Monthly Archives: August 2008

Safe and sound in København

Written by serene. Posted on August 29, 2008. Filed under Uncategorized. 4 Comments.

Yesterday’s arrival in Copenhagen on a lovely gray and drizzling day felt like Seattle, which put me at ease immediately. I’m finding that Copenhagen as a city is amazing and lovely and wonderful, with the colorful building facades, cool red post boxes, and friendly people. The Metro and street layout, however, is not, in that the city is so flat I’m having a hard time orienting myself.

But the sun is shining today, the strong coffee is coursing my veins, and everyone is totally cool with speaking English, so I can’t ask for much more. I’m staying with the kindest woman, who is a teacher of 20+ years at a school in Vesterport. Her flat is full of character with weathered wood floors and colorful walls, complete with cordoned off enclaves deocrated with art from all over the world all located on the fifth floor of an old building on Store Kongensgade. She’s been an enthusiastic cultural embassador, fielding questions ranging from whether to tip a cab driver or not (sure, if you feel like rounding up the nearest kroner) to where grocery stores are and what is in a smørrebrød (it’s just an open face sandwich).

Anyway, I’ll do my best to keep you all posted. And if I don’t have your address, and you’d like to do a proper snail mail exchange, I’m totally game. I’ve got my address ready for you as well.

One week

Written by serene. Posted on August 20, 2008. Filed under I am a sap, Travel. Tagged . No comments.

What a difference one week makes…

This time last week I was consumed with thoughts of the upcoming weekend. He Who Makes My Heart Beat Faster was swooping in to rescue me from nights filled with longing and dreaming and wanting. My normal secretive self couldn’t contain the excitement and soon enough I had my co-workers counting down the hours along with me. It got to the point where the obnoxious smile on my face and my silly happy dance was given a name.

And now my perfect weekend of bliss has passed.

It makes me sad to report that this week my mood is markedly different. Rather than elation and excitement, I’m filled with dread and stress. I have many details to attend to – boxes! storage units! mail forwarding! – and I can’t seem to put any effort into addressing them. My head and my heart are still soaring far above the clouds and it bums me out to think about putting so much distance between this perfect thing and that land way over there.

But Denmark WILL be awesome. And this time next week I’ll be headed for Sea-Tac with two huge bags, a heart that is full, and a sad bastard iPod to keep my chin quivering for the next four months.

And since I’ve been asked by a few people: yes, I will continue to blog; yes, I will post photos; yes, I will send letters/postcards/packages; yes, I want a mix CD/letter/postcard/package from you; yes, I will miss you all something fierce; yes, I will most definitely be back.

But I’m breathin’

Written by serene. Posted on August 11, 2008. Filed under I am a sap. No comments.

I was laying down, aware of the flood of sensations: the sharp, dry grass poking me in the back, the spreading warmth from the sun above my head, the heat coming off my dark hair. And in this summer sun, with the soft murmur of the music traveling through my headphones, I came up with a game. I wanted to see how still I could be and for what amount of time.

Light as a feather, stiff as a board, light as a feather, stiff as a board.

I kept looking down the length of my body to see if I could detect my chest rising and falling with my shallow gasps of air. I was clearly winning that battle. The twitches I felt traveling the length of my legs didn’t register on the outside and inside I did the smallest, most undetectable dance of obnoxious gloating. I let this battle of mind versus body entertain me for a long while.

My body finally won when my mind began to wander. The murmur of sound in my ears grew in volume and clarity. I suddenly heard the lyrics at the precise moment that mind became totally enraptured with what was pounding my ears…

I’m on the corner

Thinkin’ about my bed

He just stands still

And signifies

This perfect moment in the perfect sun with the perfect song (”Looks Just Like the Sun” by Broken Social Scene) segued into a maelstrom of sensations.

My body, still shaking off the rigidity I forced it into, slowly began to twitch to life.  First, my toes started to wiggle. Then those electric shocks running up my leg forced my knees to bend. Those neurons firing electrical impulses stopped at the top of my head. My bones and muscles and nerves were on high alert.

And suddenly there he was. I could feel my head propped up on his leg, his hand gently brushing the hair off my forehead. I felt so lost in this moment, these sensations, that I lost track of time. I wanted to spend this time with him rather than deal with anything OUT THERE.

Suddenly, I sat up in sheer panic. I was afraid that I slept through work or that some crazy person was standing at my feet staring at me.

Instead, there was no one.

I couldn’t tell if I felt relief or disappointment. I slowly rose, brushing off the stray pieces of grass that were clinging to my clothing, and began to walk off the most strange, most delightful, and most heartbreaking afternoon I’ve had in a long, long time.

Bye, my baby boy

Written by serene. Posted on August 3, 2008. Filed under Uncategorized. 13 Comments.

To my pigeon-chasing, stinky-breathed cuddle partner: I’ll miss you Freckle-dog. I hope you feel better now and I hope you know how much you are already missed.