I was up early and unwilling in the -20°C (-4°F) morning to take Lydia to town for a haircut and our monthly lunch-and-shopping date. She had her allowance to blow and I didn’t feel like tagging along while she tried on every t-shirt in a one-mile radius, so after our Subway sandwiches we split up… Read More Saturday

When I was ten years old and in the fifth grade, I started playing in the school band. My mom and I went to the information meeting and I had a look at all the available instruments, but from the word go my heart was set on the trombone. At that point I had no… Read More Give me a beat

For the past couple of winters, Lydia has been asking to “do what normal people do” and learn to ski or snowboard. Neither Olof nor I being particularly normal in that way, we finally got around to signing her up to take snowboard lessons at the local ski hill. She starts next Wednesday, and is… Read More Equipped

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Melanie wrote about the Smooth Away, a hair-removal device that touts itself as “easy, safe, and painless.” Ordinarily I wouldn’t be taken in by such a claim, but given that someone I know and trust had found it to be true, I decided to give it a go… Read More Product placement

Just when I thought I’d finally decided, really and truly, not to go back on interferon treatment, I get my first flare-up in I can’t remember how long. It’s not a bad one, by any means, and I doubt it’s really noticeable to anyone except me, but it’s undeniably there. It started a couple of… Read More That’s the way it goes.

Nine years ago today, Lydia and I and most of our worldly possessions arrived in Sweden, yet to return whence we came. It’s crazy how time flies; it doesn’t feel at all as though so many years have passed. I can’t believe how tiny Lydia was then, littler even than Petra is now. Sitting in… Read More Jubileum

We decided to go ahead and put off making the drive down to the neurologist, a decision that felt doubly good when we woke up this morning to -20°C (-4°F). Over the weekend and into the beginning of the week the temperatures had been up near freezing, but yesterday — just in time for Tage’s… Read More Thursday

The kids start back to school tomorrow, something that is bound to be a painful affair for all of us. This three weeks of vacation has left our sleep schedules completely out of whack and I don’t guess 7:30 am will find any of us feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I’d be lying, however, if I… Read More Sunday

Olof’s birthday was Tuesday, and I was charged with the task of baking the “tastiest cake ever.” I don’t know that I succeeded, but this cake should surely make the short list for any tasty-cake prize. It’s not the prettiest cake ever, I grant you, but man, did that thing go down easy. It was… Read More Rich