Spring seems to be here. I've been finding myself overdressed as I venture out of our apartment building, which is such a nice feeling.

Mark was here for the weekend, which was a lot of fun. When people asked us what we had been up to the main thing we could think of was that we'd been eating a lot.

Yesterday I was getting really frustrated with one section of PHP code that I just couldn't get to the bottom of. So I turned off the computer, enjoyed a relaxing evening, then came back to it this morning and figured it out within 1 hour.

My Mum and Dad are visiting the week before Easter, which should be a lot of fun, especially with the weather apparently improving.

I just committed falafel
While the joy of falafel really can't be confined to just one day, for me it seems to be becoming a Sunday thing.

Levelling the playing field?
I was interested to read this morning that Isaac Hayes has quit Southpark because of it's insensitivity to "personal spiritual beliefs." It's interesting that he should make this comment now after working on the show, which consistently parodies world religions, since 1997.

The move was taken in response to an episode which openly mocked the Church of Scientology, to which Hayes belongs.

One thing that struck me in the midst of this debate, which seems to echo in some way the Danish Muhammad Incident, is that there may be a certain levelling going on. No longer is it merely the "religion of Christianity" that is ok to mock, but any religion. Though I'd be careful about criticising the religion of western liberalism (you know, the one that says that I (i.e. the individual) is God) because it has so many members and certainly the most powerful weapons at its disposal.

BTW. If you're really into sci-fi, believe that anything goes, and looking for a religion then I'd certainly recommend Scientology and it's rather fruity doctrines.

Read more on the Southpark story here...

Now I know for sure that I'm not going to volunteer for medical testing, however lucratively it may pay. This week I've been pretty homesick - missing friends, family, former communities of faith, momentum and the Toucan Club. Last night's housegroup was such a blessing - I'm very encouraged to have such a good group of friends who are there for me even when I'm less than cheerful.

It's been great learning more about Flash and catching up with the episodes of Lost that I've missed since being here.

Tonight we head to Johan's Church, where (apparently) the husband of Cardigan Nina Persson is showing a multimedia installation.

Har det bra!

Update: we didn't make it to the art installation but instead decided to bake sugar cake.

The style of my last post reminded me of a discovery I made a few years ago while looking through some old school books. I found one of my first ever pieces of written work. It was an answer to the question "what music do you like?" and began something like this...

I like Cliff Richards because his music is fast and sometimes his music is slow.

There were more spelling mistakes, but the thing that caught my attention was the innocence of my musical appreciation. I didn't have many grammatical tools, didn't have a vocabulary with which to express what I heard, and (clearly) didn't have a well developed musical palette. None the less, each new musical discovery had a freshness about it. Whether it was fast or slow, loud or quiet, it was an adventure.

Disclaimer: this quote was written at the age of 4 or 5. The responsibility for my musical listening at that age was not my own and can therefore not be held against me. Pretty please?

Yesterday I shaved my head. I just woke up knowing I had to. Earlier, I was on the phone with my Mum and she asked me "have you cut your hair?" and I told her I had shaved it off. She was sad. I miss her. I miss my hair too.

I've had Chris here since Tuesday. It's been a lot of fun hanging out, showing him Malmö, reminiscing on old times and catching up with recent events. My highlights so far (he doesn't leave til tomorrow, so there's plenty of time for more!) include:
A game of bike-tag that ended painfully on our way home from Elin's place (I now have a nice big scab on my knee).
SKA night at Metro. Dancing with Chris and Emma. Encouraging people to take the only clear route from the toilet to their seats (behind the bar) and watching them get caught (props to Jamez the Priest and Petter for their use of cunning. Points are awarded for avoidance of bar steward wrath and stylish navigation of the route in question).
Chris being told that his accent sounds like Anastasia!

Happy Saint David's Day!