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Going back to your roots. So where again am I from?

Monday, August 17th, 2009

I’ve started to wonder if I’m now more from Stockholm than I am from Boston. Is it time to modify the blog title from Boston Blatte to Stockholm Svartskalle? I’ve been in Boston for over 2 weeks based out of my childhood home in my teenage room (A good friend of mine calls it the time capsule) and instead of feeling a rediscovery of my roots, I’m discovering my roots could very well be of that plant variety which only needs air. It’s unnerving to mull the thought that I belong more to no-man’s land than my homeland or my adopted land.

Outlandish takes on a whole new meaning.

My quest to discover the Boston vicinity and surroundings recently turned myopic to narrow down to my hometown, Watertown. I caught a glimpse of a pamphlet from the Watertown Historical Society which pointed out the historical significance of a local historic house, Fowle House.

What it looks like today on Marshall St.

Turns out, a copy of the Declaration of Independence was read out here to get feedback from the locals before it was sent off to King George. You know the trite expression “George Washington slept here”…Well, he really did sleep in Watertown. And Paul Revere lived here. This place is way more than the places I went to school and hung out at with teenage friends.

Down at the Watertown Free Public Library (And there’s a whole story about why libraries in Massachusetts include the word “free” which I still need more research into) in a moment of nostalgia in the original oak-beamed section dating from 1884, chatting up the librarian (those people are much unappreciated and unsung invaluable resources) I started hearing more and more and more about Watertown’s history.

It floored me how unaware I was despite having lived in Watertown since the age of 2 months and attended K-12 here.

My varsity team in highschool didn't have as snazzy uniforms.

It reminds me of when I found out that the building on Pålsundet, Heleneborg, at the end of my street in central Stockholm was the sight of Alfred Nobel’s brother’s fatal accident when experimenting with explosives. This was after more than a decade of living there and having looked into nearly every other notable structure in Stockholm.

Heleneborg. Where Alfred Nobel's brother had his last bang.

I’ve now got two books on Watertown checked out from the Library. I’m from this place dammit. Seems my ignorance of it proves it.

You never know your hometown as well as you get to know other places.

I’m gonna do something ‘bout that.

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Tags: fowle house, heleneborg, watertown, watertown free public library
Posted in All about Blatte, Boston blend, stockholm | 1 comment »

Swedish family in Boston. We’re not quite like the others

Friday, July 31st, 2009

It was 11am Stockholm time when the kids woke up (looking at it positively) in my childhood room. We managed to keep them “in bed”another hour until 6am Boston time before giving up and getting the day started. I felt better as I saw a woman power walking by on the main street. It reminded me that 6am is a normal time to start a day.

We were at the playground at the field by 9am and the track was filled with more power walkers circling to get in their daily exercise. No other families were with us. I guess families don’t get to the playground at the same time as power walkers. I really wouldn’t know, this early-to-the-park experience is new to me.

The rain caught up with us as we stopped by the playground at my former elementary school. Since we had no umbrellas or escape pod we gave in, got soaked and continued playing. Summer rains are soft and warm.

Wet plastic playground equipment is really annoying on a sunny day. During a steady rain it fast tracks the slide which normally sticks to damp skin. The temporary was a hit with the 5-year old. He literally nearly got flung off bouncing through the curves. Again, we were the only family at the playground in the rain. I guess families don’t go the playground during the rain.

We left when the lightning and thunder started.

The complete shift to glorious sunshine played into our 5-year old’s confusion that another day had started during his much-needed afternoon nap. He kept talking about the water slide of “yesterday.” Naps and jet lag can completely mess with a newly awoken child.

To stave off the heat we went to another play area which has water jets spraying around like an outdoorsy variation of the opened fire hydrant. Thankfully we were able to convince the 2-year old to put on (and even keep on) her bathing suit and explain to the other one that modest discretion was required when changing him in and out of his Lightning McQueen swim trunks. So he finally asks:

-Why is it not ok to be nude here?

