goodbye jönköping

Tonight is my last night in Jönköping, tomorrow I will take the train to Göteburg and have a nice couple of days there then fly to England on Wednesday for CHristmas with Nana et al.
I cannot believe that my time here is up, it's really been an interesting experience.
This past week was sooooo busy with group projects, it's scary how much group dynamics can affect ones happiness. One group stressed me out completely, more then I have felt stressed in years and years ...I almost threw a tantrum and refused to work in the same computer lab with them ....and I really am a nice person, it really brought out the worst in me!
The other group is so easy to work with and we laugh a lot ... this shows me that I better watch out who I work for/with in the future.

O future
what will you be?
what will you be?

Short term goals:
- Eat at the vegetarian restaurant in Göteburg
- See photo display at gallery with Åsa
- properly pronounce Åsa
- enjoy travel to England
- have a Merry Christmas , with all my prego cousins
- try to maintain vegetarianism during british feasts
- don't fret about unknown future
- arrive in Canada in time for New Years and celebrate with girlfriends!

Now I will go say goodbye to Sigrid, Matilda, Corina and Elin, my original hostesses, then I will my last bus ride to Huskvarna to pack up/throw up the contents of my apartment, then off to Elin and Karin's for one last sleepover !!

half a half a century

Best gift to get on my birthday , oh dear I have the best folks. ...Karin saw it and asked if it was mom and my brother...hehehehe...

Yesterday I woke up with my reoccuring neck pain ...symbolism for being 24 it was a pain in the neck! So I wasn't in the best moods , Karin cheered me up with pain killers and homemade waffles though! I decided it would be best to sleep at home because it's hard to sleep with a pain in the neck.. .Karin wished I would sleep over but I was stubborn ...I took the last bus home it's a connection bus, about a 45 minute ride ...where I started to write this song :

look on the bright side
my good friend once said
things may be bad but at least your not dead
go put on, button up your coat of red
go on go out for a walk
sun was a shining so I put on my shades
look on the bright side too long and it too may fade
started to feel glad for the good that I've got
glad you said to go out for a walk....

When I finally reached my house , I realized that I didn't have my keys in my pockets, or my bag, I had locked them in my apartment that morning! Oh dear! another symbol of 24 ....I locked my keys in sooo much! By this time it was around 11:40. I called Karin she told me when and where I could catch the next bus back to her place. I started walking the 30 minute walk to the stop, in a red coat I had borrowed from Karin. At first I felt the "why me's?" coming on but then I couldn't ignore the words I just had written so I happily walked through puddles with my rainboots.
I stopped on a little bridge over a little river that is next to an old sewing machine manufacturing museum built in 1914. The river is nicely , magically, lite up .... I looked down and watched the constant flow of the water, overcoming the rocky obstacles that were blocking its path. I was mesmerized by the water under the bridge, and then I looked up and saw how far it had come to get to that spot, drops and turns... there was no going back ... and that's where I had my birthday wish at the strike of 12, Elin called right after with her own wishes...she felt bad about me being locked out ...I couldn't have been happier ....sigh...life is magical!
I made it back to Karin's around 1, we made hard bread (crackers) with fun toppings, she put a candle in the butter! We watched tv on the computer, danced around the kitchen ..and went to bed around 3.....I dreamed about dogs and the first word in my head was music ...this will be my 25 year theme!

My name wonderful friend Åsa sent me this photo!!

Deer Cousin Sarah

I am so looking forward to going to PEI and hanging out avec you!
Yes we will have a jam session, a lot of songs I write could really use some bagpipe action!
We will also make something crafty together, I will make you a pink polka dot dress with bows because I know how much you love pink and dresses!
Kidding....but seriously we will craft, and I speak French....how long of a Christmas break do you have I wonder?
Maybe you will just have to miss some school to hang out with me ...your teacher will understand I'm sure!
Hope you are enjoying the first snow ! Miss You!

last week of being 24

I am celebrating my last week of being 24 by procrastinating on work , which was the theme of my twenty-four-year-oldness!

I feel like 25 is going to very productive.

I have never been upset about getting older, but this year I am a feeling a little reminiscent about the sweet innocent days of childhood, which I got a wonderful pictorial collage of from my momma and popsicle.
Adulthood is bittersweet, I cried when i looked all the photos of me growing up, and through those tears I was astounded at the great style I have had all my life!

