Another viewing, cross your fingers!

The second viewing for the flat in Sweden is scheduled for tomorrow evening, so make sure to cross your fingers real tight because at this point it seems like we need all the luck we can get selling it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great flat, nothing wrong with it at all but it seems like there are so many other flats in the same price range on the market in my area right now. I am sure I am worrying for nothing; after all, it is only just little over a week since the last (and first) viewing.

My brother John has been a great help over the years acting as my wingman back in Sweden and helped with organizing key-drops, met with tenants etc. Yesterday he also helped with getting rid of those nasty looking single beds you see in the photos in the advert, and hopefully that’ll give potential buyers a better idea of what kind of space they are actually buying. Thank you John, we appreciate it!

Crappy days and good days

Yesterday was a long and crappy day at work, today was a lot better and things felt like they were were back to normal again. I think I let other peoples lack of commitment and drive get to me personally yesterday, and that is obviously not the best in a business environment. But isn't it just very annoying when you are trying to get stuff done and you are trying to infuse a bit of passion and dedication into the workplace and it just feels like you are stepping through mud?

Anyway, today was a good day. Actually, almost every single day at work is a good day for me and I love what I do and what I am a part of. The CareerBuilder spirit and way of doing business is very right for me personally and I am very lucky I get to do all the things I do, so I really should not complain, but everyone is allowed the occasional moan once in a while, right? Usually when I need to moan, I type up a very long email to my boss, however this time I didn't, so yesterday couldn't have been that bad after all.

People in general, and Shaena in particular, are asking me what I actually do at work and I sometimes feel like Chandler Bing from 'Friends' who goes to work every day, but when asked what he does, he can never really give anyone a straight answer. I really should try to define what it is that I actually do, but I am involved in such a wide array of things on a daily basis, the list would probably be quite long and possibly very confusing to someone who is not a part of the wonderful world of the 'online recruitment advertising industry'. Needless to say, I do realize what a fancy pants line that was!

I think the ultimate question if you want to know if you are happy in your workplace or not is: 'If you won 10,000,000 whatever-your-currency-is, would you quit your job?' - If the question is a no-brainer-definitely-in-a-heartbeat yes, you are working in the wrong place, but if it is at least a hesitant no, I think you can consider yourself satisfied with your job and can afford to have a crappy day or two once in a while.

Late night words of wisdom from me to you, Dr. Phil-style! Free of charge. This time. :)

Everyone is booked!

So it's official. All our peeps are booked with flights to come visit us, baby H and Edinburgh! All in all we have, in order of appearance:

My Mom (17/6/09-17/8/09)
My Grandpa (17/6/09-1/7/09)
My Grandma (4/7/09-18/7/09)
My Aunty Nini (4/7/09-18/7/09)
Cousin Jules (4/7/09-18/7/09)
My Dad (15/7/09-29/7/09)
My Brother (15/7/09-29/7/09)
and last but not least...
Peter's Dad!! (19/7/09-29/7/09)

I can't believe this is all coming together so smoothly and I really can't wait to meet the little one and see what he is all about!! Be nice to get some professional family photos *hint hint*

Anyway, I'm at work...only 19 more working days to go and then a few more days till family starts pouring in. Started having braxton hicks contractions which are needless to say...interesting.

Hoping you are all enjoying the blog and our crazy stories!!

XOXO Shaena Girl!

A fancy new blog design!

What else to do on a Sunday afternoon? We have given our blog a once-over and created our own blog template. What we really should be doing is some house work and clean up all our dirty pots and pans, but this was so much more appealing for some reason.

Erin is moving to Sweden!

Today we also found out that Shaena's old friend Erin from back home in Winnipeg is moving (back) to Sweden! Erin has been accepted to Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and will study there for a few years. Erin is recently married to a Swedish guy and she also lived a year in Umeå, Sweden. These crazy Canadian girls, just can't stay away from the Swedish men! :)

Erin just started her own blog where people back home can follow her adventures in Sweden. Check it out: http://livinginsweden-stayingpresent.blogspot.com/

Lycka till i Sverige Erin!

Movies, movies, movies

Today has been a real lazy-day! Rolled out of bed not too late, not too early and my lovely wife had made me a nice cup of coffee and I was offered breakfast, but decided to make myself a breakfast Fajita from last night’s leftovers instead. Naughty naughty, but so delish! We then made our way out the door and the first stop was the barber’s where I got a haircut. Since I won £20 and bottle of wine in last week’s competition at work, we decided to go pick out a few movies to buy for the collection. We stopped by HMV and bought ‘The X-Men trilogy’, ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and ‘Life Is Beautiful’. All great movies and we only had to pay £1 out of our own pocket! Sweet!

