What?????

This is cold!! It's still September, although the absolute last breath of it, but freezing usually don't come until late October. Now I have a big problem. I have NO gloves here... Brr...

Good girl!

Just submitted the second and last manuscript for this time. But The Engineer ate all the blueberry cheesecake so there is nothing left for me... but I will have the pleasure of having him joining me for the boxercise tonight, so I can get "even" then... :)

Is also preparing 2 presentations, 1 for next Wed, when I'm presenting my non-existing results from the last year, and 1 for The Interview Wed in 2 weeks! They're starting to look good now :)

Spent yesterday with Sister and all the kids at the Army museum here in Stockholm. A lot of war history starting from 900 century up to today. They also had some really old "war trophies" from all the wars Sweden had in the 1500-1700's. All the kids liked it, I have to confess I liked it too, especially the part where you could touch all the old and new weapons, newer guns and rifles are not so appealing to me but the swords! Sort of want one... And The Smallest likes me now too! Greeted me with a big smile! Yey! :D

I find it very irritating that when I finally find a pair of rain boots that fits and are gorgeous (spent almost $180 damn it!!) the rain just stops! The sun shines and it's getting cold... in the 40's this morning and now it just climbed into the 50's... Brr. I packed for summer heat wave! Good thing I make some real money here so I can go shopping :D Will shop some more this Friday with Sister and finish off with a movie. Most likely we'll end up in TGIF's for an Ultimate Strawberry Daiquiri too...

Only 12 days left now!

Billy Holiday

The Donna is working! Last week at the University and still 0 submitted manuscripts. Later today it will be 2 submitted! Billy Holiday is humming along, my owls is giving me moral support and my students knows not to disturb me. Perfect combo :)

Comment by The Engineer: And! There is blueberry cheesecake in the fridge! Perfect+ combo. (Btw, you can only have some if you submit both manuscripts. Otherwise The Engineer will eat everything himself!)

Beware: Force field!

B-day gift bonanza!

So, I had a great birthday! Honestly I did :)

1. Woke up at 6.15, the Engineer prepared breakfast and birthday cake! Yummy!
2. At 11.30-ish I got a new Visa! Thank you US embassy folks!
3. At 12.30-ish I got a mojito!
4. After a nap some of our friends came over for pizzas and beers and wine.

I got many nice things too!
From the Engineer: Two pair of zazzy earrings and a BIKE! So I can ride it to my new job (which still isn't mine yet, but I'm an optimist!). :D

From Palle, Frida, Hasse and Maria (and a bunch of children, cats and a dog...), Pescador and Nare and from Suave: I got a scarf, a cool hair piece, a bracelet and a force field ring, a smaller cute ring and a puzzle (with no clues to what it is, the box is still at Suave's and will remain so, until I give up, then I will get a small piece of the box...).

From my in-laws I got a really nice bracelet and a big cake (the one I got for breakfast...).

From my parents and sister and an even bigger bunch of children I got a fantastic bag!

Hair piece, earrings and bracelet all new! La Donna, slightly older...

Hurra Hurra Hurra..

.. på Lisas födelsedag! I guess you can all understand that. :)

Yep, The Donna was born sometime in the 70s on this day and we celebrate that by sitting a few hours at the US Embassy (we got our new visas today!) and eating lunch at TGI Fridays.

Well that was of course only the beginning. Right now we're gonna take a nap. Aaaah... Naps.. The greatest invention of all! We need to our strength for tonight, when our guests arrive and tear the apartment down. Ok, I might be exaggerating, we're gonna eat pizza and drink something but it's gonna be great!

Happy birthday, honey!

No Pain, No Gain!

Tired! So, so, tired! Boxercise, the day after a BodyPump with a leader sent from Hell to punish you, is not fun. I'm not gonna move tomorrow. I won't be able to. My legs hurt. So does my shoulders. And arms. And torso, after having to act punching bag for my friend Pablo. But I think I might have given him a knee in a area where guys tend to not appreciate a knee, so I really can't complain too much. Will try to move a fork now, I have to eat. Hungry, so so hungry. Damn it! Maybe if I lay down and just push the food in... yes... it might work!

Hard work, no play...

Since the Engineer is working 24/7 (ok, not really, but it feels like it!) and Swedish people are not as social (well they are, but only if planned... don't just show up on their doorstep and expect to be greeted with true happiness...) as our Seattle crew, The Donna is going to the gym instead. The Donna decided to go to a Body Pump session this morning at 7.30am. OMG! I have pain everywhere. I almost didn't make it up the stairs to the department on the 5th floor! I have a boxercise training tomorrow, let's see if I can make it :)

Quickie update

Yes, it's been too long! Luckily The Donna write something here now and then.

The Engineer is on a consultant assignment in eastern europe.. (Well, that's how it feels anyway). It takes foooreever to get to work in the morning. It's an intensive assignment at the same company my brother is assigned to. Actually, it's because of him The Engineer is there.. The Company needed my brother to duplicate himself and work more but it seemed easier if The Engineer just helped for a bit. The assignment is scheduled to end the day before The Engineer and The Donna leaves for Seattle and the assignment WILL end on that day (they don't really have choice). :)

But a lot of work means less play..

Applied for a new job in NY

2 reasons:

1. It was about Epigenetics - so weird and so interesting!

2. They offered subsidized housing a few blocks away from campus - Campus stretches from East 98th to 102nd Streets between Madison and Fifth Avenues on Manhattan's Upper East Side! Who say no thanks to Upper East :)


It's officially fall now. And my hair has faded to some pinkish blonde colour. And it's the government election on Sunday, and I have no idea what to vote for! I know what NOT to vote for, but that only reduces the selection of parties with 4... that leaves at least 4 others, and I'm not sure I agree with them either... Choices are difficult! :)

I got to the next step!!

I have a face-to-face meeting with Mr UW, who turns out to be Miss Close to Fred Hutch. If we like each other just as much then as we did over skype, we'll start changing my visa status... Ok, now this is almost to good to be true, so cross fingers and toes peeps! :)

In sickness and in health...

I'm sick! Has been laying on the couch, watching Sex and the City (10 episodes give or take a few...), a movie (Africas Queen from 1951...) and Burn Notice (probably something like 5 episodes?). I'm bored and I have a head ache, problem breathing and feel all feverish due to a massive cold. I even had to cancel my UW interview yesterday because I had a brain as a sponge. But it's not all bad... The Engineer bought chocolate ice cream for me :)

I wonder?

Have the dust-bunnies kidnapped the Engineer or is it Mr Robot that takes all his time?

I dragged him, The Engineer not Mr Robot, to Body Pump yesterday. He complained over pain a lot already last night, this morning he was more or less incapacitated :)

Now, coffee break!