Monday, February 23, 2004

A new week is about to spring forth with the dawn tomorrow......How has the weekend been...Today I witnessed something I have never seen before: an ice hockey match. Where I grew up the only ice was in the fridge, I remember someone opened an ice rink in a nearby town and it lasted about six months before being turned into an indoor cricket arena (non-Commonwealth readers have just lot the thread there). So this was an experience. Points of observance:

1. They go really fast on those skates
2. For a country which does not permit professional boxing matches, I am surprised ice hockey is allowed and is popular as it is a damn violent game.
3. For the first time I have seen a Swedish crowd really lose control and many inhibitions without (much) alcohol.

The home team won and I must admit I was impressed. The speed of the game is amazing.

Yesterday was Saturday so we indulged in the Lordags Goodis (Saturday candy) ritual which much of the parenting population of Sweden seem to follow. It gives us something to say on the other six days of the week when it is not Saturday (No!) but leads to gluttony on the appointed sugar-hit day. It is perhaps a contributing factor to the binge drinking phenomenon I have witnessed in many parts of Sweden on the weekends (Saturday Licorice Shots if you are a good boy).
Speaking of drinking I rarely do these days but did on Friday night when we farewelled a work colleague who is retreating to the peace and space of the rural life?..Good luck Erika and Tommy. After just a few whiskeys and a couple of stouts I was feeling seedy on Saturday morning?.stumbling off to buy candy for the barn?.my God I sound like a Suburban Swede!!!
Friday was a day of distributing CD?s in my home town. I shifted 10 units as they say in the biz?Placed in shops around town (Garageland Records, Antiquarian Books, Mingus) and gave away a few to valued and influential persons. If anyone reading this wants to listen (or buy- 100SEK) 65 minutes of contempory white-boy didgeridoo structures mixed with field recordings made in Ladakh and drums, bells, clap sticks and Tibetan singing bowls?.mail me.
Thursday was the day of the opening the Adobe Atmosphere world I?ve been working on for four months. Attended by about 10 avatars it was a really enjoyable experience. The last hour was really quite stressful but kinda fun in an adrenalin charged way. A public version of the world will be online soon and the address will be here.
Monday to Wednesday was spent doing 7 hour days in the lab working on the world and 4 to 6 hours at night working on two papers I?m writing at the moment; one for a conference in June and one a scholarship application.
Which returns me to the idea of Monday??..tomorrow I begin a short course in International Issues in Education, which deals a lot with power, method and history in educational techniques?..should be interesting. Up till now I thought Dewey was a decimal system??.see ya

No comments: