Sweden Other - 4

Got a new book yesterday, "There Are Things I Want You To Know About Stieg Larsson And Me", by Eva Gabrielsson.
Eva is the woman that was together with Stieg for 30 years, they lived together but since they never had children and didn't get married
before his sudden and unexpected death, she had some problems with book rights, money etc. Legal stuff.
(Stieg is the author of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" books.) So it's basically Eva's story.
What I can tell you is that it seems like there might be a fourth book coming eventually,
"The Vengeance Of God" judging from the info in this book. Yeay! I can't wait, because I love Lisbeth. Besides that, the book was rather boring - though I feel bad for Eva.
But I do want to quote some lines from it regarding coffee,"People often ask me if the Swedish drink as much coffee as the characters do in The Millenium Trilogy. Well, we drink a lot indeed, given that Finland is the only country in the world that consumes more coffee than we do."

I can tell you that when I go home to Sweden for a visit, I spend a lot of times in cafés, sipping on a latte, having a sandwich, pastry or some pie.
There is some really good pie in Sweden, I prefer the blueberry or rhubarb with the most delicious vanilla sauce. Vanlijsås.......I NEED!!!
I always meet up with a friend or two and chat away. There are a ton of cafés in Stockholm, nobody is too busy for "en fika". There is more of a "taking time to meet my friends" culture there, I think. Here people are "too busy" and much more focused on themselves,
which I do not like at all. (My experience.) If you are too busy for your friends then maybe you should change your lifestyle? Seems like a sad life to me.
I have always prioritized my friends but I have noticed that many of the people I know here, don't feel the same way. I should probably get rid of those "friends". I will most likely be better off without them.
Anyhow, speaking of coffee......I am going to start the car, let it warm up and go get a coffee.
It is snowing. I did not go to work last night. I was too tired.....But I think I am going tonight.
Here is some Swedish coffee, Gevalia.

I MISS SWEEEEEDEEEEN!!!!!
😥
Homesick for a real Swedish Christmas with Swedish food, all the decorations
and Kalle Anka Julafton!
We always have a star in at least one of the windows and an electric candle thingy in the window/s.
Don't know how to translate it, in Sweden we call it adventsljusstake.
On the kitchen table we have one too but with real candles, you light one candle each Sunday until all four are lit at the same time and then it is Christmas. Sooooo pretty and very traditional.
You see the adventsljusstake and the star in many windows of homes all over Sweden at this time of year.
It's almost 4 30 am and I can't sleep, I am looking at pictures of stars and candles and miss Sweden.

Later this month the American version of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" is coming to theaters. Exciting!!!! This time Rooney Mara is playing the lead,
the role of a lifetime!

I did see the three Swedish movies with Noomi Rapace playing Lisbeth Salander and I loved them. And of course I read the books. They are great!
If you haven't read them, you should. The author? Stieg Larsson. Brilliant man.
I might have a weakness for the books since the plot is taking place in Sweden, mostly Stockholm, where I grew up. Stieg writes about people
and places that I am familiar with.


Unfortunately Stieg died much too early from a heart attack, otherwise there would had probably been more books about Lisbeth.
He is one of the best-selling authors in the world.
And he incorporated my heroine Pippi Långstrump into the story. Pippi, everybody in Sweden knows and loves her. Supposedly Lisbeth is a grown
version of Pippi, through the eyes of Stieg. I think he did a great job of capturing Pippi's spirit.

We also love ABBA in Sweden. I grew up singing ABBA songs into the handle of my jump rope while dancing in front of the mirror, pretending to be
either Agnetha or Anni-Frid.

Look at those butts, looking absolutely amazing the way they are, no surgeries or padded panties here!


Isn't it kind of funny that both the actresses playing Lisbeth have double O's in their first names?

Already? Jeeeez, time goes so fast! Does it start going faster when you get older OR has time in fact started to speed up?
I heard a theory about that on Coast To Coast AM, had something to do with 2012 and the end of times.
I remember the first couple of summer breaks in between school when I was little, they seemed to be going on forever, not anymore!
I am going to send out all my Christmas gifts pretty soon, I got almost everything bought, only a few things left. But I still need to take care of the
Christmas cards. Every year I get overwhelmed with all the people that I have on my list for either a gift, a card or both. I feel like Santa, lol.
I have a list. But I love giving, it is exciting to think of something to give to another person and it feels good to make somebody else happy.
Every year I promise myself that I will cut down a little but I usually don't.
Then I have to give to kids that need gifts too, at least two gifts, for a boy and a girl. And then I need to donate cat and dog food to the local animal
shelter. If I don't, I feel guilty.
I like Yuletide with Christmas music on the radio, it is nice to drive around and see how others decorate their yards, houses and put lights up.
All my Christmas stuff is in Vegas, so I don't think that I will have a tree this year, I don't want to accumulate even more decorations and ornaments, I have a bunch already.
Hopefully I will use it all next year. Stockholm, Sweden is sooooo nice around Christmas time, especially if there's snow.
Walking around Gamla Stan (Old Town) that time of year is magical.
Sitting down at a café in Gamla Stan to warm up with a latte and some warm blueberry pie with vaniljcreme is the best.



