A Loaded Cannon

It can be so easy to forget rules or goals you live life by.

I'm finding that life can some times be a loaded cannon.  If you find the right catalyst your life can be propelled into one solid direction with just a little gun powder.  A direction that seemed near cemented in can suddenly be destroyed or altered.

I guess some times it takes a cross road or a sinking ship to make you jump.  ... jump back to the reality you want to create for yourself and get back on track.

I am so in love with what is going on in my life right now and the wisdom I have gained.   I deserve to have people in my life that treat me well.  Time to sterilize the cannon and reload it with cool catalysts so I can live a healthy life.

I hate to quote myself from 3 years ago but I guess reflection can be key:

Sunday, August 9, 2009

friendship

inspire, encourage and be honest with the people in your life. help them understand themselves precisely so they can be the person they want to become. infuse them with love and confidence.

don't allow their potential to go to waste.
eventually you will become the people you surround yourself with too. choose wisely.


much love,

Kajsa



"Eventually you will become the people you surround yourself with too.  Choose wisely."

Thank you people who I surround myself with as of lately.  I love you, from the bottom of my little, red, blood pumping heart.  Thank you for your kindness and good intentions.  Thank you for caring for me and being there for me when I need you. Thank you for being understanding.  Thank you for being the people I laugh with and the shoulders I cry on. Yep.  I'll say it once more.  I love you!

These are my footsteps.

Sincerely,

Nicole from the Internet

England - "Almost the Home Stretch"

            The next morning was kind of a blur.  I had spent the entire evening repacking my belongings,  tidying up and making my final plans for Manchester.  I slept the entire car ride to catch up on sleep a bit.  The nice neighbors dropped me next to a train station and I was off to Piccadilly (the town center).

It was much colder than Northamptonshire.
To say it was freezing wasn't exaggerating.

I killed some time and stayed warm at a local coffee shop while I waited for my new host to get off work.

      He was really kind and full of great ideas.  That night we went to curry mile for some indian food and the University of Manchester for a beer and cider tasting. Have you ever had scrumpy?  ... Cider without the carbonation?  I hadn't. The bit I got tasted like sour sunscreen.  I'm sure it was just that brand....?   :/

      That night was a lot of fun!  Although, I feel like I climbed back into my shell that day.  The outgoing me all the sudden became the shy/quiet me.  I'm really not sure why.  Maybe I was complacent about going home.  Thinking about the week and a half to come and my flight back home.  The flight that as soon as I booked; I felt slightly trapped.  Trapped because I felt like I would get stuck back home.  I felt that one responsibility would turn into five and five would turn into twenty-five until the black hole sucked me in.

      I had to tell myself to stop being foolish and just be happy for the wonderful experiences that so gratefully came my way.

      I was happy.  I was slightly shy.  I was cold but optimistic about it.

In the morning I woke up to "pancakes". (He is German.)  Some sweet, some salty.
They were wonderful!

This is the view from the couch I was sleeping on.

       The sun finally came out.  I was overjoyed! ... even though everything was frozen outside.  The weather seemed so ironic and serene to me.  There was a quietness that came with the brisk air.  For most of the world this is probably normal experience.  
        
       Remember, I'm spoiled from sunny Los Angeles, California.  We're lucky if we get gloom on Christmas day!  I enjoyed bundling up in my scarf and hat from Norway..

...and my new WARM genuine leather and fur gloves that I scored for 8 quid, roughly 12 USD.
(Yes, those are the actual keys to the apartment!)

      The week was one awesome event after the other! We went to a CS barhop meet that included dancing and a lot of really friendly people.  I even made a friend who I later had coffee with in town.             

       Each day was a new adventure!  It was nice to get out. Especially after waiting inside for the rain and flooding to pass for a week in Northamptonshire.

       It was nice not to feel too much like a burden for a change.  I had a weekly bus pass and I felt pretty self sufficient.  

It had been a while since I had seen trash religiously on public transport.
I guess it made me feel at home... in a bad way.

