tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189090692024-03-23T19:19:58.306+01:00Kommissarie F. Curiosa: Feminine curiosity can be deadlyAn "under-the-covers" investigation of the strong, silent, nordic typeCuriosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.comBlogger252125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-57429601938323276172008-09-30T11:57:00.004+02:002008-09-30T11:59:02.884+02:00SwenglishIf a Scandinavian speaker says "it's not a dance on roses," he or she means "it's not a walk in the park."If he or she says "it's not a cow on ice," he or she means "the situation is not totally hopeless."So what happens if it's a cow in a bed of roses?Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com78tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-18329589102000443002008-09-29T21:09:00.002+02:002008-09-29T21:18:19.863+02:00They're back!The question: How do you know that the world is coming to an end?The answer: The Reunion Tour of New Kids on the Block, described on their website as "five now fully-grown men who forever defined what the modern boy band would look and sound like".If it wasn't good the first time, it's probably not going to be good the second time around. Besides, Boyz II Men were so much hotter.Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-84905915844447129292007-09-02T17:07:00.000+02:002007-09-02T17:35:04.163+02:00The Modern ManSweden is known as a bastion of equality; it's a country with one of the lowest gender pay gaps and one of the highest numbers of female parliamentarians in the world. "Maternity leave" is a thing of the past, replaced by "parental leave" and fathers face a use-it-or-lose-it policy when it comes to doing their share of the time. Swedish men cook, clean and change diapers. All of this is great,Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com58tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-35500615738933069582007-08-18T23:30:00.000+02:002007-08-19T00:11:28.086+02:00Where does the time go?When I stepped off the plane at Arlanda on August 18, 2002, I had no idea that I would still be living in Sweden five years later. I had just graduated from college and was ready to spend a year in Stockholm before I returned home to enter the 'real world.' What my 'real world' would entail was ill-defined, but it didn't involve herring (ok, it still doesn't really involve herring, but it's my Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-70304330270867191322007-08-18T23:25:00.000+02:002007-08-18T23:29:39.167+02:00Swedish MenswearCuriosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-67932096263933226452007-08-05T09:17:00.000+02:002007-08-05T09:52:58.979+02:00AnniversaryIt's been two years to the day since I smashed my heel in a pretty dramatic car accident on my way to the airport to go back to Sweden after a two-week trip back home. That two week trip turned into three months pretty much glued to the couch and the TV remote, a trip through three airports -- including JFK -- by wheelchair, a rather sexy orthopedic boot and two additional months of recovery uponCuriosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-33971410624476654042007-08-05T09:07:00.000+02:002007-08-06T11:03:16.269+02:00OverheardOverheard in New York City:"Do you like stand-up comedy? No? Do you like me?" (Not surprisingly, the answer to the second question was the same as the first.)"So this season it's wide-legged again. After all these skinny jeans, we're just picking up where we left off in 2006."Overheard in Lakeside, Montana:"Whose coyote is that?""Stop chewing on your shirt!"Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-16206197770422177982007-08-05T06:50:00.000+02:002007-08-05T07:27:01.761+02:00Live from New York CityModern transportation means that you can have breakfast in Stockholm, lunch in New York City and dinner in Seattle. By the time you're done, neither your body nor your brain will have much of a clue as to what time zone their in, but by that point, all they really care about is a bed and a pillow.I'm currently blogging live from New York City after a two-week whirlwind tour that spanned the Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-39111741347561219792007-05-25T12:12:00.000+02:002007-08-05T06:47:53.929+02:00How to find meAfter months of inactivity, my blog still keeps popping up in the most unexpected of places.This would make great mad libs material.Whoever is looking for the Swedish Bikini Team will be disappointed to find out its a dream that only exists in the minds of beer-drinking American males, and the person looking for "swedes on dates" isn't going to have much luck either, unless he or she plans to Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-33582310598754931102007-05-24T22:59:00.001+02:002007-05-24T23:04:00.634+02:00Newer doesn't necessarily mean betterHemköp, a Swedish grocery chain, might just have an easier time herding cats or reversing the side of the road an entire country drives on than is currently the case with its implementation of a self-service checkout at its main Stockholm location. Wisely (and I choose that word carefully), they decided to test the new system at closing – right about the time you hear the automated voice announceCuriosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-69026890733284525142006-12-27T23:08:00.000+01:002006-12-27T23:24:13.126+01:00Post-Christmas observations1) Kalle's Caviar still makes an excellent Christmas tree ornament2) Has anyone ever thought about nominating the Gävle goat as Lucia, thus requiring him to wear a halo of candles? Seems to me it would kill two birds with one stone3) The shortest day of the year, December 21, has now passed, so it only gets lighter until Midsummer in June, when Swedes begin mourning the passing of summer4) It's Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-72569833245861538672006-11-23T23:50:00.000+01:002006-11-23T23:52:39.498+01:00Gobble gobbleHappy Thanksgiving!(I'm thankful I'm not a turkey today.)Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-1158140379561957192006-11-17T15:55:00.000+01:002006-11-17T15:55:08.951+01:00Over the topThe best places to get a bird’s eye view of Stockholm. 1) City Hall Tower. Open daily from May-Sept, 10am – 4:15 pm. Also open Saturdays and Sundays in April. Adults 20 SEK, children under 12 free of charge. 360 degree view of Stockholm. (Bonus: You can also take a tour of the hall where the Nobel banquet is held every December.)2) The Katarina Lift. Open daily. 