Joel & Jonas

Happy 4th of July

Requirements

Trailing spouse syndrome

I think I might have it. Any of you have it? Not sure how to shake it.

Parenthood

The most terrifying and wonderful part of parenthood is its permanence.

growing up

at about age 10, -were you short or tall, small or big compared to people in your class and how did that affect your life?


I was a real shorty. didn't quite like it. My "friends" picked me up and carried me around like a toy. They never asked before if I wanted to be picked up or if I wa OK with it. They just picked me up.

hi

Just one more week before we leave for Sweden. Can't believe it. 

June 26th

It's my dad's birthday so I've always loved June 26, but now we all have one more great reason to love it!

MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN THE US

Can think of so many worse offenses

some people can't resist the slurpee urge, it's just too strong!

The perfect slippers for Father's day

New York can't help being so pretty

Not laughing

How I hate this kind of gender division. 

And who do you think intended buyer is? 

Not him.

Went to Anne Frank Center

The heartbreak of the loss of this family and all the other individuals who died because of Nazis. 

So real and close at Anne Frank Center where they had a small exhibition with Frank family pictures. Re-reading the diary. Do it. 

Such a brilliant and honest young mind. 

Street art

The only reason I'd get a cat

Would be to test Charles Mingus Cat Toilet Training 
Program.

Exciting day for this family

Today; 

I'll be meeting up with a favorite author and his students to talk about Swedish children's books (picture books in particular). 

Vanja is going to an amusement park with her school as an end of school year celebration.

Joel is having an all day picnic with his school. 

Niki has mini-olympics at her gymnastics place.

Anders has an important meeting. 

Will be great to see everyone tonight and hear how it all went. 

What's happening in your lives today?

-e

A midsummer's night in NYC

Inside out

How Niki and I had looked forward to the new Pixar movie Inside Out!

Went to see it yesterday and...it just wasn't for me.

To me, it felt like an all too peppy TED-talk on emotions and memories.
And the inside of one's mind has all the charm and uniqueness of a sterile 90s shopping mall. I understand the graphic analogies were there to make the whole complex how-the-emotional-side-of-the-brain-works-concept easier to grasp but it was not a landscape my inner child/person could appreciate at all. A world with no trees. No thanks.

The rest of the movie house crowd did not feel like I did, they loved it all and gave it a big applause at the end.

Every reviewer seem to agree it's mind-blowingly fantastic too.

have you seen it? what did you think?

oh well, on to the next! now waiting for:
Finding Dory, Hotel Transsylvania 2, Kung Fu Panda 3.

Charleston

so meaningless, hateful and hellish.

beyond comprehension.

it's a sad sad sad day.

My second book is off to the printer's!

So happy!

Currently working on nr 3 and 4!

it's happening. so darn hard but it's happening.
The hard part is overcoming the notion that I have zero talent and no original ideas and just keep writing despite that. to have writing as a profession is such a privilege.
so grateful.

still hard though. even after 20 years.

Does your newpaper have this?

Sweden's biggest newspaper has a "good news" section. 

When the world seems too horrible, I go there and read a little and feel everything is not solely completely nuts after all. 

Thank you, DN!

Sorry haven't posted so much lately

Been busy reading fan-mail.

(pic from one of the most interesting obits I've read in a while).

Reader recommendation supplied by READER

This seems very interesting. Thanks for tip, Anonymous!

Weird stories I've stumbled across that might be added to summer culture diet

Heard interview with the author of this book on radio yesterday. So weird and scary the world of weapons and warfare. 

-----

Then a story on how 6 brothers, growing up secluded, reared by Harekrishna-influenced parents, found solace in movies and became the topic of a documentary themselves:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/movies/the-wolfpack-brothers-step-out-of-their-world.html?_r=0

what troubles are you facing right now?

you can be anonymous.
I'm very interested in challenges. Small and big. No trouble is too small for my interest!

wrap your heads around this one, young people

before internet, hashtags and tattoos, we used T-SHIRT PRINTS to express our beliefs and find peers. It was very very important.

perhaps it still is? t-shirt print culture seems alive and well.
have recently seen the following prints out and about in New York City:

Spiritual Gangster

It'd be a lot cooler if you did (wooderson fans know this one)

It's not broken, it just needs a little DUCT TAPE

PEANUT ENVY

Feel free to rain on my parade

Perhaps because I grew up in a country largely devoid of sunshine, beautiful weather stresses me out.
I love rain, dark skies, thunder and windy afternoons. When you can stay indoors and work.

Should I move to England?
Where is the weather terrible to you, terrific to me?

Now only need to interest rest of my family in this setup.

Overheard on NY Street

3 teenage girls talking to each other.

"Her parents are SOOO naive!"

"Yeah. I mean what do they think would happen after prom? That we would just have tacos and soda?"

"Yeah right."

--------
thinking to myself: I will be those parents. very soon.

Overheard at garden days at Cloisters

Mom: Come over here and smell this flower. It smells F_A_N_T_A_S_T_I_C!

Teenage son: nah.

Mom: What do you think will happen if you smell it? Think I'm trying to poison you?

(Teenage son reluctantly walks over to mom).

Mom: Didn't it smell amazing?

Teenage son: Mom, I'm hungry.