        Finally, it was the day I was waiting for.  It was the reason or excuse I needed to end up in Manchester!  Yeasayer was playing at the university and tickets were unbelievably inexpensive!  I invited some CSers to join in the online forum but no one took up the offer.  

         I was going alone and I was determined to have a great time.  I got there early so I decided to have an irish coffee. At the coffee shop I met someone who was up for buying a ticket and going to the show with me. 

     The show was nothing short of amazing. They were playing a pretty small stage.  On top of that there were only about five people in the room when I showed up.  Was this real?  How could I be so fortunate?  I went into a little bit of shock.  Then, I just smiled and said to myself, "Yeah, this is my life right now and it's awesome."  The whole show I had a giant smile like a little kid who was about to meet big bird.

      The venue eventually got kind of crowded but I already had my spot saved.

      Here's a clip:  (Excuse the shaking etc.  I was paying attention to the band not the camera.  After all, I didn't go to the show for the camera.  :p)





       As I was leaving the venue I couldn't help but re-notice the vinyl albums they had for sale.  They were more than I wanted to spend and.... would it if in my backpack without getting crushed?  Would I have to ship it home?  Well, those are the thoughts I had before the show.

       The only thought I had when exiting the show was more like, "I'm going to get an album signed by the band... right now.  It's going to happen." (Those of you who know me in person know I'm usually very laid back, "go-with-the-flow"ish and low maintenance.) This was about conquering fear and proving to myself I can do anything.  Plus, the night was already going so well it was bound to happen.  

       I went next door to the ATM paid a fee for pulling out cash and bought the album.  I marched back up the stairs where the band should have been just to be stopped in my tracks by security.  I wasn't going to be pushy and I wasn't.  I wasn't going to give up either.  I went back down to the merch table and talked to the guy who sold me the album.  He told me that Yeasayer was definitely up there and they would probably be pretty likely to sign my album. I went back up to security just to be told that they had left the building. I don't want to call them liars.......buuuuut............ they were still in the building.

       I accepted and respected what they said even though it wasn't true; and moved on to the next solution. If they *had* left the building they would be in the tour bus right? But which tour bus was theirs?  I felt like a hopeless Britney Spears fan.  Oh well, this wasn't Britney Spears and it wasn't really about being a fanatic either.

       After poking around trying to figure out if there was anyone in the buses I finally found a driver who told me which bus was Yeasayer's.   It was the black one.  I waited patiently while it started to sprinkle.  I didn't have anything to protect the album. Was this going to work?   I tested my patience just a little.  About 20 minutes later the same guy from the merch table came to the bus.  He said it would be a while until they came down.

         I'll stop boring you.... but just after that the guy finished packing his table into the bus, grabbed a permanent marker and took the album up to the band to be signed.

Victory was mine!
I guess I decided it looked better upside down when I got home.
I'll stick to my gut.  :p

    I was happy.  I was in a great mood.  I had an incredible night.

< --  Post concert goofy face.

 

     The following night was a Tuesday.  Which only meant one thing. We were going to a céilidh also at the university!  I know what you're thinking.  What in the world is a "céilidh"?!!   

   This is the scene I thought of:









    It was more like this:



     Really confusing and really a blast!  


     Although, wiki has this to say about it: 

     "Céilidhs facilitated courting and prospects of marriage for young people and, although discos and nightclubs have displaced céilidhs to a considerable extent, they are still an important and popular social outlet in rural parts of Ireland and Scotland, especially in the Gaelic-speaking regions. Céilidhs are sometimes held on a smaller scale in private or public houses, for example in remote rural hinterlands and during busy festivals. It is common for some clubs and institutions such as sports clubs, schools and universities and even employers to arrange céilidhs on a regular or at least annual basis. The formality of these can vary. Some mix modern pop music with a Scottish country dancing band and dress codes range from compulsory highland dress to informal. Knowledge and use of the basic dance steps is not always strictly necessary, and dances often alternate with songs, poetry recitals, story telling and other types of "party pieces"."


