It’s quiz time!

This is scary. This is really a mail (a chain mail, I might add!) from a friend of mine, and it wasn’t in English. So, time to prove how good I am translating. Or not.

Anyhow, lots of questions. Now you’ll learn my deepest secrets.

Where do you live?

Where the polar bears wander about in the streets.

What do you do for a living?

I book, organize and deal with logistics for a company that provides stage workers for concerts, events, festivals and that sort of happenings. Yep, and accounting. Numbers. Just gotta love them.

What book do you read now?

Bill Bryson, The Thunderbolt Kid. Great fun! (And a bit scary.)

Which artist is in your stereo now?

Kaiser Chiefs, “Off with their heads”

Fantasy? (Or, am I supposed to translate it with “imagination”?)

Whatever, the answer is yes. Indeed.

Favourite magazine?

Loads of comics. Rocky, Eon and M ranks high.

Favourite scent?

Come on. I don’t know these things. Petrol?

Favourite sound?

A nice guitar, Metallicas “Clover”, my kids saying “I want to go to bed!”

Worst feeling in the world?

Combination of restlessness, despair and missing someone at the same time kind of sucks.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you wake up in the morning?

“Oh crap, I’ve done it again! I’m late!”

Favourite color:

Black, purple and red. In that order.

How many times does your phone ring before you answer it?

That depends on who’s calling, and if I can find my phone.

If you were to change names, what would your new name be?

Ain’t gonna happen.

What will your kids be named?

They’re already named something pretentious and international. And somewhat biblical.

Most important gadget in your world?

iPod and computer. Of course. And phone. But if you’re going to take something away, please let me keep my beloved iPod Shuffle.

Favourite food right now?

Ehm. Me and food. Well, I’ve had a thing for sushi lately.

Chocolate- or vanilla ice?

Chocolate. Or vanilla. With hot berries. Mhmmmmm. But I’d rather have lemon sorbet.

Do you drive fast?

Yes. I’m sorry.

Thunderstorms. Pretty or scary?

Both. Irrationally scary, but incredibly pretty.

What was your first car?

A nice little Peugeot. With holes in the floor.

The car of your dreams?

Oh. Difficult one. Jaguars, BMW’s, of course a Dodge, and the obvious Mustang.

If you could meet a person, dead or alive, who would it be?

I’d love to see my grandmother again. Apart from her, well, don’t know really. John Lennon. Kurt Cobain. Oh. Of course. Jimi Hendrix!

Favourite drink/alcohol?

I guess I shouldn’t write “whatever!” but I’m tempted. No, give me beer and I’m happy. Give me a drink without cream or milk in it, I’m happy. Give me red wine and I’m happy. Just don’t give me Smirnoff Ice.

What’s your astrological sign?

Pisces. Who would’ve thought.

Do you eat the broccoli stem?

Yes. I’m a good girl.

If you could choose another profession, what would it be?

I love my job, but think I’d love to be a photographer for real as well.

Dog or cat?

Both? I’ve got two cats, but like dogs too.

Have you ever been in love?

Indeed.

How many fingers on your keyboard?

Eight or nine, mostly.

What’s under your bed?

Monsters. They’re just disguised as clothes. Cunning little bastards.

Favourite number?

Don’t talk to me about numbers.

What sport do you prefer to watch on the telly?

Football. It’s as easy as that. Oh! And Paralympics!

What’s characteristic about the person sending you this mail?

She’s scarily intelligent, got the greatest sense of humour and is so kind!

Who or what can make you happy?

I’m easy. A nice song on the radio. A good day at work. Obviously my kids. A textmessage or call from someone I like. Wine. Talking with friends. Sun. Rain.

Any homemaking project taking your time now?

Well. Let’s first see if I’ve got a home.

What was the last thing you saw at the movies?

Wall – E!

 

Finally!

2008 comes to an end. Let’s see what 2009 brings.

