The Swedish King and his private affairs

There is a big fuzz in Swedish media at the moment, about the Swedish king and his private affairs. I am not that up to date with what's going on but apparently the monark is said to have been hanging out in circles where there was (quite) a bit of drinking and girls with not a lot of clothes on. The king hasn't been interested in commenting, I guess he has been asked not to, by some advisors.

And then some friend is said to have tried to buy silence from some shady elements.

Well, a summary can be found here, on The Local, Sweden - The King's turbulente year, a timeline.

Anyhow, after the last mess the king of Sweden finally had to make a statement of some sort. And he did. 

Yesterday, May 30, the Swedish king was interviewed on TV, where he denied everything.

The only problem with that is that he seemed uncertain and insecure on TV. Not very good - watch the TV clip here (although it is in Swedish, so unless you speak Swedish you will not be able to understand what he is saying, you have to focus on the body language).

This again shows that it is not so much WHAT you say as how you say it that is important.

I really hope that the king is telling the truth, because otherwise Swedish monarchy, I'm afraid, will be threatened, at least monarchy the way it looks today. The doubtful things (strip clubs etc) he would have survived, but lying people straight to their face - that's where the problem would be.
We Swedes can take an awful lot, but don't lie to us...  It is better to say how it really is straight away than trying to ignore it until it goes away, because reality is, it rarely does. Go away that is...

So I really hope that the truth was indeed told on TV yesterday, by the king... And I also hope this isn't  anything like the Clinton/Lewinski affair, where it turned into a word game...  

I am one of those who actually think the royal family does a lot of good for the country, but I am a bit bothered by all the discussions that are going on, it does take away focus from what really is important. Yes, the king should of course set an example and be a good role model, but the king also has a private life and should be allowed to have that too, if you ask me. He regardless has some moral responsibilities, as do we all, and he needs to treat people with respect, as do we all. But he should be allowed to make mistakes too, we all do.

And I really can't see the problem with someone having a little bit too much to drink and having a little bit too much fun at times, it has happened to most people. Trying to cover it up instead for accepting that you made a mistake can be worse though.

What media is doing now, turning this to a big and serious issue, is just silly! It lacks perspective.  Haven't we all done stupid things we shouldn't have, at least once or twice? Seriously, media in Sweden is beginning to turn into something similar to what we have already seen in Germany, US, and UK: Just looking for sensations.

Too much ado. About nothing. (Except for the part where criminal elements were involved, that is BAD and totally unacceptable. But the people who did it claims the king wasn't involved - and that I chose to believe unless someone can prove something else.)

Record your children

I am going through my things and getting rid of a lot of stuff, things that I have kept, sometimes for sentimental reasons, sometimes because I thought they could come in handy, and in some cases just because I felt bad about throwing them.

But among all the things that I know I don't want to keep I also find some gems. A lot of old photos and old letters that means a lot, many of them really old - also postcards and so forth. I am so blessed to have these memories. It is like that song Bar Luhrman sings, Wear Sunscreen, "Keep your old love letters; throw away your old bank statements." Although remember that the love letters can be a postcard from your mother - it is not necessarily the text that matters, but the person who wrote it.

And one of the gems that I found this week was a tape that my parents did with me when I was 2 year and three months, going on four (months, that is). I found it in an old box, and listening to it made my day. There is a little person on the tape, a little person that is me, and yet, isn't, and there are two grown-ups there, persons that I know so well - and yet not at all. My mother and father. The people they were then are the same that they are now - and still, is not. Life happens and it help shapes us, changes who we are, and yet, there is a core there, a core that is you, a core that is shaped early on, and that no one can take away.

It is absolutely amazing to listen to the tapes and to those of you who have children, all I can say is the following: Tape them. Film them too, but most of all, tape them. The little child who is me is acting totally natural, it is an every day conversation that has been recorded, my parents are talking to me, I am responding, singing a little tune, having a whole little discussion. When you have a film camera you have more time limitations, plus there is a certain element of acting, with the tape you get close in another way.

