My father arrived in Copenhagen early in the morning on Wednesday, May 14. He stayed with us for several days before heading over to Ljungby, Sweden, where he's now teaching seminary students from the Lutheran Confessional Church of Sweden and Norway.
We made the most of my father's brief stop in Denmark. We've said before that Copenhagen is truly a wonderful walking city. We enjoyed a number of leisurely strolls through our neighborhood, now green and lush after a long winter's hibernation, as well as through some of our favorite spots down near the city center. It's been amazing to see the city literally "reborn" throughout this spring season. We also savored several Danish-style homecooked meals, skillfully prepared by Robyn (I supplied the beer, thankyouverymuch). We've made some wonderful friends during our time here; two days after my father's arrival, we enjoyed a lovely dinner with several of them: our gracious hosts, Michael and Rebekah (as well as their young boys, "Big" John and "Bigger-by-the-day" James), as well as our other American friends, Adam and Melanie.
Earlier in the day, Rebekah and Adam joined the three of us for a tour of the Carlsberg ("Probably the best beer in town") Brewery (http://www.visitcarlsberg.dk/default2.html). The tour itself is (relatively) interesting. But the real point of feigning interest in rooms full of half-rusted brewing machinery from the last century is to get to the "prize" at the end of the tour: a sleek, well-lit bar where one can sample different beers from Carlsberg's extensive selection of brews. And sample we did.
Here are some pictures from my father's visit:
http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/DadVisitMay
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Staying connected through laundry
I remember buying my first washer and dryer. Joel and I were just married and we used our “wedding money” to purchase our modest but elegant Kenmore washer and dryer. I was so proud. And, when our house in Carbondale flooded during a terrible storm, it was my washer and dryer that I guarded with layers and layers of towels. I wasn’t going to give up my washer and dryer without a fight.
Our little flat here in Copenhagen is not big enough for a washer and dryer. We use the laundry mat around the corner. It is quite nice and very convenient, but I do miss my washer. Wait, what did I just say? Just my washer? Yep… just my washer. I don’t use dryers anymore!
Actually, many people in Copenhagen don't use dryers. Almost every home has a rather large and elaborate drying rack and there are often clotheslines behind apartment buildings. So, winter, spring, summer and fall, we dry out clothes the old-fashioned way… by hanging them up. And, to my surprise, I love it. Sure, it is better for the environment (a lot better, actually, check the energy use on your home dryer – scary!), and easier on your clothes, but I like hanging my clothes outside because it reminds me of the women in my family. I have only a few very fuzzy memories of family-related laundry events, but I sort-of remember the clothesline outside our first house in Indiana… and a long line of white diapers hanging on it. And, I know that my great-grandmothers and grandmother had to hang their laundry outside to dry… and no, it was never glamorous or fun. In fact, it is a bit ironic: my great-grandmothers, grandmothers, and mother (and the men in my family too) worked very hard so I could one day not have to hang my laundry outside. But, now I have the choice. I can use the dryers (and before I sound too self-righteous, I have to admit I do use them from time to time) or hang our clothes outside. I am happy to choose to dry my clothes outside or on our rack. And, for the few moments I am alone hanging the laundry, I enjoy imagining all the women (and men) before me who took the time to hang laundry and I feel connected. A lot changes from generation to generation… but is nice to know some things stay the same. Things like laundry.
Our little flat here in Copenhagen is not big enough for a washer and dryer. We use the laundry mat around the corner. It is quite nice and very convenient, but I do miss my washer. Wait, what did I just say? Just my washer? Yep… just my washer. I don’t use dryers anymore!
Actually, many people in Copenhagen don't use dryers. Almost every home has a rather large and elaborate drying rack and there are often clotheslines behind apartment buildings. So, winter, spring, summer and fall, we dry out clothes the old-fashioned way… by hanging them up. And, to my surprise, I love it. Sure, it is better for the environment (a lot better, actually, check the energy use on your home dryer – scary!), and easier on your clothes, but I like hanging my clothes outside because it reminds me of the women in my family. I have only a few very fuzzy memories of family-related laundry events, but I sort-of remember the clothesline outside our first house in Indiana… and a long line of white diapers hanging on it. And, I know that my great-grandmothers and grandmother had to hang their laundry outside to dry… and no, it was never glamorous or fun. In fact, it is a bit ironic: my great-grandmothers, grandmothers, and mother (and the men in my family too) worked very hard so I could one day not have to hang my laundry outside. But, now I have the choice. I can use the dryers (and before I sound too self-righteous, I have to admit I do use them from time to time) or hang our clothes outside. I am happy to choose to dry my clothes outside or on our rack. And, for the few moments I am alone hanging the laundry, I enjoy imagining all the women (and men) before me who took the time to hang laundry and I feel connected. A lot changes from generation to generation… but is nice to know some things stay the same. Things like laundry.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Consciousness in Tucson and Vilnius
Not much blogging of late. It's been a busy month: traveling and conferences, increased activity at work, a number of church-related functions...and spending as much time as possible outside, savoring the uncharacteristically warm and sunny weather. The past two weeks in particular have shown Copenhagen at its finest; even the locals concede that it's been unusually lovely. More on that in a future post, however.
