Spinning Words

Back home and things have already started to announce themselves interesting both in a good and a bad way. One thing that I am suffering from: the heat. Well, it’s not 35 outside, as it usually is during a Romanian Summer, it’s actually quite chilly, barely getting to 30, mostly staying around 24, it’s raining a lot but for me it is humid and warm. Sleeping with the window opened is a good idea until the thunders start. Yes, thunders. I think we had a thunder storm nearly every day since I came back. As beautiful as thunder storms are they are not so nice when you are on your way to/from work or in the middle of your deepest sleep.

I only had one day to rest and switch from the “school” mood to the “corporate” one. I must say that I felt quite lost the first few days but now I got the hang of it and it seems like nothing has changed. However what has changed is my attitude towards getting to work: if first tram is missed because of the traffic light at the crossing, worry not, there’s always another! There is no reason to force the green light or get angry. I wonder for how long am I going to be this calm. One good thing about taking the tram to work again is that I read a lot, unfortunately you can’t spot deer out the window here. My desire of getting at least a bit of fresh air every day leads me to “corporate” breaks high on the terrace on the 8th floor, above a noisy and dusty construction site.

In a way every bit of me is against being here. Barely a day back home and my stomach gave me a head ache with its protests. Yes, I am on a diet again, trying to eat healthy (the Swedish godies are carefully stored till proper conditions for their consumption will be reinstated). I am feeling tired and parts of my body are occasionally going numb. For this reason a MRI is necessary. I never had one so I am a bit afraid, I don’t know if I can stand still for so long plus it is kinda scary… not the test itself but what may come out of it. Hopefully it’s just a way in which my body says that it’s not that happy to be back. I don’t blame it in a way. 

I think some parts of me are still strolling around Södermalm and others are studying hard in JMK. Plus I am pretty sure some are still at Kungliga Tennishallen. It will take a while until I pull myself back together, for now I am just trying to keep myself in one piece and focused on what is to come, whatever that is. And I still listen to Swedish music… Will do that as long as Spotify will allow it. After that I will find other means to get to that music… or get it to me.

Life with Smoc has been a bucket of fun.

So little

I remember when we brought him home: at first he was pretty dependent on us, coming where we were, walking bandy-legged.

A bit bigger

Then he got the hang of us and of the world and he began doing whatever he wanted… like hiding in the sofa through a hole he found in the back and letting us look for him desperately for minutes in a row. He wasn’t allowed to sleep in bed, he had his basket and pillow by the radiator in the bathroom.

He helped with the dishes 🙂

That was until we all noticed how cute he looked curled up at our feet. So we started to pay attention to how we move our feet during the night so we wouldn’t hit him. And he started moving from someone’s bed to the other so he would get as much attention as possible.

Loved flowers

In my case he even ended up sleeping on my pillow while I was sleeping next to it. He found great toys in ones toes especially in the middle of the night.

He was the best alarm clock in the world. The cutest too. He had no snooze button so getting to work on time was no problem.

…and ice cream

In case he was unsuccessful with a quiet meow he would in turns: stare, tread, touch your nose (even if carefully tucked under the blanket) and eventually bite.

All curled up

When our apartment was broken into and I walked in finding everything turned upside-down, I couldn’t care less about what they took, I entered the house calling his name worried and afraid he might be hurt or catnapped.

Brave hunter from behind the window

The moment I saw him coming out from between the piles of things spread around the house was the moment I knew it was time to call the police.

Loud noises in the night can be scary. After Smoc showed up loud noises in the night were the reason behind the question: “What has he done this time?”.

What is a kitchen table?

The answers were: pull down the curtains, slam the flower pots, spill the vase, climb on the fridge for his food, fall off something, bang his head in the shoe closet etc. Some of his deeds were most of the time too funny and adorable to turn one mad, even if they were committed in the middle of the night.

Helped me study

What he was very good at doing at night is offer someone company. He often curled up by my side with his head on my pillow or shoulder and purr himself to sleep. Also when there was a power outage and I was home alone (and scared in the dark) he came by my side and just put his paw on me as if he were saying “I am here”.

…by chewing my notes

To tell you the honest truth, as long as he was in the house with me I knew I wasn’t alone.

He was patient

He always listened, always replied, always kept company for supper, shower, nap time, movies, tennis matches (funny, he once followed with interest a Fed vs Rafa match… for about 3 minutes) and he was always where everybody was sitting.

… because he was wise

I want to believe that he was well taken care of, pampered and appreciated. I know he won the sympathy of some non cat-people too. And above all this I know that he was so so loved.

And he was so cute