I’m such a jackass.

I should have posted that my Sweden adventures are on another blog, http://jefftravels.wordpress.com. Check it out – it’s mainly just pictures of bike rides, including my now-complete bike tour to Stockholm.

In other news, no labs got back to me about volunteer work. Their loss, I suppose, however the experience would have been nice. In the meantime, I’m just riding bikes and ogling pretty Swedish girls, and watching a lot of soccer. Interesting – without even really thinking about it, I’m basically not drinking at all here. I went a few times in Stockholm, but other than that I can count the number of beers I’ve had since I’ve arrived on the fingers of one hand, possibly with some to spare. Might change when I visit Denmark.

I’ll be updating that blog most often, and will return to this private one to ensure I meet my moving-to-SF goals (only two months away now!).

Notable things I’ve put in my mouth recently.

TJ dog from the stand at 25th and C Streets.

For Home Made Carne Asada Fries.

With Guacamole.

Western Steakburger Deluxe (topped with gyro meat).

Cheese Steak.

Noodles and meatballs.

SIA Glass Knäckebröd Ice Cream.

(By the way if the last two posts weren’t clues enough, I’m safe in Sweden).

The Bike.

This is a test run of how my fully loaded Novara Randonee will look. I’m gonna wrap up the tent in a few tarps, but this is basically it.

This is how you fit it in a box, with camping gear.

I owe a lot of help to the employees of Performance Bike Shop – they hooked me up with a full set of zip ties, fork stays and all sorts of derailleur protectors that they get with shipped bikes. Also to the dude at Adams Avenue Bicycles who had the relevation that it might not be fitting in my box because I haven’t turned the fork inwards. Bingo! Now, it all gets in there, and just in case there was a fear of all this + a box of pedals, seat, and tools weighing more than 50 lbs to get onto the airplane, let me tell you from first hand experience – it weighs exactly 49.5lbs. Sweet.

Quittin’ Time.

I put my notice in today. I was nervous to the point of sweating. It’s all good. My last day is the 25th.

I paid rent for an apartment in Sweden today. I also decided to buy a new front rack that can accomodate my brakes on my bike.

I think these are good signs that I’m reaching my goals.

I still need panniers, bike tools, and apparently a new hard drive (so I can achieve my music goals).

Moving!

I’ve been really slacking on recording music lately. Having a laptop and being able to lounge around the living room slugging back a Diet Coke WHILE TOTALLY SURFIN’ THE WEB is too appealing, so my drum parts sit unfinished (I’m having trouble with a particular blastbeat that’s going to be doubled in stereo and distorted and thrown under a slow, growling organ, that’s right). I even watched some UNIVERSAL SOLDIER last night instead of compositing takes like I said I would.

I have plane tickets. I’m leaving on the 7th and arriving in Lund on the 8th.  The first thing I do after dropping stuff off at my place (all confirmed, just need Western Union to take my money) is head up the street to Willy’s to buy milk, yogurt, granola, ice cream,  and candy. Here’s what’s in store for me:

When I get a wild hair up my ass and decide to for once pay the exorbitant prices for milk here, I am faced with a conundrum: refreshing but admittedly watered-down 1%? Or creamy, delicious, frothy 2% that sits like some liquid kind of rock in your stomach for the rest of the day? Once again, Sweden destroys all other countries, EVER, in the dairy field. Introducing 1,5% Fetthalt. That comma is the same thing as a decimal, in case you’re wondering. They found the perfect balance of 1 and 2 percentage milks, while the rest of the western world is twiddling their thumbs and complaining about lactose intolerance.

For some reason, Sweden is the only country that does fruit-mixed yogurt right. Yoggi’s “light” yogurt doesn’t have the sweetener aftertaste that the Dannon’s does here. The current US dairy culture (YES I JUST SAID THAT) decrees that the health-conscious yogurt buyer may have either that artificially sweetened, “light” variety of yogurt, or a fat free yogurt bursting with high-glycemic index sugars. Yoggi takes the best of both worlds, takes away any shortcomings or compromises, and delivers the best yogurt known to man.  Note the ingenious Tetra-Pak-ing of the product. Real talk.

Sia are ice cream masters. Their knäckebröd ice cream is the most perfect dairy confection known to man. I’d bring everybody back some on the plane if it were possible.

See that yellow piece in the corner? The red ones are strawberry, the center is a creamy marshmallow-type candy, and by eating one you are looking down the flavor barrel of a JORDGUBB PISTOL. A Strawberry Pistol. I will (and have in the past) be eating these by the pounds. My favorite candy ever.

Other than that, I’ll be putting in my notice for sure on Friday. Nervous and happy (after today’s 16.75 hour work day).

Update.

Two big parts of my plan came through (I hope) in the past two days. The most exciting news is that I may have a place to stay in Lund (the same town I studied in)! The setup there sounds pretty nice; apparently he has it filled with musical instruments: guiars, drums, etc… so I should feel at home. I “officially” accepted the guy’s offer via email, now I’m waiting to hear back again before I pull the trigger on plane tickets. Then I’ll have a home base to come back to in Scandinavia.

The other news is I no longer have to worry about and obsessively check Craigslist for tour bikes! I caved and bought one at a really cool used bike shop near the beach. I always drove by the shop assuming that it catered to only track and fixie bikers, but someone gave me a tip to check it out, and sure enough, they had a nice, older, beefy Novara Randonee in my size built up for touring. Cantilever brakes, wide road tires, triple chainring – perfect. It even has STI shifting so I don’t have to fiddle with any downtube shifters on the side of a busy, windy Swedish highway. Here’s some pictures of the burly beast:

The Novaras you buy at REI today definitely don’t have the WEIRDEST LOGO EVER.

I’m pretty happy with the purchase. I can’t wait to get my toeclip pedals and racks on this beast and take it beach camping to test everything out. I’ll just be on the lookout for panniers in the meantime!