Saturday, November 25, 2006

Thanksgiving is a great holiday. I'm not sure we have anything similar in Sweden. Well, I guess we have midsummer, which also revolves around food and wine and having a good, stress free, time. But (sorry to say it) in the homeland of commercialism and consumer obsessions and Christmas decorations in April it is nice to see that thanksgiving hasn’t got a gimmick. There are no thanksgiving colours that need to be symbolised with shiny ribbons, no thanksgiving elf that needs to be bought, and no gifts to be compulsorily given, or received. Altogether, a great holiday of just eating and having fun. I guess you Americans knew that; but I was at least pleasantly surprised. I’ve been on Shelter Island for the weekend and it is beautiful. So good to get out of the city, went surfing yesterday, going sailing today, been haingnig out with family members I haven't seen in seven years, shooting clay pigeons, drinking tequila with the locals, its been, well, my best thanksgiving ever. Its setting the standard high, I like it.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Today I am going to New York, or actually Long Island, for my first Thanksgiving ever. I am very excited, both about the break and about the food! I will let you know how it held up. It is the busiest weekend travelling this weekend, my friend said 200 million people will be travelling. Im taking the Chinatown Bus, oh the joy!

Thursday, November 16, 2006

I think I’m in Love. With a big L. In love with New York. I once had a violent and volatile affair with London. It made me to who I am today; it left me pretty bruised and shattered, but more pleased, grown-up and cynical. Now New York has stolen my money, my health, my heart, my wallet and my toothpaste, and I feel happy about it.
I lost 4 credit cards so now I am living of 79 cents; its going pretty well so far, but by the end of the week I will have no friends left because they all have to buy me coffees constantly.
There is a Norwegian singer/song writer called Thomas Dybdahl. He sings this song called: ‘One Day you’ll Dance For Me New York City’. I think I like that to be true one day.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

I am so excited about going to NYC tomorrow. I have never been. I cant wait. I am bubbling with excitement. Im nuts with enjoyment. Im mad with anticipation.

I am also excited about that the mid-term elections proved to be such a success for women. America is most likely getting its first female, and feminist, Speaker of the House. It also got more female senators, possibly its first female presidential candid, and more women in the House of Representatives. Its great. Its about time. However, not too unexpectedly the media is slow to catch on. Most of the Mainstream Media was covering the election looked like, as NYPost put it; A men's Club from 1962.
As much as Tucker Carlson makes me laugh sometime, with his screwed unsubtle but cute (in an anti-way) right-winged-ness, where were the female faces on TV? The networks are pretty good at putting them there when it comes to "chat" politics (in a friendly and deweaponazing way); but obviously they can not provide the American people with cutting-edge election analysis? Oh no.

Ok, well anyway; Im off to New York, the Democrats has won the House AND the Senate, SD voted against the Abortion Ban, Rumsfeld have resigned, I got an A on a paper, my work is done for the weekend, I have new shoes to wear in NYC, my mum loves me again, the sun is shining, its 20°C in November; Life IS Great!
(Oh, and look below how good my predictions were; 5 out of 6) woho!

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Good Morning Election Day! WoHoo! My predictions in the races I think are most interesting;
Senate:
VA: Webb (D) (I love this race, it has been so close, and so interesting in such a red state, Allen came across as a much more accessble man than Webb, but he really cocked up).
MD: Cardin (D).
RI: Whitehouse (D).
TN: Corker (R).
OH: Brown (D).
Yes, it is four Democrats but I dont think they will take over the Senate. But I am pretty certain they will do with the House, possibly by ca. 23-26 seats.
Gubernatorial:
MD: Erlich (R).
Other:
SD: Please, please, please don't let the ban-all-abortion law pass. If you pass it I will loose a big chunk of my belif in humanity right then. I can not be clearer; please do not pass the abortion law, it is not helping anyone; it is based on lies and an outdated views on women and their bodies. Please. Please. Please show your independent thinking. I am so scared this law is going to pass.
VA: I do not think the same-sex marrige amendment is going to get through, but I wish it would, this country needs to loosen up abit. I just hope it doesnt rally Virginia voters to vote for Allan.

