Chapter 124 Book away! #7

Verse 1

Author: Stephen Harris
Original title: Hannibal

Verse 2

I believe this is yet another book from the english bookclub i was a member of many years ago where i too often forget to cancel the editor's choice.
Probably you have all seen the movie called The Silence Of The Lambs starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, this book is a sequel and was also filmed but then with Julianne Moore instead of Foster.
A bad change in my opinion.

The Silence Of The Lambs is both a better book and movie than Hannibal but if you are looking for something to idly pass your time with this book can work for you.

Verse 3

Will be given away at Gamla Stan subway station somewhere around 17:30 today.

Chapter 123 In the wrong business

Verse 1

First off i would like to say that i am not in any kind of business right now but lately it has been the wrong one. At least according to information i remember hearing when i worked in a recordstore in Kista Galleria.
Across from our store there was a petstore that sold the usual type of small pets, toys, food and other accessories, they seemed to be doing ok.
As usual when you work in a mall you get to know the staff as well as the owners and the guy that ran the petstore once told me and my boss that if we wanted to make money running a store a petstore was the way to go.
I think i remember he said it was like a goldmine without the hard work.

Anyone who has a pet or has ever bought items for one knows that food, toys and all the stuff you can find and buy costs a lot of money and they are as he said very cheap for the store.
We also have the fact that many petowners are slightly crazy when it comes to buying stuff. Clothes, jewelry, elaborate collars and leashes. The list can be made how long as you like as to the things people pay good money for and as always when there is a demand there will be a supply.

Something that is very interesting for many reasons is our tendency to view the behaviour of our beloved pets as humanlike.
Surely they are capable of expressing emotions similar to our own making them seem human but i personally draw the line when it comes to dressing them up in clothes.
When you see cats and dogs wearing tiny four-legged pants, funny hats, skirts and sunglasses i can't help but feel sorry for them.
I am also quite sure that many times they would like to express the very human emotions of both embarrasment and outrage and who could blame them?

Chapter 122 Too cold

Verse 1

I just have too add this for today. It is getting to be too cold now already!

Left do to the Book away and it looked nice out so i didn't take a jacket or sweater and it was ok until i got off the subway. When the wind hit me and i was out of the sun i really wished for something to put on. I was very close too actually buying a sweater right then and there.
No more days wearing just a t-shirt, no that fun is over for real now i'm afraid.

Chapter 121 Book away! #6

Verse 1

Author: Stephen King
Original title: The Stand

Verse 2

Like so many others at the time i read a lot of Stephen Kings books as well as those of Dean R. Koontz. Now looking back i am not really sure why.
Talking about King i now find that the books are not really that good and the adaptations to film are almost all terrible and definitely too long. I guess taste can evolve and mine has or it has at least changed.

The Stand is in parts not bad and to be honest occasionally actually good. As i remember it was the last couple of hundred pages that wrecked it for me.
Hopefully however finds the book will disagree with me and enjoy it.

Verse 3

Will be given away today during the next two hours at Medborgarplatsen subway station.

Chapter 120 Any ideas?

Verse 1

I have been trying for awhile to find some boots in the style of boxing boots but more suitable for outdoor use.
A mix of army and boxing boots would be ideal i think so if anyone can help to find such an unlikely combination i would be very grateful.
The suppleness and sleek look of the boxing together with durability and ruggedness of the army boot is what i want.

Verse 2

Yesterday was, speaking of other things a very nice and relaxed day, even counting the extra-long and painful walk i took.
We had breakfast with bread i had bought on the way back and apart from making Chicken Tikka Masala for dinner and me baking cinnamon buns we just lazed around pretty much the whole day.
If the blisters was the price of that, they were worth it.

Chapter 119 Will i ever learn?

Verse 1

I have started taking walks every day now first thing as i get out of bed. There are of course several reasons why this is good for me so i hope the weather stays reasonably nice for awhile longer.
The walk today ended up taking about 30 minutes longer than intended entirely which was entirely my fault as i went the wrong way. I had the night before even checked the route and thought i had it all figured out. Obviously not as i soon realized.

