Friday, July 22, 2011

"...dancing with scissors or bones full of wishes..."





So many things are different and so many things are the same.

We went running back up the hill- I am positive the hill has gotten higher, and steeper. Why does your brain immediately give you excuses? "Oh well, I have worked out or skated for the last four days in a row.", "Oh, well, I did eat a lot today.", "Oh, well, I am like a zillion years older than all the runners in front of me.", "Is that the smell of burnt toast? Am I having a stroke?".
But there were good distractions, cute little hopping frogs, snails with very fancy shells, and a FAWN.

Actually I needed to get out of the house, nothing I read for University was making any sense, and all my war documentaries are- as expected, depressing.
Also after running (thankfully not sliding or tumbling) back down the hill, we went exploring, in search of a work out space.
The space seems as if it is in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees and fields. The equipment is made out of logs, and I could barely do any of the exercises, most of the stations I needed to jump up to get too- of course you would think once I am hanging from some equipment my body weight would help me out...but not so much.

The night before was a more casually paced skate through the cemetery. I have now located Greta Garbo's grave, but I haven't ventured that way yet.
We were busy skating, followed by running some errands, and then going to Maskulina's garden to drink beer and laugh too loudly until the night grew dark and neighbors started to shut their windows against us.
Also we just never bothered to take off our skates, which was sort of funny...

*Cute hipster-hipsomatic photos stolen from Maskulina.

possibly too long of a link:
Here is the workout park:
http://www.stockholm.se/-/Serviceenhetsdetaljer/?enhet=275c88cf5f454e39a4e72b9782810366

Sunday, July 17, 2011

"...be running up that hill...with no problems..."






I went to another outdoor workout session with some of the great ladies of STRD. http://rollerderby.se/
The league is still on 'semester' as is most of Stockholm- shut down for vacation through July and into some part of August.
This time we met at Nytorget (Neeetoree-et) a park near our apartment and (ran!) to a free ferry that took us over to a huge hill where people can ski during the winter, essentially in the middle of Stockholm.

A bonus to the running, (gasping, dying), was that I found where the round jetty was located. I had seen a photo but I didn't know where to find it. But as we came off the ferry there it was.
The whole area is a new development of "green" housing, along the waterway and locks that are located next to a nature reserve. The hill is along side the housing area and the reserve, the size of the reserve can be seen from the top of the hill, if you are crazy enough to want to scale (run!) up the hill for the view.

I took Zok there the next day to get a better look, as I find that when I can stand still and breathe I am more able to appreciate my environment.
We found a good (for Sweden) place to eat, on our side of the water which made the whole trip worth the effort.
I was told that beavers can be seen in the waterways.
However...


Sunday, July 10, 2011

"Swaying daisies sing a lazy song beneath the sun".









Tyestra: a park of nationally sized dashed hopes.
Animals (djur) and birds (fåglar) NOT spotted, yet displayed brightly, and in large numbers on website, in brochures, and around the ranger station: Beavers, Deer, Moose, many, many Owls INCLUDING a pygmy owl (read: Pigwidgeon), Bats, a LEGLESS lizard (looks like a snake, is not a snake), and of course Hedgehogs!
Apparently hedgehogs are in such abundance that there is a special warning that states in both Swedish and English and I quote, "Do not take hedgehogs or other wild mammals home with you". That really stung me.
Speaking of getting stung, I (naturally) got bit by some sort of insect.

Of course, I was giddy with happiness at the landscape, the village from 'The Iron Age', the fresh air, and the prospect of seeing critters, until of course I realized that I was not going to see animals. But I was still left with the satisfaction of 'getting out' of the city for awhile.
I was especially happy to leave our block as a whole new round of tagging had just been completed the night before. Graffiti in this style is depressing as it is pervasive throughout my travels.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Ängbyplan T-bana Konst







The light is starting to give way to the gradual change in season, where darkness comes a few minutes sooner, and the deepness is a little darker, each night.

If I hadn't known that Ängyplan was a station with art, I would have missed the hallway, because the tiles are mostly near the elevator (Hiss) which I would normally never use.

I couldn't do all of the tiles justice through an iPhone camera but here is a small sample.