On New Year's Eve

Remember to have lots of water besides champagne.

Ps. This pic also serves as a personality test. If you ask a friend or partner "is this how you feel?" you'll find out a lot about them by their answer. Not "yes" or "no" but which person in the picture they identify with.

Personally, I ( a mere blasphemous blogger) mostly identify with the holy hand in the top left corner.

In 2013

To us, with the upcoming move to NYC, 2013 seems like the most exciting and adventurous year in a long time.

How do we even find a place to live and manage to place 3 kids in school from here? We're about to find out. If you have any advice, please let me know.

Professionally, I'm really excited too, because of a few offers I've received. Things are looking good. Now I JUST HAVE TO PERFORM.

For me, the hardest thing about 2013 will be parting geographically from family and friends. Love them so much, will now have to love from a distance.

Last day of the year

For me, 2012 was a great year. I wouldn't mind it being 2012 always.
But today's our last day together, 2012.

What really happened in 2012? I asked Anders.

He said: "Everything is pretty much the same as it was a year ago...

...with one important exception: I now have an iPad Mini. "

Shocking underwear

If you're interested in news from the medieval world or just lingerie in general, you might have come across news about the sensational find of 15th century women's undies in a castle in Austria. 
Though men have been known to wear such garments, researchers have doubted that to be the case for the women of yesterday.

Readers of this blog may recognize this kind of stylish garb and ask themselves - if men wore them, wouldn't women too have been tempted to?

Before and after one of this year's last 5ks

After: sweaty, happy.
This time of year am so pale, even my very fair foundation looks orange against the skin.

MERRY!

http://www.jibjab.com/view/hwnfuTf0MKjixHBfpvdL

In 2012...

This is what:

a copywriter/writer/someone who types for a living looked like

a friend looked like

a sister looked like

a daughter looked like

a wife looked like (this is the one I have the most trouble identifying with)

a mother of three looked like

a Swede looked like

a woman, not a girl, looked like

a reader looked like

a Lidingömorsa looked like

a soon to be emigree looked like (which I've always thought fitting of someone named Emi)

a feminist looked like

an occasional runner looked like 

I looked like

Remember

When choosing a partner, opt for someone who makes you laugh. 

Also, go for someone you'll still think is hot after more than a decade together. If that seems too hard to imagine, just go for funny. If he makes you laugh, you'll probably think he's hot, but if he's just hot and boring, who cares if he's hot?

This man still makes me laugh.

Also, work out. I rarely remember why before I go running, but always afterwards. During the workout itself, it's a 50/50 deal.  This picture is weird. I like it because I look like a cartoon or an ant.

Welcome to my life

2013

It's not even Christmas yet and I've already decided what my one word for 2013 is:

DANCE.

Lunch - a huffing and puffing post

The edible volcano. Builds strength, character, costs close to nothing. 

Today's link, from Petra

Sleeping bear sleeping bag. 

Today's link, from Anders

You must take a look at this. 

Ok, sharing.

Looks like we might be moving to Brooklyn in time for fall of 2013.
(so happy about this).

The kids are excited and a bit nervous.

Joel, yesterday: Mom, do I have to learn a gazillion English words?

Me: Yeah. But your head is really fast, your brain is better than mine.

Joel: I'm kind of prepared.

Me: Great, how?

Joel: I've practiced to say "I'm from Sweden, I don't understand."

Say what?

In order to be crowned hottest woman of the universe, you just have to get used to one small thing: 
No food for you, missy.

And what's dinner? 
Chicken and vegetables right now. I'll eat when I'm in non-competition mode. I'll just have to hit the gym extra hard. 

Can't seem to handle it

Things I have to refrain from, since I can't handle them:

Twitter.

Facebook.

Toffifee. (delicious and nutty!)

Etsy.

Expensive stuff in general (I'm a true loser - lose everything not attached to me by bolts or chains.)

Lies. I exaggerate but my lies are so apparent I've been told it's no use.

Of these, Toffifee is the hardest to live without.

Can't wait for this to open

Tora Mårtens' Niki & Martha documentary.

Delar inte just den ilskan men vill ändå dela budskapet

Garnkonstverk i morse på Mariatorgets T-bana. Älskar att åka kommunalt. Älskar det.

If you're feeling a bit tired and want to get energized

Try to resist. I'm from the 70's , you're a 90's bitch.

Fråga! Är ni för eller emot?

Ska jag köra lite bloppis här? Vad säger ni?

5!

Can't believe it's been 5 years since we first met. 

Last kindergarten health check. Next will be IN SCHOOL.

