THE MAGIC OF A WOMAN'S HANDBAG
Alex has been fascinated by how heavy my bags always are. When I went to class yesterday he finally opened my bag, determined to find the source. Alex found... (apart from the obligatory laptop, books, water etc)
* 1 extra (empty) purse
* 2 different shades of red nailpolishes
* 2 nail files
* 1 bottle of dry shampoo
* 1 avokado
* 1 Go! Yoghurt bar
* 1 lipstick
* 2 different shades of pink lipgloss
* 17 pens
* 1 clementine
* 1 (very big) hairbrush
* 1 bag of nuts
* 2 razors
* 1 umbrella
* 1 pair of black socks
* 1 bottle of hairspray
- Frida.... Do you really need ALL of this stuff when you have one class from 9- 11?
- Well, what if something happens? Like, an emergency?
JEALOUS, SWEDEN?
I keep hearing tales of knee- high snow still being the standard weather in Sweden. This Saturday me and Alex celebrated the 14 degrees and sun with a nice brunch in Oakham at a new café that's opened there, and a stroll around the Rutland Reservoir. Watch the pictures and weep, my Swedish friends! Sucksssss to be you!
ALEX PUTS HIS FOOT DOWN
I arrived to Peterborough on Thursday still in a state of shock after my exam time table was made official and it turns out that I have all my four exams in the first 6 days. So I did the only right thing: asked the boyfriend for sympathy.
- Alex, I thought that I maybe I can massage your shoulders so that you know exactly how I want you to massage MY shoulders.
- So typical you, you just want the benefit of it! Selfish!
- But I can't move my neeeeck! And Anton said that you can massage me (Anton's one of Alex's friends and a very good physio).
- You can't just demand things from me! Enough is enough.
[...]
- Alex can I get a glass of water please?
- *Grunting*
- But you're standing by the cupboard anyway!
- Oh I'm on my way!
This is what I got.
So, girls, what have we learnt from this? When you want something from your man, you have to use babysteps. I repeat: babysteps. Otherwise it's bound to backfire. The man ego can't handle a faster pace. This time it backfired with a sherry glass.
MY FIRST SPINNING CLASS
Since I feel like I've been stuck in a bit of a training rut and am getting bored of my exercises, I've now decided to try some new classes. I've always thought that I'd hate spinning and think it's boring. I tried it once 2 years ago and didn't really like it but now I thought I'd give it another chance. And, slightly surprising to me, I absolutely loved it! (It's a way of using group pressure to your advantage, you sweat loads and I can hardly walk the day after. SUCCESS!!!)
However, there were clouds in the sky. When we were almost done I realised that I was close to puking so slowed down. Felt better and thought, ahhhh everything's fine now, that was close! All was goof until we actually had to get off the bikes and I saw stars (literally), went cold and my ears started to make weird noises. That's when I realized I was actually close to passing out and quickly and elegantly sat down on the floor and stayed put right there on my, eh, petite bum. Aaah so typical me to be the little fatty who has to sit down by the end of it. Another proud Miss FriFri moment. Why does it never end?!?!
If it's good enough for Reese, it's good enough for me.
I'm happy to tell you that I've now been to my second class- without passing out. Improvement already!
I MEAN.... REALLY?!
I always laugh at these covers and articles where it says that curves are back. Mostly because the "curvy" people usually look like this: still teeny tiny and as if they might possibly and temporarily be a bit swollen (PMS maybe? Or perhaps they actually had lunch today?) I mean I'm sorry but it's just ridiculous to call this curves. It's made even more hilarious by the fact that Courtney Cox seems to be doing some kind of panic- crunches on the beach. (Which is probably also why she looks like she's a bit juicier than normal- she's CRUNCHING.)
Personally I don't think that curves will be back until we (the non- celebrity women) decide that they are. So yesterday I decided that they were and celebrated by eating some Nutella with a spoon. The boobs don't feed themselves, you know.
I'm also a firm believer in the fact that a real curvy gal isn't afraid of the proper Monday Morning Breakfast. A crucial factor for a good start to the week!
I give you the morning pleasure of: fruit tea, greek yoghurt with mango, kiwi, nuts and raisins, Swedish crisp bread with cottage cheese and peppers and finally a boiled egg on organic rye omega 3 golden linsed bread.
MY PILATES TRAUMA
Ok so basically what's going on is that since my migraines are getting worse I finally woke up from my denial and accepted that it's probably because of my back and neck (which people have been telling me for ages but I'm just so stubborn that it's ridiculous). Anyway, after Sandra, this great Spanish lady who massages me, aka tortures me, until I scream said that I have to start pilates.