And funny enough, I can see - no, hear - certain characteristics that are pretty typical for me - and I haven't changed, even though it has been a while since I was just over two...

I am so touched, and so happy to have this kind of documentation!

(Although it is a little bit embarrassing too, hearing that at the age of two, I already knew my drinking songs. Guess that proves that I am Swedish, right...?)

My adopted home town

Düsseldorf. I love this city, I love it with a passion. I don't know what it is, but there is something about it. Maybe because this is where I first felt freedom in a long time, freedom from something that no one else forced upon me but I had managed to trap myself in,  maybe because of all the adventures that turned out to be waiting around the corner, maybe because of all the fantastic people that I have met here. Or maybe just because it is so in the middle of everything and easy to get to and from - for a restless soul like mine that is a fantastic feature.

Most likely it is a mix of everything above.

Another thing that I really like is the mere fact that here I am not supposed to fit in, it is OK that I am different, it is OK that I go my own way, because nothing else is expected from me - I AM a foreigner, I am different. I adjust to many things but I am still expected to be a bit different - and that is why Düsseldorf fits me so well, and I fit Düsseldorf. If I am in Sweden I am supposed to fit - and not doing it becomes so obvious. The life here in Düsseldorf suits me so much better.

I will always love Sweden but this is where I feel at home.

And yet: I don't think I will be in Düsseldorf for the rest of my live, I expect to move away - but unlike Sweden, I do expect to come back to Düsseldorf eventually. If it is in ten years, if it is when I retire, I don't know, but the way it feels right now, I will return.

Although that said - I am not on the way to move now, not yet.
But the day my company wants me to take on another challenge, that day I will go (as long as it isn't up north, towards Scandinavia, because that is a route I don't want to take).  As long as I know I can return. Eventually. Because Düsseldorf, this is where I have my heart now!


The only thing that makes me a bit sad is that while I have people from elsewhere visiting on a somewhat regular basis, very few Swedes are coming down - but you can't get everything, can you...?

EHEC outbreak in Germany - honestly, I am not that surprised...

Bit of a discusting post, I know... But I am going to post it anyhow:

There is an outbreak of EHEC in Germany at the moment, you can read more about it here: EHEC - E.coli outbreak in Germany, reported via Deutsche Welle.

First of all: It is not unusual with outbreaks, it happens every year, for as long as I remember I have read about it in Swedish media, every summer. The bacteria is always out there, but in the summer the temperatures go up and people eat outside a lot more, and aren't as careful as they would normally be - or they are not as lucky.

Food is a passion of mine, as you may have figured out from earlier postings, so I tend to follow what happens in the food industry and on the food market. I am also very much aware of how to treat food - keep things that needs to be cold cold (hey, there are excellent cooling bags if you are having a BBQ, or use an old newspaper, a a thick sock, and a block of ice), and things that are meant to be warm are supposed to be properly warmed up. Forget lukewarm, properly warmed is the deal (another reason why I don't use a microwave oven, I prefer to really heat it up!).

And then I always wash my vegetables.

But quite frankly I am not the least bit surprised that we now see an outbreak here in Germany. First of all: It has been unusually warm, at least in my area, and for a long time. Bacterias LOVES warm temperatures, even though they prefer a bit more humidity too.

Second, and this is the bit that disturbs me: So often when I use a public toilet/restroom here in Germany, I see people coming out from the bathroom, and passing the sink without washing their hands?!?! Some toilets hav a sink too, but most of them don't and when people come out of the ones that doesn't, and don't go up to the sink outside the toilet to wash the hands, I gringe.Really.

No idea why this is, if it is some remain from when water supply was limited, but fact is, far more people leave the bathroom here without washing their hands than I ever saw elsewhere - at least that is my observation. It could just be the places I go to, and the city I am in, or that my observations were made when something special was going on, but I find that hard to believe - because I have seen it so many times...

