There seems to be no stopping FC Becken-Bauer this season (well, our first season), the now-near-legendary indoor-five-aside keeps on getting better and better. Our fourth victory today was, again, a convincing team effort and we are now safely in the playoffs. I so so should be doing work, writing essays on if the ability to give birth were restricting or empowering for women in Ancient Greek and on the transition process to democracy in Latvia, but its much more fun planning our road trip this weekend. We are either going to Niagara Falls or Atlantic City. Undecided yet but its going to be 4 girls, a big SUV and the road so it will be fun either way!

With just a click or two I can now offer you a unique insight to what is going on in my side of town! With my new wee shiny camera I have taken loads of photo's this week, they are now on My Flickr Page, which I will keep a link to under the Things I Want You To Like thingy, but I will also write a line or two here when I put up new shiny wee photos there. I feel all very internety-and-technical-and-2006 these days with all links and photos and blogs and what not, very interesting indeed.

I love love love being in DC because of the politics. Well, It’s not like I hang around the Congress all the time (although my friend Dave does since he work there, and I probably would if I had more time) but it still so very real here. As the Mark Foley scandal develops I can’t help but follow it religiously like it was my hometown Swedish football team playing the Champions League. Oh, and what a scandal by the way, everything you need from a political cock-up; gay politicians, too young boys, alcoholism, dirty emails, cover-ups, the Republican Party, a speaker of the house in trouble, a bunch of suited overweight men desperately saving themselves, pundits on MainStreamMedia competing for the most dramatically delivered self-absorbed cutting analysis, and the editor pages of our newspapers calling for resignation left, right and center, all this 34 days before a national election. From my point of view, be gay all you want, I think we need more gay men in Congress anyway(or at least less gay men suppressing their sexual orientation until complete collapse, we need more women and gay men everywhere), but this was involving 16 year old boys. That is plain wrong, go gay cruising late at night all you want but don’t prey on adolescents. Secondly, if you are the Republican Party, please be smart, you're educated; don’t let him stand next to the president signing a bill to catch internet pervs. Let him resign for something, move him away, don’t let me continue to walk the floor around 16 year old boys if he has a problem with it, don’t leave it so the Democrats can drop it 34 days before the midterms. In essence, Foley cant blame alcoholism, and the Republicans have cocked it up so much this time (not saying that the Democrats never had) that they should pay dearly for this, just like the Democrats did in 1994.

I Pulled a muscle in my leg on Sunday, I lost my wallet at a gig on Monday, my computer crashed on Wednesday, there was a storm on Thursday, I have slept bad all week, I have no clean clothes, my article isnt written yet and I didnt understand anything in my class today. Thank Goodness its Friday! I woke up with a smile, had lunch at the IMF, going out for a glass of wine tonight, it should be ok, thank goodness for the weekend.
Here's me and my friend Dave a couple of weekends ago, hoping tonight and tomorrow will be as good of a night as we had then. Georgetown v. Adams Morgan, tough choice but Im thinking Georgetown.
I spoiled my self on amazon.com since to recover from my disasterous week and bought a shiny wee new digital camera so lots of photos coming up.
Woho, its Friday!

Americanizzzed

First sign of me becoming Americanized: Four weeks ago I walked into a Starbucks ordering a small latte, two minutes ago I walked in ordering a double-tall-skimmed-sugarfree hazelnut-latte in that really fast way that only Starbucks employees can understand. They completely understood me and shouted the double-tall-skimmed-sugarfee hazelnut-latte to the back and I got my coffee in a really speedy-starbucksy-American-coffee-shop kind of way. Im telling you, its like a new, albeit unusable, language.

My universe got a little shake-up yesterday when my companion in life, the ibook, crashed completely unexpectedly. It made the rest of my day that little bit worse. It's in computer hospital now. I hate that Im such a sucker for technology. But then today I realized again why, when I came across some leaked material from the new Killers album, Sam's Town. It's damn good, Particularly like "When You Were Young". Listen here!

Its funny how you forget stuff really easily, like when I forget the pincode to my Norwegian Visa card, or the really important meeting with the student newspaper, or paying bills, or my friends birthdays, its just so much easier than remebering stuff. Its like how I forgot how much I love going to gigs; goofy, small, indie, gigs with bearded men playing the triangle. I thank heaven for my luck of being reminded of that again last night when I went to see Architecture In Helsinki (above) at the Black Cat here in DC. Its this Australian collective with lots of people and instruments like bongo drums, trombone, guitars and cow bells and they were really really good! Check them out, and if you are in New York I think their next stop is there. the set was pretty experimental and new and some stuff didnt go down as well with me, but what was good was goood, mainly towards the end of the set was wicked. Im glad I draged my self out to 14th Street NW even though I sleped badly the night before because of the full moon (no Im not kidding it really affects me, test it yourself, its the moon, lots of people sleep badly when there is a full moon and its not some supersticious thing either, I asked over 10 people yesterday and 7 experianced sleeping problems night to Monday, How did you sleep? )

On Fotball: On a lighter note than the one below; FC Becken-Bauer won its second indoor five-aside fotball game today, 10-8. The drama again was gripping, as we were only two girls playing (two girls have to be on the whole time) and I tore a muscle in my leg only 2 minutes into the game; we were all of the sudden 4-and-a-half players for the rest of the match. But the team certainly pulled together and manage to step up and win again, whilst I was hopping along in defense, twisting in agony ever time I touched the ball. I can now hardly walk but I hope it gets better tomorrow!

