Day 4 – 31 Soup Month!

Dear G, almost a month has passed and I know you think I didn't blog much.
But I kind of did… though I didn't. Which means: I've had our club in mind, every day, and I've taken plenty of pics. Also wrote a lot. I just didn't post it.

For example: I was quite affected by the New York Times article you recommended, How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body. Tried to answer it under the title Grief Over A Lost Love, but it turned into an essay, except with no conclusion. It would have be easy to answer it like this: yoga is about balance. Those who exaggerate their poses and train so much that they get hurt haven’t understood what yoga is about.

Yoga people talk about the power of vanity and the power of laziness, how they work against each other and the importance of finding balance between them. Don’t compete, as competitions open the door to a number of bad feelings; jealousy, envy, hate, resignation and depression. We are against that, right?

But then again, I’ve heard similar stories before. My yoga teacher often told me about Gurus who do the Lotus Pose six hours a day, until they literary can't walk.

So yes, there is something about yoga that makes people… loose their minds. But why?

Also interesting: many of the poses they mention in the article are the ones that London has forbidden me to do. Like Supported Shoulder Stand… how I used to love it … This is also the reason why I don’t feel the same way about yoga. Even if yoga helped me to build strength and partly got rid my pain, it also made the rotation of my spine worse. It’s like a boy friend who’s been unfaithful. Even if you decide to forgive… the magic is gone.

I really would like to find a new yoga… Something like Pilates, giving both strength and flexibility, but with harmony and flow I got from yoga and still get from running…

Something like… yoga.

About January: I call it the Soup Month. Apart from that it would mean something like "the sloppy month" if you translate Soppmånad from Swedish (which it is):

January is cold.

We're all short of cash.

There are so many bills to pay … and look at the world economy.

This is what we can afford:

Soup! People without time & money: SOUP WILL SAVE YOUR DAY! AND LIFE! This one is the French old Créme Vichyssoise, but updated with lime and coriander.

January 2012 the lack of time was worse than ever. At the office, we have loads of work. Furniture Fair is coming up, everything has to be ready, clients have no patience.

January 12: first hearing test.
And of course: kids are sick. And even if they're not, and don't have to stay home, they do need to visit all kinds of doctors. As all doctors seem to think that January is a great month for yearly check ups. It is the family doctor, the eye doctor, the ear doctor, the asthma&allergy doctor. And every time I get panic about being so much away from the office, I hear a doctor saying: “please come back for some more tests”.

January 25: second hearing test. Now they take a look at the inner ear's function.

And apart from the children's appointments, I’ve seen a couple of doctors myself, and both had x-ray and ultra sound. But no, I'm not pregnant and my only baby is: the new School Library.

But I have another New Year’s Resolution I haven't told you about: to eat and cook more Korean food!

I believe that Korean food is more healthy than any other kitchen in the world. Or, actually, I've read it, a long time ago in Time Magazine, and with the new standards about what's healthy or not it may have changed, but it may also have re-changed. But to explain why, and how it is supposed to be healthy, I'd have to write another essay.

So for now: a picture from a rare occasion, a Friday night I went out, to a Korean restaurant! In town! With two female friends/collegues, both without children. Had great fun and ate Korean Raw Steak Tartar. IT IS SO DELICIOUS, I only regretted I didn't have it both for entrée, main course and dessert.

A couple of days later, alone with the kids, still inspired: Korean meatballs. My children love Korean meatballs and I love them.

So far, I've kept my New Year Resolution about eating sea weed once a week. One Friday was almost sure I would not make it, but then my youngest and I were invited to a Mom&Kids Friday dinner. I (not my daughter) was served Champagne, Caviar from Kalix, Sushi… and SEA WEED!

Also wanted to post you something about the importance of eating fish, and I will eventually. Salma Salmon from Norway, did you try that? Delicious with saffron bulgur, lime, grape fruit, rocket and sugar snaps:

Or with saffron sauce. And this Sunday dinner no organic Apple Juice, just

water!

And before you say that this is turning into a food blog, I'll tell you a little something about my Soup Month training. My main focus has been to follow the London exercise schedule. Which means 30 min of exercises next to the wall bars, every night – as soon as the kids are in bed.

After that I turn the sheets down and go to bed with a novel… which means that my New Years resolution to watch more TV… is as big a flop as ever. How does people find time to watch TV? Beats me, but, proud to say, I've also been skating!

And walk-running! Or should I say run-walking?

But best of all: swimming at the Centralbadet. Makes me believe that Soup Month has and end and soon there will be summer! Also in my garden!

Day 16 – 22 Japanese Obsession (part 2)

Dear G, I have to admit – I've been obsessed with Japan, again.

This time it's Haruki Murakami's fault. I mean, first of all: why couldn't he write just ONE new novel? Why did it have to be three?

And more: why did he write it so that I just can't stop reading it? Yeah, I know, it is his profession and he wants the books to sell, but why does he have to add the sort of food and cooking descritions that makes me not only obesessed with the book, no books, but also craving Japanese food?

I've been down to the local Sushi, the one in Centrum, a couple of times to many when reading 1Q84. You know that sushi rice is full of sugar, and the Centrum sushi is not really worth it.

But I know what sushi that IS worth it, and eventually, I just had to go to Råkultur, my absoulte favourite Japanese restaurant. Please, please let me take you there! We could buy jeans and then have food this delicious:

Aha, you wonder if the new Murakami novel is good? Can't tell, I just can't stop reading it. It is a little odd, and I don't know how to say it in your language, but in mine I'd say:

Haruki Murakami is a dirty old lobster.

And frankly, I prefer eating lobsters to reading them.

But apart from that, he is a magician. Penis-, sex- and breast obsessed, but a magician.

Råkultur's sashimi, in smoky ice …

Didn't run or exercise as much as I should those days, because of pollen, work, reading, bad moral… and more… But one day I did 8 k – 4 + 2 + 2, with small stops to do the posture correction that London demands.

Tomorrow off to Milan, very early.

Summer clothes all seam to small, but I'm bringing my running gear!

Murakami, Murakami …

Rewards For Running

Dear G, instead of running I went to town today. Shoped some clothes, and not for the kids! (No, that is not me in the pic, but I did buy the skirt).

I've always loved clothes shoping, but with my new size it's a real treat. I've lost weight for one size this 100 days club year, but most of all, clothing is not about hiding anymore. It's not "what can I find to hide my belly" it's: "this I like" or "this I don't like". Like buying clothes before babies, husband and marriage. Only with them I'm so much happier.

Afterwards I was hungry, and passed a restaurant that my dad had told me about. I did hear that their sushi was really good, but I had imagined something small and the opposite of glamorous. Instead I found something that made me close to religious.

They don't have any ovens, no permission to sell wine, you can't reservate a table and they only serve lunch. But the food!

I had to ask people "what are you having?" because everything looked so delicious.

This is my sushi. I might be the best I ever had in Stockholm. Not as good as Nobu, London and Nobu, New York, but really good, and so much cheaper! Cheaper than East, but much more interesting. My wallet had just been emptied, and I had to go back to work, but otherwise I could have ordered the whole menue…

Anyway: this is why I run. To be honest, I don't need races.

I run to be able to enjoy fashion and food.

Isn't that a good enough?