I sure knew what to wear even at age three, so in celebration of being half a half a century old I will pursue clothing design even more and will recreate the masterpieces of my wardrobe evolution. And my brothers. And if anyone else wants a piece remade from ye old days of good send me a pic. natalie.slater@gmail.com

I will call the line : ye old days of good
pants will be outgrown looking grazing the ankles
soft cotton shirts, accessorized with random stains
party dresses
plastic jewelry from grandma jean's plastic jewelry boxes
socks with lace tops......i could go on forever

i will also pick up the harmonica again , it has been too long old friend

Deer Grandma Jean

Deer Grandma Jean,
I am very much looking forward to visiting you. I have been thinking about it a lot lately. I will stop by and bring Daisy, you will tell me poems and I will try to play them. I don't have many of my own songs that are Grandma appropriate, and your poems are gems.
Then depending on our mood we can play scrabble, knit, or get something to eat. You can pick!
Then I'll ask you about special memories, and why you painted the house pink.
I really like the pink house and it means certain things to me , I wonder what it meant to you!
Have a great birthday
I love you ,
Natalie Jean

symbolisming

falafel breath

just got in from the craziest market next to my friend ragnar's apartment in gothenburg, it was an old army training grounds and now serves as a weekend market spot for vegetables and junk!

I arrived yesterday, I really enjoy trains, they are one of my favorite inventions.

Elin and Ragnar met me at the station and we went straight to my favorite vegetarian restaurant!Sooooooooo Happy! I might go there again tonight it is so cheap and glorious and i feel like i must research every flavour so I can start a restaurant just like it at home

Then we went to Liseberg an amusement park that turns very festive around christmas time, lights covering trees and little kiosks for cheese, nuts, sweets and meats and you can win a giant chocolate bar at the roulette table! I a a grinch but it was nice , until it really started raining a cold rain so i had to dance around to keep my feet warm. We met up with Karin and her wonderful friend Åsa had drinks at Ragnar's ...icelandic vodka very nice!

I like corners

Bi-Portrait
neat photos

Miss Communication

we've had a miscommunication
you must have got me all wrong
cause the way you are reacting
isn't what i had in mind

we've had a miscommunication
my words got twisted in some way
and what it is you heard
is not what i meant to say

i was trying to make things better
but I only made things worse
someone cover my mouth
don't let my hands write
every communication tactic i have is cursed

this song isn't about puppies
or a summer breeze on a winters day
it's about how you are missing
all the points i'm trying to make

i didn't mean that about your mother
i have never been your lovers lover
i'll watch what i say
you watch what you hear
then maybe we can see
what is sounding unclear

we've had a miscommunication
ask me and i'll tell you why
it's because your getting information
from another girl or another guy

we've had a miscommunication
i hope we can work it out
what's the use of communicating
if we miss what its about

* do you know what I'm trying to say?

Democracy & Desire

I did a last minute trip to Norrköping...I was back and forth with the staying or going...on account of not knowing if I had a place to stay and not having that much money...
But I woke up late and decided late, arrived late and went to bed late!!
It was worth every late minute!

I made my way in the dark to he museum where Jean Francois was at the entrance, he was so excited to see me and told me they had a place for me to stay, then he introduced me to everyone telling the story of how we met.

There were 9 artists displaying art, each was so different it was nice to see that. Jean Francois was so nice to tour me around and get the artists to tell me about their work ...his was amazing the written note is his it was the original titles for his pieces... he had a drawing of a red cat like person who he had seen in his room as a feverish child (desire), next he made a vertical horizon with the help of laser levels (nature ) and next he had a display where you had to move pieces around and add to it (work) ... the work display really made me feel like work does...do I have to??

Pauline Curnier Jardin delighted me with her video that she narrated along the way ...singing little made up songs... we are now friends...JOY
I was almost busting after her show with all that it meant to me...it was so silly but there were parts in the video (about a girl from France who moves to Finland alone) that were parts of my life here.....like when kids in a mask chase her around...this happened to me on Halloween!

