NyStateOfMind

I’m getting in to the time difference, finally. After 3 days of staying up way too late for any human being and still getting up early in the morning I actually started feeling tired today around 11pm.

Yesterday was open house at school and I was there ready to ask a million questions and look around. I was so nervous and pretty much shaking before I even entered the building that I asked my dear friend Camilla if she could come with me. As nice as she is she agreed. We had met earlier in the day for some coffee and catching up and she drove me to the school since it was raining outside. Camilla went to the same school a few years ago and could therefore show me around and help me out. I got a bunch of papers, some books, two calendars and pencils.
I’m glad Camilla came with me since she helped me calm my nerves. I feel much better and are now extremely excited about starting school.

I have been listening to the band No Use For a Name every chance I get in the last few days and almost all of their songs are awesome. Here is one of my favorite.

It’s been a really busy weekend and I haven’t been home much. I spent all day Friday at a friend’s beach club hanging in the sun. After a quick shower and Greek food for dinner me and Mike headed out for the night. Met up with all our friends for a go away party at a bar down the road. Had a great time and didn’t get home until 1am.

On Saturday it was time to say goodbye to the family. My in-laws had invited both aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings and cousins for a big party at their house. Lots of food and drinks were served and we hung outside in their backyard all day. At 10pm when the mosquitos were getting hungry for our blood and most of the family had left me and Mike decided that it was time to head out. On our way home we stopped at a bar where some friends were playing a show. The place was packed and the music awesome. They even dedicated a song to us.
Once again we didn’t get home until 1am.

Today it was time for baby Alex’s christening. Church at 1.00 and after an hour of listening to a priest that had way too much energy and 6 baby’s getting baptized we went back to the grandparent’s house for the party. Tired and full from both food and wine we went home at a decent time trying to get some more packing done. I am absolutely exhausted and can’t wait to sleep in tomorrow.

Me and my cute niece

Ten Pints In

Packed bar 

Last night the Bethpage Fire Department was celebrating 100years of service. This milestone was celebrated here in town with a three day fair. We walked over there last night mainly to see Big Shot, a Billy Joel tribute band, play but also to eat some great food. As I enjoyed my gyro Mike got his sausage and peppers which he had been longing for all day. Most of the night we stayed in the Beer garden, which we both had to show ID to get in to. The place was packed and when Big Shot was playing we stood all the way up by the stage. Ran in to a few of my Swedish friends who we hung out with until it was time to go home.

The worst thing about walking somewhere is that you forget that you have to walk home again. It felt twice as far and took three times as long, but we made it.





One of my favorite songs by Billy Joel - The Downeastern Alexa

Music under the Stars is playing a few times a week all summer long. Of course I went for the first time last night and the whole thing is over on Saturday. Good planning.
It was AbbaMania night and the grass field was packed with people. I sat down on Annelie’s Swedish blanket with her daughter and Jessica’s two oldest girls. The first hour was a Bee Gee cover band and at 9pm Abba came on. We were singing to every single song while enjoying Turkisk Peppar and some other Swedish hard candy that Annelie had packed.
A perfect way to end a Monday night.

 Annelie and I

Thursday after work I met Mike at home and in about 10 minutes we packed two bags with clothes and other necessary things you need for a weekend away. Stopped at the supermarket on our way to Mike’s parent’s house. Since they are in Europe we have moved in for the weekend. Kubb, old Nintendo/Sega, piano, BBQ and Drinks kept us up until 2am. 

Had all our friends over for a party on Friday night and after 5 hours of drinking beer, playing Air hockey (prison rules) and jamming in the studio both me and Mike crashed early.

We still have another 2 full days to hang in the sun and just relax before reality kicks in again. 

Skipped Zumba and went straight to the city instead. It was raining cats and dogs but with an umbrella and sneakers we were ready to go. By the time we found a parking garage in the city it had stopped raining and the ground was already dry from the humidity.
My first goal of the day was to find sneakers. We walked down Broadway and the first store we went in to had the shoes I was looking for, in my size!! Of course I bought them and then strolled back up towards Union Square and the subway station.

Had dinner at an Irish pub in Times Square and then spent an hour walking around the Marriott Hotel. The highlight of the day and the reason we went in to the city in the first place was to see The Addams Family on Broadway. The play was absolutely amazing and I definitely recommend seeing it.

