tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177005282011-12-03T02:53:21.616+01:00KCMnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1841100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-28473222288986465742011-03-28T01:45:00.001+02:002011-03-28T01:46:29.360+02:00

You can now access my new and improved (but still fake) magazine of life in Sweden at http://sweden.kcomposite.com. See you there!

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-60523553399730766962011-02-08T21:29:00.005+01:002011-02-08T23:43:04.787+01:00

A couple months ago, I started working at an awesome job with a magazine publishing company in Stockholm. The company is a huge, family-run, Swedish media empire, built over many generations. Let's say it's kind of like the Bingham family was in Louisville or the Hearst family in America. But much, much older. At the office, I am a member of a stealth, futuristic team which converts print

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-90074280763847739932010-12-25T18:09:00.005+01:002010-12-26T01:17:01.202+01:00

The political and diplomatic worlds have been reeling in the wake of a quarter-million pages of confidential US government documents being leaked. Everyone has had an opinion about some part of it. I hope I'm not alone in thinking this, but I'm not sure what all the controversy is about. My reaction to every so-called revelation has been, "Duh. I knew that. Everyone knows that." These

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-9728817987050239102010-11-30T22:07:00.019+01:002010-12-01T00:38:32.560+01:00

Am I the only one who is uncomfortable around naked old men? Oh, everybody is? Cool. That's what I thought. Nonchalant coexistence with naked men in places like public showers may be a rite of passage among Europeans, but my American roots – with all the faux-Puritanism instilled therein – are simply not prepared for it. Shit, honestly, I've never really been comfortable in a room full of naked

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-63865546413605791032010-11-23T19:37:00.001+01:002010-11-24T17:42:41.824+01:00

There's a popular saying in Sweden. "Det finns inga dåliga väder, bara dåliga kläder," which, although it doesn't rhyme in English, means, "There is no bad weather, only bad clothes." How strange. I totally could have sworn that this weather really sucks. Apparently I've been misinformed. It's my clothes that are the problem. I still have so much to learn about Sweden. As a person who sold or

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-85643187066240813822010-09-17T08:00:00.002+02:002010-09-17T15:35:57.247+02:00

A lot of what makes for good writing is having the time to write. After spending most of 2009 in Sweden, I’ve been back in America since December. Since being Stateside, I’ve realized that I just haven’t had the time or inspiration to write as much or as often as when I was in Sweden. Certainly, those who follow my articles on this site have noticed the same thing. Frankly, it's hard to write

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-11739358753110764372010-05-21T19:29:00.000+02:002010-05-21T19:29:50.991+02:00

I recently deleted my Facebook account. Although it occurred to little or no fanfare, it was a long time coming. Facebook was a nice way to stay in touch with people near and far, especially given that my life has been spread across two continents in recent years. But the site ultimately became more of a burden than a joy. It seemed every login in was followed by a marathon of clicking "ignore"

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-31603647588169734462010-04-26T22:32:00.000+02:002010-04-26T22:32:06.472+02:00

(This article on the life of Sigvard Bernadotte is Part 2 of 2. See the earlier story of his battle to be reinstated as a prince at this link.) While Sigvard Bernadotte may not have left our world as a prince, he is commonly referred to as the "Design Prince of Sweden." That title is perhaps even more honorable because it hails his contributions and accomplishments rather than simply a name

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-91479172122122236022010-02-18T21:15:00.002+01:002010-02-18T21:19:24.451+01:00

The Korean language has seven different levels of familiarity that can be used when a speaker is addressing someone. These "honorifics" indicate the distinct relationship the two people have with each other. In particular, the way someone would address a senior citizen is different than the way one would speak to a student, peer or salesperson. These levels of familiarity can differ even within

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-15820379702316855082010-02-01T23:27:00.006+01:002010-02-02T17:40:41.989+01:00

At the southwestern tip of Sweden, just across the strait from Copenhagen, Denmark, lies Sweden's third most-populous city, Malmö. Malmö has a population of a quarter-million residents, sitting in an urban area of about 635,000. These Swedes, in the province of Skåne (pronounced Skoa-neh), speak a crazy dialect of Swedish called Skånsk. It sounds like a hybrid of Danish and Swedish. Skåne was

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-70312541902678984712010-01-21T02:26:00.088+01:002010-01-21T09:05:41.618+01:00

Is this thing on? Can you hear me? Testing, testing... Today's report is being broadcast to you all the way from Kentucky, in the heart of God's Great United States. After finishing up a European tour with my band Metroschifter last month, I returned to my hometown of Louisville. A medium-sized city of just under a million people – bigger than Göteborg and smaller than Stockholm – Louisville is

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-64293372473592938832009-12-22T19:58:00.025+01:002009-12-26T19:49:01.999+01:00

To tantalize their readers, some writers would need to concoct an absurd and elaborate fictitious story about a royal family, a tragic plane crash, forbidden love, an intriguing, influential and tortured artist, an endless court drama, family disputes, and a fascinating cast of colorful characters involved in devastating public betrayals.This story has all of those things and more, and better yet

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-26697897821978054092009-12-03T19:31:00.000+01:002009-12-03T19:31:00.950+01:00