File under: Honest marketing

FASHION OF FAITH. 

I don't know what to say about this, but I guess it makes it even easier to be a reluctant agnostic. 

Christmas wishes.

Summing up my personal wishes:

1. Things that can be consumed, like food and wine. 
2. The return of a fave black cardi, likely lost on a train. 
3. New running shoes. 

As we might be moving this year, will try to stick to this list even for future purchases. Will only buy things I'd want to buy straight over again if I lost them. How many of the things you own would spur that impulse in you? 

Put into percentage?

It's kind of low, isn't it? Perhaps historians will look back at our time and conclude "For whatever reason, 21st century Swedes and members of other states surrounded themselves with stuff they barely liked and rarely used."

That said, I love my books and many of the pieces of clothing I've bought over the years. I love love love the books. I feel like they're an extension of my mind, which I guess could be seen as a cerebral colonization of other people's written work. Once read, the books become part of our territory and the lines between the you that was before you read and the one you're after is forever blurred.

Which makes me wonder: what are you currently reading?
I'm "reading" Grace by Grace Coddington (so far mostly looking at the pictures), The ravishing of Lol Stein by Marguerite Duras (not really into it) and A girl from yamhill by Beverly Cleary (enjoying it).

Varit ihop med musiker?

När jag var 16 och gick i ettan i gymnasiet och bar fez (det här har vi redan pratat om), då var jag kär i en kille som jag också var ihop med (det var inte ofta de två sammanträffade på den tiden). I all fall, han spelade såklart i band.

Vi var ihop i ett år. Vi blev ihop på nyåarsafton och sedan tog det slut typ dagen innan nästa nyår.
Under det året skrev han massa låtar.

Jag undrade om någon handlade om mig.
Han skrev en låt som hette "Hon driver honom ut".

Den tror jag kanske handlade om mig.

"Hon driver honom ut. Ut, ut, ut."

Den var ganska bra och lite sorglig.

Jag undrar fortfarande om jag har den effekten på folk. Driver dem ut. ut ut ut. Kanske är det något jag ätit?

Baby, it's cold outside

Thinking about moving to another country. And we just might. More on this later.

12/12/12

How do you celebrate today's magic date?

Malin!

Åh äntligen bloggar Malin igen.

Edie Windsor, you're the inspiration

(pic screengrabbed from Edie & Thea)

This woman is on my long list of impressive women. After a life as IBM computer programming pioneer by day and delighted dancer, friend and lover by night, at the age of 83 Edie Windsor is now about to help change the world for the better by suing the government for all the right reasons.

Want to know more about Edie or are you just in the mood to watch a really love filled docu about two seriously inspiring women? Watch Edie & Thea - A very long engagement.  Here's a trailer

WOW!!!

The playful always appeals to me. Too bad this isn't on beyond jan 6th, probably will miss it. New Yorkers, seize this awesome chance to feel like a kid again!

Ladies who hate lunch

Today's two thoughts on food: 

1. I understand I'm thoroughly, magically, unfairly blessed by getting to eat great food every day but still, how boring is lunch?

2. Don't you agree it's a mystery why so many want to meet for business over lunch? Why? To me, chewing chewing chewing is the least dignified way I can imagine to kick off any kind of business relation. Is it about being weak, together?

Couldn't resist.

Cars

We live like this, the morning in pictures

Bundle up, little friends.

Out of everything I've ever blogged, this remains a favorite.

The Portuguese countryside is so beautiful , cars go there to die.

All the pretty marshmallows

I love this poster, don't you? It's a bunch of dancing coconut marshmallows! No! I'm wrong! These are exotic dancers at the Lido.  It's womanhood at one of it's weirdest/most touching moments. I'm officially endorsing this picture by Jesper Brandt. You can't stop me! But you can find it here. 

YOKO!

I love the following fact the most about Yoko Ono's Fashion's for Men collection for Opening Ceremony: That she named the pants above "Conservative Pants".

Perhaps she left out a comma? "Conservative, pants"

I also love these incense boots. it's about time someone took foot perspiration seriously, in a funny way!

Skulle kolla lite sista minuten....

Möttes av mig själv och min familj. 

Är det vi i den potentiellt bokade resans framtid eller i en redan rest resas dåtid?
Meta-weird. kom helt av mig i söket.

Ps. Nej, Joel är inte med på bild. Han tyckte det var för tråkigt att posera. Jag tyckte det var roligt. Jag är en född posör. Har dock inte tillfrågats igen. Eller jo, när man sökte en glad mamma-typ omgiven av hundar till reklam för bil. Men när de fick se fler bilder på mig tog de en annan. Tror DET GÅR JÄTTEDÅLIGT FÖR DEN BILFÖRSÄLJNINGEN NU PGA DETTA VAL!

