Happy Autumn!

Welcome to Autumn! We are a day or two late, but that’s okay. Tuesday morning I woke up knowing that this was going to be the last day this year that there would be more hours of daylight than darkness… the darkness is coming! Okay, so that may be a bit dramatic, but trust me, it gets dark here in the winter.

In the mean time, we are doing everything we can to enjoy autumn. The weather is cooler: you definitely need a jacket and maybe even a scarf and gloves. The leaves are turning and the color is beautiful. School is in full swing and there is an abundance of apples in the markets! And, speaking of markets, we are trying something new this autumn… we signed up to have produce delivered to our flat once a week.

And, this isn’t any old produce. This is produce from Aarstiderne (“seasons” in Danish), an all organic farm here in Denmark. Once a week they deliver a box of food to our door.

They have a lot of different types of “boxes” – we ordered the basic box. You can get the “adventurous box” that specializes in traditional Danish veggies, or boxes with fruit (from fair-trade and organic partner farmers in tropical locations), grain (from organic bakers), and meat (all hormone-free, free-range, etc.).

For now we will stick with the basic box, but we may add fruit this winter (we currently get local fruit from our market). I like this program for several reasons: First, we support a great organization that supplies organic produce to local communities and farms in environmentally friendly ways. Second, because we don’t pick what comes in the box each week, we are motivated to learn how to cook and try new veggies. This is what came in our box this week.

That is celery root in the back – very common and popular her in Denmark.

Finally, I love the idea that someone else has to carry the produce up our three flights of stairs!

So, regardless of what you are eating or how warm your weather,

Happy Autumn!

Let There Be Sun!

Despite its well-deserved reputation as "the place where the sun goes to die" (as my brother-in-law aptly put it after visiting last December), Copenhagen does, indeed, enjoy a fair bit of sun (note the intentional ambiguity of "a fair bit"). And when it's sunny, Copenhagen is probably as beautiful a city as you'll find anywhere. Today was one of the those days. Here is proof that the sun does occasionally find its way to Copenhagen:

This last shot has nothing to do with the sun (but it does have to do with the moon. Heeey--o!!!).

This was an eye-catching cover in a children's bookstore we wandered by:

Perhaps it's a Danish take on one of these children's classics:

http://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Poops-My-Body-Science/dp/192913214X/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220209628&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Gas-We-Pass-Story-Science/dp/1929132158/ref=pd_bbs_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220209816&sr=8-3

Back in CPH

Two Birthdays

Happy birthday, Mom (today) and Kelly (tomorrow)!

Robyn and Joel's 2008 Summer Tour Extravaganza: Phase 2

After leaving London, our 2008 Summer Tour Extravaganza made its way to Carlsbad, CA. The first Big Event of our Carlsbad stop was my parents' 40th wedding anniversary celebration. It's not often one gets to celebrate 40 years of (mostly) blissful marriage! Family members flew in from various parts of the country to be part of the celebration. Needless to say, a great time was had by all. Then again, when you throw a bunch of boisterous and sarcastic people into a limo and then take these people on an extended wine-tasting expedition in Temecula, there's sure to be some fun. And fun there was. (Alright, enough with the Yoda-like sentence structures).

The pictures provide their own vivid narrative--much better than any reconstruction I can muster--so I'll simply direct your attention here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/MomAndDadAnniversaryCelebration

Our second Big Event in Carlsbad was another celebration. Robyn and I hosted a cookout at my parents' home in honor of several notable accomplishments, including our friend Matt's proposal to his lovely partner, Ashley, and our friend Garrett's graduation from Purdue with a PhD in organic chemistry.

The highlight of the gathering was a special VIP showing of our friend Courtney's short film, "Cute Couple". Honestly assessing a friend's art is always a dicey affair. Most of us have had friends who earnestly fancied themselves Serious Artists--but whose work, alas, was destined to be the "before" example in a "Ten Steps to Becoming a Better Artist" primer rather than hung on a wall in the Louvre. (I can be a bit snarky here since I include myself in this category, wisely having allowed my artistic pretensions to die a quiet and (somewhat) dignified death with a barely-completed art minor while an undergraduate at UC Davis). Courtney is the real deal, however. Her film has now won two Audience Choice awards at prestigious films festivals in Jackson Hole and Los Angeles, so it's not just her friends saying nice things about her. It will be exciting to see what happens next.