It's another installment of pictures of regular, everyday things how they look in Sweden. This time it's stuff on the street.Garbage can.Illegally-parked Corvette. Amazing. People who drive these things are jerks all over the world. What's the Swedish word for asshole?An old Volvo limousine.Volvo emergency response vehicle.Saab police car.Police tape. Avspärrat means "closed."Police tape.Tiny

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-71708191106434749192009-11-30T03:34:00.005+01:002009-11-30T22:56:10.032+01:00

As some readers may know, I am currently on tour with my band, the Metroschifter. The tour is taking us through many countries of continental Europe, far south of Sweden. Today we are in Forlí, Italy. Of course, I'm missing Sweden and the recent episodes of "Idol" but since we have different bands opening for us each night, I'm getting more real life music.My band has been together for fifteen

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-32059238899718943632009-11-16T18:45:00.000+01:002009-11-30T22:49:10.048+01:00

I've received a few requests from readers in America to show some images of simple, regular, everyday stuff in Sweden that looks different. So here's the first of a few installments: Grocery store items!If you're interested in groceries, you can see more in a couple previous stories Inside the Secret Society of Swedish Grocery Store Owners and Grocery Carts, Food and Pants Sizes.Adzuki beans and

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-87710967345723934542009-11-09T01:55:00.004+01:002009-11-11T21:28:17.505+01:00

Karlaplan is a picturesque area of Stockholm on the island of Östermalm where five major streets meet to form a star.Inspired by similar street plans in Paris, construction on the neighborhood began in the late 1800's.The five tree-lined thoroughfares that go out in every direction have a dense, green lushness in the summer. Autumn and winter reveal more of the palatial, early-century apartment

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-28219582114645411422009-11-04T19:26:00.004+01:002009-11-05T23:50:33.930+01:00

As I've mentioned many times, most Swedish people speak perfect English and they love doing it.It's the opposite of French people. The French can speak English with you but they don't want to. The Swedes only want to speak English with you.As soon as you say "hej" (hello) or "jag heter..." (my name is...) with the slightest bit of an accent, they get this surprised look on their faces and switch

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-91648930776234102402009-10-27T11:44:00.029+01:002009-10-31T16:07:17.814+01:00

Grab a warm sweater or safe blanket and sit thee down fore thine flickering computer screens, dear friends, for I am about to weave a bone-chilling tale, the likes of which may well travel like a demon through your dial-up Internet service and petrify you in your very home.While it is not my intention to sow seeds that may haunt you until you drag your last dying breath, I'm afraid this

KCMnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-59891171877582627262009-10-27T00:44:00.000+01:002009-10-27T23:37:24.701+01:00

It's beginning to get cold in Sweden. The first snow of the season, however fleeting, already happened a couple weeks ago.Earlier this month, daylight hours in Stockholm passed below the 50/50 point. We are now at 10 hours of daylight and 14 hours of darkness.I'm actually being very generous by using the term "daylight hours." We haven't truly seen rays of direct sunshine in a number of days. I

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-46288205646629959792009-10-23T00:50:00.002+02:002009-10-23T00:56:35.031+02:00

Sweden may have just taken a major step toward ousting Japan as the cutest country in the world. Stockholm is leading the charge.While some of the world's big cities are infested with disgusting rats, wild rabid dogs and other pests, one of the main animal control problems in Stockholm is bunny rabbits. (I know, right?)Surprisingly, the rabbits running rampant in the Stockholm area are not native

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-76944790351374730232009-10-20T00:50:00.020+02:002009-10-20T20:48:07.221+02:00

When you're living in the United States, or any English-speaking country, it's easy to forget (or not even realize) that a large share of the world's popular music is sung in English. This includes not only the music that is exported from the US or the United Kingdom, but also a big percentage of the popular music that is produced locally in non-English-speaking countries.Nearly all the songs you

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-83043186399020567972009-10-15T12:51:00.011+02:002009-10-15T18:04:09.726+02:00

It's not every day that typography is in the news or that usage of a particular font can be described as controversial.However, such a situation is afoot this week in Sweden and the story goes back eighty years.Way back in 1929, British sculptor and typographer Eric Gill was commissioned to create a clean sans-serif typeface for the London and North Eastern Railway. After much labor on the

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-72439562583685388682009-10-13T03:02:00.011+02:002009-10-13T17:16:18.738+02:00

Sometimes I feel like a lot of the material I write for this website is the same. It goes something like this:"Sweden is clean, quiet, beautiful and the people here have it all figured out. Americans are babies who hate the government and don't want to pay taxes, but want everything provided for them."I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea or think that I'm bashing America. That is (almost)

KCMnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-6407122543575645562009-10-09T01:00:00.004+02:002009-10-10T23:59:48.930+02:00

Saltsjöbanan is one of Stockholm's oldest local rail lines. The 18-station line has been operating over 115 years and covers an end-to-end distance of about 11 miles (18 km).The line runs from the major transportation hub at Slussen in central Stockholm out to the eastern suburbs at Saltsjöbaden.The small town of Saltsjöbaden sits on the shore of the Saltsjö ("Salt Sea"). The town's name means "

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-4541693574759095672009-10-06T05:45:00.007+02:002009-10-07T00:44:55.135+02:00

