Let's make a list...

A very good friend of mine loves making to-do lists and crossing things out once she's done them (the funny thing is that she often writes down things that are really easy/quick to do just so that she can cross out more things). Since I was supposed to Skype with her tonight and I stood her up at the last minute, I am making a list of things I like and things I don't like. M., feel free to cross out the ones you disagree with :)

+ Setting up my alarm extra early and snoozing

+ Waking up and seeing snow everywhere around me.

- Getting out in the snow (I should really find winter tyres for my wheelchair!).

+ Leaving the house half an hour later than usual because my neighbours' kids are on holiday.

- Getting to work too early to have coffee (before 8.30 the barista panics)

- Being introduced as "Dana, our intern" as opposed to "Dana, the interpreter".

+ Being asked how you say the most random things in English (and finding the right answer straight away!)

- Being expected to know things that no-one knows (but interns are supposed to manage without complaining, aren't they?)

+ Smiling faces early in the morning and people who take the time to say "thank you".

+ Stuffing my face with chocolate cake (and feeling so full I can hardly talk/breathe/laugh).

- Looking like a pregnant woman (no joke!).

+ The smell of freshly brewed coffee/fried onions/fuel (weird mix, I know!).

+ Long (random) chats with nice (random) people on a weekday or, alternatively, long emails.

- Girls talking about makeup/clothes techniques (I always feel like an outsider).

- When my parents "come to visit me because they missed me" but they actually spend time cleaning and tidying up my mess (why don't people understand I my mess is a tidy kind of mess?).

+ Idealising people. It can be extremely motivating.

- Idealising people... but if they let you down it hurts like hell.

+ British humor

+  Managing to plan my Skype chats and stick to the plan (unfortunately it doesn't happen very often).

+ Reading under my duvet (from novels to books about interpreting and random articles).

+ Making plans for the (near and distant) future.

- Knowing that I probably won't have the time to carry them out.


+ Hearing my friend's 8-year-old daughter say: "Danči, you know, mom's only got 3 exams left and then we are finally coming home".

+ Learning random Swedish words and thinking that I will be able to speak Swedish one day.

+ Setting my friends up with one another. I have always been a good matchmaker.

+ Being set up with someone  (of course it depends who we are talking about, but is usually good fun :) I'll let you know how the whole thing evolves ;)))


Although it's quite a random list, it seems to me that there are more pluses than minuses, which certainly can't be a bad thing!