The “Things are different in different places” response seems to satisfy him for now.

Families here in Boston do a whole bunch of stuff different than how we do back in Stockholm.

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Tags: boston
Posted in All about Blatte, Boston blend | No comments »

Desperately Seeking Boston. Couchsurfing and Facebooking

Friday, July 24th, 2009

The wheels of the “Desperately Seeking Boston” (The Spin-off-Knock-off) have been set in motion after getting myself all giddy in my last blog entry. Dagnabit, but I need to get to know Boston again. This time in the 21st century and this time as a responsible adult (smirking not welcome, thanks) and a parent.

I decided to test out my new membership on Couchsurfing. As they eloquently describe it, “Couchsurfing is a worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit.” While I signed up to offer travelers some guidance if they come through Stockholm (we can’t really offer the couch just yet,) I figured I could look for Bostonians who could give me insight into Boston from a fresh perspective.

As it turns out there are quite a number of active members in my home town where my parents still live and my late 80s/early 90s wardrobe is still preserved (I technically never moved out since when I left for Europe in 1991 I thought I would be back in 1 year. School friends call my room the time-capsule.)

Now that would be a twist: seeing your home town from someone you’ve never met’s perspective. So messages have been sent and so far 2 of 3 have responded and arrangements for meet-ups have been arranged.

Thanks to Facebook (Yes, I am grateful to Facebook; Got a problem with that?) I am getting great advice about kid-friendly roadtrips. New Hampshire has always only been a winter destination for ski trips for me and now 3 different people have been going on about Story Land.

It’s embarassing that I have never been in a car which climbed Mt. Washington. In fact, in looking it up, I realize I have no clue what someone in one of those cars would find once having climbed Mt. Washington.

And why didn’t anyone tell me that the Old Man of the Mountain fell off the mountain in 2003?!

I had no idea the old man fell off. Has Canada become a US state now too?

What has started out as more of an amusing experiment has now become real. I must (re)discover Boston and its surroundings.

Your suggestions, thoughts and advice: All welcome. Keep ‘em coming.

Oh, and we’re landing next Wednesday evening, Logan Terminal E.

Have the sign read: Boston Blatte.

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Tags: couch surfing, couchsurfing, mt. washington, old man of the mountain, story land NH
Posted in All about Blatte, Boston blend | 2 comments »

Know your town. Stockholm? Check. Northern Sweden? Boston?

Monday, July 20th, 2009

It’s good to get to know your “home turf”. We often know other places better than where we live.

I’m rather confident to boast that I know Stockholm better than most Stockholmers, especially the native variety. There’s good reason. I started out as a tourist and tourists (the adventurous sort) explore a new city. Then I moved here and have since then pondered, queried, bitched about (—we’ll gloss over that failing for now,) researched and written about pretty much any aspect about visiting or living in Sweden’s capital city.

This is one of the Stockholm guide books I've contributed to. Notice how it touts "Written by local experts"

Further afield from Stockholm, I can find my way around Ystad in Southern Sweden with a confident air—you could embarrass me if you truly test me; but I can fake it pretty good. And if I were to put a push pin on a map of Sweden, I have a reasonably good poking range. But I haven’t been north of Åre.

Since July 1st, I’ve been living vicariously through Christine Demsteader’s blog “Desperately Seeking Sweden” and her one-woman adventure around the wilds of Sweden. As of her last entry, she’s still north of my most northern Swedish adventure and I’m both jealous and inspired. I think I might be motivated to make a break for it and rendez-vous with her for a “Boston Blatte meets Desperately Seeking Sweden Mishap Escapade.”

If I miss out on a Swedish adventure this summer, I will have to set my sights on getting to better know my own hometown, Boston during our trip in August.

I have realized that I know Stockholm much better than Beantown.

Something must be done. I think there might be a “Desperately Seeking Boston” knock-off in August.