Speaking of visual treats, another highlight was our friend Matt suddenly removing his shirt for no apparent reason while playing Frisbee. Perhaps he simply wanted to remind us all just how lucky Ashley really is.

Mission accomplished, pal.

Pics (including Matt's yoga-toned torso) here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/CarlsbadVisitAugust

Robyn and Joel's 2008 Summer Tour Extravaganza: Phase 1

We're a bit behind on our blogging. Sorry. Don't forget, dear readers: we're busy and important people who lead glamorous and exciting international lives. Sometimes we forget to put down the champagne bottle long enough to get caught up.

So, to get caught up:

Robyn and Joel's Summer Tour Extravaganza 2008 kicked off with a bang in London.

Robyn attended a conference; I tagged along, ever the dutiful husband, intending to roam the streets and explore the city. I did just that. And I enjoyed every minute of it. It was my first chance to really see London (aside from the parts of the airport and the bus terminal I passed through during two previous trips to Oxford). Naturally, I hit the big tourist spots: Big Ben, Parliament, London Bridge, Kew Garden, the Tate Museum of Modern Art, etc. Yes, they were all impressive. And yes, the Tube is face-meltingly hot in the summer (it was unseasonably warm during our visit). Soaking up body odors all and sundry while enjoying the luxuries of public transportation is part of "going local", I suppose. (I'm quite sure I made my own special contribution to this B.O. potpourri). But when I wasn't inhaling local fragrances, my favorite pastime was to simply duck into whichever pub I happened to be strolling by at that moment and grab myself a pint and some grease-laden pub grub. Robyn and I are great fans of Pub Culture. I could eat nothing but fish 'n chips and Shepherd's Pie and die a happy (and probably young) man.

Special thanks goes to our friend Rachel, who graciously allowed us to stay with her in her lovely townhouse during our visit. In addition to the pleasure of her company, this arrangement provided us with a comfortable launching pad from whence we could enact our London adventures.

Pictures here, for the interested:

http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/LondonTripJuly

A Birthday in London

Happy (day after your) birthday, Robyn!

Here are some paparazzi pics of the birthday girl in London, yesterday and today:

Small Victories

This is a picture of luggage.

Why am I posting a boring picture of beaten-up luggage? Because this is no ordinary luggage. No, this luggage is, uncharacteristically, packed and ready to go one full day before it begins its trek to London, California, and Texas. Normally this luggage is empty right now; it waits expectantly for the harried piles of things its owners cram into it before rushing out the door to make their flight. However, for once this luggage is packed and closed more than seventeen hours ahead of its departure time.

It is a special day, indeed. Way to go, luggage!

Amsterdam

Well, after another night of jazz in Copenhagen, we headed to Amsterdam for 6 days (this is us on the plane, and way too close!).

We were in town so I could attend the European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS) annual conference. The conference was a wonderful opportunity for me to meet other organizational scholars and receive great feedback on my research project. The conference was 3 days, which left us a bit of time to explore the city...

And, explore the city we did! We love Amsterdam. The city is beautiful, even in the rain and cloudy sky. The architecture makes you feel like you are stepping back in time.We hit most of the tourist spots including Anne Frank's House and Museum and the Van Gogh Museum. Both were very impressive, but for different reasons.

As you can expect, the Anne Frank Museum is very moving. I spent a lot of time in the house, reading the excerpts from her diary, and just trying to imagine the range of emotions she felt while hiding. At the end of the exhibits and the house tour is another exhibit on human rights and freedom. It was very sobering to discover that the very horror Anne Frank and her family experienced continue in contemporary times. While I may have left the Anne Frank House and Museum, it has not left me, and perhaps, that is a good thing. This is a must see for everyone who travels to Amsterdam.

Another must-see is the Van Gogh museum. It was a well-designed exhibit, which told a wonderful narrative of not only his art but his life.

The museum was crowded, but still doable and very enjoyable. Like the Anne Frank House, you feel like you are taking a step back into history while looking at his art, but in a very different way. Again, worth fighting the crowds for a look.Perhaps our favorite part of our trip was just walking around the small side-streets and crossing the canal bridges. Amsterdam is a great walking city.

Here are just a few (trust me, there are lots more if you are interested!) pictures from our trip http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/AmsterdamTripJuly . Enjoy!