My first running injury

Went running indoors today, wearing my Vibram 5 fingers cause I had no other indoor running shoes. Ran 4k on the treadmill. Such a mistake. You need to ease into running in Vibrams.
Don't do what I did. Can barely walk.

(yes, that's an old pic, from the old office. Just put it here to visualize the vibrams)

Officially really f'*cking cold

Any readers in Johannesburg?

HAve a quick question for you.
Please mail me at emi at lovegun dot net.

thanks!

Winter's arrived

Friday night at our house

Snow jogging is slow jogging

But results are the same: sweat & joy.

Cold weather running

People often ask what I wear to go running in cold weather. Here you go. 

Readers in NYC!

If you like Letters from the end consumer, you'll like IVANA HELSINKI. Chances are you'll like Ivana even if you don't like lftec. But in that case, why are you reading this?

Ok! Just received a comment questioning my endorsement over the past few posts. Thought I'd elaborate. I'm a discerning consumer who try to buy less, use more of what I already own. I've had more or less the same size since I was 18 which means I can still wear most of the clothes I've bought since 1989. Here's my dirty secret though: I love clothes. It's a constant battle between the glamor loving style conscious person inside and the environmentally concerned, often financially troubled person that I also am. That's why I say I won't buy Mes Dames below but will try to recreate the look with the help of clothes I already have. And that's why I haven't bought the Kanebo Sensei stuff - just used store samples.

I think it's important to buy things I know will last a long, long time. And since I put so much time and effort into this portion of my life, I'd like to share the stuff I think will last with you.

Ivana Helsinki is a brand I really like. It's founded by Finnish designer/artist/film maker Paula Suhonen who describes her brand in the following terms:

“My world is for the ones whom love moonlit fields, pirates, dark forests, crummy motels, champagne states of drunkenness, fragile butterflies, passionate relationships, cowboys and guardian angels.  After all, they all are just after a love of their lives, rarely seen peaceful madness; just waiting to see, will he be a rockstar, a motor biker, a gnome, a cosmonaut or a sailor,” explains Ms. Suhonen."

A few years ago, I think perhaps 5 or 6 years or so, I tried on a green wool 40s-inspired Ivana Helsinki dress that I didn't buy. It's one of the few non-purchases that keep bugging me. I loved that dress and it's been impossible to find it. This year, I found another Ivana Helsinki dress that I bought and really, really, really love. I'll post it here later on, perhaps tomorrow. I look forward to wearing it for the rest of my life. 

Now you can buy MesDames over the internets.

That is, if you're into dignity and have some money to spend.
Personally can't check either box, but still like this brand.

The thing that made me really like them was their citing Palma Bucarelli as the main source of inspiration for this season's look.
Superloyal readers might remember my joy upon discovering Palma's entire wardrobe exhibited at small museum in Rome.
Will try to mimic the look soon with clothes I already own.
Click the pic, why don't you?

Music I'd like to hear

Being woman, my story

I was born with ovaries and the whole female setup. And despite the fact that men seem favored when it comes to getting power, influence, money and attention and basically everything else everywhere ever,  I have always been happy to be born a woman. But I find many of the female "truths" disturbing. As a western European woman of a certain age, I've concluded that advertising channels think I spend my time considering the following issues thusly: 

I would like to correct this fact by offering the true statistics of how I spend my time:

I have very little interest in skin care. And have now found a product that makes me have to think of it even less, (sadly am sometimes forced to think about my skin because it itches). With the help of the Kanebo Sensei series, it doesn't. It's really expensive, too expensive for me really. So far, I get by with samples. Just thought I'd share this with you, if like me, you're not really as interested in skin care/maintenance a people seem to think.

Alicia Keys, day 2.

One thing. I love One thing. Don't really understand the lyrics at all, but I rarely do. What's the one thing? Spooning?

Also Alicia, please get back to work to make some music for the ones of us who love to dance. That would be all. Thank you.

For that special someone in your life. Or for Brita Zackari.

Seriously

the word verification process you have to go through to post comments on blogger sites (like my own) is so difficult that the wording "prove you're not a robot" only makes me think one thing: perhaps I am.

Frankfurters?

Any readers in Frankfurt? Did you see the Caillebotte exhibition? How is it?
Am really curious.

-emi

Dear Angela

Olivier Hoslet/European Pressphoto Agency

This pic of you is marvelous. The impressionists have nothing on our own time. Renoir would have killed to paint your image.