I've received a lot of comments and questions about my previous stories comparing the public transit systems in Louisville and Stockholm (or maybe I should I say: comparing Stockholm's public transit system to Louisville's lack of people trains).Those pieces can be seen at these links: 360° View from Slussen and Slussen+8664 Revisited.Unfortunately, I can't write anything here as an authority on

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-81080583422590669602009-09-30T00:52:00.012+02:002009-10-05T02:47:22.448+02:00

In your face, Thomas Edison!The man who perfected and commercialized the incandescent light bulb would be aghast if he were here today. With the rest of us, he would be seeing his bright, warm glow being dismantled all over the world, and replaced with buzzing, pale blue tubes that make people's skin look as dead as his became in 1931.It has now been almost a month since the initial ban on buying

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-91368362919637499742009-09-26T14:21:00.010+02:002009-10-05T00:58:59.810+02:00

I heard a story a long time ago about Hervé Villechaize. He was the actor who played the character Tattoo on the television series Fantasy Island and was famous for his line, "The plane! The plane!" in the opening sequence. He also appeared in a number of films including The Man With the Golden Gun, seen here.Even though this particular story about him found me fifteen years ago or more, it has

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-67397210398643228832009-09-17T03:23:00.000+02:002009-09-17T03:23:00.229+02:00

Sometimes Stockholm is so pretty I could just shit.

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-66982760828040250202009-09-16T00:06:00.000+02:002009-09-16T00:06:00.195+02:00

When I wake up and it's raining, I feel how I imagine a dog must feel when you're closing the door and leaving it in the house alone. The dog thinks you're never coming back.That's how I feel when it rains, like the sun is never coming back.Without knowing when it will come back, the rain might as well last forever. Only when there is a little bit of blue back in the sky do I feel like maybe it

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-62053024120584902942009-09-14T00:13:00.014+02:002009-10-05T00:59:23.366+02:00

I don't know how to say this delicately, so I'll just come right out and say it: Swedish girls think that tights are pants.If this were happening in America, where much of the citizenry is Super-Sized, it would be torturous to the eyes. However, in Sweden, where 99% of the population is in fairly good shape, well, it looks really nice.It's a style you might expect to see Ann-Margret sporting in

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-13201174589622456372009-09-12T00:55:00.001+02:002009-09-12T00:55:00.671+02:00

These damn Swedish liberals are sooo permissive.Yes, you can park here and yes, it's free, but we do have some rules: only in marked spaces and only for two days at a time.

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-43142912949268782912009-09-11T00:15:00.009+02:002009-10-05T00:59:32.927+02:00

I am obsessive about washing my my hands. Not obsessive compulsive - I only wash them when there's a remote chance that some type of mild contamination may be on them - but obsessive nonetheless.In the spring of this year, when the swine flu craze was just hitting America, President Obama went on television and instructed everyone to be careful."Keep your hands washed, cover your mouth when you

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-42522105005776647452009-09-10T01:50:00.000+02:002009-09-10T01:50:00.359+02:00

Everybody has moments when they get lost in thought but this gammal tant was transfixed by something in a Stureplan shop window. Captivated even.If I had posted a video of her standing there instead of this photograph, you wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-13378544181349161442009-09-09T00:42:00.009+02:002009-09-09T16:09:52.503+02:00

Since President Obama is making a major speech Wednesday on the health care crisis in America, I thought I'd post this nice photo of something I saw recently in Stockholm.This tent was set up in the middle of a popular public plaza called Medborgarplatsen ("Citizens' Plaza"). The big sign says "Ask the Doctor." Inside the tent they had a couple doctors with various medical supplies, stethoscopes,

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-53598675318260106162009-09-04T02:47:00.007+02:002009-10-04T23:57:39.356+02:00

You may remember a story from back in June when I had just attended the music festival in Stockholm called Where the Action Is. A portion of that yarn included some gushing over the singer/songwriter of the band Hello Saferide.I was introduced to the music of Annika Norlin last year by my friend Emma. She played a CD for me of one of Norlin's bands called Säkert.I quickly became hooked on the

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-41096414589418476792009-08-30T13:46:00.027+02:002009-10-05T00:57:48.003+02:00

The rumors are true. In less than a month I will be officially old. I'm not talking about 25 or some silly age that kids think is old.I'm talking about the age that means there's no denying you're an adult. This is the age that makes you too old to think about dating someone in their twenties. Not because you don't want to, but because people in their twenties also think you're too old for it. (

KCMnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-58531720051445950562009-08-26T13:53:00.002+02:002009-08-29T18:08:43.434+02:00

The Tunnelbana Station in the Stockholm neighborhood of Axelsberg has the name of the area spelled out in a giant glass, concrete, stone and iron sculpture that stretches the entire length of the platform. Each letter of the name "Axelsberg" is between 3 and 4 meters tall and built into a recessed embankment.This art installation was put into the Axelsberg station in 1983 by artists Leif Bolter,

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-47612079539409930612009-08-25T01:00:00.001+02:002009-08-25T01:08:47.352+02:00

