Me, Sondra, and Jackie.
Lots of stripes!
The beautiful ceremony.
Toasting at the dinner reception.
I feel like we take this picture at every wedding we go to. And we never get a good shot of the newly married couple.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Jenny & Greg's Wedding
Anders and I attended a friend's wedding this past holiday weekend. It was held on a farm, a little over an hour outside of Chicago.
Me, Sondra, and Jackie.
Lots of stripes!
The beautiful ceremony.
Toasting at the dinner reception.
I feel like we take this picture at every wedding we go to. And we never get a good shot of the newly married couple.
Me, Sondra, and Jackie.
Lots of stripes!
The beautiful ceremony.
Toasting at the dinner reception.
I feel like we take this picture at every wedding we go to. And we never get a good shot of the newly married couple.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Why I Haven't Updated the Blog Lately
I can't believe it's the end of August! June and July flew by, with visitors from Sweden and a trip to California among the highlights.
This has been my occupation lately, trying to write my thesis (the most exciting thing this weekend was a trip to the laundromat). 2/3 of the thesis supposed to be done by tomorrow. Have a seven hour meeting with my advisor on Wednesday, wish me luck!
In the reading chair by the window.
This has been my occupation lately, trying to write my thesis (the most exciting thing this weekend was a trip to the laundromat). 2/3 of the thesis supposed to be done by tomorrow. Have a seven hour meeting with my advisor on Wednesday, wish me luck!
In the reading chair by the window.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
San Francisco and Northern California
Amanda and I had been talking about going out to San Francisco to see her very good friend Steve for quite some time, and when our friends Chirag and Barbie decided to get married outside Santa Cruz, we finally got around to booking the trip. We flew in to San Fran Wednesday afternoon and got picked up by Steve. While the weather looked nice at the airport, we quickly learned that you don't visit during the summer if you want the sun to be out... Well in the Bay area, it was cloudy and a bit foggy.
We were lucky to get to stay with Steve and Rene in their apartment in the Tenderloin, quite close to the city centre. For those of you who are familiar with the city, we could walk down to Union Square in like ten minutes.
Amanda relaxing in the living room, Rene lounging in the background.
The first night we had delicious Southern-style food at Farmer Brown, a restaurant dedicated to using meats and produce from local farms. Joining us for dinner was a friend from UIC, Ali, who graduated last year and now lives in Denver, also in town for the wedding.
Thursday morning we decided to tour the city from the bike saddle. We rented bikes at a local place and took off towards Golden Gate Park, a green oasis larger than Central Park in New York. We biked all the way through the park and out to Ocean Beach. We didn't stop there, but continued (uphill) to the Golden Gate bridge.
Uphill from Ocean Beach.
It was actually f r e e z i n g up on the bridge, so we only stopped by the west-most tower long enough to take some photos. The wind caught Steve's bandanna and we watched it slowly fall down into the water...
Amanda and Steve not enjoying the cold temperature - Steve's bandanna blew off a second after this photo was taken.
A tad too steep to bike...
The bike trip wasn't all without issues. Two hours into the trip we discovered why Amanda's wheels weren't really rolling all that well - both the front and rear brakes were constantly applied! At least she got a "free" workout out of it... We traded bikes for the last part of the bike ride. Later at night we went for pizza with some of Steve's friends in the Mission - the Wicker Park of San Francisco? Ended the night at Casanova across the street. Very cool bar.
Me, Ali, Mark, Mark
Steve, Amanda, me, Ali
Though it was still a bit foggy, Friday morning was pretty nice and warm, Steve and Rene took us on a walking tour of different neighborhoods. We bought whole bean coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee Co., an independent coffee shop operating out of a garage store front in Lower Haight before stopping in the park where the Full House opening credits were shot. It was very entertaining to watch all the tour buses stop and let hundreds of people out to take photos in front of the fun-colored houses.
Blue Bottle Coffee Company.
Full House houses!
After ice cream (strawberry balsamic and salted caramel!), Amanda and I headed out on our own to visit the California Academy of Sciences (she works at the Chicago version). This one resides in a brand new, green (LEED Platinum) rated building in Golden Gate Park. We only had about 90 minutes before closing, but we enjoyed the 4-story rainforest and the other exhibits. We were just a bit too late to get into the Planetarium. On our way back we stopped at Arizmendi Bakery, the co-op where Steve works. The trains in San Fran run both on and below ground and was a good way to get around.
We went back to the apartment to shower and nap. We went to Spork for dinner. Apparently Kentucky Fried Chicken invented the "spork" in the 70's as a cross between a spoon and a fork, and when the owners turned an old KFC joint into a restaurant, they thought the name was fitting as they used a bunch of the old equipment for the interior - the deep fryer was made into the main light fixture!
