Better Neighbours

One thing that improved since I moved to the new apartment is the neighbours. I did no dare to hope it would, even though it was really bad where I used to live and I thought it could not get much worse, but who knows… One of my colleagues live in the same house and same entrance where I live now and she said it was ok, but I was not really sure if I dared to trust here. But it is indeed much better. I got away from my pig-neighbour downstairs and his loud disgusting friends and I got away from the party crowd upstairs as well as the snotty, screaming and rude kids next door. Here I feel I can actually use my balcony!

Another good thing in the new house is that I have more immigrant neighbours here. I must say I do prefer to have immigrant neighbours, to have the Swedish riff raff small town people neighbours that are ubiquitous here. Today I met a very nice Muslim woman in the laundry room, who let me use one hour of her laundry time. Her Swedish was not perfect but she seemed happy to use it and she did very well. Above anything I prefer to live together with immigrants to living together with the Swedes who don’t like to live next to immigrants. I actually beleive that one of the main problems with The Small Town is that here are too few immigrants!

The Small Town people here are rude and socially unfit. They don’t say hello when you meet them, they just look the other way and pretend it is raining. And some say that is Big City behaviour!! Bullshit!! Just to take one example: Yesterday my parents visited me. On the way out of the apartment they walked ahead of me as I forgot something and had to go back. From the stair I heard they met someone at the door and that this person seemed polite and friendly and held the door for them. Immediately I knew it could not be one of the original small town people from this area and I actually guessed it was my upstairs colleague. And indeed. It was her!

Loosing My Temper?

I don’t think it is a secret that I have quite a hot temper and can get angry rather easily. But lately I have started to wonder whether I am starting loosing it, I mean staying cool and calm. For example today. It was a shitty day from the start. I had decided to stay in The Small Town this weekend but started to regret it already Thursday evening and it did not get any better. Saturday morning it was raining and very cold when I woke up. Anyway; I decided to try to do the best of the day and decided to go to IKEA to buy some stuff and organise my apartment. On my way to the next IKEA it started snowing. Ok, getting better… Of course the store was completely crowded and the stuff I was looking for was either not in store or did not look like I expected, so I was nearly walking out of the store empty handed, after two hours pushing around among families and couples with full carts. To avoid that I picked up some small things, among them a lamp that I had wanted to buy last time I was there, but then they did not have it, it basically is a big glass bowl, it is quite nice.
Walking out of the store I was pushing a cart and on that was the big IKEA paper bag with the lamp and some candles. Just outside the door, entering the rainy, windy, shitty weather; a strong wind came and swept the paper bag off the cart. With a crash it landed on the asphalt and the lamp was all in pieces, just out side the f…ing doors. This is a situation that normally would have made me very angry and upset, especially as I was both tired and hungry. But now I just picked the pieces up and threw them in the dust bin next to the door and walked to the car, with my vanilla scented candles (can not understand how come I bought them, I don’t like either perfumed candles or artificial vanilla scent!!). I could not really be bothered. I was really surprised at my own calmness!

Last Sunday I had another situation like this one, actually much worse, where I quite unexpectedly did not freak out. Everyone I told about it say they would have, even my mother!
It was when I came back from Stockholm late last Sunday evening. I was quite tired and only wanted to go to bed. Stepping into the kitchen I noticed I was stepping in water. It turned out the kitchen pipes seemed to have back fired and flushed sewer water over the whole kitchen. Thankfully it did not smell too bad, but there were small pieces of food all over and everything that had come in contact with the water was all greasy. I can tell you I was NOT happy, but I did not freak out. I just started to clean it all up. However I can assure you, that when I two hours later, thought I was finished and just wanted to put something in the top drawer, but then discovered that it, and all the other drawers also were full of water, then I was really close to freak out or at least on the verge of tears. Not that crying or freaking out would have helped in such a situation, but that never stopped me before. Now I just started the cleaning all over again. I did not even swear very much.

I don’t know how to interpret this, maybe I am getting wiser and more controlled. Or maybe I am just tired and getting used to shitty things happening.

Small Things Can Make All the Difference

It is funny how small things sometimes can make all the difference. The last couple of days the sun has been shining and it has been warm and you can feel summer is arriving, and all of a sudden life feels quite ok. Even in the small town! It is almost beautiful and the bicycle ride to the office is enjoyable.

Although I still feel it would have been even better to enjoy it in a city. The weekend in Copenhagen was really a hit! In every way! And also an example of that small things can make all the difference…

Growing up? Or becoming a nerd?

Yesterday I bought my own golf set. That was indeed with mixed emotions. I really think it is good fun learning to play golf and to be able to do that I need the equipment to practise and the set seemed very reasonably priced. What made me feel stupid and hesitant was the golf cart they made me buy with it. Ok I realise that the whole set, with bag and all and maybe an extra sweater, a bottle of water or what ever one might need to bring for 18 holes, will get very heavy to carry around, but still I would have preferred to have a bag to carry as I think the carts look corny and nerdy and only something for old men and ladies. I am still fighting conflicting feelings about golfing. At the same time that I feel it is a bit nerdy, I really think I will like it. That is hard!
But maybe golfing at least will make me earn some adult points….(if nothing else..)

For ever young?

I guess I am really not behaving my age. Not that this is anything new, but sometimes it gets more apparent. This weekend is one example. I had a great time in Copenhagen, partying really hard, hardly sleeping at all and spending far too much money. I guess that was not very mature and I for sure did not collect very many adult points, but it was great and I laughed a lot…and would love to go there again, soon.:-)

Today I got another proof. I decided to buy some curtains for my bedroom. Curtains are really not one of my priorities and I haven’t had any for quite some time. Honestly I can not even remember when I last bought curtains, if I ever have. But the window in my new bedroom is just opposite the next house and I don’t want to have the venetian blinds down all the time, and as there were already the fittings to hang curtains, I decided it was a good idea.

Then I realised that I have no idea how to arrange curtains and what one needs. I went to a shop here where I knew I would find someone who could help me. This someone turned out to be a guy in his early 20.s. I felt almost pathetic and so chaotic. The guy must have laughed at me and I wonder what he thought about me.

Although I bought them ready made and all the right equipment I had severe problem to get them up. Once finished I was almost disappointed. I got it all right though, and the curtains are quite alright, but I think I might just not like curtains…