After wine at the show some of us went dancing at some strange bars , we had the first dance floor to ourselves it was very interpretive!! So fun...we stayed with Andreas from Norrköpping and had a wonderful , stupendous brunch! Then I headed back to Jönköping, with some hungover transportation confusion... went straight to Karin's to watch Sideways (I can't believe I thought I liked that movie!) and Walk the Line (I can't believe I thought I wouldn't like that movie)
Woke up there on Sunday for another brunch care of Elin and her boyfriend Ragnar ....thin pancakes with assorted toppings sooooo nice!
I had an amazing weekend!

put your money where my mouth is

It is cold here, and there is some snow
I like to cold okay and snow ain't so bad
but i'm worried about the steep downhill slope to the bus stop
I only have boots with heels on them
I will look for a proper pair today at the thrift stores.

Not much on the ol' to do plate this week
some schoolwork...a book review gotta trace back to fourth grade for that
and I am going to have a rain adventure on Friday to see Jean-Francois's art opening
entitled "Private Parts" ....should be interesting....!

I got a job for the rest of my stay here!
Like most "jobs" in my life , I don't get paid
but i am going to help out my cafe lady during lunch (I should really ask her name!)
she will pay me with americanos and treats and lunch!
JOY!! That's gonna save me a nice lil' handful of money

Oh Karin and Elin just called to invite me over to play!

it's great to create!

I'm camping out at Karin's this weekend ! We are a creative army preparing our weapondry for the war against boredom. Armed with paint brushes, plaid fabric and thread and the battle cries of Patti Smith we are a strong troop!
Tummies full with rations of veggie pizza, medical supplies of banana chip/crunchy cereal/white chocolate being prepared we will be unstoppable!

my head is cold

Got myself a head cold, ye old sore throat sore head variety.
It pleases me though because now I have an excuse to sleep more, cure for cold...lots of sleep!
Sunday night I went to Karin's and we watched Dancer in the Dark , it made me cry and I very rarely shed a cinematic induced tear.
It's so funny the different "sighs" one makes after either watching a dreamy romantic movie or a dreary dark movie....
It was really beautiful though not too dreary, I found myself in a wonderful mood yesterday listening to the "music" that is happening everywhere, I woke up with the great idea to do a theater production of the movie, oh dear my ambitions are just getting a little out of hand, but i'm giving this one a 10 year happening period, so no rush!
Okay I gotta go to the library to do some reading because i don't want to buy my course books when they are readily available at yonder library.

I like november

Oh I spent the whole day in my apartment yesterday and didn't feel guilty at all, so nice.
It's a holiday weekend for celebrating the dead so nothing was open , no market for me!
I have been writing way too many song fragments and every attempt I have to finish any, I just end up with more fragments...but enjoyable nonetheless.
I have also been freestylin' these days...freestyle embroidery that is...I'm being subconsciously inspired by the wonderful Swedish needlework I see in the thrift shops...actually it's not subconscious if I know i'm being inspired by it ...right? oh dear...
finishing up books left and right, I read with a book in each hand, Last Unicorn so good, wrote beginning scene to the mythological movie while on a magical walk in the woods by my place
Read an interview with director David Lynch , whose last movie was shot on cheap digital cameras, very inspiring to see a major director accomplish something that I want to do ...paving the road
anyhoo I'm going to go for a walk about town , it is getting colder here but there are some milder days almost all the leaves have fallen but there are roses still out!

p.s. I don't really read with a book in each hand, someday though...someday

to read when you are meant to read

I'm currently reading Peter S.Beagle's The Last Unicorn, a book which I feel like I missed out on 10 years ago so good.
It is aiding to my mythological movie idea that I started researching half a year ago , which involves a unicorn , giant, and mermaid of modern times.
Here is the weird way in which my brain works, on the way to Paris I met Jean Francois we talked about dying in the sea, he told me to make a video that he would exhibit at one of his shows, entitled I Must Die in the Ocean.
Whilst in Paris in a cafe that Satre frequented (who I had read in the summer) I wrote the screenplay for the video , which will be the mermaid death scene to the mythological movie, I hadn't written anything on the movie since my initial research.
At the time I was reading Paulo Coleho short stories and watched the movie Frida directed by Julie Taymor. I kept falling asleep with the Coleho book in my arms and having very inspiring dreams, in his book he mentions many situations that revelations come in dreams. I instantly imagined another book of Coleho's "Eleven Minutes" as a feature film directed by Taymor. (I even wrote him a message to say so)
Last night I dreamt of Coco Chanel, and while looking on http://stilinberlin.blogspot.com/ there was a link to the Chanel web site, which I browsed and discovered Coco's love of the cameilla flower, which in mythology represents purity and radiance....and it is only those with a pure heart who can tame a unicorn.
I also looked on a bio site of Julie Taymor and read this:"Rather than following a conventional theater arts curriculum however, she earned a degree in folklore and mythology"
Needless to say , all of these factors lead me to be totally inspired to continue writing the screenplay! My favorite part of movies is the symbolism in the end product and in the research and discovery process.... now I just have to find a way to meet Julie Taymor!

