åsas tulpaner

something different

this looks like a wild orchid to me, but what do I know

matthew 25:40

Regarding racism, and the slew of other -isms that give some the right to think less of others: I think we should all be angry when others are belittled, oppressed, or threatened. Even if it is not us, it could be us. And if you believe we are all part of the same creation, it is us. There is a Bible verse that talk about this and that I always quote, but incorrectly. I looked it up:

Matthew 25:40 What you do onto the least of your brothers, you do onto me.

(No, I don't quote the Bible every day. But once in a while it really fits.)

job 42:15

Someone used the Bible for their license plate:

In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters;
and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers.

in our nation's service

Memorial Day: "Originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service." Observed last Monday of May. I wrote this story for Memorial Day 2003 (in Swedish).

yellow

thistle

about growing up as an illegal immigrant, and go on to higher education:

"The thing that I hated the most was seeing people... the way that they looked at us, and made us feel less than them. For some time as a child I grew to hate myself. I was embarrassed of my culture, embarrassed of who I was, embarrassed because of other peoples' comments. I did not want to speak Spanish. I hated to translate for those that I loved the most, my family. Because it wasn't cool, it wasn't accepted.

I wanted sandwiches on white bread, with cheese and ham in them. I didn't want burritos filled with chile verde, and frijoles and nachos. It wasn't until someone actually told me to my face that I shouldn't bother studying or taking hard classes because people like me - brown, Mexican, black, whatever - we would simply grow up to work with our hands. Manual labor is all that we know and all that we were fit for. At that point I finally changed. I was so upset that this became my motivation."

- from a panel on immigration, Santa Clara University, May 23, 2007

I came across his name just now and I was reminded how great he is

When I was still living in Sweden and still doing media research I had this image on my office wall. It shows a man watching TV at a camping site on the island of Öland. It's by Swedish photographer Lars Tunbjörk. The exhibit was called "A country beside itself".

sky blue sky

Buy Wilco's new album.

surf's up

something pink

japanese garden. girl jumping.

no freddie wadling for me

Seems I can't buy music from the Swedish itunes store. This is disappointing.

ok I changed my mind

Dan smuggled celery into the veggie juice right now thinking I wouldn't notice. But I did. And even though I have said for ever that I eat "everything except celery" I have to admit it tasted pretty good.

I also have to admit the following:

When I am on an airplane and they ask what kind of pre dinner drink you want I always order tomato juice. And I sit there very happily sipping it. Super good!

But now when I had the veggie juice I recognized something. And I realized that what they give you on planes is not tomato juice. It's Bloody Mary mix. It has celery.

Liked it all along, apparently.

how american are you?

Here is a test.
I am 24% American.
Dan is 49%.

from a small cactus like plant

aluminum is pretty

I like my coffee black. Possibly with a tiny piece of lemon peel.

chives (and it's tasty too)

strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate, of course

Before we became all healthy sometimes we would eat things like multicolored wafers. Those are good.

utlandssvensk

Två saker jag hört på radion senaste veckan:

1. Hur man uttalar "Pekgul" (har annars bara läst detta namn).
2. Uttrycket "att göra en pudel" (begrep inte).

rocking chair

the san jose flea market

recipes for isle dance (and everyone else of course)

So here is an attempt:

Take about 1.5 cups of the stringy pulp a juicer makes. It should be a good amount of vegetables and greens in there (carrots, beets, spinach, parsley, whatever). Mix in spices (salt, pepper, chili, cumin is a good start, but use whatever you like). Cut up a little onion (a couple of table spoons), and maybe a garlic clove. Mix. Taste. It should be well seasoned. Mix in an egg. Mix well. Use your hand.

So far I have figured out two ways to go from here. But obviously the possibilities are endless (I am thinking pie fillings, bread...).

1. Patties. (Serves two.)
Shape golf ball sized balls, flatten, dip either side in bread crumbs (I had matzo meal so I used that), and fry on medium heat for a little while before flipping. They will taste a bit like falafel and a yogurt based sauce is good on the side.

2. Breakfast scramble. (Serves two.)
Instead of patties, drop little (teaspoon size) pieces into a hot pan. Cut up a couple of small tortillas in 1.5 inch pieces, and add those to the pan. Medium heat. Stir and flip. Beat two eggs with a little water and pour over. Mix a little until done. Don't over cook because that will make it dry. Bon apetit!

mendez v. westminster

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) is the famous Supreme Court case that led to the nationwide desegregation of schools, and spurred the civil rights movement.

Mendez v. Westminster School District of Orange County (1947), another Supreme Court case, desegregated public schools in California and gave access to children of Mexican descent. It's a far less known case, but it actually proceeded Brown v. Board of Education.

Race politics in the US are often black and white. What has been happening to and with other groups is unknown, even if the events at the time were groundbreaking.

we're so healthy now

Dan's mom gave us a juicer, so now we are having vegetable and fruit juices several times a day and our skin is glowing and I am sure our insides too.

And I take the leftovers, the pulp and stringiness that the juicer leaves behind, and I mix it with an egg and some spices and garlic and onion and I make veggie burgers.

I have never liked veggie burgers but these are of course delicious.

maybe my shopping therapy is paying off

I had a neck and back massage yesterday, and was told I was "relaxed". It made me happy.

Then we talked about how for some people it's a compliment to be told they are tense.

Like a validation: they are working hard.

This is not a good thing.

"Because I trust you."

A Chinese young woman told me yesterday that when she was traveling in Scandinavia by herself, the Swedes were far more welcoming and helpful than the Danes.

She said in Denmark people didn't talk to her, but in Sweden people approached her to give her information, lent her their passes for the local buses, and generally were very nice. She says she wants to move there.

This just really surprises me. It goes against all notions Swedes have about the Danes. We see them as warm and friendly, and ourselves as stiff and cold.

When I think of it, though, it doesn't surprise me that someone would lend her their bus pass. She said the guy working at the front desk at the hotel did. He also gave her a map of the city with downtown bars circled, and told her to have a good time.

I am putting mine on the roof, just to make sure.

Just learned this on the Today Show: To have your washer and drier on the lower levels of the house is sooooo yesterday.

comes on a long stem with long green leaves

I think this is wildflower is onion-related. Next time I will just be Scandinavian about it and taste it.

never compare - never compete

I just stumbled across those there words of wisdom from Karl Lagerfeld.

what are you?

One thing I think about a lot is cultural identity. I think about it, and then I talk about it in class. Sometimes to the point of actually confusing the students, maybe. Because it's a really complicated issue, and a personal one too. There aren't any easy answers.

So... now I wonder what YOU think? What does it mean to you, to be American, or Swedish, or Mexican, or Californian, or however you would identify yourself? Email me, lotta.k@gmail.com, or write a comment here. I am really very curious.