I hadn't gotten too far when the gnawing suspicion i had even from the setting out proved correct. I had despite both checking the route, feeling uncertain if i was on the right road ended up taking a totally different one from the intended one.
Yes, despite being uncertain i didn't recheck which way to go.

This is not the first time i have done this which is even more reason why i ought to have learned by now. It is not as it is hard to look at a map or use a gps, i have both in my phone for goodness sake!

Well, the blisters on my feet and aching shinbones are now painfully telling me to remember the following:

- Check the map
- Use the gps
- Don't assume you know the way
- Rinse and repeat

Let me also say that i absolutely hate to stand in a strange city looking bewildered at a map when on vacation. I will each and every time rather enter the nearest pub for a beer and figure it out there.

Chapter 118 Good to go

Verse 1

Finally everything is up and running as it should so i can let that go, hurray!

Verse 2

Something i commented on in a friends blogg the other day got me thinking about honesty or perhaps more about being forthright.
I find that there are often occasions when you are either being asked to comment or feel that you should on something but refrain from doing so. Most likely you will do as most people do and resort to something pointless and harmless just to be safe.
I think you can imagine where i am going with this but i will give some examples.
Picture the following situation with you and a friend.

- Your friend call you one afternoon, he/she have obviously been drinking and for the 3rd day straight.
Do you say: I seriously think you need to stop drinking and seek help.
Do you say: Hey! Don't drink it all, save some for me.

- A friend invites you to dinner with their husband/wife/partner, a person that you find intolerable for good reasons.
Do you say: No thanks, i can't stand your husband/wife/partner.
Do you say: I wish i could but i need to do the dishes.

- Your friend ask for your opinion on a new hairstyle, piece of clothing, wallpaper, car or something similar.
Do you say: I am very sorry but i think that you made a bad choice here, do you have the receipt?
Do you say: Hmm ok, were there other colors?

There are of course times when the unvarnished truth is hurtful or inappropriate and there are unspoken conventions on how people should act towards each other. I will agree that we need to exercise caution how we behave but i am here interested in all the times when we sugarcoat and express feelings not our own needlessly from an exaggerated fear of risking the friendship.

Would the friendship in truth be in jeopardy from honesty, if both were real?

I believe and desire to be forthright with a firm faith in the fact that you can be honest without being offensive or insensitive. As anyone can tell you, i fail a times but i hold that my intentions are good.
Before anyone else does it i will also say that i will at times be both offensive and seemingly insensitive on purpose.

My contention is that we should endeavour to be forthright without being willfully careless. But also that we do away with the veneer of deceit implicit in a carefully constructed half truth.

Chapter 117 Some progress

Verse 1

A friend reported that as far as he could see it is working now, i have not been able to verify that yet.
Will do a more thorough check tomorrow.

Chapter 116 No luck yet

Verse 1

So a day later and i am just back from a walk, shower and lunch to see that it is still not working as intended.
I guess i will have to give it another day or so before i try something else.

Chapter 115 Just have to wait and see

Verse 1

So today i have been changing how this blog is published as well as looks and now all i can do is hope it works. I have been thinking about this for awhile but put it off from fear of messing things up but today i went ahead anyway.
It might take a day so before i will know if everything works so i have ample time to worry.
Wish me luck.

Chapter 114 More Google!

Verse 1

My gf told me about this today and it sounds very interesting, i am looking forward to hearing and seeing more of it soon.
If you take the time to see the whole demo i believe you will agree with me.

Chapter 113 Confession

Verse 1

Yes i confess i have been watching Swedish Idol 2009. Not all episodes but i caught up on the last four tonight and was actually impressed with some of the participants.
Too many have no talent at all, many have not enough and very few have got talent to spare. I even think that one or two are too good for the audience and will not get enough votes.
These few will make it anyway and it is not unlikely they will make it bigger than the winner of the show.

