been to the Longhorn Steakhouse for a while! It is next to the Target we are going to, and they have a great kids menu. Wonderful salads too! OK. That would work.
I usually try to get more toys rather than candy for the basket, she will get enough of that at the Easter Egg Hunt at the park and home, but K made me promise to get her a big, chocolate bunny. His mom never got him one as a kid, so he really want her to have one. She got one last year. They are huge! We ended eating most of it, it was enough for 3 people.
Out of the big "everything stores" (Wal-Mart, K-mart and Target) I like Target the best. Wal-Mart irks me with its sordid reputation for being a lousy employer, taking over an area so the small "mom and pop" places can't make it. K-mart has just gone down hill in this area after the bankruptcy problems. target, on the other hand seems to reinvent themselves every year. I like the hip vibe, the designer collaborations and the fresh feel. They opened a huge Super Target here in October, and you can walk around in that for hours.
We do have an almost brand new Wal-Mart just around the corner, but I rather do the drive to Target. The only thing I like about Wal-Mart is their self check out system (I helped translate the Swedish version!). Before I would go crazy waiting in their lines, now you can get through must faster.
Oh, and on another note, I think I might be getting a little better. Just small things here and there. I have noticed I have more energy, probably because instead of going to the bathroom 6-8 times a night it has been more like 2 the last few nights. Big difference! The energy translates itself to other areas: the house is clean, the laundry is done, I work more, play more. So I am keeping my fingers crossed that the steroids have started working their magic finally... Still haven't gained any weight, oddly enough.
I better get in the shower to get ready, it is already after 9.
I usually try to get more toys rather than candy for the basket, she will get enough of that at the Easter Egg Hunt at the park and home, but K made me promise to get her a big, chocolate bunny. His mom never got him one as a kid, so he really want her to have one. She got one last year. They are huge! We ended eating most of it, it was enough for 3 people.
Out of the big "everything stores" (Wal-Mart, K-mart and Target) I like Target the best. Wal-Mart irks me with its sordid reputation for being a lousy employer, taking over an area so the small "mom and pop" places can't make it. K-mart has just gone down hill in this area after the bankruptcy problems. target, on the other hand seems to reinvent themselves every year. I like the hip vibe, the designer collaborations and the fresh feel. They opened a huge Super Target here in October, and you can walk around in that for hours.
We do have an almost brand new Wal-Mart just around the corner, but I rather do the drive to Target. The only thing I like about Wal-Mart is their self check out system (I helped translate the Swedish version!). Before I would go crazy waiting in their lines, now you can get through must faster.
Oh, and on another note, I think I might be getting a little better. Just small things here and there. I have noticed I have more energy, probably because instead of going to the bathroom 6-8 times a night it has been more like 2 the last few nights. Big difference! The energy translates itself to other areas: the house is clean, the laundry is done, I work more, play more. So I am keeping my fingers crossed that the steroids have started working their magic finally... Still haven't gained any weight, oddly enough.
I better get in the shower to get ready, it is already after 9.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Proof!
We all know American food portions in restaurants are way out of proportion...
Another piece of evidence: Sometimes I like a fast meal that is also somewhat OK nutrition wise. I opt for a plain baked potato and a small chili at Wendy's. Poor the chili over/on the potato, voila! An instant, satisfying meal. Today I also added a medium un-sweet ice tea. The cup was so big it barely fit the cup holder in the car. And get this; after 3.5 hours the tea left was still cold, since the share size kept it that way... Imagine how many calories would have been in there if it was a regular soda?
Another piece of evidence: Sometimes I like a fast meal that is also somewhat OK nutrition wise. I opt for a plain baked potato and a small chili at Wendy's. Poor the chili over/on the potato, voila! An instant, satisfying meal. Today I also added a medium un-sweet ice tea. The cup was so big it barely fit the cup holder in the car. And get this; after 3.5 hours the tea left was still cold, since the share size kept it that way... Imagine how many calories would have been in there if it was a regular soda?
The Easter Bunny is BIG!
S have never had a favorite lovey she takes to bed. In fact, she never wanted a binky, and she has never (except for the day she was born) drank from a bottle. I guess I was her lovey, nursing her all the time. I still sing her to bed every night. I don't think it is spoiling her, and I love the closeness. Anyway, she always picks the books we will read each night, as well as which stuffed animal goes with her (or sometimes rubbery lizard or gator). Tonight she insisted on bringin the Easter Bunny. He is a very large bunny a friend gave her for her first Easter. VERY large...
