Phong and I saw the Captain America movie tonight. Don't worry about spoilers, this post isn't actually about the film but the theatre. We have one theatre in town, the SF Bio. For my non Swedish friends, I shall point out a few differences between Swedish and American theatres. The most noticeable is that it only seems to have showings between 5 and 9, whereas in the states some movies start around 11 (if I recall correctly). Also when you buy tickets they have a seat number! Forget waiting in line to get the good seats people, you can choose them online if you want or at the counter.

I happen to love going to the theatre. Unfortunately, the experience is beginning to decay. Trailers have become longer and in many cases made viewing the movie itself pointless, and 3D has taken over when it comes to big ticket movies.

Most American movies take months after their US airing date to come out in Sweden, but Phong and I wait patiently to get to see them in the theatre. Tonight the movie started. Or rather, the sound did, but the darkness left by the turned down lights was never illuminated by the screen. The image never came. After a minute or so of epic sounds and voices, it seemed no one near the door was going to make the move. Valiant as ever, Phong bound down the stairs on our side of the theatre, ran around the front, and then scaled the opposite side- elegant like a gazelle- and went to find someone to fix the screen.

Sound continued for another five minutes or so, it was hard to tell in the dark, until Phong returned. When the sound returned with picture, it was from the point where the sound had been. They didn't restart the movie.

At the end we waited through the credits, as is customary at the end of Marvel (and pretty much all) films now, to see the extra bit that may or may not arrive. It did! Or at least, the sound did. The image stopped just in time for it, right after the credits.

-1 for SF Bio.

I'm suddenly worried that I'm misspelling Nolia. Hopefully not. Anywho, it was a lot of fun. We went to the craft warehouse and saw a bunch of neat booths including a new tea place where I finally bought Oolong after what had to have been at least two days of wanting. More on the tea itself later.

Unfortunately, I'm really bad at taking pictures. Not the picture taking itself, but the habit of remembering to take them.

At some point we found a booth with sewing supplies but, of course, nothing in the way of quilting hoops.

After the craft building we went to the food building, it was great but of course by then I was so engulfed by hunger that I completely failed to remember I even had a camera.

Phong and I tried coconut baklava that was really yummy. I had a slushy that was okay but failed to melt properly due to the cold. We shared a veggi pizza and then had these desserts that are kind of like logs of white chocolate with coconut flakes on the outside and marshmellowy goodness inside.

Bet you're wishing I was better at taking picture now, right?

We tried this place in town (Umeå). It was much larger than I thought but for some reason it took forever to get our food. Now, often when people say that I think they're exagerating. But it took an hour before we got our entres and then another hour for the foor. Two hours. I don't at all mind spending two hours in a restraunt, if I'm eating.

The food wasn't bad. I had a feta burger. But most of the foods seemed to be pretty centered around tzatziki sauce, which unfortunately I don't really like.

Hopefully it was just a fluke that it took so long when we were there, but I probably won't be going back anytime soon.

So Phong and I were out for a walk the other evening and when we came home there was a hedgehog in the yard! A hedgehog! In case you're wondering what all the hullabaloo is about, I've only ever seen real hedgehogs in Sweden. (Not counting my friend's tiny angry pet hedgehog.) Every summer I try to keep an eye out for them but it seems every time we see one, I don't have a camera on me! Even this time, I was without a camera. When the hedgehog left the yard to venture into the parking lot and check out my brother-in-law's beamer, Phong and I continued on our way into the building.

When we got upstairs I ran to the kitchen window and low and behold, he had wondering into the other side of our yard! I tried taking a picture from the window, but it was too far away to get a good picture. I considered going down and getting closer but I decided a while back (in previous hedgehog thoughts) that I shouldn't get too close or do anything that might influence their directional choices. It's already so precarious outside what with all the pavement, cars, cats, and drunk teens... I couldn't bare the idea of negatively effecting a hedgehogs lifepath.