In Regards To:

Sweden.

I'm just going to go with first impressions here. It was big, very tall. I flew into Stockholm and then flew up the coast about an hour to a place called Umea where my friend lives. Big student city. It was very cold and very snowy. There were lots of trees everywhere and very pretty. I didn't really have any idea what to picture it being like so everything was kind of new and really just made me think of Seattle a lot. Maybe it's because I've been in Madrid for so long and a big city isn't anything like a town in the woods. Seattle isn't a town in the woods either, but maybe someone understands what I'm getting at. Thursday my friend had class to go to so I got to hang out walking around by myself for a couple hours which was alright, but it was really cold and I didn't want to get lost so I didn't wander very far. It got light around 10am and dark around 2pm, so there really wasn't much daylight. And the daylight wasn't really daylight either, I'm sure that if the clouds would have gone away the sun would have just been seen barely over the horizon in a weird sort of oval-esque loop. But the clouds didn't go and so I didn't see the sun or really the light for a while. Because of this even when it was light out there was a feeling of perpetual dusk, everything was painted very gray and foggy, and it was really neat to walk out in the woods.

Friday we walked to the city which is next to a huge river that'd been frozen over. I'd never seen such a large body of water, especially one that is usually moving having been frozen. It was neat. The Swedish Idol finals were that night, and it proved to be eerily similar to American Idol, just a lot more pale and blond. Went out that night to a bar place on the campus and there were loads of students in there and it seemed like everyone was lean, six feet tall and very blond. It was fun for a while and a healthy change from Madrid style night life where you get back at 6 in the morning, this place closed at 2.

Sleeping in Airports.

I've decided that some airports are better for sleeping in than others, and Stockholm is at the top of the "go for it" list. Comfy chairs, hardwood floors in the central shopping and eating area, padded benches, easy to find and use computer terminals for internet, and clean bathrooms all add up to a winning place to spend the night if you're so in need.

I flew out of Stockholm this morning at 8am, but had been there since 5pm the night before. The latest flight from Umea to Stockholm was at 4pm, Saturday evening. There was a train that would have gotten me there at 3 in the morning but it would have taken 11 hours and cost just as much as a one hour flight. I opted to spend some time in the airport rather than be cooped up in a train for half a day. I toyed with the idea of taking the train to the city from the airport and wasting time there, but it was over 20 euros each way and unfortunately I haven't found rich girl to give me money yet so I was stuck in the airport. I read and wrote for a bit and then around eleven or so I found myself a nice bench and stretched out on it and got myself ready for the nice long comfortable night ahead. Boo.

First off, sleeping while fearing that someone might rob your shoes and your luggage sucks. Lucky I only had my backpack but the bench I was sleeping on was too narrow to put it next to me so I had to wrap one of my arms through the straps and let it hang down next to the backpack. This position gave me the pleasure of being woken up every hour or so not being able to feel my arm and having to shake all the feeling back into it and try to fall asleep again.

Secondly, normal people don't sleep in airports. Creepy people tend to frequent airports all night long, looking for food or meth I don't know, but they're weird as hell and definitely not the same good looking normal people you see during the daytime. Putting your passport in your pants and sleeping in a protective position with your back against a wall is highly advisable.

Third up, airports never really close. The lights are always on and at some, Stockholm regrettably included, music plays all through the night. I woke up at 4:12 in the morning to heard Kelly Clarkson belting out some man-hating song and it put right in a foul mood. Thanks a lot sweetheart.

Countries in the EU that don't use Euros.

Self explanatory. Annoying.

Dogs in Sweden.

I swear to god I saw a guy walking a full grown wild wolf. Enough of these little crappy Spanish dogs, they have real dogs in Sweden. I saw three giant St. Bernaards just like Beehtoven (the movie you idiot) and at least 5 huskies. They don't mess around.

Movies I download that are in a different language than advertised.

What the hell. Sure maybe it's a funny joke to rip a movie and then advertise it as being in English to all the people downloading it when it's really just been dubbed over with an unintelligible Eastern European language. I mean I guess I see the humor in it, give those pirating bastards something they didn't bargain for. But really? Nothing better to do?
Bummer.

Heima, the new Sigur Ros DVD.

Just like one of those really surreal moments in life where everything is just stupidly beautiful and you get to stop worrying about whatever it is you like to give yourself ulcers about. Except it lasts over an hour. See it.

Being home for Christmas.

I distinctly remember a Visa or MasterCard commercial a year or two ago with triplets talking about how they each got home from their respective colleges in order to be home for Christmas and how it was such a good thing that a price couldn't be put on it. Priceless, they said. Liars. A price can be put on it. One that will make your wallet sad and your stomach empty. See me when I'm home and we'll talk about how much each additional day at home is costing. It'll be fun, you'll see.



I got nothing else. Finals are coming up and the last two days of regular class are coming and passing by Tuesday. Just three tests and 10 days and I'm home. See you then.

-Mitch