Fiddler on the roof

Being in London again for a couple of days again I got last minute tickets to Fiddler on the roof at the Savoy Theatre last night. An absolutely brilliant show.

Earlier this year I said that the Lion King probably was one of the best productions I’ve seen in London, but the "Fiddler" topped all that. I was mesmerized and couldn’t believe two hours had flown by before the break. Then the last hour just disappeared and walking back to the hotel I felt like I had been hit with some kind of spell. I couldn’t stop thinking about the story, the cast and the great music.

I guess musical theatre can’t get any better than this.

Here's to you Dad

Red Rose
Originally uploaded by whoops vision

Thinking about you today. Wondering what you would have thought about today’s world and me. 20 years is a long time.

Love you always.

Stephen Fry on Web 2.0

Brilliant and knowledgably as always. This old "geek" knows his stuff.

Via One Man & His Blog


VideoJug: Stephen Fry: Web 2.0

Women do shopping better

It’s now scientifically proofed that women are better at supermarket shopping than men. A recent study shows that 1000 years of evolution has made the women superior to hunt down the most fulfilling food.

According to the study by a team in California, women are just as good as men at navigating, but they only call on their mental maps when there is food to be found — and the more calories in a food, the more accurate they are at locating it.

This probably has its origins in the African savannah, when men were hunting down highly mobile prey.

So there you have it boys. You might know how to hunt down and kill preys, but we women will never fail finding the good stuff as chocolate and donuts in the supermarket.

How does she do it?

Swedish heptathlon star Carolina Klüft won her third straight gold medal in the World Athletics Championships in Japan earlier today. With 7032 points she also set a new European record and is now the second best heptathlon woman ever in the world.

Watching most of the competition on television all I can say is: How does she do it? She makes it look so easy and you just have to watch in awe. In most events she either did a season best or personal best as well. Incredible! What an amazing athlete!

WAG travel advice

The British Foreign Office has teamed up the WAGs of the nation to give travel advice on where to fix a broken nail or a hair extension that gone green in the pool. Yes, seriously. Good advice maybe for the young party girls, but really do they go the FCO website to get advice and information? I don’t think so.

Anyhow, here are some tips from Charlotte Meares, fiancé of Tottenham Hotspur forward Jermain Defoe that might come in handy next time travelling:

"It might sound trivial but you never know when you might break a nail or your extensions turn green in the pool. To stay looking your best even if you are not taking a personal stylist with you, get a number of good local beauticians or check if the hotel has one before you go!"

"Get your jabs - and not just the botox!"

"An absolute must is travel insurance – one tumble off a bar table in your Jimmy Choos without insurance could cost you £20,000 worth of shopping money on your hospital bill!"

"Try and stay in pairs or 3’s at the end of the night, even if your mate’s met a hunk and yours looks like a skunk."

Quote of the day

Go on, have a rich dessert... before Labour makes it illegal.

~ Michael Jennings, friend, epicure and Samizdata contributor ~

Homer enters the dictionary

The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations has added quotes of Homer Simpson in the latest edition published today. A sign of growing popularity and influence from the Simpson characters in modern everyday life.

Homer Simpson phrases include: "Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is never try."

Other new quotes include William Hague's remark to former deputy PM John Prescott: "There was so little English in that answer that President Chirac would have been happy with it."

Happiness is

To come home and see that the cheap lilies I bought at the supermarket are in full bloom and look absolutely stunning.

Ruthless hunter

I’ve become a ruthless hunter of daddy longlegs spiders. For the last two nights before going to bed I’ve been chasing around the bedroom to kill two or three of those long legged creatures. I know they are harmless and when smashing them with a newspaper they almost become dust, but somehow I still think they are sort of creepy.

I know August is daddy longlegs month, but I’m starting to wonder where they come from. OK, so my window is open, but that’s open all year around, and there are no lights on in the bedroom. Do they just find my bedroom particular cosy? Hm, because I think by know they should know if they get in there they will get killed. Just like their relatives.

Time to go hunting!

Cool Sven

Revenge is sweet. That’s all I can say after today when Sven-Göran Erikson and Manchester City won the highly awaited match against Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson.