moley moley mole

moleskin exhibition videos, i could watch these for days
watched roman holiday, now i want to cut off all my hair and go to italy...i always find films that don't have cliche happy-ever-after endings very refreshing!

forget the words just keep playing

Topas, homemade wine, best carrot cake of my life and fruit cake wonder, permenant marker table decor, first swedish natalie jean &daisy performance, happy birthday papa!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERYONE and KARIN!!

We've been properly celebrating Karin's birthday all day, rolled out of bed and bused to Karin and Elin's to help the Icelandic beauties make a super special birthday breakfast of chocolate cupcakes and pink and green waffles, we stuck candles on everything and woke the birthdaygirl!

Yumm birthdays taste so good, the music started at 10 and hasn't stopped, dance party all day with the help of Topas , an icelandic liquorice liquor. A knitting break and second viewing of Harold&Muade, back to eating and shots now it's 3 and we are stumbling around getting ready for thrift shopping! Yeah! We all feel like it's our birthday , and the real party isn't even until tomorrow....

hungover from happiness...and homemade wine

Spent the day with the lovely Miss Öst yesterday going to my favorite thrift store to find sewing treasures, Joy!
Thank you Iceland for making great ladies... Karin and I met up with Elin and Lena for sushi, yogurt covered goodies, Bonnie&Cylde, Harold&Maude and homemade wine pour moi finally no schoolwork only hangovers.
Mymlan, the cupboard kitty, and I slept on the couch and dreamt of dancing.
Today my head is light but my belly is heavy
Wrote this to Stuart who sometimes thinks that people are from different planets


"in my home planet we were cradled in trees, pushed along by the wind like dandelion fluff to land and grow in red soil, called a weed and pulled out bleeding, but we are very durable and can flourish in many environments some think we are beautiful but many make us feel like we don't belong, the trees watch it all and still cradle us in times of need."

social interaction is good for the soul

Since returning from Paris last tuesday I have been sitting in a computer lab at school typing my fingers to the bone writing useless business papers and studying for exams. I was feeling a bit squeamish and so in preparation for my exam today I decided to take two hours prior to thinking to do some relaxing. I went to my regular cafe where I had a nice talk with the owner, who gave me a chocolate croissant for free, so nice. Then I went to the vintage store where Karin works to see my bella amiga with her new sassy red hair and catch up on life, sewing ideas and internet links. It made me feel so nice and human after feeling like aword processor for a week. The eaxm is done, next one wednesday then momentary relaxation!

posted mail email fusion

please walk the dog

Dear mom and Dad,
Please take the dog for a walk at dunk river, the trees will be nice and he will have a nice time in the water... maybe you can video it, you know he is awfully good without a leash there if there are no other cars parked by the trail then i think it would be okay
love Natalie

big dog, big stick , big breath of fresh air

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a canadian in paris ~part deux~

La nourriture a paris:
the small grocers/markets are so wonderful, each day we would go and buy items for supper , I cooked for the boys each night , but I am so used to cooking for one I felt like flavor was lacking nonetheless I served a strirfry with chantrelles, olive oil pasta dish with brischetta, curry and cous cous.. and a great green bean salad with tomotoes, carmalized onion and fig with balsalmic this was a cafe salad we witnessed but were too cheap to buy.
Fromage:
Dear french cheese , will you marry me?
nouveau jour nouveau cheese
I can't even remember the names! But I will never forget the flavors. We would eat these daily delights with the best baguettes that were so light it was like eating crunchy air , add a little 4 fruit jam... divine.
Mr.Pink wowed me with his culinary skills one night, for desert he cut fresh pears in half, drizzled them with honey and baked them adding brie at the end ! sooo good!
On my last night we had smoked salmon , baguettes and two cheeses with our green bean salad
Delicatessen
In order to fully experience Paris I forced myself to try different treats. These included pain au chocolate, a nutella crepe and a cheese crepe, and on night I stayed in when the boys went out to watch a rugby game I was alone though I had a tasty custard treat that was like creme brule but in a layered square way!
All this great food was accompanied with good times and cheap red wine
Vive France!
Noah had me bicycling everyday , on the velib rental bike system that exists in Paris, that was a good excuse to not feel guilty about treating myself so much
Since returning I have taken a break from Cheese and bread (spelt bread is an acception) I don't know how those french ladies stay so trim!