But it seems like many do not share the spirit of Christmas.
Many dread the crowds and the long lines, others fear gaining weight, some fear going into debt and others dread "having to be nice".
Well, that's why I have 80 % of my shopping done already, I get things throughout the year and put it away for Christmas.
And as far as "being nice".......I can't stand fake smiles and pretend personalities, yuck.
Just be yourself already, everybody can have a bad day and some pms. Stay home or avoid mingling then if you don't want
to "be nice" - whatever THAT is supposed to mean. Or up your meds. Take an extra bong hit
I never understood the whole fake personality thing, that is probably why I have been called blunt and a bitch countless of times but whaaaaatever,
I take that as a compliment. At least I am not fake. And once I am your friend, I am a good and loyal friend. That gives Christmas gifts.

Here is a pic from Tatiana a few weeks ago when she went out one night..........She actually decided to have a drink, hallelujah! For some reason, she had Jägermeister on her mind, and ordered it "with ice". "On the rocks" the bartender replied. "Sure" Tatiana said. The Jäger tasted like weird medication after three sips. Bleh.
Yeah, Tatiana is not much of a drinker. Just not her cup of tea.
One of the things that highly irritate her is when people at work try to force drinks on her. HELLO......! Are you dumb? Tatiana does not want to drink, if she wanted to she would be perfectly capable of accepting the damned drink or getting one herself. Some of her favorite arguments coming from guys that have a very hard time getting it into their thick skulls that Tatiana does not want a drink are, "Well, if you don't drink then you are no fun".
Yeah, hi you rapist, Tatiana sees what you have to do to get somewhere with a girl. But NOT this girl, Tatiana is in charge. Now get away from Tatiana please, watch her as she leaves.
Or, "What do you do for fun then if you don't drink"? Like fun only equals drinking..........FUN life YOU must have!
Really intoxicated people at work are usually annoying. And Tatiana has definitely seen her share of drunk, sloppy, extremely annoying girls at work. Not hot. Embarrassing.
Yes, yes sure Tatiana has been drunk.
She remembers when she tried alcohol at 13, thinking she was super cool, drinking with her friend Pernilla, before going out. They mixed wine, liquor and whatever else they could find into a bottle, it was absolutely disgusting. But Tatiana forced herself to some mouthfuls, cause she wanted to get drunk, even if it was gross. It was partyyyyyyy time!
Another time while visiting Poland, Tatiana and her friend Jenny visited a restaurant, they ordered a few rum and cokes each. And some admirers from a nearby table sent over a bottle of champagne. The room was spinning when Tatiana finally got up from that table. The admirers were probably hoping to get to know Tatiana and Jenny that night. But Tatiana barfed right outside the restaurant, sat down on some stairs and toppled over. How she got herself and Jenny in a cab and managed to get home she does not know. But she remembers screaming the address to the cab driver at the top of her lungs. Very lady like.
And another time, and the only time, that Tatiana left work due to being tipsy was when an apple Martini just sounded like a great and yummy idea. Halfway into her second apple Martini Tatiana was way tipsy and did not want to talk to strangers. Instead she made out with her friend Shelley, much to the audiences approval. This was at the Crazy Horse Too in Vegas btw. Tatiana and Shelley decided to leave and went to the Peppermill instead and Tatiana had her third apple Martini. And that's all it took, she got sick in the bathroom at the Peppermill. Shelley drove home, Tatiana remembers that drive, it felt unreal, like a go cart ride, how Shelley got us home is still a mystery to Tatiana.
When Tatiana used to go to BZ in Stockholm, a club, with her friend Marie, she sometimes ordered one, maybe two Martini Coolers. Those were so yummy, that's Martini Bianco with Sprite over ice.
So yes, Tatiana has been drunk but it's been some time now, she can sip on a drink occasionally but the chances of her being drunk at some club or at work are basically nil. And she feels the effects of the alcohol really fast, it only takes a few sips. Tatiana prefers being sober anyway. She is just as happy, outgoing and fun sober as she is tipsy.
Tatiana started going out on a regular basis in 7th grade. She would be out almost every Friday and Saturday. She felt like she would miss out on something very important if she didn't show up at the club.
It started with a place called BG, then once in a while there would be a disco at TC, and once in a while she would take a party bus to some huge clubs out in the forest with thousand of kids having fun.
Then at 15, it was the 18 and over clubs that were interesting, the ones in Stockholm. Tatiana remembers when her and Marie made it into Cafe Opera at the tender age of 16, that was something. How did we get in? We were just too cute!
But drinking was never that much fun after all. Tatiana fell in love with music and dancing and she was boy crazy in her teens too. And she carefully planned her outfits.
Then she discovered house music and raves or clubs that cater to that music. And boys became crazy over her. LOL.




Rose-Marie......Tatiana is wearing the pink feather earrings that you sent her on the pic, she loves them, you always send the best earrings!
🙂

Valborgsmässoafton is something people celebrate in Sweden, usually the night of April 30.
In English it is called Walpurgis Night.
It's the celebration of the coming Summer and large bonfires burn throughout the night while crowds of people gather around them. This is a very old, pagan tradition. Hundreds of years old. Back in the day people also believed that the witches flew on their brooms to Blåkulla on this night. Blåkulla was a place where the witches would gather and meet up with the Devil. Pretty interesting.
Tatiana remembers Valborgsmässoafton from her childhood, always an exciting night.
So to honor the tradition, she had her own little fire tonight.