Last month I traveled to Tucson, AZ, for the "Towards a Science of Consciousness" conference held biannually at the University of Arizona. It's a massive, colorful "all things related to consciousness" conference that I always look forward to very much. There aren't many conferences where you can begin the morning by listening to a talk on two-dimensionalism and the knowledge argument, hop on over to an adjacent session to hear a discussion of autism and social cognition, and then bounce over to yet another session to catch up with the latest research in transpersonal phenomenological parameters of human sexual experience (those are all bits of real titles, by the way). Fun stuff all around. And this year's conference didn't disappoint. I gave a talk on empathy and moral perception--which is rather a pedestrian topic, alas, in constrast to transpersonal phenomenology and sexual experience. Perhaps next time I will include some saucy power point images in my talk to spice things up a bit.
While I enjoyed the academic portion of my trip very much, seeing family was the real highlight. My parents, along with Travis and Kelly, came over from California to stay in Tucson during my visit. We all stayed at my grandmother's house. It was a great visit. We had the chance to spend lots of early-morning time simply sitting around in our pajamas, sippping coffee and chatting about all sorts of things. Due to my skipping across multiple time zones, I enjoyed the unaccustomed luxury of starting my day at 5:30AM with my grandmother! I've posted some pictures from the visit at this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/TucsonTripApril2008
A few weeks later, I traveled to Vilnius, Lithuania, to attend the meeting of the "Nordic Society for Phenomenology". I gave a paper on music perception. This conference, too, was very enjoyable. I wasn't able to see as much of Vilnius as I would have liked, but I've posted some pictures from the trip here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/LithuaniaTripApril2008
Be sure to look closely at the picture of the toilet!
Last month I traveled to Tucson, AZ, for the "Towards a Science of Consciousness" conference held biannually at the University of Arizona. It's a massive, colorful "all things related to consciousness" conference that I always look forward to very much. There aren't many conferences where you can begin the morning by listening to a talk on two-dimensionalism and the knowledge argument, hop on over to an adjacent session to hear a discussion of autism and social cognition, and then bounce over to yet another session to catch up with the latest research in transpersonal phenomenological parameters of human sexual experience (those are all bits of real titles, by the way). Fun stuff all around. And this year's conference didn't disappoint. I gave a talk on empathy and moral perception--which is rather a pedestrian topic, alas, in constrast to transpersonal phenomenology and sexual experience. Perhaps next time I will include some saucy power point images in my talk to spice things up a bit.
While I enjoyed the academic portion of my trip very much, seeing family was the real highlight. My parents, along with Travis and Kelly, came over from California to stay in Tucson during my visit. We all stayed at my grandmother's house. It was a great visit. We had the chance to spend lots of early-morning time simply sitting around in our pajamas, sippping coffee and chatting about all sorts of things. Due to my skipping across multiple time zones, I enjoyed the unaccustomed luxury of starting my day at 5:30AM with my grandmother! I've posted some pictures from the visit at this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/TucsonTripApril2008
A few weeks later, I traveled to Vilnius, Lithuania, to attend the meeting of the "Nordic Society for Phenomenology". I gave a paper on music perception. This conference, too, was very enjoyable. I wasn't able to see as much of Vilnius as I would have liked, but I've posted some pictures from the trip here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/JoelWKrueger/LithuaniaTripApril2008
Be sure to look closely at the picture of the toilet!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Much Music
One of our favorite things about living in Copenhagen is the abundance of live music. Last night, Robyn and I attended a concert by the renowned jazz singer Dianne Reeves (some of you may know her from the George Clooney film Goodnight & Good Luck). It was an outstanding show. John Cage once said that writing about music is like dancing about architecture--I'm inclined to agree--so rather than string together a series of superlatives, I'll simply encourage you to see her perform if you have the opportunity. I'm not a huge jazz fan normally, but it was one of the better shows I've seen.