Chapter 112 Easier than pie

Verse 1

Put some potatoes, tasty sausages together with onion and peppers into a pot. Add oil and spices, perhaps a herb such as thyme.
Let sit in oven for 30 minutes.

Dinner is ready!

Chapter 111 Ring that bell

Verse 1

It seems that alot of friends and acquaintances are coming down with illnesses now. If it's not the swine flu it is something else and it got me thinking.
Due to the swine flu there has been warnings, advice on how we are supposed to protect us and i am surprised that no one has suggested a return to the olden days.
In the case of lepers they used to carry bell to warn people, it also served as a means to attract attention for charity but i suspect that the warning was primary.
I am of course not saying that we should go this far but when you ride the subway or bus i want you to take a look around at people when you hear a cough or sniffle.
There is bound to be one or two that look very disapprovingly at the offender and those would be the ones handing out bells.

Normal common sense is probably the best way to go especially as it is hard enough to be sick without being labeled as an outcast and unclean as well.

Verse 2

On the other hand, here are some easy things to think of if you are unwell.

• Avoid contact with other people as much as possible
• Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible
• Dispose of dirty tissues promptly and carefully
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to your face or to other people
• Clean hard surfaces, such as door handles or telephones, regularly using a normal cleaning product

Chapter 110 Turn up the bass!

Verse 1

This is for those of you out there that need some beats or orchestral influence today.

The first clip is something that really is best live so if you get the chance to watch a performance by professionals you should go.
I saw a show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival a few years back by a Korean group called Binari that was amasing. It was not just the drums but they achieved a mood overall that was exceptionally emotional.
This clip is not from them but very good and be ready at 4:35 when three more guys come in!




Verse 2

This next one is from the movie Angels and Demons composed by Hans Zimmer that has done more music for movies than you can imagine.
The movie is ok but this piece is powerful.

Chapter 109 Google ftw!

Verse 1

There has been some negative press lately and for quite awhile about Google and especially regarding information-gathering. So i thought i would be contrary to that today.
I use Google Desktop and Gmail together with Chrome and i like them alot. Sure there are things that can be improved (there always are) but i prefer them to any Microsoft product.
You also have the option to turn off several functions if you are worried about Google somehow stealing everything on your computer or tracking you so that is not a major concern, at least not for me.
In my opinion the Google brand is more than just a search engine and worth a try.

If you are wondering about FTW...google it!

Chapter 108 Bah!

Verse 1

This Monday had not much going for it. Mondays have a reputation as it is for being bad in different ways and as i spent a couple of hours of it cleaning the apartment this one joins those ranks.
I wish the cats could do some cleaning up as a thank you for bed and board. It is not that much to ask is it?

Chapter 107 Book away! #5

Verse 1

Author: Jack Higgins
Original title: Year Of The Tiger

Verse 2

Yet another book i can't really remember where it comes from and i would say that it is just as unremarkable to read.A typical spy-agent novel like so many others. The type of book you can find on the shelves in the summer cottage to take down and read on a rainy day.

Verse 3

Will be given away today in a shopping mall somewhere.

Chapter 106 Extraneous knowledge

Verse 1

Have you always wondered how to make a thick-tailed gecko happy? I will teach you one way now.
1. Buy ten "big" crickets from the petstore (2-3cm)Dust in mineral and calcium powder.
2. Feed some crickets to the gecko.
3. Clean the terrarium with the gecko safe elsewhere and put in new bark chippings, furnish with rocks, water and the rest.
4. Let the gecko, this particular one is named Castro explore the sofa while you keep a sharp eye out for resident cats who might not be clear on that Castro is not for eating.
5. Let the gecko get back into terrarium, reaquient itself, take a little nap and then feed it the rest of the crickets.

The result is one content gecko with a bellyful of crickets.

Hereby endeth the lesson for today.

Chapter 105 Book away! #4

Verse 1

Author: Tad Williams
Original title: Otherland

Verse 2

This book of some 770 pages i bought on the off chance that i would like it. I was sceptical but thought i should give it a chance.
It wasn't what i had hoped for.
Tad Williams have written a number of books in this genre so i had some hopes but his style was not for me.
In want for better words i would say it is some kind of sci-fi/fantasy mix and i hope someone else will like it.