Sometimes when I'm in Stockholm, I happen to glance at something and think to myself, "Wow, that really looks like Sweden." Of course, it is Sweden. In fact, Sweden is all around me, as far as I can walk, but I suppose I'm thinking more that it looks staged or like a stock photo someone would use in a text book or travel brochure.Those moments are convenient because I can get so much of Sweden in

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-42110659342534080122009-08-23T12:44:00.000+02:002009-08-24T13:50:31.935+02:00

The sky is a monster of gases that blankets the planet and protects us from the harsh nothingness of outer space. As an added bonus to this monumental task, it is sometimes really pretty or interesting to look at.The best part about the sky is that it's free. All you have to do is look up and there it is. Another very cool feature is that it never looks the same twice. Wait just a few minutes and

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-9543684543086279982009-08-21T13:38:00.005+02:002009-08-21T13:52:13.830+02:00

My favorite restaurant in Stockholm is Hermans which is a huge vegetarian buffet that is open late. Not late like Louisville-late, but like 10:00 or 11:00 at night. That's pretty late for Sweden.The restaurant has tons of outdoor seating and it sits high up on a cliff overlooking the city. On a pretty day the food and the view cannot be beat. I usually leave with a food baby in my stomach, that

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-65832965289617020052009-08-19T00:16:00.037+02:002009-10-04T23:59:08.060+02:00

Being an unmarried member of the Swedish Royal Family has been going out of style this year... and fast. About six months ago, before I arrived in Sweden, both of the Swedish princesses were single, well, unbetrothed. Today, they're both engaged to be married.First, in the spring, 31-year-old Crown Princess Victoria got engaged to her longtime boyfriend, a businessman and gym owner named Daniel

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-83716031833622484792009-08-13T13:20:00.005+02:002009-08-13T13:43:25.049+02:00

The rocky hills at Skinnarviksberget are a fantastic place to relax, have a picnic or just to take in a panoramic view of Stockholm. I was doing all of those things when I made this wide photo montage of the city recently from "The Rocks."Click to view full sizeTo the far right is Långholmen and to the far left are Gamla Stan and part of Slussen. Straight ahead is Kungsholmen.Here are a couple of

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-66095329421129883962009-08-10T13:50:00.001+02:002009-08-13T13:53:25.022+02:00

Another panoramic view of Stockholm. This one is from a hilltop in the area known as Västra Skogen whose name means "western forest."Click to view full size

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-56877355572054196712009-08-07T12:43:00.000+02:002009-08-07T12:43:00.334+02:00

Sometimes in Sweden it's a little difficult to find some of the foods I really enjoyed in America.My favorite peanut butter is called Jif. I was so excited to find it here, but I when I put it on a sandwich it just didn't taste right. Maybe it wasn't fresh or the recipe was a little different.Oh well, at least it got rid of my sore throat. Completely. I don't have a throat anymore.Is this thing

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-81555740939502234962009-08-05T12:29:00.001+02:002009-08-05T12:29:00.541+02:00

One of my favorite reappearing signs in Sweden is this one that is posted near many elevators.Some of the elevators here don't have automatic doors that open and close for you. Instead you have to pull or push the door open, like going into a regular room.This sign is telling you that there is a danger of being crushed inside if you transport large objects in the elevator. Something like this

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-40584055752240208012009-08-03T16:41:00.005+02:002009-10-05T00:03:14.342+02:00

A word of warning to our more impressionable readers: Today's story may include some risqué language, namely English.No coverage of Swedish culture would be complete without an article about the abundance of common words in the Swedish language that look like dirty English words.Perhaps nothing could illustrate it better than this advertisement in a recent newspaper with the headline "Slutspurt!"

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-54218679164277306892009-07-30T01:15:00.006+02:002009-07-30T15:18:48.806+02:00

The new record by the Metroschifter, featuring a blood-spattered cover image of our beloved Stockholm, is finally available!As you may know from previous stories on this website, Carbonistas has eight new songs that were recorded at the beginning of this year, just before I left Louisville.The paper-and-plastic version (compact disc) is available from our special friends at the Noise Pollution

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-51590070715547751812009-07-27T15:29:00.008+02:002009-10-05T00:01:34.227+02:00

Recently when I've been out late, I've noticed something strange. The sky has been getting really dark at night, for several hours at a time.This hasn't happened for a few months and I can only presume that Mother Nature has brought the phenomenon back as a way of saying "go to sleep." And while it might be news to a couple of my American friends who recently visited, perhaps it's also a hint

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-19850261645842399442009-07-20T13:19:00.022+02:002009-10-05T00:05:34.951+02:00

Maybe you've heard something about this: A few decades ago, America could do anything. Liberate Europe from the Nazis? Done. Defeat the Japanese at the same time? Done. Rebuild half the world after the war? Done. Lift a rocket off of the Earth with people in it and land them somewhere else? Done.John Kennedy, who famously dedicated America to the cause of going to the Moon, observed, "The world

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-90816065920550201122009-07-18T19:16:00.011+02:002009-07-19T03:06:17.492+02:00

One of the challenging things about learning to speak Swedish - and there are a few - is the process of becoming familiar with the sequence that words should appear in sentences.Many years ago, someone told me, "Swedish is just German words with English grammar." Ehh, well, guess what. It turns out that's not really true. If it were, I would be zipping through the language with greater ease and

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-47460011219156287062009-07-13T00:27:00.002+02:002009-07-13T15:23:11.640+02:00

These two images stitched together offer a lovely view of Stockholm from a hilltop park at a recent grillfest. Click for enlargement.I'm all for minimalist Swedish design, but come on. Can you guess where the most popular room is in this building? With one tiny window and two giant fireplaces, this must have been built in the winter.