Sven-Goran Eriksson won his eagerly-awaited confrontation with counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson as City preserved their 100 per cent start to the season.

I’ve been a great fan of Sven-Göran Eriksson ever since he coached the team of my hometown into the first Swedish UEFA title in 1982. He’s very smart, cool and knows how to build a team both mentally and physical. Been gone for a year in English football he’s now back showing that he still knows how to coach a winning team.

Merde happens

Last week I started to read Merde happens by Stephen Clark, the latest book about Englishman Paul West in the land of Gauls. Or in this case the United States. With his French girlfriend and American friend driving a Mini across the country. Only one thing can happen - Merde.

As usual the book is very funny and countless are the times when I’ve a laughed out load. My neighbours probably thought I was having a fit or something a couple of nights ago. I was laughing so hard I had to put down the book and just laugh. Hilarious is the word. Observations of typical British, French and now American behaviour and customs are described with great wit and when they collide also with big irony.

An excellent read for anybody who wants to have a good laugh and find out if this Anglo-French-American collation ever will make it to the West coast without getting into too much trouble.

Shopping in Zimbabwe

I’ve blogged before about the incredible in inflation in Zimbabwe and how Robert Mugabe has run down this once so prosperous African country. On August 1 the country issued their latest bank note: a 200000 dollar bill.

The new bill is worth £400 at Zimbabwe's official rate of exchange, set by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. On the widely used black market, it is worth a measly 75p.

Going shopping for a housewife is extremely hard since most shelves and fridges are empty after a controversial price slash early this summer. If she finds something this is what she has to pay for the most basic articles:

• Small bag of onions: Z$200,000
  
• Bar of Dove soap: Z$140,000
  
• One kg of rice: Z$230,000
  
• One litre of fuel, where available: Z$300,000
  
• 200g local cheese: Z$230,000
  
• 500g washing powder: Z$750,000
  
• Box of Bran Flakes: Z$260,000
  
• White loaf with sesame seeds: Z$90,000 (standard loaves are officially Z$22,000 but are not available)
  
• Small pot of jam: Z$150,000
  
• Packet of biscuits: Z$140,000
  
• One litre enamel paint: Z$1.9 million
  
• Pack of four disposable nappies: Z$1.2 million
  
• Tin of tuna: Z$290,000
  
• Tin of baked beans: Z$65,000
  
• 500ml sterilised milk - where available - Z$32,500
  
• One egg - where available - Z$15,000
  
• No chicken, beef, pork, sausages, cooking oil, sugar, flour, margarine, fruit cordial, matches.
  
• Government Herald newspaper (Page 1 yesterday proclaimed "Zanu-PF mayors endorse President"): Z$25,000. Normally sold out by 9am

The sky is on fire

Or at least that's what it looked liked from my balcony tonight. Now the rain is pouring and I can hear some distance thundering. A prefect evening for staying in.

Pundit blogger

You Are a Pundit Blogger!

Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read. Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few.

Hm well, that's probably exaggerating things a bit, but tests never lies, right?!

Darker August nights

Even though the sun is shining and have for the last week (apart from some showers and thunderstorms) I’ve noticed how it has started to get dark again.

Talking to Holly in Houston last week late in the evening I suddenly realised it was dark outside and it was "only" 10 pm. For the last couple of months the sun has just started to set at 10 and now it was dark. Ugh! I don’t want it to get dark again. Holly comforted me by saying: "That is getting darker all over the western world now. But when it does get dark where you live it’s like dark 22 hours a day" Gee, thanks for the sympathy… But you're still the smartest gal I know...

I guess I’m scared of it getting dark again. Last autumn just was horrible. My mood dropped the darker it got and all I wanted to do was to hide under the covers. I know it’s going to happen this year (as always) and I’m so dreading it. Really, why do I live in a country where it’s dark, cold and wet half the year?

Close your eyes

A very young James Taylor sings Close your eyes. Which really is all you need to do to enjoy this wonderful singer-songwriter. His music just makes you want to float away into a dreamy wonderland.