A Canadian in Paris~ part une~ Jean Fracois

Oh I enjoyed my Parisian trip so so much, just what a girl like me needs to do when school gets busy , hop on a train-plane- metro and find yourself in another world of boulangerie delights and magnificent sights.
I perfected a "new wake up at 5 am without an alarm clock" technique last Thursday night: at 1 am drink three glasses of water , take two to bed, drink them, get up and pee every hour fill up the glasses and drink again...it worked!!
I was awake and well hydrated for my 6:10 train.
Armed with my petit suitcase whom I now call Pierre, a day dress, a night dress and a Paulo Coleho book of short stories I began my journey...hopped a couple of trains , faded in and out of consciousness, and videotaped some of the journey the landscape is very Canadian.
I missed the bus to the airport so found two american students to split the cost of a cab. Skavasta airport is outside of Sweden small small, I initially sat with the americans but I had run out of conversation topics with them in the cab, so I looked around and found a new friend ,french artist Jean Francois Robardet.
It was a meant to be meeting I think, he was in Sweden curating an art exhibit which is opening next month, we talked about art and our love of Bergman's Seventh Seal, I told him about me being a mermaid and wanting to die at sea, he confessed he had just said the same thing to friends in Stockholm. He wants me to do a video called "I must die in the ocean" that he will put in one of his shows, ahhh he was so nice!
Our flight was delayed an hour so we ate together , I had a croissant and a glass of red wine I was in the french mood!
I had a priority boarding pass somehow, so I saved him a seat on the plane, we both dozed and I took video of the clouds, we took the bus into Paris together, I was so happy to see Paris and giggly he enjoyed my excitement, we went on a metro surprise trip to Champs d'Elysee where I walked up the metro stiars to see the arc de triumph so amazing , so many people.
We walked a bit down the luxury store streets and went into a famous perfume shop where he got the lady to spritz me with the the classiest perfume ....oh so romantic , thank goodness Jean Francois is gay or I would still be in Paris! He showed me how to get to Noah's on the Metro map, bought me a ticket and we parted ways , but I will see him again in November for his art opening.

think think think...

Okay I will post now before venturing into my paper writing this evening.
I procrastinated posting and now I am procrastinating paper writing.Oh dear

I had a very solitary week after Gothenburg, solitary is the name of my Swedish game, I really don't mind it but it is good for a girl to get out once in a while.
I read a lot and thought a lot, I can't help thinking a lot when I read so much really, I somehow can relate schoolbooks and leisure books to my life no matter the subject. And if they don't relate to me I really don't want to read them.

The Picture of Dorian Gray, had me thinking about men. Maya Angelou's Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now , had me thinking about women. And John Updike's Women and Museums has me thinking about men and women...

All my schoolbooks make me come up with a bunch of business plans , and future plans, and analysis on my creativeness and trustworthiness.

It's quite consuming really especially when I am not surrounded with my wonderful roomates at a table or breakfast nook or talking things through with my beloved intellectually astute friends and family. Heartbreak Hotel was such a good discussion arena, that dining room has heard so much!

I am still quite happy , I figured out that I am not lonely ...I'm just alone , and that made me feel a bit better ...I started to write a song about it
I'm not lonely
I'm just alone
There's a difference I think
When I'm alone I take care of myself
When I'm lonely I just drink

Last week I was more social, I had a great stuffed zucchini supper at Karin and Elin's that Elin made on Thurday and we all ended up ...stuffed.
Then Karin and I spent the weekend together cause it turns out she was feeling too solitary as well, we had a great time watching movies, talking and reading, as well as making tea and something to eat in 2 hour intervals!