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-29861354877286088902009-07-12T00:17:00.004+02:002009-07-12T11:36:36.707+02:00

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-51595461059482556182009-07-10T01:06:00.014+02:002009-10-05T00:09:56.964+02:00

The photo above may seem like a regular Independence Day barbeque, but take hold of your seats, dear readers: this shocking image was snapped at a 4th of July cookout in Täby, Sweden.And, I hope you're sitting down, because I must tell you, I believe only two of the nine people in the picture are Americans. The rest are all dirty fucking socialists! I know, right? Looks just like Cold War-era

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-90833990216197096582009-07-09T15:21:00.000+02:002009-07-10T01:00:26.876+02:00

My new favorite part of Stockholm is a neighborhood known as Kristineberg.Last week, I hung out in parks there a couple days in a row to enjoy the weather and scenery while buckling down for some studying of the Swedish language. During the summer break from school, I've decided to start back from the beginning of the book and go through as much of it as possible.At one point while I was working

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-46510688220076060542009-07-08T00:45:00.002+02:002009-07-10T01:05:48.539+02:00

Unbelievable, I know. No one would ever expect to see a picture of the Swedish sky on this web site. Nonetheless, here are still more pictures of the sky.4 July, 12:49 am4 July, 11:57 pm5 July, 11:36 pm5 July, 11:36 pm7 July, 7:15 pm7 July, 7:58 pm7 July, 7:58 pm7 July, 7:58 pm7 July, 7:58 pm

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-90110998745449540402009-07-04T12:39:00.000+02:002009-07-04T12:39:00.270+02:00

May 31, 12:31 amMay 24, 6:48 pm (two photos stitched together)June 3, 9:56 pmJune 3, 9:56 pmJune 16, 12:59 amJune 25, 12:41 amJune 28, 6:32 pm: Some people see Jesus in the sky, I just see some hippie wearing glasses.June 28, 10:27 pmJune 28, 10:30 pmJune 28, 10:30 pm

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-7248801025540537852009-07-03T12:38:00.002+02:002009-07-03T16:57:05.756+02:00

Awww, Louisville hasn't forgotten me.Velocity Weekly, one of the city's entertainment papers, has just published an article about me, the Metroschifter and Sweden.Written by the talented and funny Joseph Lord, the story starts with the line, "Scott Ritcher is experienced at getting the hell out of town..." I love it. As I just told my friend Sarah who is soon leaving Louisville for Philadelphia,

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-43040055511042200582009-07-01T12:32:00.014+02:002009-10-05T00:11:26.391+02:00

As we've learned in several previous stories, Stockholm's Tunnelbana (subway) system is often called "the world's longest art exhibition." Each station has been decorated by a different artist or several artists, and some stations were even designed as walk-through art by architects. This underground art project began in the 1950's and continues today.The latest station to receive an artistic

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-62240435107675718282009-06-30T16:23:00.004+02:002009-10-05T00:15:48.357+02:00

For about 90 days between January and April of this year, my band, The Metroschifter, was accepting online reservations for our upcoming new CD.If you went to our website during that time, you could order the disc in advance of its release, and have the finished version personalized with your name on the cover and mailed to your house.We made this same type of offer with several of our previous

KCMnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-80145705181418445142009-06-29T01:34:00.026+02:002009-10-05T00:21:01.530+02:00

Today, I'd like to talk about two huge financial systems in the United States and how they could maybe benefit from - once again - a little Swedish influence. No, this isn't about Wall Street or the economic crisis, but perhaps they share some of the same types of thinking, or lack of thinking, that have contributed to those problems.Ever since I was a kid, I have been baffled by the concept of

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-91956386081901238422009-06-25T15:28:00.002+02:002009-10-05T00:59:36.152+02:00

Last Friday, I celebrated the Swedish holiday of Midsommar with some wonderful friends and met some new and memorable people as well.Many Swedes have tiny country homes, garden houses, or small vacation houses outside the cities. It is a Swedish national custom to celebrate the midsummer holiday at your country home or the place of friends. Large gatherings are not uncommon. In fact, the streets

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-21594277216104986762009-06-23T04:37:00.000+02:002009-06-23T18:00:31.121+02:00

Over the weekend, I made custom iPhone icons for several of my websites. You can see them in the top row of icons in this screenshot from my iPhone.If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch and you add one of my sites to your home screen bookmarks (using the + symbol in Safari), it will appear with a custom icon on your home screen. You may have to shorten the page titles when you add them, like I did

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-32543656735169868992009-06-22T16:02:00.003+02:002009-06-22T16:37:42.475+02:00

On my Saturday afternoon walk, I made this 360° view of Stockholm from a park at the top of a big hill on Långholmen.Click images to view full sizeIt's another lovely panorama of the city, interrupted only by graffiti, something that more than a few nice places in Stockholm seem to be affected by.