We woke up to a beautiful Saturday morning, clear blue sky and warm temperatures. Steve and Rene led us down Market all the way to the harbor and the farmers market. We had delicious eggs and hash, french toast, and Blue Bottle Coffee! It was a tad hard to leave the sun to get into the rental car...
Enjoying the sun with the Bay Bridge in the background.
Off we went though, through beautiful California hills towards Highway 1 and Corralitos, our final destination. All our camera batteries died somewhere along the way, but as soon as Ali has sent me hers, you'll get to see more of the wedding (and the dance party that followed). Congratulations Chirag and Barbie!
The ceremony - very pretty!
Me, Ali, Frank (another student from UIC)
After spending the night in the resort's only yurt, we left right after brunch to have enough time to tour the coastline on our way back to the airport. The Pacific is pretty - and very cold. We stopped at a few beaches along the way before having lunch in Half Moon Bay. We got to the airport right in time to check in and board our flight back to Chicago. We had a very good time in San Francisco and around - can't wait to get back!
We were lucky to get to stay with Steve and Rene in their apartment in the Tenderloin, quite close to the city centre. For those of you who are familiar with the city, we could walk down to Union Square in like ten minutes.
Amanda relaxing in the living room, Rene lounging in the background.
The first night we had delicious Southern-style food at Farmer Brown, a restaurant dedicated to using meats and produce from local farms. Joining us for dinner was a friend from UIC, Ali, who graduated last year and now lives in Denver, also in town for the wedding.
Thursday morning we decided to tour the city from the bike saddle. We rented bikes at a local place and took off towards Golden Gate Park, a green oasis larger than Central Park in New York. We biked all the way through the park and out to Ocean Beach. We didn't stop there, but continued (uphill) to the Golden Gate bridge.
Uphill from Ocean Beach.
It was actually f r e e z i n g up on the bridge, so we only stopped by the west-most tower long enough to take some photos. The wind caught Steve's bandanna and we watched it slowly fall down into the water...
Amanda and Steve not enjoying the cold temperature - Steve's bandanna blew off a second after this photo was taken.
A tad too steep to bike...
The bike trip wasn't all without issues. Two hours into the trip we discovered why Amanda's wheels weren't really rolling all that well - both the front and rear brakes were constantly applied! At least she got a "free" workout out of it... We traded bikes for the last part of the bike ride. Later at night we went for pizza with some of Steve's friends in the Mission - the Wicker Park of San Francisco? Ended the night at Casanova across the street. Very cool bar.
Me, Ali, Mark, Mark
Steve, Amanda, me, Ali
Though it was still a bit foggy, Friday morning was pretty nice and warm, Steve and Rene took us on a walking tour of different neighborhoods. We bought whole bean coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee Co., an independent coffee shop operating out of a garage store front in Lower Haight before stopping in the park where the Full House opening credits were shot. It was very entertaining to watch all the tour buses stop and let hundreds of people out to take photos in front of the fun-colored houses.
Blue Bottle Coffee Company.
Full House houses!
After ice cream (strawberry balsamic and salted caramel!), Amanda and I headed out on our own to visit the California Academy of Sciences (she works at the Chicago version). This one resides in a brand new, green (LEED Platinum) rated building in Golden Gate Park. We only had about 90 minutes before closing, but we enjoyed the 4-story rainforest and the other exhibits. We were just a bit too late to get into the Planetarium. On our way back we stopped at Arizmendi Bakery, the co-op where Steve works. The trains in San Fran run both on and below ground and was a good way to get around.
We went back to the apartment to shower and nap. We went to Spork for dinner. Apparently Kentucky Fried Chicken invented the "spork" in the 70's as a cross between a spoon and a fork, and when the owners turned an old KFC joint into a restaurant, they thought the name was fitting as they used a bunch of the old equipment for the interior - the deep fryer was made into the main light fixture!
We woke up to a beautiful Saturday morning, clear blue sky and warm temperatures. Steve and Rene led us down Market all the way to the harbor and the farmers market. We had delicious eggs and hash, french toast, and Blue Bottle Coffee! It was a tad hard to leave the sun to get into the rental car...
Enjoying the sun with the Bay Bridge in the background.
Off we went though, through beautiful California hills towards Highway 1 and Corralitos, our final destination. All our camera batteries died somewhere along the way, but as soon as Ali has sent me hers, you'll get to see more of the wedding (and the dance party that followed). Congratulations Chirag and Barbie!
The ceremony - very pretty!