I FINALLY got my cell phone working so now I can call my lovelies although I don't have any of there numbers here... I just have been able to reach my glorious family and Miss.Dawe. It's so strange to have them on the line, I felt like I was a ghost from another dimension who haunted loved ones with emails ...now I can haunt them with phone calls too.

I had a great revelation Saturday at 1:30, I was talking to Laura on the phone, picturing her walking through the Superstore on Quinpool, in front she ran into Ami and put her on the phone...it was really overwhelming to hear Ami's voice, I started to well up and couldn't say anything ...after I said my goodbyes to Laura, I was convinced that Halifax was the place for me to live after my studies.
I was really trying to fight it, telling people and myself before I left that I wouldn't be coming back and I hate being a hypocrite , but there are some very special people who care a lot about me there and that's where I really belong, surrounded by my loved ones, I don't know why I had myself convinced it was a bad thing. I know we will all move on and away at some point but right now , it's the only place I want to live....while traveling to and fro of course!

So there I said it, and it is a relief to know it and feel positive about it...

okay now paper time..

just a few more pictures

first is a photo of me knitting in the cafe I love, which is the last photo...
I see my town name everywhere
Photo of me waiting for the bus
Lindenberries at the market!

I love Gothenburg!

Now I know where to go if I need creative influence, comfort and the best vegetarian food in Sweden...Gothenburg!
I felt so comfortable and happy there is was amazing, I proclaimed my love for the city 30 minutes after I arrived at the train station and made me way with Elin to one of her favorite cafes...it was pouring rain but the atmosphere of the city was so welcoming , I had the same feelings I get from Montreal, so many wonderful boutiques , cafes , and galleries soul food to the aspiring entrepreneur!

Elin and I had a fika, then she showed me a great second hand shop! Just looking at those places fills me with joy...and I found circle knitting needles....here comes a knitted skirt!
We then met up with her boyfriend Ragnar and some other Icelandic people at a bar where I experienced my first "afterwork" many bars and restaurants have this on Friday evenings, you buy a beverage (in our case it was 2 for 1 draught) and you get a plate for a buffet table...they you just eat and drink .... Swedish people loves them some buffet styles....restaurants are saving on servers wages! smart!
So I ended up getting a little tipsy on account of the 2 for 1 beer and up until the evening I could count the drinks I've had in Sweden on one hand!...anyhoo I did a good job of being drunk , Elin and Ragnar and i giggled to the train station to meet her Dad who was arriving on a business trip , he bought us all a drink at the hotel bar....then the three of us giggled our way to Ragnar's to eat dried fish with butter and have shots of a mysterious Icelandic liquor!Elin and Ragnar used to live together in Gotenburg but she now takes graphic design in the engineering building next to mine in Jönköping, she said she really really misses the city anf Ragnar, but she is happy she moved to Jönköping cause she got to meet Karin and I! She is sooo sweet we have so much in common eventhough we grew up worlds apart from each other.
Ragnar, Elin and Karin on Elin's birthday!

~So Saturday in Gothenburg , I awoke ....early....with a bit of a hangover but a manageable one...had a great breakie with Ragnar and Elin and she circled streets for me to explore ....we went downtown to meet up with her dad and then I went off on my own to EXPLORE!



The shops were so neat, I spent 2 hours in a vinyl shop listening to swedish girl folk bands on the customer turntables...I think the guys that worked there may have thought that I was in the music business, or so I like to imagine ....they were really helpful and goofy! I was sooo hungry after looking at records , hungry and forgetful...I left my camera in the shop ...Ragnar is going to pick it up for me with instructions to act as though I am in the music business!! hehehehe.....I made my way to the vegetarian restaurant that Elin, the record shop guys and second hand store owner all recommended...and for good reason.....It was the BEST EXPERIENCE of MY LIFE!.......
Solrosa...step 1: order 1 of 4 entrees all vegetarin one vegan ...all sounding delicious, I picked a smaller entree of Leek and potato soup...step 2: go to the best salad bar you have ever seen , it's actually just a table with big bowls with the most beautiful and tasty assorted salads and salad fixings...couscous and olive salad, potato and cucumber salad, chickpea, ghnocci, things i didn't know....all sooo good! And bread baked with cumin seeds and homemade salad dressings....step 3: EAT! I sat on a stool by the window dancing my fork around in the air and waging my tail!! I had two nice salad helpings.....the best part is that all this plus a coffee cost me $7.50...the most expensive entre was 10.50...these are not the kinda prices I have been seeing for food!
Anyway not only did I want to stay in Gothenburg another day just to go to the restaurant, and I planned my birthday consisting of going there, someday I WILL open this restaurant in Canada!
I decided not to stay another night but to go to Gotenburg when I feel low, I walked around for a long time (walking off all the food I ate) I was sad I didn't have my camera it is stunning there, I missed my first train cause I thought 6 minutes would be enough time to get some of the chocolate balls I had when I first arrived in Sweden....ooops, had to wait 3 hours for the next rain so I sat by the canal and wrote Laura a letter !
Okay this post is way too long just such a great experience I could write forever!
Love everyone xoxoxox