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Tags: stockholm, time out guide, time out stockholm, ystad, åre
Posted in All about Blatte, Boston blend, stockholm | 1 comment »

Bragging rights. Pride in showing off.

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

“Stop bragging” I heard a mother tell her 4-ish-year old while he was replying my 5-year old. Since I don’t know what the subject was -probably something along the lines of “I also have a race track for my McQueen car” I have no idea what anyone might have been bragging about.

But what got me thinking was the mother’s “verbal spanking” and behavioral correction. This was in Swedish, and she said, “Sluta skryta.” The only translation I could come up with involved the word bragging. As a parent with a Boston upbringing, I couldn’t imagine ever telling a child of that age to stop bragging.

I could,however, imagine telling him to stop showing off. So I asked the Swedish husband if “Att skryta” –to brag, also shared a similar meaning to “Show off.” It doesn’t seem to.

So why would I think a child of that age would be showing off (and that it is possibly poor manners) but I would never think he could be bragging? Bragging is, after all, also socially ugly and we don’t encourage it either. But I still can’t consider any of the “My daddy can dig a really deep hole” type of pride statements anything like bragging. Showing off, maybe.

Bragging is definitely uglier in Swedish society. Growing up as an American there is leeway involved in the acceptable amount of showing off/bragging you’re allowed to do. And a child’s bragging can never be seen as anything more offensive than showing off -in my eyes anyway. It’s a way to demonstrate pride in yourself. Well, as an American I can’t find it very offensive. In fact, I find it endearing. What’s cuter than a proud preschooler?

I smile each time my son beams about something that he’s proud of, even if it’s on the lines of “Mine is most awesome.” I think I believe it will boost his self-confidence and add to life skills which will eventually help him.

I guess you can take the bragging out of showing off, but you can’t take the show off out of the Boston Blatte. You should see how good my 5-year old is at riding his bike

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Tags: brag, bragging
Posted in All about Blatte, Boston blend, Swedish culture | No comments »

Facebook disabled me. I don’t exist.

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

Facebook just kicked me out. They just informed me that my account was disabled and now literally my account no longer exists. I tried finding me on Google and even via another person’s Facebook account and I’ve left the Facebook building.

I sent them and email and I sure do hope they get this fixed because as pathetic as it sounds, I feel like I just got exiled and ostracised and voted off the island.

How am I supposed to find out if it’s still raining or not in Boston when people wake up? How am I supposed to know what happened to Cecilia’s reported stolen car? Who is going to give me some insight on the Red Sox game which was apparently lost after a 9-run lead (yes, I know I can google, but I feel so much closer to Fenway when I read Lynne’s shock and horror or glee.)

Dear Facebook, I hope you resolve this soon. I need to go to IKEA and do some other AFC errands today. I will check back later.

I feel like the tree which fell in the woods.

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Tags: boston, facebook, fenway, red sox
Posted in All about Blatte, Boston blend | 11 comments »

Audio summer: Hearing the season.

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

I was invited to a “Summer Music” event by a friend on Facebook. Didn’t give it a thought with each new response to the event thread; all normal to me. Until today. Today I reflected on it.

What exactly IS summer music? Is it warmer? Does it blossom and thrive like wildflowers? I guess it is supposed to evoke what summer is supposed to be. Audio smells of sorts.

The list of favorite summer songs ranges from old classics to modern party tunes. One song which pretty much every Swede I’ve asked agrees captures that “Sommarmusik” feeling is Lilla Idas Sommarvisa.

Swedes have a much closer tie to the seasonal changes than I remember growing up in Boston. Swedish culture is loaded with music which directly links to a season or a holiday time.

Certainly like the Sankta Lucia song, Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer evokes Christmas and winter, but I can’t come up with one flowing ode to summer in my American upbringing. Maybe “Take me out to the Ballpark” should trigger the spring fever of baseball season, but as the Red Sox were working hard on maintaining what turned out to be an 86-year losing streak while I grew up a few miles from Fenway Park, baseball wasn’t big on anyone’s seasonal planning in my town.