Okey, thats it; Im off to the gym then library all day! Hope you are having a good Election Day (particular if you are a Democrat)!

Monday, November 06, 2006


Healthy Obsessions: I was procrastinating; trying to avoid the huge amount of papers I have to do write before I jet off to NYC this weekend. I was scrolling through the long list of obligatory graphic design, interior design and typographic design blogs I read, and I realized I had yet to even mention my obsession with these on the blog.
I have talked about feminism, Ive talked about Sweden, Ive talked about Tequila (see post below), and Ive talked about Co-ed Intramural Soccer; so Ive mentioned most of my obsessions; but I have yet to talk about the greatness of a well designed font, or the beauty of a groundbreaking wallpaper. But as I was scrolling through one of my favorite graphic design blogs (in Swedish) I came across the new logotype for the EU. What a crazy coincident; because I am also obsessed with the EU (the cooperation, the multilateralism, the normative diplomatic values, the multilayered governance, what is not to love?). So here you go! Its the one above, and I think its great! Not because it combines my two, uptil now unmentioned, obsessions, but because it is just really cool and fresh. It was designed by a 23 year old Polish guy who won a competition about it. I think he really managed to create something that embodies the EU, a multicultural collection that doesn't always seem to fit, but all put together it kind of does. Or something like that. It also just, well, look damn good!

Sunday, November 05, 2006




I woke up this morning feeling like a little piece of paper scrambled into a little ball which had then been thrown far far away. DC's nightlife is making me feel this way. But its in a good way. When you come to a new place going out is so much fun, over and over again. We are definately taking full advantage of this honeymoon period. 5pm, Georgetown on friday; My friend Ben: Hey Stine, Im out shopping in Gtown wanna come down for a coffee before seing the play. Me: Yea, why not. After coffee is finished; Us: Oh we have another 45 min, should we just go by Garrets to have a pre-play drink. Us: yea, good idea. Ben (after first round): Oh, but now I have to by a round, just to make it equal. Then we'll go. Me: Ok. Ten Hours later, 5am, Still in Georgetown; Us: *falling out of the Guards*. Me: *forgetting credit card behind bar*. Ben: *Still dancing to Paradise City*. Durita: *Skipping*. It was just one of those great nights, great weekends, Saturday much the same.

Friday, November 03, 2006


Yesterday I got a weird stomach feeling; The first snow arrived in Scandinavia, with brute force. It was chaos in Stockholm and along the coasts. A ship even collapsed on the Swedish coast, and an oil rig was floating about outside Norway (putting it that way might be understating the serverity, sorry). But here in DC we were having 19°C (66F) and shining sun; Ive been walking around in skirts and sunglasses for the past two days. Ok, I think my point is this: Im kind of missing Scandinavia. The weather difference was so stark yesterday it made me miss Scandinavia. Snow rocks. Its when the difference and the distance become so apparent that I think more about home. But knowing me; if I was at home I would certainly be moaning about all the snow. Oh its soooo coooold bla bla bla. So basically Im confused about the weather. And me missing home or not. Wow, this isnt making much sense. But rumor has it the winter is pretty cold here too, when it eventually arrives. Thankfully I packed warm socks.

Thursday, November 02, 2006



Yesterday I had a surreal feeling first. Well, I had two surreal feelings yesterday actually, and I had to mention both on the blog; the first one about the snow storm in Scandinavia is discussed above.
But I had one about DC too. When I lived in London it took me six months and a visit from my mother to get me to see the Houses of Parliament. I’ve been in DC for two months now; and only yesterday did I take up my friends offer of a private tour of the Congress (he interns there). Sightseeing is never really a priority; but every time I do it, it makes me feel like I get to know a new city a little bit better, like its becoming more mine and less foreign. Its a really wicked feeling.
To make a city yours, you need to know the touristy parts; as well as the cool, quirky, drunken, shiny hidden parts. Only when you know how to entertain the socks of both your 58-year-old aunt, your 12-year-old niece and your 25-year-old best friend so that they never want to go home; you can know you are home. Seeing the Congress was not like exploring Dupont Circle nightlife, but in all ways both are life-depending necessary for my DC trip.