Scones the international bringing together people treat

Last week was full of scones my wonderful friend Karin baked the goodies and had people over on thursday and friday , I brought strawberry jam to show my support ...delicious!
Food brought me to Karin and Elin's place on Wednesday as well, that night I made eggplant rolls with ricotta cheese and tomato sauce yumm.. oh dear all my social activities revolve around food ... Thursday afternoon Elin (from Iceland) and I met for our very first knitting fika (I made sandwhiches with roasted red pepper/red onion/dried apricots and ricotta!) it was great we talked about movies and food! oh dear ...I swear I'm not fat yet, but my tummy does this cute little fullness bulge in my highwaisted skirts that I actually enjoy!
I have successfully become a regular customer at the cafe, the owner always asks if I want "the usual" ... this means a lot to me for some odd reason.... on Saturday I went to the market to get my veggies and fruit and stopped by the cafe afterwards...a British man came up and asked if he could sit down and speak English with me .... he had lived in Jönköping for 2 years but hadn't tried learning Swedish , I brought up how some British people are fed up with their immigration policies partly because of the lack of integration effort of certain immigrants...he agreed fully ....but didn't get the irony...
I went home Saturday made some chili, finished reading Nick Hornby's High Fidelity ....do you ever find yourself thinking in the same voice as the narrative of the current book you are reading ... I do so much .... now I have to be even more selective on what I read because some narritives are just annoying to think in..... Now I am reading Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray ....so good I spent most of yesterday reading it ... oh sundays
I got some great flannel fabric at the thrift store this weekend so tomorrow I am going to Karin's to learn how to use her serger and finish a dress I've started...
School is good
Ciao
Natalie

Today is a good day

Oh joy !
Oh bliss!

I finally found a cafe that makes americanos, now I can sit in the cute cafe and really enjoy myself!
The owner is a very nice lady as well, I think it will become the meeting spot for knitting fika that some friends and I are planning...fika is a swedish word for coffee meeting!
I have been knitting away on the bus everyday making a scarf that is black and white! Oh Grandma Jean will be proud when I write her to say that I can knit multi colors!
Tomorrow is thrift store day , on my list is a curling iron and circular knitting needles, I am going to be taught by a friend , Elin from Iceland, how to make legwarmers and maybe even a skirt like the one she was wearing when I met her...so neat! I will also be looking for more fabric and buttons. Currently I am working on a vest with short sleeves, I am amazing myself with my free form sewing!
Last night I went to a meeting with the university Student TV group, they put together 4 shows a year that are broadcated on the local televison station, we started making plans for a halloween show, I am excited to shoot video and edit again I crave editing so badly ...it's really worrisome!
I have been writing lots of songs and today I met with a professor at the music department to see if there is a way I can record them, in a couple of weeks a recording station will be put together and I will able to use it! I want to record a handful of songs to make a little disc. My friend Karin works at a cool vintage shop on thursdays I am going to start to bring Daisy, the guitar, with me to incorporate music into my visits! Exciting stuff! I'm trying to do and then say but this made my day so I had to indulge!
I don't have class today so that is nice , I have been busy with school passed in a group paper yesterday and have another project due next week , classes meetings and readings ...busy! But enjoyable as well!
Okay I am going to go to the museum now because starting today it is free admission for the winter, I am going to absorb some Johanna Billing wondernous again and maybe venture around the rest of the museum as well!
Ciao
Natalie

My Views of Sweden...so far...