Last week, the day before the day before christmas (for us, anyway) Mikaela and I went to Roxy with Patrik and Staffan. As I was as poor as a church-mouse, Staffan bought me a Roxy Razz, a raspberry-based vodka drink with loads of mashed ice in it. Like a Slush Puppie for adults. Staffan was drinking a Manhattan and Mikaela soon joined us with a ginger-cinnamon-based drink that was very lean and fresh. She mostly likes those types of drinks. Mostly.

Patrik joined us and having drunk a few drinks, a wine bottle and eaten some of the lovely tapas at Roxy, we went home to their place. They cooked a pasta with pesto, served a nice wine (they love it, the Porcupine Merlot) and played Elliott Smith's "From A Basement On The Hill", the best album of the year. We then went home, stuffed, tipsy and glad.

The day after I went shopping for gifts. I found everything that day, except for some stuffs I ordered through the Internet. Two of those, to Mikaela, still haven't arrived due to grand problems at the suppliers. I found a beautiful t-shirt for Emelie, my sister's older child, a black one with a print on the front. On it there was a big yellow "M" with the effing Ronald McDonald beneath it. The kicker was the text beneath it all, reading "SATAN". I still wonder if that shirt is in the back of some unloved cupboard, if it's not burned to a cinder in their yard, which they don't have. But you get it.

As my mom and dad don't ever go to the cinema, I bought them a plastic card valid for six goings. I also got them the Elliott Smith album and "Ultra-Lounge: Christmas Cocktails", a few teas for my grandmother ("I have no use for anything, really! I'm 92 years old! What do I possibly need?"), a Bed-head kit for my sister, a bunny rabbit doll for Amanda, my sister's younger daughter, a few records for their family and a few more hand-outs before heading to Mikaela's parents for some of the same. The difference was that Frederic popped up there, and, of course, Mikaela's family. Her grandmother is a real treat; being a mixture of The Bad, The Mad and The Constantly Self-pitying, she drew the winner when suddenly, while everybody were unwrapping presents and talking, she screamed aloud, craving silence. Mikaela and she got in a verbal scuffle but it sorted itself out pretty quickly. Frederic and I dug into some Hennessy that Mikaela's mom very generously gave us, then into some more and of course more, which made us go into the rehearsal room that Mikaela's brothers have made in their basement, where Frederic played the drums for the first time in 20 years (oh, the old man) and I played the electric guitar, totally unable to come up with any distortion so I went ahead and just faked a few lines. I remember playing Ramones and White Stripes tracks, with Frederic playing along quite good. The cymbals were very used, very eau de Chris Liebing. We all went home, tipsy, glad.

The rest of the days have plodded on quite eventfully. That's good grammar, isn't it? Anyway, the latest Morrissey show done at Janice Long's, shows he can play reggae. I almost fell over when I heard Patti Smith's "Redondo Beach" with the ubiquitous backbeat.

Mikaela, Frederic and I saw "Capturing The Friedmans" a few days ago. A really great documentary on a family and its quasi-disintegration from the dad being exposed as a pedophile, it's a landmark in documentaries, mostly as he has filmed a lot; even after being exposed nationally in the USA, the family continued to film their quarrels, their falling apart and also keeping together, already condemned as a family of maniacs by the general media, despite very questionable "ethics" by the police and the court during the trials that followed. It is a horrid, wonderful and great documentary. See it!

I'm going to buy a new perfume from Kenzo, which is really good. I'm fed up with their old scent, as I wore it appx. 10 years ago. Here's a mind-boggling thing though: people are still using Fahrenheit, Kouros, Old Spice and Armani. About ten years ago, when in upper secondary school, people used that stuff to smell older, I think. And it was a group thing as well. I didn't use perfumes until a few years later, but then I skipped the musk-smelling beat altogether. Nothing bad about having different tastes, but hey, if you're using Armani...you're probably somebody I know. You know who you are! Actually, my dad uses Old Spice, but he's over 50 and is used to the scent. In 20 years time my kid(s) will probably laugh at me for smelling of Issey Miyake's perfume, so there.

I've also ordered a few cheap books from the USA. It's funny, the postage and packing costs a lot more than the three books together. I'm really anxious to read the biography of John Gielgud, the famed English actor, and the autobiography of Bruce Campbell, the famed American b-actor who apparently has a lot of humor. Anyway, the site's good! Loads of cheap prices, and if you live in the USA, go there constantly.

By no way, here's a little guide on how to speed up Firefox. I can't say I'm noticing any difference though, but technically it should be better. I hope.

Right now I'm watching a very pretentious documentary on how the latest Band Aid single was made. I am not impressed. Joss Stone continues to shine with her anti-intellectualism, thanking "Bob Gandalf" for the song. What an idiot. Even though the project is super-pretentious it's good, of course. If the money reaches its target more, this time around.

Tomorrow it's the last day at work for more than a week. The next one I'm off! Oh the fortunes! Then I'll hatch plans or just lay on the sofa days at a time.