Jokers Cave of Games

On the merry theme of night, today is a very special day. Not only for the reason that today is the day when they commence the dismantling of the cultural heritage of the old "malmbana" around Köping, no. Which is in itself a disaster, I might add! I mean, there is a complete railroad in the sky, and I have been dying to snap some shots of it every time I pass by. Now, they are destroying a magnificent construction, instead of using the preexisting possibilities. Imagine Sweden's longest skytrain! Or just some great Noir-shots... But noooo... Instead, today is very special. I have just come slid into the tower to serve another morning shift as a peon in the great factory of the sky, but today I get to take home my bed-linen and my sleeping bag! Yessiree, no more sleeping in the tower for me (or as Vendela said "unless you piss me off and the dogs have taken the sofa") which is nothing short of a great victory! Little over a week until I move and then my cozy, w...

Well, work is work and that is that. Still, stress is an interesting thing. Life stress is perhaps something most of us would never consider. That is has a tendency to amass and when it gathers, it adds to the stress of the moment as well. Positive and negative stress also add up, and finally something snaps. Or rather, can snap. I think there are loads of components to that. First of all, being conscious of the stressors and their inflicting levels is one thing. Being wary of the symptoms and handling them is a good second. And third, well, there's always the extra option of not letting yourself be affected. Here is where the stress threshold comes in. You really have to know your limits, and if you approach them, you have to be able to reduce the stress or start saying no.  My point? Keep a look out, monitor and handle before you snap. Because snapping is bad manners! A somewhat different concept of a modelshot, a photo montage, using the same backdrop and model in severa...

Mama, I'm coming home. Not perhaps home per se, seeing as how you live in Skåne and I am actually moving to Nyköping. And well, not "I am coming come" as it is, in fact, five of us who are moving, and for them it's neither "I" nor "coming home" at all. Except for the fact that we are all moving to our new house, and it is our new home. Aw, shucks, this is all so confusing... Nuff said.  Nyköping is a youthful, modern town-of-the-world where shops close early in the weekends and you almost always bump into someone you know on the streets or at the store. Even though I happen to like the town a lot, we will still have it at a comfortable distance. A little house in a separated community (and no grocery store anywhere?!?) where life can be enjoyed both with the comforts of civilization and the joys of rural life. Huggly squeezy with sugar on top The life here in Norrköping is getting somewhat tiresome. Of course, the friends I have her...

Not quite the peaceful and restive weekend I was hoping for. Two sniffling, coughing and feverridden sloths navigate the apartment in hunched positions, vying to get out of the commitment of having to walk the dogs. It's a shameful pastime, really, since the dogs ARE just the most splendid of dogs you can imagine. They are soft, gentile, calm and patient. They got up at about 1030 today for the morning walk and right now, when I am getting ready for afternoon tour of the grounds, they are in bed again, resting.  Thought I would include another photo from "my travels". Here's a very old keep from the lowlands of Skåne in southern Sweden, complete with a moat and an extended drawbridge. Still haven't gotten myself together enough to really start up this year's photo adventures, but I do have some vacation time coming up and I intend to make the most of it. Hopefully, we will both be well until then. Even though the Hindu have two deities corresponding to d...

It's all getting there now. The house is sealed, signed and delivered! Well, actually, none of those, but we have agreed, and the signing is on Monday, so a good part of the matter is now behind us. If there is anyone interested out there, I could write about all the complications of buying a house. Just let me know! There is the matter of where to look for houses, what to look for, what to avoid. Then, the process of the realtor, the contract signing, the contact with the bank, finances and all the pitfalls. And of course, finally, the happy success story. Like I said, lemme know. Unfortunately, this weekend I am succumbing to the most irritating cough, and it saps the strength right out of me. Will attempt to comfort myself now with some Tomb Raider on the playstation, but it seems hopeless. Still, the Sun is peeking through, so it just might be a terrific day to get outside with the goggies and roam the lands. That will most definitely cheer me up! Now, time to relax. Been...

A deep alleyway in the narrow streets of Old Town in Stockholm, sparkling that Sandukar feeling. Time draws so much closer to a decision! We have looked at a lot of houses over the last weeks, and planned and planned some more about how to make this all come through. Today, we leave to look at two houses, one being hugely more affordable than the other, but both of them within range. There's a load of other matters to consider as well, of course, such as when we get to access the residence. But in all likelyhood, both of them are not until the 1st of September, meaning we have to rent a small place for a couple of months. Ick, says me, I just hate that. Taking part of the cesspool of humanity! Next I will be taking the bus to work! This post here is just to tantalize you with some pictures, until I can post more about the house and the process there. I will, as they say, "call you back" about that. Now, off to see the wiz... the houses! Here is Jakriborg, in Sk...

Well, today started out somewhat differently than I had expected. This morning's blog will focus on Mercedes, and let me sum it up for them - no star! I have been asked and YES, I take all the pictures myself. This one here is of the car I bought in December, from when I picked it up from behind the red velvet rope.  Yesterday, I arrived at Mercedes in Linköping, the so-called Hedins Bil, having booked a few weeks before. They were to change the windscreen and to swap wintertires for summer. Since I am working during the weekdays, I was to get a rental car (not a loaner) during the time I left my car there. And so I arrived in the morning. Two guys sat in the serviceroom, one young and one older. I step up to the counters, and present my errand with a cheerful and resounding "good morning". The old man looks severely unimpressed, and finds nothing in his papers at all about me. He picks up the phone and says "Stefan, there's someone at the counter." A...