One thing I really love about travelling is bringing home souvenirs from the countries or cities I visit. And not the expensive touristy stuff, but the things you can find if you look around you. On the ground, hanging in the trees.
My current obsession is different kinds of seed pods. I just think they are really beautiful.
Imagine the happy look on my face when I realised that South Africa is literally covered with seed pods!
HURRAH!
I searched high and low for the really large ones after seeing one as decoration in a shop only to find out that the bride to be, Sydafrika, has a tree full of them in her garden!
I even got the rest of the guests to have their eyes open for me during the week.
Kind of reminds me of when I was a little girl and went to summer camp and got a diploma for being the Best treasure seeker of the camp (Lägrets Sakletare). Let me tell you, there where no other contestants in that category. They made it up to make me happy because I was all miserable and wanted to go home to my parents. I saw through the white lie but didn't care because I knew I was the best Sakletare around and I certainly owned that title!
And this time I got to be the best Sakletare of South Africa!

We went to see Batman - The dark knight rises yesterday. It made me angry of the entire movie business and the boring gender roles they show. I felt that I needed to vent this. So here we go; first in swedish, then again in english. That should make me feel better. Maybe.

Okej, vi såg alltså nya Batmanfilmen igår. Jag ska kanske inleda med att säga att jag älskar sådana här filmer. Superhjältar, action och pang pang. Jag har inga problem med ytlighet och lättsamhet så länge det görs bra. The dark knight rises var enligt mig inte jättebra överlag men det var en specifik sak som fick mig att ryka av ilska.
I hela filmen finns två kvinnor, och båda hånglar med Batman.
Jag vet att Batmanhistorierna är på det här viset, ni behöver inte berätta det för mig, men man kan ju uppenbarligen ändra på storyn och slänga in lite nya karaktärer utan att någon blir alltför upprörd. Skulle man då inte också kunna slänga in lite varierade kvinnoporträtt någon gång ibland? Och detta handlar egentligen inte bara om Batman utan om varenda jäkla superhjälte/action/popcornrulle som görs idag.
Männen får vara hjältar, direktörer, poliser, galningar, fegisar, elakingar och alla andra sorters människor det finns.
Kvinnorna får vara sexiga.
Ibland är de starka och coola också men då är de det på ett sexigt vis. Hon lurar en tuff, hård kille genom att flirta, puta med munnen, smeka en arm och sen BAM sparka tuffingen i skrevet!
Alltid samma sak.
Igår fick jag en idé. Jag vill göra en actionrulle där hela rollistan utgörs av kvinnor med undantag för två supersexualiserade män som ser upp till den coola hjältinnan. Jag skulle inte göra en big deal av det. Jag skulle göra en bra film, med hjältar, direktörer, poliser, galningar, fegisar, elakingar och alla andra sorters människor det finns.
Och vet ni vad som skulle hända? Världen skulle få spel. Folk skulle vråla feministerna har gått för långt!! Och även om man bara skulle gå så långt att rollistan bestod av 50/50 män/kvinnor så skulle det bli liv i luckan.
För män är människor och kvinnor är bara kvinnor. Och jag är så less på att gå på bio och se detta om och om igen. Så himla himla less.

As many of you already might know I'm part of theatre group called Teater Esther. We get together a couple of times a week and rehearse a play that will have it's premiere in october.
When I relaunched this site I asked my lovely theatre friends to think of five questions each that they really wanted to ask me.
So here it is: The super extra long Questions and Answers- Teater Esther edition!

This is FRIDA and here are her questions for me:
Q- What came first, the egg or the hen?
A- I actually read the real answer for this somewhere but I guess this question is meant to not have an answer because I immideately forgot what it was.
Q- If you had to choose, would you always walk around in extremly big clown-shoes or in superhigh heels?
A- Definitely the clown shoes! I have the weakest, most wimpy feet in the history of this world so high heels are an absolute No-No for me. I get sore feet from all kinds of shoes and I have been known to take off my shoes and walk barefoot on gravel and other sharp sufaces: Anything is better than evil shoes! So yes, clown shoes it is. They look comfy. And they come in lots of different colours.
Q- Who would play you in the movie about your life?
A- I have spent quite a lot of time thinking about this. I have no answer. I usually say Pippi Longstocking for the freckles and red hair but she's fictional so I guess that won't do as an answer. I googled and found sites that claimed they could tell me what celebrity I look like and all they had to say was that I have a 76% resemblance with Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi and Bruce Willis. I find their accuracy to be somewhat doubtful. Another page said Scarlet Johanson and Cate Blanchet. I really would want that to be true but after Steve Buscemi I'm not sure I trust those sites anymore...
Q- Who would play the love of your life in the movie about your life?
A- This is easier! I have a list of quite a few men that could play David. Joshua Jackson or Zach Galifianakis depending on if it's a drama or a comedy.
Q- If you had to choose, -lose your creativity or your ability to speak?
A- I would rather die than loose my creativity. I actually think my creativity is so rooted in my being that I wouldn't know how to live without it. It's creativity that gets me dreesed in the mornings, it's what makes me want to arrange my food so that it looks extra pretty on my plate and it's what makes me stop, admire and photograph something interesting when I walk to the food store. I would miss being able to sing but because that is a creative outlet I would do something that gives me the same kind of joy, like dancing or listening to really loud music and mime the lyrics.