Without proper food hygiene, things like this are BOUND to happen, and what is worse, the issue tends to get bigger than it would have had to be, because people are being careless. Or just don't understand better...?

Magic light

 

Walking home through the night earlier this week I noticed the amazing light. The trees are still not completely dark green but have that light colour that they have when the leaves are still fairly new. The sun was about to come down, and the sky had a kind of dark but shining blue, with a hint of purple. Düsseldorf is an interesting mix between old and new, as much as 80% of the city centre was destroyed, completely or party during the war, Düsseldorf being so close to the border was heavily bombed. Due to this the city is a mix of architecture, and it is still happenin, my beloved adopted home town is one of the cities in the areas where the finances are looking good, which helps - other cities are not doing so well, but Düsseldorf is debt free.

You may not notice the architecture at first, but it's in the details. When I first arrived I thought Düsseldorf was a rather dull city, in terms of architechture, but then I learned to look for the details, and Düsseldorf is a city that gets better the more you learn about it, and the more you understand - as well as the more you look into details... 

It's fantastic to photograph this beautiful city, the people, the architechture, the light, the scenes. I really need to take out the big camera and go out and catch some of this amazing light! When I see the city at night, and the temperatures are soft and I can walk home with bare legs and without putting the cardigan on over the dress, I remember why I first fell in love with this city...

Things that makes me pretty annoyed - Facebook

Someone tried to add me to Facebook today, except they sent the invitation to an address I don't have on Facebook, or never will have.

I don't want Facebook to have this address at all.

Facebook offers the possibility to "unsubscribe" to something I haven't subscribed to.

And this is what they say:
"

Receiving emails from people through Facebook

From time to time, people may send emails to you through Facebook. Examples include when they invite you to an event, tag you in a photo or add you as a friend. If you continue, you'll no longer receive any of these emails. Also, Facebook will no longer use your email address to generate friend suggestions for you and others. We'll still keep a secure record of your email address so we can make sure you don't receive these emails.
Do you want to stop receiving Facebook emails at [email address removed]

I personally think this is completely unacceptable. So now Facebook has the address that I don't want to have on Facebook but THEY WILL STILL KEEP IT?!?!?

Well hurray, that will be fun when they are hacked next time, and they have kept all the email addresses that anyone ever displayed to them?!?!

Sorry, but with every little thing I hear I lose trust in Facebook. There is a reason why I don't use FB as much as I used to anymore. This is scary, irresponsible and they lack respect for people's privacy. I don't want FB to have info about me that I didn't provide... This stinks!

Yes, sorry, one of my ususal Facebook rants. And still I am on the social network... Yes, I am, but I limit access and limit use. Problem is that FB has gotten so big that they basically do as they want, because staying away is hardly an option anymore, it is too much an important part of social life, from an organising point of view. But that doesn't mean I have to put more information than necessary out there...

Elderberry

For as long as I remember my father has made elderberry or rather elderflower cordial for me every year, and given it to me as a gift.

My father makes fantastic elderberry cordial. My mum makes a nice one too but dad's, that's extra extra special. Mum is good in many fantastic ways but dad has to be the best at some things. Elderberry cordial is one.
Now that I don't live in Sweden anymore it's however not so easy anymore. I'm rarely in the country when it is harvest time. That could be solved, you can freeze the cordial, but with the airport security rules I'd still have to check in the cordial, and that is not ideal. The risk is too great that the bottle will start to leak, especially since it is a resealed bottle and, and the pressure changes.

And elderberry cordial is sticky...

So this year I made my own. The elderberry bushes and trees have Bren blooming here for some time and the aroma is marvellous, it's a sweet, lemony smell that just makes me utterly happy - although there is something deeply sentimental with it too, as it reminds me of all the time that has passed and all the beautiful memories of a time that once was. It also makes me realise that I change and so does those around me, even though we all remain the same. Or is it the other way around, we all remain the same even though we all change...
Never the less, the elderberry cordial is summer preserved, and it is a reminder of the past. No matter how old I get, elderberry will work as a reminder, will remind me about what was great about being a child, and let me forget what maybe wasn't always - because who's childhood was ever perfect?

