Well, it’s all over, and I’m sitting here writing a blog post because after several days of stress here at work, I just don’t feel like being productive. It would probably be better if I didn’t actually have stuff I need to be working on, but it’s my lunch break and I don’t wanna. So there.

The presentation went well yesterday. I did not, as Darin suggested, receive any shiny apples, but neither did I receive any rotten tomaters (thrown or otherwise), so I consider it a successful day. I was, however, rather untalkative last night and fell asleep while reading a book around 9. (Dog refused to let me take a nap when I got home. I laid down and suddenly she was bouncing all over me: “Daddy’s home! Daddy’s home! Daddy’s home!” This is significantly unpleasant when we’re talking about a dog that weighs 45 pounds.)

Anyway.

I realized at some point that I forgot to explain why, exactly, it was that I wrote part of the title of Tuesday’s first post in Swedish (blå = “blue,” and it’s pronounced “bloh”).

Basically, I got caught.

We have a Swedish graduate student in our program – a very sweet (and, at the moment, very pregnant) young woman. I have discussed my pseudo-ability to read (but not speak) Swedish with her, and can generally manage a passable “Hur mår du?” (How are you?) when she comes by — and sometimes I can even understand her response.

The question I have thus far managed to avoid from her is the key issue of how it was that I came to have an understanding of Swedish in the first place. I just could not imagine telling someone “I learned your language through an inexplicable affinity for cheesy pop songs.”

That said, at some point last week, she walked into my office while I was in mid singalong to Per Gessle’s “Här kommer alla känslorna (på en och samma gång),” an explosive hit (in Sweden) from the summer of 2003 that is irritatingly catchy and can get stuck in your head for days if you’re not careful – regardless of your proficiency (or lack thereof) in Swedish.

And she looked at me very calmly and said, “Is that Per Gessle you’re listening to?”

Me (turning bright red): “Uh huh.”

Her: “Huh.” And then she went and sat down at the table in the adjacent room and began to go over some notes before class, probably helped along greatly by the shining red light emanating from my head.

Ugh.

Anyway. Here’s the song, in case you’re curious. Listen at your own risk…

Tags: bloggers, embarrassing moments, per-gessle, workshops