Well, now that the Sox are smokin’ and summer is on its way, I had better think me up a summer song.

Anyone know of any baseball summer songs in Swedish?

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Tags: boston, fenway, idas sommarvisa, red sox, summer, summer music, take me out to the ballpark
Posted in Boston blend, Swedish culture | No comments »

Public Holidays. Remembering there’s nothing to forget.

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Our long weekend to remember Christ’s upwards flight in Sweden started last Wednesday (for many, though not all) while friends of mine on the other side of the pond are enjoying Memorial Day as a day off.

One after another Facebook status updates of friends in US not only mentioned that they were home from work but gave public thanks to the men and women of the US military on this day of remembrance. The ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq where American servicemen and service women are still serving on the front lines are clearly in the hearts and minds of people going about their daily lives.

Sweden doesn’t have a public holiday to commemorate its fallen soldiers. That’s largely because Sweden has kept itself out of war for well over 100 years and nearly 200 since Sweden the country was at war with anyone else.

While I am not glad that American men and women have lost their lives while fighting wars I am touched by the solidarity of the American people giving shout outs to American soldiers and veterans. And while it’s good that Sweden hasn’t been to war in so long, I sometimes think a defeated enemy or a recent liberation would unify Swedes and infuse a national pride that could extend beyond a common love for the outdoors.

I don’t know if it would be a good or a bad thing for Sweden or Swedes, but it would definitely give more umph to the Swedish National Day on June 6th.

War anyone?

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Posted in Boston blend, Swedish culture | 2 comments »

Web wills: Facebook status update- Boston Blatte is dead (Not really)

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

No, I’m not really dead, many thanks for all of your sighs of relief. However, it is a modern “problem” that needs consideration and dealing with. There are so many loose ends to tie up with a person’s untimely death, on-line accounts probably take a low priority yet remain an eerie echo of a silenced voice.

It’s not really new but an article on The Local today about a new Swedish service, Webwill, sparked some thought in the wake (unfortunately rather literally) of the death of a close friend.

In this particular friend’s case, I was rather relieved that he wasn’t on Facebook (or any other on line network). His death was rather unexpected (though not sudden) and he left behind a widow who had only lived in Sweden since their wedding 2 years ago. She will already struggle to finalize things with the help of his family. I can’t imagine the added burden of closing on-line accounts. Or worse, trying to inform all of those random “friends” you have via the myriad of networks you ’sorta’ know people. ‘After all, they’re usually rather personally customized.

I know my husband has no clue how I’m digitally connected to the world nor the large number work, school or other network “friends” I am in contact with. I suppose some kind soul on The Local staff would put my account to rest and say a nice word or two about me should I suddenly exit; stage left even.

Or would they just recruit another dark-haired immigrant from Boston?

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I’ll take that in “Orgasm”: Flirtatious one-liners.

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

“I’ve got “orgasm” all over my face.”

That’s she worded her thank you message on Facebook. She was referring to the NARS cosmetics I had brought back for her from the US. My mission was to buy “must have” products unavailable in Sweden.

I very much enjoyed that mission. In the swank Lord & Taylor department store I got to flirt obnoxiously with the playful (yes, that’s code for gay) cosmetics counter guy. He told me about other racy names the brand carries and we giggled like schoolgirls.

With a cutsie shopping bag full of “Orgasm” I moved on to Macy’s for Benefit products. I got to “play” with those gals at the makeup counter recounting the “interesting” name of NARS products.

Smiling ear-to-ear fresh from very enjoyable and innocent “naughty” flirting I thought of how I just don’t get to flirt or play with random strangers this way in Sweden. I miss it.

Perhaps NK needs to stock some Orgasm.

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Tags: Benefit, flirt, flirting, Nars, sweden
Posted in Boston blend, Swedish culture | No comments »