It's my first Swedish Top League hockey game. In fact, I think I share that experience with all the members of our little group. Maybe the Finn has done it before. Probably not the German or the Swiss. Definitely not the Belgian. The arrangement is professional. Starts off with the national anthem of Sweden. Just in case, the lyrics are on a little TV screen in the ceiling. National anthem karaoke...For whom? Fair enough though, Swedish hockey fans probably know the Russian/Soviet national anthem better, it's been more frequently played...or why not the Canadian...? Anyway, the game starts. It's not a [View Full Entry]

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Not often does a standard 90 minute train ride in your own home territory make you feel good, particularly when the train is late and you're going to a party. The party in this case is "The Sail" in Karlskrona. A very nice little town in southern Sweden with a nice little summer event. The region is a bit remote, off the tourist trail to Stockholm and Gothenburg and other major attractions in Sweden. Therefore it's a bit surprising that the family next to me speak American English. Not having spoken English in a while, and being a huge fan of [View Full Entry]

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The manager of Tom’s Garage has obviously been watching Coyote Ugly. Apparently he liked it enough to make the female bartenders dance on the bar disk. He got a few things right; the music is right, 80’s rock music; the girls are young and sexy; the crowd is young, drunk, and enthusiastic. The manager forgot a few crucial things though. He forgot to instruct the girls to have fun. They look like they’d rather be somewhere else. Anywhere else. He also forgot to dress them accordingly. How could he expect anyone to go wild over baggy shirts and pants? Finally, he [View Full Entry]

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Bright lights, big city. New York City is it. As long as you don't drag your feet behind and go with the flow, you'll be fine. Regardless of your opinion about big cities, Manhattan will take your breath away. It's very much like on TV. Yellow cabs, huge department stores, poor people, rich people. Of course there is more to it than that. But why seek the sidestreets when Broadway is right there...? Madison Square Garden wasn't destroyed by Godzilla, and it wasn't destroyed by terrorists. Game on. Rockefeller Center is almost like on TV just before Christmas. The giant Christmas [View Full Entry]

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The day started off as an above average day. Michael Jordan announced his comeback with the Wizards. Given the tedious tasks at the bank, this was likely to be the most exciting news during the day. Not so. Late morning, after a few hours of updating customer records in my little cubicle, the news reached the huge office space without windows. 50 or so cubicles all of a sudden came alive and spread the word. The lack of television sets caused a lot of confusion and insecurity of the validity of the rumors. "They bombed World Trade Center". "...and now they [View Full Entry]

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Gameday in Los Angeles. Game six of the final series LA Lakers - Philadelphia Sixers 2001. The setting is ideal for a good time. Warm and sunny, party on the rooftop in LA. Barbecue and beer. The excitement of the game does however not mount to any hights. The Sixers have nothing really to put up against the Lakers. Shaq, Kobe, and the others land the second consecutive NBA title in LA. The Spanish guy co-hosting the party shares my grudges against the Lakers. Right after the final bell rings he opens the window and screams in despair: "Philadelphia!". Despite the [View Full Entry]

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Razzoo’s is the name of the nightclub. One of the most popular on Bourbon Street. It’s usually crowded on weekends. So also today. A couple of guys start fighting on the dance floor. Probably over a woman. The music stops. The performer on stage asks the crowd ”Quit fucking around or get the fuck out?”. ”Get the fuck out!” is the chant. Out they go. Isn’t democracy wonderful…? [View Full Entry]

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Not really a huge fan of the man from Ireland, Mr. Morrison. Been around for a while, so naturally he's had a few good songs. And Jazzfest is about music, so why not give it a shot...? Jazzfest is also too hot to be running around, so our little party of four decide to wait around with the crowd by the stage where Van the Man is performing. No assigned seating, just spread your blanked in an empty spot, sit, and remain seated. Moving out too much of a hassle, being in the smack middle of tens of thousands of people. [View Full Entry]

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Welcome to Miami, Bienvenido a Miami. That is probably the reasoning of the cleaning lady. We have been driving for 15 hours. Still we can’t get any rest, since our hotel room isn’t ready for another two hours. Finally we get the keys to our room. The door is wide open. There, in the bed, sits the cleaning lady and a male figure, who probably doesn’t even work at the hotel. They are watching a soap opera in Spanish. Very hastily they leave the room with the excuse ”We were just fluffing the pillows.” How very considerate. No harm done though, [View Full Entry]

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If you're a Cuban, hit the shore and swim 90 miles north. If you're a tourist, get out of Miami and drive 3.5 hours south. We belong to the latter category; the tourists who have heard of this "must" when in southern Florida, this legendary trip to Key West. Surprisingly, the road isn't all that exciting. Movies display this romantic voyage on the highway on the water. In fact, it is merely a regular highway between and through the 40 or so islands - keys - before the final destination. Key West, the southernmost point on continental USA. This key makes [View Full Entry]

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