In fact, my brother in law also insist on bringing huge stuffed animals each Christmas. We don't have a big house, and these things are monsters! So far we have the Easter Bunny, a Bear and two Dogs. They are very nice quality, just HUGE! As you can see in the pictures, the Bunny might not be the best thing to snuggle with... and after a few minutes she quietly informed me he was too big... Bless her heart!
Lite Q&A
Min kära kalvtavla från Sverige! En gammal Vagabond skoreklam från nån tidning i början av 90-talet...- Ta närmaste bok och slå upp sidan 18 rad 4 – vad står det där?
”The respiratory therapist looked up from connecting…” från STIGMA by Philip Hawley, Jr.
2. Sträck ut din vänstra arm så långt du kan, vad rör du vid?
3. Vad såg du senast på tv?
”The Daily Ten” amerikanskt skvallermagasin på lunchen.
4. Utan att se efter, gissa vad klockan är?
16:20? Ja, EXAKT!
5. Bortsett från datorn, vad hör du just nu?
Trafikbrus, en av mina hundar som suckar, fåglar som har sig ute, stolen som knarrar lite.
6. När du senast var ute vad gjorde du då?
Var ute för ca 25 minuter sedan på långpromenad med vovsarna.
7. Vad tittade du på innan du började med denna undersökning?
En blogg.
8. Vad har du på dig nu?
Khakifärgad kjol från GAP, marinblå kortärmad tröja från Ralph Lauren, trosor från Victoria's Secret, BH från Frederick's of Hollywood
9. Drömde du något i natt?
Jag kommer ihåg att jag vaknade straxt efter midnatt efter en läskig dröm (tack bruna bönorna). Kommer inte ihåg vad det var, men otäckt var det.
10. När skrattade du senast?
Nog igår åt dotterns roligheter.
11. Vad finns på väggarna i rummet där du är nu?
Mina universitetsdiplom, medlemsbevis till American Translators Association, konst och en av mina favoritbilder som har varit med mig sedan min första egna lägenhet när jag var 19 år (det är en annons för skomärket Vagabond, se ovan), dotterns konst.
12. Har du sett något konstigt på sista tiden?
Jo. Man bor ju i USA…
13. Vilken var den senaste film du såg?
The Pursuit of Happyness
Större hus. Sommarstuga på Gotland, nya bilar, fler resor.
15. Berätta något om dig själv som folk inte vet om.
Jag kan 5 språk.
16. Tycker du om att dansa?
Nej. Bara för mig själv i så fall, eller med dottern.
17. Vad ska dina barn heta, pojke resp flicka?
Flickan heter ju S. En pojke skulle ha hetat Eric.
18. Skulle du någonsin överväga att bo utomlands?
Jo, uppenbarligen så inga problem med det!
Jo, uppenbarligen så inga problem med det!
Working...
Needed a little break... Well, I started working on that other new job early this morning, only to find out the end-client decided to not pursue a translation... It got me so pissed! But the agency was very professional and offered to pay for time spent, but I figure it would be in my best interest to be nice and decline, more chance of future projects if they think I am really nice...
FINALLY the Swedish government came through and provided me with a Word-doc of the report I have to translate for next week. So I can use my translation tool, a program that remembers certain strings I have already translated, so I don't have to re-write them. It also promotes consistency which is important in larger documents of course. It has a lot of helpful technology that make the process easier. They call them CAT-tools, (computer aided translation). The computer doesn't translate anything of course, but it helps me keep organized on larger projects.
I am just glad the $ is coming in again. Can you believe it will be 9 years since I was in Sweden last? So I would like to have a lot of money to spend in July... And to make up for the almost 3 weeks I will be gone...
I have noticed my writing is really sloppy on this blog, I think it is because I always have to be so nit picky when working, so when I am not I tend to just let loose. That is my theory at least! You should hear all the tropical birds outside, it sound wonderful! The bougainvillea is blooming so brightly, the hibiscus is looking beautiful. I heard the Gulf of Mexico is already 72 degrees (22 C)... The best thing of all is all the orange blossoms that smells so delicious! Our Key Lime tree in the back is full of blossoms too! Summer is on its way!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)