And here's HANNA. Let's see what she want's to know.
Q- What is your favourite fancy dress outfit?
A- I love skirts and dresses and would love to own something super flowy and elegant. Or maybe I would go the opposite way and have a forrest green velvet suit with waistcoat, bow tie and all. That would look good on me with my hair in a Rita Hayworh kind of way. If it's a costume party I usually go as a flower bed so that I can say "Look at my lovely stalks" and point at my legs.
Q- Where does the world end?
A- If this is a question looking for an exact date and place I cannot help you. But every time I have to vacuum the apartment it feels like the end of the world. Therefore I don't do that anymore. I do the dishes instead because then you can listen to music loud and sing along.
Q- Who would you fuck, marry and kill: Batman, Iron man or Invisible man?
A- I really don't feel that much emotion for any of them so I guess it wouldn't really matter which one. It would be fun to fool all of them with some sort of clever scheme that makes them kill eachother. Like tell one that I'd fucked the other and that I'm about to marry the thid and that the first one want's to kill the second. And then I would run off into the sunset with The Incredible Hulk. Something like that. I would have to think it through many times before executing the plan.
Q- Who let the dogs out?
A- That is the question which the world revolves around. The answer is 42.
Q-What's your favourite childhood memory?
A- This might not be a very happy memory but it's warm and special to me. When I was maybe 7 years old me and my family spent a couple of weeks in the south of Sweden, like we have done every summer. In this tiny fishing village there used to be a food shop. There used to be more but at that time it was the only one left, and now there is none. The owners of that store lived in a flat on top of the shop. It was an old couple and the man was very ill. He did not leave the bedroom anymore and it was not much time left for him. Everybody knew that. I had spoken to him many times when he was still working in the shop and I liked him a lot. He was a nice old man that had a lovely laugh.
One day I was outside playing with the tailless stray cat that I've made friends with when suddenly the old lady came out to me. She said that her husband would like to speak to me and I followed her in to the house. She led me in to the dark room where he was laying in the bed with lots of tubes and medical machines surounding him. It was a bit scary but I really wanted to see the nice man because I knew that he was very ill and I wanted to say hi to him. He was very weak and I don't remember him saying much. He just looked at me and smiled. And I hold his hand for a while before the lady told me that her husband needed to rest. I can't recall exactly for how long after that he was alive but as I remember it he died shortly after my visit. I'm really fond of this memory because it felt so important. Like I was on an assignment or something. Maybe he just wanted to see a happy, living, laughing kid with red hair and freckles before he left. Like I was life and he was not anymore.

Hi OLLE, What are your questions for me?
Q- Who awakens the rooster?
A- Easy, it's the egg! Or the hen! Hmmm...
Q- which piece of cutlery do you like most on the dinner table? Knife, fork or spoon?
A- Spoon! A soup spoon to be exact. When I lived in England (2000-2001) and worked at a fancy hotel I learned that there is a special spoon for soup. It's shorter and wider and fits perfectly in the mouth.
Q-Where do space come from?
A- It's like when you have lots of furniture and clothes on the floor and you tidy up and rearrange and then all of a sudden you have a large area to dance on. That is space. But with planets instead of furniture.
Q- Who watches the watchmen?
A- This is a reference. Need to ask David.
Q- when will Joffrey Lannister lose his head?
A- So I'm the only one who doesn't watch Game of thrones but David does and he's really mad at that little rascall Joffrey so I hope he dies soon because that would make David happy.

Nice to see you LOVISA, lets see what you have in store for me.
Q- When are you under stimulated?
A- When I get stuck in the sofa without any creative ideas and "have to" watch an entire season of some crappy show in a day and then I feel sick of being understimulated so I go for a walk and then I'm happy again. I've realised that is how I work. It just has to be like that sometimes.
Q- What ginger bread shape is the best one?
A- This one!
Q- Which animals eternal soul reigns over the cemetary?
A- Probably wood lice. They like dark spaces so it would fit them nicely. Plus they would survive a nuclear attack. That says it all.
Q- Why do men have beards and women don't?
A- That is the great injustice of the world. But we have periods instead. Oh lucky us!
Q- Why isn't the alphabet arranged after their number of pointy angles? Like this: OÖICUSLQJTDGFPHEBVYRZNXMWKAÅÄ
A- I don't know! It's time to change the alphabet order! We can do it together!

And last but not least, here is LISA and her questions.
Q- What kind of pastry are you?
A- A Lussekatt! It's a traditional swedish saffron bun. Tastes like heaven but we only eat it in december to celebrate Lucia.
Q- What quality that you currently don't possess would you like to have?
A- Walk in high heals without getting sore feet? No, I tend to overthink stuff and get scared of doing things even though I have really great ideas. I want to be more impulsive and just DO regardless of the outcome.
Q- What's the best thing that ever happened to you?
A- This is corny but true. David is the best thing. We have a really sweet story, I'll share it with you someday.
Q- How come crows caw?
A- Sssshhh, they get really sad when you say that! They just want to sing pretty like the rest of the birds.
Q- Which celebrity do you look like?
A- Well I think I've already answered that. Billy Crystal.
Or do any of you have any better suggestions? I would love to hear!

Well that was all. Unless you have something you would like to know? Feel free to ask.

Var på byxjakt idag. Det finns inget som gör mig ledsnare.
Det finns en anledning till att jag aldrig har byxor och det är för att det inte finns ett endaste par som passar. Och det är liksom inte ens som jag överdriver. Största storleken i affären är för stor på vissa kroppsdelar och omöjlig att stänga över andra delar. Har jag en orimlig kropp för en människa att ha, eller vad är det med affärerna egentligen?
Kom till slut hem med en skjortklänning, en tröja och en kjol istället. Kläder som gör mig glad och fin.
Varm, trött och svettig behövde jag nåt uppfriskande.
Tänkte: Vad är det somrigaste som finns i vätskeform? Kom fram till att det måste vara vatten med isbitar, frysta jordgubbar, färsk mynta och några droppar citron. Det var alldeles rätt tänkt av mig!
Den söta glaskannan är från mina morföräldrars gamla sommarhus och lämpar sig också strålande för flädersaften eller smoothien. Fin som tusan är den också.