:: Thursday, June 30, 2005 ::

The Farm will be with you...always

Ham Solo and Chewbroccoli

Thrill to the adventures of Cuke Skywalker, Ham Solo, and Princess Lettuce in Store Wars! It's funny and educational!

:: posted by Rob 10:04 AM [+] :: 1 comments
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Hawaiian Sup'pa Man

I frequently have asked myself, "If I were a god, what kind of god would I be? And if I were that kind of god, which god would I be?" Long have I pondered such questions, but I am pleased to report I now have an answer! I would be a trickster. And what trickster would I be?

I Am Maui

You love life and you're determined to live to the fullest. You use your bag of tricks to protect those you care about and to teach those who mess with you and yours a lesson, but you're not unreasonable. You're a tinkerer and an inventor, you love to build stuff. You enjoy hanging out with good friends or being out in nature. Like the Hawaiian Trickster Maui, your amiable nature fools those who think you're an easy target. You're not.

Which Trickster Are You?
Take the Trickster Test at www.isleofdreams.net.

Surf's up, moon doggie!

:: posted by Rob 10:28 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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Polar bears are the fiercest killers in the animal kingdom

I have recently become aware of one of the greatest questions facing humanity as a whole: If you could turn into any three animals at will, which three animals would they be?

Truly a question for the ages. Herewith (and after great consideration) are my answers:

1. Wolf
A wolf is my first choice because...well, it's a wolf, and wolves are cool. Wolves are the ninja of the animal kingdom. Not because they have throwing stars, but because they ROCK. I'd turn into a big black one because those are the coolest wolves, among wolves at least.

2. Falcon
Falcon is my number two choice, for the whole flying thing + super keen eyesight. Flying would be cool. And that whole shutting down just by covering their head would do wonders for my sleep schedule.

3. Cheetah
Cheetahs are almost as cool as wolves. And they're fast. Have you seen those cats run? They do. Fast. If wolves are ninja, cheetahs are like Jedi, but without the lightsabers. Plus, it's been far too long since I've caught a gazelle by its throat and dragged it back to my tree. Trees are where cheetahs chill out when they're not running. And that's cool too.

So what three animals would you be?

:: posted by Rob 2:20 PM [+] :: 3 comments
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Days of light

The summer solstice has come and gone, which means that here in Sweden it will actually start getting dark at night, a little bit at a time. It truly is the Land of the Midnight Sun. Although Falun is a little south for true midnight sun, the sun doesn't really set until about 11 pm, with dusky twilight until about 1 am or so, a little bit of almost-darkness (though not enough for the stars to come out), before it starts getting light again around 2 am, with the sun finally rising somewhere around 3 or 3:30. It's actually quite crazy, but fun too.

Last night I went with some friends down to the nearby lake where we built a fire and roasted hot dogs and sausages, watched the sun set over the lake, just hanging out and talking until the fire finally burned itself out around 1:30 am. At which point we walked back home, and of course, it never got completely dark the whole time we were out there. It was nice sitting outside through the whole progression of it, though, and it's one of the things I really like about Sweden. Surprisingly, the extra light doesn't really seem to affect my sleep, but I chalk that up to my blinds and blackout shades. And of course, the flip side of it is that in winter you have even less light, from like 9 am to 3 pm or so. But even that's not too bad, and you always have the summer to look forward to.

Tomorrow is the official Swedish midsummer day, and I'm planning on heading to the town of Leksand on Lake Siljan with some friends to see the traditional festivities there like the raising of the maypole, folklore dances, etc. So Happy Midsummer to everyone, even if you reside in a place that doesn't celebrate old pagan festivals any more.

And just in case you're interested, I've added a few more blog links on the side. Just a few I've started to read recently - we'll see if they keep my interest in the long run. And last but not least, my Polka dot just started her own blog as well. Brush up on your bi-lingual Polish at Strawberry Fields!

:: posted by Rob 12:00 PM [+] :: 3 comments
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It's "Mordor." With a "D."

Here's your bit of funny for the day: Assault on Mordor.

Hehehehehe

:: posted by Rob 3:01 PM [+] :: 2 comments
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The Prodigal Son

At the risk of being derivative, I've just posted this nifty little thing from flickr (see above).

So anyhoo, I'm back and in full effect after almost a month of Euro-travel, first to see my Polka dot in Poland (including the sights of Lublin, Krakow, and Warsaw), then back to Sweden to meet my parents and drive around Sweden. It was the best of times, it was the worst of the times, but overall quite good. Didn't want to leave my sweetie, but my parents and their travel agenda helped take my mind off the pain, and coupled with daily SMSs back and forth, kept us sane until I returned to Falun where I could actually talk with her.

Meanwhile, the parents, with their Saab rent-a-car, enabled me to see parts of Sweden that I most likely would not be able to using only public transport, including a ferry trip to Tallinn, Estonia as well as a journey through Swedish Småland, including the quite-simply-amazing Kalmar Castle; a drive up the western shores of Lake Vättern, Sweden's second-largest lake; a visit to the parish church of Hakarp, whose ceilings are painted with scenes depicting demons torturing naked women in hell; and a stay in Västenås Slott, a 16th-century castle/country manor complete with real suits of armor in the lobby!

Like I said, overall quite an enjoyable trip, though the weather turned crappy and rainy for my parents' stay here in Falun. Ah well, one can't have everything I suppose. I'll try to post more info about my travels (and some pics) in the not-too-distant future, but for now there's this nagging little thing called a master's thesis that hasn't been touched in a month that's demanding my attention. Curses!

Swedish word of the day: slott, which means "castle"

:: posted by Rob 10:22 AM [+] :: 3 comments
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