10 SEK. View over the Old Town andCuriosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-1158141405637074982006-11-17T15:52:00.000+01:002006-11-17T15:52:54.216+01:00Livewire: Wireless and internet access in StockholmYou’re never more than a few blocks away from the Internet in Stockholm.Be on the lookout for Sidewalk Express, which can be found at the many 7-Elevens that populate the city. Sidewalk Express has almost 40 locations in Stockholm. You’ll also find Sidewalk Express at the Central Station and several McDonalds. If you want to sip a latte while you surf, check out Roberts Coffee at Drottninggatan Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-86971738355963547362006-11-17T15:48:00.000+01:002006-11-17T15:49:40.041+01:00Cheap EatsIt's not the time of year that you really want to spend your lunch break catching a few rays in one of the many parks in central Stockholm. So it was time for a change. This afternoon, I wandered down Kungsgatan to Hötorgshallen, an indoor market dating back to 1880 (with several subsequent rebuilds). It's a great place to wander around, and if you're discreet, you might even be able to fill up Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-1163623168158351952006-11-15T21:28:00.000+01:002006-11-16T13:16:31.009+01:00I will follow thee to the ends of the earthI turned the corner, and a hoodie-clad young man on the other side of the street darted towards me....mumbling something incomprehensible in Swedish..."Sorry?" I asked, warily."Oh, English!" he exclaimed, as if he had just had a revelation."I think you're beautiful!" came revelation number two.Now most girls appreciate being told they're beautiful, but not usually by hoodie-clad strangers on the Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-1160135493371071162006-10-06T13:37:00.000+02:002006-11-15T21:37:51.951+01:00Sometimes people surprise youWhen I'm travelling, I generally pay extra attention to the meter when I hop into a taxi, especially late at night. I've been ripped off one two many times not to be a bit wary. Last night, when arriving at Amsterdam Centraal at midnight, my usual caution was compounded by a headache and a beast of a mood. It had been a very long week, and I was still trying to get through a full day without Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-1159737606454135782006-10-01T23:14:00.000+02:002006-11-15T21:37:51.858+01:00Not Just a CatMy childhood memories of Sunday School have become a blur of choruses of “Jesus Loves Me” (not the Whitney Houston rendition) and memorizing the Lord’s Prayer for prizes of candy bars and prayer cards. One particular lesson, however, still sticks with me. The topic was heaven. We were not at an age where we had serious theological debates, but were nonetheless old enough to have some notion Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-1159217322820194512006-09-25T22:27:00.000+02:002006-11-15T21:37:51.764+01:00Tang TonguelersThe thing about being "creative" is that your brain works in mysterious ways; you make associations that other people don't. Sometimes this can be a good thing, and the result is an innovation that nobody else would have thought of. Other times, it's just plain confusing.For me, there seems to be an extra layer to the creativity cake. Not only do I make unusual associations that sometimes requireCuriosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-1158440846333048002006-09-16T23:03:00.000+02:002006-11-15T21:37:51.658+01:00Happy 93rd Birthday, Grandma!The third youngestHigh School GraduationCuriosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-1158432013852574972006-09-16T15:29:00.000+02:002006-11-15T21:37:51.547+01:00Waxing politicalThe two most decisive issues in the Swedish elections tomorrow will be unemployment... and schlager.In most countries, I would be willing to bet an öre or two that schlager wouldn't win you any votes. In Sweden, however, it might just be the difference between whether or not Göran Persson can hold onto the coveted seat of Prime Minister. The other parties are hot on his heels to snatch away the Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com66tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-1158095664789643422006-09-13T18:48:00.000+02:002006-11-15T21:37:51.040+01:00Sweater weatherI think my debut and demise as a fashion blogger has occurred in the span of a single day. I'm not nearly up-to-date enough with the current fashion trends, although I know ugly when I see it. I can appreciate fashion as artistic expression, but it's hard to take haute couture from the catwalk to the street. Besides, any piece of clothing that has to be taped to your body to stay on is best left Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-1152922796870247652006-09-12T10:42:00.000+02:002006-11-15T21:37:49.943+01:00Avant garde uglyToday can best be described as a plethora of pleather and avant garde ugly. It's going to take me years to get over the fashion horrors I saw today (and H&M is the perpetrator).It's been awhile since I've been on a major shopping spree, but I thought I was at least somewhat up-to-date on the latest styles and trends. It turns out, however, that "up-to-date" means raiding the back of your mother'sCuriosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-1156635016904403082006-08-27T01:01:00.000+02:002006-11-15T21:37:50.635+01:00Just like Halloween, except it's not OctoberTwo girls in their early twenties got on the bus tonight. Normally, this wouldn't be something worth blogging about, but the accouterments of these particular young ladies were astonishing.They didn't look bad in the traditional sense of the word; in fact, they almost pulled the look off. Almost.Imagine Darth Vader meets ABBA. Times two. They had the ABBA hair and a weird dark and evil thing Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18909069.post-1156625718769926482006-08-26T22:11:00.000+02:002006-11-15T21:37:50.532+01:00What comes around goes aroundEven before I ever studied abroad, I had a knack for befriending international students. In church youth group in junior high, it was Suzanna from Brazil. In high school, it was Andrea from Switzerland and Tim from England. (I always felt a little sorry for the foreign students who decided to spend a year in the States and then lo and behold, they get plopped smack dab in the middle of Idaho). Curiosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06709533643158536650noreply@blogger.com17