On the Abortion Debate: Maybe its because I come from Scandinavia, or maybe its because I’ve been lucky to get liberal upbringing but I actually get terrified by the abortion debate in this country. It gives me chills down my back and it really scares the living daylight out of me. But I wont go into how women should be able to decide over their own body, nor about how the world have enough unwanted babies as it is or about how far a fertilized egg is from being a human being, and I won't even mention a womens's basic right to enjoy sex. Right now I'm just terrified by atrocious violent discourse that is common use in the pro-choice/pro-life debate.
I have been researching a paper on the recent developments on the South Dakota abortion ban (which only allows termination if the mother’s life is in danger, not in any other circumstances, not even if she’s raped or a victim of incest) and I came across this blog post that has been getting a lot of attention lately. Its written by a blogger called BB about her trying to get the morning-after-pill after her and her partner of several years used a faulty condom (they already have several children together but simply not the economy for one more).
She got mainly friendly support but the pro-life movement really came out to show off its best side with comments like these: (more here).
Michael: Logic would indicate that if you didn't want to get pregnant you shouldn't have been screwing. You have a CHOICE not to get fucked, right? You're sound as if you were raped. Sex doesn't happen on accident. You have no self control and now you have to have an abortion or a fourth child. Dumbass.
Dumb Bitch: What an obviously fabricated story, stupid bitch. Yes, it is George Bush's fault you are a slut and can't kill your baby, that's right, ok...
Anon: There's a really simple solution. If you don't want to get pregnant, don't have sex. It's that easy, Suck it up and act like a responsible adult, and the next time you have any sort of sexual intercourse, have the maturity to understand what you're doing.
Joe: Dirty whores like you are sickening.. deal with responsibility you abortion whore.

Is it just me; or does that scare you a little bit?

Just had to post this sweet litte picture of me and danish Fabby out about town a couple of Fridays ago. V funny night, I think we ended up getting thrown out of the club for dancing to wildly, those Americans just dont do it the same way we do in Europe hey?!

So the weekend is approaching in DC too, duly welcomed since the week has been incredibly stressful. (hence the lack of posts I appologise deeply). Anyway, before a longer post tomorrow with some intelectually challanging information (im sure, maybe on the Soviet Union this time) I'll leave you with a picture from my summer house in Västmanland, Sweden. Think it could bring calm and happiness to anyone, to me it brings a bit of homesickness. I hope DC nightlife and french parties will sweep that away in a couple of hours. Til then, Skål!

You will all be pleased to know that FC Becken-Bauer has officially won it's first clash in the GWU intermurial soccer tournament (and I have never been this tired in my whole life)! We fought an incredibly close and though 5-aside indoor game that was in constant swing, the final result: 8-7. The last two mintues being particularly gripping as both teamed scored twice in the thriller that will go straight into the history books! Next game is in a week, we are expecting Mr Beckenbauer to show up this time.

I don’t know whether to be happy or sad to see Bristol-born graffiti artist Banksy have made it big time. As an ex-East-Londoner his work is very close to my heart as it made my walk to work everyday like a stroll in a twisted solo exhibition, his things were so him that they stood out and all the rest faded. I loved his bigger works as the Old Street Bridge (above) and the magnificent and huge Pulp Fiction scene (with Jackson and Travolta holding bananas instead of guns) by the O S tube station, as well as the little rats and Guantanamo prisoners dotted all over the place. (Other great things!)
I have without a doubt seen much more of his works than Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Jude Law, who were all seen strolling around the opening of his three-day exhibition (“Barely Legal”) in a industrial warehouse in downtown LA last week. Mainstream press have not been far behind and he has reached the BBC and the Guardian (who have featured him before), but even more weird (or impressive) is that he is now discussed in the cultural section of the Swedish centre-right-wing newspaper Svenska Dagbladet! That is the paper my grandmother reads! Don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Anyway, at least he has not lost his beat as he exhibits a big and alive elephant that he has spray-painted pink!, with visitors were given the flyer stating “There's an elephant in the room. There's a problem we never talk about. The fact is that life isn't getting any fairer. 1.7 billion people have no access to clean drinking water. 20 billion people live below the poverty line. Every day hundreds of people are made to physically be sick by morons at art shows telling them how bad the world is but never actually doing something about it. Anybody want a free glass of wine?” Plus some pirating works on Paris Hilton’s CD that is also great (and done together with another personal favourite Dj Danger Mouse). Is he selling out? I'm not commenting, I still love him for Shorditch!