      The next day would be a day of packing and traveling.  I was sad to leave Manchester.  I also figured I had already done every awesome thing there is to do in town.  There can't be that much more to keep my expectations up as high!   

      I'll tell you about the home stretch of the trip soon.  It's another five rad days!  Stay tuned!

Swedish Fish

New York was such a great experience! I'm glad I was able to make it there before I left the US.

The plane ride was great! I just wish I was able to sleep a little more.

I guess I shed a few tears before I switched planes in Berlin. It was then that I realized I was about to make my childhood dreams come true.  It was one of the things that I always thought I wanted to do; but I never saw it actually happening.  At the same time I always knew it would happen.  It was a weird feeling.  Knowing that I was making my dream come true. No excuses! Not money, time or how I "couldn't" do it. I was about to meet family I always wanted to know because I bought the plane ticket and at the end of the day I made it happen.

I switched airplanes in Berlin, ran across the airport because the last plane was late. From there it was another short ride to Gothenburg, Sweden.  I felt like such a smelly mess! I still had the same stale clothes on since sweating cats and dogs in New York. I quickly changed my clothes so my cousins could recognize me, grabbed my bags and was headed to customs.

Customs was going to be tricky since I hadn't actually purchased a plane ticket out of the European union. Right? Nope. There was no customs. I guess because I went through it in Germany? I'm not sure but they really didn't look at my passport in Germany either.   ... I guess I was supposed to just walk out.... Right? It seemed too easy but it was real.

There, I met three strangers: Ingrid, Christian and Anna. Well, okay... They're my distant cousins.  I was greeted with three big hugs despite how cruel I smelled.  We jumped into their red Volvo and drove home.  I explained my "day" which was really two days, not sleeping, nor showering and my awesome adventure in New York.  I was relieved by how cool and sweet they all were.

They showed me to my bed.

Oh, wait! I meant: My very own guest house! Saweeeet!!
















I'm so fortunate and grateful for everything!


We had a little "fika" (afternoon swedish style sandwiches, coffee and/or tea and maybe some cookies) and went for an afternoon "bath" in the lake right down the street.  They consider a swimming a "bath".  I think that's quite charming but it makes me feel like I should be bringing my shampoo.

I picked up a GoPro up at the airport in NYC so I could share this and much more with you:

The lake is gorgeous and the water is actually quite warm!

The next morning we packed up our things and headed to their summer house in Kungsbacka, Sweden.  It was a bright, warm, sunny day.  This only leaves one option in the Swede's mind: TIME TO GO BOATING!  Woo hoo!  

We packed up the wheelbarrow with snacks for another "fika", towels, clothes and gas.

 

Anna, Christian with his sprained ankle and our newly named Wilbur the wheelbarrow - Day 1

Off to the granite islands just a short distance from the house!

Their dock - Day 1

Anna and Captian Christian - Day 1

They gave me the honorary Swedish life jacket. How sweet! :) - Day 1

Woohoo! Almost there! - Day 1

 

 Boating and Swimming is a big part of their lifestyle. In school the kids are required to take swimming tests. They basically have to be able to save another's life.

 This would be the first time I've snorkeled in the ocean. They have jellyfish everywhere here.  This particular one stings. They have a blue jellyfish that's friendly. :)

The next day I was feeling a bit under the weather so I slept in a bit then...Boating Day 2!

Christian, his (my) fashionable sunglasses and Swedish coffee around sunset (10:30 pm). - Day 2

It was even more gorgeous in person - Day 2

Peace, quiet and the boat - Day 2

All and all I'm sure you guys know how I felt these few days.  I mean... look at that!! Chapter two of my tales in Sweden coming soon(ish).

friendship

inspire, encourage and be honest with the people in your life. help them understand themselves precisely so they can be the person they want to become. infuse them with love and confidence.

don't allow their potential to go to waste.

eventually you will become the people you surround yourself with too. choose wisely.


much love,

Kajsa