Elderberry cordial.

For me that is love.

Long words

I was searching for something on internet (some financial information and terms) when I came across what may be the longest German word I have ever seen:

Rinderkennzeichnungs- und Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz

Is it even legal to have such long words in a language? I will never ever be able to pronounce it. Not that I will even try...

Beautiful weekend - but where did it all go?

It's been a beautiful weekend, but to be honest it feels like I haven't had one. I am normally very active but this time it feels like I haven't gotten anything done. It's not true, I know that, but I still have the feeling. I had envisioned that I would have packed many boxes by now but that didn't really happen.

Well, at least I have packed a few boxes, but MY,  it is boring to do it!  It will take a long time, especially considering I want to go through and throw away some things too. It is even more horrible to move things that I don't want to keep! Nice to get some clearing out done, finally, and this time I call all the shots myself - not the wallet, not someone else, but me - although that can be hard enough.

Düsseldorf is a wonderful city and there are always things going on so it is better to start now, or I will be under a lot of stress later (something one of my friends just can't understand, but then again he is German (meaning he has very little experience from moving, most Germans get a flat and stay there more or less forever) and has a small one bedroom flat so he doesn't get how much work it actually is...) - and I don't want to miss fun events just because I have to pack!

So no major events the passed weekend, house parties and dinner, and bike tours and coffee with friends, but that's how complicated it got. I really need weekends like that in-between from time to time.

I am not sure WHAT to think about this...

Non dairy coffee creamer...

 Spotted in US 2010 - this one I find very very strange. Notice the picture. This is a Non-Dairy Coffee Creamer. Regular. So far so good, I can't have normal milk.

But I am always a bit suspicious, for some reason. And I am also not too keen on a lot of chemicals, so I thought I'd better check what's in there.
And then I turn it over and I see the list of ingredients.

Got corn syrup and lots of other things that I normally try and avoid but well, I thought I could make an exception, it may be OK. Not the best, but anyhow. I would anyhow be prepared to try  it out. But there is something fishy here...

What is in the non dairy product?

Contains: Milk

But!!! Then I continue to read! Check the bottom: Contains: Milk, Soy

HOW is it possible that a Non-dairy product contains milk??? I REALLY don't get this one? It is just silly, REALLY silly.

Harris Teeter in North Carolina seem to have some things to explain, or what? They are the proud distributors, according to the bottle... I wouldn't be all that proud if I was them, I think it is a very very odd thing, to have milk in non-dairy products, not everybody is as careful reading the labels as I am...

When life doesn't hand you lemons

Every year for as long as I remember or at least since I moved to my own place my father has made lemonade for me, from elderberry flowers, as well as blueberry jam. His lemonade is really good, it's his two specialities, blueberry jam and elderberry lemonade.

Now I live in Germany and with the security rules on planes it's difficult to bring the lemonade with me home.

Here the Elderberry is blooming at the moment, it smells wonderful, especially dusk and dawn, and it makes me think of my dad. And it makes me miss the taste of elderberry.

So this year I decided to try and make my own.

I had decided to scout for flowers and hopefully make the lemonade today, Sunday. In Sweden you pick elderberry flowers in the wild so that's what I planned this year and here too.

Seen plenty of places where you can reach the flowers and I picked the first batch last night.
This morning I wanted to start the making, when I realised I had run out of lemons, an important ingredient. Or at least I didn't have enough.

Germany being Germany it is not allowed to keep shops open on a Sunday, except in connection to travel, so for shopping you normally have to go to the trainstation. However they didn't have lemons there either, so I ended up going to the airport to use the proper shop/supermarket they have there.

I must be one of the few people in the world who goes to the airport to buy four lemons, right?

(Update: Elderberry is "Fläder" in Swedish. The lemonade, or cordial, to be picky, is called "Flädersaft". There is no Flädersaft like the flädersaft my dad makes though...)

