Beautiful weather has arrived and Kajsa's learning to ride a bike. Click here for words and pix. 

I was biking around the neighborhood this morning and listening to a Freakonomics podcast, The Days of Wine and Mouses. First of all, it was a very illuminating podcast. Seems like the most telling factor in how we judge a wine is by its price. Many soi-disant wine experts can't tell the difference between a $10 bottle of wine and a $50 bottle. Sheesh. I knew it.  I'm not much of an oenophile anyway. But a logophile? You betcha.

Then I was biking past the tennis courts at the end of Tennisvägen [pictured] and I noticed a tall, young woman alone on one of the courts. She was half-heartedly hitting tennis balls and I stopped to ask her a question about using the courts. After telling me in halting English about how it works, she asked if I was any good and did I want to hit some with her since doing it "by yourself is boring."

I said I was so-so and that I'd like to hit some. "I'll be back in... seven minutes." So, seven minutes later we were hitting some balls back and forth. I had no idea how good she might have been before entering the court. In the back of my mind I was thinking about how so many Swedes play tennis and how there are so many streets in various towns called "Tennisvägen." But I needn't have worried. It soon became apparent that I was the better player. But then I asked her name, and how long she'd been playing. Madeleine had only been playing for about two years! I was very impressed. She didn't strike me as a beginner. More of an intermediate player. Then she started asking me for pointers.  So for a few minutes I instantly transformed into my mother (who largely taught me) and I told her how to hit topspin and such.

Weather permitting we'll play again on Friday morning. But then this weekend she's traveling to Paris for five weeks. But I said we'd be living here through the end of July and she was keen to play when she got back in mid June. Perhaps I'd play against her and Tina. (I'd told her that my wife was roughly at the same skill level she was).

So that was lucky!

One Hundred Years Of Solitude ~ Gabriel Garcia Marquez [abandoned]
Paperback: 464 pages ISBN-10: 0060929790 ISBN-13: 978-0060929794

I thought I'd tackle this well-loved book but I'm giving up 100 pages in.  Supposedly it's the story of the Buendia family in the fictional town of Macondo. There are about 37 people in this family, most of whom are either named José Arcadio, Aureliano, or Remedios. There's a family tree in the beginning but it's impossible to tell the characters apart (except for Ursula, the matriarch). After a few days of reading, I realized several things: 1) I have no idea what these characters are motivated by, 2) there doesn't seem to be a plot, 3) perhaps I'm missing something, 4) what the hell is with naming, like, seven characters the same name!? and 5) I'm bored. Also, I'm not the only one who feels this way about this book. So: wasn't enjoying it, so I quit. I can do that.
[abandoned in May 2012] [amazon]

We recently returned from a weekend visit to Legoland. A good time was had by all. Words and pix here. 

A Little Princess ~ Frances Hodgson Burnett
Paperback 208 pages ISBN 13: 9780340997390 ISBN 10: 0340997397

This would not have been my first choice for read-aloud reading material but A) I don't have a ton of choices readily available (I'm currently in Sweden after all), and B) it's a old favorite of my wife's and she'd bought a copy recently. So, I found myself reading this 100-year-old story to the kids. At first I couldn't help inwardly rolling my eyes at the overwrought nature of the story and it's perfect little heroine. But as the titular Sara Crewe's fortunes take a turn for the worse, it wasn't so bad and both my kids were hooked. (Honestly, lately they've been hooked on whatever I've been reading to them.) Both my 7-year-old girl and my 10-year-old boy got caught up in the story and would blurt out ideas about the characters. As the tale came to a close even my old cynical self felt moved by the charity shown by Sara Crewe to those less fortunate than herself. (So that's two books by this author I've read now! Huh.)
[finished 19 apr 2012] [book depository]

I've posted a couple new sets of pictures on my site. The first is our weekend in Ystad. The second is Glad Påsk (Happy Easter). 

Anathem ~ Neal Stephenson [abandoned]
Mass Market Paperback: 1008 pages ISBN-10: 006147410X ISBN-13: 978-0061474101

Luke (age 10) is currently studying up on the Vikings for a school project. He brought home a children's book on the subject. I was a bit surprised to see one of the illustrations in it. And we ALL got a good laugh over it. (What is that pig looking at?!) As Kajsa (age 7) pointed out: "You can see his wiener!" I kept myself from saying the word I was thinking of. (It begins with B). No need to go there yet -- at least not with my daughter. 

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma ~ Trenton Lee Stewart
Paperback: 400 pages ISBN-10: 0316045500 ISBN-13: 978-0316045506

Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance are once again pitted against the evil mastermind Ledroptha Curtain who of course just happens to be the twin brother of the benelovent Mr. Benedict. This tale is not quite as zippy as the preceding books but my two kids ate it up just as rabidly. As ever, Constance Contraire is a chief source of amusement, but the plot is harder to summarize. Basically Mr. Curtain wants to regain the Whisperer for his megalomanical plans. And Constance is developing some mental telepathy. Once again the kids would beg me to read more whenever I'd finish reading for the night. They love the Mysterious Benedict Society.
[finished 25 mar 2012] [amazon]