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-16747035060734758722009-06-21T01:52:00.010+02:002009-06-21T02:34:56.241+02:00

Saturday afternoon I went for a long walk and relaxed in the park to recover from Midsommar festivities. During my sunshiny day, I enjoyed some Reese's peanut butter cups my parents recently sent from America. Mmmmm....A couple people were also taking advantage of the gorgeous weather to row a boat out into the water between the city's islands. I caught this view from Långholmen (um... "Long

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-55800950496231870862009-06-20T01:15:00.001+02:002009-10-05T00:25:39.079+02:00

Here are some scenes from the Tunnelbana station at Bandhagen.These photos were taken Saturday morning at about 5:00 am, while I was doing the "walk of shame" - that's when you're coming home from partying while people are going to work. This was the morning after the all-night Midsommar rager.Even though I was in such a condition, I still knew I would don't be living up to my responsibilities if

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-54577520171174080272009-06-18T21:20:00.014+02:002009-06-18T10:09:50.024+02:00

This weekend will bring the Midsommar Festival in Sweden, a tradition which goes back many centuries and marks the longest day of the year. As you might have guessed, midsommar means "mid-summer." Swedish ain't so tough, see?This time lapse image from the Slussen webcam shows one photo from every hour yesterday. As you can see, there's really nothing left of our old friend, the nighttime. Don't

KCMnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-46661192856348105552009-06-17T01:02:00.000+02:002009-06-17T01:02:00.625+02:00

The Blue Line Tunnelbana station deep beneath T-Centralen hub was designed in 1975 by Per Olof Ultvedt. It's a multi-level station with monstrous caverns of exposed rock, gigantic escalators and moving sidewalks.My snapshots really don't do it justice. Some professional images of the same sites can be seen at ArchiBase, an architecture site.

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-21979696812642155252009-06-15T01:19:00.037+02:002009-10-05T00:29:32.844+02:00

Despite a long weekend of rain, tens of thousands turned out Friday and Saturday for the Where The Action Is music festival in Stockholm.The rain was punishing and relentless. Sometimes heavy, sometimes cold, sometimes sideways. More than one person asked me if I was enjoying the Swedish summer and if I was having any second thoughts about coming here. I'll stick with my original story that when

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-86123878160501006072009-06-14T00:43:00.002+02:002009-06-15T06:34:55.301+02:00

The daylight and the colors and shapes in the sky are continuing to fascinate me (as is the dark, blurry line in my camera's lens). These images are from late Thursday night/Friday morning around 1:00 AM. Fresh!

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-58358261972427140062009-06-11T01:06:00.025+02:002009-10-05T00:30:44.149+02:00

Let's take a look at a selection of photos from last Saturday which was Sweden's National Day. How does that sound? Would you like that? Hmm?I've heard a lot of talk about how Swedes are so modest and not especially proud or nationalistic. That's mostly true. Granted, there were no fireworks or any boisterousness equivalents to the familiar "U-S-A!" chants. I think there certainly is a lot of

KCMnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-31116928824190389402009-06-06T00:37:00.020+02:002009-10-05T00:31:34.354+02:00

In keeping with the theme of public transit, on a recent Saturday, Erik and I paid a visit to the Stockholm Spårvägsmuseet. The name literally means track-way-museum, but you can call it the Transit Museum.Anyone who knows me also knows that one of my general interests is old timey shit. Boy oh boy did they have some reeeeaaallly old timey shit at this place.Naturally, they have all kinds of

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-40916482248526734512009-06-05T20:33:00.005+02:002009-06-05T22:58:19.434+02:00

I think there's an old saying, "Pictures are sometimes more valuable than descriptions involving many words." I think that's how it goes.This picture was taken from the balcony the other night at 12:30 in the morning - that's after midnight. This daylight shit in Sweden is weird!

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-26236769576990265192009-06-03T20:53:00.017+02:002009-10-05T00:32:40.252+02:00

Last Thursday, I posted a story about the upcoming reconstruction of Stockholm's central Slussen interchange. In detailing the project, I discussed how it reminded me of a gargantuan project in Louisville. I took the opportunity to compare the different approaches the two cities are following.Louisville's undertaking involves the expansion of Kennedy Interchange, including Interstates 64 and 65,

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-68919780462560645252009-06-01T00:17:00.010+02:002009-06-01T23:51:37.580+02:00

Back in March, my friend Johanna interviewed me about my move. She is a student at Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (The Swedish Royal Institute of Technolgy) where she is studying, well, it seems she is studying just about everything.I've heard her talk about the Media Technology program she's in and it includes everything from graphic page design to voice synthesis. One of the projects she showed me

KCMnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-4664943864196152432009-05-28T13:51:00.049+02:002009-10-05T00:35:18.224+02:00

Here is another 360-degree image I made recently in Stockholm. In this view from Slussen, you can see Gamla Stan (the old town) across the water, the circular Berg Arkitektkontor (Berg Architecture office) building, and Gondolen, a tall elevator-and-bridge observation structure.Click images to view full sizeSlussen is a central point in the city. It is the location of one of the live webcams in