Today is the day - music craze

Today is the day- Eurovision Song Contest in Düsseldorf.

The city is totally up-side-down and everybody is super excited.

Except me and a few others, I am so so so sorry, but I really couldn't care less...

Facebook. Again... I know, boring topic, but important

Seems Facebook didn't just change their privacy settings, they are also leaking massively. Again... Good reason to again think about what you are putting out there.

Again it is Third party applications that are getting access to your information. This time it is Bob Sullivan from US who writes about it on MSNBC.

Personally I recommend everybody I know to set FB up so that 3:rd party applications are not allowed. Facebook themselves are really sloppy with the permissions and the way they change what you can and can't do, but the third party developers I know even less about, at least I wouldn't put anything sensitive on FB.

If I am using other applications I go to the website directly, not over Facebook. And really, I think it will be the privacy issues that will eventually bring Facebook down, unfortunately. It is a good way of staying in touch with friends and family, especially when you live abroad, but it really isn't sustainable when they are so ignorant. It is human to err, but the problem with Facebook is that they don't even realise that it may be an issue, at least not officially. And THAT is what concerns me most!

So again, check the settings, and read through the article above.

It's like a snow fall

The streets of Düsseldorf are white, covered in something that looks like snow, but the air is warm and soft on your skin and you don't need a jumper. I'm walking home in the evening enjoying the extra freedom that comes with the high temperatures. It is a big difference to the place I come from, even the warmest day in Gothenburg normally changes over into something that resembles what we see here in the early spring, evenings that may not be cold but at least considerably colder. The close a proximity to the sea it what does it there. Here we have no sea and hence no sea breeze blowing in over town, here the temperatures stay elevated.

So what I see is not snow, instead the streets are covered with thousands and thousands flower petals. I don't know if it's the chestnuts that are shedding or if it another tree but it is a magical feeling never the less - it is like walking home through a fairytale.

And it reminds me how important it is to stop and smell the flowers, to stop and pay attention to what happens around us and not just run through life as if there wad no tomorrow.
Life is beautiful!

Gothenburg in the spring

Feskekôrka (Fish church?!?) Gothenburg

I love Gothenburg. Gothenburg, or in Swedish: Göteborg. My Swedish home town, despite the fact that I wasn't born in the city, nor did I live there until I left my parents place and founded my own home. But never the less I feel like a Gothenburger. Gothenburg is the biggest city on the West coast, it is the second biggest city in Sweden, only Stockholm beats it in size. Gothenburg was the key when I was growing up, even though I didn't live in Gothenburg until later, we saw ourselves as Gothenburgers, as we spent so much time there - and my bio-dad also lived in Gothenburg, so in a way I did too, even before I moved there. I love Gothenburg, Gothenburg is a part of me, a very important part - it helped shaping me, it made me who I am. Gotheburg is a working city, it is a city of no fuss, it is a city that has seen good times and bad, it is a city that knows how to take care of itself. It is my town.

Yet I can't live in Gothenburg, nor anywhere else in Sweden. I don't feel at home in Sweden anymore, haven't done so in many years. i simply don't fit the standard, it is too much that you need ot be in a certain way, have certain interests and so forth. I don't fit in here either, not totally, but here in Germany it is different, I am not supposed to fit in, I am not German, just like a German in Sweden would't be expected to know everything about Sweden. Düsseldorf is my new home town, this is where I feel I have planted my roots. It doesn't mean I will stay forever, but this is where I feel at home.

And yet: When I get to Gothenburg I can't help but smile. Last time I visited I arrived late, to my brother's place - and he cooked me a meal, Swedish food, the kind of food we would get now and then growing up, simple and quick - and I loved it.

