Today I

Drove three of my colleagues, including my new boss, from my office, to a certain hotel in central Stockholm, to terminal 5 at Arlanda airport, back to Stockholm and to my boss's apartment. I did all this all by myself. Slightly nonchalant. I am a Stockholmer. I live here. I did not get lost, I did not cry*. I am so damn proud!

*Last year when I got lost driving off from Gullmarsplan, I called L at work CRYING so much he could not understand what I was saying. I really do not understand how I thought he would be able to help me. When I finally managed to drive to my work, I had to ask L's brother in law to come and pick up the car there, because I was not able to find the way back to his place. It's the most shameful moment of my life. There was not smaller letters to write that.

Calm down

Has everyone done that yet?

It seems like everyone already knows how to yearbook themselves! I do too!

I didn't do it with Prince Charles

There is a scene in Lost in Translation, when Charlotte walks the streets of Tokyo in the rain and she's got a see-through umbrella over her head. It is so "style-clean", so charming and goes together with the whole idea of rain, transparent, yet covering everything with a thin layer of blurriness. I loved it, wanted to have one for myself, looked all over.

Sunday afternoon brought a revelation: L's sis, a dedicated shopper and a cute-details lover said she had seen one in a shop just next to our place. I went there yesterday after work and bought one! So happy! Since I was supposed to meet L on the next corner, I was surprised to see he was calling on my mobile. It turned out he was hiding behind the corner with an identical umbrella he had gotten in another shop! How great a boyfriend can be, I wonder?

We returned one of the umbrellas and now I enjoy being an owner of this cute, unpractical gadget. Well, I was. Until now, when I saw this pic:I mean, who wants to have the Camilla-brelly?

Fridays are good! Bye bye!

A misterious candy was found on my desk at work this morning. It tasted good. I guess I know where (who) it comes from. I melt and wonder if I actually deserve to be liked that much? I hope I do. Fridays are good. Bye bye!

At ease is the city of mine

I was walking from work today and enjoyed the calm, relaxed Stockholm. The people in streets cafes sipping their lattes while a gentle rain fell on their hair. Bikers and pedestrians not caring about this rain at all. Me strolling slowly, liking every step. It was just enough warm and just enough calm and it was just enough many of us on the streets. Everything - on this lovely island of Sodermalm where I live. Which usually wakes me up at 3 am. But not today. Today it woke me up to write.

The perfect couple goes IKEA

That all Swedish couples fight in IKEA is a commonly known fact. I would even risk a statement that on Saturday afternoon the biggest Swedish IKEA (situated in a place called Kungens Kurva - all Polish readers are totally allowed to giggle), is not only the biggest shopping center for furniture, but also the place with the highest concentrate of relationship anger and regrets.

Which is not the case when it comes to L and I. We fight, sure. But not in IKEA. In IKEA we are agreeable, mild and compatible. We are respectful, mature and jolly. I don't confront, L doesn't criticise. "Of course, darling", "You couldn't be more right, sweetheart". Boring, proper, yet original and surprising. Us in IKEA.

Since we are moving to a completely new apartment in January and are kind of planning to stay there for a while (10 years minnimum, said L yesterday), we decided to look around for furniture already now.

I want it to be modern, I want it to be stylish. I want it to be colonial (India!), I want it to be Scandinavian. I want to mix styles, I want to the style to be clean. I want it sterile, I want it alive. God help me. We are off!