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-19187925131391355942009-05-27T02:49:00.002+02:002009-05-28T03:03:54.596+02:00

There is a school between the apartment where I live and where I catch the train to go into the center of Stockholm.The students I pass when I walk through the Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (The Royal Institute of Technology) are of all ages - teens to adults. When the weather is nice, there are people hanging out in the grass or on wooden platforms that dot the field, presumably placed there for

KCMnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-50457014088454419242009-05-26T14:18:00.004+02:002009-08-24T23:21:27.974+02:00

Hermans is a fantastic vegetarian buffet restaurant in Stockholm. Their food is augmented with tons of outdoor seating and an amazing view of the city.We ate there Monday night because the weather was perfect for such a visit. I don't have any pictures of the food because my four plates of it disappeared so quickly, but are a few photos of the scenery and some important Swedish words.A blurry arc

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-67263072515335469442009-05-25T14:51:00.005+02:002009-05-25T15:17:03.777+02:00

I would like to say that I'm starting to get used to the surplus hours of daylight in Stockholm, but I can't. I still find it so amazing.During the past few weeks, it has been fascinating to me that each day has been noticeably longer than the day before. It is beyond surreal to see the sun still going down after 11 pm and coming up again at 2 in the morning.Now, as you can see above in the

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-80308071495292478342009-05-21T05:01:00.001+02:002009-05-21T05:01:01.184+02:00

This picture might not mean anything to you, but it is really big news for me. This is the screen of my finally-unlocked iPhone displaying my balance with a Swedish telephone operator.Yes, it's true. After many attempts during the months I've been in Sweden, I have finally successfully sprung my iPhone loose from AT&T's shackles and unlocked to use it locally. It was made possible by a new

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-68243713457571321132009-05-19T17:45:00.024+02:002009-10-05T00:37:52.397+02:00

Enough about Sweden already. Let's talk about me.Today's story has been in the works for more than a few weeks. It has a lot of personal information about my thoughts, feelings, and ideas, so if you're more interested in the Swedish culture stuff, pictures of stairs, and fake charts, this monologue might not be for you.Hard to believe, but true, sometimes I think about myself instead of what

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-35687452743053936592009-05-15T03:28:00.007+02:002009-05-15T03:50:33.999+02:00

Here are a few photos from Vasadstaden, a central Stockholm neighborhood that originated in the late 1800's.These photos were taken from the top of a hill in Observatorielunden, a park that surrounds the Stockholm Observatory. The observatory is about a hundred years older than the surrounding neighborhood and was an influential early astronomical research center. It is believed to be one of the

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-66875148015926159752009-05-14T23:42:00.011+02:002009-10-05T00:39:09.144+02:00

I wrote earlier about the absence of Starbucks in Sweden. Personally, I don't miss Starbucks, but it seems there are those Swedes who feel their country has been left out of this worldwide phenomenon of "coffee culture."Maybe they were left out, maybe they opted out, maybe they escaped. I've heard several explanations of Starbucks' conspicuous absence in this otherwise fully-westernized,

KCMnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-18141231129992026242009-05-13T03:53:00.004+02:002009-05-15T04:08:03.365+02:00

A few images of dark clouds moving in over Gamla Stan (The Old Town) last week.The gold-tipped building is Stockholm City Hall (Stadshuset), completed in 1923. You can see one of the old-style Tunnelbana trains passing in the foreground. Most of the trains running through the city are very modern and from the 1990's or later. Occasionally you'll board one of these Cx-type wagons which have been

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-85338361284901695592009-05-12T17:58:00.006+02:002009-10-05T00:40:11.703+02:00

I recently walked with Iida to the local post office to pick up a special delivery. It was her driver's license.Getting a license to drive in Kentucky has gotten a little tougher since I first got mine - you have to be doing sufficiently well in school to qualify - but the process still would seem comical to anyone who has done it in Sweden.I got my first driver's license when I turned 16. This

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-4870420267378591542009-05-11T13:11:00.001+02:002009-05-12T13:18:15.074+02:00

Jordgubbar is the word for "strawberries." I thought they looked pretty nice in this photo from a recent hilltop picnic on Södermalm. Here are a few more sunny pictures from the same day:SödermalmJohannaMeIida and Therese

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-22784151778106309232009-05-10T12:48:00.001+02:002009-05-12T13:06:11.202+02:00

Every year, the reporters who cover the White House get together for a big fancy dinner - almost as fancy as the Stockholm Grocery Store Owners Association dinner.Typically, some comedians will come out and roast Washington officials, then the president will take the stage and return the favor. Stephen Colbert's 2006 appearance with George W. Bush is a painfully hilarious classic that perhaps

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-8175122999094590192009-05-08T12:55:00.008+02:002009-05-08T13:47:17.229+02:00

Stockholm's subway system is not just extensive - 100 stations in a city roughly the size of Louisville - but also quite beautiful. Each Tunnelbana station has been decorated with art and some of the stations themselves were designed by artists. I'm going to continue adding photos of different stations periodically.This week I bought my summer pass for the transit system, so theoretically I could

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-52058180733186301002009-05-07T13:10:00.004+02:002009-05-07T14:28:56.611+02:00