 

Stay tuned!

Nothing else matters

I’m a mother. ’nuff said.

Everything else is, well, not that important. My life when the kids aren’t around is interesting. Absolutely. Lots of fun. Lots of work. I love that. But, in the long run, it really doesn’t matter. There are times when this is more obvious for me than other times. Like now. My oldest son is sick. Not life threatening or serious, but sick enough to get me worried. He’s got pneumonia, and speaks in a thin voice, moves slowly and has gotten thin. Really skinny. These things happen, but this time it happened when I wasn’t around. And no one told me. My little boy was in a hospital in another country, and I didn’t know.

He and his brother are back home with me now, and I feel so guilty to have put them in a situation where they don’t have both their father and their mother with them at all times, and that they’re trapped in a stupid adult world where other things than their well being seem to matter. I hate that world, and I try to shield them from it, but it doesn’t always work. Like this time.

Then again. I know, and I really feel that it’s right, that it’s important as a parent to show them that you have to take responsibility for your own happiness, and would it really be the right thing to do, also considering my kids, to stay in an unhealthy relationship to keep up appearances? Wouldn’t they want their mother to be happy? Am I not a better mother to them when I live a life that I can, to say it in a stupid way, live with? Even though that means that I can’t be with their father?

I guess I’ll know in ten years time, when they are in their teens and cruelly honest. Did I wreck their world and life, or did I learn them to take responsibility for your own life and to handle the consequences of your own choices?

 

Time will show. Inevitably.

Do they know it’s Christmas?

And more important, do they care? I really don’t, but I like to make the kids happy (just sad that they’re not with me now), and I like to have family that makes me awesome food and keeps me company. I like to see the dark winter nights get lighted up because of a weird idea of making trees shine. Don’t give me the religious bullshit. It’s just excuses. Why do we need excuses to have some fun and nice times in the dark season? I know I don’t.

Well, that’s all I’m gonna say about Christmas. I promise. Just don’t start arguing.

Last couple of weeks have been eventful. Definetly. There was this company party, in short version, we didn’t run out of beer. Miraculously. Maybe we ought to have done. It was great fun, though. I was so tired and my poor head wouldn’t stop ache the next day, but it was worth it, as far as I can remember.

The famous Sportsbar opened again after three months of “redecorating”, I had to stop by, and ended up at a neverending nachspiel, and suffered yet another headache. Funny thing, that. Went Christmas shopping with my beloved friend next day, worked a couple of hours, and then straight out for sushi and beer with a lot of really cool ladies I know, we had so much fun, and I ended up with tears in my eyes ’cause of all the laughter more than once.

I really needed some sleep after that, for the next day was the Motörhead-day. Didn’t get so much of shut-eye though, I was still on call, and the phone just wouldn’t stop ringing. Finally I got down to the arena, met my friend (the handsome brit), spent the day with him, and yes, I had a really good time. Thankfully I had the next day off, so I didn’t have to rush back to town, and when I got home I could spend a couple of hours in my apartment getting my head back on track before finally picking up my kids Monday afternoon. My kids, now with short hair. Goddamn, that was a surprise. Good thing it’s only hair and will grow back.

Ah. Yes. And now Christmas Eve is over, this entire fucking challenging year is soon history, and I can breath again. Soon.

[enter interesting and catchy phrase]

Got a little brain dead there, and can’t think of a good heading. Sorry about that.

Well, what’s new? For one, there’s completely white outside. Some cold, wet stuff called snow, I guess. Kids are happy, I’m not so sure. It’s pretty, though. I usually like snow, I just don’t like all the side effects, like cold toes, cold fingers, traffic chaos, multiple layers of clothes and that sort of stuff. Oh well, it’s pretty. Can’t argue with that.

