Forever, and a Day?

HA, that's right, I'm forgoing a trip to the gym to write some stuff here. I feel like I'm guilty of severe neglect of me readizens.

SO, I guess everyone is wondering what's up with life in stockholm and where the heck I've been. In truth, I've been trying to rewrite my stupid thesis work. It's going well, since the rewrite is superior quality text, but it's taking longer than I wanted it to. Partly, I think, this is due to my inability to sit for more than two hours at a time and type. I've no proper desk, so I do most of my typing on my bed so I can get a bloc of unmolested time.

As I wrote like three entries down, I did NOT get the acting part for the IKEA ad. Oh well, it was a good experience, and I'd not have had time anyways.

I went to see Tolken, or the interpreter in English, yesterday. My sister highly recommended it, and it lived up to her hype. I must also give it two thumbs up and endorse it for anyone who is debating going. I think that it will translate well to TV, but it's one of those experiences that being in a theater heightens. Interestingly, I think the political aspects offend some critics since the ratings range wildly.

I am going back on my carb controlled diet tomorrow. I figure I've been off it for two months now. I actually feel like I've put on some lean muscle mass, but the side-effect of the extra body fat isn't so appealing. When I broke diet, I made a concerted effort to get to the gym 5 - 6 times a week. I went from 165 to about 175 in a week. Then I tapered off to 170. About the second week of April I spiked in weight, from 170 to 180 in a week or so. When I started gaining more, I started hitting the gym 6 -7 days a week. No cardio. I'm at about 185 now. I know some of it must be lean muscle because I don't look like I used to when I weighed 185 - 190. My body fat has actually remained pretty clost to the same as when I was on the diet, except that my arms and legs have less 'fat' and my midsection doubled. Gross, I know, sorry for the descriptors. I'm hoping that I have enough mass to continue to build, otherwise I'll go back OFF the diet in a month and work out like crazy again. My minimum weight before was about 165, I'll venture to guess that in two weeks I go from 185 to 175, but my min weight will probably hover around 170 - 173. At least I hope so. Ideally, I will look leaner at about 175 and be able to integrate some rice and noodles.

In other news, CHINA looks like it is coming together. I will go on exchange for at least a semester. I'm really hoping to go for the full year, but my choices may be limited. The interesting thing is that part of me getting to go is that I am interested in returning to sweden to do doctoral studies ... I am calling it a maturity expedition and an opportunity to hone my research and writing skills. I did have some troubling thoughts the other day though: (1) they don't eat meat as a rule ... it's all starches, (2) they may not have affordable gyms, and (3) Beijing is NOT an English friendly city. The Olympics are coming in a few years though so maybe they are starting to Anglisize the city ... I can only hope so. It will be good times either way.

Holy crap, they had the big celebration of spring last night. The city was covered in smoke as groups of graduating seniors hit strategic Bon Fires and drink boos, singing songs until they pass out in a sweaty stupor. They cleaned the streets this morning, I speculate it's was to get all the 'stragglers' off the street before the city woke up. Today is Acension, so the good swedes are spending it nursing hangovers so they can get through the short week and enjoy this coming long weekend when the will put their boats in the water, and clean out the country stugas(tiny red houses you see in photos of swedish country side).

Hope everyone is having a tremendous weekend.

~bsan