In the middle of May

Sorry about not updating this blog for a long time. I can´t really say that I have been so busy that it would have been impossible to write a line or two, more like I just didn´t take that time necessary. This is of course a confession for being lazy. So what is going on? I am working at a pizzeria and once or twice a week at an ice cream cafe, then besides this I do the occasional work at a catering company. To be honest I haven´t been doing enough reading recently. At night when I climb into bed around 11 or so I just turn out the light and pass out. I have been skating a lot recently as well. It was something that was missing in my life and now I have been doing it enough to reach a level I haven´t been at for about three years. To be honest though I am not back to the level I was at in the fall/winter of 2006. It is getting close though.

To football: the world cup is beginning soon. Sweden won´t be there so I will be for the Germans. There isn´t much to say about the German team (always pretty solid) so I thought I would write a note or two about what I hope the Swedes do. First they have a new coach in Erik Hamren and while new coaches don´t always solve all the problems, they can be a breath of fresh air and a step in the right direction. So what is Sweden´s biggest problem then? The lack of a strong team sense and the ability of key players stepping up when called upon. We are also in some kind of generation shift at the moment, but the new kids just aren´t quite there yet. We need someone to step up and take the reigns (or as we say in swedish: visa vart skåpet ska stå). I am waiting for Wernbloom and Bajrami and one or two others to show some heart and determination. Our big stars are also a problem: Ibrahimovic had an alright season at Barcelona, but is now in the middle of a sea of rumours none of which can be completely dismissed, and Marcus Berg has got to step up his game pretty mightily from the garbage he has shown so far at Hamburg. We expect more from such players. Of course Sweden has come back from dark patches before so there is no reason to think they cannot do the same now as well.

The IIHF Championships are taking place right now and Sweden is going to meet Denmark in the quarterfinal on Thursday. If we don´t win it will be one of the biggest embarrasments in our Ice Hockey history. I will admit though that I had all but written this team off after those shaky performances against Norway and France, but the last three games have pulled us together and our young players have shown a lot of heart. Pääjärvi-Svensson, Ekman-Larsson, and Hedman have been standouts and will be big stars in the years to come. I think there is a chance we win the gold but if we take a bronze only, I can live with that: as long as they leave it all on the ice.

To books. I am reading the Poisonwood Bible, Herr Lehmann, and finishing off Moby Dick all at the same time. I recently finished my first novel from Stanislaus Lem, Solaris, which I have to say was fantastic and I recommend it for anyone looking for a good book to read.

That is that and I hope that the summer finally shows up here one of these days as all this gray weather is killing the mood. Though at the same time, even with the gray skies I have been skating pretty damn good.

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