Ready for work, I guess

Sunday night is here and I’m all prepared to go back to work tomorrow. Or at least I think so… It has been four good weeks and I have pretty much done what I wanted. I’ve been to Dublin, I’ve read tons of books, I’ve seen friends and family, I’ve scrubbed my flat from top to bottom and thrown away countless bags of junk. What I haven’t done is spending a lot of time in front of the computer, which actually feels great. Going through my favourite blogs this morning I realised that I’m sort of out the loop when it comes to the latest in the blogsphere, but right now that doesn’t really matter. I’m so relaxed, rested and at ease with things at the moment so the sky could actually fall down without me getting upset.

Feeling this good is what is making me afraid to go back to work. I don’t want to feel stressed, upset or tired and worn out again. I just want to float around in a stress free comfort zone where everybody is happy and things are fine and dandy. I guess a girl can always dream, can’t she?!

Last day of freedom

Or really just last day of summer holiday. On Monday it’s back to work and I really can’t say I’m looking forward to it. Why should one really have to work? Money I guess… Otherwise doing whatever one feel like during the day is just lovely and very relaxing. I feel very relaxed and rested and that’s probably why I don’t look forward to going back to work. I just don’t want to deal with people and things…Again.

But talking to my favourite IT colleague on the phone made me feel better. He always makes me laugh and I know working with him there is always someone to chew the fat with. So maybe going back to work isn’t that bad after all. And the rest of my colleagues aren’t that bad either. It’s just like going back to school after a looong summer.

The first week back will just disappear in no time, the second as well since I have tons of meetings booked all ready. The third week I’m off to London again and when I’m back home it’s September already and only three months until Christmas. So I’ll be all right… I just need to switch into working mood, but before that I have two more days of doing exactly nothing.

Three years

That’s how long two bags with books, folders and papers from my job at BingoLotto have been hidden behind my bedroom door. From time to time I’ve looked at some of the stuff, but somehow I haven’t been able to take a closer look at it. Today I actually throw away most of the things. Just keeping the programming books, which probably are old by now, but still they served their purpose back then and I don’t have the heart to throw away them. Yet. Maybe next year…

So I guess one could say this really was closing the door on the being laid off chapter in my life. Over and done with, but with lots of new experience.

Quote of the day

Demons don’t like fresh air. They want you to stay in bed with cold feet.

~ Ingmar Bergman ~

Done with Harry Potter

I just finished reading Harry Potter after two days or more or less constant reading. J.K. Rowling does know how to write a page-turner… It was a good book and tied up all lose ends from the previous books, but I have to say that I still think the first book in the series are much, much better. The last books have been too much fantasy and wild imagination for my liking, but still one just has to know what’s going to happen.

From magic and witchcraft I’ve now started to read The Blair Years by Alastair Campbell. I know some of you out there think I’m totally nuts for doing it, but I find it interesting. I‘m not a Blairite and never will be (nor a Brownite), but Tony Blair is the first PM I remember probably. OK, we all remember Margaret Thatcher, but I was too young to understand what happened during those years. And John Major was just plain boring.

11 years is a long time and regardless of what people say Tony Blair has shaped Britain (in both good and bad ways) and to read his press secretary’s thoughts on what really went on is modern British history and a very interesting one.

Yes, it rains in Ireland

Make sure to bring an umbrella and raincoat was the comment I got when I told people I was going to Dublin. It always rain in Ireland, and yes they were sooooo right.

Southwest England got flooded on Friday, but some of that rain made it across the Irish Sea and it rained and rained and rained. My Swedish umbrella gave up after one wet and windy hour at the courtyard of Trinity College and my new Gore-Tex raincoat saved the day. I also of course bought a new umbrella and the lady who sold it to me promised that Irish ones are very strong, and so far so good. But the real test will come in a month or so when the autumn storms start here.

Regardless of the rain and cold weather Dublin was a lovely city and I recommend everybody to go there. Loads of things to do and see and to eat and drink of course. Just don’t forget to bring your umbrella and raincoat.

On Sunday night the dark clouds finally started to disappear and crossing the O’Connell Bridge the sky looked quite dramatic for a while. But one hour later the sun was starting to set over the river Liffey and for the first time in three days there were no need for umbrellas and raincoats.