Me, Ali, Frank (another student from UIC)
After spending the night in the resort's only yurt, we left right after brunch to have enough time to tour the coastline on our way back to the airport. The Pacific is pretty - and very cold. We stopped at a few beaches along the way before having lunch in Half Moon Bay. We got to the airport right in time to check in and board our flight back to Chicago. We had a very good time in San Francisco and around - can't wait to get back!
Old and New Photos
So I finally got around to develop five rolls of film that were laying around the apartment. Three 35 mm rolls from my Canon, and two 120 mm rolls from the Holga. The photos came back ok, spanning many months, from Sweden in March to Chicago very recently.
Amanda crossing the bridge close to pappa's house
Amanda and Ulf
Micke and Sune at Kulturhuset in Luleå
The Abelmann Brothers
Pappa and Trixie
After a good dinner at Björns Bar in Göteborg
Roxy tanning
Raiden posing during Superbowl
The crew from the lake house weekend earlier this year - Amanda, Jessie, Adam, Gino; David, Galya, Joanne. Oh, and Lee of course. Sorry about the over exposure - I have yet to master my new lens.
Amanda crossing the bridge close to pappa's house
Amanda and Ulf
Micke and Sune at Kulturhuset in Luleå
The Abelmann Brothers
Pappa and Trixie
After a good dinner at Björns Bar in Göteborg
Roxy tanning
Raiden posing during Superbowl
The crew from the lake house weekend earlier this year - Amanda, Jessie, Adam, Gino; David, Galya, Joanne. Oh, and Lee of course. Sorry about the over exposure - I have yet to master my new lens.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Basil and Nathalie
No, it's not the title of some weird English drama. I just bought a basil plant the other day, it will be interesting to see how it survives in our east-facing kitchen window. Lots of light, but no more than a couple of hours of direct sunlight - thoughts, anyone? Amanda has her doubts, but I'm confident...
Mr. Basil tucked away behind Amanda's bike.
Also, Nathalie arrived yesterday! I got stuck in traffic on my way to the airport and was worried I would be late, but as it turned out she came out through customs five minutes after I got there. We drove home (through even more traffic) and had a nice evening with dinner and mindless TV watching. Amanda came home late after attending her cousin's graduation party in Milwaukee, so she actually yet to see Nathalie, whom went to bed early and slept in this morning... Tonight should be fun though, dinner at Marché!
Mr. Basil tucked away behind Amanda's bike.
Also, Nathalie arrived yesterday! I got stuck in traffic on my way to the airport and was worried I would be late, but as it turned out she came out through customs five minutes after I got there. We drove home (through even more traffic) and had a nice evening with dinner and mindless TV watching. Amanda came home late after attending her cousin's graduation party in Milwaukee, so she actually yet to see Nathalie, whom went to bed early and slept in this morning... Tonight should be fun though, dinner at Marché!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Toronto
Almost two weeks ago I flew to Toronto to attend a conference, and since the program ran Sunday - Thursday, I had time to hang out with my good friends Rick and Meena. I met Rick on my very first day at UIC back in 2004, when we both attended the international student orientation, and last year Amanda and I went to their fantastic wedding just outside Toronto.
The conference in question is the American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Expo, "my" professional organization's annual event. This was my second time of attending it, last year it was in Minneapolis where I had lots of fun, but I must say this year was even better. I feel like I met many great and interesting people, which serves as inspiration in my efforts of finding out what I actually wants to do with my life. In addition, it was truly awesome to see Sam and Ali again!
The awesome art and design college!
This museum is brand new. We didn't have time to see all of the collections, but next time!
Rick in front of a pub named after him.
Meena and Rick.
Me and Nicklas Lidström's face at the Hockey Hall of Fame. And yes, it was a cocktail party, and yes, I did take a photo with the Stanley Cup.
Chirag and CN Tower.
Ramon, Sam, Chirag, Lacey, me, and Ali in a rare photo of normal faces.
The conference in question is the American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Expo, "my" professional organization's annual event. This was my second time of attending it, last year it was in Minneapolis where I had lots of fun, but I must say this year was even better. I feel like I met many great and interesting people, which serves as inspiration in my efforts of finding out what I actually wants to do with my life. In addition, it was truly awesome to see Sam and Ali again!
The awesome art and design college!
This museum is brand new. We didn't have time to see all of the collections, but next time!
Rick in front of a pub named after him.
Meena and Rick.
Me and Nicklas Lidström's face at the Hockey Hall of Fame. And yes, it was a cocktail party, and yes, I did take a photo with the Stanley Cup.
Chirag and CN Tower.
Ramon, Sam, Chirag, Lacey, me, and Ali in a rare photo of normal faces.
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