Walking around in the wonderful city - because Gothenburg IS truly wonderful, it is a beautiful place, at least in the spring, summer and early autumn, when the nights are long and the light is special, and the people open and friendly, the fish is increadible and the air smells of salt water - I came to realise how much I actually have experienced in the Capital of Scandinavia, Gothenburg. I went for a run in the morning and saw where E was chasing hares (good party but maybe not enough to eat before, and she shared away a hare when she went out into the shrubs for, lets say, some fresh air. I passed the street where a friend of mine who lived in NYC for a year lived, remembered that that the first party there, the moving in party, was where I first really met H, the astronomer (or astrologer as we like to call him when we are teasing him. He became a good friend and still is even though we don't see each other very often, nor email or speak. I ran past places where I have barbequed, places we had picnics, the pub where we used to meet every Friday for a long time - not every Friday, at least not all of us, but someone was always there. I remembered laughs, I remembered tears, I remembered deep discussions, I remember gossip, I remember fantastic food experiences and I remember bad burgers. In short: I can leave Gothenburg, but Gothenburg will never leave me.

My landlord

My landlord, or rather the "Verwalter", the company that manages the flats, calls this "it's just about looks" and says all they need to do is put up some new wall paper and paint a bit...
Although this is after the builders have started to fix it, they had to make the holes bigger to get the new pipe in, the holes on the side were not there before.

Needless to say the "Verwalter" has not been in the flat, and can't have seen the photos the architect took nor the ones I sent...

Now that it's almost fixed I kind of see the humour in it.
Especially since I am moving out. Because I think it is just a matter of time before it starts leaking again, somewhere else. Cast iron pipes are not forever...

Facebook settings again

Just a short bulletin - data privacy and so forth is something I spend a lot of time on:

Facebook has done it again, they are on their way to change settings. I noticed it a while ago so I have been on alert. It started with me getting a LOT of notification emails all of a sudden - and that's when I first knew something was happening. See, I have switched off close to every notification, I don't need them, the message will still be there when I log on. Same with push notifications on my iPhone, I don't allow it. Why would I need that extra stress? No thanks.

Anyhow, all of a sudden I got notification for everything and that's when I knew change was coming... It is the same way you can sometimes feel the rain coming before it comes, especially in the summer.

Changed back to no notification., but kept an eye on the FB settings:

Now it is coming.  I first noticed that Face recognition seemed to be on the way - I could see the setting for it in my profile but couldn't change it, it said "This feature is not available in your country". At the moment I can't see it though, but I have NO doubt that it is coming. Google already has it for the Picasa albums, and I suspect several other networks do, too.

But today a big change kicked in - at least for me, it is possible that others had the setting before, but I didn't hear about if from anyone.

New privacy setting on FB: "Let friends of people tagged in my photos and posts see them." I see no reason at all to have this marked, if I tag a person it is for that person to see, and the common friends. I don't want Friends of Friends to see my posts, thank you very much... (If your profile has already been moved to the new settings, you'll find this on the first page, under Privacy settings)

I hope my friends unmark this, just like I have - I really see no reason why I would allow other people to see my albums and my status updates just because I tagged a specific person in the text?!? Some of my friends have many hundred friends on Facebook, I don't want my info to get to them unless they are my friends too.

And it gets especially disturbing if the people tagged are not your Facebook friends any more? Why on EARTH would I want friends of someone who is no longer my Facebook friend to see my photos?

I don't use FB much any more and I will use it even less in the future, these guys spell trouble...

(By the way, the photo settings seem to be on the way to change too, previously you could set access level to photos on an overall level, or in the albums. I used both. But now it seems the option to set it on an overall level is gone. Something  tells me that this is to help Facebook spread your pictures more easily, because many people had set their photo access only on the overall level and not on individual album level...

Anyhow, just thought I'd let you know...

I have written about Facebook and the privacy settings many times before, here (April 2010 - a year ago) and here (also April 2010) as well as here (December 2009) - and these are just a few examples, if you use the search function you will find some more.

What I want to  say is: Be careful what you share. If you want to share a lot, that is fine, but make sure you at least know what and do it on purpose, instead of just doing it by default.

Facebook has many advantages but there are many issues with it, too. And that is important to be aware of!