New dogs in the house!

We are dog-sitting Tuula and Suri which means that the energy level in the house has gone through the roof! Suri and Lakrits seem to be on the same page and are running all over - then they get super quiet and that is when they are up to no good...

The saddest thing is that Lakrits keeps loosing to Suri when they are playing tug-of-war. Our dog is a wimp.

Swedish Pop Culture 2012 - Alcohol

Alcohol
Swedes drink a lot of alcohol. Swedes also like to brag about drinking a lot of alcohol, or be concerned about drinking a lot of alcohol. Sometimes I wonder how much time we would save a society if we would just stopped talking about drinking. Not even the activity itself - just the talking about it. If you spend any amount of time in the country, you will surely encounter one of several possible headlines in the evening press: “Swedes drink more than ever before”, “Are you drinking too much? Take our quiz and find out!” or “The ten best summer cocktail recipes”.

Swedish Pop Culture 2012 - Absolut

You guys rock!

Because of your excellent recommendations, I have now DOUBLED the amount of stuff foreigners need to know about Sweden. Thought I would give you a sample, but let the suggestions keep coming!

Absolut
Somehow, I am sure you have heard of it. It is one of the most famous Swedish brands out there and every single time I introduce myself to someone in a bar and tell them where I am from, within minutes there will be a shot of this clear liquid on the table in front of me. Back when I was single, I mean. The thing is, though, that Absolut Vodka hasn’t actually been Swedish since July 2008, when the French company Pernod Ricard bought it from the Swedish government. We refuse to accept this, however, and keep on partying like it’s 2007 with flavors like Watkins (ground coffee, almond, caramel and chili), Wild Tea (black tea, elderflower) and Peppar (roasted Jalapenos, green tomato and dried herbs) when we get bored with the normal kind.

I need your help! Swedish Pop Culture 2012

So, just for fun I have been working on this text on Swedish Pop Culture, from A to Ö. Whenever I talk to Americans about what it is like living in Sweden, I always have to explain some weird phenomena or tradition and I have been looking for a book that would provide that information for tourists, people who are moving to Sweden and Swedish-Americans. When I lived in Minnesota, for example, people knew a lot about the old Sweden but not that much about stuff that happened, say, the last 100 years.

Here is a list of the things I have been writing about. Do you have any topics you think should be added to this list? Let me know! What do people need to know about Sweden that is not in every single guide- and history book?

Absolut
Alcohol
Abba
Alexandra-mannen
Alex Schulman
Almedalsveckan
Aftonbladet Plus
Anders Borgs hår
Allsång på Skansen
Anna Lindh
Arbogamordet
Bollibompa
Bandy
Blondinbella/Kissie
Båstad
Carolina Gynning
Camilla Henemark
Engla-mordet
Ernst Kirschteger
Efterlyst
Erik Hamrén
Expedition:Robinson
Filip och Fredrik
Fredrik Reinfeldt
Flashback
Föräldraförsäkring
Fadime
Fredrik Federley
Godmorgon Världen
GI
Hagamannen
Ica-reklamen
Innebandy
Julian Assange
Julafton
Juldagen
JAS
Kungen
Knutbymorden
Lidl
Leif GW Persson
Lasermannen
Melodifesivalen
Midsommar
Mattias Flink
Raggare
Radio Ett
Robert Aschberg
Så ska det låta
Så mycket bättre
SJ
Stranskyddet
Sommar I P1
Tomas Quick
Uppdrag Granskning
Valborg
Wild kids
Wasabröd
Wasaskepp
Änglagård

What I am working on right now

Besides teaching ESL at Peninsula College, I am doing some filming and editing for Beaujes Dog Training. Judith Bell, the trainer, is working on Behavioural Adjusment Training for fearful and reactive dogs. This is from our first session with Tilly... Hopefully we will be able to show you an "after" film as well as "before"!

The party

Almost exactly one year ago, we had a huge party in Sweden to celebrate our wedding. This year, we had a smaller version with a bunch of old and new friends from all over the US. Lots of laughing, playing and being merry! Also, strange animal games at four in the morning... Good times!

Requim for an Iphone

Ever wonder what an iphone looks like after you run it over with the lawn mower? Wonder no more!


The kind of sad thing (except for the death itself) is that it had a lot of pictures on it, for example from when WAG (Welfare for Animals Guild) visited an old people's home and Lakrits was getting petted by everyone, to this weekend when we went to Bonnie's baby shower and saw Lakrits play with his sister Blackberry, that he hasn't seen since he was eight weeks old. But hey, really it mainly sucks for those among you that cared to see pictures from it, because we were there and remember it as if it was yesterday (which it was).

This week it seems like everything is starting up again. My own classes in Sweden (taking American history, crime lit + media analysis classes, the classes I teach (radio for kids), I work as a ESL teacher in Sequim, marketing for a shipping company and then I ride a horse that belongs to my neighbor. Besides my volunteer stuff of course, like WAG and helping out with a web site for Beaujes Dog Training (www.beaujes.com) and free lance stuff for Swedish media. A busy fall, in all.