Gingerbread House and Another Early Christmas

The job search continues. Tomorrow I'll have a piece on headhunters (recruiting firms) that might interest you. Today, though, it's all about the family. We went to my Uncle Bob's yesterday to make/decorate a gingerbread house. The gingerbread was even made by Aunt Kristina; like Kate, she's in import too (but from Sweden).

Bob showed me the article below from the Swedish Press. I guess I'd have a hard time getting a position in Stockholm.

Last Fart at the Riksbank

There is to be no more farting at Rikesbanken, the Bank of Sweden.

"We do not have a specific fart ban, but we have ethical guidelines and naturally, farting is simply not done here, "says Steffan Folke at the bank's work environment office.

It all started with complaints about a colleague's farting from computer technician Goran Andervass. The incident accelerated into a serious workplace conflict. Andervass was fired, took legal action and finally received a monetary compensation from the bank. According to Andervass he was "provoked by a disgusting fart - a right stinker - at 7:30AM in my office". The farting colleague is not keen to talk about this.

Krister Skoglund in the human resource department warns staff about farting too obviously near others: "If it happens on numerous occasions it will be perceived as a violation.", he said.

Yes, that is an actual news story...what a place.

As you enter Bob and Kristina's place you see this gal looking strernly at you as if to say, "Take off them boots!" I think it was at my mom's (Bob's her brother) parent's place but not sure who she is.


Someone's great-grandmother, but no idea who...


...maybe Kristina's? Naaahhhhh!

Bob...well, Bob collects things. Lots of things. Keys, for instance. And pipes. And CD, DVD, VHS players; camcorders; records, reel-to-reels, nick-nacks, paddy-whacks, dog-bones...just lots and lots of stuff.


Just a few of Bob's keys and keychains.

Before dinner the boys did some bonding as boys do...play with blocks and technology. What? You thought they'd play house or something?


Here's Anders and Spencer playing with Lego...


...as Lars and Winston explore the house.


Anders shows Winston his Powerbook.

In the backyard Spencer takes a look at the garden.


Bob says this ladder was just 3 feet high when he planted it in the garden in the spring....what kind of fertilizer is that?!!?


Bob has a bumper crop of ladders. Can you have too many? (Um, maybe.)

Then came dinner. Authentic Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, Caesar salad, gravy (...mmmmmm gravy...) and some veggies. All things I could hardly find in great supply in Korea.


Bob gets his mug in the shot.


"Some Swedish meatballs made by a Swedish meatballer," as Bob said.

After dinner we gave them their presents: the boys got 100% polyester ties (mayeb their first) handpicked by a master clotheshorse...me. Their parents got chocolates.


Lars and Anders model their flashy new ties sans collared shirts (which, I guess, is the style nowadays).

Then came ( I know you've been waiting for this with bated breath) the decorating of the gingerbread house. As mentioned, Kristina made the bread and assembled it with sugar glue of some sort (sounds yummy).


This is how it started. (Winston almost ended it right there.)


On your marks, get set......go!


A view from our eye-in-the-sky heli-cam.


Here is Kristina putting more icing on the roof. She'll get great big Popeye-esque forearms from all that squeezing!


Everyone has a hand in the construction.

After that we hti the road for the >1 hour drive home (at least when I'm at the wheel). I've driven so much in Vancouver that even after being gone for 2 years I still could get there without a map (well, I did look at it once...I'm not that good).


Everyone (except me, of course) is sacked out after a long day.

Maybe this is what put them to sleep...driving home isn't exactly like cruising the Vegas Strip.


Take a look at this scene...this is just outside Vancouver. Hundreds (thousands?) of acres of farmland.

As you have read, we've been opening Christmas presents every once in a while. The first time was with my Mom and Dad. That was because we didn't figure I'd be here over Christmas so we did it early. When we got home from Bob's Spencer was so wired about opening presents (ah, to be last year when he didn't know what they were...) that we figured might as well let him open one. My Mom and Dad always said that it was kind of a rollercoaster for us kids to get everything in one day and then have a weird feeling when it was all done. I kinda like opening a few every once in a while too (hey, why wait?).


Spencer gets ready to tear into his present of the night.


Jessie gets her gift from the Bob + Kristina...coffee...mmmmmmmm.


Winston models with the new Santa Claus plate...ya, we didn't have him hold it up.

After that it was time to workout. I took a fwe pics of the clubhouse we have here. It's ok, and mostly deserted. The pool is empty a lot (should get some of those pics up as well...I have them here somewhere I think). In the fooseball/gameroom is a big TV and DVD player and such which seems a little redundant given the large units they have here.


We have fooseball if anyone's up for a game.


Here's the gym. Brutal lighting, but you can see it's pretty a universal, a few free weights (only up to 35 lbs/15 kgs)...


...a Stairmaster, a treadmill and a TV...what more could you want? (How about some aerobics instructors?)

Then it was time to make dinner for the boys. I made some omlette and fried ham then added 김/gim (seaweed) and 밥/bap (rice) for the Korean crowd. That stuff in the glass isn't just water, it's 보리차/bo-rli-cha (barley tea). Koreans just call it water most of the time. If you want water-water in a Korean restaurant (or in Korea) you'll need to ask for 냉물/naeng mool (cold/ice water).


Dinner for the Two Princes.


Now, the next day, it's time to eat the house.

Couldn't resist this shot this morning on my errand-run.


Take a look at the neon sign...what the heck is a Vietnamese sub?

Later.