Work is insane at the moment, I’m way behind with all the stuff I’m supposed to do because of all the stuff that have to be done straight away, preferably yesterday. Still fun, but I’ll be so glad when this week is over. Elton John is not one of my fav artists, but I am looking forward to see that insane stage IRL, and not just on a rigging plot. Next week we’re throwing a company party, and I really ought to have been a little bit more up to date on the preparations, but I guess everyone is happy as long as we don’t run out of beer.

Oh, yes! Paris! That was so great! Travelling alone is a bit scary just the night before you leave, but when I finally was on the plane (point of no return, sort of), everything was cool. I really, really hate to fly, but have to admit that seeing Europe frome sky view at night was fun. When I arrived at Orly, I didn’t have any clue about how to actually get to Paris, but found a bus with some familiar names on it. Busdriver didn’t speak english. No one did. Really, NO ONE! I don’t speak french. That could have been a problem, but you get really far with a smile on your face and at talent for improvisation.

I met up with a friend of mine the first night, she, I and red wine had a lot of fun. A kick ass start on my tiny vacation! Not so much of a kick start the next morning, though. Well, when in Paris you can’t stay on the room all day watching german MTV even though you’re suffering an insane hangover, so I hit the streets, and the headache got a little less life threatening. A bit later that day I was supposed to meet another friend of mine, ran a bit late after underestimating the distance back to the hotel, but fashionably late is indeed what I do best. Or most often, anyways. He is a sound tech, and I spent the day and evening at Le Zenith, watching him do his job and saw the band play. I had a good time. Definetly.

Next two days were meant for general sightseeing, and that’s what I did. I loved walking around in that gorgeous city all by my self, being my own boss and going where I wanted to, when I wanted to. Got around to Louvre, Notre Dame, tons of other places I can’t remember the names of, and wrapped up my staying in Paris with visiting Jim Morrison and kissing Oscar Wildes grave at Pere Lachaise. Survived the flight back home, too. Can’t complain.

Right now my oldest son is blinding me with the flash on my camera, or was it a phone, anyhow, time to get the little rascal and his brother to bed.

Disturbed!

I’ve got a couple of pics for you this time. Some weeks ago I went to a consert with Disturbed, that was pretty cool. I shan’t mention that my buddy bought Smirnoff Ice in stead of beer, but… Oops! Damn, that just slipped right out of my fingers. *moahaha*

Anyhow, I used my almost new phone that is already broken to take some pics. Wanna see?

I’m kind of tired these days, but that’s okay, ’cause I’ll have some days off in a couple of weeks. Have i bragged about that before? Yeah, think so. Anyway, the plan is to go to Paris, drink red wine with a friend of mine, (she’s in Paris to work, lucky bastard) and go to the Motörhead-thing with another friend of mine. Sleep as long as I want, see whatever I want, read as much as I want – oh! I’m so looking forward to that!

Yet another day in Suburbia

…and it’s a beautiful Autumn day, once again. Not much use in that for me though, I’m spending it indoors with my somewhat sick youngest kid. Yep, “somewhat” is the word, he was pretty warm all night long, but his temperature is now down, and spirits are up. We’re just hanging out in the couch (yep, not “on”, but “in”), watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and reading about cool cars. Yeah, and surf the internet, off course. That’s mainly me doing that, I have to admit, but the kid sat her laughing at Jon Stewart right now, I’m not quite sure why. He’s either a linguistic genius and understand more English than I thought combined with a knowledge about the US election that is somewhat scary for a twoyearold, or he just like funny faces. You pick.

It’s a bit embarrassing to admit that I actually miss work. One day off is absolutely enough. A bit scary, considering I’m going to have almost a full week off next month. Well, I guess I’ll find something to take my mind off when I arrive in Paris. *happyhappyhappy*

Yep, that was a really smooth way to brag about my upcoming trip, wasn’t it?

Oh! Oh! Oh! I almost forgot! Big news! Guess who’s coming to town? Next year? In June? No other than my all time favourite, Metallica. I’m so extremely happy about it, it’s almost embarrassing. Well, it’s a long winter before that. Have patience. Must have patience.

