Author Archives: Erik

Winter has arrived


After two tough winters in 2009 and 2010, we have had a really mild winter – until now. For some days now, we have got very cold weather blowing in directly from Siberia with temperatures below minus 10 degrees Celsius. And the snow has arrived also. Luckily it is still not much compared to last winter.

2011 in retrospect

Yet another year has gone and as earlier years I will try to think back, with the assistance of this blog.

It is easy to say, that not much happened in 2011 – at least not to me.

I did not write so many blog posts. Not necessarily because I did not have anything to write about. I just did not write much. Okay – I really did not have much to write about.

2011 started with lots and lots of snow in Denmark. And it went on for months. We usually get snow in wintertime, but nothing like we saw in 2010 and 2011. At the time I am writing these words, it is winter again in Denmark, but until now, we almost haven’t seen any snow. That is a bit odd too.

For some time now, I have tried to make myself more the person I would like to be; tried to get rid of some of my worrying nature and to feel more β€˜in sync’ with the world surrounding me. Some of that has been a bit of a success; other is still work in progress.

In February I helped one of my friends move to another apartment, but other than that, nothing really happened.

We did however have some stunning morning skies.

March and April could have been more special. Together with a good friend, I had planned to travel to Japan. The plan was to see some of the most fantastic parts of Japan. But few days before our planned trip, Japan was struck by a very large earthquake, leading to a massive tsunami, smashing parts of the country – including a nuclear plant. Since this disaster struck parts of our planned destinations, we had to cancel our trip. Instead we went to USA, where we rented a car and saw some of the states between D.C. and New Orleans.

May – June – July … what can I say? I did not have anything to write about then, and I still do not have anything to write. But then came October … … and still nothing to write about.

I had planned a vacation in late October, early September. Or at least I had planned the time for a vacation. But I could not get things to work my way, and ended up with just a short vacation – and just pure relaxation, not any travel. When I read back in my blog, it actually saddens me a bit, that I didn’t do more exciting things in 2011. Other than the US travel, I have spent most of my time working. And of course it is fine to have a work. In the ongoing tough economic times in most parts of the western world, it is positive to still have a job. But it would have been even better, if I had had more adventures in leisure.

Maybe 2012 will be better.

11.11.11 11:11

In the year 1111 there was more 1’s than today. But it still looks kind of amazing. It is just numbers, and these numbers are only special because we make them special. But still. …

Ten years after

Ten years ago: I was driving home from work. I had not listened to radio or seen TV all day, and had not been in contact with people who had.

My car radio was my first source of world news – and what news it could bring me!

My day at work often ended at a time when the radio station I normally listened to, aired some program for kids. They often excelled in really bad sense of humor. So when I first heard the terrible news, it was so extreme, I thought it was some very stupid jokes from a very stupid person in a very stupid radio program.

But it wasn’t.

It was very real.

 

 

Tomato

It may not be a great secret, but I usually avoid starting a conversation by telling this, so even people who know me well might not know it: I really like tomatoes!

Besides sun dried tomatoes (which I really do not like) and pickled green tomatoes (which I can eat, but usually prefer not to), I like them all: Large beefsteak tomatoes, small cherry tomatoes, raw tomatoes, cooked tomatoes.

The best tomatoes are the ones who stay on the plant until they are red and eatable. Most tomatoes found in stores were picked while still green. They do not have the same taste as a freshly picked ripe tomato. But they are still good.

Fruit or vegetable? I say: both!

So now you know. πŸ™‚

The Mailbox Announcer

If you see a Wireless Mailbox Announcer from the company Allux, and think it might be nice to avoid futile trips to the letter box: Do not buy it! This is the worst piece of crap!

New rules on how to place the letter box has forced me to move my letter box. Not being able to see the box from where I live, have made me buy a Wireless Mailbox Announcer. A transmitter is mounted in the letter box, sending a signal to a receiver when the letter flap moves; thereby giving me a warning, when the mail is delivered.

That part worked fine: the receiver really did announce, when I got new mail. But it was impossible to turn off the damn thing!

Pressing the ridiculously small button that should turn the alarm off did not manage to do that. And pressing the button for an extended period only turned the alarm signal from bad to worse.

At that time, all my patience was used, and I threw the damn thing in the ground, with small pieces of plastic shattered all over.

So if you see a “Wireless Mailbox Announcer Kit” from Allux by Juliana, don’t buy it!