As everybody else heads to the movies to see Eclipse me and Mike went to see ToyStory3. The movie theater was pretty much empty (maybe because it was a Wednesday night) and we settled down in the soft chairs with our 3D glasses and a soda.
We ordered a medium soda thinking that that is plenty since none of us are big soda drinkers. The guy behind the counter says:”Do you want a big soda for just 25cents more?” My answer was like all other morons out there, “Of course”. I don’t know why I said yes because I definitely didn’t need a big soda. Think about every person who buys a medium soda now all of a sudden spends an additional 25cents, at the end of the day the movie theater makes tons of money. It bothers me so much and what’s even more annoying is that I fall for it every time.
Well the movie was great and I have to say that for being a trilogy all the movies have been equally awesome.

Battery Park on lower Manhattan is definitely the place to be if you want to celebrate midsummer in New York.

Before we got to the city we had Swedish lunch at my friend Stina's house. Meatballs, mini potatoes, sour cream, herring and of course strawberries with whipped cream for dessert. Around 4pm we got to the city and started looking for a spot where we could spread our blankets. The park was packed with people and I was very impressed to see how many people were wearing flower reefs on their heads. The choir was singing Swedish song and the Swedish flags were blowing in the wind. It was hot and humid but the breeze from the river helped cool us all down. One of the first announcements they gave was ”it is against the law to drink alcohol beverages outside in New York so please respect the law and enjoy this day without alcohol”. You could almost hear all the Swedes laughing as they drank their beer from big red cups. Of course we all did the same thing and no one gave us a hard time about it. The Swedish folk dancers did a few dances around the Midsummer Pole and shortly after it was time for Små Groderna and all the other traditional songs/dances. If I were to guess there was probably about ten circles around the Pole and everybody was singing louder than the person next to them as we jumped around like frogs.

This was probably the best Midsummer I have had since I moved here.


             
                                        
             
             
             
             
             

Spent all day Friday with my friend Meagan shopping, singing in the car, drinking sugary drinks from Starbucks and visiting our friend Jaclyn and her new baby boy. I needed a day like today with no pressure or stress just “let’s not make a plan and just do whatever pops into our heads right now”. Around 7pm Mike got home and we drove to the Greek Festival to get something to eat. Met up with some of our friends and the next 2 hours was spent listening to a live band playing Greek music while people were dancing, eating and drinking.

This morning I got up with the sun and hopped into my gym clothes and headed for something I have never done before, Zumba. One hour of loud music, crazy moves and tons of sweat. I have absolutely no coordination and I’m as stiff as a stick so it was definitely a challenge but so much fun. I think I burnt more calories in the hour I was there than I have in the last month at the gym. Can’t wait to go back.

After working a few hours on Saturday morning we drove in to Manhattan to meet our friend Justin. Parked in Chinatown and headed straight for the Chinese deli that we found the other week. Got some pork buns and pineapple buns before meeting Justin. Both Mike and Justin had seen a show on TV about doughnuts and the place was a few blocks from where we were so we decided to try finding it. The line was out the door, hoping that this was going to be the best doughnut place in the world we stood in the line like all the other hungry Americans. Bought a bunch of different flavors took ONE bit of each and then threw them out. Way to sweet and not any better than Dunkin Doughnuts.
Headed back to Justin’s apartment where we hung out for a while before we decided that some real food might be good after a day filled with sugary treats. Had dinner at a restaurant called 7A where we sat outside enjoying the beautiful weather. After dinner we walked back downtown to The New Design High School where we had tickets to something called Rooftop Films. This is in different places all over Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx every weekend all summer long. You get to see a band play for 30 minutes and then you watch and independent film that is being shown for the first time ever. Last night’s film was Holy Rollers a movie about an Orthodox Jew from Brooklyn who gets himself involved in dealing drugs from Amsterdam. After the movie the director and some of the actors gets on stage to answer questions from the audience. I liked the movie and the whole experience that you sit outside o a rooftop looking over Manhattan.


The doughnut place

Mike and Justin at the restaurant

Rooftop films





We could see the Empire State Building from our seats

American Idol is down to the final 3 and I’m happy with the finalists. I know I said, more than once, that I was going to stop watching but still I seem to be dragged to the TV every Tuesday and Wednesday Night. After performances from Daughtry and Bon Jovi, Big Mike got voted off and the show was over. The news came on and I started listening with only half an ear. That was until they started talking about a 6^th grader that sings and plays the piano like Lady Gaga. I quickly searched the clip on YouTube and listened to it twice, and sure enough he was really really good. So good in fact that I needed to post the clip on here.

Spent all day in the studio today with Mike. Tried to finish recording the song Africa which Mike started a few months ago. It’s really coming together and I can’t wait until it’s done. We also had time to barbecue, play kubb, shot bb guns at empty bottles and play air hockey. Mike won at every game of kubb but I destroyed him in air hockey. Its only 6pm now and we are back home waiting for our Chinese food to arrive. Yes we got home delivery, sometimes you have to splurge.