After a bit of an aimless hunt for new t-shirts for me, we went home and watched ‘Ghost Town’ with Ricky Gervais and ‘Deception’ with Ewan McGregor, none of them very good movies. Then we attempted to watch ‘The Da Vinci Code’ instead, but by that point I think we got a bit tired of watching movies, so we phoned people instead. We phoned my dad and talked TV shows amongst other things… are you starting to see a pattern here?

After our late dinner (a very brave attempt to make Macaroni and Cheese and beef mince that turned out very yummy) we watched a really good show, at least in comparison with other British TV shows, called ‘Bring Back Star Trek’ with Justin Lee Collins who interviewed and tried to reunite the original cast from Star Trek. Very funny and interesting! Who knew William Shatner is such a douche?

Last movie of the night was ‘Red Dragon’, the Hannibal Lecter-movie with Edward Norton and Anthony Hopkins. At last, a great movie!

Hannibal Lecter: I'll call you if I think of anything else, would you perhaps like to leave me your home phone number?

Hej hej! Baby here!

I just got back from another appointment at the midwife’s. All is good, my heart is beating at the right pace, and apparently my head is facing down right now. Very useful to know, I know! :) Next appointment is in a month, and after that it is almost time for me to come out!

Last night Auntie Maeghan came by and baked banana bread for us, and as usual, it was awesome! That was it, just a quick update.

"Where's Waldo?"

The competition continues

Remember the prizes Shaena and I bought last weekend for the competition at my work? After that my manager Tracie and I have been dishing out prizes all week, ranging from bottles of wine and chocolate to iPods and even a digital camera. No expenses spared for our guys! I hope team appreciated the competition and had fun.

Next week, the prize-bonanza continues, so I am heading out this afternoon to acquire some more cool stuff. I think the team will be very happy to learn what next week has in store for them!

Webcams from Haparanda

Happy Saturday everyone!

My dad just phoned and said he found a website with webcams from all around Sweden, and below are the cams in Haparanda. Check it out, you might just be able to spot him! (Dad also offered to go out and stand by camera number 2 in case we wanted to see him! That's dedication!)

http://www.webbkameror.se/webbkameror/haparandakommun/haparandakommun_1.php

http://www.webbkameror.se/webbkameror/haparandakommun/haparandakommun_2.php

Date night

Tonight Shaena invited me out for dinner and a movie after work. She took me to Pizza Hut for dinner and then we went to the movie theatre to stock up on candy before the movie. We decided to go see Wolverine. It was a great movie, so very well produced and it had some really wicked special effects. Well worth the money, especially since I got treated to it! :)

Baby’s been kicking like crazy tonight as well and you can really see and feel him move around. I guess he is running out of space, but it is not that far to go now. T minus 2 months! I can hardly contain myself, it is so exciting!

This weekend coming up is also exciting, but for other reasons. The real estate agent is doing an open viewing of the flat in Stockholm on Sunday afternoon so hopefully we’ll find someone that would like the place real soon. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for that! I would be really happy if we could sell the place just for peace of mind, but of course, if we would make a few extra bucks at the same time, that wouldn’t hurt. I promised my dad I would do something nice for him this summer if the place sold with a profit, so all hands on deck!

Anyone interested in a bachelor pad with potential in a suburb to Stockholm? Starting price is only 645 000 SEK, which converted is like £50.

Prepare for the summer by learning how to spot Canadians

If our Canadian visitors are making an effort to learn Swedish, it is only fair that the Swedes are making a bit of an effort as well to further our inter-continental family relationships. As you Swedes already know your English quite well, this is a useful list that might tell you a little bit about the Canadian spirit. I stole this off some website and from what I know about Canucks, this is spot on!