First pilates class ever on Tuesday. I came into this room where everyone looked like cheerleaders. (I used to do cheerleading with some other law girls at QM in my first year. But I just remember that the law girl- group, or well, mostly me, were kind of like "the annoying group" that the other super- skinny cheerleaders who had way too much time on their hands- aka didn't need to study that much- took to a separate corner and we used to have to practise there by ourselves. Hm.) Anyway. Some of the people in this class were wearing toe rings by the way. Is that a pilates thing? I thought toe rings were so out? I would never wanna be caught wearing a toe ring! Ok so the skinny wannabe- cheerleaders were all stretching away and obviously comparing their stretching abilities with each other. (In silence, of course. These kinds of girls would never dream of actually talking to each other. I gave it a go myself and they looked at me as if I was an alien. Which I kind of was under the circumstances...) After a while the teacher comes in, who's this amazing hilarious man who's really also, quite, eh, feminine. I think some of these comments directed to me by him says something about my first pilates- performance.
"Darling, WHY do you have your hands on the floor? Did I tell you to but your hands on the floor? I told you to put your ELBOWS down! ELBOWS! ELBOWS! ELBOWS! Sweetheart, do you think you're Jennifer Lopez?"
"Noo..?"
"So why are you cheating on this exercise?"
"I'm not che..."
"No one but JLO can cheat while doing pilates. You know why?"
"Why..?"
"Because she has butt implants. Everyone else has to "create" their own implants. Now LIFT! LIFT! LIFT! Did I tell you that you could SIT DOWN yet?"
"Oh, but I thought..."
"Well, obviously, some people here are more talented than others."
You get the idea. After about 45 mins of shouting at me i shouted out, distraught "I'M NEEEEEW!!!" But he just looked at me and said "Yes. And? It's not as if I didn't know."
I'm gonna prove this man wrong. From now on, I'm a pilates gal. MissFriFri always likes a challenge. If the toe ring girls can do it I'm sure that I can. Watch out JLO.
OLLE DAHLQVIST AND +1 VISITING
I had guests last weekend! Olle and his girlfriend Fanny were here on a crazy shopping trip (when both Dagny and I were overwhelmed by their commitment and energy, I think that says quite a lot... This is usually the area where we excel!) My hopes of some time with my baby brother (who can now grow a beard- how did it all happen so fast? It's patchy but still... A great start!) were crushed when he said "well, you can have lunch with us on Sunday if you want?" Nice. However, I'm not a charity case. I DO have a life. (Or at least I have an imaginary one!) I have plenty of time for fun and exciting activities. After I've finished the giant pile of human rights articles on my desk... I don't need you guys.
Poor Fanny apparently had a very heavy bag on her way here. "Frida, your mum filled my whole suitcase with food! She even put lasagna in there!" Oh yaaaaay for Mummy Eva food AND Swedish snacks.
I give you Swedish crispbread (the proper, hard kind- not the softer kids' version they sell here!), swedish sweets, swedish Marabou chocolate (which is actually so good that Sissel once admitted that she likes it better than the Norwegian kind- and it takes a LOT of a Swede/ Norwegian to admit that something from their country is better, believe me! lol), bread, Mummy Eva's lasagna etc etc....
THE MODERN MAN DRINKS "ANGEL DUST"
Upping our grown- up status by going on a triple (!) date, we all had a really nice time on Saturday with dinner and drinks. However, I've noticed that bringing the men in your lives together doesn't always go quite as planned. For instance, they can start talking to each other about things that we've convinced them isn't a good idea to do (like Charles getting a massive TV that Deborah thinks will block the view, but that Alex thinks is a great idea at the same time as he asks about what kind of sound system they have) and convince each other that a "real lad" would do it. A week later Deborah comes to lunch breaking the news that a new TV has been bought and that Charles now tries to find a place for a massive base in their flat (which doesn't fit in at all since a. it's huge, and b. the flat goes all in white), since they now also have some kind of surround sound or something like that. When I tell Alex he just exclaims "LAD!" I'm afraid a chain of events might have started that cannot be stopped....
When at the drinks- stage it was a great JD- moment (I'm referring to the famous appletinis) when, despite the waitors "warnings" that some of the drinks come in martini glasses, drinks like Angel Dust and strawberry cocktails were ordered without the sign of any fear from the Men's Men. Alex and Charles both wanted passion fruit mojitos, but since Charles felt that it was a bit girly to order the same drink he went for the brave choice of a- raspberry mojito. I think this is all very progressive, encourage it and think it should be embraced. The modern man now drinks Angel Dust.
THE DAHLQVIST CHRISTMAS- BEHIND THE SCENES
You might remember that when I blogged about Christmas Eve I showed you this happu and harmonic Dahlqvist family:
However, evidence recently found on Alex's phone shows a completely different reality. Taken on the 23rd of December, when Mumy Eva's Cristmas Prep Rules Enforcement was at its peak:
Note that matched to my absolutely joyous mood I wear babypink sweaters and a turqoise weird top. And, of course, the yellow rubber gloves. Rawwwrrrrr.