Over the past couple of months, we've seen other great performances spanning multiple genres: from quirky Swedish indie pop (Jens Lekman), opera (Faust), and relentlessly perky Danish dance-pop (Alphabeat), to experimental electronica/classical music fusion (Murcof). There are even more genres on our upcoming musical calendar: instrumental drone rock (Explosions in the Sky), ragged neo-psych (The Brian Jonestown Massacre), American neo-folk revival (Iron and Wine), and brooding indie art-rock (The National). The Copenhagen Jazz Festival this July will offer even more options. And who knows? We may even brave the mud and crowds to attend the legendary Roskilde Festival this summer.
Copenhagen is a great city for a music lover.
Over the past couple of months, we've seen other great performances spanning multiple genres: from quirky Swedish indie pop (Jens Lekman), opera (Faust), and relentlessly perky Danish dance-pop (Alphabeat), to experimental electronica/classical music fusion (Murcof). There are even more genres on our upcoming musical calendar: instrumental drone rock (Explosions in the Sky), ragged neo-psych (The Brian Jonestown Massacre), American neo-folk revival (Iron and Wine), and brooding indie art-rock (The National). The Copenhagen Jazz Festival this July will offer even more options. And who knows? We may even brave the mud and crowds to attend the legendary Roskilde Festival this summer.
Copenhagen is a great city for a music lover.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Happy Birthday Dad!!!
Okay... well, we are going to pretend that today is yesterday... April 14th... that way we can wish my dad a 
VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
This is me and Dad enjoying a bit of Copenhagen's finest herring and schnapps! Yum!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
He Lives!
He lives indeed!
Okay, well, I realize Easter was several weeks ago, but I am just now finding the time to blog. March was a busy month!
Holy Week and Easter was a wonderful time, in part because my parents were in town (see previous post). It was great to have them visit. I feel bad because my poor mother froze the entire time – we had a cold snap (it snowed 5 of the 9 days there were in town)
Holy Week and Easter was a wonderful time, in part because my parents were in town (see previous post). It was great to have them visit. I feel bad because my poor mother froze the entire time – we had a cold snap (it snowed 5 of the 9 days there were in town)
and she literally had to wear two pair of pants to keep warm while sightseeing! I loved having my parents around: it allowed me to slink back to that peaceful place of childhood… you know… you don’t have to be the one responsible for everything (doing the dishes, making sure the door is locked at night…). This is me and Mom cooking in our PJs!
And, yet, I was very proud to take them to our church, my office,
and show them were we shop. In other words, show them how “adult” I can be… when I have to be. It was great to sightsee with them and then to just hang out in the evening. It was especially good to see my father so relaxed… it’s a new picture of him that I am still getting used to but one that I love.
We had a wonderful time celebrating Easter with my parents and two families from church. My mom made our traditional (and favorite) Easter food (the ham and ambrosia were my favorite). Rebekah made her famous mashed potatoes and yeast rolls and Melanie brought fabulous green beans and the most beautiful white tulips I’d ever seen!
Here are a few pictures from Easter... in our pretty Easter clothes!
No, Joel and I don't always color coordinate... good minds just think alike :)
Me, Rebekah, Mom, and Melanie at Easter Lunch.
Enjoying Easter Lunch.
My parents left early Easter Monday morning and insisted that we not take them to the airport… which I think they now regret. I later found out that the bus to take them to the metro was off schedule. They decided to walk to the metro stop (while dragging their luggage!), and while walking, their bus passed them! Oh well. They made it home. It was sad to see them go… it is always hard when our guests leave. It is a reminder of how far we are. Most of the time I don’t really feel it; email and our internet phone keep us connected. But, I am feeling homesick and seeing my parents intensified those feelings. I guess I would rather feel sad when they left. It is a nice reminder of how special my parents are to me. Here are a few more pictures to enjoy!
Sightseeing in Nyhavn.
Mom in front of the Marble Church.
Dad's favorite Danish food... apparently the hotdogs are preferred over the herring...
This is a picture of Mom in front of the Gringo's Mexican restaurant in Roskilde, Denmark!
Mom and the Little Mermaid... and yes, she is that little!
Sightseeing in the Latin Quarter.
Walking in the snow in Roskilde. It always snowed...
Monday, March 17, 2008
Remkes, Round II
We have company again!
Ron and Kathy Remke arrived last Friday morning and will be with us until early next week. I'm sure we'll post more details of their visit in the near future. For now, I'll simply put up some pictures of what we've been up to so far, as well as a short video taken earlier tonight.
Ron and Kathy Remke arrived last Friday morning and will be with us until early next week. I'm sure we'll post more details of their visit in the near future. For now, I'll simply put up some pictures of what we've been up to so far, as well as a short video taken earlier tonight.
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