Verse 3

Will be given away at St Eriksplan within the next two hours.

Chapter 104 Yummy

Verse 1

For some while i have been looking for a good barbecue sauce. As all big problems i discussed this with friends and it seemed we had the same difficulties. The brand i liked was impossible to find again and of the several i tried no one tasted as good. Until...
Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet N' Spicy Barbecue Sauce!
If you haven't tried it i can recommend it without reservations.

Chapter 103 Book away! #3

Verse 1

Author: Michael Crichton
Original title: The Lost World

Verse 2

I can't really remember where i got this book from but probably from the english bookclub i was a member of. More than once i forgot to cancel the editor's choice and i suspect this was one of those books.
As you can understand from the title this is the sequel to Jurassic Park. Michael Crichton have written many books and several have been adapted into films, such as Sphere, Congo and Rising Sun.
This book is not spectacular but is good for the commute to and from work.

Verse 3

Will be given away today within the hour somewhere in Stockholm as i pass through.

Chapter 102 Disappointed continued

Verse 1

Amanda thought that i needed to be more specific about why the movie mentioned here was a waste of time.
Without analyzing it scientifically or wondering why it was made as it was here are a few thoughts for her.

1 The action. Nothing impressive or worthwhile even if you consider this a non-action movie. Tarantino are capable of doing so much better without going all out so the actionscenes such as there are were boring to me.

2 The violence. We are of course used to blood and excess from Tarantino and we come to expect it but i lacked a sense of motivation in this movie. More than once it felt contrived and overdone.

3 The dialogue. A few good lines but i expected to come away with more than a few good quotes but no, talk, talk and more talk but not up to the usual high standards i thought.

Looking forward to hear what the rest of you think.

Chapter 101 Book away! #2

Verse 1

Author:Salman Rushdie
Original title: The Moor's Last Sigh

Verse 2

This book i haven't even read more than parts of. It was an editor's choice in a bookclub i was a member of and i forgot to cancel it. Not saying it can't be good or interesting, after all Salman Rushdie has quite a reputation. Most have probably heard of The Satanic Verses and the controversy around that novel.
I hope that this book now come to someone who will enjoy it and that they let me know how it was.

Verse 3

Will be given away today on the subway at the Gamla Stan station sometime during the next three hours.

Chapter 100 What do i know?

Verse 1

Something i saw today got me thinking about appearances and assumptions.
A few hours ago i saw a couple of police officers leading a man away or more accurately, i saw what i assumed to be police officers.
They were not in uniform which is not unusual but that could mean they were just ordinary guys dragging another. I heard one of them say to a relative of the man in custody that they were the police and they showed him what i assume was some kind of id, but again i don't know. For that matter, who knows what a police id should look like?

The thing is and i am well aware of this, the way they acted and talked led me to think that they were the real deal and there is a danger there.
I know that tone of voice, the vocabulary you use and expressing confidence can enable you to get reactions and results that you otherwise wouldn't get.
Everyone that has ever worked in sales or marketing use and exploit this in some way to varying degrees.
I am not ashamed to say that i use this to my own benefit and when dealing with sales people i recommend that you do the same.
They use psychology on you and turn around is fair play.

Being "fooled" into buying insurance for your new DVD-player that you don't really need is of course far from as serious as being deceived by men impersonating the police but it can be achieved in a similar way, by appearing in a certain way they can get you to assume certain things.

Chapter 99 Disappointed

Verse 1

I have the feeling that what i am about to do will be considered almost sacrilegious by some.
Inglourious Basterds is not that good a movie.
I might even go so far and say that is a waste of time to watch. I don't really know what the main fault is in this movie by Tarantino but the endresult is far from being of the quality as in Kill Bill and others.
I welcome anyone to claim that i am wrong but i will need some good reasons to change my mind.