40 SIGNS THAT YOU MAY BE CANADIAN:

1. You stand in "line-ups" at the movie, not lines.
2. You're not offended by the term, "Homo Milk"
3. You understand the phrase, "Could you please pass me a serviette, I just spilled my poutine"
4. You eat chocolate bars instead of candy bars.
5. You drink pop, not soda.
6. You know what it means to be on pogey.
7. You know that a mickey and 2-4's mean "Party at the camp, eh!!"
8. You can drink legally while still a 'teen.
9. You talk about the weather with strangers and friends alike.
10. You don't know or care about the fuss with Cuba, it's just a cheap place to travel with good cigars and no Americans.
11. When there is a social problem, you turn to your government to fix it instead of telling them to stay out of it.
12. You're not sure if the leader of your nation has EVER had sex and don't want to know if he has!
13. You get milk in bags as well as cartons and plastic jugs.
14. Pike is a type of fish, not some part of a highway.
15. You drive on a highway, not a freeway.
16. You sit on a couch not a chesterfield - that is some small town in Quebec!
17. You know what a Robertson screwdriver is.
18. You have Canadian Tire money in your kitchen drawers.
19. You know that Thrills are something to chew and "taste like soap".
20. You know that Mounties "don't always look like that"
21. You dismiss all beers under 6% as "for children and the elderly".
22. You know that the Friendly Giant isn't a vegetable product line.
23. You know that Casey and Finnegan are not a Celtic musical group.
24. You participated in "Participaction".
25. You have an Inuit carving by your bedside with the rationale, "What's good enough protection for the Prime Minister is good enough for me".
26. You wonder why there isn't a 5 dollar coin yet.
27. Unlike any international assassin/terrorist/spy in the world, you don't possess a Canadian passport.
28. You use a red pen on your non-Canadian textbooks and fill in the missing 'u's from labor, honor, and color.
29. You know the French equivalents of "free", "prize" and "no sugar added", thanks to your extensive education in bilingual cereal packaging.
30. You are excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada.
31. You make a mental note to talk about it at work the next day.
32. You can do all the hand actions to Sharon, Lois and Bram's "Skin-a-ma-rinky-dinky-doo" opus.
33. You can eat more than one maple sugar candy without feeling nauseous.
34. You were mad when "The Beachcombers" were taken off the air.
35. You know what a toque is.
36. You have some memento of Doug and Bob.
37. You admit Rich Little is Canadian and you're glad Jerry Lewis is not.
38. You know Toronto is not a province.
39. You never miss "Coaches Corner".
40. Back bacon and Kraft Dinner are two of your favourite food groups.

The Canadian national anthem: http://www.deezer.com/track/2780188

Prepare for the summer by learning Swedish

Hi everyone! As a preparation for the multi-cultural madness this summer we have uploaded a Swedish course for all of you English speaking family and friends.The course is really easy to use, just click on one of the links below and the lesson will start.

Have fun, and remember, we'll put your skills to the test in 2-3 months!

Common expressions
Common expressions when you need help
Common expressions in emergencies
Common expressions when socializing
The numbers
The days of the week
The months
The seasons
The weather
The colors
By taxi
By underground
By bus
By air
At the airport
At the passport control
Breakfast
Drinks
Renting a car
At the garage
At the bank
At the post office
At the doctors office
At the chemist
On the beach
Entertainment
Excursions
Sport

Not Swedish:


The Swedish national anthem: http://www.deezer.com/track/1233177

Prizes Galore!

Shaena and I hit the town today to buy prizes for a competition I am putting together with my boss next week and man did we find cool prizes or what? Since some of the readers of this blog are my team mates and will be in the competition, I can not divulge what those prizes are just yet, but just you wait and see! There will be some ‘ooo’s’ and ‘aaa’s’ next week!

It sure is fun to go shopping for someone else’s money, just too bad I won’t be able to win any of the prizes, there are a few in the pot that I could definitely find use for. I guess I really shouldn’t complain, and I am not. I have won my fair share of prizes already. Mexico is still fresh in my mind.

Anyone want to purchase a flat in Stockholm!?

Peter's flat is live and on the market!! I've actually found a good translating device so I know what is going on. Thought I would share it with all non speaking Swedish!

Bright and well planned apartment in a very stable compound with a low monthly fee. State can not be better with a sea view from the French balcony and only two minutes walk to the center and commuter train. Large living room with fine flooring, spacious kitchen with dining area for 2-4 persons, bathroom with tub and a large hall with garment House.

Layout

HALL: Spacious hall with laminate flooring, painted walls and large clothing House.

KITCHEN: bright kitchen with laminate flooring, painted walls and dining area for 2-4 persons.

BATHROOM: Floor tiles, tile / painted walls, tubs and lights from windows.

LIVINGROOM: Large living room with fine ekparkett floors, painted walls and a French balcony with a sea view.

The association's name is Brf Kallhällshus No. 1

Shared facilities
There is basement storage and a separate FOOD CELLAR with shelves. Large laundry room is in the gable of the property. The laundry room has two separate laundry rooms. There are also drier and hot mangel. Stroller storage / cycle stores are in port.

Parking
There are various types of outdoor parking options at a cost of 300 SEK - 600 SEK / quarter. Separate queue for all the parking spaces. Garage costs 500 kr / month.

Finance
Requested price: 645 000 kr / courier fee / rent: 1 685 kr / month. The monthly fee includes heat, water and cable TV. Internal repair fund is 970 kr. Proportion of the association is 0.1876%. Property Value 195 855 kr.

Very stable compound with good economy.

TV connected to cable networks. Manufacturer: Com Hem. Internet Connection Manufacturer: Com Hem

The association also has its own website: http://www.kallhallshus.se/

Link to real estate agent: http://www.svenskfast.se/Templates/ObjectView.aspx?objectid=3L1D1ES6KCDRDSK7