Hola! Just posting two pictures from last weekend before this one gets off properly! mm.its Friday morning and I have not in long been waiting for the weekend this much, incredibly stressful week with work. Just some reading to do now and then freedom. Still have to write my first editorial piece on the Swedish general election by Monday. How is your weekend shaping up?

I always come back from my Women in Western Civilization class inspired. What I found most interesting today is the difference between how we worship women, both in history and today, is so separate from what powers we dare to give them. To use an older example; the Statue of Liberty is, as the name suggests, a celebration of freedom and she is in fact a women. However, if she were a living person it would take her 34 years (from 1886 to 1920) for her to be able to vote in the very country she was meant to symbolize freedom for. Well actually, she was born in France so would have to wait nearly 50 years (or more than half her life, France gave women the vote in 1945).
Today maybe the examples are a little bit less statuary (excuse the pun) but lets say; when did you last see a movie with a plot including a beautiful woman? (Counting porn is voluntary), and how many films have you seen directed by a woman? In a typical museum, how many of the art works includes a naked woman? And how many art works is by a woman? When did you last have the ability to vote for a female politician? How many great women did you study in your history class beyond Queen Elizabeth and Jeanne D'arc compared to the Hitlers, Ceasars, Stalins, and Francos?
Well, I just find it interesting, correct me if I am wrong..

I've had some wonderful news this morning, one of my oldest and closest friend is getting married! Her boyfriend proposed yesterday and they have already picked out the rings and everything. Congratulations Olivia! (sorry, I had no other picture on my new laptop that this ancient old one from our leavers-ball at Gordonstoun). She is officially the first out of my girls to grow up. Its making me feel very grown-up too, to have a friend who is getting married. It really got me thinking, we have been so busy with our own things that I havn't noticed we've have become adults. My best friend is working for the US congress, another for the House of Parliament. I just realise I am actually myself unconsiously pushing my life in the direction I want it to go. I am no longer aimlessly wondering around, don't think I have been for a long time, woho!

Wow, I've had such an nice response to this blog. I got ichy fingers now and finding it hard not writing posts every half hour. Last night we threw a surprise party for Spanish-Fernando, and he was indeed very surprised, and very happy I think! I have never thrown a surprise party for anyone before, it was a lot of fun, it is now certainly on my things-to-do-more-often-list. Up there with reading George Orwell,talking about feminism and calling my mum.

Turns out the World Bank Soccer party was yesterday too so we went after the surprise thing, but not so surprisingly it was rather dry. All I can say is that being in DC is inspiring both day and night. For me, here politics have become touchable, its amazing! Walking past the American Red Cross, the IMF and the State Department (foreign office) every day have sharpened and focused me I think. I guess when studying politics in Leeds it feels like a science, being here I can see that its a profession, a living, and undoubtedly something I want to work with in the future. Its forcefully inspiring, but for the first time seeing the contour of what I want my career to look like is also awfully frightening. How am I going to get there? Am I good enough? Why would anyone ever want to give ME any responsibility? Thankfully DC so far is more inspiring than frightening. Phew!
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Here is just a little photo of passing time with my room mate. Please notice how our decore looks like its taken out of a film set of a hotel horror flick from 1989!

Things Ive learnt today:
In prehistoric times, as cave painting shows, women were worshiped, and had the central role in society. However, they did not dominate this society, rather, man and women lived in an equal partnership. Women were seen near magical becuase of their ability to create life and bleed for days without dying.

In my US - European Relations class I learnt that the French really just eat baguettes, give their children wine, smoke and protect their farmers. The Germans are busy not-being-Nazis and therefore not too useful either. The Brits did run an empire once but that ability has gone out of the window. Thankfully America is there to save us! Ok, sorry I will try not to be cynical, hand on heart I love America already but I did have to defend France when someone accused their actions regarding the Iraq war as driven by profits (from arms-trade and oil). Hmm..

Okey, enough! Its a beautiful day here, 25°C and we have busy weekend ahead with lots of great nights, I think Im invited to some World Bank party on Friday! I also have to write an essay on a time when I experienced sexism. Will let you know!

I just wanted to push for my favourite website in the whole wide world. The card above is one of this weeks contributions to Postsecret, which is a beautiful community arts project where people can email their secrets on a postcard. they are posted online every Sunday and they often make me laugh out loud or cry and everything else in between. The link is under My Links!

And for those of you who live in DC there is going to be an Postsecret exhibition and talk at the George Mason University on the 6th of Oct at 6 p.m.