Life in Sweden is not all sunshine, cool breezes, wild strawberries, and two-hour coffee breaks. I've been keeping busy lately, working on several projects.As you may know, I make my living as a designer and writer, both for the Internet and printed materials. Lately, I've been doing much more designing than writing, at least in the for-hire department. My clients are all in the United States, so

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-51786215093179416372009-05-05T18:29:00.005+02:002009-05-05T18:48:23.595+02:00

Over the weekend, Comedy Central began blocking online viewing of videos on their website for anyone outside the United States. This includes The Colbert Report and The Daily Show. How the hell am I supposed to get any real news in this damn country full of liberal socialists if I can't watch these?Of course, I can circumvent the restriction and trick their servers by entering an American IP

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-75233646423637606832009-05-03T14:04:00.004+02:002009-05-05T17:44:28.823+02:00

For some reason, I'm just not afraid of the swine flu. It reminds me of the bird flu and SARS and everything else in recent years that has been hyped up for us to be scared of.It's possible that I'm not afraid because I'm invincible! I never get sick because everything always happens to other people. I don't need to worry about it because it will never happen to me.Sickness, disease, car wrecks,

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-37981169147312924292009-05-01T16:34:00.000+02:002009-05-05T17:04:15.630+02:00

In an earlier story, I mentioned that the Swedish-English dictionary I got for my iPhone has a penchant for displaying English words I have never seen before. Well, the phenomenon has continued!Here is the latest installment of new English words I have recently seen. I have been making notes as I see them and then looking them up in the Oxford American Dictionary. Again, I'm very suspicious that

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-69343780582587416952009-04-30T19:58:00.000+02:002009-05-01T20:09:17.088+02:00

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-14512801040552766792009-04-28T01:45:00.019+02:002009-10-05T00:45:11.590+02:00

Every Monday morning in my Swedish language class, the teacher asks everyone what they did over the weekend. Since all the students have a variety of native languages – German, Spanish, English – this discussion of the weekend's events, like most of the class, is all in Swedish. It makes for a nice way to get everyone to exercise their basic Swedish language skills before we dive into things like

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-40139952591780038052009-04-26T21:05:00.008+02:002009-04-26T21:37:35.330+02:00

Here are a few scenes of cherry blossoms in bloom at Kungsträdgården (the King's Tree Garden), a long open plaza lined with trees in central Stockholm.The garden dates back to the 1400's and although it has been modified for private purposes over the centuries, it is now a public space about a quarter-mile in length. It hosts ice skating in the winter, concerts in the summer, and is dotted with

KCMnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-32715137956130998512009-04-25T20:14:00.005+02:002009-11-09T13:42:14.894+01:00

Public stairs in Sweden almost always have accompanying ramps or elevators. The ramps are used for wheelchairs, bicycles, rolling suitcases, baby carriages, you name it. Here is a small sampling of some around Stockholm.Rådmansgatan Tunnelbana StationPendeltåg (commuter train) platform at Handen.Also in Handen near the Pendeltåg station.Adjacent to Medborgarplatsen (Citizens Plaza).The coffee

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-26050313600577043122009-04-24T17:42:00.028+02:002009-10-05T00:50:59.436+02:00

As I mentioned before, most of Sweden's coins carry a picture of King Carl XVI Gustaf, a man who is still alive and just 62 years old.Every time he buys something, he pays with money that has his own picture on it. I'm sure he's used to it now, but when he became king at age 27, it must have been weird at some point, like the first time he saw the coin. Perhaps it's not strange at all since the

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-78219463970622712112009-04-23T15:44:00.003+02:002009-04-23T15:53:04.930+02:00

Long days where the sun never goes down are the type of thing that you just don't believe until you see them. It's something that people from Kentucky read about in books or see in movies. This summer will be my first experience with such extended sunlight and it is already beginning.Wednesday night, I was up pretty late working on some stuff. When I was shutting everything down to go to sleep at

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-20596820951659454552009-04-23T15:26:00.006+02:002009-04-26T02:09:06.288+02:00

Life in this socialist hellhole is just awful. Finally, the American news media has sent an investigative journalist to uncover the real story of what the radical leftist Obama regime is trying to do to our beloved United States."Wyatt Cenac travels to Sweden to wake them up from their socialist nightmare." The videos are full of familiar scenes and locations in Stockholm.If the embedded videos

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-53036633182877015112009-04-22T17:12:00.013+02:002009-04-22T23:18:43.359+02:00

Language, temperature, currency, distances, weight, geography. I thought my list of things I have to re-learn was complete. Then it came time to do the laundry. This control panel greeted me:Needless to say, I had to look up some words, Google some symbols, and convert some temperatures. I had a pretty good idea of what was going on based on the symbols and colors, but you can never be too safe

KCMnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700528.post-15203766648322476892009-04-21T12:37:00.024+02:002009-10-05T00:52:49.199+02:00

A great deal of the writing I've done here has been observing the subtle differences between the people and cultures of Sweden and the United States.This morning, I saw this article on the CNN site. It's about Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell's address to the National Press Club in Washington this week. He discussed his belief that life from elsewhere has been to Earth. "There really is no

KCMnoreply@blogger.com0