Autumn! Just gotta love it

Yep, it is cold, windy and my kids suddenly have to wear plenty of clothes in the kinder garden, but still, I love this time of year. Don’t know exactly why, though. It may be really simple, I like pretty colors, and we have indeed a lot of pretty colors in my darling city now. I’m weird enough to love rain as well, nothing beats walking in streetlights on wet pavements a dark night. And, a little less flattering, I’m just really lazy and absolutely enjoy being inside with a book, music, a movie or my computer and not having to “be outside and enjoy the nice weather!”

Today is one of those days, windy and wet outside, and me and my kids are staying inside just hangin’ around. The little ones have been drumming for an hour or so, and I am actually quite impressed with my oldest kids beat. That’s my kid. I’m proud. Youngest one is showing a lot of heart and enthusiasm in beating the hell out of the plasticbox, give him a couple of years and he’s probably a new Lars Ulrich too.

Speaking of music, I’m so looking forward to February! AC/DC is coming to town, and I’m thrilled! It’s going to be so cool, a brand new consertarena and that’s so exciting! It’s probably going to be a lot of work, but that’s just fun. And I make money. Can’t get any better, can it? But, thing’s happen before February. On my “looking forward to”-list is my trip to Paris in November, Madrugada and Katzenjammer in November and Motörhead and Elton John in December. (Well, Elton John is not necessarily for the music, but seeing the stage IRL.)

Time is flying by, and I’m tired, have to admit that. Being on my own with the kids isn’t always a walk in the park, it’s a lot of carrying, logistics and mental stress. But, they’re cool and extremely nice toddlers, and I’m learning by doing. It’s getting easier.

Who doesn’t love lists?

Not me.

I’m tired as hell, and don’t count on my own ability to write long sentences, so, this is what I’ve got today.

 

Good things:

• My new black and purple dress. *shallow*
• Coffee. Loads of it.
• “Mansfield Park” by Jane Austen
• My little, green iPod with Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, Metallica, BigBang, Madrugada, Kaizers Orchestra, Raga, Jokke, the soundtrack from “Once” and probably someone I don’t remember right now
• Friends making focaccia and chocolate cake
• Pretty red cars called “Ruby” not breaking down, but fixing themselves. No kidding!
• New friends!
• Not being afraid of snakes anymore
• Not being desperate, and again, no kidding!

 

Bad things:

• Missing my kids
• Having to clean up my apartment once again
• Getting up in the morning
• Going to bed in the evening
• Gaining weight
• Losing weight
• Did I mention cleaning up the apartment?

 

That’s all for now. Stay tuned.

Generally speaking

It’s been a while since last post now.

Last weekend I was out on town from Thursday ’til Sunday (or at least it felt like it), and a lot of absolutely blogworthy stuff happened, and I couldn’t wait to write it down. Then, Monday morning came, and life happened. Not the mindless, wandering along the streets in high heels and cigarettes in my bag kind of life, but the serious, complicated life of an adult single parent trying to make a good life for the kids and me. Things are getting rougher, and I have to toughen up a bit, I guess.

It’s got a weird way of effecting me. I’m not getting more stressed out at work, more impatient with the kids or killing innocent bugs, but I get extremely detail oriented. Right now I’m so tired I have to think about every little move I’m about to make, in which order I’ll pick up the keys, VISA-card and iPod, what sock to put on first, if I’ll pick up the forks of the knifes from the drawer first. Details like that, they all get to my head. …and then, when the kids are asleep, I stop moving. I can’t find the energy to do simple tasks like making lunchboxes for tomorrow. Or, I do it. In the end. When I’ve argued with myself for an hour or so.

Some day, everything is going to be okay. This, too, shall pass. I long for that day, and I know that it is coming soon, perhaps not this year, perhaps not next year, but it will come. And I’m still young.