People have strong feelings about mobile phones – life-saver? bane of human existence? necessary evil? scourge on the emergent communication skills of the next generation? For me it is many things (not necessarily those listed above, although getting our teenager to have a conversation without thumbs connected to a small portable screen is ever increasingly difficult.) For me – my phone, especially here in Denmark, is my salvation. It is my art creator. Photos taken, edited and curated from the palm of my hand (and then mostly shared with you.) It is my personal translator. How else would I know what KANELSNEGL means? Oh. It’s a cinnamon snail. A what? Did I type it correctly? Yes? Ohhhh! A cinnamon roll. I get it, haha, that’s cute. My phone is my banker and I need her/him a lot lately as the unforeseen charges, penalties, fines, fees and average daily costs are evacuating my account at what seems a rapid pace. It is my navigator. Although she has a REALLY terrible accent when it comes to pronouncing Danish street names. You want me to turn WHERE? I swear she said giant vag. Oh… tee hee… Jagtvej, but her American navi-speak can’t compute. That is good for a laugh. My phone is my entertainment – yes, I saw that floppy ridiculous pug who can’t run in Belfast video. It WAS funny. Please don’t share your kitty videos though. Any of them.

My phone – like yours I’m sure – is my connection. Specifically my connection to home. (And by home I am still equating that with Oregon for the time being – when that changes do I move into another phase of Expatriation? I’m not sure. I’ll let you know.) While I am still constructing my expatriated home and self – I need that connection to remain whole. Maybe I’m connecting too much. People are concerned. Sharing the dark side of relocating abroad. But roses have thorns. They are beautiful and glorious (and if you live somewhere where deer don’t eat them to the ground) they grow each year despite the soggy, damp, frigid weather. I will too. I promise. I know it. There are just a few extra thorns on this Danish rose. (For those who don’t know – Portland, Oregon where I hail from is known as Rose City, sooo a rose by any other name, thorns or no – is still… beautiful, is all I’m saying.)

Please don’t cry for me Argentina. Or Portland, or Minnesota, or California or Denmark or New Zealand or wherever else you are reading from (which I will note that I truly appreciate that you are reading and hope that my flippancy and perceptible snark today are not a turn off.) I am ok. Seriously. Ok. I promise. We have new mobile phones – yay! I’m back to the iPhone 5, my old one which was stolen from me last summer. I know – I should have gotten the newest and the best – but phones are EXPENSIVE here! You basically buy the phone and then commit to a carrier for 6 months. Did you hear me? SIX MONTHS! Because that is the norm here and there seems to be many more options for cellular carriers, they must compete for your business to stay with them after the 6-month starter period. I have been told that people switch all the time. Our carrier has offered us some extra-specials to stay with them – one being a premium Spotify account. Another being HBO Nordic, although I’m not super psyched with the non-kid-friendly options being purveyed there and we still signed up for Netflix UK and have been binge-watching Orange is the New Black. Don’t tell me, I’m behind.

Back to Spotify. I was already a user on my desktop – but this is altogether something more awesome. The Bluetooth in the rental car picks up my playlist the moment I start the car. Why hello there bestest most favorite music. This makes me happy. I did say, incremental victories shall be exalted. One of the great things about Spotify is that you can discover new music. Today – meet Matt Simons – do you know him? He’s big in Europe REALLY big in the Netherlands apparently). I hope I am introducing you for the first time and you guys weren’t like college dance dates and he never called or something. That’s just embarrassing. For you. Haha. Anyway – this song came up randomly in whatever Spotify mix I had on shuffle – can’t do much once it’s rolling while I’m carting children to and fro. This song came up on my fro this morning. No kids in the mama-bus, so could actually could listen to the lyrics. And they were lovely. And timely. And persipicacious. And now I will share them with you.

“Catch & Release’ by Matt Simons

There’s a place I go to
where no one knows me
It’s not lonely
It’s a necessary thing
It’s a place I made up
Find out what I’m made of
The nights are stayed up
Counting stars and fighting sleep
Let it wash over me
Ready to lose my feet
Take me on to the place where one reviews life’s mystery
Steady on down the line
Lose every sense of time
Take it all in and wake up that small part of me
Day to day I’m blind to see
And find how far to go
Everybody got their reason
Everybody got their way
We’re just catching and releasing
what builds up throughout the day
It gets into your body
And it flows right through your blood
We can tell each other secrets
and remember how to love
There’s a place I’m going
no one knows me
If I breathe real slowly
let it out and let it in
They can be terrifying
to be slowly dying
Also clarifying
the end where we begin
So let it wash over me
I’m ready to lose my feet
Take me on to the place where one reviews life’s mystery
Steady on down the line
Lose every sense of time
Take it all in and wake up that small part of me
Day to day I’m blind to see
And find how far to go
Everybody got their reason
Everybody got their way
We’re just catching and releasing
what builds up throughout the day
It gets into your body
And it flows right through your blood
We can tell each other secrets
and remember how to love
Everybody got their reason
Everybody got their way
We’re just catching and releasing
what builds up throughout the day
And it gets into your body
And it flows right through your blood

We can tell each other secrets
and remember how to love

-2014

Please enjoy the lovely song. And know that I am just catching and releasing these new experiences and places and things and times. They will flow right through my blood. And I do remember how to love. Taking it all in and waking up that small part of me. Let it wash over you. Have a wonderful weekend – we are taking in some new experiences and venturing further afield in SKANDINAVIA. Very excited. More to come. Love to all.